Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon. Um the regular session of the planning commission of the city of Lancaster will come to order. Uh tonight our invocation or this afternoon our invocation um will be offered by Commissioner Burke and the pledge will be led by Commissioner Latanzi. If you'd all please stand. Pray however you pray. Lord, we meeting. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. The roll call, please. Roll call. Chairman Bos, here. Vice Chairman Dairberry, I'm here. Commissioner Burke, present. Commissioner Curo, Commissioner Hernandez, absent. Commissioner Latanzi, present. Commissioner Underwood, present. We have a quorum.

Thank you. Commissioner Hernandez is otherwise engaged this afternoon had another commitment. Um she's a member of the Analope Valley Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees and they have a special meeting today. Public business from the floor. If anyone wishes to address the commission on any matter on the agenda, we ask you to complete a speaker card which you will find at the rear of the chamber and um provide them to uh our attorney uh here on your left or on your right, my left. Um and once that item is called uh the applicant will have an opportunity to present his case. Staff will give a staff report and then we'll call on those individuals who may wish to address us uh for three minutes each. oftentimes uh when members of the community discuss items with us um we wait till the end of the public comment section so staff may respond on the more technical aspects of what you may want to discuss with us. Um but just remember you have a three minute window uh to share your information. Tonight we have uh three action or four action items, three public hearings. The first action item tonight or this afternoon. I'm sorry. I'm so used to having this meeting in the evening. I keep saying evening. So maybe 3:30 is

evening. I don't know. Somewhere it is, right? It's not five o'clock. Well, never mind. That's another story. Um, so first item, action item is approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of August 18th. May I have a motion, please? So moved. Thank you. A second. He beat you to it, huh?

Thank you. So, it's been moved and seconded. Please vote. Motion passes. 6 with one absent. As I mentioned, we have three public hearings tonight. The first public hearing is uh item number two on the agenda, conditional use permit 25-006. So without objection, the public hearing is open. Um Miss Calgro will uh provide us with her staff report. Good afternoon, Chairman Bose and members of the planning commission. My name is Carrie Colgrove and I'm the planner for this project. Sorry, they're pulling up the slide still. Okay. So, the item before you is conditional use permit number 250006, which is to allow for the installation of a new electronic monument sign supporting expanded church services and an existing church facility. To provide some background, pursuant to Lancaster Municipal Code, most signage which can include monument signs, wall signs, and other types are are approved at the staff level. So as long as they conform with the code. Occasionally there are proposed signs that require planning commission approval due to specific features and this is one of them. It's not working.

Okay. One over, please. The proposed project is located at 43824 30th Street West and is zoned R7000. The subject property is located directly across the street from Analot Valley College and is surrounded by existing single family homes. The applicant is Lancaster 7th Day Adventist Church represented by Ron Williams. Thank you. Here you have a site plan of the existing church site. The new electronic monument sign would be would replace an existing monument sign that is located at the front of the property along 30th Street West. The location of the sign is circled in red on the screen. The proposed monument sign would be approximately the same height, length, and width of the existing sign on site. The site has an existing cup and under that cup has expanded services to support new users of the site. Due to these additional use additional users, the church is proposing electronable ch electronic changeable screens. Sorry. This would be prohibited under the LMC's normal sign code, but the Lancaster Municipal Code does include a provision which allows the planning commission to approve signs it deems appropriate for the use, which is the reason for today's hearing. In addition to their own services, the church facility hosts several other organizations including Analopee Valley Korean Church, Free Grace Church, and Options Basketball Academy. The facility is also used for various community services. The sign would be programmed to advertise the various users and events held only at the facility. No outside advertisements would be displayed. The project is categorically exempt from SQA under class one existing facilities because it it is an existing church

facility with negligible expansion of the former use. Public hearing notices were mailed to all owners and occupants within 500 ft a 500 foot radius and posted on the subject property in compliance with the Lancaster Municipal Code. To date, staff has not received any comments on this project. With that, staff recommends the planning commission adopt resolution 2514 approving CUP 25006 and finding the project categorically exempt. The applicant and myself are available for questions. Very good. Thank you. Members, do you have any questions of staff? The applicant certainly can speak to us. It's a pretty routine item. If you'd like to address us, we're happy to hear you. Please state your name so we know who we're hearing from.

Hi, my my name's Ron Williams and I am the treasurer and project manager for this project. Um, welcome. Well, thank you. It's the first time here and um really just wanted to say that that sign has been there at that property since the day after creation and I think the Lord would be happy if we put in a brand new sign there. So I would appreciate your vote if you have any questions answered. Do we have any other speakers on this item? Chair votes. We have three speakers. Three three speakers. All right. Starting off Rhonda Lee Harrison followed by Jillian Stefen or Stefan. Rhonda please.

Afternoon and welcome. Thank you so much. My name is Rhonda Harrison. I am a member of the Lancaster Adventist Church and I have been there for about 35 years. Um recently my husband passed away and you the city of Lancaster sent a very nice dedication of memorial and in it it says that Keith contributed to the community and to his family and he was really good citizen and he was looking for finding solutions. This is a positive solution. and my husband sat on the planning committee trying to make a sign that would be positive and pleasant with the community. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comments. Next up is Jillian Stefen or Stefan followed by Kathy Yordon. Hello.

Hello. Good afternoon, council members. Thank you. My name is Jillian Stefano. I'm here with my husband S and uh we're here today to share our support for the new church uh the new church sign. This church has been such an important part of our lives and our family's journey. For a long time, we drove past it without ever realizing that it was there. Only later, when we searched online did we finally find it through Google Maps. Once we visited, the church became more than just a building. It became a place of hope, connection, and support for our family. I can honestly say that it has had a meaningful impact in our lives. That's why I believe a new church sign is so important. A clear and visible sign will help others in the community discover what we were fortunate enough to find. It will make the church easier to locate, reduce confusion for drivers, and provide a safe way for visitors to find their way. The sign will also allow the church to share messages, service times, and community events that will benefit not only its members, but the public as a whole. Churches are a part of the fabric of Lancaster, and this simple addition can help strengthen that purpose. I believe the new sign will be a me a wonderful improvement, bringing both practical benefits and a sense of welcome to the neighborhood. Thank you for your time and for considering our support.

Thank you. Last up, Kathy Jordan. Hi. Hello and welcome. And you can just step right up there and speak in the microphone and we'll hear you. Um, actually what I'm here to speak about and I couldn't find what to write on the paper is um on page five, the proposal for um the lot that's being developed. So, should I speak now or when you get to that item? When we get to the item. Okay. I'll save your speaker card. That's it. Chair Vos, thank you. Questions or comments from him?

All right. Then it's appropriate to close the public hearing without objection and consider a motion. I'll make the motion. I move that the city adopt resolution 2514 approving conditional use permit 25-006 for new electronic monument sign and find the project categorically exempt from SQL. Thank you. A second.

Thank you. Do you have your mic on? Sometimes the uh audio doesn't pick up on the um public record. So, please use your mics if you can, please. I second that for you. Thank you.

Uh it's been moved and seconded. Anything further? Please vote. [Applause] Motion passes 6 with one absent. Congratulations and you can stay for the entire meeting if you like. Um, some of it can get really exciting and some of it is really boring. Thank you so much.

You're still beautiful. It's smart people. Uh, all right. The next public hearing is public hearing on tenative parcel map number 24-001. Um, map number 84417. So, without objection, this item is open. Hello again.

You're on again? Yes, I am on again. Um, I am the project planner for this project. So, the next item before you is tenative parcel map number 24001, map 84417, which is for the subdivision of approximately 2.9 acres into two multifamily residential lots. Um, just for some background, typically the projects brought to before PC are tenative track maps. For clarity, the distinction between a typical tracked map and a tenative parcel map is that the track maps have more than four lots and parcel maps have four or fewer. For PC purposes, both project types follow the same process. So, the project is located just north of Avenue L and east of 27th Street West and is zoned medium density residential. The zone would allow for multifamily residential uses in the future. Um, but the applicant is not proposing any specific use at this time. The property is surrounded by both existing and vacant single family and multif family residential uses. The applicant is Avenue Q and 25th Street East LLC represented by Jonathan Larios. Here is a site plan for the proposed map. The lot will be subdivided into two lots that are approximately 54,000 square feet each. Access to the parcels will be provided via Avenue K14. For general contact context, both tenative parcel maps and tenative track maps are reviewed for compliance with the Lancaster Municipal Code and the Subdivision Map Act. The proposed project was found to be in compliance with all standards. The project is categorically exempt under SQA um under a class 15 minor land divisions because it involves a division of property in an urbanized area into four or fewer parcels. Public hearing notices were mailed to all owners and occupants within a 500 foot radius and posted on the subject property in compliance with the Lancaster Municipal

Code. To date, staff has not received any comments on this project. With that, staff recommends the planning commission adopt resolution 2515 approving TPM 24001 and finding the project categorically exempt. The applicant and myself are here if you have any questions.

Thank you. Um members, do you have any questions or comments for staff? I couldn't read the dimensions off the exhibit um of the frontages. So what is 165 ft per lot more or less? About 93 feet. Yeah. Young eyes. That's what that is. You can see it. Get out of here.

And did you say the only access is from K14? There'll be no ability to have access from Avenue L. Right. Good. Okay. Thank you. Anything else? No. Um, so the applicant may address us if they choose. They're welcome to. don't have to

again. My name is Kathy Yorton. I live on Fern Avenue, which um

Huh. Sorry, thought about where I am. Fans Avenue. And can we bring back up the map of the proposal? If you come straight down on Avenue um uh K14, just a little further down, that would be my driveway. What I'm two, I have a couple questions. One, these um and are they homes or apartments? It's not clear when you say multi-functional, you know, multifamily. What are we looking at? condos, houses, what what is proposed to be buil built there?

Staff will respond once you're done with your question.

Oh, okay. And um the other question is where the roads are going to be. Um just a little further down at the end of Fans, it is a culde-sac. If you go up to where you see Edison T come into K14 a teeny bit further, it's always been a dead end with metal posts. Beyond that, they have recently built 72 uh family capacity, several apartment buildings and other um buildings that you know like they have a center there for kids after school and all that. that traffic is now going through the desert on that dirt road because there's only one remaining post there and they just come through and that's right where my driveway is right there. My question is, can it be put back so that any traffic from here isn't zipping through that way and coming down, you know, in to where all of us been bought our homes on a quiet street with a culde-sac and the culde-sac is at where it comes and right where Noel. So yeah, let you know what's proposed and where the traffic is going to be flowed and if it can be closed back off from that desert road and dirt that just people are cutting through and I don't know who's taken down the metal posts. So that's my questions. Thank you.

So the project before us tonight is a two parcel land division. There are there are no applications for development of that property currently when uh those plans or potential development is proposed to the city. It could be a use by right. In other words, zoning ordinances allow a certain standard of development which is at a staff level approval. However, you're uh you do receive a public notice on the action. Um or it may come back to the planning commission as under a conditional use permit depending on what the proposal is and then there would be a public hearing on it. So, tonight all we're considering is the uh parcel map. No actual uh development plans other than what you see on the map.

Okay, that's it. And um is there a form or something that I can address the issue of that street being opened up on from when and if when and if there's a proposal on that you'll have that opportunity and our traffic engineer and city engineer are experts in traffic control so

they'll be evaluating it depending the post could be put in there's ever if there's ever a proposal on it. Um the reality of development in this town as it relates to residential is a substantial portion of maps we see uh don't get developed um sometimes for years and not at all. So, um I expect however um for this centrally located off a major street, it's highly likely that it would be developed for density housing. Yeah.

Apartments, condominiums, whatever, but certainly uh not single family. Okay. And um is there someone I can talk to about addressing the fact that those things have been removed as we're getting any one of our any one of our planning staff would be happy to chat with you. All right. Thank you. All right. This young lady right here presented, she'll be happy to speak to you. Do we have any other speakers? No other speakers. None. All right, then. So, without objection, we'll close the public hearing. Consider a motion.

I'll uh make the motion to adopt resolution number 25-15 approving tenative parcel map number 24-001 for a two lot subdivision and find the project category categorically exempt under SQL. Thank you. Have a second, please. use your microphone, please, if you could. Okay, I second it. Thank you. Thank you.

So, it's been moved and seconded. Anything further? Please vote. Motion passes 6 with one absent. That brings us to our last public hearing item, which is um item number four in the agenda, annexation number 24-001 and a prezoning uh number 25-00001. So without objection, the public hearing is open on this item and Miss Breaku is the presenter tonight.

Correct. Thank you, Chair Vos, members of the planning commission. My name is Kendall Brekie, senior planner. The next item before you is the Lancaster East Side annexation or LEA, which consists of annexation number 24001 and prezone number 25001. Just in August, the planning commission recommended approval of the westside annexation and its associated entitlements shown in red on the map. The item before you today is the east side annexation shown in black to the east. This project would add an additional square mile to the city's boundaries. Should the planning commission recommend approval of this project to the city council, staff anticipate that both this project and the westside annexation would be presented before the city council in October. Both annexations would then continue through the LAFCO or local agency formation commission process to finalize annexation. The annexation area consists of over 630 acres generally bounded by Avenue I, Avenue J, 50th Street East, and 60th Street East. A small portion of this area, central to the southern boundary, is already within city limits and would be unaffected. Here you can see that the project site is already contemplated by our general plan on the left designated as non-urban or NU. Under its current Los Angeles County zoning, the site is heavy heavy agricultural with a zoning of A25 shown on the right. The pre-zone entitlement associated with this project would zone the site rural residential or RR2.5, which is consistent with the general plan designation of non-urban and substantially similar to the existing LA County zoning. The RR2.5 zone would allow for primarily large lot residential uses and other common uses, one of which I'll describe next, which would continue to create local construction jobs and provide for a variety of housing options. No specific development is proposed as

part of this project. The environmental document does discuss a potential future solar facility on approximately the northern half of the annexation area shown in blue. The solar is not currently proposed and would require a separate conditional use permit under the proposed RR2.5 zone which would return to the planning commission for review and approval following submittal. The aforementioned environmental document for this project was an initial study mitigated negative declaration or ISMD which found that any impacts on the environment would be less than significant with appropriate mitigation incorporated. Staff received five comment letters in response to the public comment period for the ISM and D and each letter is addressed in the response to comment memo included in the agenda packet. Issues discussed include prime farmland, special status species, and air quality regulations. The comment letters resulted in only minor changes to the wording of certain mitigation measures. The public hearing notice for this project was posted in compliance with the LMC. One comment letter was received and has been provided to the commission and the public. In conclusion, staff recommend that the planning commission adopt resolution 2518 recommending to the city council the approval of the annexation and prezone and the adoption of the ISMD. Staff is available to answer any questions.

Thank you. Members, you have any questions before we hear from the applicant or public? We, as you did mention, uh we received one email uh from Mr. Shu, Don Shu, I think it is, um on the day of today. So, we've had an opportunity to review that. Thank you for your letter if he's here. Um so, um anything further from staff applicants here? I assume no.

Formally, um the city of Lancaster is the applicant on this project. Well, there you go. So, since you're the applicant, have you got anything more to tell us? Not at the moment.

All right. Thank you. You did mention You did mention, however, that um there was an environmental review and it's a mitigated neck deck. Um when I was reading through the um agenda item this weekend, um I noticed there was a some comments from California Department um California Department of Fish and Wildlife now used fish and game. They talk about um potential Williams Act issues as well as potential contamination on the site. And then I read through the mitigation monitoring recommendations and talks about um potential sampling by DTSC or conforming to the Department of Toxic Substances Control U guidelines. Right. Could you just briefly let us know what that means? I know what it means, but not everybody knows what it means.

Uh what it means in terms of the requirement for them to do sampling. Um so generally speaking, it would be um mitigation associated with any development that would happen in this area in the future. um that to confirm whether there may be any conditions on site which would require DTC intervention um sampling would be done of the soil where they pull some soil up do some testing on it to see if there are any contaminants there um and proceed accordingly. It's typical that you see those on farmland where there may have been particularly if it's been farmed historically over a long period of time the various kinds of chemicals that might have been used in the 40s and 50s that are now uh not used or recommended not to be used. Can't buy them in this country. Um right,

that's correct. Okay, very good. Thank you. Um since the applicant has shared with us any further questions, comments? No. Um speakers, there are no speaker cards. None. There are no speaker cards. I see you said I remember the last time you somebody said none and I thought you or nine and I thought you said none. So I'm just making sure because you're absolutely positive.

I'm making it a point to enunciate there are no speaker cards. All right. Thank you very much. All right, then. So, without objection, we'll close the public hearing. Consider a motion. I'll move that we adopt resolution number 25-18 recommending to the city council the approval of Lancaster East Side annexation and adopt the initial study mitigated negative declaration and mitigation monitoring and reporting program. Thank you. I'll second. Thank you.

So, it's been moved and seconded. Any further comments or questions from members? If not, please vote. Motion passes 6 with one absent. So, congratulations to us, I guess. Right. All right. Thank you very much. That concludes our um action items this afternoon. Uh at this point, we'll hear from um our assistant director, Mr. Yes, sir. Good afternoon, Chair Vos and members of the planning commission. Thank you for another great meeting. Um, I am Hainuin. I am the assistant director for the community development department. I have a few updates. Um, as Miss Brekie mentioned earlier, staff will take both the east side and the westside annexations to city council in October. Um, the second thing is Parkway Village. So about a year ago, staff presented anformational session about the Parkway Village specific plan. Fast forward a little bit, we are ready to post the environmental impact report. That's the EIR associated with the specific plan that will be posted on Friday for a 45day uh comment period where the public can review um either documents and pose questions to staff. Um, and then we are looking to take that project to the November planning commission meeting. So stay tuned for that. On Friday after it's successfully posted, we'll send you a notification email in case you want to peruse through the plan or the EIR if you feel like reading that. Um, the other thing is uh staff is looking into the October planning commission meeting and we'll keep you posted on that status. The last

thing I wanted to mention is that we hired a new housing manager. Uh Becky Bartlett just started with community development uh just a couple weeks ago. So, she'll be working on housing related programs such as CDBG and things like that. So, we're really excited to have her. She's sitting over there. Say hi. And that's about it for Steph. Uh we're always available for you. Thank you so much. All right. Thank you. So, who got promoted or retired? Uh, one retirement and one person got promoted but elsewhere.

Progress. We love it. Thank you very much. Members, do you have anything you'd like to discuss this evening about anything? No. All right, then. Uh this is the time for public business from the floor on non-aggendaized items. Folks can uh address us about uh anything related to city business. However, uh we're procluded from taking any action on what you may uh discuss with us. So uh we ask you to complete a speaker card so we know who you are. And if you have comments, now's the time. Do we have any chairos? We have one speaker card. David Paul.

Mr. Paul, take your time. Afternoon, chair vos and commissioners. Good afternoon. You know, I'm kind of invested in this annexation business, so I had to come back. And uh last time it w it was pretty interesting because, you know, I've looked through our material every election cycle if you're in there, you get a packet with all the information and that 96 square miles. I always thought, you know, let's get a hundred. So now with the first one and this I I came up with a um slogan for our city. Lancaster over a 100 miles of intrigue square miles of intrigue. So you know but I had to go look up how big Chicago is and all the other big cities. Chicago's 230 something square miles. So we're not a huge city but it sounds big and it is quite a bit of land. So, you know, I I thank you all for letting me participate and u you know, it seems like a fun thing to annex, doesn't it? I mean, I get excited about that. Okay. Well, thank you all very much and uh thank you for all the work you do. I know how hard you work and I really appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. a lot of development opportunities out there to grow a positive outcome. We hope occasionally we don't get exactly what we like, but more often than not we do. Uh the challenge of course is we don't pick sites nor do we pick the developers who propose projects. So, um it's always a challenge. All right, then. If there's nothing else this evening, this afternoon, sorry. Uh we stand adjourned to our regular meeting of October whatever it is uh October 20th, 2025. Thank you all again. Appreciate all your work tonight.