Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I would like to call the regular meeting of the planning commission for March 25th uh 2026 to order. If we could please have the roll call, please. Commissioner Deal. Yes. Commissioner Eddie is not present. Vice Chair Singh here. Chair Hicks here. Chair Well, here. Commissioner McNichol. Yes. Here. Commissioner Leiden. Here. We do have a quorum. Uh, thank you. We're going to go to the minutes from February 25th. We have a motion to approve those. I'll make a motion to approve. Second.

We have a first and a second. If you could please take the vote. Commissioner Deal. Yes. Vice Chair Singh. Yes. Chair Hicks. Yes. Commissioner Well, yes. Commissioner McNichol. Yes. Commissioner Leiden. Yes. Passes 60.

Thank you. Um, we're moving on to comments by the public on non-aggenda items. Anybody have anything to address? No. Perfect. We'll carry on to public hearings. Uh, the first request for the planning commission to approve a use permit to authorize a type 47 ABC license. for the sale of beer, wine, and distilled spirits for on-site consumption and the sale of beer, wine, beer, and wine for off-site consumption. An existing brewery, Five Window Beer Co. located at 9 West Locust Street, applicant Charlie Liipper, Five Window Beer Company, Fi File Number PL2025-021U, SQA determination exempt per se guidelines guidelines section 15301. Cynthia.

Yes. Good evening, Commission. This item, the first item, as you mentioned, is for a use permit to add a type uh 47 ABC license to an existing uh brewery uh five window beer company located at 9 West Locust Street. As you can see on the aerial map here, the uh existing brewery um which already has uh food service uh known as Five Window Beer Company is in 9,000 foot building with a 3500 foot outdoor patio. The building fronts Locust Street, but as you can see, it kind of wraps around uh the property wraps around to uh North Sacramento Street located in downtown Loi. Uh just uh south of Lockford there, kind of uh sandwiched in the block. Surrounding uses include a winery to the north, uh office and retail to the south, and auto repair retail to the east, and indoor storage to the west. Here you can see on the zoning map that the uh zoned uh property is zoned downtown mixed use or known as DMU. Uh it also has a similar general plan designation as downtown mixeduse. The building was previously used as a wine production facility and tasting room which was uh operated by Anna Twines. Uh in 2016, the planning commission approved a use permit uh 2016-20U to convert the site from wine production to brewery production. And then uh included a tasting room. Uh those included ABC license types uh 20, 23, 42, and 84. Um the applicant is not proposing to eliminate or adjust any of those license types. The use permit would merely add the type 47 to the existing licenses that are available for production brewery. So, there's a variety of them that already exist and use permits that already exist that

cover those older licenses that have uh stayed with the property. So, this proposed project would add that type 47 uh on sale general eating place license, which would allow a full um liquor license with distilled spirits um to the beer and wine that's existing. Um, so they would be allowed to sell beer, wine, and distilled spirits for on-site consumption. And, uh, folks can also take them to go for off-site consumption. So, they can buy any of those items, uh, to go with the 47. Their hours are already established, as you can see on the screen here. Um, they're open later on, um, Friday and Saturday nights until midnight and, um, close a little bit earlier the remaining days of the week. uh opening uh roughly around uh lunch or after lunch most of the week or 10 a.m. on the weekend. Here you can see the floor plan which is also attached to your packet. It's a little bit difficult to see. Um they are u it's my understanding simultaneously um doing some tenative improvements uh to the interior um which they could clarify. Um the applicants are um in the audience here today. Um, but I I know it's difficult to see, but they could probably explain a little bit better than uh I could describe them uh when uh when they are available to answer questions. So, alcohol sales uh on-site and off-site, as you know, are permitted within the downtown mixeduse district uh with the use permit. Uh the proposed alcohol service with the existing brewery is uh compatible, of course, with surrounding restaurant uses. uh it has an existing tasting room and entertainment uses in the downtown mix area. These are uses that we encourage and um we feel that with conditions um this additional type 47 would be incidental to the mills and include uh controls for responsible service, outdoor operations, noise and patron

behavior and um those would be all covered by the conditions of approval. Uh in LOI, most of our city is covered um uh by an over concentration of ABC licenses. Therefore, we require a PCN or public uh necess necessity or convenience finding. Um we feel that we can make that here because especially in the downtown we encourage projects such as these uh which provide economic benefit that outweigh potential adverse impacts and we feel that the project supports enhances um their existing business uh which is an established brewery um and has been in place for uh several years. Thus um the environmental uh assessment under SQA uh is uh falls under a 15301 or class one existing facilities exemption. Um the project involves uh continued operation of course of the existing brewery. They're merely adding a type 47 license uh which expands their alcohol service but there's no expansion of of use uses. They will just be continuing to operate uh as they have. So, uh, therefore, your options are to approve as recommended, approve with revised conditions, deny the request, or continue the item. And before you, I have a motion. Uh, that concludes my presentation. I'm available for questions. We also have our city attorney on Zoom online if, uh, you have any questions of her and, uh, the applicants are, uh, in the audience, uh, if you have any questions of them. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Does anybody have any questions of staff? I just want to confirm that the tenant improvements are not in any way tied to the actual project application. Correct. That's correct. Okay. Gary on type 47. Um is there a percentage for food versus alcohol? What percentage is that 55% food and 45%?

It's incidental. So it's uh more than or less than type thing. So um they are technically supposed to have more food than alcohol that they sell, but we don't have the capacity or resources. We don't monitor that. Um ABC um because their permits are a little bit different. Their license is a little bit different through the state. Um ABC um actually sometimes uh does monitor that in different businesses, but um we with the use permit don't actually go out and you know look at sales receipts and that sort of thing. Thank you.

Anybody else? Okay, with that I will open the public portion of the um hearing if the applicant would like to come forward and state your name and you can tell us maybe a little bit about why you're asking this or I guess give us a little info on the tenant improvements two of you.

Yeah, no problem. Uh I'm Charlie Liippard. I'm the owner of Five Window Beer Company. Um currently we're about nine years in business and since uh we started we were just a beer manufacturer but um we put in a small just uh was started off with a woodfired pizza oven and um since then it grew into we're doing smash burgers, wings, fries, uh salads and different things and uh bringing in different musical events and comedy shows and we just feel like having a type 47 will really elevate our space and bring in new opportunity and um just bringing more people into the into the business in general. Um, with our current expansion, um, it was mapped out on there, our current layout, but then there is we have the boneyard, which is to the north of our current, uh, beer garden right now, too. So, it we're going to increase our beer garden another 3,500 square feet with adding in bathrooms back there and more of a bar. So, it'll be um right now it was currently uh a parking lot a long time ago, so we're trying to out all that asphalt, pour new concrete, and have more of lounge uh seating with fire pits and just create more of an atmosphere uh elevated atmosphere than what we currently are doing right now.

Thank you very much. Anybody have any questions of the applicant? Um, are you changing the menu? You're going to keep the menu the same? The menu is the same, but we've, you know, in the last year and two years, we've added to it. Actually, I'll just uh also added in brunch on Saturdays and Sundays as well, too. Thank you. Just curious, why Mondays?

It's nice just to have a day when you don't have to worry about anyone be there. You know what I mean? We were seven days a week for a while and then uh we actually went down to two. We were Monday and Tuesdays we were closed and then people love doing the taco Tuesday that we do and stuff, so we brought back Tuesday. So Monday is just nice to not have to worry about anything. Yeah. And if you have a project going to, you don't have to like rush and clean everything up. Yeah. I will add that you your business has been a wonderful partner for so many of the nonprofits in this area, whether you're donating beer to an event or something like that. Thank you.

It's a successful business that I I think this is an opportunity to continue to be successful. So I app this project. Yeah. Thank you. Appreciate that. You're going to keep making beer, right? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Thank you very much. Yeah. You're welcome. Um, if anybody else would like to come up and speak on this item,

we do have someone on Zoom. If they would like to speak on this item, just raise your hand in the Zoom and I will allow you to speak. Okay, then we will close the public portion of this hearing and we'll bring it back to the commission for a motion. I'll make a motion. I'll second. Sorry.

The motion is I move that the planning commission adopt a resolution finding that the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to SQL guidelines section 15301 class one. existing facilities determining there is a public necessity and convenience served by the proposed use and approving use permit PL 2025-021 to allow the sale of beer, wine, and distilled spirits for on-site consumption and the sale of beer and wine for offsite consumption under a type 47 ABC license for an existing brewery at 9 West Locust Street subject to the findings and conditions of approval contained in the resolution. That is what I will second. Wonderful. Um, could we please have the vote?

Commissioner Deal, yes. Vice Chair Singh, yes. Chair Hicks, yes. Commissioner Will, yes. Commissioner McNichol, yes. Commissioner Leiden, yes. Passes 6. Thank you. Congratulations. We're going to be moving on to the second public hearing request. Commission to adopt a resolution recommending city council adopt an ordinance to enter into a development agreement with Rogers Media Company to install, maintain, and operate electronic message signs on city properties. SQUA determination exempt per section 15061B3. Cynthia,

yes, sorry, my slide started on the last slide there. Um, as you mentioned, this uh item is for a development agreement um for Rogers Media Company. Um, this is a return item that has uh since uh been amended, uh, and and changed a little bit as I will describe. Um so the background on it um which um I think we discussed this when we brought it to you last year uh in 2021 uh uh private entities um approached the city uh asking to lease space or construct uh and operate electronic message boards on city-owned properties. Uh at that time there was no uh mechanism for enabling that. Uh so the municipal code at the direction of council was amended in 2022 uh that added section 17.34.070 subsection H to allow uh and regulate uh these community electronic message boards on city- owned properties. In 2024, staff released a request for proposals or RFP through the city's bid posting website. We received one response to that uh RFP request from Rogers Media. Then in early 2025, uh planning commission heard this item and which is just the development agreement at this point uh to adopt uh the DA with Rogers Media. Uh that DA was for installing and maintaining two electronic message signs uh at two uh different locations. One was a singlesided wall sign at the north corner of Hutchkins and East Harney Lane um where Hutchkins turns from West Lane into um Hutchkins uh in the south side of the city and then also a double pole sign at the uh old animal shelter at on West Kettleman Lane at 13 uh 45 West

Kettleman. Uh after that was approved by planning commission and was on its way to public hearing uh at city council. Um it was flagged um by our traffic engineer that they were concerned about um the traffic signal at the intersection interfering or having um some competition with a potential electronic sign and they requested the applicant uh move the sign. Uh public works suggested that they move the sign north into the center of the um uh median there um near the welcome LOI sign. Uh therefore um this item has made some changes. Again, the original RFP included um three locations. Uh at the time that we brought the DA to planning commission last year, um it um included two locations. So we're adding back the third location. So the municipal code, which was amended in 2022, um does allow electronic message signs on city- owned properties. uh requires that the city receive a portion of the ad revenue and also display time on those signs so that city can um post uh information for um you know if there's uh concerts in the park or the great festival or that sorts of thing. So, uh, if there's events, we can have a a handful of ad turns that are agreed upon in the, uh, DA. And if there's an emergency situation such as an evacuation or information that needs to be pushed out to the public, we can pretty quickly contact Rogers Media to push that information out to their boards remotely. Um, the approval would require the development agreement, which is before you today, which also will go to city council for approval. And then also uh after those are approved they would come back to you again for a use permit and site plan architecture review or spark for uh an approval from spark also. So there's quite a bit of kind of

steps here. Um the development agreement um does address the uh operation and uh design of the sign and um we feel that um it's been kind of um really refined and uh revised over and over again. Um this again has been in process for several years. So um I'm sure the applicant is here to uh happy that it's uh finally back again before you. Uh so ultimately the uh request is for um the development agreement to be signed between the city and the applicant. Uh council will be required to hold a public hearing uh following uh review by planning commission and they could accept, modify or um disapprove that um proposal. Uh on the right side you see um what may be submitted to SparkCC um which or and use permit approval. uh an example of how the sign might look uh on the site where the old animal shelter is located on Kettleman. And uh as you can see, the sign's pretty small. Uh I like to provide the analogy that it's about the size of a piece of plywood that you would buy at Home Depot. So these are not billboards per se. They're um shorter and they are um smaller in size um meant to be more of a like a a local um rather than freeway oriented type sign. So, uh, the development agreement, um, states that, uh, Rogers Media would install, maintain, and operate, um, three signs. Um, these are three signs that were, um, originally listed in the RFP. So, um, these would be at the corner or near the intersection of, um, Hutchkins and Hardy Lane. Um however um because of public works suggestions and working with electric utility it would be um shifted to the um center medium. Uh the second location uh as I showed you on the last slide is proposed at the

um old animal shelter or soon to be old animal shelter uh at 1345 West Kettlean. And the third location, which they've um added back in um after extensive work going back and forth with public works and electric utility um is the southwest corner of Kettleman and Westgate Drive um over on the west side of uh sort of where Walmart is is located. Um and that would be uh adjacent to uh proposed uh electric substation. Uh the city would receive a portion of the advertising revenue and display time as I mentioned and uh access uh to the signs for public information and to get messages out such as um emergencies. Uh after um executing the development agreement again, they would go to Spark and Planning Commission again for a use permit and then building permits uh allowing them to finally install and uh operate the signs. Um, if the signs were to interfere with any future development on city-owned property, they would uh be removed as stated in the development agreement. Here you can see uh the approximate locations of the three signs. On the left graphic, you can see that the intersection um that was originally proposed um where our traffic engineer had concerns about uh the sign conflicting with the uh light signal there um has been shifted up to the median. Um so uh it will be um near the um pergola that's in the in the center there that has vines growing on it. Um the second or middle sign uh middle here would be at the city's animal shelter on Kettleman as you saw in that graphic I showed you. And then the right side here um is the approximate location. Uh I think the star is probably a little bit closer to the intersection than it would actually be. But um this whole vacant parcel that you can see from the aerial here um the city on site that will be a power station and a um water tank will

be installed here and it will have a very tall block wall around the entire area. So this sign will not be visible at all um by the houses to the south because they will have a um block wall in between them and and the sign. Uh these are um simulations and um again this on the left side you can see what the sign might look like near the um welcome sign at the south edge of the city. Um the middle there you can see what the city animal uh shelter site might look like. And then um on the Kettleman uh west gate um intersection there um again there would be a future block wall installed um near the rear of the sign. So, uh, it would be, uh, not visible at all to the people who live to the south of here. Um, so that site, um, specifically, um, is, as I mentioned, will have a proposed electric substation and a large water tank. Um, you may have driven by and seen the site. Uh, there's a big sign out there right now that, um, shows you, um, what the proposed, um, city facilities will look like, um, or that are coming down the pipeline. And um so the sign would be removed by the applicant um if um it's in the way of construction. Uh and so that's included in the development agreement. So as far as the environmental assessment goes, the um development agreement itself is exempt under SQA uh 15061B3, the common sense exemption because there's no effect on the environment for the uh installation or not the installation but the development agreement uh itself. Therefore, I have a proposed motion for you. I am available if you have any questions. Again, the city attorneys online and our applicants are in the audience if you have questions of them. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Does anybody have any questions? And it's more of a procedural question as far as public works getting involved after. And I I can appreciate that if there was a concern, they did raise it whenever they raised it. But I I guess my my question is so does that mean we could approve it again and the same thing can happen again?

It's an interesting question because this has been in the pipeline for so long at the time that those locations were chosen and um included in the RFP. Um the city did not employ the traffic engineer. Um they created the position after that whole process uh went through. So it wasn't caught until we were preparing to go to city council. U so people who no longer worked here may have previously uh approved of the locations. We're not sure. Um this was also before my time. So um this is kind of you know been in the pipeline for quite some time. But um the traffic engineer who now works for the city and has for um the last couple years did catch it uh and u made some suggestions to move the location of the sign and u the applicant did so and worked uh extensively with both public works and electric utility to make sure that they were all happy that there's power to the location and so they did really work out more of the logistics and uh I think they're have a better uh you know site plan than they did before and so um they're pretty locked in uh now that they've worked A lot of those details

brought up the first time always traffic department look at it. There's no there's no uh issues with any accident. So finally they So that there was an issue, right? So that location was a bad one anyway. Yes. Yes. And that's why it was moved. So So normally these before come to planning mission uh I guess inhouse they should do the you know study properly the traffic and other

agencies as regular is required. So so make sure it's through them. So because we don't have any number traffic volume or any accident to post you can look at it because this is not our job to just look into that. So I just brought up that point make sure you know when we ask the question uh it should be you know answered well the hey department already looked into that there's no issue with it. So I don't know if we have any meeting minutes on that. Now we change the location. Looks like those locations are pretty good as far as the only question. Uh as we going to go green look at it they should have a solar operated signs or is going to be still a hard wire through the city facilities. I don't believe solar um and we can ask the applicant this um has enough power or enough juice to operate uh the sign of this level. They're uh it's my understanding they're sort of like large TVs which require a little bit more juice to operate than a solar sign which could be inconsistent. Um so uh if they hardwire it it's uh more consistent power to the sign.

Thank you. Couple of quick questions. um maintenance of the signs, is that going to be the city's responsibility, the the company? Yeah. So, that's included in the development agreement. They'll install them, they'll maintain them, if anything goes wrong. Um if uh we need to notify them if they, you know, if they're falling apart, if they need to remove them or uh all of that's included in the development agreement, which has been uh reviewed by our attorneys and and approved. Okay, great. And then um the second the substation site, do you have any idea on the timing for actually building out that substation?

I'm not positive. Um I think that they I know that they've been going through uh design phase right now. So as you know, government moves a little slow sometimes. Um so um I know that um it's uh coming down the pipeline because they do have the sign up. So I know they're moving forward. I but I don't know I couldn't quote you on the exact date of the installation.

Okay. I was just kind of curious. the city is continuing to grow west, but this point at least that's sort of like the western gateway to a lot of the community and so just being thoughtful about kind of what that looks like. So I'm glad there will be the chance to have kind of city and community messages on the signs too. Thank you. That's all. um the sign on South Hutchkins. Um and that will be as pictured where it's between the welcome to Loi and the tree right there. That's my understanding. Thank you. Anybody else?

Um the maximum size for the sign is 72 feet for the city of LA and I see we're expanding it to 79 and 78. two two will be 79 and one will be 78. Does that need to be approved by anybody or is that part of this motion? When they go forward to Spark and with their use permit, they will ask for exceptions to the sign. Right now, we're just approving the development agreement to allow them to move forward, but the design itself would be handled by both Spark and through the planning commission use permit. Thank you.

And just to clarify, that's inches, not feet, right? Okay. I was picturing like 78, but yeah. Yeah. Okay. Thank you.

All right. With that, I'm going to open up the public hearing or the public portion of hearing if the applicant would like to come up and introduce themselves or make any comments. And I'm sure there will be questions. Hi, good good evening. Uh, Matt Rogers, Michael Jorgensson. Um, glad to be here in the probably the longest running sign project that we've ever had since uh, as I said, we've raised we raised this with the city in 2021 and here we are in 2026 uh, still going at it. Um, so I thought maybe I would just um, perhaps just address each one of your concerns as you brought them up because that that might be the most uh efficient use of time. So, um first of all, we've been in business for 25 years. We take great pride in the appearance of our signs and we we we really are sort of very vigilant on maintenance. We operate in 30 municipalities in California. Um you're welcome to talk to any of those municipalities that we operate in to see what our operating record is. And I think you'll It's pretty stellar. Um uh secondly, um we've we've gone to great pains on the placement of these um especially in regard to Hutchkins. The Hutchkins Street sign was was moved, you know, because of the traffic engineering. Now, this is uh you know, we moved it up the street. We we worked back and forth with Loi Electric. We've worked back and forth with public works. This is gonna, you know, this is gonna This is a an increase in cost in in our project about4 to $50,000 to move power underneath that street to get it there. So, it is a it's a pretty cost pretty

big cost increase in from our perspective to to move that thing, but you know, we're happy to do it to to keep the project moving forward. Um, you asked about solar. Um, it's really not practical the amount of power that we need versus the amount for for this a solar array. It's like I would have to build a a twoacre solar field to power all these signs. And to get power distributed there, it's just not efficient. And you would think, well, could I put a solar panel on the sign or anything else? It's just it it just doesn't have enough power. It won't look aesthetically very good either. Yeah. And aesthetically, it's probably Curious when we had used a lot

on the CMS like run 24 hours. I'm just curious why no anything for that new technology you know you don't need that many. Yeah just curious about that

and it's and it's a good question. I I will say this, the type the type of display that we could run on solar would not be would not be the type of display that you want in town because these are these are going to be well I mean they're going to be at a minimum a 10 millimeter type of display which is basically the most vibrant display that's in the central valley. I mean it will be I mean respectfully it's going to look like almost liquid plasma up in town. it'll be a very very very representative of the community. So anyway, um that discussing sure is how many

diodes

there's going to be intersection red light they're going to stop anyway right but they're going through that 50 60 miles So you guys

So I'll address that two ways. So Calrans, which is uh since Kettleman is a is a state highway, highway 12. So CALR has a minimum um for that. It's it's a 4 second freeze and a one second turn. So that is a is a CALR minimum. We will go to a greater length. We probably we we generally do an 8 second spot. We do 64 seconds times eight. So it's it's not, you know, it's not a blaring type of message. Um 4 seconds we feel is is is pretty fast,

you know, it's sort of it's it's just too fast. So um yeah, I mean that's just and that's a standard in the industry, by the way. It's, you know, it's a eight seconds is a is a is a pretty is a pretty mean standard. Um, but uh, yeah, I mean, like I say, these these these things, they take a they take a fair amount of power. So, it just they're not your type of CALR sign that you see out there with the one color type of display that can run off solar. It's just they're just they're just they're just too advanced. So, um, look clearer than these pictures.

Yeah. Um, let's talk about the city's use because I think somebody mentioned that. Um, we're really committed to, you know, to city messages, to charitable messages, but also to um really committed to to emergency messages and and you know, you know, the unfortunate active shooter or you know, the weather event or whatever else, we can react within with really quickly within minutes. Um we've you know um we we have a sign in Paluma when they had fires over there. We had a fire message on in 90 seconds you know to to get to get people evacuated. So we we take a lot of pride in that in that in that service that we're providing. Um, so, uh, anyway, I mean, let's say this is the the the longest running sign project in history at at five years now, and we're pretty we're pretty hunkered in to get this done, but I'm happy to answer any questions that that I didn't address.

We're on that same uh question to clarify. So, once you have any sinus needs to be done during emergency basis like children, or something. Yep. So you guys coordinate with the city or Lord IP call somebody else. How how part of the maintenance segment? I mean you guys have some written verbage here or Yeah. So we we do it two ways. you can do it the oldfashioned way, but also uh with all the cities and counties that we operate in, we actually have a direct they have a direct portal right to the sign electronically where they can take it over from from the city offices at their at their discretion.

So in other words, which yeah, but if if for for whatever reason, if it's like if it's not instantaneous enough, the the ability to literally from from the city offices to to take o to take over that sign 24 100% of the sign for you know for a period of time. We're not on all the time by the way. We go off I think is 10 10 o'clock. Thank you question. When you talk about getting uh information out on those signs, how secure are those signs? I mean can someone hack into them and all of a sudden start doing stuff on those?

It's a great question. So we operate currently we operate more than a dozen digital signs around around the state. Um we have to this point have never been hacked. Um the the the things that you read about usually are the older type of technologies where the technologies are re are resonated right on the structure. In other words, there's there's resonant technology on the structure. Those are old technologies. We don't we don't employ those. our technologies are are are basically you know through cellular links over the air and and through an you know an internet connection. While I'm never going to say that, you know that it's foolproof, we it's we take great pains. There's you know we have double and triple types of of uh of fire fire blocks set up. It's never happened to us. We're pretty vigilant about it. Um uh and the companies that we employ, we we employ a company, our manufacturers watch fire and um and they have a 247 roundthe-clock, you know, type of thing where they're constantly monitoring. Um we're constantly monitoring. So, like I say, we've never had it happen, but we're vigilant to try to stop it if it does.

Then a clarification, um what's a flag mounted sign at the animal shelter versus a centermounted pole signed at the Hutchkins and Westgate. Good question. So flag is just like a flag. It's the the pole is on the end of the end of it versus in the middle. I was thinking

and the reason the reason that we are doing a flag mounted sign at the at the animal shelter is um for two reasons. Uh a um John Del Monica liked the flag mount there for the aesthetics and uh you know John and uh and uh and secondly uh it was for traffic visibility because as you pull out of that car wash you're coming out of the car wash you're taking a right we didn't want anything blocking uh visibility going down Kettleman. We wanted to be be able to see underneath that sign so that it was clean visibility there. So that's the reasoning.

The signs are high enough so someone is on the sidewalk, you know, they won't hit it or anything like that because it's going to be on the on the inside of the sidewalk, right? Right. It is It is on Yes. It is not over It does not overhang public right away on the sidewalk. Correct. That is correct. I just want to thank you for moving the Hudson Street Square or Hudson Square Hutchinson Street intersection to where it's at now. No problem. I did not like the location. I voted against it and I like where it's at now. Okay. Well, here. Thank you. Our pleasure. Anybody else have any questions? Thank you for coming and your time. It's been a while. So, thank you.

All right, Mr. Kuruba.

No, I'm Mike Kuruba on 103 Applewood Drive. Do we still need to do that? I don't know. Like, you can

you can um um I wasn't at that meeting. I know the cost of family was and again uh Gary has commented that it it seemed like not a great place, but um there was some confusion at that meeting. I believe that goes beyond the fact that you didn't have a traffic engineer uh give you the information that they gave you down the road to Commissioner Deal's point. Um, which is to say at that meeting it was indicated to you that uh when I think the cost of family brought up that intersection and it's getting some growing pains. It's it's not at its ultimate was one day it'll get more lanes. I don't know if any of you this predates you but recently I was looking at the Harney Lane widening plan that we did years and years ago back in 2012. I think the intersection will expand. It handles a lot of traffic. It has homeless people there as you know unfortunately and so uh I I agree with G's comments and thank you to you both for moving that that one but also it was said at the time that um as the intersection as you approached that intersection from the south that that wasn't a facility that we had control of and that that was not correct and and at the time John he he wasn't alone in thinking that I was the one who annexed that uh property and just so you know to be very All four lanes going one4 mile south of of of Harney Lane is all been part of the city since 2012. Now I have called the police a time or two because there's been a big rig down there and they're on the shadow on the sh shoulder rather and I always laugh because I know they're going to tell me it's not in the city called and they're always been wrong. But it wasn't until after that meeting uh when Mr. cost and his family were here. Um, again, I had a truck and it had been years and I knew they were going to tell me it wasn't part of the city and they patched me the lieutenant. I had to get a laughco file. I finally said, "Let's fix this finally." So, I brought the laughco file, everything down to the police

department and they recognized our mistake after uh 12 years or 13 years. Subsequent in that the traffic engineer now it seemed like it permeated through city hall and I think it's a lady, right? Yeah. Dor. Yeah, she's a very nice lady and she said, "We're sorry." And so they actually did a traffic study and that allowed them then to reduce the speed. I don't know if any of you have noticed that. I wouldn't expect you to. Unfortunately, it went from 55 to 50 and still speed come to that intersection, but anyway, we're really happy that uh this is I'm here to say thank you to the applicant uh and thank you to staff uh and working this out. I think one of the lessons I'm hearing is, you know, if you spend six years doing anything, you got multiple managers, you got planning people. We got to move faster for not just for the economic impact, but it's just how do you be efficient after six years? And I I suspect that we're fortunate to have Mr. Jorgensson here who, you know, a local guy who served on every board you can serve on. And if it wasn't for his patience and his uh tenacity, we probably wouldn't be here. So tonight, I think it's a good night for everyone. And I want to thank everyone. And that goes on behalf of the Costa family who's not here. They're very happy with the results. So thank you everybody.

Thank you. Anybody else like to make a comment? No, we do have one person online. If you would like to comment on this, please raise your virtual hand and I will allow you to speak. Okay, we will close the public portion of this hearing and we'll bring it back to the commission for a motion or discussion.

Well, I'm just happy that they moved it from the intersection in. I'm just elated about that. So, I'll make the motion. I move that the planning commission recommend city council adopt an ordinance to enter into the development agreement with Rogers Media Company to install, maintain, and operate electronic message signs on city properties. Finding that the development agreement with Rogers Media is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to SQA guidelines section 15061 B3. We have a motion. I will second that. Could we take a vote, please? Yes. Commissioner Deal? Yes.

Vice Chair Singh? Yes. Chair Hicks? Yes. Commissioner Will? Yes. Commissioner McNichol? Yes. Commissioner Leiden? Yes. Passes 6. Thank you. We hope to see you back soon for a use permit. Not Not for this again. Okay. Thank you. Uh, we're going to move on to planning matters, followup items. I don't think there's have none uh announcements and correspondence. I don't believe we have any and I don't think there's anything from the city council.

I do not have any updates u from city council. Um, just notable that we do not have any meetings in April. Uh we are anticipating probably May 13th. Um I'm hoping to bring the downtown specific plan. We are making some additional last minute edits based on public comments from our committee workshop and the steering committee. Um so we hope to have that to you in uh miday and hopefully going to council in June for approval. And um then we will also be having some addition code amendments coming forward and um if we can get them uh drafted and and routed um those may also be on the same agenda in May and those code amendments would be related to uh annexations. We do have an active annexation application um in the area we lovingly describe as the Fshaped area on the west side of town. And um there are some a couple of issues that are um uh we need to amend the code to allow that to move forward related to like Williamson act and um prime farmland and just the process with annexations. Uh, as you um probably know, Loi hasn't processed annexations for quite some time and so um there's been some different thresholds that have been updated over the years since we've uh previously processed those and um I think these uh code amendments will help us um streamline those applications and get them approved a little bit quicker.

Thank you. I don't think there was a spark meeting today. Oh, okay. Well, then you go for it. Well, we met last month, but you weren't here. So,

December 10th,

um we revised um an apartment complex on C Central Avenue and took it was affordable housing and we changed it to market housing that was approved. Um, so I don't know how that's moving along, but that's was December 10th. On January 14th, we u this park committee uh approved the 44 unit senior townhouse project on Lot Avenue and Fairmont. So that tore down the Sunset Theater and which is now gone and uh that start will be that building will start soon. And then on March 11th, um Spark looked at a 70 foot high doublefaced freeway electronic station or sign on the car dealership. I think it's Jeep or Plymouth or Dodge. That's on Beckman Road. Beckman Road. Beckman Road. And there's going to be a sign there that's going to be on on Highway 99. It's going to be in the lot, but uh visible from Highway 99. And that was approved.

That's it. Thank you. Uh comments by the planning commissioners and staff on nonaggenda items.

I'll just note that um Commissioner Leiden and I got to go to the California Planning Commissioners Academy um two weeks ago, I guess. was um and I appreciate the city for sending us. Thank you all for letting us be the two newest people so that we could go and attend that. Um generally um I think some of my very very very high level takeaways um as someone who hasn't been on the land use side of things much but on some of the transportation and other side of things a lot um is that a lot of communities are dealing with the same issues that we are particularly around housing. that was the largest focus from really what anyone had to talk about. Uh, and a lot of communities have a lot more issues that we don't deal with that don't come across our desk. So, um, but it was great to to be there and and connect with some of the other folks from around the valley. In particular, Sanwaukein County was really uh heavily represented. Um, so enjoyed enjoyed the time and found it highly educational and so hopefully we are equipped to be Commissioner else I will adjourn the meeting. Thank you.