Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay. Good evening everybody. Uh today's Tuesday, September 3rd, 2025. The time is 5:00 p.m. I'll call this adjourned regular meeting of the city of Victorville Planning Commission to order. Madame Clerk, will you kindly call the role? Commissioner Marsh here. Commissioner Marshall here. Commissioner Thomas here. Vice Chair Messen here. Chair Kerr here. We have quorum. Thank you. Uh next up, if you'll please rise for the invocation and the pledge of allegiance that'll be led to us by Vice Chair Messen and then Commissioner Thomas.

I can ask you all to please bow your head. I'd like to thank you, Lord, for allowing us all to gather here safely where you allow us to have a constructive and respectful dialogue. May you continue to watch over our city, our members who live here, our staff name. Amen.

Place your right hand over your heart. Ready? Begin. I pledge allegiance 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. And uh right now it's time for a general public comments. This would be the time for the public to speak on agenda items or on issues that are not posted on this agenda. Um providing those issues are within our subject matter jurisdiction. Uh do we have any speaker cards for general public comments?

We have no speaker cards. Is there anyone here that would like to speak during general public comments? Seeing no one, I will close the general public comment section hearing. And um that'll move us on to our uh first agenda um item. And I must note that I have to recuse myself from this item due to a conflict of interest as I receive compensation uh from the applicant for performing professional services not associated with the with this proposal. So I will turn it over uh to vice chair Messen.

Thank you chair. So our first order of business is um public hearing number one. a site plan and conditional use permit with a mitigated negative declaration to allow for the construction of a new two-story building addition to the existing Desert Valley Hospital consistent of a new emergency department on the first floor and a new medical surgical department on the second floor on property zone Z2 general commercial staff. Would you kindly introduce the item?

Um, thank you madam vice chair members of the planning commission. Item one is site plan case number plann 23- - 000021. It is a site plan and a conditional use permit with a mitigated negative declaration that allow for the construction of a new two-story building addition to the existing Desert Valley Hospital consisting of new emergency department on the first floor and a new medical surgical department on the second floor on a property zone C2 general commercial. The project is located north of and abudding Bur Valley Road approximately 150 ft west of uh 1 Avenue. As proposed, the applicant is requesting approval for the construction of a new 83,615 square foot two-story building addition to the and associated site improvements to the existing Desert Valley Hospital located on approximately 10 acres of vacant and developed property operated by the hospital. The proposed expansion would include a new emergency department on the first floor, a new medical surgical unit on the second floor, and a new uh site service yard to house utility infrastructure support and uh for the supporting uh of the building addition. The project also includes uh relocating the existing helipad from its current ground level location to the rooftop of the proposed building addition. Now, helipad is an allowable use within the C2 zone with the approval of a conditional use permit. On and off um on and off-site improvements are proposed throughout the site and along First Avenue and Bur Valley Road. Access to the site will be provided by utilizing a total of seven existing and proposed driveways. Two on First Avenue, three on Pur Valley Road, and two along Second Avenue to allow for proper circulation. Landscaping is proposed throughout the site, including the entrances, parking lot, and along um the building's

frontage. Uh this project requires a minimum of 199 parking spaces, and a total of 199 parking spaces have been provided, which complies with the minimum code requirements. The architectural design um of the proposed expansion aligns with the city's commercial design guidelines and complements the existing hospital facility. Uh the twostory building um features wall plane variation and material accents including blue tinted glass, canopy elements and varied roof heights. All of which enhances the overall appearance and help reduce um the scale of the building. As conditioned, the propo the proposal meets the requirement of the C2 general commercial zone outlined in title 16 and development code including site design, entryway design, landscaping, uh building design, and architectural treatments. With that, staff recommends that the planning commission conduct a public hearing, receive testimony regarding the proposed project, and take the following action. Adopt a attach mitigated negative declaration with a mitigation and monitoring reporting program for the project. Adopt resolution number P-25-020 approving the conditional use permit portion of case number PLN23-000021 and adopt resolution number P-25-021 approving the site plan portion of case number PLAN23-000021 subject to that dash condition of approval and that concludes my presentation. I'm available for any questions.

Thank you. Are there any technical questions from the commission regarding the item?

Uh just one one question probably more of a comment on the uh circulation. You mentioned that there would be what? Six entrances? Seven. And uh what? Three on Bear Valley uh two on first and two on. Yes. Okay. So those though first and second that wouldn't wouldn't impact the the traffic in that area. Uh I think it's houses back back uh when you go north. Yeah. So it wouldn't wouldn't impact that area. Yeah. And there's already been traffic has been done already. So most emergency vehicles will be coming from Bear Valley coming in that way.

Yeah.

Thank you, Minister Marsh. Any questions? Uh just a quick question um about the entrances um as far as the six of the six entrances um entrances, are any of them going to be designated for like um like the emergency vehicles? Um, are they going to be is it going to be an extension for emergency vehicles or are they the emergency vehicles going to use the existing and patients are just going to be kind of transported to the new section or is there going to be a separate additional emergency um entrance for vehicles? Commissioner Marsh, may I? I believe on the plan it does show a new ambulance drop off area that's accessed off of Bear Valley Road. So on the on the site plan that's been proposed, it notes a new ambulance drop off area. Um it does loop around to Second Avenue as well. So it looks like there's two options there.

So that' be in addition to the the existing the emergency drop off. I do believe the emergency uh department is being relocated if the plans and what I'm seeing yes is correct. So yes, it would replace the existing. Commissioner Marshall, any questions? I think just you know just for my own curiosity. So this is is this going to be a trauma center? Um So it says it has a surgical, so it's an emergency department. Is there going to be a trauma?

There's I believe there's about 71 new beds. So after the surgery for recovery and things like that, it's going to be on the second floor. Is on the second floor. Okay. I don't have any questions. So I'll open the public hearing. Madame Clerk, are there any requests to speak? I have no requests. Is there anyone here who would like to speak? Okay. So, I'll now close the public hearing and I'll invite a motion of this item.

Uh, I'd like to move that we uh accept uh as per staff recommendations uh item one, the site plan conditional use permit uh for the emergency uh new emergency department for Desert Valley Hospital. Commissioner Thomas second that. I have a first by Commissioner Marshall and a second by Commissioner Thomas. I'll take a roll call vote. Commissioner Marsh, yes. Commissioner Marshall, I. Commissioner Thomas, yes. Vice Chair Messen,

yes. Chair Kurt has recused himself. Motion passes. I'll just finish it up.

Well, I am thrilled that that one passed as we all know that um this is just a huge benefit for our our community. So, congratulations all you folks and um get to work. We need it. Thanks, Okay. So, that is um all the business of today. We'll just move on to uh any comments from commissioners and staff. We can start with Commissioner Thomas if you have anything.

No, just to echo what you said, I think this is an excellent project, something really needed up here in this area. So, I'm really glad to see it happening here. Thank you, Commissioner Vice Chair Messen. Just want to thank everyone for their patience. That's my first time. And um just thank you to staff. That's all. Yeah, you did great. And uh Commissioner Marshall. No, I don't have anything. Anything? Uh Commissioner Marshall?

I was just going to say we're becoming a big boy, big girl city now, uh now that we're getting uh you know, proper hospital um emergency facilities. So, I'm really excited about that. Okay. The the uh comment that I have I think um I think uh most of you here have maybe heard by now. I've talked to a lot of you. I am um my wife and I are um decided to help a uh a family member uh by having them move in with us. Uh they need some care and um we'd rather have the family member um age in place. And um unfortunately the the house we're at, our residence in Victorville is a two-story home and we can't have that. So, uh, obviously we decided we were going to move and the house that we're moving to is, um, not in the, uh, city limits of Victorville. So, today, uh, we just, um, uh, released contingencies on the house that we're selling in Victorville. And, uh, so that means it's a it's, uh, go time. There's no turning back. So, uh, that means that I will this week be, uh, resigning after quite a number of years, um, on the Victorville uh, planning commission. And I'll be um sending that uh letter of resignation in soon and um next uh meeting which will be next week on the 10th I believe next Wednesday. Um that will have to be my um final meeting. So I just wanted to let everybody know that in advance and I but I will see you next week. Thanks. Um any um staff comments?

Nothing to report, Mr. Chair. Well, thank you everyone for uh attending. Is a a good meeting. It's an exciting night. And I'll call this meeting adjourned.