Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

This is a pack of stage. Pack of stage, not pack seats. 07:00. Yep. Yep. Alright. Alright. Commission and staff, are we ready to begin? Consider that as yes.

Someone's mic is on.

Oh, is that mic? I'm sorry.

Sorry. Your mic? Seems that does it any better. Yeah. Hello? We're good?

Sounds like it.

That sounds great.

Okay. Good. Okay. Welcome. I'd like to call the Planning Commission meeting to order and ask that we rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Okay. So I will now ask staff to explain the meeting process. And we will then proceed with roll call.

Pursuant to Saratoga City Council's remote public participation policy, members of the public may participate in this meeting in person at the location listed on the agenda or via remote attendance using the Zoom listed on the agenda. Public attendees participating by Zoom are automatically muted and are not viewable on camera. I will now call the roll. Commissioners Cauzer? Present. Sreedharan?

Present.

Hassam?

Here.

Brownlee.

Here.

Zhang.

Present.

Vice Chair Drumarad. Present. Chair Lee.

Here. Thank Thank you, Cindy. All right. So I think we're now we'll start with our oral communications on non agendized items. Any member of the public will be allowed to address the Planning Commission for up to three minutes or matters not on this agenda.

The law generally prohibits the Planning Commission from discussing or taking action on such items. However, the Planning Commission may instruct staff accordingly regarding the oral communication. At this point, I would like to open public comments on non agenda items. Staff, can we please explain the public comment process and announce our first speaker?

Thank you, chair Lee. Now is the time if you have comments on an item that is not on the agenda to raise your hand using the tool in Zoom. Or if you you are in the theater, come to the podium at the front of the theater. There are no hands raised online, Chair Lee.

Thank you. There's no one in the audience either. So this concludes our communications on non agenda items. All right. Next is the approval of minutes. Are there any additions or corrections to the minutes? No? Does any commission members wish to move approval of the minutes?

I make the motion to approve minutes.

Thank you.

I'll second the motion.

Thank you. Would the staff please conduct the roll call vote?

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Alright. Thank you. Report on appeal rights. Any interested person objecting to any decision on this agenda may file an appeal application with the city clerk within fifteen calendar days of the date of decision. Alright. Now we are open for public hearing. Actually, before that, we have a general business report. Right.

Thank you, Chair Lee. So I'm pinch hitting for the public works director tonight. So I'm going to go over their general plan conformity for the upcoming capital improvement program that they're having for the year. And so the intent is is that, you know, the general plans are a guiding document, and CIPs kind of are supposed to follow the general plan and the recommendations in those. But there is deviation at times.

I think there's actually three really cool projects. And I'll just give you brief overviews of those. But essentially, the three new capital projects are proposed in the upcoming fiscal year 'twenty six, 'twenty seven. The proposed projects have been reviewed by the city council as part of the annual budget process. And California government code section 65,401 states that the local planning agency should report on the conformity of the CIP with the agency's general plan.

However, not all projects have a relationship to a policy in the general plan, such as maintenance work and building remodels. So three projects that are pretty interesting. The Emergency Message Board project in WUI areas. And so this project will acquire and install notification systems including electronic message boards at strategic locations in the city. The intent is that these will be used to keep residents informed and provide direction and information during emergencies such as wildfire evacuations.

The establishment of a $100,000 local match fund will support a grant up to $400,000 which is the estimated cost for 10 changeable message board signs. The second project is Congress Springs Park, the midfield restroom upgrades. This project would replace the existing single stall with a two with a new two unit bathroom with electric hand dryers and automated door locks. We're living in the future here. The midfield restroom at CSP helps the public from not having to walk all the way to the front of the park for restroom facilities.

The current single stall unit is about thirty years old and is showing signs of wear and tear. Replacement parts are difficult to find. So the estimated cost for that project is $150,000 And finally, this is an interesting project, one that we'll kind of feel the effects of, is the Costco project outside of the limits of Saratoga. So a new Costco wholesale store is planned for construction on Saratoga's Northeast border at Lawrence Expressway and Prospect Road, diagonally across from Prospect High School. In addition, a new dense housing project is also underway just one block away at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Lawrence Expressway.

The project will study potential traffic impacts from these developments to the city. The city's traffic engineer will determine the baseline of current traffic patterns for neighborhoods including Brookview, Prides Crossing and Al Quito. The baseline traffic data will help determine the level of cut through traffic and help identify mitigation measures for post development once the project's open to the public. And that has an estimated cost of 40,000. So if you have any questions, I'd love to answer them. I can't expect to be the expert. But I will do my best. So, yes.

I just I'm just curious as to where these 10 electronic boards will be placed. Do you know? Is it the same place where we have the manual ones right now?

You know, that's a great question. I don't see a map in here. However, I think they are kind of where some of the existing notifications I don't think they're small notification signs right now. But I will find out and we can share with the planning commission the map of those signs.

Okay. That's a

great idea.

Yeah. Just curious to know as to where they're placed and also if they're going to be used for something besides just for emergency. Because if they're going to be around the city, you know, like we have so many meridian signs that people post. It's going on those meridian, then I don't know how big these signs are going to be.

It's a good question. I'll find that out with public works, and we'll share that with the planning commission.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you. Yes?

Yeah. Did staff find any reason why we should not find these three projects consistent with the general plan?

No, it's a great question. We find them to be consistent with the general plan and the objectives. Thank you. Yeah.

Any other questions? So for these reports, what's the next step for the commissioner?

Yeah, we'd like a vote just to accept the report JUSTICE so we can file that into our general plan documents and provide that to the Public Works Department.

CHIEF Okay. So we need to initiate a motion to approve?

I move as presented.

I second.

Thank you. Roll call.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

Thank you so much. All right.

Thank you. All right. The next item, 2.2, is the Planning Commission upcoming calendar.

Yes. So the city council is taking a recess for two meetings. And we wanted to pull the Planning Commission for the July meeting because we do have a couple of items on the July meeting. And so we want to make sure that we have a quorum. So the next the July meeting is on July 8. And I know we did send an email out, but I just want to verify again that we will have a quorum. So, I think we'll have two persons out.

I'll be there.

Two persons out, and then everyone else will be here, correct?

Okay.

So

we have five people here? So we have a call? Yes. Good.

And then next year, we'll probably, and earlier in the year, we'll ask if you all want to take a recess for the summer break. So you can have time to plan for that.

Okay. And so question, what about August?

Are there any planned vacations in August where you would meet the August you would miss the August 12 meeting?

Okay.

So it looks like we would have a quorum for August as well. I see. Thank you.

So in the summer, August is set. I mean normally we meet in August, but sometimes we take summer break for July. Is that right? Okay.

Yeah. Last year I think we just decided to cancel the July meeting due to lack of items.

Yes. Just as a quick reminder, if we're not going to be there, we just email the chair and staff and say, is it possible to have an excused absence?

So the chair, if the chair is absent, the chair needs to email the mayor to get an excused absence. Everyone else can go through Brian. Thanks. Okay.

Thank you. So now we move on to the number three, public hearings. But two of the items have been postponed to June and July. So we'll skip.

So what do need to do? We want to take two separate actions, one for each item. And you'll need to open the public hearing, close the public hearing, and then vote on the continuance. So we can start with item 3.1.

All right. So we need to go through the whole process. Okay. So just follow the book here. Applicants or their representatives have a total of ten minutes. Do I need to go over this or not?

The applicant is aware of the continuance and it's not here this evening.

Okay. All right. So I will skip that. And so we will go to I don't think it's written here, but just means that for item 3.1 application, APTR two six dash zero zero zero one, I'll request our planning commission to approve the delay.

I would just open the public hearing, close the public hearing, and then ask for

an issue. I see. So alright. Okay. So we will open the public hearing for this item. And then, yeah, there are any speakers against this item? All right, no one is in the audience. Francis?

No. No hands raised online.

All right. Thank you, Francis. So now we'll close the public hearing part of this item. Now we move to the Commission discussion.

Do we have a motion to continue?

Yes, I move.

Second. I'll second.

All right.

All in favor?

Aye. Motion passes. Any opposed? Thank you. Alright. And so we need to go to the next item. Yes. For 3.2, now we're open the public hearing for application CPX24Dash0011. Public, is there anyone to speak about this item?

There are no hands raised online, Chair Lee.

Okay. There's no one in the audience either. So now we close the public hearing part of this application. Now, Commission

Pass the I make the motion to extend this as presented by the staff.

Any second?

I have

no second.

Okay. Thank you.

The motion is to continue the meeting. Just to be clear, the so the motion for the first motion, the motion for Pierce Road is to continue the meeting to June 10. And then the motion for the item before you is to continue the meeting to July 8.

Yes. All

in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes. Thank you.

All right. So now we move to item number four. Director Items.

Well thank you very much Chair Lee and members of the Planning Commission. Appreciate all your, what you do. Thank you for coming to every meeting. Cindy thanks for all your work. I think maybe what's noteworthy tonight is that this might be the fastest Planning Commission meeting in history, so 16 Typically, we've been talking about Builders' Remedy projects just from a factual perspective.

And we like to have the project managers for those projects that are here. And so next month, we'll provide an update for you all on the Builders' Remedy projects. Last week, the Chester Allendale 52 Lot subdivision received a final map. And so that'll they will record that eventually. But we did meet with representatives today from Lennar. And so Lennar is a national builder. And so they will be purchasing the map from the entitlement company. And so that's pretty common in that line of work. And so we're looking forward to collaborating with them. They are very professional.

They do projects all over the country. And so we had a kickoff today with them. So that's all I have today. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Any questions for the director? Seeing none, we're moving to item five, commission items. Is there any discussions that the commissioners want to bring? Paul?

Yeah. After going to the Planning Commissioners Academy last March, found out that it would be important to adopt objective health and safety standards, specifically fire standards. And so what I have been doing since then, and especially after our meeting with the city council in April where we were told try not use any of your time, I've gone out and with some help put together a set of draft objective fire standards for Saratoga. And I've put together a package and what I want to request of the commission tonight is time on next month's agenda to present and review those standards and see, you know, just discuss them as a group and if we like them, modify them, whatever we do, we can then vote on a plan of action on what to do with them if they're suitable. So my request is to have time scheduled on next month's agenda to have a study session for the objective firing standards.

I think what we would like to do, vice chair, is talk to our acting city manager to ensure that that is okay to do. So we might want to talk to her first before we put that back on the agenda.

Do we require the my understanding from the Planning Commissioner's Academy is we did not need approval from a city official to have a study session. Is there is this a courtesy thing or is Saratoga somehow different?

This isn't in the Commission's work plan so we just want to just, you know, talk to the city manager just to make sure that everyone is aware of what's going on.

Okay. Great.

I'd like to hear from our fellow commissioners.

Mhmm.

Or is this something that we're willing to do? So any

Yeah. My understanding is this kind of requirements it requires the city staff involvement. I think not only the planning commission, right? We cannot just do on our own. So that's why we need to get it approved from the city managers and see, see maybe we'll assign a specific person to review maybe with us, then before the study session. That's my understanding.

Is that the reason?

So we'll get back to you on what we find out.

Okay. Any

other questions? Oh, this is a very different question. Every year, usually in May, have a commissioner's dinner. Has that been off the budget this year?

The mayor always

hosts commissioners.

The appreciation. Yes. You mean appreciation dinner.

Right.

You know, thank you for that question. We're curious if that was taken out of the budget. But what we will do is find out.

Okay.

But we will provide an update on that as well.

Yeah. We thought maybe that's what happened. Because usually by now we hear about it.

Well, thank you for that. We will follow-up on that.

Thank you. Thank you.

And just

to follow-up on the previous agenda item, what I will do with your permission is I will send, what would be the, I would like to send to all commissioners the draft studies that, you know, the proposals that I have. It involves, you know, how we would share it with the fire department, how we'd share it with city council, what standards we have to meet as a group. I'll share my document package with the planning commission and with staff. And can you redistribute it? I mean, for the distribution

should send it to to follow the Brown Act?

Would send it out to all commissioners I for

would ask that you go through the chair. Yeah. And so the chair will work with staff on that. I don't know if Gabe, if you're on the call. Is Gabe Ross on the call? He's not.

Hi. I'm on the panel now.

Hi. Sorry, Gabe, to put you on the spot.

No problem.

It would be good to maybe have your perspective of of this request. And so did you hear the request from the vice chair?

Regarding the study session, yes.

The the objective design standards for fire safety? Correct. Fire safety. Yes. Yeah.

So I I I don't have any particular opinion about having a study session. I don't think there's any legal bar to that. So that's sort of, as staff said, a question of notice and ensuring that it's within existing work plan. But we can go ahead with that. I do want staff and the city attorney to be able to have a close look at the objective, at the proposed objective standards before we go ahead with adopting anything. I can think of any number of things that I will want to review that for and so on.

All right. Thank you.

But I think that fits with what Mahesh Chiragaramarat proposed of having a study session and then moving into that staff and city attorney review. Correct.

Yeah. It just goes to the chair and then the chair will provide that to

us. Okay.

Will work

with our internal team.

Okay. Sounds good. And I do have another question. So just say if it is approved that we're going to add it to June meetings agenda, will public also be invited for the workshop? Right? This is a workshop. This is open to everyone. Public meeting. Okay. I think we are good? Any other commissioner item? Hearing none, then meeting adjourned. Thank you.