Planning Commission - public_hearing

Okay, cool.

All right. Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the Administrative Zoning Public Hearing of May 27th. My name is Amber Blizinski, and I'm presiding over the hearing as the zoning administrator. So I'll call the meeting to order at 4.02 p.m. So today's hearing operates in a hybrid format. The staff, the applicants, and some of community members are in person. However, we'll also ask if community members joining us virtually want to speak at certain points in the meeting. When those opportunities arise, typically during the public comment portion of each agenda item, members of the public wishing to comment may do so by clicking on the raise hand feature in Zoom. When I announce the item on which they wish to speak, speakers will be notified of their turn shortly before they're called on to speak And all speakers, virtual or in person, will have two to three minutes, and it'll be dependent on how many speakers we have to provide comments with the timing dependent on the total number of speakers. So if you're in person and you wish to comment on an item today, not if you're an applicant, but if you just are here from the public and you want to comment, if you can fill out one of the speaker cards over there right on the other side of Roxanne, that will help us spell your name correctly in the meeting minutes. So again, if you are with applicant team, you don't need to do this. If you are not and you wish to comment on an item, please fill out that part. So we'll move on to oral communications from the public. So this is the time set aside for people wishing to address the zoning administrator on something that's not on the agenda, so not the two hearing items. speakers are limited to three minutes and state law prohibits any action on any items that aren't on the agenda. Is there anybody first in the room who came to speak on an item that's not on the agenda?

Just raise your hand.

Okay. Is there anybody on blind? Okay, great. So we'll move on to item three, which is the zoning administrator public hearings. So item 3.1 is 333 Franklin Street with a request for the zoning administrator to forward a recommendation to the city council to approve a planned community permit and development review permit to construct a three-story multifamily building with 11 apartment units and two detached accessory dwelling units on a vacant site, which previously contained a multifamily building. A heritage tree removal permit to remove two heritage trees and a recommended determination that the project is categorically exempt per CEQA through the infill development exemption. It's important to note that this decision that I'm making today is just a recommendation to the city council. So the city council will be the hearing body that takes final, that makes a final action on this project. And that hearing is tentatively scheduled for June 23rd, 2026. So Vincent Kwan's the project planner for this item. Vincent, do you have a presentation?

Nice.

Good afternoon, everyone. It's Yvonne, Associate Planner, here to present the project to Gigi Franklin for a new . Project is located at 333 Franklin Street, which is in the downtown Precise Plan zoning district, specifically the area B, which is the Franklin Street residential transition area. The general plan land use for this is a medium-high density residential, which allows for up to 26 to 35 dwelling units per acre with a lot size of 7,500 square feet. And the project site currently is vacant, but previously contained a multi-family apartment building. Although the site is vacant, it previously contained an eight-unit apartment building, and the new proposed project consists of a new 11-unit apartment building with two two-story detached ADUs and the removal of two heritage streets. The unit mix is between two bedrooms, one bedroom studios with eight units dedicated to below market rate. Additionally, the applicant is requesting a state density bonus for an additional four units on site. So per government code section 65915 requires the city to allow additional units and allows the applicant to request for reduced parking standards, incentives, concessions, and waivers of development standards if a certain percentage of affordable housing is proposed. The project is providing eight BMR units comprised of seven low income at 80% area median income, one variable income at 50% area median income. This makes this project eligible for up to a 50% density bonus, up to three concessions slash incentives and waivers for standards that would typically preclude the construction project. The applicant is requesting a 50% density bonus along with one concession, five waivers. So the density bonus is calculated based on base density, which for this project is seven units based on the general plan. With the applicant requesting a 50% density bonus, an additional 3.5 units, which is rounded up to four units, is allowed for a total of 11 units, not counting the ADUs. Additionally, the five waivers that the applicant is requesting a waiver for development standards are regarding minimum open space requirement, maximum floor area, minimum landscape planting requirements, maximum building leave height, and minimum trash enclosure dimensions. Lastly, the applicant is requesting a concession to locate two VMR units in the ADU, which consists of one one-bedroom and one two-bedroom unit, and we will be locating them all in the VMR, all of the VMR units in the main building. As for the design, the design of the project is considered a more contemporary craftsman design with a mix of modern features. while maintaining a lot of craftsman design language. Specifically, the design is intentionally integrating the third floor into the dormers on the roof to maintain a residential scale, to be more consistent with the surrounding single family neighborhood, and also as a transition between the downtown area. As for parking, parking is not required for residential uses located in the downtown for size plan. However, if applicants choose to voluntarily provide parking, accessible charging spaces are required. The applicant is voluntarily providing two parking spaces, so one EV space and one accessible space located at the ground level below the two detached EVs. As for next steps following today's hearing staff before the recommendation to City Council to take final action on the project, the City Council meeting is tentatively scheduled for June 3rd. Staff recommends the zoning administrator to recommend the City Council to approve the community permit and development permit to construct a three-story multifamily building with 11 apartment units and detached ADUs, a vacant site which previously contained a multifamily building, utilizing state density bonus law and a heritage tree to remove two heritage trees. This concludes staff's presentation. There are members of the applicant team here in person and also the applicant as well.

Okay, thank you, Vincent. So let me get a feel for who's in the room. Are there, so who, raise your hand if you're on the applicant team for this project. Okay, the two of you. Okay, great. And then are there non-applicant members of the public who are here to talk to who want to comment on this project? If you could raise your hand. So is everybody else here for the other project, the El Monte project? Okay, great. I just wanted to get a feel for it. Okay, and then applicant team, do you have a presentation you're going to do? No? Okay. And So you don't have any comments that you want to make? Okay. And that's true for, I'm assuming, for the person who's online, if you wanted to speak, if you can raise your hand.

Okay, she did. Okay.

Hi, can you hear us?

Yeah, I can hear. Can you hear me?

Uh-huh, yes.

Okay, great. I don't have a presentation, but just wanted to, To reiterate the fact that this project is supporting the Mountain View's vision of walkable city and expanding affordable housing and places old and unsafe building, which should actually help to improve the downtown Mountain View and adjacent neighborhood. Thank you. And any questions, I'll be happy to answer.

Thank you. Okay, so... I'm assuming the answer is no, but maybe online. So I'm now going to open the item up to public comment. So I'm just double checking. Is there anybody in the room who came to do public comment on this item? Is there anybody online who wants to do public comment on this item? Okay, great. So I'll go ahead and close the public hearing then. And I'll move forward in making a motion to recommend that the city council approve item 3.1 based on the findings and conditions posted online and the application materials that were reviewed by city staff. Again, with the reminder that my decision is a recommendation to the city council who will take the final action on this project. So thank you for coming and We'll just take a second for Aki and Vincent to switch spots.

Okay, great. I'm going to move on. Thanks, Vincent. Don't forget your water.

All right. So item 3.2 is 1075 El Monte Avenue with a request that the zoning administrator approve a modification to a previously approved conditional use permits to allow an ancillary residential use to an existing church and a recommendation that the project is categorically pursuant to section 15303, new construction or conversion of small structures of the California Environmental Quality Act. Aki Snelling is the project planner. Aki, do you have a staff presentation? Absolutely. All right, go ahead.

Good afternoon, everybody. This item is a request for a modification to your previously approved conditional use permits to allow an ancillary residential use, parsonage, and a development review permit to allow minor site improvements. The project site outlined in yellow is 1.67 acres located on the east side of El Monte Avenue, just south of El Camino Real and north of Pauling Hollingsworth Drive. The project is a multi-family residential with the northern half designated as R3-1 and the southern half designated as R3-1H2S, which limits residences to a two-story maximum height. The general plan land use designation is medium high density residential and the adjacent uses include commercial uses to the north, also vacant lot as well to the north, single family residences to the south and west, and small-lot single-family residences to the east on Rich Avenue. The proposed project will involve site modifications that will occur primarily on the eastern half of the project site, except for utility hookups to El Monte Avenue for the new house. This includes construction of an 1,888-square-foot two-story residence as the parsonage with a new 254-square-foot detached carport on the eastern half of the site. It also includes removal of 12 parking spaces, reducing the existing parking from 97 spaces to 85 spaces to accommodate site modifications. However, the parking requirements for all uses on site will still be in compliance with the requirements. The project also includes relocation of the trash enclosure from the northeast part of the site to the center of the project site, moving it further away from the adjacent residential uses and making it more easily accessible to trash trucks. The project also will allow for removal of three non-heritage purple-leaf plum trees that will be replaced with three new 24-inch box trees. The new two-story parsonage design will be consistent and compatible with the surrounding single-family residences and the existing church onsite with respect to the two-story height, gable roofing, and the composition shingle roofing, stucco exterior, and also colors. Lenscape plans show that the project will meet replacement requirements with planting of 24-inch box, ginkgo biloba, red pistache, and home trees. Lawn will also be added along the northern property line where the reciprocal driveway is closed and at the existing trash enclosure location. Staff recommends that the zoning administrator approve the project based upon the findings and conditions of approval and that the project is categorically exempt under Section 15303. new construction or conversion of wall structures. This concludes staff's report. Staff would be happy to answer any questions. I'd also like to indicate that the applicant, Heather Young, the architect, and also members of the St. Paul Lutheran Church are here to answer any questions.

Great, thank you, Aki. So does anybody from the applicant team do have a presentation that you want to give or anything you want to say? We don't have a presentation, but we're available to answer any questions.

Okay.

Sure. Thank you. Okay. So I'll open the item up to public comment. So is anybody in the room here to make public comment on the item? Okay. And is there anybody online who wishes to make a public comment?

None.

Okay, great. This has been a very easy meeting. So I'll now close the public hearing and I'll move forward in making a motion to approve item 3.2 based on the findings and conditions posted online and the application materials reviewed by city staff. Please note that this decision of approval is appealable to the City Council within 10 calendar days. This concludes our public hearing today at 4.17 p.m. If anybody has any follow-up questions on any of the items on the agenda, you can contact a listed project planner. Thank you.

Good job.