Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Good evening, everyone. I call to order the regular meeting of the City of Sacramento Planning and Design Commission for Thursday, August 13, 2026. The time is 5.30 p.m. Will the clerk please call the roll to establish a quorum?

Thank you, Chair. Before we kick off, I'd like to Thank my colleagues for being here. I think it's been over two months since we've met, so nice to see everybody again. I'd like to remind members of the public in attendance that speaker slips are submitted digitally now. There's a new change here. You can register to speak by scanning the QR codes posted at the back of the chambers and by the city clerk's staff table or through the kiosk. Submissions must be received prior to the item being called, after which no further digital slip will be accepted. You will have three minutes to speak once

Thank you. All right, we'll now move to the consent calendar. Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak on the consent calendar?

Do the commissioners have any items on the consent calendar that they wish to pull, or is there a motion to approve?

Chair, I'll make a motion to approve amendments from June 11.

Thank you. We have a motion. Do we have a second? Second. I think we have a motion and a second. Chair, can you take a vote?

Thank you. Next on the agenda is our public hearing calendar. Item number two is the 2026 Title 17 Omnibus Ordinance. I'm now opening the public hearing. Are there any disclosures, site visits, or recusal for this item? Thank you. Seeing none, staff, do we have a staff presentation? Kevin, are you? OK. Sorry. There you go. Go ahead.

Thank you, Anna. Are there any Commissioners questions of staff? Seeing none, we'll now call for public comment on item two. We're no longer taking digital speaker slips for this item, and we'll call speakers currently in the queue.

Thank you, then I will close the public hearing. The item now is back to the Commission for discussion or a motion. Vice Chair Kaden.

Yeah, it looks great. I appreciate this item every year. It's very clear. It's well organized. I know it's a lot of effort to stay on top of all of the state laws that get passed every year, and so I think our staff does an amazing job of pulling that forward very quickly, so happy to move the item.

Was there a motion in there? Vice Chair, was there a motion? There was a motion there. Thank you. We have a motion. We have a motion and a second. Chair, any other Commissioner comments before we vote? Clerk, can you take a vote?

Thank you. Item three is the next item in the agenda. It's the United Cerebral Policy Transit Storage Project at 2150 Harvard Street. I'm now opening the public hearing. Are there any disclosures, site visits, or recusals for this item? Seeing none, I will say I did a site visit. I did a drive-by. I live near the area. With that, thanks. It looks like we have a staff presentation.

Thank you, Deja. Does the applicant wish to make a presentation? No? OK. Are there any questions for commission or for staff?

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a quick question. Any feedback from community? Did you get any community input on this project or did we talk to community about it?

Thank you, Commissioner. Okay, Commissioner Chow.

I was just looking at the project and it was proposing a, is it a gas tank above ground? Is that going to have any environmental impact on the long term on the property at all? Just one concern because I didn't see any community comments on this.

Commissioner, any other commissioner comments or questions of staff? Seeing none, we'll now call for a public comment on item three. We're no longer taking digital speaker slips for this item. We'll call speakers currently in the queue. Clerk, do we have any speakers? Okay. Hearing no public comment, I'm now closing the public hearing and will entertain a motion.

Commissioner Gores. Mr. Chair, thank you. I will make a motion to approve a staff recommendation for the United Cerebral Palsy Transit Storage Project.

Thank you, Commissioner. We have a motion. Is there a second? Second. Commissioner? No. Okay. We have a motion and a second. Clerk, can we take a vote?

Thank you clerk, thank you commissioners. Item four, next on the agenda is the center point at Natomas Crossing Commercial Development. I'm now opening the public hearing. Are there any disclosures, site visits, or recusals on this one? Seeing none, do we have a staff presentation? It appears that way.

Thank you. Does the applicant wish to present? Okay, thank you. Are there any commissioner questions of staff? Seeing none, we'll now call for public comment on item four. We're no longer taking digital speaker slips for this item. We'll call speakers currently in the queue. Clerk, do we have any speakers?

Okay. This evening is moving quite along here. Hearing no further public comment, I'm closing the public hearing, and we will entertain a motion. Commissioner Lee.

We have a motion. Do we have a second? Commissioner Caden. Second. Vice Chair Caden. Thank you. We have a motion and a second. I just want to say quickly, my office is right down the street on Del Paso from this development, and the existing development is very nicely done. So I look forward to this addition to it. I think it will be great for the area. That said, clerk, can we take a vote?

Thank you. Item five is Sam's Market. for Type 21 Conditional Use Permit located at 2685 Rio Linda Boulevard. I'm now opening the public hearing. Are there any disclosures, site visits, or recusals on this item? Seeing none. Thank you. Do we have a staff presentation? Yes.

Thank you, Jose. Does the applicant wish to present?

Thank you. Are there any commission or questions of either staff or the applicant? Commissioner Tau.

Just questions for the applicant. Was there any outreach to neighbor associations or any oppositions from the community? Any support letters?

No comments? Okay. I'm very familiar with the area. I live just right down the street on the other side. It's been a long-time market there. I think the family who bought it bought it from... from a Hmong family as well as been a longtime neighbor market and really want to see responsible ownership. There is a big over concentration of this type of license in our district, in this community. heard through grapevine that this is a great family, he owns the business. I haven't spoken to the owners yet, but I've spoken to the previous owners and they said this is a great family. Definitely want j

OKAY, AND THOSE CONDITIONS WERE ACCEPTED, OR?

Okay, so that hasn't been added. So within this process, that will...

Okay. What were those conditions? You know what I mean? You should...

Okay, I think those are valid, yeah. I don't have any other questions.

Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Lee.

Yeah, I do just want to echo what Commissioner Towles said and, you know, just want to say that obviously this is a highly vulnerable community. I think the staff report points to that. I do have a question. I see on here on the PowerPoint that the hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., but I'm not sure if I saw anywhere where the alcohol sales would actually stop. Is that stipulated anywhere on here?

But if the store later decides to close at midnight, then the alcohol sales would go to midnight as well?

So the conditional use permit, does it currently end at 11 p.m. seven days a week?

Got it. So if they were to extend the store hours to midnight, they would still have to stop the alcohol sales at 11 p.m.? Okay, correct. And then to modify the CUP, is that a commission or is that the director level? That would be a staff level modification. Those are all the questions I have. Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner. Any other questions for any of the commissioners for staff or applicant? I can't remember. Did we already ask if there are public comments?

Okay, great. Thank you. Hearing no further public comment then, I'm closing the public hearing and we'll entertain a motion. Commissioner Towle.

Do we have a motion? Do we have a second?

I think Vice Chair was ready to, but we will take it. I wasn't. We'll entertain your second. We have a motion and we have a second. Clerk, can you take a vote?

Thank you, everyone. Moving now to our discussion calendar. Item six is the 2040 General Plan and Zoning Consistency Project. Staff, please present the report.

Thank you. Before I invite commissioners to ask questions, I'd like to... We have some public speakers, I'd like to ask them to speak first so we can, any questions can be directed to either staff or the speakers, so. Clerk, can you?

All right, thank you, Clerk. I now close the public comment portion of the commission and the meeting. And I'd like to invite any commissioner questions of either staff or speaker. Vice Chair Caden.

Yeah, thank you, Chair. And I have a little bit to say, and so I'll try not to be too long-winded on this. I think I just wanted, you know, first off, acknowledge the amount of work that's gone into this project from us, from staff. We're what, eight years into this journey now when you think about when we first started this conversation of trying to see what we can do to kind of open up these single family neighborhoods to more housing options. We've had multiple city council make-ups, we've had PDC turnover, staff changes, and I think a shifting Overton window on housing policy where when we

I think we all really appreciate your insight and comments on this, so don't feel bad about going on and on. We welcome it. Other, Commissioner Ortiz.

With the clear provision that the transitional height, which is being proposed, so yes, but it wedding cakes up, so it's not 85 directly next to them.

Thank you, Commissioner. Are there other Commissioner comments or questions? I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK STAFF AND JIMMY FOR JUST AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION. I FELT LIKE WE WERE KIND OF BEING FED BY A FIRE HOSE. A LOT OF INFORMATION COMING AT US. BUT GOOD INFORMATION. I COULDN'T HELP BUT THINK THAT A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE, WHERE WE'RE GOING REMINDS ME OF where some of our towns and cities were probably prior to world war two where things were just mixed mixed together in a very positive way i think it made it very walkable we got and i can't remember when it was but probably in the 60s when we got i

It is a challenge. When I was living in L.A. for years, high-rises were being built along Wilshire Boulevard. And they were affecting houses that wanted up solar on the north side of the boulevard, very expensive houses. And there was a compromise reached, I think, in terms of height and where the higher buildings could be built, not on the north side of Wilshire, but they had to be kept to the south side so that those shadows could take the street into account. But yeah, very difficult thing to regulate, I admit. I encourage us to, given all the other issues we're facing in our world these da

I would like to concur with Commissioner Naibo's comments too. Staff's done a tremendous job here. Any other comments from, questions from Commissioner? Seeing none, I think I will entertain them. I'm sorry, Commissioner Lee.

Yeah, just really quick. Like you guys said, a lot of great comments already. Staff, great job. Just really quick, I just want to make a quick comment on the neighborhood commercial. I think it's great. That's a great direction that the city would be moving in if we were to allow that, so thank you. You know, I actually, growing up in the city of Sacramento, we actually had a lot of unofficial stores that people would run inside their homes. So it's, you know, whether we know it or not, it is sort of happening already. And, you know, just growing up here, I'm always fond of that sort of type o

Thank you, Commissioner. Vice-Chair Caden.

Yeah, sorry, one last one on the neighborhood commercial zones, which I think is really cool that we're going in this direction. And I mean, I kind of would like to see it more than just on corner lots, and in some cases, just corner lots on arterials, right? I understand what some of the concerns are there. I guess I wonder, is it something that staff could maybe look at it just exploring an idea of like if there's somebody that's not on a corner lot that might wanna open up a business on the street, if some percentage of residents on the street kind of sign off on approving that use, they co

Thank you. We have a motion. A comment before we move on. Potentially positive... I think the step that's out there right now, one of the things that has been effective, the affordability of housing for probably the last 15 to 20 years is the condominium issue, the liability issue that's tied to that, the 10-year limit of liability. It's kept a lot of contractors, developers, and as an architect, my firm at the time was told we could not have more than 15% of our annual buildings in condominium work because of the liability issue. This proposed legislation, I'm not sure who the sponsor is, but

We've had a great discussion here and I want to thank all my colleagues for their input. I think with that, Well, we have a motion, don't we? We need a second, then, if anyone.

Okay, we have a motion and a second. Clerk, can you take a vote?

Yes, and I think I already commented on the equality of the staff presentation, so thank you. Aye.

Thank you, everyone. Okay, our next item is Commissioner comments, ideas, and questions. We're now opening the floor for any Commissioner comments. Is this a leftover? Is this Commissioner Naibo?

Okay. Anyone else? Okay, no Commissioner comments or suggestions. Public comments for any matters not in the agenda?

Great. Thank you. Public comment is now closed, and that concludes all the items on tonight's agenda. So this meeting is now adjourned.