Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

I didn't stop to think about that. Welcome to the August 24th meeting of the Planning Commission for the City of Goleta. And if you would all please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Mr. Clerk, can you please call the roll?

Okay. Mr. Imhoff, are there any amendments or adjustments to the agenda?

Thank you. So can you, Mr. Clerk, can you let me know how many in-person speakers and speakers we have on Zoom for the public forum this is?

We're not agendized to discuss the issues raised by public comment, but we will pass any comments that we receive along to the City Council as these issues are within their purview. So the first thing on our agenda for tonight is the approval of the minutes from August 10th. Mr. Clerk, can you read the item into the records?

Okay. Any comments from the Commission? Are there any public speakers?

Okay, then I'd like to entertain a motion from the commissioners to accept the minutes.

I'll second. Okay. I'll vote. Put in your votes.

OK. So I think we're all set with that. And we're ready then to move on to the second item on the agenda. Mr. Clerk, please read the item into the record.

OK, this is a public hearing on a project proposed at 7360 Hollister Avenue, which involves the review of a 59-unit condominium residential community, vesting tentative map 32,074 and class 32 categorical exemption. Staff, do you have a presentation?

Thank you for reminding me. Normally, we have about 15 minutes. You get 15 minutes to give a presentation and rebut or clarify anything after the public comment. So you might want to reserve some time for the latter. if you intend to respond to public comment. The Planning Commission may have questions for you, but your time answering our questions does not count towards your 15 minutes.

And Daryl, will you be clicking through the presentation? Perfect. Thank you so much.

Okay. Mr. Clerk, do we have any people on Zoom and in person who want to speak?

Okay, so public comment is typically three minutes per person, so if people who speak keep that in mind.

Oh, OK. All right. Then does any member of the commission have any questions that they would like to ask of the staff or the applicant? OK. Chairman Fullerton?

Hi, I just have a couple questions for the applicant. The first one is, was there discussion on why some of the buildings are so close to DOG instead of moving the open space so that the open space was a little better aligned with the DOG play yard?

Okay, and then which are the low-income units?

So will they be the smaller ones or will they be different sizes?

OK. And then... Why only one exit? I know, was there any discussion about trying to have another exit going maybe into the shopping center or something so that you don't just have everyone having to go make a right?

Okay. And just one last question. You have solar, but are the units going to have, like, power walls or batteries?

I think my questions are probably directed to staff. I'm not sure. But just to make sure I understand all the, all the kind of constraints around this. Because this is an all-housing project, that's why it's subject to SB 3300, the Housing Accountability Act. Is that what makes it qualify, just because it's all housing?

Cool. And then just to make sure I understand the concession, that... that by providing three very low income units, the applicant reaches 5% threshold and qualifies for the state density bonus law. And that gives them a concession, which they then use to shift the city's normal affordability mix from 2.5 very low to 5% very low, and then taking the low from 5 to 2.5. All right. Does that shift result in any reduction in either the total affordable housing obligation or the total in lieu fees the city would otherwise receive?

I see. So they're still with the three units plus in lieu fees, there's 20% affordable houses? That is correct. OK. Thank you. A couple more questions. I think there was a public comment by Irene Russo mentioning traffic exiting the site has to travel west on Hollister. which I think was a good call out. She was wondering where they would turn around. Have we thought about where most people will turn around and the traffic safety around it?

Yeah. Most people are going to be going to Costco and all the shopping centers. Absolutely. So I imagine most of that traffic is going to be making a U-turn. So there is a U-turn. Is legal at Entrance Road? Yes, it is. Great. That answers that question. And then, just to make sure I understand correctly, under the conditions of approval, anyone buying one of these homes, either original buyer or subsequent buyers, will be notified as part of their purchase process that there's already an existing dog daycare kennel next door. Is that right?

So it'll be part of kind of the disclosures. Hey, you're moving next to a dog kennel. Correct. You've been warned? Yeah. OK. Correct. Good. Good. That makes sense. Two more. Well, no. You already answered where are the low-income units, because I couldn't see that either. The Air Pollution Control District mentioned that a potential health concern for residents within 500 feet of Highway 101. Could staff walk through? Was that concern addressed? Were there any conditions or recommendations related to that?

Okay. Thank you. And is that just for that last row, that last building? Correct. Okay. Thank you. That's all the questions I had.

Commissioner Fullerton? Maynard, did you want to? Okay. I had a couple of questions as well. And I just kind of, part of it is, you know, very similar to Commissioner Penniman. I'm concerned, having been on a rescue squad for 17 years, having driven you know, an ambulance and a fire truck when you say they're going to back out and then they have to make a turn to get to the exit. I am concerned about that. I'm also concerned about the possibility of fire. If there is a fire that does jump the highway, that's prime territory for it. There's only one way to get in and one way to get out. And I n

Cannon green, people coming out, trying to make a left turn, you can't always see when people are coming from the west. And just to have, there's not some better way than just say, oh, well, they'll make a U-turn at entrance road, because I think that's really risky. And this is, I guess, a question for staff. We had a similar project off of Cathedral Oaks. Shelby was that? And there they were required to have two entrances because we talked about those. And yet here they're saying you don't – similar size project, similar shape in a way. I'm just kind of, you know, how did – how can it be one

Okay. I was just curious as to how, you know, that worked. And then what kind of screening will there be? Because when I, you know, deliberately came up, counting green to make a right here, to see where the polls are. Now, at one point, too, there was another concern that we dealt with in another meeting about view and whether you know, certain buildings would, you know, obscure a view and we're, you know, and I came up when we were talking about the golf course, whether something would impede view. And that's, I wonder if there's any way to either shorten the buildings slightly because they,

There's nothing else that's three stories up there.

The other thing, and then you mentioned in the plan about sidewalks and bicycle paths. Now, there are sidewalks there currently, and there's a big multi-bicycle and walking path on the other side of the street. Oh, of Hollister. So what are you planning when you say you're going to improve the north side of Hollister

And I promise this is my last, I won't keep badgering you. Just out of curiosity, and maybe you can't tell me this, when you say, you know, very low income and low income, what will the rest of them be? And, you know, what's kind of price differential? How affordable are they? We're talking about this being affordable. I'm just curious as to what you see the market rates going for and the others as well?

I'm thinking about what I see on the market in Goleta.

Yeah, I think that pretty much, Mr. Clerk, do we have any? Ah, I'm sorry.

Does anyone have any ex parte communications to report? No. And I don't, so do any of us? I don't think so.

Thank you. That's very helpful. Commissioner Maynard.

Commissioner Fullerton, do you have any other questions? I think you were in the queue before me. OK. I'll go for it. Just a couple of quick clarifying questions as we were talking about the other things. Looking at the landscaping plan, I actually don't see any trees along Hollister. So I don't think there's any landscaping right along Hollister there. Is that correct?

That seems like a good choice. Well, thank you. I'll actually go to staff on this one. So there was a discrepancy there of the staff report saying 41 feet was the maximum building height, and the applicant mentioned 38 feet and 6 inches. Is that just the difference of electrical or HVAC equipment, or is that a change in the building height? From what's being proposed, I just want to clarify that.

Steph, that seems accurate to you all. OK, thanks. And then can you put the turn map that you just had up a second ago? Yeah, that one. So I think in comparing this to some of the drawing ones, so the entrance Because this beautifully displays the Cannon Green entrance. But the new entrance of the property would come into that green triangle in the middle. That's kind of like where it's across from that green triangle in the middle. Is that right? Is the entrance to this property.

That's what I was looking for. Thank you. Yes. Okay. That was all my questions.

Commissioner Fullerton, did you have anything else you wanted to ask?

So I think now we're ready for public comment. So Mr. Clerk, how many do we have?

Okay. Thank you. And to the speakers, you have three minutes.

Thank you very much. Does the staff want to clarify anything on the record in light of public comment?

Thank you. Does the applicant want to clarify anything on the record in response to public comment?

Thank you. Do any of the commissioners have any other questions for staff or the applicant? Okay. Commissioner Penniman?

So given that this site is subject to SB 330, And the state density bonus law, if we did want to make adjustments for height or neighborhood compatibility, maybe this is a question for legal, what recourse would we have or do we have any recourse as a planning commission?

Does any other commissioner have a question? I have one that when you talked about the undergrounding, and I'm not sure whether this is staff or whether this is the applicant, the undergrounding of the power lines, have the adjacent properties been approached about it? Do they know that they're going to have to pitch in to help pay for it?

That wasn't clear, so thank you very much. Okay, at this point, yeah, did you have?

And I think that's why we're omitting 15AV. Correct. Because 15AV would imply that. Right. Yeah, okay.

OK, does anyone else have anything? OK, in that case, I'll now close the public comment portion of the hearing. And planning commissioners would now deliberate. So if you want to provide your comments. Anybody want to say anything? Did you want to say something? Sure. Okay. Oh, yeah, now I see it. Commissioner Fullerton.

Okay. Yeah, overall, I think it's actually a nice project. I like the architecture. I like the way it looks. I like that it's solar and that you have chargers. I don't love that, you know, there's so few low-income. I wish that there were more low-income units, and I wish that the units were not quite so – close to DOG because it's easy to say now people are going to buy it. But people buy houses by the airport, and then they complain about the airplane. So I think there's going to be people complaining down the road. But if you're going to buy a place next to a dog thing, it's such a place. I

Thank you. Somehow I lost Commissioner Bennett on there. I'm not used to all this.

No worries. No worries. So yeah, I think that we have this extra density because of state laws. But within the framework that we have to work with, this project is less dense than entitled under the state bonus density law. More parking than is actually required under the state law. You know, not our ideal mix of affordable housing, but not as many as actually we would like to manifest instead of in lieu fees. But, you know, yeah, I think it's a project I could support.

And Commissioner Maynard. This project has met the requirements in order for us to approve this project, and we are bound by state law to approve the height increases as well as the traffic reductions. I do have some concerns with the project, but not ones that I think we're in a good position to be able to argue against given the restrictions of state law. I think they met the requirements that they had to to get the project approved. And so I will support the project as is.

And I would also say I think it's attractive. I think that I'd like to see both the applicant and the city talk to the railroad about that possibility of extending entrance road around the back. I think it would be to the betterment of both Elwood Station, you know, the Elwood Mobile Home Park, for fire and emergency vehicles to be able to get back in there. And I, too, would like to see more affordable housing because, I mean, I'm glad I'm in a position that I'm in and not, a new young couple trying to find a place to live in this area. I agree with the public speaker that it is. It's very di

Do we do one at a time, or can we put them both together? Okay. All right. So I make a motion to adopt Planning Commission Resolution Number 26-20. entitled A Resolution of the Planning Commission of the City of Goleta, California, approving vesting tentative tract map 32074 to create a 59-unit condominium residential community located at 7360 Hollister Avenue and finding the project exempt pursuant to CEQA guidelines section 15332. APNs 073-020-034, 073-020-003, and 073-020-035. Case number 25-001-SUB. And that's all I got.

Actually, can I just ask for a quick question? Do we need to add the errata to this first motion or to the second motion?

All right. Yes, I'd like to amend my motion to include condition 15A4 and also the number of buildings from 12 to 13, sorry, 13 to 12, and the height limit from 41 to 38.5. Do we have a second? I second.

So I guess now we would vote. We'll call a roll.

Okay, and then... We need a second motion, I guess, for the second resolution. Yeah.

All right. So I motion to adopt Planning Commission Resolution Number 26- entitled A Resolution of the Planning Commission of the City of Goleta. California approving development plan and granting preliminary design approval for 59-unit condominium residential community located at 7360 Hollister Avenue. APNs 073-020-034, 073-020-003, and 073-034. 20-035 case number 25-0003-dp and 25-0018-drb with the amendments of the amendment to condition number 42 that all underground utilities to serve the project site are as required by condition 15A4 of the vesting map and the change of the number of bui

OK. Mr. Imhoff, do you have a roll call?

Oh, okay. So I guess we close the public hearing? That's it. That's all you need to do. Thank you. Thank you all for coming. Okay. Now, Mr. Amol, do you have a report?

Okay, thank you. Do any commissioners have comments they would like to share? Okay, then I will adjourn. That concludes tonight's business, and do I have a motion to adjourn?

Second? All right. So I guess we need to vote.

Oh, yeah, right. Oh, no, I didn't want to do that.