Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening, I'd like to call the meeting of the Planning Commission for July 1st, 2026 to order. At this time, I'd like Commissioner Estevaner to open us up and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Please stand and face the flag.

Thank you. Okay, if our clerk could call the roll for the commission this evening. Chair Storn. Here. Vice Chairman Davis.

Here. Commissioner Eskander. Present.

Thank you, so we have a quorum this evening. So moving on in the agenda, there's oral communication from the audience on items that are not in the agenda. Has anybody requested to speak before the commission on an item that's not on the agenda this evening? No, sir. Okay, thank you. We'll move on to the next item of the approval of our Planning Commission minutes Folks we have the minutes from the May 6th Planning Commission meeting once you've Read it or you have any comments or addendums or additions?

I'll entertain a motion in a second four minutes Move to approve the May 6 2026 Planning Commission meeting Motion by Commissioner Estevan der seconded by Commissioner Thompson.

I All those in favor of approving the minutes signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Hearing, and one abstention. Two abstentions. Two abstentions, okay. Sorry, my bad. We move on to our public hearings and stuff this evening. We have for conditional development permit number 2025-003 and precise plan of design number 2025-003. Daniel, if you could present us the staff report this evening. Thank you.

Good evening, Chair, Planning Commissioners. Tonight, for your consideration, we have Master Case 2025-0003. This project includes Conditional Development Permit 2025-0003 and Precise Plan of Design 2025-0003 and an associated environmental review. So the project site, this is located on the northwest corner of Alder Avenue and Renaissance Parkway. This is about 2.6 acres, two parcels. This is just to the west of an existing gas station on the hard corner. This site is located within the Renaissance specific plan. The parcels are designated as freeway commercial. so today out there the site is currently vacant other than native grasses and what have you there is an existing drive aisle that connects to two existing driveways one signalized and then the other not So the proposal tonight, the applicant's proposing to construct a four-story building, a 95-room hotel, with the installation of the associated improvements for landscaping, paving, lighting, and drainage for an operator identified as Fairfield by Marriott. And this is what the layout looks like for the site design. The building is located on the northern half of the project site with a drive aisle for emergency apparatus, a vehicle parking surrounding on all sides. The main entry to the building, as well as its portico share, are facing south towards Renaissance Parkway. But the site will have landscape planters throughout, includes 104 auto parking spaces. and again those two mentioned existing driveways out to renaissance parkway next slide gives you a closer look at the floor plan so this prototype has on level 1 14 guest rooms and other common areas that include lobby lounge area food prep breakfast dining a fitness center and then the rest of the areas would be for circulation and support areas like corridor elevators mechanical rooms what have you So the next levels up, two through four, all have a similar layout to each other, all consisting of 27 guest rooms with, again, circulation and support areas The next slide kind of just moves us up to the outside. Exterior architectural design finishes to include stone veneer, wood paneling. There are six Ephus color finishes and glazing reveals and metal accents will also be incorporated. The architecture and floor plan of the building lend itself for wall plane articulation, including plane breaks and projected masses. Also, height variations ranging from 47.5 to 57 feet. Next slide covers the landscape coverage, which is at 20.4%. This is achieved through the 20-foot landscape parkway, the landscape planters throughout the site. They will be planted with drought-tolerant plants, all off of the approved Renaissance plant pellet. Trees will be approximately 100 feet distance from each other, and any area that's not covered by paving or building will be covered with shrubs or ground cover. Just a little bit more information to summarize. The City Council did review this project and adopted an addendum to the Renaissance EIR back in August of 2017. This project did analyze a 100-room hotel project. Lilmore Corporation did prepare a consistency analysis for this project, and pursuant to CEQA guidelines, found that the project will not result in any new significant impacts. So for the public hearing, all of the mailing notices were mailed out to 660 foot radius, all the property owners in that area, and was published in a local newspaper. This project is consistent with the freeway commercial district of the Renaissance, the city's design guidelines, and is also compatible with the surrounding land uses. The project itself will improve the vacant land with new improvements to architecturally enhance the local area. And with that, staff recommends that the Planning Commission adopt the attached resolutions exhibit H and I to approve the CDP and PPD based on the findings and subject to the conditions therein. That's all I have for you tonight, but the applicant is present if you have any questions.

Very good, thank you, Daniel. Do you guys want to ask questions of staff now or do you want to wait until we hear from the applicant? Want to wait for the applicant? Okay, for staff, go ahead.

It's got a wall-mounted sign on the face of it which would be facing south. Am I correct?

Yes, that is correct.

Would there be any additional signage along the freeway?

Yes. I believe in the package that was sent out, there are some elevations, 2D elevations. And so they're conceptually showing some signage on the south and the north side facing the freeway that are mounted to the building. But we didn't get into detail of that because the sign will be reviewed separately by the planning division in terms of size design. OK. Very good. Thank you.

Great. Any other questions for staff right this moment?

I have a question. Sure, go ahead. I don't know if I missed it, but I was looking through the features inside of the rooms. Do these rooms have kitchenettes?

You know, I don't recall. I'd have to look at it as well.

And there's a reason behind my question.

Yeah. Let's see here. yeah it's kind of hard to tell I it doesn't look like it looks like a full-size bathroom and then there's like a tub on the other wall so it just looks like a standard room the applicant could give us some clarification on that

Okay. Thanks, Daniel. Let's have the applicant come on up so we can ask him some questions. Thank you. Good evening.

Good evening. Michael Ramirez. Planning Commission members, thank you for taking the time to see us today. I want to apologize. Haste makes waste, and I kept hearing my mom's voice as I drove away afterwards and realized I had forgotten my change of clothes. I don't want you to take my demeanor today as anything serious. It's okay.

Commissioner Gutierrez, if you saw him, you're okay, trust me. Okay. You're a good company, my friend.

Don't worry about it.

Absolutely.

The ownership of the property has entered into an agreement with Marriott with regard to this site. We've been dealing with them now for about ten years. We first brought this to their attention and the location. And so as we developed the other portions of the parcel and brought the infrastructure to service development of that size, we're there now. And that's why we're here before you to ask for permission to keep moving forward. Our goal now is upon your approval, we would move to have the construction documents drawn and then move to try to get some type of development activity out at the site by second quarter of next year. That would be our timeline. Okay, sure. Any other questions I may answer?

Yeah, go ahead. So do you happen to also own the adjacent land? It'd be nice to.

i'm just kind of curious it might bring some more commercial um retail right near there too because you just have that gas station that's about it so the initial parcel map is the subject property plus the development of the sea start and yes uh during the course of those 10 years the ownership acquired the additional parcels to the west so at some point we will be coming back with some designs for that area as well uh but at that time those parcels were cut up because of the freeway and the way highland was changed to renaissance anyway there's going to be some kind of parcel map action that we'll need to enter into before we can see it as a uh singular development piece

Could you answer Virginia's question that she asked earlier of the staff and things regarding the kitchenettes and stuff?

Yes, the reason why I'm asking is the kitchenettes in a hotel, I used to work in hospitality, and when there's a kitchenette, there's certain vouchers that we get to approve when you work in a hotel. That's why I'm asking. Are there going to be kitchenettes in each room?

At this time, the design does not, we do not have kitchenettes designed for it.

Thank you.

Very good.

Any other questions before I ask them?

The question I got is, and it's for staff too, I'm amazed at how much we can put on such a little piece of property. And then I look at the Ayers, and then I look at the Best Western Plus. I mean, those are similar sized sites and stuff that you put so much on there to be able to do that. And I've stayed at Fairfields, and I can't remember any Fairfield, they don't have pools at any of the Fairfields. Am I correct, or do they?

That's correct. Okay. Well, in the...

Resort areas right understand. We did not like Inland Empire and things to write that and things got it Okay, so that's why there's no pool proposed there to be able to do that and things so okay Yeah, that's anyone else have any questions for the applicant Just got back from vacation I spent a long time the pool and the ocean and stuff, but that's okay, but Yeah, but Okay, very good. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Thank you. I

before we got to open it before I close it okay I think it's time in the place to open the public hearing for this item has anybody anybody requested to speak on this item very good what's your pleasure Commission

second okay motion by commissioner estevan seconded by commissioner thompson to close the public hearing all those in favor signify by saying aye aye aye opposed hearing none move to adopt the attack resolution exhibit h and i to approve cdp 2025-003 and pd uh pbd 2025-0003 based upon the findings of the subject to the conditions they're in second

Motion by Commissioner Gutierrez and then seconded by Commissioner Estevan to approve the project. If we could, the clerk could do a roll call on this item. I'd appreciate it.

Commissioner Alvarez-Villalobos?

Aye.

Commissioner Schneider? Aye. Vice Chair Gittes? Aye.

Commissioner Thompson?

Aye.

Okay, motion approved unanimously. Congratulations, thank you so much. Thank you. Looking forward to it, thank you. Absolutely, thank you. Awesome, thank you much. Thank you. Okay, moving on, there's no action items at this time, but community development director comments. Daniel, what have you got for us?

Yeah, I'll be filling in on those comments tonight for the director. On June 23rd, last Tuesday, just an update for the commission, the state housing community development department found the city's housing element to be in compliance with state housing law, so effectively approving the housing element. So we are finally complete with the sixth cycle of the housing element just an update for you folks additionally I've provided the latest update for each of you of the entitlement status report so this just kind of gives you an idea of where things are in the pipeline you can see some new submittals in there if you have any questions you know feel free to just you know let me know things have seemed to be picking up lately since we prepared this list last week we've actually got four new submittals since then four developments actually so it looks like things are picking up for us um but that said uh we do not have any items uh ready for next uh meeting so we will uh be canceling the july 15th meeting so no sam's club though coming up and no sam's club in here yet we're still working on that august 5th we do have items for the august meetings got it yes

That's all the update I have for you. Great, thank you. Any questions for Daniel? If not, we've got the commission comments right now. Any comments or questions from the commission? I got an invite from the clerk's office about July 29th with the Alta Vista Credit Union. What are they doing? Aren't they already there? What are they doing? Or am I missing something?

You know, I'm not aware of myself. I've been there a long time, 15 years or 20 years almost.

Maybe he's gonna remodel or something like that.

They're remitting themselves.

Yeah, it's the chamber that's doing it and stuff, so that's fine, but we got the invite from the court.

I can look into that and get an answer for you guys.

Go ahead. I just wanna make, is that the credit union that's over by Caucasian? Yes.

Yeah.

One of the things that I noticed with that, and I addressed it when that was first built, and that is that they have a drive-through ATM that's completely concealed on the back side of that, and it's a trap. And as much as we tried to get them way back when to move that, we would hope that in the future, that when it goes through a design and planning process such as this, that we keep an eye towards Step 10 and make sure that we don't build a place for people to get robbed, because that's exactly what they built over there. Very good, that's it.

I have an important question.

Okay.

August 5th is my birthday. And I want to know, should I come in surprise? Because you guys are going to have a surprise party for me. Or no.

We don't want to spoil it already. Hey, Dan, I just have a comment too. You know, I'm always Casa Grande. I've been complaining for many, many years, the Target warehouse. I just want to, they opened it up. It's much better now. We've got a lot less traffic through the Las Colinas community. And I appreciate the traffic, guys. They put a speed device up there. I'm sure they got to apply a camera in there watching traffic. They've been checking speed. Because people are racing through there, but I can tell they're actively involved, and I appreciate that. If you could pass it on to PD, I appreciate it.

I will, thank you.

And since I'm sure you're not in trouble yet, knowing from the commission, council's asked you, I talked to Jerry about it because he's up there. Is the shopping center in Fontana, a terrorist in Sierra, anchored by the Stater Brothers?

That's what I've heard, is that Stater Brothers is a thing.

Yeah, for sure thing and stuff. I called Fontana and I said, say anything, sell Joe. And it was. And so they're just waiting. If they haven't gotten on your case because we're not going to get the market and stuff, like, good. Because we did everything we could. Jerry's only been asking for it ever since he moved up there.

So we're going for a Ralph's. We're going for a Ralph's or a Sam's Club up there.

Oh, Sam's. That's where we're going. Sam's. Gotcha. They like being close to Costco's, too. That'd be perfect.

There you go.

So we'll be good with that.

Okay, if nothing else, chain of motion to adjourn?

Motion to adjourn.

Okay, very good, motion to adjourn. Okay, meeting of July 1st is adjourned. Thank you.