Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

All right. Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for being here. I will now call the Planning Commission meeting of July 21st to order. If you can all please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance led by Commissioner Lopez. And in Commissioner Berry's absence, Vice Chair Ung will do the invocation.

As we gather here tonight, let us work towards building our community in a better and more invigorated manner to create a more dynamic and also kind of beneficial environment for all of our community. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Commissioner Lopez and Vice Chair Ng. We will now move forward with roll call.

Commissioner Berry and Commissioner Tang are absent today. Commissioner Lopez?

Here.

Chair Escobar? Here. Vice Chair Ng?

Here. Thank you, Annie. We will now move forward with the administration of oath of office.

Mr. Lopez, would you please join me on the podium? Thank you.

So please place your right hand up and repeat after me.

I, Daniel Lopez, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

You're supposed to repeat after me. Sorry about that. So please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Daniel Lopez, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California Against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith and allegiance. To the Constitution of the United States. And the Constitution of the State of California. That I will take this obligation freely. Without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. And that I will well and faithfully discharge. And that I will well and faithfully discharge. The duties upon which I am about to enter. The duties upon which I am about to enter.

Congratulations.

Thank you. I was going to do a quick bit.

We have to sign for our witnesses here today.

So I'm signing.

Here, here.

Do it again.

thank you and congratulations commissioner lopez on your reappointment thank you thank you we are excited to have you back oh yeah thank you very much like i said this is my other family right here And now, moving on on the agenda, we have the reorganization. Since we are missing two of our commissioners, I will ask if Commissioner Lopez and Vice Chair Ong are okay with moving the reorganization to our next meeting?

Sure. Yes, I agree. Unless you want to vote for one of the three of us. But I'm good to wait until next month.

Okay. Thank you so much. Moving on to item number one on the agenda, we have the explanation of hearing procedures and appeal rights.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Decisions of an application before the Planning Commission shall be final unless within 10 days the applicant or any other person aggrieved by such decision appeals in writing to the City Council by filing an appeal with the City Clerk.

Thank you so much. Item number two on the agenda is public comments from the audience. This is an opportunity for anyone in the audience to address any items that are not listed on the agenda for tonight. Do we have anybody that wishes to speak on an item not listed on the agenda? No one in the public. Annie, anyone via Zoom?

We received no public comments. Thank you.

Perfect, thank you so much. I will now close the public comment portion. Moving on to item number three, public hearings, we have item A, design review 23-02. Candice, can we get this F report, please? Okay.

requesting to demolish all existing structures on site to conduct a new one-story, 4,960-square-foot commercial building. The application also incorporates various site improvements, such as new perimeter walls, lighting, a trash enclosure, and landscaping. The subject site is located at A500 to A512 Garvey Avenue in the medium commercial C3 zone. A typographical error on the proposed site plan diagram on page 3 of the staff report states that the proposed commercial building will be two stories. However, staff would like to clarify that the applicant is proposing a one-story commercial building. As shown in the elevation presented on the screen, the commercial building incorporates a contemporary design with a warm earth tone color scheme. Several design elements have been incorporated to enhance the architectural interest of the building. This includes a corner tower element, contrasting exterior finish, high-quality materials such as fiber cement siding, stucco reviews, vertical cement plaster, design elements, aluminum awnings, and the use of floor-to-ceiling windows that enhance the building's architectural character and create a welcoming and safe pedestrian-oriented retail experience. Based on the analysis contained in this report, it is recommended that the Planning Commission conduct a public hearing and receive public testimony and adopt Planning Commission Resolution No. 25-08 with findings and approve Design Review 23-02 subject to the 54 conditions outlined in the attachment A. And three, find that the project is exempt from CEQA review pursuant to class 3, section 15332 of the CEQA guidelines. Staff and the applicant's representatives are available to answer any questions the planning commissions may have. Thank you.

Thank you, Candice. I will now turn to my fellow commissioners to see if they have any questions. I will start to my left. Vice Chair Ong, do we have any questions for staff? Yeah.

Can staff confirm that the parcel is actually the two parcels? Okay. And then I think I see on the drawings that you are removing the aprons currently there and putting in a new flat sidewalk. That's all.

Thank you. Commissioner Lopez, do we have any questions for staff?

No questions at this time.

Okay, perfect. Thank you. I will now open the public comment portion of this hearing. Do we have anyone in the public that wishes to speak on this item? Anyone in the audience or anyone via Zoom?

We received no public comments via Zoom.

Thank you, Annie. I will now close the public comment portion of this hearing.

You want to ask if they want to.

Yes, with the applicant like to come up. And say a few words, yes.

Good evening, good evening, thank you for your time name and I want to thank specially the 2 planners are working so hard and get their input and finally put this project in front of you to get the approval we've been working on this for a long time since pandemic, but anyway looks like we're at the final stage. And I really appreciate your time and thank them for their input and to make this project a successful one. Thank you.

Okay, thank you so much. Can we get your name and address?

Yeah, my name is Nick Wang and I'm at 2103 South 7th Avenue, Acadia.

All right, perfect. Thank you so much. And commissioners, do we have any questions for the applicant, Vice Chair Ong?

I just have a comment. I really appreciate the fact that we are demolishing two old buildings and also eliminating, I guess, some of these car-centric businesses to have opportunity for new businesses to come into the city. And it's going to be a great design, so we're really excited.

Thank you. Thank you.

Commissioner Lopez?

Just one, thank you. That's a nice project. Thank you very much.

Yes, thank you so much. I also agree. I think it's going to be a great new addition to that area, especially because it's really close to Taiwan Center. So it will kind of, you know, like help improve that intersection. So very excited. Thank you so much. We appreciate you and your work. Move the 10. Did we do the 10? Yeah. Okay. I am now closing the public hearing, and our Director of Community Development will give us a move. Oh, yeah.

Commissioners, I motion to adopt Resolution 2508 and approve Design Review 2302.

I agree.

Perfect.

Thank you. I have a motion also.

All right, perfect. We have a motion and a second. I don't think mine is working.

We will be doing a verbal vote. Commissioner Lopez.

Yes.

Chair Escobar. Yes. And Vice Chair Ng. Yes. Motion passes 3-0-0.

Perfect. Thank you so much. And now we will move on to the appeal.

So the 10-day appeal period begins tomorrow and ends next Thursday, July 31st at 6 p.m. So from now until then, if you can remove that on-site public hearing notice and staff will be in touch with you. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Item number four on the agenda is consent calendar for the PC minutes of the June 2nd meeting. Commissioners, do we have any questions or comments regarding the minutes for our last planning commission meeting?

No, I motion to approve.

Okay. No, you guys do good. I move to accept the minutes as is.

All right, perfect. All right, so we have a motion and a second.

There we go.

Motion passes 3-0-0.

Thank you. Item number five on the agenda is matters from staff. Staff, do we have any updates, anything to report?

so as you know summer filled t-bar they're opening soon the commission approved their design review a few months ago and so we're expected to have the grand opening um on august 26th 16th august 16th um hope you all can make it we'll give you more information as soon as we receive it okay august 16th perfect saturday saturday okay

They're going to be allowing a line down the street.

They're giving away 300 bags. So there's going to be another line, but on the north side, this side, this time. So it'll be good.

Yay. Very exciting. Very exciting. All right. Moving on. Item number six on the agenda is matters from the chair and commissioners. Commissioners, do we have any updates today?

Vice Chair Ong? No, I just appreciate everything you ladies have done. I went to the Fortune Plaza this weekend and saw how energized and active that plaza is now. So it's very exciting what's happening on Garvey. Great job.

Yes, thank you. Commissioner Lopez?

Yes, three things. You know, we're starting to see the homeless numbers. So maybe let Ben know that, you know, get ahold of El Monte, find out. I mean, both sides of the wash now, they're getting piled up pretty good right there. Also, and I think I brought this up, so remind me if I did. Coming on to Walnut Grove to get on the 10th Ferryway going east, where, what is it? The street people, what are they?

Taltrans.

Taltrans. As soon as you get on that freeway, there's a big... like a drum with a, like a devil face on it. Can we find out if they can get rid of that? That's pretty, to me, tacky for, you know, when I get on there, you know, I get pretty mad. I said, what the heck? It shows right there. As soon as you get on there for you, you see the face of like a cat with horns. And then as soon as you get on one of group, I'm starting to see a lot more graffiti on our signs, you know, on our freeway signs, our entrance signs. So maybe we can get public safety to kind of look at it and see if we can clean that stuff up. Just kind of noticing these things now, and I hate to see our city start to get more and more like this. know our public works director he does have contacts from caltrans and so i can talk to him yes would you please just say just that i don't know why he has that that face on there you know is it supposed to mean something you know but uh i look at it just trashy for our city got it all right perfect that's it all right thank you commissioner lopez

And then I do not have anything, but I will echo what Vice Chair Ong said. You know, thank you, ladies, for all of your hard work. We had a very exciting month, you know, with our two grand openings. And I was at Devine this morning, and it's still packed. So it's, yes, so very exciting. And we're excited to... you know for more businesses to come into the city and then um you know the t-bar so we're looking forward to that so thank you ladies so much for all of your hard work and if we do not have anything else for staff then we can move forward with adjourning tonight's meeting but you're quick today So I will adjourn today's meeting. The next regular Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 4th, 2025 at 7 p.m. here in the Council Chambers. Thank you.