Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Commissioner is coming in. Commissioner Leo here. Commissioner Oliva. Commissioner fan here. Commissioner will here. Vice chair Benninger present chair Ramos present chair quorum has been reached at 534 PM.

Thank you when I have vice chair Benninger lead us in the pledge of allegiance. Thank you, Vice Chair Benninger. Before we begin, I would like to remind my fellow commissioners to turn your microphones on when speaking and off when not speaking. And when speaking, please place the microphone about four inches away from you. Thank you. For members of the public joining us this evening, there are two Spanish language interpreters available. If you would like to listen to the meeting or provide comments in Spanish, please see staff in the lobby to pick up a headset.

Para los miembros del público que nos acompañan esta noche, hay dos intérpretes de idioma español disponibles. Si desea escuchar la reunión o proporcionar comentarios en español, por favor comuníquese con el personal en el vestíbulo para recoger unos audífonos.

Members of the public may attend the Planning Commission meeting either in person or virtually via Zoom. And I'll invite the Commission Secretary to describe how the public can access and participate in this meeting.

This meeting is being live streamed via our portal at www.santa-anna.primegov.com slash public slash portal and on YouTube at www.youtube.com slash cityofsantaannavideos. If you would like to provide public comment, you may do so in the following ways. Join the meeting via Zoom. Enter the meeting ID number 86 58-51-84-945. When the item you wish to comment on is being discussed, please select the hand icon to indicate that you would like to speak. Once called upon, remember to unmute yourself and state your name for the record. You can also join the meeting by calling 669-900-6833. Enter meeting ID number 86-58-51-945. 84945. When the item that you would like to comment on is being discussed, press 9 to let us know you would like to speak. You will be called upon by the last three digits of your phone number. After you are called upon, you may press 6 to unmute yourself. For those who are attending this meeting in person and would like to provide public comment, please fill out a request to speak form and turn it into the recording secretary. All speakers will have three minutes to speak. I will alert you when your time is up.

We went on to public comments on non agenda or non public hearing items. Secretary, does anyone wish to speak?

If you are attending this meeting in person and would like to comment on non agenda or non public hearing items, please fill out a request to speak form and turn it in into the secretary. If you are participating via zoom and would like to comment on non agenda or non public hearing items, please select the hand icon to let us know you would like to comment. If you're calling in and would like to comment on on agenda or non public hearing items, please dial nine and then six to unmute yourself. I will wait a few seconds. Chair, we have one public speaker here in-house.

Gay Olivos? You will have three minutes. Thank you.

Hi. Good evening, commissioners and staff. My name is Gay Olivos. I don't know how deeply rooted these commissioners are in the City of Santa Ana, but I love Santa Ana. My grandfather was born in Santa Ana in the year 1903, so that gives an indication how my family is deeply rooted in this community. I love her, and I want what's best for her all the time. So when I come to you to bring your concern, it's not because I have a hidden agenda. I don't have a business. I'm not a developer. I'm not a nonprofit. I just love my city. And what I've seen going on with my city is that you are overbuilding way too many apartments. I've seen this commission. And you're great. I've seen what you do. You have a plate in front of you. I'm seeing it on my home and YouTube. And you guys do an awesome job. But there has to come a time when we have to stop this overbuilding. I mean, Siegerstrom, you just approved Siegerstrom, you approved Rafferty, you approved the Cabrillo Apartments, you approved the Main Place Mall. I mean, to get from one point to another part of the city is a nightmare. With that being said, the One Broadway Plaza has come back to fruition. It's been over 20 years since that project has been going on. That pile of dirt has been sitting on Broadway forever. I went to the Sunshine Ordinance meeting, or actually I had to hear it on my phone because the login was invalid. People couldn't get on. And I was confused because Caribou Industries seems to think that everything is set in stone already. That they already have the green light to move forward. Well, they do not. And I know they do not. They have to come before you. You have to make the decision whether they can change their scope of work. The EIR has to go back because now they want to change it to more apartments. 37 stories, I believe, of apartments. Mind you, Willard, which is my community, Ward 5, already has 10,000 residents coming in and out of Willard. I'm going to say that again because you guys are not hearing me. 10,000 residents. On my street alone, Parton, we have 28 apartments. 28, I'm going to say that again, 28 apartments on Parton Street alone, from Civic Center to 17th Street. And in between that space, we have Willard Intermediate, we have the church, a couple of businesses going on. So that gives you kind of a pictorial of what is going on just on 1 Street and Parton for you to approve 37 stories of apartment units. Please, if you really love Santa Ana, you're gonna think twice about that. Now, he might have already approached you. I think one of you have mentioned before that you have seen him somewhere and he had talked about changing, refiling his permit or something. I implore you to vote no on Wamparabi Plaza. Thank you.

Thank you. Moving on to the consent calendar. There is one motion for all consent items, and then an item is pulled for separate discussion. Is there a motion to approve item A, minutes from December 8, 2025, and item B, excused absences?

I move.

We have a motion from Commissioner Wu.

I second.

And we have a second from Vice Chair Benninger. Secretary, can you please call for a roll call vote?

Commissioner Escamilla?

Aye.

Commissioner Leo?

Aye.

Commissioner Oliva? Commissioner Pham.

Aye.

Commissioner Wu.

Aye.

Vice Chair Benninger.

Aye.

Chair Ramos. Aye. Motion approved unanimously with Commissioner Oliva absent.

Thank you. Recording Secretary, for the record, we now have Commissioner Escamilla joining us. I'm not sure what time you walked in. Thank you. Business calendar. That concludes the consent calendar items, and we're now moving on to the public hearing. I will now review the process for the public hearing so that everyone knows what to expect. Staff will provide a presentation and answer questions from the commission. The public hearing will be opened. The applicant will be given the opportunity to speak, limited to 15 minutes. Members of the public will be given the opportunity to comment, limited to three minutes. The applicant will be given the opportunity to respond to comments made by the public. limited to five minutes. The public hearing will be closed. Discussion will return to the Commission with formal action taken to approve, deny or continue review of the application. Please consider the following suggestions when organizing your comments. Please state your name. You may state your address if you'd like. State whether you support, oppose or are neutral to the proposal. Your statement should include all pertinent facts within your knowledge. Please note, decisions on these matters are final unless appealed within 10 days by any interested individual or party. Recommendations on these matters will be forwarded to the City Council at a later date for final determination. We're now moving on to item one. This is a time and place for general plan amendment number 2025 dash 01 and amend the application number 2025 dash 02 for the property located at 1801 East Chester Avenue located within the general agriculture a one zoning district. Before we begin, do any Commissioners have anything they wish to disclose with regard to this item. Seeing as there are none, the Acting Executive Director of Public Works, Rudy Rosas, will provide a brief presentation.

Okay. Good evening. Good evening, Commissioners. Rudy Rosas Let's try that again. Good evening, Commissioners, Chair, Vice Chair. My name is Rudy Rosas and I'm the Acting Executive Director of Public Works. Tonight, item number one on your agenda is about formalizing the designation and use of the Santa Ana Zoo overflow parking lot. Public Works Agency is requesting approval of General Plan Amendment Number 2025-01 and Zoning Amendment Number 2025-02. to change the land use designation of the property from open space to general commercial and rezone the property from General Agricultural A1 to General Commercial C2 to bring the land use and zoning into consistency with the site's long-standing operational use and the Zoo Master Plan. The amendments will allow us to carry out improvements to the Santa Ana Zoo overflow parking lot, including paving and striping, improved circulation, access upgrades, ADA-compliant parking, EV charging stations, and approximately 250 parking spaces to serve the zoo visitors during peak periods. Importantly, the use is not new. The proposed action tonight institutionalizes the long-standing use of the area as an overflow parking lot. These images show the existing condition of the overflow parking area. And most importantly, this action is in conformance with the Zoo Master Plan that was established in 2018. Overflow parking is necessary to accommodate peak zoo attendance. Improving parking supports visitor access and operational efficiency. And finally, the project aligns with zoo expansion and long-term planning objectives. And a little bit about the Zoo Master Plan. The Zoo Master Plan is a blueprint for the zoo's future. It guides how the zoo can grow, improve, and remain a treasured community asset. It reflects Santa Ana's values of education, conservation, and family experience. The Zoo Master Plan identifies opportunities to expand and enhance facilities by improving access and safety to more visitors. So this project is a key component of that vision. Ultimately, the overflow parking lot supports the zoo's mission to ensure future generations can experience wildlife in the heart of Santa Ana. The proposed redesignation from open space to commercial, general commercial, sorry, the general plan proposal is to redesignate from open space to general The general commercial designation supports parking facilities and visitor-serving uses. This amendment aligns land use designation with how the site is actually functioning today and with surrounding development. This map depicts on the left the existing land use designation open space and on the right the proposed GC land use As well, we are proposing a zoning change. The current zoning is General Agricultural A1. The proposed zoning is General Commercial C2. C2 zoning permits parking and visitor-serving uses. This proposed zoning change provides consistency with the proposed general plan designation. Again, this map shows the A1 on the left, and the proposed zoning designation of C2 on the right. As part of this effort, staff has prepared initial study and mitigative negative declaration. Potential impacts were identified and reduced to less than significant with mitigation Part of that mitigated negative deck, there is a monitoring and reporting program to ensure compliance. And the City of Santa Ana Public Works Agency serves as the lead under CEQA. Public notification and outreach for this. A notice of intent was circulated via Orange County Register and a mailing where notifications were provided to all properties within a 2,000-foot radius of the site, with a public comment period in accordance with CEQA requirements, as well as tribal consultations conducted pursuant to AB 52 and SB 18. Staff recommends the Planning Commission approve the General Plan Amendment, approve the Zoning adopt environmental document and monitoring program, and recommend the City Council for approval. We have staff and consultants available for questions. Thank you.

Thank you. Does the Commission have any comments or questions for staff? We'll begin with Commissioner Wu.

Can you elaborate on why the The existing A1 service purpose for the admission of the zoo, what would change in terms of changing to C1? Mr.

Thank you for the question. So the existing is a overflow parking lot that's really a dirt parking lot, undeveloped, unimproved. The vision as established in the is for a proper parking lot serving a, you know, zoo enhanced with trees and all these other elements, right, that a modern sort of parking lot for a zoo would have. And so the... Councillor Hutchison Then you can't do that under A1? Mr. The existing zoning is inconsistent with the proposed uses and so by changing the zone it fully unlocks and develop the site as intended.

Will it ever be converted back to an A1? And we would have to go through this process again? Should the zoo expand because someone donated a bunch of whales or something and we put in a swim crew in there or something?

Commissioner, yes, I would say if the Planning Commission recommends and City Council adopts these changes, a similar process would be change to any future proposed designation.

Okay. So in an A1 property, we cannot pave it. And we cannot put those electric vehicle chargers. Because I've seen other farms where they can pave it.

So I think I can best answer the question by saying that the proposed change unlocks the potential of the site so that we could fully develop it as a parking lot to serve the zoo. I will say outside of the line of questioning, Commissioner, public works and for the zoo, it also unlocks grant potential opportunities, right? So a lot of times when we are seeking outside funding or partnerships with other public agencies for maybe a park and rye, for example, these basic sort of questions are asked and need to be met is, is the site appropriately designated and zoned for these purposes? And this action today, as I've been saying, helps unlock those, the potential for us to then deliver on the zoo's master plan vision.

And can you share some line on what are some of the specific mitigations that you are taking that we would have to approve?

Mr. So specifically in the monitoring plan, I may need to ask our consultant to help me identify more than the one that comes to mind right now. For cultural and tribal resources, right, there must be a plan in place for if during construction a contractor encounters anything that looks significant, a piece of clay pottery or some remains, that there is an action plan to stop work, notify the tribes and any other interested parties for their due diligence and exploration.

So most of these mitigation are standard and not anything to do with some environmental damage, right?

Correct. As was found, there were minimal impacts. And yes, I would categorize it as very standard, plain mitigation measures. Looks like someone's going to help you. Please. Let me welcome Angela with First Carbon Solutions.

Angela Wolff I'm with first carbon solutions, we helped prepare the m&d for the project and you should be provided with a mmrp document for the project and i'm just going to highlight a few of the mitigation measures. i'll say these are all standard measures so the first one was a nesting bird pre-construction survey very standard to be performed prior to breaking ground in construction the next one is if something is thank you If they do find a nest during that time period, then there's another measure in here that is essentially monitoring the bird activity during that time until they fledged. there's another measure in here, as mentioned before, regarding cultural resources, so there are two these are very standard if something were encountered for our archaeological resources and then also a human human remains mitigation measure if anything were to be discovered during that groundbreaking activity. And then the final one is regarding paleo resources. Similarly, if something were to be found during construction and development when you're repaving, then there's steps in here to ensure that the proper notifications and people are contacted as well. Thank you.

Thank you. Question to planning staff. C1. Once it's designated C1, are Is there any plan to put some construction there in the future? If they do, then it has to come back before us to approve it. Because we're just talking about the destination of it so they could put up parking.

Yeah, thank you, Commissioner Wu. So as our acting public works director shared, this is a cleanup action, but it's not a change or departure from the Zoo Master Plan. So the Zoo Master Plan itself calls out areas that are actually developed with zoo uses like animal exhibits, open space, recreational activities for our youth and adults. And then to this portion of the Zoo Master Plan, one can see a parking lot. So should the city staff ever wake up one day and say, hey, we don't want a parking lot here. We want to lease this out, ground lease or sell it off, let's say, for development as like a commercial building or like a hotel or something. the Zoo Master Plan would have to be amended and go back through City Council for that. So in one form or another, it would have to come back before a decision-making body.

Okay. I was asking that for the public good. Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Commissioner Wu. Do any other commissioners have questions for sir? Commissioner Escamilla.

Yeah, and actually, following along the lines of Commissioner Wu, I was wondering why we're not going with an open space designation here. Normally, I would understand, like, okay, if this is a standalone structure and it requires, you know, general commercial uses, but we have other open space designations where, in fact, we have schools and parking lots directly within Centennial Park under an open space designation. I think the intent and purpose of this particular site is for all, let's say, for now and forever as the City of Santa Ana exists as a political entity, zoo-supportive uses. I'm just wondering why we didn't go with the open space, especially since we're at such a deficit on our open space designations that this would actually be one of the very few sites we have to improve our ratio of open space to non-open space in the city.

Mr. I'll try to answer the best I can and I might need our planning folks here to help. difference here than, let's say, Centennial Park or something where, yes, it's open space and there are parking lots within the park. The overflow parking lot of the zoo is contained wholly on one parcel, one independent parcel. And so the entire use of that parcel is envisioned in the Zoo Master Plan for the parking purposes. consulting with our colleagues in planning to say, hey, you know, again, for this clean-up action, in order to fully unlock the potential, in order to say that, yes, a parking lot as envisioned in the Sewer Master Plan could be built, essentially wholly taking up the entire parcel, what is the appropriate land use and designation? And the consensus was what is presented here.

Yeah, thanks. And if I could also just add to City Council Chambers, So when applying for grants for various pots of money to come to the city for any improvements it's these little inconsistencies that really sometimes the grant providers get hung up on. City Council Chambers, So, although the story is, for example, we're trying to get funds to build a parking lot and pave it oh great is it commercial no it's open no. You know, so when you really look at sort of what helps strengthen the city's position for grant applications or other funding sources, that's the key ingredient in why together the city's agencies are recommending this land use designation and zoning.

Okay, so if I'm hearing it correctly, specific land use rather about being consistent with grant application uses. Again, just because same thing where the parcel is fully independent. I think if we go to Centennial, the parking lot's on its own individual separate parcel completely. So that's why there's, again, I'm just trying to understand the logic, if that makes more sense.

Yes, thank you. And then also to touch on the point that you raised earlier, Commissioner, the city's open space calculations don't go based on just colours of a map. they're a little bit more meaningful than that. So, for example, we have sites in the city that are designated by the general plan as, let's say, small parks. The Sagerstrom Triangle, for example, has an LR7 designation by the general plan, but it's clearly used and designated as city parkland. Conversely, one can see on the land use map that our rail spurs are coloured green, but they're clearly not improved for recreation uses. So the colour on the map isn't necessarily correlated exactly, which is why the point earlier about just looking at the Zoo Master Plan, it's still going to be part of the zoo if it were approved by the Commission and Council, still going to be part of the Zoo Master Plan, still for the overall public benefit to support the zoo's function, but the clean-up is necessary for the reasons that we elaborated on earlier.

Thank you, I guess, just with that I was wondering since we are referring back to the zoo master plan we're looking at about 250 spaces is the target goal. This might be outside the scope of this conversation, but I think it's meaningful to bring it up. Eventually, you know there isn't really beyond the. I think segment of the parcel that's just outside of our jurisdiction over in Tustin, really nowhere else for a parking structure to go or nowhere else to actually put kind of permanent animal exhibits on the ground somewhere. So is there the thought that this is going to help us get the funds or requirements necessary for multi storey structure eventually in order to have more land available? Because again, I do see this as maybe almost an interim 10 to 15 year use of a parking, surface parking lot that then should be supplemented with a multi-storey structure to allow for additional exhibit space eventually, right? I think that that's at least where my mind is going. And if this is going to help that, I think it makes a much more compelling case.

Thank you for the question, Commissioner. You are in my head and in my dreams of what we would love to In terms of improvements at the zoo, that is definitely something that, you know, long-term planning we would love to see, and definitely there's plenty of need for parking in the city. And again, the options that this action unlocks, but in terms of a short-term, short, you know, what we have plans for in the immediate future, it would be much more of a surface parking But yes, to answer your question, yes.

Thank you. And just one comment. This is probably outside of the scope of what we can possibly do. And I actually don't have any idea how we would arrange something like this. But just being aware and establishing that positive working relationship with the congregation that is immediately next door. Number one, they're going to be impacted, even though they're in Tustin. We still care about our neighbours there. But then also, maybe even more long term, the feasibility of going to LAFCO and if there is ever an opportunity to purchase the property, go to LAFCO and then basically extend the zoo, because it really is one of the only logical land extensions that we have, at least for zoo expansion in the long term. So just noting that down, and that's a 20-year process at best, but still, you know, we have to get started sometime. Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Escamilla. Do we have any other commissioners? Vice Chair Benninger, go ahead.

Well, first I'd like to add that we are very fortunate to say we are a city that has a zoo. Not many cities can understand that, and the great job Public Works is doing there over is fantastic. My questions are related. A lot of that area over there had been used for outdoor gatherings at the zoo from time to time in the past. How will this affect that?

Commissioner, Vice Chair Reitinger, thank you for the question. The open space I believe you're referring to is sort of a grassy area that the zoo uses for, you know, events and activities. That is just outside of the boundary of the proposed parking lot, so at least in the short term that would, or medium term, that would remain as The Zoo Master Plan does have visions for transforming that in the future, but for today, this would not impact that area.

Very good. So the different functions will go on as normal. Yes. Also, how much are you impacted right now, the parking you do have in front on Chestnut, but the development next door to you? Because I've always seen vehicles in there.

I don't have statistics to share on zoo parking specifically as, you know, Public Works doesn't operate the zoo. Broadly speaking, yes, parking is a well-known issue for our city. What I do understand in terms of There are peak periods when buses, weekends, you know, there's activities and functions at the zoo that really draw a lot of folks into the zoo. That's when the parking lot is mostly impacted. That's when that overflowed parking lot is really necessary. And, you know, as a Santa Ana resident and user of the zoo myself, I am sometimes surprised when there's plenty of area off of Chestnut and then you show up one day and, oh my goodness, this is full, and you end up in the dirt overflow parking lot.

Sorry.

Councillor Hutchison In order to build this parking lot, are we going to have to remove any trees or try to save as many trees?

Councillor Hutchison As always, we try and save as many trees as possible. There are going to be a number of sort of overgrown large That will have to come down because of the proposed layouts, but new trees will be coming in as well.

Thank you, Mr. Benninger. Are there any other questions or comments from the Commission? I just have one last one. So I did review this item previously with staff, and I did have one comment that I don't think has been named yet. But the parking, a bit of an extension of what Commissioner Escamillo was sharing earlier, but a little different as well. So I did share with staff that I would be interested in having the city explore the use of zoo parking and this overflow parking area once it's paved and improved as an option to provide additional parking options for the neighborhood when the zoo is not being used. So providing parking for some of the Santa Ana residents that live in that immediate neighborhood where if anyone has been there, the parking is horrible. Literally, there is no parking at all. So it's not for the purposes of this approval, but I would just like it to be on staff's radar that as this parking area is improved and the zoo parking that's already there, that we should find ways for the city to, one, make it accessible for residents. And I provided the example of other private parking areas in the city. I know of one in the Willard neighborhood next to El Sol where they actually rent parking spaces overnight. So not necessarily saying the city should charge, but it is something that's happening throughout the city. So the city should also venture into that arena. Thank you. So with that, Commissioner Skamea, go ahead.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair. And this is, I think, beyond the scope of what we're doing tonight with the zone change. But just for staff that's looking at the zoo master plan, just looking at the preliminary landscape plans, I guess I would say embrace your inner zoo and get as many wild, random, exotic trees into that parking lot as possible, because I think it is part of the overall experience as you a lot and you're in a zoo. So I think that we should not necessarily resort to one single standard type of tree. I think that you do have an opportunity to extend the zoo experience out into the parking lot. So just make sure not to miss out on that opportunity.

Thank you, Commissioner Escamilla. If there are no other questions or comments from the Commission at this time, The public hearing is now open. Recording secretary, have we received any written communication or is there a member of the public that would like to comment on this item?

Chair, we have received a total of one email in the form of public comment for this item before the 3.30 p.m. deadline, which has been distributed to the commission and posted online. If you are attending this meeting in person and would like to comment on this item, please fill out a request to speak form and turn it into the secretary. If you are participating via Zoom and would like to comment on this item, please select the hand icon to indicate that you would like to speak. If you are calling in and would like to comment on this item, please dial 9 and then 6 to unmute yourself. I will wait a few seconds. Chair, we do not have any speakers.

Thank you. Is there a motion to approve this matter?

I'll go ahead and make the motion.

Thank you, Commissioner Escamilla. I'll second. Is there a second? Thank you, Vice Chair Benninger. Secretary, please call for a roll call vote.

Commissioner Escamilla?

Yes.

Commissioner Leo?

Aye.

Commissioner Oliva? Commissioner Pham?

Aye.

Commissioner Wu?

Aye.

Vice Chair Benninger aye Chair Ramos aye motion approved unanimously with Commissioner Oliva absent thank you

This is the time and place for, we're moving on to item two now. This is the time and place for zoning ordinance amendment number 2026-01 to amend portions of chapter 41, zoning of the Santa Ana Municipal Code relating to smoke shops in the city of Santa Ana. Before we begin, do any commissioners have anything they wish to disclose with regard to this item? Seeing none, the case planner, Siri Champion, will provide a brief presentation.

Thank you, Chair Ramos. Thank you, Vice Chair Benninger, and good evening, commissioners. Thank you for the opportunity to present tonight. As previously stated, this item number two is our Smoke Shop Ordinance, application zoning ordinance amendment number 2026-01. This ordinance would apply citywide. And the city is requesting approval to establish this land use and zoning regulations for smoke shop establishments with the goal of protecting public health and safety. The number of smoke shops in the city has proliferated over the last couple of years and more than doubled since January 1, 2024. And those smoke shops that we have seen increase in number are located in proximity to sensitive uses. Recognizing this and a variety of public health concerns, the City Council on December 2nd directed staff to prepare an ordinance to regulate smoke shops. In the last couple of years, the police department and the code enforcement department, police department and code enforcement have conducted a number of different enforcement activities in response to calls for service, which in 2025 totaled almost 200. And during those enforcement activities, they uncovered a range of illegal illegal activities, including storage of banned substances, gambling operations, and sale of unregulated products. In addition, they observed community health and safety impacts such as loitering, smoking, littering, and crime. With these concerns in mind, City Council Chambers, began to prepare a draft ordinance in consultation with the code enforcement division. City Council Chambers, The city attorney and the police department and here in front of you, you see a summary of those proposed changes the middle column illustrates the existing zoning code regulations and the column on the right shows our proposed zoning code amendments. So first of all, currently, smoke shops are not defined as a standalone use. They're treated as a regular retail establishment. And because of that, we're not able to regulate them as a standalone use. And consequently, we have a need presently for establishing a definition, which has been drafted in the ordinance. Currently, retail uses are permitted throughout the city and As a result, smoke shops are also permitted in commercial districts throughout the city, as well as in specific developments where retail and service uses are allowed. In the proposed ordinance, smoke shops would be expressly permitted in the C1, C1MD, C2, C4, C5, and CSM zoning districts. And in those locations, we would have permit requirements, including a conditional use permit for the establishment of smoke shops. Another important component to the proposed ordinance is buffering in order to protect sensitive uses from these smoke shops and to avoid problems associated with the concentration of smoke shops. So first of all, the proposed ordinance has a separation of 1,000 feet between individual smoke shops. There's a proposed 1,000-foot separation from youth-centered uses like parks, schools, recreational facilities, Boys and Girls Club, and the like. Third, there's a 1,000-foot separation requirement from an alcohol or other drug abuse recovery facility. And lastly, there's a 500 foot separation requirement from proposed zoned or from property that's zoned or used for residential purposes. We have quite a list of development and operating standards before you tonight. The currently there are no specific zoning development standards or operating standards for smoke shops. And with this ordinance, City Council would be approving a range of different standards such as limiting the display of smoking paraphernalia, establishing age restrictions so that individuals younger than 21 may not enter. It includes lighting, litter and graffiti abatement, the prohibition of vending machines and vending products. It includes requirements for signage, limiting that signage so that you can see into the requires a minimum amount of glazing and limits obstruction so that you're able to see from the outdoor outside into the store, as well as for the owners or operators in the store to look out and observe any nuisance activities that may be taking place outside of the establishment. The standards also include those for training purposes and compliance with local, state and federal laws, regulations and orders. The proposed ordinance limits the hours of operations consistent with the cannabis ordinance. There are very specific requirements for security and surveillance. The proposed ordinance would establish annual inspections at a minimum, and we could go in and inspect more than once a year if the circumstances necessitate so. And then, finally, fines and or CUP revocation in the event that there are violations to these standards and regulations. And then in terms of existing smoke shops, existing smoke shops that are in place at the time of this ordinance becoming effective, those smoke shops would become nonconforming provided that they have a certificate of occupancy and a tobacco retailer's license. And then also, if a nonconforming smoke shop were to discontinue its use for a period of six months, the subsequent uses of the property must conform to the zoning code. The proposed ordinance is consistent with the general plan and specifically with a number of goals and policies. And I won't read out every single one of these in front of you, but essentially the consistency pertains to compatibility of uses, ensuring public health and safety are addressed through the proximity of smoke shops to those sensitive uses we've described before. It encourages land use decisions that promote healthy lifestyles. It promotes the active living and well-being goals of the city. And then lastly, it addresses economic prosperity policy related to the development of mutually beneficial and complementary businesses. Pursuant to CEQA and CEQA guidelines, the proposed project is exempt from further review. And in terms of fiscal impacts, the existing and staff-recommended fees will cover all administrative costs. With that, staff recommends that the Planning Commission recommend to City Council approval of Zoning Ordinance Amendment Number 2026-01. Staff is available to answer any questions.

Thank you. Thank you for that presentation. Does the commission have any comments or questions for staff?

Commissioner O' Okay, thanks for answering the question on existing smoke shops because that was my first question. And I'm not sure you could answer this question. The question is what were the market conditions that created the proliferation of the smoke shops? Was it just a downturn in the economy? Did it generate a lot of sales tax? Obviously there are some illegal activities that go with it. But if you look at, like, multiple strip malls down a busy street, there's a smoke shop in, like, every strip mall. And so what was the market condition that created it so that they could do that? Because basically the city council is asking us to approve this. All of a sudden we lose revenue from certain smoke shops. What's going to replace it? So that's kind of the gist of my first question. Like, what created the environment to say, yes, let's proliferate smoke shops? The economic environment.

Ms. Well, my expertise on economics is somewhat limited. I would say any thoughts that I have on the market conditions created to end up with the proliferation of smoke shops would be purely speculative. But I can say that having the opportunity The zoning code enables the opportunity for smoke shops. And there's obviously some reason why smoke shops are profitable to the business owners. And that's why we see them proliferating throughout the city. In terms of revenues to the city and business opportunities, I would say that one of the key concerns is that the smoke shops have a negative impact on the surrounding businesses. And so seeing a more complimentary set of businesses is really in the city's best interest. In terms of what could be replaced, how those smoke shops could be replaced, we would see other commercial uses that are consistent, excuse me, with the surrounding businesses.

Okay, my next question is, if we approve it, city council approves it, how do we notify the property owners? Because they're the landlords. And people come to them and say, hey, I want to lease your space. Right now they do nothing. They just sign a retail lease and it goes. How do we notify the strip malls up and down? I can think of multiple streets. How do we notify the landowners or the landlords? You can't do this anymore or you've got to direct them to the city for a CUP.

Commissioner, since the response entails a more multi-agency approach, I'll just take the lead. So as we do with any ordinance that affects uses and changes in land use, we assemble an interagency team of staff from finance, police department, planning and building, which includes code enforcement. we then inventory what the existing landscape looks like to know who we're working with in our community if there's changes to an ordinance then we make them aware through notifications through inviting them to city hall for conversations even going out into the field to letting them know that there's been changes ahead and then of course there's a part that landlords need to fulfill as well which is anytime you're about to sign a lease or engage with a new tenant a prospective tenant It's smart practice to always contact City Hall and check the zoning about any property. So we've employed similar approaches successfully with the transit zoning code changes that the 2025, and even the A-frame ordinance that the commission helped facilitate, A-frame sign ordinance, we worked with our colleagues in economic development to really make sure that businesses both small and large out there knew that this was a new opportunity for them. So whether it's an opportunity or a new restriction, that sort of interagency staff approach always exists.

Okay. My next question is, do other cities regulate it through a CEP? Whether it's, I can think of Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Buena Park, Take your pick.

Ms. That's an excellent question. I don't have memorized all of the surrounding cities. One of the main cities that we looked at modelling after was the city of Fresno, which does require a CUP. I believe Anaheim does also require a CUP. The other jurisdictions that I looked at, many of them do not require a CUP but do have the very restrictive buffering requirements.

Mr. Okay. I know that code enforcement is stretched. You referenced an annual inspection. How are we going to do an annual inspection when we can barely inspect what we have now, let alone add an additional annual inspection to these businesses as well? I'm trying to figure out how you're going to do it. I don't know how you're going to do it.

Our code enforcement staff can do anything. Yeah, exactly.

For more money, but I'm just asking, how are you going to do that?

I genuinely stand behind that statement that they are the best in the state, if not the nation. But I will share that. It goes without saying that we would not be recommending ordinance text if we didn't also understand the effects it would have on implementation and staff resources. We've had a very successful, similar approach with our cannabis industry that requires annual inspections and through the administrative costs associated with it and the application fees that helps us retain the staff that we need to in order to hire, train, go out, be efficient with our time. and fundamentally forge relationships with these operators too. We've had a large degree of success with our cannabis industry because we've really cultivated some good relationships with the operators there. If we do have operators coming in with conditional use permits, it won't be something that we recommended that's going to set us up for failure. Let me just put it that way. Thank you. Those are my only questions.

Thank you, Commissioner Leo. Commissioner Escamilla. Thank you, Chair.

So actually, yeah, very similar along the lines of Commissioner Leo. So just on the cost, I'm not sure if we're looking at this as adding in a fee, because I know that was kind of referenced that there would be fees potentially. So I imagine there'll be a full cost study, and that might be coming back to City Council just to see how much it does cost us then for the annual inspections. Okay, so then. And then I guess the two things that were sort of missing, at least for me on the presentation, I'm okay with it, but just in case there are other questions that come before City Council, if we are able, before this is presented to the larger public body, have a GIS map of kind of what those existing conditions are, so very similar to the cannabis map, if something like that could be ready. And then I think the really pertinent question on existing sales taxes from these types of uses, I know we can't share individual sales taxes, like on an individual store basis, but if it would be the economic development team to aggregate kind of the overall sales tax impacts? I think that those would be relevant questions that the public will have and potentially the Council, though they might already be ready to support it if they've indicated an interest in bringing the item. And also, I just wanted to say thank you for bringing an item that was recommended in December, and now we already have a CEP language in early February. So that's actually very, very, very quick. So good job on that.

Thank you, Commissioner Escamilla. Commissioner Pham.

So the smoke shop use, my kind of big picture understanding is tobacco products, or is it tobacco and marijuana? Ms.

Exclusively tobacco.

Okay. So is it language that deals with the sales of tobacco as an auxiliary use? I'm thinking of the 7-Elevens or the convenience stores. How does that, how do we

They are defined as a separate use. And so smoke shops, excuse me, specifically exclude them, recognizing that it's, as you said, an auxiliary or an ancillary component or a minor component of their overall sales.

And then, you know, I'm fully supportive of this regulation. I wonder if it could be a little bit broader. My feeling is I wouldn't want smoke shops to be on our major artillery roads or major corridors. I'm thinking specifically of Harbour. There's quite a few smoke shops that are directly facing Harbour, and we have multiple townhouses development and new developments along that corridor. Yeah, I wonder if there are more specific languages that kind of, you know, we're not banning the use, but we want to relegate those uses to more less public areas.

So one thing I'll share, commissioners, anytime we bring forward an ordinance to the Planning Commission for recommendation to City Council, if there's discussion that turns into like a substantive discussion, like let's say this starts to get some traction with your fellow commissioners, you have a couple of options. You can ask that they include it in their motion to recommend to the City Council. then it formally gets presented that way to the City Council. But even if that doesn't take place, we always summarize the discussion at the Planning Commission in the staff report for City Council. So in case there's a desire to sort of put that on the table for City Council members to consider during first reading, that is another way that we could deliver the information. I will share specifically you brought up Harbour Boulevard, and since the majority of that stretch is in a specific plan area, it's not even something that would be permissible under the new ordinance because it's zoned SP2, and the permissible uses are not including SP2.

And then in terms of retroactive enforcement, I know that there was a slide that deals with existing smoke shops. Can you walk us through, if we have an existing smoke shop, they're essentially non-compliant but they've been established, would it mean that, you know, at the year end there is a code enforcement review and if they're out of compliance with the, if this ordinance is adopted and they are not in compliance with that ordinance, would that mean that they would then, they would then be revoked or do they have a path to rectify that issue and then continue operating as a smoke shop?

Thank you for the question. First of all, some additional details about the existing smoke shops. We currently have 43. Of those 43, 38 have certificates of occupancy, tobacco retailer licenses, and so they're operating legally at this time. City Council Chambers, of those 43, including the ones that have applied for certificate of occupancy, none of them would be able to continue in their current location and all of them would become nonconforming. City Council Chambers, So, once this becomes effective those smoke shops will have six months to become compliant with all of the standards, the development standards and operating standards within the code. And then they would have the opportunity to move to another location if they would like to move where they could get a CEP and have long term. vested use if those. If those smoke shops remain in their location or an indefinite number of years they're able to stay there, provided that they remain consistent with those development standards and operating standards. If they decide to close for a period of six months, then they would discontinue their non-conforming status and any subsequent use would need to conform with the zoning code.

I could just add. So for the existing smoke shops that are currently there and have the legal permits to be there, they'd have six months to comply with the proposed operating standards. So nothing in the ordinance would force those businesses to close down, provided that they comply with those operating standards. If after six months, those businesses are not in compliance with the new operational standards, we'd be able to code enforce them at that point. So there isn't anything that the city would use in this ordinance to go after them to say, close down. It gives them that six months of time to start to bring their businesses into conformance with the operating standards. And that's because to your point, they've been legally established there and there isn't anything the city would be able to retroactively do to close them down.

But as currently, as a retail use, there might not be operating under the new operation standards, but they have the six months to either comply or then face court enforcement violations, I guess. That's correct.

Councillor Allen And as an example of some of those operating standards which staff crafted for the benefit of the Those include things like training requirements for staff, let's say, or prohibiting loitering, improving your site lighting, removing graffiti and debris. So these are things that we would expect all of our business members of our community to help support, but that's the sort of level of expectation that they would rise to. That's on page four of the staff report. So again, six months to comply with those standards, and if not, then code enforcement activity. That's all for me.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Pham. Commissioner Wu.

That's what was confusing me, jurisdiction between health regulation and planning regulations. So you just clarified for me, because when you start listing the things that you make them responsible for, like loitering, prostitution, gambling, sounds like those kind of things we hear in the neighborhood, we throw in the kitchen sink. so so that you could complain about the property but um the other thing that confused me is the term in there when your list to aerosol and sent to tobacco there was a terminology whippets and i understand that to be a breed of dogs and a very peculiar nice breed of dog and so i was wondering why that was kind of put in there then i found that there was a secondary use of it which is a little tiny bit of things that are in, and the things, the sugar, the whipped cream. Yeah, that little thing there. Apparently you do something with it and you get frostbite. Gee, horrible. Just to get high. But anyway, now I understand the jurisdiction issue. I don't have a problem with this. I understand what you're doing. Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Will. Vice Chair Benninger?

This proposed six months to allow them to come in compliance. Is this typical of what we've done in the past?

Oh, did you want to respond? OK, sorry about that. Six months is different than a lot of or most of the uses in the code. For a typical nonconforming use, they have 12 months during which they can look for a new tenant. For smoke shops along with, I believe, alcohol sales, we allow only six months. And the same is true for noxious uses, if I'm not mistaken.

Okay, but it's not the first time we've implemented six months then?

This will not be the first time. It exists for other uses.

Okay. All right. One other question that went out of my mind right now as soon as it came in, but I'm almost there. Thank you.

Thank you, Vice Chair Bredinger. I have some comments, and then I also have a question. I want to start off by saying that I'm very excited that this item is here before us tonight. And like Commissioner Escamilla said, there was a very quick turnaround on this. And I know that in, I want to say like late summer, early fall, I was at a Memorial Park Neighborhood Association meeting. where residents there spoke to me after the meeting from both Memorial Park and Dow High, saying that this was a very big concern to them, and that they didn't know what else they could do beyond call code enforcement, but they would show up and the issues continued. They were just there. So I want to thank staff, because I know you all turned out to the November Memorial Park neighborhood meeting, and after staff spoke with residents, it was very clear that the zoning code was enabling this, just like Siri said. And with the language that we had, the city couldn't really respond. So I'm really glad that we're going through this process now. I know I raised it to Councilwoman Lopez, and then in December, staff direction was provided to you, all the staff, and we're here now. So I'm really, really excited about this because beyond it promoting public safety and public health, I think it's a really good example of what happened or what it looks like when the city is truly responsive to resident needs. And example of how the zoning code can be used to improve the quality of life so I think this is all really great and if we can let residents know that like hey this zoning code update is happening and this is how we can address some of the concerns that you're seeing so I think this is a really good talking point for you all to use as you continue to do your zoning code update just like helping people understand why the zoning code is important so Really, really thank you. And the other thing I just wanted to flag, so I'm very happy that there's very clear definitions throughout the ordinance language. I did see the definition for convenience store and I did see the definition for grocery store. There is just one thing that I think could maybe be missing and I think kind of falls in between both a convenience store and a grocery store or maybe even before the convenience store. So these are the troquitas in our neighborhoods or the little trucks where people can go and buy everything from like produce to like toiletries to XYZ. I know in the past, some of them have sold cigarettes or tobacco products. I don't know if that's the case at many of them anymore, but I'm wondering how do they fall within this PB, Lupita D Montoya, ordinance and like what would they be classified as and do can they fall into one of the existing definitions of either convenience. PB, Lupita D Montoya, store or grocery store or do we need to add another definition to ensure that they aren't negatively impacted by this because those are a very vital source for many neighborhoods to access, just like everyday things that they could get at a convenience store or grocery store.

Chair Ramos, thank you. And I think that same recognition of their importance went into a, or was kept in mind when the City Council adopted the mobile food vending ordinance some years ago, where mobile food vending was defined broadly enough to include like sort of mobile grocery vending, not just cooked meals vending. Now whether they, the ones that are selling produce or selling tobacco, that is certainly something that we will look into should the city planning commission recommend approval to the city council. We'll make sure that that's buttoned up in a way that doesn't slip through any cracks between now and when this ordinance goes into implementation. So thank you for the comment and we'll definitely take a look at that.

Thank you. Yeah, more than anything, I want to make sure that those businesses that are also licensed and permitted aren't negatively harmed by this ordinance. So thank you. I want to see if there's any other questions and comments, and then I'd like to make the motion on this item. Go ahead, Commissioner Skamia.

Thank you, Chair. So now with the actual questions. So the only item I guess I do have in the back of my mind just as a question are two items. As we look at the Cp. Process and what we're probably leaning into with the with the overall code update. Do we have an idea as kind of what type of category of Cp. Would be looking at here, because I know we're saying that we're creating a Cp. But will this also come in with a recommendation one way or the other? Or is that to be decided during the zoning code update like holistically?

That's yet to be decided. And I think part of the discussion of what the appropriate type of CUP is will depend on this conversation today as well as conversation with the City Council.

I appreciate it. And then just two things that in my mind are kind of running counter to each other as far as the, oh my gosh, the, not the conditions, the, we just said it right now, but the requirements for them to be in compliance. Yes, standards. So the the operational standards. So if we're asking for transparency on one hand, but then literally, if you go to some of these places, it's nothing but tobacco products visible. So when we say not displaying tobacco paraphernalia, do we have an idea of what that would look like? Just because if we do want the windows, but then all you see is tobacco products on the inside, then we can't actually satisfy both of those conditions at the same time.

The way that the operational standards are written The intent is that you cannot see products blocking the view of the window. So in effect, the products would be lining the outside walls of the interior of the store. There could be stands within the middle areas of the store as well, but there would be distance so that the visibility would be limited to the products themselves.

Okay, so it wouldn't be like a, it's a smoke shop, you can't see any tobacco from the public right away, it's just nothing on display immediately like next to the window sort of thing?

Correct.

Okay, that was it.

Thank you, Commissioner Escamilla. Uh, Vice Chair Benninger.

I'm sorry, I remember what it was about. The terminology training is really a catch-all, but what do you, what type of training do you see the store is required to end up giving?

Did you say what type of training?

Correct. I mean, we, you know, in industry, you know what type of training, harassment, some of the other ones. But if you're running a smoke store and you say you have to train your employees, what are you training them in?

Well, fortunately, the training and the decision about the training is not up to the operators themselves. There are state laws that dictate what constitutes a certified program. And so what we would do is look, when we do inspections, we would look for their certificates of completion to know that they've satisfied the requirements for training purposes.

So that type of training is state and by state, California says this is a type you need to do for a smoke shop?

Correct.

If I can add, the California Department of Public Health is one of the state agencies that certify different training programs for tobacco sales.

Thank you, Vice Chair Benninger. Commissioner Wu.

I'd like to make a motion to approve this motion. We're not there yet.

We're still going to have a public hearing.

Just in case, can I?

Go ahead, Commissioner Fan.

I think Commissioner Escamillo brought up a good point. I want some more clarification. My thought is similar to the cell phone cup that this could be something as a administrative review, rather than having a staff report work up every time there's a need for smoke shop so have we kind of considered that as an option.

Thank you commissioner fam. So during the city council's comments and direction to the city manager on the item, the city council did request that a be required for this type of use. So the city council's asked for it to not be purely administrative. However, as recommended right now, it would be with a standard CUP that always comes before this commission. As the zoning code update gets finalized, as was said earlier, we can look at whether this would be a minor CUP or a full-blown CUP. So minor CUP would be something subject to director's decision with conditions of approval. And then a full-blown CUP would be a full public hearing with this body.

Councillor Kiley Just my two cents. I would put the onus on the director to review these applications.

The Commissioner family and then I can quickly respond to you, I believe the way it was directed that way by the city manager, because they he received direction from Council members. Because the Community was concerned that they had no say in where these when these smoke shops are opening up and where they were opening up. They would just see it the next day so residents express interest in having a public hearing format where they could come and say hey I don't want this next to my house or next to the school at xyz. Thank you. Great. With that, we're going to now open the public hearing. Recording Secretary, have you received any written communication, or is there a member of the public that would like to comment on this item?

Chair, we have not received any public comments. If you are attending this meeting in person and would like to comment on this item, please fill out a request to speak form and turn it in to the Secretary. If you are participating via Zoom and would like to comment on this item, please select the hand icon to indicate that you would like to speak. If you are calling in and would like to comment on this item, please dial 9 and then 6 to unmute yourself. I will wait a few seconds.

Chair, we do not have any speakers. Thank you. The public hearing is now closed. I'd like to make a motion to approve this matter. Is there a second?

I second.

Thank you, Commissioner Wu. I also just want to get a quick clarity from staff on the mobile vending. Do we need to name that in the motion, or is that the direction that was provided during Common Enough? Ensuring that, or checking to see if it needs to be its own definition or if it fits in with what's already there.

Chair, the part about checking to make sure definitions are clear is something we can do without further formal motion. But if there's a desire to expressly exempt mobile vending trucks from not being subject to this ordinance, that is something that I think does merit sort of like formalized direction so that the City Council can understand that that was part of the motion. So was that the sort of direction of the commissioner yourself to sort of not just make sure that the definition is ambiguous, but to also make sure that the mobile vending can sell tobacco, or was it something different?

That's a great question. For my comment was, so I want, I would like mobile, well, I don't know if they're selling tobacco right now. I know long ago when I used to frequent them, they were. I don't know if that's the case now. If they are and if they're doing it legally and within their right, then I would like them to be, for this ordinance to apply to them in the same way that it applies to convenience stores and grocery stores. Okay. Commissioner Leo, did you have a comment?

Yeah, I wanted to know if you could incorporate Commissioner Phan's discussion or recommendation that when this goes to City Council that they look at possibly limiting or limiting locations on main thoroughfares, kind of like what we've done with the dispensaries. So if it is a smoke shop, it's not in the main thoroughfares, but in other locations. I don't know if you would entertain that as an amendment.

Yeah, I'm friendly to that amendment. So with that, I know I spoke very jumbled earlier, so I'll just restate what I would like. If mobile vending trucks are indeed selling tobacco and doing it legally, then I would like this ordinance to apply to them in the same way that it applies to convenience stores and grocery stores. And then the other friendly amendment was to explore not allowing these smoke shops on some of our main arterials.

I'm in agreement with those amendments.

Would you like to formally second, Commissioner?

I will second those amendments.

Perfect. We have a motion. We have a second. Secretary, can you please take a roll call vote?

Commissioners Camilla yes Commissioner Leo all right Commissioner Oliva Commissioner Fenn aye Commissioner Wu aye Vice-chair Benninger aye Chair Ramos aye Motion approved unanimously with Commissioner Oliva absent Thank you that concludes the business calendar moving on to staff comments.

I

Thanks, Chair. So firstly, thank you for your work this evening and your comments. They'll be reflected in the staff report and recommendations to City Council specifically on this second item. Earlier I said we had the best code enforcement officers possibly in the nation. I guess I should say the world. But on top of that, I do want to say that we appreciate the recognition of the quick turnaround time on this ordinance because we do have the best planners as well in the universe. with that i will also just share you may have seen in public comments this evening that we have received a fair amount of public comments on the one broadway plaza project so just for transparency in the record that project did have its sunshine ordinance meeting on january 28th And the purpose of that Sunshine Ordinance is to solicit and engage the public early on when a development project is submitted. So by receiving these amounts of comments, it's actually fulfilling the intent of the ordinance. But also for the public's overall awareness, just a few things. Number one, no public hearing date is or has been scheduled. There's no tentative date, none of that. It's still in a development review process with staff. So no public hearing date scheduled, nothing coming down the pike. There's also a project webpage that is routinely updated with information such as the sunshine ordinance materials, as well as any upcoming tentative city council planning commission, any other approving body dates. That webpage also has the case planner's information on it, her direct name, phone number, email address, in case members of the public want to be added to a permanent notification list, an update list, or they just have a one-off question. all in that spirit of transparency so just wanted to acknowledge the comments we had received this evening but again for the commission's benefit and the public there's no public hearing date scheduled yet for that project that's it for me would you like questions to staff now or during commissioner comments if it's directly related to that project we can do it quick but we we have to be careful not to delve too much into it so just one commissioner

Yeah, I'm not dwelling in the park, but I know in the past I have brought up that we are building a lot of affordable housing, which meets a need. But at the same time, I'd like some clarity and guidance in the future about, you know, density of apartments in an over-impacted, dense neighbourhood, and what guidance can staff provide us?

Absolutely.

Thank you. Along the line concerning this project in particular, the sunshine meeting is it has it was a video that you can watch it on online?

Yes, the sunshine ordinance as most recently adopted requires a live stream and a recording be provided after the meeting as well. So not only can members of the public can attend in person, but also remotely, but then afterwards, the recording of the meeting is posted to the project web page.

Thank you.

Chair, I did have one brief update on the comprehensive zoning code update that was touched on a few times this evening. We do have a new schedule. So for that project, we're looking to bring a study session before this body, April 13. And then moving forward with public hearings, May and then following with public hearings before the City Council in June of this year. And initially, we shared a slightly different schedule. But that's the latest as of this week.

Thank you. We now move on to Commission closing comments or questions for staff. Commissioner Wu.

I just want to inform staff and the Commission that I will be pursuing on behalf of the Japanese American Citizen League to search for some information regarding the sale of the Asuka Farm on Fifth and Fairview. 24 to 25 years ago, the Asuka family sold their strawberry farm to the city or to the San Antonio Unified so that they could build a school. And they promised, according to the family, that they would name a school after them. Well, they named the school after Spurgeon and then Lydia Romero. And so as a result of that, the family just, again, asked me to pursue on behalf And thanks to our staff here, they directed me to a forum on the city website that I could do the search for information. I did talk to Jeremy Cogan over at the school district, who's director of planning. He asked some of the veterans and people, they do seem to remember that conversation. He asked us if we could find some paper, which will help him present that to his boss and the school board. He doesn't think there will be a problem in naming the maintenance building that is there by putting up a plaque or some kind of memorial to the Suka family. The reason I am pursuing this is that as the Japanese community began to thin out, those first generation that suffered with internment and had their property seized and all that and they restarted their life, they're having that moment of memory. and legacy that they want to have preserved. So I think in the sense of that, in face of today's where we are being erased, I'm pursuing this on their behalf to see if we could get some kind of plaque there to name a family. So I just want to let everyone know that I will be pursuing it. It's not an adversarial relationship. It's a search for information. Unfortunately, someone's going to have to dig through the musty files and find a piece of paper for us. So my apologies. I know you guys work hard as it is. And for the record, when I was doing some home repair in my house, the inspector came out really quickly, assigned my paper, and then did it. And it was not because he knew I was a commissioner. I think the guy was just doing his job.

Thank you, Commissioner Wu. Commissioner Pham? Yes.

Thank you, staff, for the presentation. Specifically for Ward 1, I know there have been surveys being distributed from the community development department in regards to kind of expansion of Little Saigon from Westminster, and then as it bleeds into First Street, into Ward 1, increase in businesses. So I encourage business owners who are in Ward 1 to kind of fill out the survey. I think it will help the cities and all the other cities that are working on this effort to get funding. It will be great to have more responses. That's all. Thank you.

Thank you, and I apologize. Vice Chair Benninger.

I'd like to thank you for the presentations tonight. Thank you for letting us get together finally after how many months? I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year's, and I did. I heard the ladies' comment tonight, and I'm sure I hear that from a lot of neighbourhoods, I hear that from a lot of My neighbors. And one thing that I think maybe would help us, if we have one training session put on by staff, the changes the state has done to us in the last, just the last five years, there's a lot of these things that was in Planning Commission's hands have been taken out of our hands. I think it's good timing to review those and see what we can or cannot do on it. And that's all I have. Thank you.

Thank you, Vice Chair Benninger. Commissioner Liu.

Just a couple of questions. Actually, Commissioner asked me, raised a question about open space. It's my understanding that there are three schools on the chopping block, that there's just not enough students, possibility of closing some schools. It would be my preference in those discussions since the city would be offered the land because it's surplus property. We should look at it from the standpoint of twofold. more open space that the city's under parked. We all know that. The second thing is workforce housing. Not super affordable and not super expensive, but workforce housing so that working class people can live here. And so that would be my suggestion. The other thing is today we got ourselves into a little interesting discussion because we weren't overly transparent in one of the items today. We need to, there's a few words because Commissioner Ramos had a question. A lot of people, Commissioner Wu had a question. Just a little bit more transparency in the item and I think we would have avoided a lot of the discussion. And the transparency was around why we're doing it. We didn't hear why we were doing it. We were doing it so we would make the land more financially viable for grants. So just a few more words to each report would be easy. And I heard a couple of commissioners raise one Broadway Plaza. I was here when it happened in this chair. So if you have any questions afterwards, if you want to ask me about it, you can. And it should be very entertaining when it comes forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Leo. Commissioner Skamea.

I'm definitely not missing that one. So to Commissioner Wu's item, not to have a discussion up here, but wanted to note that the SAUSD minutes are in a storage room closet over at the main office. No one's looked through them. It's like one of the only collections I haven't ever actually physically gone through, but I know that it's there. So just if you can find the time and date of sale, then minutes around that time frame, I think is probably our best leads as far as like the research component there. If it's not recorded within the grant deed itself. So I'm just going to point that out. As always, I'll try to, or not as always, but as frequently, I'll try to make another plug for the accessory commercial units as an item. Maybe since we won't be able to take a look at it during the comprehensive zoning code update, we might be able to take a look at it more independently and To that an accessory commercial structures, just like a mini commercial unit right so like think of it as an edu but for a business. So all of the wonderful corner businesses that we have throughout the city those cool little mixed use immediate post war structures down broadway. And even just the ability for a kind of mean structure to main commercial Center to add a small little commercial operation within their properties, I think those are all things that would be really great to have I think portland has an existing. ACU standard kind of already like kind of mission set and like all the standards already put together. So it's a relatively plug and play type of effort. So I want to make the plug for that. And then, yeah, just thanking staff for all the work that you all do. And if Parks was still here, I'd ask them for, sorry, not Parks, if Public Works is still here. I'd ask them for the status of the parking study that we're supposed to do citywide. I know that that's been many years and many public works directors now that haven't gotten that one across the finish line. So I'm just wondering when we might be able to see that.

We'll deliver the question.

Thank you, Commissioner Skamea. Well, I just want to say thank you. Thank you, staff. It's great to hear the zoning code timeline updates. So I hope that anyone listening tonight that's here in person or at home has put those on their calendar. But we can also publicize that as much as possible. That'd be great. I'm always being asked what the update is, and I haven't had one, but I'm glad to have one now. So thank you. And then I also wanted to share with the commission that I've requested a work-study session from staff to take a closer look at all of the remnant parcels along Warner as a result of the widening project to better understand What their previous use was what their next use could be, and so that information can maybe guide us as we go through the zoning code update and not just us, but also. Families and residents in the delhi neighborhood that have an interest in maybe being able to reacquire some land that used to belong to them and then. Thank you, Commissioner Leo, for your mention of potential surplus land that may come around. I think that's very important for us to just be aware of as we go through the zoning code update. And I know the Surplus Lands Act does require that the city first look at affordable housing and open space, I believe, in that order. So what you mentioned will likely have to legally happen. So thank you. And that's all for me. Thank you all. With that, this meeting is, well, our next regular meeting is scheduled for February 23rd at 5.30 p.m., and this meeting is now adjourned at 7.03 p.m. Thank you.