Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good morning, everybody. It's 1030 AM and I'm calling this regular meeting of the zoning administrator to order. Looking at the draft minutes for the May 20th or 28th and June 4th, 2026 minutes. Does anybody have any comments on the draft minutes of those meetings? Okay, close public comment and approve those as submitted. Item three is non-agenda public comment. We are now taking public comments on item three, non-agenda matters. This is the time when any person may address matters not listed on the agenda, but which are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the zoning administrator. Would anybody like to make any non-agenda public comments? Okay, seeing none, I will close the non-agenda public comments and move on to the statement of purpose. The zoning administrator is appointed by the planning and economic development director and has the responsibility and authority to conduct public meetings and hearings and to act on applications for minor or reduced review authority projects or entitlements. A determination or decision by the zoning administrator may be appealed to the design review and preservation board, planning commission or city council as applicable to the decision. All actions taken by the zoning administrator may be appealed within 10 calendar days. If the final day of the appeal period falls on a non-business day, the appeal period will be extended to the next business day. There are no zoning administrator reports or consent items. We will move on to our first scheduled item, which is a public meeting for a hillside development permit located at 3716 Sky Farm Drive. Can we have a staff report, please?

Good morning. The project in front of you today is Betty Residence. And this host project is development of a site with slopes greater than 10%, which is why this requires a hillside development permit. And this project is located at 3716 Sky Farm Drive. The applicant is proposing to construct a new two-story, 6,640-square-foot single-family residence with associated basement, garage, driveway, grading, drainage, and retaining wall improvements. Here is the area image of our proposed location, and this proposed location has dual frontage along Thomas Lake Havish Drive and Sky Farm Drive. Here is a more bird's eye view area image of the proposed location, which is surrounded by other residential uses and a recreational facility. The zoning land use destination is planned development 72-001F and the general plan land use destination is very low density residential. And here is the site plan and the site analysis of, not a site analysis, but the slope analysis of the proposed site. And the proposed structure will be placed closer to the sky form frontage, away from the steepest parts of the hill. And grading is minimized to the driveway, building pad, and areas admittedly adjacent to the structure. And also I would like to state that existing tree clusters to the north and west help screen the residents in the building's roofline steps with the existing topography. And here are renderings of the proposed location. And as you can see, I mean, and here are renderings of the proposed structure. And as you can see, the structure steps with the natural grade of the hill. And this project has been found in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. And pursuant to Secret Guidelines Section 15303A, this project is categorically exempt because this project consists of construction of one single family residence. Additionally, pursuant to Secret Guidelines Section 15304, this project consists of minor alterations to land. And none of the exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions apply to this project. At this time, there are no unresolved issues as a result of staff review. And staff has received a public comment for this project. And the summary of that project was that the commenter was concerned that boulders may be disturbed. And when those boulders are disturbed, those boulders may fall down the hill and damage the structure. And the fault, excuse me, And it's the responsibility of the contractor through their means and methods to show that they will safely grade this project. And if the structure were to be damaged by a boulder, the contractor will be at fault. Staff analysis has included that all findings can be met and the applicant has reviewed and accepted all conditions of approval. And I would also like to state that This proposed location is a housing inventory site above moderate, and this project meets the income level. However, it doesn't meet the realistic capacity, but the city's above moderate inventory is almost complete, so not finding an extra site is not required for this project. And it is recommended by the Planning and Economic Development Department that the zoning administrator approve a resolution for a minor hillside development permit to allow construction of a new two-story single-family residence at 3716 Sky Farm Drive. My contact information is at the bottom of the screen should you have any questions.

Great, thank you. Is the applicant present and do they wish to make any comments? No? OK. With that, I'll go to public comment. If you're attending in person and would like to make a public comment on this item, please approach one of the podiums at this time. Janice, are you making your way to the podium? Did you just cover the Ashwani? Yes. Could you turn your mic on, please?

Sorry.

Thank you.

One moment, Janice, while I turn the timer on. Good morning, Chair, zoning people. Janice Carmen here. I read this application and the plans and everything and I think it is one of the best I've seen. It appears that Jens and all of the other people have really covered all the bases on this particular site and the development of the property. It's very impressive. And while I was reading it, I was thinking, this house needs a pool. It really needs a pool. And then in the end, I saw a cement pool. I didn't see any plans for a pool. And I wondered if there was an application for a pool because I've been to hillside applications for pools. They're much more complicated and difficult to address. And I was wondering about the cement pool that they were talking about. Is it a pool? Is it a future idea for a pool? What? But I also appreciated the, the language and whether this comes from Jen's report or from another person in planning about the expiration of the plan if they don't act upon it and get this property developed. Because I have seen things since I've been trying to attend all the meetings at the city where a plan will be submitted, and then it just lays still for a long time. And then they get to revisit it later. And it creates issues not only for the city, but for the people that are surrounding it that think that this had been taken care of a long time previously. So I appreciated all this language. The language was very tight. to me, and I'm offering my own critique of it, that I think it was a tremendous application job, engineering job, architecturally, all the things that I looked at. Now, architecture is one of my weaker areas, but I just thought this looked really amazing, and I hope the house gets built soon, and I hope that things move along the way they should, but I totally support this application. And I just would like to know if they're doing a pool and if there's been something submitted for the pool, because I've also seen it where they say they want only the pool and they haven't built the house yet. So things like that. But no, I think that this is a really good job from everybody that I've seen in planning or zoning or anything in the last two years. So I've been looking tightly. Thank you.

Great, thank you. Is there anybody else wishing to make a comment on this one?

Hello, it's more of a question. I submitted a letter about this property site, and I just want to confirm if the administrator saw the letter that I sent.

Great, thank you. I will respond after a public comment. Thank you. Is there anybody else wishing to make a comment on this project? Okay, I'll close the public comment. Starting with the pool, I'm not seeing a pool on the plans. Maybe staff can confirm that there's no pool on the plans.

Yes, there are no pools on the plan. And if a pool is proposed, they need to come for a separate pool. Hillside development permit. Okay, great.

And then, yes, I did receive the letter and staff did summarize the comment and I think responded that the contractor would be responsible for maintaining the presence of the boulders in place. And if there was any issues with that, then it would be a civil matter between the contractor and the property owner. Okay. So yeah, I agree. This is a pretty good hillside design. It's incredibly stepping with the contours of the site. It avoids the steepest slopes and it avoids the most dense tree cover, which I always appreciate. We are going to be losing some trees, but that is kind of just how it goes with a previously undeveloped, never developed site. Um, the architecture is, uh, superior. It's a great design. Um, and it's generally consistent with design guidelines and all applicable zoning code development standards. And, um, I've reviewed the conditions of approval and have no edits or suggested additional conditions of approval. And, uh, as such, I approve the project. Please note this action is final unless an appeal is filed within 10 calendar days of today's decision. For this item, that date is Monday, July 6th, 2026. Thank you. Moving on to our second public meeting, it is also a minor hillside development permit for a swimming pool, spa, and associated site improvements at 3619 Crescent Circle. Can we have a staff report, please?

Good morning, and as the Zoning Administration said, this is another Hillside Development Permit for our residential accessory use, a pool, located at 3619 Crescent Circle. And I'm presenting this project on behalf of Suzanne Hartman. The applicant is proposing to construct a swing pool, spa, patio area, retaining walls, drainage, and erosion facility control improvements, and pool equipment in the rear yard of an existing single-family residence. The specific wax murals are proposed around the pool and spared to provide landscape screening. Minor hillside development permit is required for development or a new land use on a portion of the site with a slope of 10% or greater. And here's an aerial image of the proposed location. And this is a more bird's eye view, every image on a proposed location. And it's hard to tell from this picture, but as you move away from the house, the slope goes upward. The general plan line's destination is low density residential. The zoning line's destination is plan development 72-001L. Here are existing photos of the site. And on the photo to the right, you can see that the hill is going upward as you move away from the house. There is a site plan of the proposed pool. And this is a more zoomed in site plan where one can see the landscaping and that the pool complies with the hillside development setbacks. And this project has been found in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. And it is categorically exempt pursuant to Secret Guidelines section 15301, because this is an existing facility. Additionally, it is categorically exempt pursuant to Secret Guidelines 15303, because this pool is a new construction of a small structure. And none of the exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions apply. There are no unresolved issues. No public comments were received. Staff analysis has concluded that all findings can be met. An applicant has reviewed and accepted all conditions of approval. It is recommended by the Planning and Economic Development Department that the zoning administrator, by resolution, approve a modern hillside development permit to allow swimming pool, spa, and associated site improvements within sloped areas of 10% or greater, located at 3619 Crescent Circle. And Suzanne's contact information is at the bottom left of the screen, should you have any questions about this project.

Great, thank you. Is the applicant present and do they wish to make any comments? Okay, great, thank you. With that, let's go to public comment. If you'd like to make a public comment on this item, please approach the podium at this time and wait for the timer to appear on the screen.

Good morning again, Chair Zoning, Janice Carman here. plans when he said that it was hard to tell from the um what the photograph was um i'm i'm curious uh how is it going to fit on that hillside i'm a visual person but i can't see that that slope could have a pool on it and i've seen many pools on deep slopes in many places but um There's no talking about the construction of it or a retaining wall, which the retaining walls are really important in this area, especially with the earthquakes, the faults, and the fact that we've had houses slide off of hills and other things that have happened. Often the slope isn't, the house isn't even secured on the slope with deep enough walls You can't think of what the anchors are right now, but whatever you call them, being deep enough to hold the house, let alone a swimming pool. So it wasn't clear at all. And I couldn't imagine where the pool could go there with the slope looking like it was. It looked like a cliff. So that's my curiosity, is does this have any retaining walls or, you know, the dimension... going in. I don't know. It doesn't, it's not clear from what the presentation was. Do I thank him for the presentation? Thank you.

Thank you. Would anybody else like to make a comment on this item? Okay, seeing none, I'll close the public comment and I'll take the first crack at responding to public comment. And if staff has anything to add, please feel free to do so. So based on my review and understanding of this project, the proposed pool location does meet the required hillside development setbacks. for both the rear and the side and is conditioned to require a building permit application to be submitted and that plan will go into greater detail about load-bearing retaining walls and how the thing would be constructed. Does staff have anything to add to that?

Yes. And the commenter mentioned that she didn't see any mention of retaining walls. And there is retaining walls to, excuse me, to limit grading disturbance. So there is a retaining wall for this project. And it was kind of hard to see, but there's a flat area in the rear yard of this project location where the pool can actually sit. So...

Great, thank you.

Okay.

Yeah, I think this is another good hillside project. They are squeezing in a pool right where they can, and I think it'll overall be an improvement from a landscaping perspective. It looks pretty bare out there now, and with the additional landscape screening with those... myrtle trees i think it'll be a more pleasant and um cooler environment uh from a temperature temperature standpoint um it's a pretty tough site to design around and they kind of stepped up to the plate and i think they did a good job with it and um I agree with all the conditions that have been included with the resolution, both provided by building and planning and also engineering development services. I have no suggested edits or additional conditions. So with that, I'll approve this project. Please note this action is final unless an appeal is received within 10 calendar days of today's decision. For this item, that date is Monday, July 6th, 2026. Moving on to our third item, public meeting for Sunny Cafe food vendor located at 3230 Coffee Lane. Can we have a staff report, please?

And as the zoning administrator stated, this project is Sunny Cafe, a mobile food vending facility located at 3230 Coffee Lane. And mobile food vending facilities require a modern condition use permit. The applicant requests a modern condition use permit for their mobile food vending facility, Sunny Cafe, and is located at an existing 24-7 foods and fill site at 3230 Coffee Lane. The existing site includes a gas station, convenience store, and cold wash. And the proposed hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. And there is restroom access, parking, and a small customer seating area provided on site. No permanent site improvements are proposed. And there is an aerial image of the proposed location at the corner of Coffee Lane and Pine Road in the northwestern quadrant of the city. And the location of the truck is indicated with the yellow star. And this is a more bird's eye view aerial image of the proposed location, surrounded by industrial uses and commercial uses. The zoning land use destination is light industrial. In the general plan, land use destination is light industry, which is consistent with the zoning land use destination. And here is a site plan. Here is the proposed site plan. And the food truck will be located on the west end of the property, not inhibiting traffic circulation nor parking. This project has been found in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, and it is categorically exempt pursuant to Secret Guidelines Section 15304E, because this is a minor type of use of land for industrial use. And this project is also categorically exempt pursuant to Secret Guidelines Section 15311, because this is an accessory structure.

Now, because...

Yeah, because this is an accessory structure to the primary use. And none of the exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions apply. There are no unresolved issues. No public comment has been received. Staff analysis has included that all findings can be met. And the applicant has reviewed and accepted all conditions of approval. It is recommended by the Planning and Economic Development Department that the zoning administrator approve a resolution for a minor conditions permit to allow Sunny Cafe, a mobile food vending facility to operate at 3230 Coffee Lane. My contact information is at the bottom left of the screen, should you have any questions.

Great, thank you. Is anybody in attendance wishing to make a public comment on this item? Please wait for the timer to appear on the screen before you begin your comment.

Thank you, Chair. Janice Carman here. I think this project, excuse me, looks good. I don't know if they can buy, you know, beer and wine all the time or, you know, whatever. But till eight o'clock, I think eight o'clock is reasonable. And in previous applications for extensions of hours and things. Eight o'clock is a good time. And I support this. I think there should be more places open where people can go and get food. Often I find myself after meetings, there's something driving around town with my boyfriend going, there's nothing open. So no, I support this. I think this looks pretty good. Thank you.

Great. Thank you. Would anybody else wish to make a public comment on this item? Okay, seeing none, I will close the public comment. Can you clarify if there's on-site dining with this application proposal?

Yes, give me a second so I can look at the resolution, please. Yep, no rush.

I'm sorry, I've closed the public comment. Looking at it, it does say a small customer seating area provided on site. So that answers my question. Yes. Okay. Yeah, so I have no further questions. I agree with the commenter. I think it's a great opportunity for another food option. Closing uh not too late um that would be inconsistent with the surrounding area but um just late enough where maybe there's a not other options around um that that part of town um the staff's suggested findings for approval are incredibly comprehensive which i appreciate Makes my job very easy. The conditions are extensive as well. And I think as condition, this will be a great addition to the neighborhood. So with that, I don't have any further conditions of approval or any suggested edits. And as such, I approve the project. Thank you. Please note, as with our other two items, this action is final unless an appeal is filed within 10 calendar days of today's decision. For this item, that date is Monday, July 6th, 2026. There is no other business for this meeting, and our meeting is now adjourned. Thank you.