Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening. The time is 06:00, and I will call to order the, Test and Planning Commission meeting from 03/10/2026. First item is our pledge of allegiance from chairperson Mason.

Please stand if you're able

Thank you. Next we'll do a

roll call. Vera, whenever you're ready.

Let the record reflect all commissioners with the exception of commissioner Kozak are present. Thank you.

Thank you. Next item is public input. At this time, any member of the public may address the Planning Commission on matters which are not listed on this evening's agenda, provided the matter is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Planning Commission. If you are in person, please fill out a request to speak formally handed to Vera, and we'll invite you up to the podium. If you're watching via Zoom, please raise your hand in the webinar, and you will be called on to speak. I do have one in hand. Vera, at this moment, is this the only public comment that we have?

Yes, chair. Thank you.

Thank you. Then I would like to call Matthew Sisek either up to the podium or perfect. Welcome.

Hello. Good evening, Planning Commission. Thank you for allowing this opportunity to speak. I'm a senior at Legacy Magnet Academy. Next year, I'm going off to college to study civil engineering and city planning.

Recently, I've been doing some research on, the Red Hill, specific plan, and I've I've noticed that since 2039, there hasn't been too much on the plan. And especially since living in this community for the past seventeen years of my life, I've haven't noticed a huge difference. And I know especially with a lot of the housing crisis and everything, mixed use and just even more housing is really key to building a bigger community. And I know in the outline that was that was really put forward through the workshops and everything. And I I just was curious if they could get more clarity on, like, maybe the environmental impact reports didn't go through or if, like, it just fills it out because I feel like with, especially California being in a housing crisis and a lot of people being priced out in Orange County.

I think it's a good opportunity to them be mixed in with, like, commercial and residential uses for lower cost. And I I just think that if we can possibly explore more options with that, I think that can improve our community is and to be what it originally wanted to be, to be a, like, a second downtown hub compared to old town to be walkable, to be bikeable. Like, I know there was talk about adding bike lanes to Red Hill, and that was that was, like, eight years ago, and it still hasn't happened yet. And I know as a person who bikes myself, like, I I don't wanna be biking on a road with cars going 50 miles an hour right by me. So it's I I think if there's a possibility to look back into the plan or if there's if it's still going on to possibly do something more with that, think it'll really benefit the community.

And I think that it can can be what it could be if we implement modern day like strategies, if you know what I mean.

Yeah. We don't have those answers at this time. First off, kudos to you. I wish more students

were getting involved in this type of discussion, so that's awesome.

I will defer to staff to follow-up on some of the requested items. I heard that they're in the works or at least in some discussions, so hopefully they get back to you soon. And, yeah, unfortunately, we don't really have those answers off the top of our heads up here. But

Okay.

Like I said, I appreciate your enthusiasm about that stuff.

Yeah. I mean, last year I'm sorry. Is it is it the time still going? Or last year, I had a good talk with all five city council members. I had a civic action project in which I was able to do stuff related to road safety. So it's just a continuation of that. Awesome. You know what mean? Thank you.

That's great. Good luck at college next year, and hope to see you back.

Thank you. I appreciate it. Have a great rest of your night.

If I could, to the chair. If, the gentleman would like to leave us with his contact information, I'd be more than happy to reach out to him.

Sounds good. I have it on the, request to speak for him as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Are there any other public comments for public input?

Chair, there are no others. Thank you.

Thank you. Next item on the agenda is the consent calendar item. All matters on the consent calendar are considered to be routine, will be enacted with one motion without discussion. Persons wishing to speak regarding the consent calendar items may file a request to speak for them with the Planning Commission Secretary. The only item on tonight's consent calendar are the approval of meeting minutes from February twenty fourth, twenty twenty sixth. Vera, are there any public comments?

Chair, there are none. Thank you.

Thank you. Do I have a motion to approve as drafted?

So moved.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Thank you. Vera, can we

have a

roll call vote, please?

Commissioner Zugolo? Aye. Higuchi. Aye. Chair Pro Tem Mason.

Aye.

And Chair Douthat.

Aye.

Motion passes four zero one. Thank you.

Thank you.

There are no public hearing items for tonight. And the next two items on the agenda are regular business items. First is the 2025 general plan annual progress report. And over the summary really quick. California government code section 65,400 requires requires all jurisdictions to prepare an annual report on the status of the general plan and progress in implementing its various elements with particular emphasis on the housing element and progress towards the regional housing needs allocation. The recommendation for tonight is to file receive and file the report, but we have a presentation first from George Maldonado. Take it away whenever you're ready.

Thank you, chair, for the introduction. Good evening, planning commissioners. It is my pleasure tonight to present to you the 2025 general plan annual progress report. And before we dive into the report itself, I do wanna establish some important context. So first and foremost, every California city has what's called a general plan, which is a long term policy document for the city's physical development and related planning activities.

General plans have seven required elements or what are essentially chapters, each focusing on one topic. You may have heard of the housing element, land use element, etcetera. By April 1 of every year, cities are required to report to the state the status of our general plan and its implementation, with special emphasis on our progress towards meeting our housing element objectives. This includes our progress in meeting our share of regional housing needs and reducing barriers to housing production in the city. Specifically, we'd be reporting this information to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, and the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, or LUCI.

And this is a receive and file item. So let's go ahead and dive into housing progress for 2025. Our assigned share of regional housing needs is commonly referred to as RHNA, which is that acronym on the second column from the left, R H N A. A new housing unit counts towards fulfilling our RHNA when it has its building permit issued. Accordingly, this table tracks the number of new housing permits that have been issued since the beginning of this housing element cycle, which began in 2021 and will run up until 2029.

For 2025, which is outlined in the aqua color here, you can see we issued 54 new housing permits. The table also tracks the affordability level of each of these units, And as a quick side note, the majority of the new permits that were issued in 2025 are comprised of ADUs or accessory dwelling units, as well as the Stafford Glen project off of Newport and El Camino Rail down the street. We do expect next year's report to show a significant increase in the number of building permits that were issued. We have a number of large housing projects that were approved last year, but did not have their building permits actually issued until this year. So that'll fall under next year's reporting cycle.

As an example, we have the Irvine Company at Tustin Legacy Project, which will ultimately include more than 1,300 units, as well as the Compass at Red Hill Project, which will have more than 70. And the building permits for those projects were either issued this year or will be issued in the upcoming months. And as I mentioned, the Stafford Glen project down the street is full steam ahead. And in addition to these projects that are actively under construction, we have quite a few that are that were just approved and that we're waiting for them pull their building permits. In related news, I am happy to share that the Jessup project by Intracore, right across from Columbus Tustin Park, was completed in 2025.

So all of these permits have been finalized. In addition to the new construction permits that were issued, we completed a number policy objectives from our housing element this past year, most notably including the rezoning that occurred at the Tustin Marketplace, Enderlea Center, and Tustin Legacy to establish or expand housing capacity at those sites. We also have a number of other initiatives such as reducing multifamily parking requirements, eliminating private storage requirements, as well as establishing citywide residential design standards. And our intent for that project is to come back on a district level and have more tailored objective design standards, for example, for Old Town versus Red Hill, etcetera. But we gave the first step with the citywide objective design standards.

Lots of cranes and construction crews around the city with a few more to come. We have a number of city led projects that are moving forward. For example, there's a new pedestrian bridge that was approved to cross over Armstrong Avenue down in the Legacy near the landing. The city is also working on plans to construct a public park in partnership with Heidemann Elementary School. And as you may know, the Main Street Improvement Projects are well underway right outside of our doors.

So these various projects touch on policies from a variety of different general plan elements. Like I mentioned before, it could be land use or circulation, housing, etcetera. All that to say, there are many projects, efforts, and initiatives being worked on by city staff. For the sake of time, I won't go into detail on each one, but a few notable ones include an on street residential parking study looking at the Southwest Tustin neighborhood, the opening of the Bark Barracks, which is the new dog park in Tustin Legacy, and as you'll hear a little bit later tonight, the continuance of our award winning historic preservation program. That's all the information that I have for you at this time.

I am happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Thank you very much. Thank you. I will open it up to the commission. Any questions?

Chair, I do have one question. What's the status of the Tustin Heritage project, the Families Board?

Thank you for the question, commissioner. The project, as I believe the project is in the building plan check process. I don't believe building permits have actually been issued at this time, but it is it has been entitled, and it's going through the process.

Thank you.

Through the chair, I may add to that answer just a little bit, they were shifting things with families forward a little bit and they have actually determined a new builder that they're working with. So that delayed things just a little bit as they make some adjustments. But they are moving forward.

Okay.

I'm curious if there have this is a little on the periphery, but curious if we're making any progress with the families who own the empty lots in Old Town.

Through the chair, if I may. I can answer that on kind of a broad level. We are having good conversations about moving forward and what could be helpful to those property owners or what they would consider at this time. It's certainly not a one size fits all for the different property owners, but we're very much engaged with them. And they are actively participating in those conversations about what the future looks like.

Good to know. They're engaging.

Yeah.

Yes. And any progress on turning that into parking in the interim?

Not at the moment,

no. Okay.

All right. Thank you.

One comment. First off, thank you. That's excellent work from the city in 2025. A lot of great progress. Just something to ask as we continue the Southwest parking study. I'd love that those findings can be presented to this commission. I know when people we do things, people always talk about parking. If we could take some learnings, problems, and applications and just make sure we complete that learning cycle, think it'd be great.

Thank you. And if I may, Chair, in response to your comment, we do plan on bringing that to the Planning Commission in the next month or so. So that is something that we're excited to talk to you about.

Thank you.

I have a couple questions. Slide six, you had a skilled nursing facility that was either entitled or completed?

That's right.

Which one was it?

It was entitled this past year. And as far as any needed improvements, I believe that if I might pass this over.

Yeah. Chair Douthat, yes. The project was went before the Planning Commission earlier last year. They were working with the state to get their approvals for interior improvements, which is should be completed by now. They there are two buildings on the property.

The larger prop larger building, there's it's a two story building that was completed. And the second building, it's a smaller one story building on the that's fronting the cul de sac. That one is currently being reviewed by the state. They're not sure if they can use it for if it would meet the certification for the state for assisted for skilled nursing facility. So they're still looking at what they're gonna be doing with that building.

Nice. And that's the one at Yorba And 1st?

Correct. Yeah. Yorba Irvine Boulevard? Correct. Yorba And Irvine. Correct. It's Generation Life is the is the operator.

Gotcha. Cool.

Mine's more of another general question for staff. So we are at 8% of our arena halfway through our ten year cycle. How are we faring against other cities in the state? I mean, that's a question off the top of your head. Are we ahead of, like, maybe some other in Orange County that are comparable cities to our size?

I don't we haven't compared ourselves to other cities in terms of going out and looking at numbers.

I think, anecdotally,

we're doing better than many. I think that the, construction of apartment units and rental units has been difficult for a lot of cities. There are some cities that are doing much better than us, I think, in terms of producing housing. But generally, a statewide perspective, I think we're doing Okay in comparison.

Thanks. Thank you very much. That's it for my questions. With that, any other questions? Nope. This is a receive and file item. So I will consider this received and filed. Do we have to make a motion? I can't remember. No.

No, there's no need to to move that item. You can simply receive and file the report.

Received and filed. Thank you. I should also ask, were there any public comments on that item before I considered it received and filed?

Sure. There were none.

Thank you. Perfect. Then we will move on to the 2026 historical and cultural resources adviser work program. The recommendation is that the Planning Commission acting as the HCRA to the city council approve resolution number four five four zero adopted in 2026 work program and direct staff to forward the report to city council as a receiving final item. Tonight's presentation is from Erica. Take it away.

Good evening, Chair Douthat, members of the Planning Commission. This evening I'll be presenting on the 2026 Historic and Cultural Resource Advisor Work Program. And as a little background to start with, in 2018 the City Council adopted a resolution which essentially affirmed the Planning Commission as what we call the HCRA, Historic Cultural Resource Advisor to the Council. And with that, it established the HCRA's roles and responsibilities, and it requires an annual work program. So each year, the historic preservation team suggests an annual work program, which includes goals and objectives for the next year, which is adopted by Commission and then forwarded to the City Council.

And before I get into the 2026 HCRA work program, I'd like to make a few highlights about 2025, which was a busy year for our historic preservation team. On this slide are some of our accomplishments for this past year. A lot of it was actively participating in city events. This year we participated in the Sunset Market as well as the Tustin Area Historical Society Living History and Home and Garden Tour in addition to our Historic Preservation Week. There were two plaque nominations that were received.

And in addition to the, what I've mentioned, the city events, we co hosted Historic Preservation Week with our two partners, which is the Tustin Area Historical Society and the Tustin Preservation Conservancy. Last year, we highlighted Tustin's military past, and we included two walking tours in addition to an educational table at the Sunset Market. And we did show a movie with refreshments for the public to view on one of Tustin's veterans. And under other matters, this past year we did update our historic preservation story map, which is one of our newer tools that we have. It's an online tool, and we included information as to whether a property had received a historic plaque.

So that was a suggestion by our director, which we've completed. So for 2026, we're going to continue to actively participate in city events, including attending and supporting some events by the Tustin Area Historical Society and those by the Preservation Conservancy. We're going to continue to facilitate commissioner trainings and education on historic preservation. We'll be co hosting, again, the Historic Preservation Week and building on upon our success from the year prior. This year's theme will be a citrus kind of agricultural past and growth of Tustin as we developed into a suburb following World War II.

One item that I wanted to speak a little bit about would be an update to our commendation program. This was delayed slightly from 2025 due to some conflicting work other work that we needed to do. But this program we will be updating, and it's really a second plaque program with the city. And there is some confusion in that we have the two programs, so we're looking to kind of clarify and better define both of those. We plan to have a nomination again for at least two plaque nominations, and we intend to also update our website and keep it refreshed with new and interesting content on historic preservation, as well as update our virtual walking tour, which was completed almost two years ago.

So we'd like to do a refresh on that and any other matters that may be referred to the HCRA by the director. So that essentially concludes my presentation. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission acting and its role in the HCRA adopt the resolution and approve the HCRA 2026 work program. Thank you.

Questions from the commission? I have a question. So like the bust of Columbus Tustin, is that the city's responsibility for maintenance and upkeep? That

I don't know exactly, But I could certainly find out. I know it was privately funded and constructed back in time, but I don't know if we maintain it.

Okay. I know that was a question from the Historical Society as well. Apparently you're supposed to, like, polish them or do something to them. The only concern is with the construction activities going on, I just wanna make sure that that stays in good condition. But other than that, I'm very excited about all the stuff that we as a city do and you especially. So I appreciate the city's efforts in trying to preserve our historic, records and importance. So are there any public comments for this?

Chair, there are none. Thank you.

Thank you. This is also a receiving file, so consider receiving file.

Approving the plan '26.

Okay. Correct that. Then do I have a motion to approve the resolution and direct staff to forward the report to City Council?

Motion to approve resolution.

Second.

Very can we have a roll call vote please.

Commissioner Scullo. Aye. Pagucci. Aye. Chair Pro Tem Mason.

Aye.

And Chair Douthat.

Aye.

Motion passes four zero one. Thank you.

Thank you. Then we'll move on to other business. First from the Community Development Director update.

Thank you very much chair. This evening I have a brief update to let you know that at the last city council meeting they did hold the first reading of the most recent code amendment streamlining action that this commission considered on January 27 that addressed some basic provisions within our code related to state law and our housing element and housing requirements as well as short term rentals and some minor cleanup items. And then I wanted to also let you know that HCD did provide staff a comment letter on our ADU ordinance, our accessory dwelling unit ordinance as well. So we have been working on that as well as the comment letter that this commission received at that hearing. We do have what I would call a full draft ordinance that we are working on and we'll be bringing that to this commission in the near future.

Thank you.

Thank you. I'll move on to commission comments and reports. Commissioner Higuchi?

No comments. No reports. Actually, Alexa, on the ADU ordinance, that's Just to bring our ordinance up to up to speed with state with state housing law?

That's correct.

Yes. Alright.

Thank you.

I just want to comment. It's nice to see both Erica and George here. We haven't seen your faces in a while and all your hard work. And particularly you, Erica, for keeping us focused on the historic preservation and all the work you've done. I think the city is very lucky to have you.

Mr. Herculo?

Yeah. Really pleased to attend the Tustin Community Foundation's Sip and Stroll on the twenty eighth. If you've never been to that event, highly recommend you go next year. Great way to see all the Tustin businesses out and to eat and and and drink all that you can. It was a wonderful event. Just one one thought on the the public comment that we had, I believe, from Matthew. I think I know staff will get back to him and all the the neat progress that has been made. This commission kind of sets the plan. You can't just make it happen overnight. But we've done such an amazing job in Old Town with public update.

Maybe it's something that we figure out how to put into practice that when we ask for public, we solicit public feedback on projects that we keep them updated how it's going no matter how long it can be. So I do imagine he's not the only one saying, hey, years ago you asked me for some opinion, maybe some outreach to them about just how it's going. That's it.

Thank you. Man, you guys are moving and grooving on the Old Town improvements so that's great. Hopefully, I mean, what is the anticipated completion date of all of the improvements that we're doing?

There we go. I believe we have a goal of September of this

staggering the parklets on El Camino. The one side that has started the anticipated completion date of that one was May, is that correct? For the parklet, is there a street closure?

Right now. There This

side of the street. Yeah. And that when is that completion anticipated?

I do not know the exact timeline on that. I can provide it to the to the commission though. I'll speak with public works.

Okay. We were getting a couple or I was getting a couple questions of how long that side of the street was anticipated to be closed. And then I'm sure I know once that side is done, we switch to the other side. So if we can get a report on a, how it's going, b, anticipated completion dates, that would be great.

So Certainly happy to do that.

Thank you very much. With that and no other comments or reports, I will adjourn the meeting at 06:30. Our next regular meeting of the Planning Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, 03/24/2026.