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Approval of Draft Minutes February 11, 2015DRAFT MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2015 The Planning Commission of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, at 7:00 PM. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER Chair Burch called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Kendra Burch, Vice Chair, Commissioner Mary Badame, Commissioner Charles Erekson, Commissioner Melanie Hanssen, Commissioner D. Michael Kane, Commissioner Tom O’Donnell, and Commissioner Joanne Talesfore Absent: None. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Erekson led the Pledge of Allegiance. The audience was invited to participate. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JANUARY 28, 2015 MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Badame to approve the meeting minutes of January 28, 2015. Seconded by Commissioner Kane. VOTE: Motion passed 7-0. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS Desk Item for Items 1 and 3. REQUESTED CONTINUANCES – ITEM #2 MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Kane to continue the public hearing for Item 2, 15600 & 15650 Los Gatos Boulevard, to April 8, 2015. Seconded by Commissioner Talesfore. VOTE: Motion passed 7-0. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS Housing Element Advisory Board Commissioner Hanssen reported that she ad Commissioner Erekson attended t he 2/4/15 HEAB meeting and discussed preliminary recommendations of Housing Element sites. VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS (AUDIENCE) None. CONSENT CALENDAR None. Page 2 of 5 Planning Commission Minutes February 11, 2015 CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. 720 Blossom Hill Road Architecture and Site Application: S-14-018 Conditional Use Permit: U-14-007 APN: 523-06-045 Property Owner: Richard C. Conger Applicant: Lunardi’s Market, c/o Tony Lucia Project Planner: Marni Moseley Requesting approval to modify the existing Conditional Use Permit to expand an existing grocery store (Lunardi’s Market) into existing adjacent retail space on property zoned C-1. Chair Burch opened the public hearing. Marni Moseley, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Commission members asked questions of staff. Darryl Wong - Commented that he is the general contractor for the project and represents Tony Lucia, who could not attend the meeting. He spoke about Mr. Lucia’s excitement to expand Lunardi’s to better serve the Los Gatos community. With respect to parking in the rear, Lunardi’s absolutely encourages its employees to park in the rear in order to leave parking in the front for customers. Commission members asked questions of Mr. Wong. Commission members asked questions of staff. Chair Burch closed the public input portion of the hearing and returned to the Commission for deliberation. Commission members asked questions of staff. MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Talesfore to approve Architecture and Site Application S-14-018 and Conditional Use Permit U-14-007 subject to the conditions of approval as noted in Exhibits 3 and 4 of the staff report dated February 11, 2015. The required findings were made as noted in Exhibit 2 of the staff report dated February 11, 2015. Chair Burch requested the motion be amended to modify condition 43 to include notification of the neighbors regarding crane hours and require the applicant to work with the Town Engineer to coordinate large construction deliveries around school schedules. She requested a new condition requiring that the majority of material laydown space will be on the interior of the building and a modification to condition 20 that a site superintendent’s phone number be displayed at all times. The maker of the motion accepted the amendments to the motion. Commissioner O’Donnell requested the motion be amended to state that the shopping center owner is committing to the nine additional rear parking spaces that are to be maintained by the applicant and saved for employee parking, that the area behind Lunardi’s be kept and maintained in a condition satisfactory to the Town, that the shopping cart storage be located and built as described in the drawing with an additional a fascia placed along the parking lot side of the stalls to the satisfaction of the Director. The maker of the motion accepted the amendments to the motion. Page 3 of 5 Planning Commission Minutes February 11, 2015 Commissioner Kane requested the motion be amended to require lighting at night in the rear parking lot, and restriping of the parking spots and dumpster area to be more organized and inviting. The Commission discussed the matter. The maker of the motion accepted the amendments to the motion. Seconded by Commissioner Badame. VOTE: Motion passed 7-0. Planning Manager Joel Paulson cited the appeal rights. NEW PUBLIC HEARINGS 4. 663 & 681 Blossom Hill Road and 15965 & 15991 Los Gatos Boulevard Sign Program: SNPRG-14-060 APNs: 529-65-027 and 529-65-028 Property Owner/Applicant: Tom Consunji, CHL Ventures LP Project Planner: Erin Walters Requesting approval for a sign program on property zoned CH:PD. Chair Burch opened the public hearing. Erin Walters, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Commission members asked questions of staff. Danny Moran - Commented that he is the owner of Corporate Sign Systems. The system they have designed for Sandy Lane is more architectural design than standard retail design. It is a simple design with no fasteners. Commission members asked questions of Mr. Moran. Chair Burch closed the public input portion of the hearing and returned to the Commission for deliberation. Commission members asked questions of staff. Commission members discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by Chair Burch to approve Sign Program SNPRG-14-060 subject to the conditions of approval as noted in Exhibit 3 of the staff report dated February 11, 2015, with direction to staff to request that the property owner and future tenants consider lowering the building address numbers and wall signs to be more pedestrian friendly. The required findings were made as noted in Exhibit 2 of the staff report dated February 11, 2015. Seconded by Commissioner O’Donnell. VOTE: Motion passed 7-0. Planning Manager Joel Paulson cited the appeal rights. Page 4 of 5 Planning Commission Minutes February 11, 2015 CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARINGS (continued) 3. Zoning Code Amendment Zoning Code Amendment: A-14-002 Applicant: Town of Los Gatos Project Manager: Bob Kass Consider the adoption of amendments to Chapter 26 (Trees and Shrubs) and Chapter 29 (Zoning Regulations – Tree Protection) of the Town Code. It has been determined that there is no possibility that this project will have a significant impact on the e nvironment; therefore, the project is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (Section 15061 (b)(3)). Chair Burch opened the public hearing. Bob Kass, Project Manager, presented the staff report. Commission members asked questions of Mr. Kass and staff. David Weissman - Commented that the process by staff to improve the Tree Protection Ordinance is perfect, because their project deals almost exclusively with trees not in the hillsides, which are the issues staff has the most experience with. He suggested the parts of Chapter 29 that deal with the hillsides be turned over to a small committee of Los Gatos citizens with biological expertise that staff may not have, and should be chaired by Bob Kass. Mary Keith Osborn - Commented that the oaks in Los Gatos that are removed are not being replaced with oaks, and they should be, because Los Gatos is losing its oak woodlands. She thought it would be good to have more native oaks on the access road to Los Gatos. The Toyon trees are important as well. Over the years she has seen native trees removed, and the wildlife that depend upon them leave as well. Commission members asked questions of Ms. Osborn. Chair Burch closed the public input portion of the hearing and returned to the Commission for deliberation. Commission members asked questions of Mr. Kass and staff. Commission members discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by Commissioner O’Donnell to continue the public hearing regarding Zoning Code Amendment A-14-002 to March 25, 2015. The Planning Commission would also have a workshop on March 4, 2015 and Planning staff requested Commission comments on the current draft ordinance amendments by 5:00 p.m. on February 17, 2015. Seconded by Commissioner Badame. VOTE: Motion passed 7-0. NEW OTHER BUSINESS 1. Report from Community Development Director, Laurel Prevetti  Town Council met 2/3/14, began deliberations on the North Forty Specific Plan, and continued the discussion to the meeting of 3/3/15. Page 5 of 5 Planning Commission Minutes February 11, 2015 ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 10:01 pm. TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING COMMISSION Wednesday, February 11, 2014 ___________________________________________ Kendra Burch, Chair APPROVED AS TO FORM AND ATTEST: _____________________________ Joel Paulson Planning Manager