Planning Commission Meeting Update

August 23, 2006                         Wednesday                                7:00 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ROLL CALL:      Commissioners Charles Stevenson, John Ashbaugh, Peter Brown, Andrew Carter, Jason McCoy, Vice Chairperson Carlyn Christianson, and Chairperson  Andrea Miller 

All Commissioners were present.

ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA: Commissioners or staff may modify the order of items. 

The agenda was accepted as written.

MINUTES:  Minutes of August 9, 2006.  

The minutes were approved as submitted. 

PUBLIC COMMENT:  

There was no public comment

PUBLIC HEARINGS: 

1.      577 & 579 Marsh Street and 1213 & 1221 Nipomo Street. TR and ER 36-06; Review of a tentative tract map for an airspace condominium subdivision including 33 residential units and 3 commercial units, and environmental review; C-D zone; Bermant Homes, applicant. (Jaime Hill)  

Following a brief presentation by staff explaining the condominium subdivision, and State Law 435 regarding the density bonus and concession, the applicant team walked the Commission through the development, explaining the building design, layout, and parking. Public comment was limited to one speaker, Ernie Martin, a resident of the 500 block of Islay Street. Mr. Martin had general concerns about the height of buildings in the downtown, maintaining views to the mountains, compatibility of architecture with the Old Town area, and the increasing parking problems on Pacific, Buchon, and Islay Streets. He also expressed that he felt that this project was well designed.

The Commissioners had a lively discussion about a variety of issues, including the term and tenure of the affordable units, parking, and property development standards. Commissioner Ashbaugh focused on the height and mass of the project, and recommended that the owners of the commercial tenant spaces be awarded parking on-site. Commissioner Brown had questions about the location of the transit stop on Nipomo, and recommended that additional long-term bike storage for the residents be provided on the ground level. Commissioner Stevenson felt that the smoke generated by the Old Country Deli should have been addressed in the environmental document, that there should be additional commercial space, potentially on the Nipomo frontage, and that the upper story should have an additional setback. Commissioners Carter, McCoy, Christianson, and Chairwoman Miller all expressed that this is an appropriate location for a project of this type and scale, that it includes many features that we should be encouraging, such as underground parking for residents, and that it seems well designed.

On a motion by Christianson, seconded by Carter, the Commission voted 6-1 recommending approval of the Mitigated Negative Declaration of Environmental Impact and tentative tract map, including the 27.5% density bonus and concession to waive the requirement for lockable storage for the nine 1-bedroom units to the City Council as recommended by staff, adding a condition that owners and occupants receive a disclaimer about adjacent food services and the airborne smoke and odors that they create. Commissioner Stevenson voted no due to concern about the ratio of residential to commercial floor area and the reduction of commercial floor area on the site.

COMMENT AND DISCUSSION:

 2.      Staff

Deputy Director Davidson informed them of items on their upcoming meeting, and reviewed the meeting schedule for November and December of this year.

 3.        Commission 

The Commission had a brief discussion about a memo that was provided to them by staff which explained the two-step process of discussing building heights that was to begin next Monday, with the discussion at the regularly scheduled Cultural Heritage Committee Meeting. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. to the regular meeting of the Planning Commission scheduled for Wednesday September 13, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 990 Palm Street.