Planning Commission Meeting Update

October 22, 2008                  Wednesday                                7:00 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

ROLL CALL:      Commissioners Amanda Brodie, Dan Carpenter, Carlyn Christianson, Diana Gould, Michael Multari, Vice-Chairperson John Ashbaugh, and Chairperson Charles Stevenson 

Commissioner Christianson was absent. 

ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA:   

MINUTES:  Minutes of October 8, 2008.   

The minutes were accepted as presented. 

PUBLIC COMMENT:   

There were no public comments. 

PUBLIC HEARINGS:   

1.        143, 151, and 163 Suburban Road.  TR/ER 74-07:  Environmental review and tentative tract map to create 23 commercial lots with exceptions; M-SP zone; Roland Ball Trust, applicant.  (Tyler Corey) 

Tyler Corey presented the staff report recommending approval of the tentative tract map and mitigated negative declaration to City Council.  The applicant, Stephen Dorsi, clarified that the purpose for the smaller commercial lots was to fill a market need in the City that would allow small local businesses to be able to purchase lots and construct buildings that meet their specific needs.  

On a motion by Commissioner Ashbaugh, seconded by Commissioner Gould, the commission voted 6:0 to recommend approval of the tentative tract map and mitigated negative declaration of environmental impact, based on findings and subject to conditions and code requirements.  

2.        1010 Broad Street.  U 111-02:  To allow new art center building in S-overlay zone within Downtown Historic District; SLO Art Center, Attn:  Karen Kile, applicant.   (Phil Dunsmore) 

Phil Dunsmore presented the staff report recommending the Planning Commission adopt a resolution that recommends the City Council deny the use permit.  Following a significant amount of testimony from the Art Center applicant team and supporters of the Art Center, the Commission debated the need to continue the project to see necessary design changes or move the project forward to the City Council with conditions of approval.  Commissioners wanted to see the conditions noted by the Architectural Review Commission, such as additional design treatment at Broad & Monterey Street, incorporated into the project.  The first motion, by Commissioner Ashbaugh, to continue the item to include design changes and additional environmental review failed on a 4:2 vote.  

A later motion, by Commissioner Multari, forwarded the item to the City Council for approval subject to conditions.  The conditions included a requirement for additional architectural review to address the Broad and Monterey Street elevations. More specifically, the condition requires a greater variety in building color and texture on the street elevations and requires that the pedestrian scale be enhanced for the street sides of the building.  This motion passed on a 4:2 vote with Commissioners Brodie and Carpenter voting against the motion because they wanted to see the changes incorporated into the project before it is forwarded to the City Council.  

COMMENT AND DISCUSSION: 

3.        Staff 

a.      Agenda Forecast – Deputy Director Davidson provided the agenda forecast. 

4.        Commission 

Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the Planning Commission regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public inspection in the Community Development, 919 Palm Street, during normal business hours