Planning Commission Meeting Update

November 15, 2006                   Wednesday                                7:00 p.m.

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

 Commr. McCoy was absent. 

ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA:  

The order of the agenda was not modified. 

MINUTES:  Minutes of October 25, 2006, 2006. Approve or amend. 

PUBLIC COMMENT:   

There was no public comment other than on regular agenda items. 

PUBLIC HEARINGS: 

1.        955 Morro, 847, 861, 863, 877 Palm, 840, 842, 844, 848, 868, 870, 886 Monterey, 984, 986 Chorro Street.  ER 69-05;  EIR Scoping meeting for the Chinatown mixed-use project to be located on 8 parcels generally bordered by Chorro, Palm, Morro and Monterey Streets, covering approximately 75 percent of this city block; C-D-H zone; SLO Chinatown, LLC, applicant.  (Pam Ricci) 

Senior Planner Pam Ricci provided an overview regarding the EIR review process and a general description of the project including proposed building demolitions.  Mark Rawson, the project architect, followed by providing a more detailed overview of the submitted project plans.  Dan Gira, environmental consultant with AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc., concluded the presentation by identifying the main environmental issue areas associated with project development and explaining the contemplated range of alternatives. 

Four people spoke during the public hearing portion of the meeting. Allan Cooper wanted mitigation measures to explicitly call out that ARC actions would receive input from the CHC.  He suggested that since much of the project site was currently public property that there might be a nexus to require more affordable units in the project than the City’s Inclusionary Ordinance would mandate.  He felt that the Population discussion in the initial study was lacking and that the project floor area would generate 670 new workers.  He wanted to make sure that the Cultural Resources team included an architectural historian. 

David Brodie wanted to make sure that the new project fully complied with policies included in the City’s Energy Conservation Element.  Ms. McFadden would like to see the Blackstone Hotel building retained if feasible and suggested that the proposed physical model go beyond the project block to more accurately reflect its scale and relationship to existing development.  Sean Fitzpatrick voiced displeasure that his business would be displaced by the project.           

The Commission provided the following direction regarding changes to the environmental analysis and additional workscope issues: 

1.            Include more key viewing areas (KVAs ) in the Aesthetics analysis.  It was suggested that there be four KVAs added, particularly of more distant views.

2.            Provide a moderately detailed analysis and discussion of the Population and Housing issue.  They felt that the housing provided in the project was more designed as high-end housing that would not address the needs of most downtown workers.

3.            Include more Alternatives with a fairly high degree of analysis.  The Commission was supportive of Dan Gira’s idea to include a more realistic version of the environmentally superior alternative.

4.            Prepare a physical model that includes at least the first part of all surrounding blocks to get a greater sense of the project’s scale in relations to surrounding buildings.

5.            Recommend, but not require that the project architect prepare a 3 D video to get a better sense of the spatial experience at the pedestrian level.

6.            Make sure that there is a thorough and defensible parking analysis included and look at innovative ways to provide parking and reduce demand.

7.            Include in Aesthetic mitigation measures that ARC actions would receive input from the CHC.

8.            In the Aesthetics section, make sure that the discussion offers specific ways that the proposal could be found consistent with the Community Design Guidelines. 

COMMENT AND DISCUSSION: 

2.        Staff 

A.    Agenda Forecast  

Deputy Director Doug Davidson gave an agenda forecast of upcoming items and projects. 

3.        Commission 

The meeting adjourned around 9:00 p.m. to the regular meeting of the Planning Commission scheduled for Wednesday, November 29, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 990 Palm Street.