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HomeMy WebLinkAbout0615 MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION tow TUESDAY - JUNE 15, 2004 6:00 P.M. - CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBER 73-510 FRED WARING DRIVE I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Jonathan called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Finerty led in the pledge of allegiance. III. ROLL CALL Members Present: Sabby Jonathan, Chairperson Dave Tschopp, Vice Chairperson Sonia Campbell (arrived at 6:02 p.m.) Cindy Finerty ` w Jim Lopez Members Absent: None Staff Present: Steve Smith, Planning Manager Francisco Urbina, Associate Planner Tonya Monroe, Administrative Secretary IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Request for consideration of the May 18, 2004 meeting minutes. Action: It was moved by Commissioner Finerty, seconded by Commissioner Lopez, approving the May 18, 2004 meeting minutes. Motion carried 4- 0. (Commissioner Campbell arrived at this time.) V. SUMMARY OF COUNCIL ACTION Mr. Smith summarized the pertinent June 10, 2004 City Council actions. MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 i VI. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. VII. CONSENT CALENDAR None. Vill. PUBLIC HEARINGS Anyone who challenges any hearing matter in court may be limited to raising only those issues he, she or someone else raised at the public hearing described herein, or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing. A. Case No. PP/CUP 04-11 - RANCHO MIRAGE BUILDERS, INC., Applicant Request for approval of a precise plan/conditional use permit for a 2,210 square foot single story office building located at the northwest corner of Alessandro Drive and San Jacinto Avenue, 73-900 Alessandro Avenue. Chairperson Jonathan noted that the applicant requested a continuance. He asked if staff had a report. Mr. Smith said no and recommended that the matter be continued until July 20, 2004. Chairperson Jonathan opened the public hearing and asked for a motion. Action: It was moved by Commissioner Campbell, seconded by Commissioner Finerty, by minute motion, continued Case No. PP/CUP 04-1 1 to July 20, 2004. Motion carried 5-0. B. Case No. CUP 04-12 - THE LIVING DESERT, Applicant Request for approval of a conditional use permit to construct a two-story 19,075 square foot administration building at 47-900 Portola Avenue. 2 MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 Mr. Urbina outlined the salient points of the staff report. He recommended that the Planning Commission approve Conditional Use Permit 04-12, subject to the conditions in the draft resolution. Commissioner Tschopp asked if Mr. Urbina knew what the plans were for the modular buildings that were currently in use. Mr. Urbina said they are expected to remain. There is a shortage of office space for all Living Desert employees that need office space. At this time the plans are to keep the existing modular buildings and they will provide offices for employees that currently do not have offices in other departments at the Living Desert or that share overcrowded offices. However, the applicant indicated that if the Living Desert is successful in obtaining grant money or a substantial donation in the future, then they may propose construction of a new building to replace the modular offices. Commissioner Campbell asked if Mr. Urbina had heard anything from The Reserve, any indication that this would be unsightly. Mr. Urbina informed commission that staff hadn't received any written or verbal �.. communications from The Reserve. The only verbal communication that was received was earlier that day from a home owner in the Corsican Villas condominiums on the west side of Portola Avenue across from the main entrance to the Living Desert. They expressed that they weren't happy with the current situation related to traffic when there are cars existing from the main entrance at the Living Desert wanting to go north at the same time that someone wants to go north as well on Portola Avenue exiting the Corsican Villas project. They sometimes have to wait a while during the peak demand to go north. The person indicated that she was going to speak to the City's Public Works Department about proposing the idea of having a median there. It was his understanding, though, that Public Works Department staff did study the idea of a median last year and concluded that it was not warranted. Additionally, while a median might solve one issue, it could lead to right-turn in and right-turn out only for the people at Corsican Villas, making direct access onto north bound Portola Avenue difficult. They would have to go south and make a U-turn. But the Public Works Department conclusion last year was that a median was not warranted in the location. Those were the only comments received. 3 MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 Chairperson Jonathan asked what work was currently being done on Portola in that area. Mr. Urbina deferred the question to Public Works staff. Mr. Joy wasn't sure. Chairperson Jonathan thought the applicant could answer that later. He said that north and south of Haystack there was significant road work being done. Also, the gate into the Living Desert administrative facility had been closed off. Chairperson Jonathan asked if there was a standard for a facility like the Living Desert in terms of the required parking. Mr. Urbina said no. Chairperson Jonathan asked if staff or any consultant conducted a parking analysis to determine if the existing parking lot was adequate for the existing use. Mr. Urbina said that staff visited the site a few times, but that was during the week. It looked like over two-thirds of the parking lot was vacant. However, staff did not do an analysis on weekends and that during the time of peak demand. Chairperson Jonathan noted that Halloween and Christmas were also peak times. Mr. Urbina said that was correct. He heard from the Public Works Department that Halloween was one of their busiest times. s f Commissioner Campbell pointed out that during that time the employees wouldn't be working in the administrative offices. Mr. Urbina concurred. The demand for the offices is during the daylight hours. Regarding the exception to the building height, Chairperson Jonathan asked if it was for more than tower elements. It was a substantive portion of the total roof line. He was talking about anything in excess of 24 feet that is the normal standard for office professional. Mr. Urbina said it referred to decorative tower elements that do not exceed 10% of the footprint of the building. Chairperson Jonathan said that the 30 feet indicated in the staff report, if he was looking at the renderings correctly, they were not talking about just decorative tower elements. They were talking about the full mass of the building in excess of 24 feet. He asked if that was right. Mr. Urbina concurred, the full mass of the building would have some heights at 30 feet. Mr. Urbina added that the Public Institutional District, which is what this property is zoned for, states that all development standards shall be as specified in the conditional use permit, so there were no set height limits in this zone. It is what the applicant proposes, subject to approval by the 4 MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 r.► Planning Commission. Chairperson Jonathan said he mis-spoke, he meant that in terms of comparing to our office professional standards which is 25 feet and how the proposal compares to that being up to 30. Mr. Urbina stated that staff didn't think that would be an issue because the building is set back 300 feet from Portola. Chairperson Jonathan opened the public hearing and asked the applicant to address the commission. MR. MATTHEW ESTERIN, the Director of Construction and Maintenance at the Living Desert, 47-900 Portola Avenue, Palm Desert, addressed the commission. He thanked the commission for considering this Steve Chase Administration Building. He said it has been in the works for the past ten years in funding it. With the Living Desert standards, it will settle into the environment very well with the palm garden and upper patio palm trees being blended into it to help it settle back into its natural areas. %NW To address the question of what is happening on Portola, he inquired with Granite Construction the other day and apparently they are getting an entirely new road, not just resealing the top, but ripping up the whole base and rebuilding 15 inches of road. He thought that was a City project. He asked for any other questions. Commissioner Lopez asked what would be on each floor of the two-story building. Mr. Esterin said that on the east half of the building would primarily be offices upstairs and downstairs. From the center to the west would be the Steve Chase art gallery, board of directors meeting facility and some service facilities associated with it. Commissioner Lopez asked if there was a need to go 30 feet up. Mr. Esterin said yes, a lot of this was originally through the Steve Chase design that was done and approved of then. The 30 feet is a center skylight which they shrank down, it used to be much larger with the kalwall structure on top. The whole building itself was not 30 feet, just that small portion. %1W 5 MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 Chairperson Jonathan asked about the height for the rest of the roof line. Someone from the audience said 24'/2 feet from the front side finished curb. Commissioner Tschopp asked about the color palette the commission received. He asked if that was a true rendition of the colors that would be on the building. MR. RAY HOWARD, Holden and Johnson Architects, 44-267 Monterey Avenue, addressed the commission. He wasn't sure exactly what the commission had in their packets, but showed the commission a color board. He said it was as close as they could come with photographic representation. Chairperson Jonathan asked him to circulate the color board. Commissioner Campbell asked if the proposed colors matched the existing colors of the building close to Portola. Mr. Howard couldn't say they matched, but said they were similar colors. There were no other questions and Chairperson Jonathan asked if anyone wished to speak in FAVOR or OPPOSITION to the proposal. MR. DOUGLAS OSTMAN, 73-790 Pinon Court, in the Corsican Villas across the street from The Living Desert, addressed the commission. He had some sketches to pass out. First and foremost he said the subject is traffic. Several of them are members of the Living Desert and have no objection to the Living Desert. They think it is a wonderful thing. What they were concerned with is they would like to see a median developed in the street between Haystack and Buckboard because they are getting a lot of traffic, increased traffic, with the activities. When this building was suggested, it sounded like it was going to have a lot more occupants, but they were very concerned because traffic is building annually and particularly with the lack of stop signs coming from the Ironwood area and the new Desert Reserve. 6 MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 Many times on many of the activities they have to bring out traffic control people and stop vehicles. They come out of Corsican Villas, break left going to town, and it was just getting to be bumper to bumper on big weekends and the big activities. They were recommending or suggesting that a raised curb median strip with desert landscaping be put in it to match the Living Desert and control the traffic. He said the commission could see on his diagram that traffic coming from Palm Desert to the Living Desert didn't stop anywhere except Haystack. They found it very difficult and quite often hazardous that there was no stopping at all there in front of their gate area. People coming from Ironwood have the same problem with people turning left or coming out of the Living Desert Reserve exit. People don't have notice of that driveway. They come down and it was almost bumper to bumper on that side of the road. He thought it should be considered more than it has been. Traffic is building each year. When they have special events, they discount them. They are all up and down the street and on Haystack. That's okay. He also mentioned that he is on the Board of Directors of Corsican Villas. He just wanted to bring that to their attention and have someone take a very close look at that piece of traffic and that congestion in there. Plus, they have had some near misses over the last few years because it has become so active. He thanked the commission. Chairperson Jonathan asked if Mr. Ostman was suggesting the median strips plus a stop sign at the Corsican Villas entrance. Mr. Ostman said yes. Chairperson Jonathan asked why he was asking for a median strip. He asked what he was trying to accomplish by that. Mr. Ostman said that quite often the median strip is violated. It is a painted median right now with a double strip down it and it is quite often violated and people don't pay attention to them. tow MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 Chairperson Jonathan thanked him for his explanation. There was no one else wishing to address the commission, the applicant didn't have any rebuttal comments, and Chairperson Jonathan closed the public hearing and asked for commission comments. Action: Commissioner Campbell moved for approval. Commissioner Lopez seconded the motion and commented that he was concerned about the height of the building, but now understood it was a skylight element. He thought the project looked very nice and would be a nice addition to a needed area up there. Chairperson Jonathan asked if there was any further discussion. Commissioner Tschopp commented that if he saw the color palette going up on a street in Palm Desert he might have more comments to make, but with it sitting back 315 feet from Portola and in the Living Desert organization itself, he believed the architect knew what he was doing. Secondly, he thought it would be nice to have Engineering take a look at the traffic up there and perhaps in the resolution or at least in their comments encourage the City to look at that area because it is a very busy road, especially during the special events that go on and he understood that Engineering has taken a look, but perhaps it was worth another look to see if there was a way to mitigate possible problems down the road. Commissioner Finerty concurred. From what she understood from Mr. Joy, there was concern about a median prohibiting left-hand turns out of Corsican Villas, but the way this median had been drawn, they could turn left and continue into Palm Desert. She thought it was something that should be looked at. Mr. Joy indicated that the last time this was looked at they had two letters that were addressed to M.C. Morris of Corsican Villas and a couple of letters were mailed out to him. It was staff's feeling that if they construct a median island on Portola right now, since the Living Desert is the main traffic generator, the drawing passed out to the commission showed a left-turn lane going into the Living Desert, but it was such a short left-turn lane that it would only allow a few cars for stacking and would be impractical since they are the leading trip generator in the area and they would need a long left-turn lane to go in. 8 MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 .r What Mr. Urbina was referring to before would be to prohibit left-turns out of Corsican Villas so that it was a right-turn in and right-turn out only if they installed a median there. Commissioner Tschopp said he wasn't trying to second guess the traffic engineer and didn't know what the answer was, but he knew there was a problem up there and at times it could get pretty bad depending on the season and how much activity the Living Desert was generating. At the least he thought staff should take a look at what might be done now or what may have to be done in the future to keep the traffic moving and to keep it safe. Chairperson Jonathan noted that Portola is two lanes in one section and it goes back to one lane on each side and then it goes back to two lanes in other areas, so there might be the ability to create two lanes all along. He thought he was going to be the lone voice of dissention and would take a brief moment to explain. He was certainly a fan of the Living Desert and has been a member for 20 years and adores the good work that is done there. His concern wasn't with the Living Desert, it was with a 19,000 square foot office building in what he believed was a strictly residential neighborhood. He wasn't convinced that putting in a 19,000 square foot office building in a residential area was appropriate. Number two, putting up a 19,000 square foot office building without any new parking spaces he thought was a mistake. He frequents the Living Desert and has had a number of occasions when it has been a challenge to find a parking space. He has had to drop off people at the front and was lucky to find something very far away. It was not unusual for offsite parking, particularly during special events, which were quite numerous and quite a number of days. So he wasn't convinced that it was appropriate to add 19,000 square feet of office without creating any new parking spaces. He wasn't convinced of that. It might be okay, it might not, but he didn't think they had really looked at that issue. Furthermore, he would be more comfortable if more residents were noticed about this proposed 19,000 square foot office building, including Corsican Villas, Silver Spur, Ironwood, Marrakesh, and all the individual homes around the Haystack area that would be affected by the traffic impacts. There are existing traffic problems on Portola and adding %No 9 MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 j .ri 19,000 square feet of office and everything that involved was going to exacerbate the current situation. He concurred with his fellow commissioners that a more comprehensive study of the traffic situation there needs to be undertaken. Portola has gotten bad enough now between the Living Desert, the number of residences, the Vintage people parking on Portola while they are waiting to be allowed in, so there was a bit of a mess there and this wasn't all the fault of the Living Desert, but this is kind of a catalyst and to some extent the straw that is breaking the camel's back. So before they proceed further with additional building, particularly of this magnitude, they needed to come up with a comprehensive resolution of the problems that they know exist that would only be made worse by this. So for all those reasons, he was not yet convinced that this would be an appropriate change to the neighborhood. He asked for any other comments. There were none. He called for the vote. Motion carried 4-1 with Chairperson Jonathan voting no. It was moved by Commissioner Campbell, seconded by Commissioner Lopez, adopting Planning Commission Resolution No. 2275, approving CUP 04-12, subject to conditions. Motion carried 4-1 (Chairperson Jonathan voted no). IX. MISCELLANEOUS None. X. COMMITTEE MEETING UPDATES A. ART IN PUBLIC PLACES None. B. LANDSCAPE COMMITTEE Commissioner Finerty said the meeting was canceled. 10 MINUTES PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 15, 2004 r.. C. PROJECT AREA 4 COMMITTEE Commissioner Finerty said the meeting was canceled. XI. COMMENTS Commissioner Tschopp asked for confirmation that the next meeting would be July 20. Chairperson Jonathan said that was correct. Mr. Smith warned that it should be a fairly extensive agenda on the 20th. XII. ADJOURNMENT It was moved by Chairperson Jonathan, seconded by Commissioner Tschopp, adjourning the meeting by minute motion. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 6:34 p.m. STEPHEN R. SMITH, Acting SecrelFary ATT T: SABBY J ATHAN, Chairperson Palm Desert Planning Commission /tm 11