Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC_Minutes_70.12.07MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, HERMOSA BEACH, ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1970, AT 7:30 P. M. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:33 P. M. BY CHAIRMAN NOBLE. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Collis, Foote, Mulfinger, Stabler Toole, Watters and Chairman Noble. Absent: None Motion by Comm. Foote, seconded by Comm. Stabler to approve the minutes of the previous meeting. AYES: All NOES: None Resolution P. C. 154-790 Motion by Comm. Toole, seconded by Comm. Watters to approve Resolution P. C. 154-790. AYES: Comm. Collis, Foote, Mulfinger, Stabler, Toole, Watters and Chairman Noble. NOES: None ABSENT: None Amendments to City Zoning Ordinance City Planner Crawford said that the public hearing had been closed, but that the decision had been deferred until this meeting on the two Ordin- ances; B (R-3 zone) , both the rear yard requirement and adoption or rejec- tion of the ordinance itself, and C, as amended, (parking) adoption or rejection. The Commissioners discussed a 10' rear yard requirement on R-3 lots where there is no alley which would require 20' between living quarters, across rear lot lines but allow garages 5' from the property line. Where there is an alley, garages could theoretically encroach to the property line. Comm. Collis said that according to the Planning Commission's recommendation, any structure that is now non -conforming and is destroyed, will not be required to meet the newly proposed conditions as set forth in this ordinance, but only the existing ordinance requirements. He said other cities have re- quirements which do not include such a "grandfather" clause. He said he would recommend that we allow six months and after that time all structures must conform with the new ordinance. -2- Planning Commission December 7, 1970 Chairman Noble said that the intent of the "grandfather" clause had been to prevent hardships on existing apartments. Mr. Crawford said that if Mr. Collis was worried about application of Section #609 to buildings that are voluntarily removed or enlarged, the ordinance doesn't apply to this kind of case but to where some act of God destroys the building. Otherwise the normal non -conforming regulations would apply. Commissioners Toole, Mulfinger, Foote, Watters and Stabler agreed with Chairman Noble about the retention of the "grandfather" clause. Motion by Comm. Foote, seconded by Comm. Mulfinger to adopt the amended rear yard requirement of ten feet, or twenty feet between living portions of buildings. AYES: All NOES: None ABSENT: None Comm. Stabler commented that the provision of usable open space met the letter of the law but not the spirit of the ordinance. Comm. Collis favored increasing the minimum width of balconies to 6' from the 5' which will make them more usable. Motion by Comm. Collis, seconded by Comm. Foote to amend Section #606 defining usable open space pertaining to decks or balconies to contain a minimum sixty square feet with a minimum dimension of six feet wide. AYES: All NOES: None ABSENT: None Comm. Noble then commented that the lot area per unit requirement was to be changed, as a result of extensive study, to 750 sq. ft. per unit. Comm. Collis felt that there should also be some built-in incentive for con- solidation of land for increasing the standards. Planning Commission Minutes December 7, 1970 -3- Comm. Stabler discussed the lot area per dwelling unit requirement and said that the General Plan has recommended forty-six to sixty dwelling units per acre. He commented on a recent study by Berkeley showing concern over density, and said he had determined the density in Hermosa Beach as 12,400 per square mile as compared to Berkeley which has 11,500 per square mile. He said he thought increasing the lot area per dwelling unit from 600 to 750 is still lenient in relation to restrictions of surrounding communities. He thought that perhaps the Commission should even consider more deeply the effect of density on environmental pollution. Comm. Noble agreed that better control of density was needed. Comm. Collis thought that a weakness of the ordinance the Commission is writing is that it applies to all the R-3 zoned areas whereas some of the areas should be rezoned because of economic conditions. He also felt that in case there are delays in getting this ordinance adopted by the City Council, a moratorium should be placed on new building, although anything now in process should be allowed to continue under the old ordinance. Motion by Comm. Stabler, seconded by Comm. Foote to adopt the proposed Ordinance B as amended. AYES: All NOES: None ABSENT: None Comm. Noble complimented Comm. Collis on the study he had presented to the Commission on apartment development in Hermosa Beach. However, he felt at this time that the Commission would be premature to increase parking requirements further, which would possibly restrict development in Hermosa Beach. He felt that establishing 750 sq. ft. alone would be adequate for at least the next two years. Comm. Toole agreed. He said that he predicated his feeling on a discussion he had had with lenders in the savings and loan industry in the area. Chairman Noble continued that people are desirous of eliminating the deter- iorated image, but he felt that 2:1 parking at this time would create a situa- tion from which it would take a number of years for the city to encourage people to build again. Comm. Mulfinger said he didn't wish to encourage "cracker box" develop- ment which had occurred recently. Planning Commission Minutes December 7, 1970 -4- Comm. Stabler said that the Commission had a number of things to consider beyond just development for development's sake. He said that the Commis- sion had tried to determine what the actual parking needs were, and that in the beach area alone there had been an increase of 18% from 1969 to 1970 in the demand for parking stickers. He said he had checked with the neighboring cities and he didn't feel that 2:1 would be stifling, since Hermosa Beach had had a greater pace of construction than the other cities. The total units constructed this year to date, excluding November and December, is 70 units in Hermosa Beach, 14 units in Manhattan Beach, 8 units in El Segundo, and 846 units in Torrance. He felt that the city should actually be holding back development, looking for quality rather than quantity. Comm. Collis indicated that he was concerned about the cost to the city of not obtaining adequate off-street parking. Other cities' apartment areas had wider streets, larger lots. He strongly urged adoption of Ordinance C. Chairman Noble said that the city was coming out of the doldrums of a "hippie" image, police problems related to unrelated persons, and that 171 substandard houses have been condemned and removed. He felt that the city was moving too quickly. The increase of lot area per unit requirement by 25% is advisable rather than more restrictive parking. Motion by Comm. Stabler, seconded by Comm. Mulfinger to adopt Ordinance C with amendments. AYES: Comm. Collis, Foote, Mulfinger, Stabler, and Watters. NOES: Comm. Toole and Chairman Noble. ABSENT: None Potential Zone Review City Planner Crawford said that as a result of an application to build an apartment house on 21st Street near Pacific Coast Highway which had been appealed to the City Council, the Council had asked that the Planning Commission study potential zones throughout the city. He explained that the potential zones in question had been established when the automobile dealerships were moving from the downtown area to Pacific Coast Highway. Although they are zoned C-Potential, they generally are in residential devel- opment. Chairman Noble directed that the Zoning Committee make an analysis and report to the Commission. Set Public Hearings to Amend General Plan on Biltmore Site City Planner Crawford explained that at the time the General Plan was created, the Biltmore Hotel was in existence. Since that time it fell into disrepair, was condemned, sold at tax auction, purchased by the city, and the city has been entertaining proposals for development which would serve as an anchor for the downtown area. The City Council Biltmore Committee would like it zoned for high rise, with no restrictions as to whether it will be offices, a motel, or residential. He said it would be necessary to hold public hearings Planning Commission Minutes December 7, 1970 -5- and to obtain testimony from citizens, after which the Planning Commission will recommend to the Council whether or not the General Plan should be changed to allow a high rise designation on that site. Chairman Noble directed that public hearings be set for January 4, 1971 and January 18, 1971. AYES: All NOES: None ABSENT: None Introduction of Planned Development Zone Motion by Comm. Stabler, seconded by Comm. Mulfinger to set the date of December 21, 1970 for a public hearing on the Planned Development Zone. AYES: All NOES: None ABSENT: None Review of Conditional Use Permit for Take-out Food Business at 201 Hermosa Avenue (C-69-10) City Planner Crawford reviewed the history of the business and said that all of the conditions of the permit had been adhered to. Motion by Comm. Watters , seconded by Comm. Toole to extend the Condi- tional Use Permit for one year subject to the same conditions; and requesting the applicant to consult the Improvement Commission regarding repainting the exterior. AYES: Unanimous NOES: None ABSENN: None Z-70-5 Mr. Alfred E. Bowman, 2024 Strand, requested that the public hearing which the Council had asked to be rescheduled by the Planning Commission be post- poned until the first of the year, due to personal matters. Motion by Comm. Stabler, seconded by Comm. Toole to reintroduce at the second meeting of February for consideration of a time to reset public hearing. AYES: All NOES: _ None ABSENT: None Planning Commission Minutes December 7, 1970 -6- Zoning Committee Comm. Stabler said the Zoning Committee had had a meeting the previous Monday to which they had invited people from the R-2 Potential Zone be- tween 18th and 22nd Streets to attend and although only ten to twelve people were in attendance some very excellent points were developed. He said their determination at that time after hearing the concerned residents was that the Committee should take the ordinance and look at the technica- lities with feedback from the Building Department. He said they would hold ordinance in abeyance until they had a meeting with Bud Trott to answer tech- nical questions. He said they would like to present the precise development criteria at the next meeting of the Planning Commission. He said that the next meeting of the Zoning Committee would be at the International House of Pancakes, 7:30 a. m. on December 15, 1970. Land Development Committee Comm. Watters said that a meeting had been held with the residents in the south area of the city, and that they were going to form a property owner's association. The survey material is collated, and another meeting will be held to go over the results on December 8, 1970 with members of the Improve- ment Commission in attendance. He said they hoped to schedule speakers knowledgeable in rental in rental agreements and other topics of benefit to the members. City Planner's Report Mr. Crawford said that there had been a request from the License Review Board for an interpretation of the Zoning Ordinance concerning the line between customer service and manufacturing. Comm. Toole said this would need further study and consultation with the City Attorney. This determination was needed for Lido Leather Works located at 1403 Hermosa Avenue. Comm. Watters said that the matter could be taken up at the next meeting of their committee and a report made at the December 21st Planning Commis- sion meeting. ADJOURNMENT: 10:45 p. m. until December 21, 1970. Planning Commission Minutes December 7, 1970 -7- CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes have been a-pproved by:1the Planning Commission of the City of Hermosa Beach_ at a. r6gular meeting held on 7t f December, 1970. f JOE B. NOBLE, CHAIRMAN CO LLIS , SECRETARY