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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC_Minutes_74.03.25MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION HELD IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, HERMOSA BEACH, ON MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1974, AT 7:30 P.M. Meeting called to order by Chairman Collis at 7:34 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Absent: Comm. Noble APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Comm. Burt, seconded by Comm. Rosenberger, to approve the minutes of the March 11, 1974 meeting of the Planning Commission as submitted. Comm. Hough requested that a copy of P.C. 154-957, a resolution to the League of California Cities requesting that the Planning Commission Seminar be held annually rather than biannually, be included in the next agenda packet. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Abstain: Comm. Chiu Absent: Comm. Noble APPROVAL OF RESOLUTIONS Motion by Comm. Hough, seconded by Comm. Rosenberger, to approve P.C. 154-951 as submitted. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Noble Motion by Comm. Rosenberger, seconded by Comm. Hough, to approve P.C. 154-952 as submitted. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Noble Motion by Comm. Hough, seconded by Comm. Rosenberger, to approve P.C.'154-953 as submitted. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Noble Motion by Comm. Rosenberger, seconded by Comm. Hough, to approve P.C. 154-954 as submitted. Ayes: Comm. Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: Comm. Burt Absent: Comm. Noble PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES - March 25, 1974 Page 2 Motion by Comm. Rosenberger, seconded by Comm. Burt, to approve P.C. 154-955, with deletion of second paragraph which reads as follows: "Whereas, at said public hearing testimony was received both favoring and opposing said proposed regulations; and" Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Noble Motion by Comm. Burt, seconded by Comm. Rosenberger, to approve P.C. 154-956 as submitted. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Noble FINAL DETERMINATION OF LEGAL USE Motion by Comm. Burt, seconded by Comm. Rosenberger, to receive the finding of City Attorney J. B. Mirassou and to make final determination that the existing use of the property at 1912 Hermosa Avenue as eight (8) dwelling units and one sleeping room be approved as legally nonconforming use of the property, provided all building, health, and safety deficiencies listed on the Building Department report of February 25, 1974, be corrected to the satisfaction of the Building Department. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Noble LETTER TO PLANNING COMMISSION City Planner Crawford introduced a letter addressed to the Planning Commission on March 18, 1974, by Mrs. William P. Williams, stating that the approval by the Planning Commission of a unit, without reference to the kind of unit, may have allowed the change of a sleeping room into a dwelling unit; indicating that the approval of a unit should include a description of that unit. This matter will be on the agenda of the April 8 meeting. Comm. Rosenberger suggested that it also be discussed in the workshop meeting of the Development Committee, Monday, April 1 at 4:00 p.m. AMENDMENT �6 TO THE GENERAL PLAN Mr. Crawford presented a map of the Circulation Plan showing Gould Avenue as arterial from Pacific Coast Highway to Ardmore; and a 1971 map of daily traffic flow as prepared by City traffic flow consultants, showing the average traffic flow for 24 hours. He said the residents on and near Gould have protested the change of Gould to arterial status, are asking the Planning Commission to reconsider the recommenda- tion to City Council to widen Gould, and also request removal of Gould from arterial status on the Circulation Plan. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES - March 25, 1974 Page 3 Ken Bertossi, 629 Gould Terrace, said the property owners on Gould feel that Pier Avenue should be utilized as an arterial route for non-residents to the commercial district and to the beach, and pointed out that there are no businesses on Gould. He said non-residents use Ardmore to avoid the traffic lights on Pacific Coast Highway, and that this traffic could be returned to Pacific Coast Highway by timing the traffic lights properly. He referred to the property owners' alternate plan of a landscaped parkway with pedestrian and bike path. Giyora Doeh, 649 Gould Terrace, asked about the improvement of traffic control on Pacific Coast Highway. Mr. Crawford explained that the State Division of Highways is revising the signal phasing at 21st Street and Longfellow at Pacific Coast Highway to coordinate them with the Manhattan Beach traffic flow system, with a separate left turn signal both north and south from Gould and Artesia. The signals will be demand -actuated and therefore controlled by the flow of traffic. Kurt Dietrich, 2540 Ardmore, said much of the traffic problem on Gould is caused by the difficulty of making a left turn from Artesia onto Pacific Coast Highway, and that installation of a left turn signal would significantly reduce the traffic on Gould. Mr. Crawford said he would request figures from the state on the change of traffic flow in Manhattan Beach before and after the installation of controlled parking. James E. Doty, 640 Gould Lane, said that a minimal amount of traffic turns from Pacific Coast Highway onto Gould; almost all of the traffic coming from Artesia. Thomas A. Heffner, 632 Gould Avenue, cited the alteration of loth Street as a precedent in prevention of through traffic in a residential district. Motion by Comm. Rosenberger, seconded by Comm. Burt, to have the arterial portion of Gould Avenue between Valley -Ardmore and Pacific Coast Highway deleted from our Circulation Element and placed under collector street status. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Noble Motion by Comm. Rosenberger, seconded by Comm. Burt, to reconsider the previous recommendation regarding the improvement plans for Gould Avenue. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Hough, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Noble Comm. Hough requested that the residents who signed the petition be notified when this item is placed on the agenda. Others in the audience who wish to be notified are: Mr. C. W. Dietrich, 2540 Ardmore James E. & Nancy S. Doty, 640 Gould Lane Anita German, 1447 12th Street, Manhattan Vivian Sheldon, 652 Gould Avenue John Coughran, 658 Gould Avenue Steven Sprinz, 2530 Ardmore Avenue Beach (owner, 607 Gould Terrace) PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES - March 25, 1974 Page 4 Chmn. Collis commented on the importance of citizen participation in determining the changes to be made in the community in order to best achieve the desires of the residents of the City. SIGN REGULATIONS George Schmeltzer, 1015 15th Place, reported on the workshop session of the Improvement Commission held March 21, 1974, in which the need was recognized for minimums and maximums in addition to the formula for determining sign sizes; it was recommended that limits on the number of colors used for signs be deleted, and that control become part of the Improvement Commission's function; it was suggested that the entire sign code be moved out of the Zoning Ordinance and into the Building Code; and that the Sign Regulations need considerable study. He cited as an example Section 806 D (2) concerning calculation of sign area when there are two or more businesses located on any one site, which could result in doubling the amount of sign area for the building. Mr. Crawford said that removal of the sign regulations from the Zoning Ordinance to the Building Code would eliminate the need for variances and the need for appeal to the Planning Commission; appeal then being made directly to the City Council. He said if this change is effected, Planning Commission will have no control over signs except in the case of a Conditional Use Permit. Alternately, the sign regulations could be left in the Zoning Ordinance but consolidated in one section rather than being scattered throughout the Ordinance. He said that many signs have not been removed although the abatement period has passed; for example, the sandwich -board type signs, and hand -letter signs set in the middle of the sidewalks and obstructing sidewalk traffic. Comm. Rosenberger suggested reviewing this item in the Development Subcommittee meeting, Monday, April 1, at 4:00 p.m. OPEN SPACE ELEMENT Comm. Hough reported that the Open Space Committee met on March 20 and discussed with Jack Bliss the park priority list for acquisition and development, including Guadalupe School, Prospect Heights, and perhaps the section in between the two schools. She said Councilman Doerfling was present and considered it reasonable to keep this option open rather than allowing the area to go into development now. She said the Committee was drafting a letter requesting a school board member rather than a delegate since so much of the land under discussion is school land. The Committee has received from Dr. Rogers the new standards for amounts of park and open space per population, updated to current needs. Chmn. Collis requested that the study include the relative nature of the open space to the total area of the City, and its location in regard to the needs of the City. The Open Space Committee will meet in Mr. Crawford's office Wednesday, April 3 at 6:30 p.m. DOWNTOWN ELEMENT Rod Merl reported that a group of businessmen and financiers are working to promote consideration of the downtown portion of the General Plan. He presented a plan of PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES - March 25, 1974 Page 5 the downtown area showing proposals for creating a more pedestrian environment: e.g. 14th Street ending in a cul-de-sac above Beach Drive; walkways delineated by use of planters and raised curbs to encourage shops to use two frontages; and consolidated trash storage bins to clear the alleys for walkways. Further suggestions were to request the City Council to offer the Biltmore site for bids for a quality restaurant; make the area more attractive for night use by lighting along the Strand; re -time traffic signals so that older people might cross the street more easily; and use of diagonal parking. He said the group expressed a desire to have the bikeways inte- grated with the downtown area, to have a bikeway in the street; and also they are putting in bike racks. He estimated that 12 or 13 businessmen are attending the meetings, and about 20% are offering input. The businessmen would also like to make the area more attractive by increasing the greenery, washing the streets, coordinating business hours, and increasing the bus service. The next meeting will be held Thursday, March 28, 8:00 a.m. at Empire Savings, and they would like to have members from the Planning Commission. LAND USE ELEMENT Mr. Crawford reviewed the matter of conflicts between Zoning and the General Plan. The Planning Commission met Saturday, March 23 to look at some of the areas on foot; suggested that rather than undertake massive rezoning to adjust the density, it would be more equitable to change the text of the Zoning Ordinance. He submitted proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance, the primary changes being in front yard setbacks and density allowances. Chmn. Collis suggested that the setback should vary with lot size to eliminate canyon effect; the yard requirements should state a given minimum dimension of usable area even for R-1 uses,but with enough flexibility in the regulation to allow different orientations of houses on the lots; and that the front yard setback should not be considered as part of the usable area. Comm. Hough left the meeting. Comm. Chiu said that Coastal Commission regulations restrict the size of a building to 12 times the buildable area (I- times 65% of the lot), which includes the garage. Comm. Rosenberger suggested working up examples based on percentages to see if the idea is feasible. He said the comments of the Planning Commission during the walk are embodied in the proposal, Section 605 being the most radical change; that Section 604 should stipulate a percentage of open space to be on the ground, as in the Condominium Ordinance; and that driveway space should not be included in the open space requirement. Chmn. Collis regarded Section 607 as a necessary item that should be Included even in single family areas; and recommended basing the number of units in the R-2 zones on land area rather than limiting to just two units (Section 500). Mr. Crawford suggested relating front yard setback to the depth of the lot, with a 101 minimum. He said he will discuss the format of the proposed amendments with City Attorney J. B. Mirassou. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES a March 25, 1974 Page 6 Motion by Comm. Rosenberger, seconded by Comm. Chiu, to continue the proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to the next workshop meeting of April 22, 7:30 p.m. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Hough and Noble HOTEL -MOTEL DEFINITIONS Motion by Chmn. Collis to continue the Hotel -Motel definitions; placed on the sub- committee agenda for April 1. So ordered. Chmn. Collis said the present Condominium Ordinance, recommended to the City Council and subsequently adopted, was temporary and it is necessary to begin work on a more definitive ordinance. He asked that staff review the Hawthorne ordinance, and sug- gested utilizing a study made by Councilman Widman. He requested that this be placed on the agenda for the April 22 workshop meeting. Motion by Comm, Rosenberger to schedule the change in density allocation for public hearing, seconded by Comm. Chiu with the provision that density numbers be changed to: 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-45 Comm. Burt stipulated that the wording on Density changes be clarified. Ayes: Comm. Burt, Chiu, Rosenberger, and Chmn. Collis Noes: None Absent: Comm. Hough and Noble Meeting adjourned at 11:12 p.m. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes were approved by the Planning Commission of the City of Hermosa Beach at a public hearing held on the 25th day of March, 1974. • J DATE ES D. COLLIS, CHAIRMAN COLIN CHIU, ACTING SECRETARY