Good evening and welcome to the Thursday October 26, 2023 regular meeting of the Walnut Creek
Planning Commission. This time I'll ask our Commission Secretary to please call the roll.
Commissioner Reiser. Here.
Commissioner Nating. Here.
Commissioner Lizak. Here.
Commissioner Pickett. Here.
Commissioner Anderson. Here.
Vice Chair Strongman. Here.
Chair Ward. Here.
Okay we're all here so we definitely have a quorum.
I'll go on to item number two which is our consent calendar and I'd like to confirm there
are no items on consent tonight.
Yes.
There's nothing on consent tonight.
Great.
Thank you very much.
So that brings us to item three which is public communication.
The public communication portion of the meeting is reserved for comment on items which are
not on the agenda.
This means comments which are not about the Wolf Subdivision tentative map extension application.
Under the Brown Act the commission cannot act on items raised during public communications
but may respond briefly to statements made
or questions posed, request clarification
or refer the item to staff.
Additionally, I would like to remind everyone
that not all speech is protected
and I will not tolerate or allow hate speech
during public comment at any meeting that I chair.
Hate has no place in our community
and our words must reflect our community commitment
to equality and inclusion for all.
So are there any members of the public in the chamber
who wish to make public comment at this time?
All right, and we're no longer doing any public comment
any means other than written communications or in person correct yes great thank you for
confirming that so we will move swiftly along them to item four which is public hearings
first I'd like to start by asking if any member of the commission has had any ex party communications
relating to items on this evening's agenda all knows okay down the line so let's move
on to our project for this evening which is the wolf subdivision tentative map extension
application number Y08-007, 1900 First Avenue. And we're going to start with a staff presentation
by Brittany Lenoir, our associate planner. Yes, thank you. Good evening, commissioners.
Brittany Lenoir, associate planner with the community development department. And the
project before you is an extension of a tentative more parcel map subdivision
for the Wolf subdivision and this is a five lot subdivision at 1900 First
Avenue. So this site is currently developed with a single-family home on
the 1.34 acre lot. The lot is proposed to be split into five new parcels each
developed with a single-family home which will require further
entitlements as this project is for the map only. This proposed lot layout is
consistent with both the R8 zoning district regulations and the single
family medium density general plan designation. So the tentative map has
been extended for 14 years both through legislative bills and city
issued extensions. Under the subdivision map act the city may grant extensions
totaling up to six years, so this request will be the last extension available for the
tentative map.
This extension does include revisions of existing conditions and new added conditions.
Some revisions are related to outdated fees and outdated development standards.
Others are for clarification purposes and then some are related to engineering requirements.
So staff does recommend that the Planning Commission move to adopt the resolution which
will extend the tentative map through October 23rd, 2024.
So thank you for your time and I'm available for any questions.
The city engineer is also here as well, Kathleen, and the applicant is here as well if you
have any questions for them.
Great.
Thank you very much for that.
to confirm on the timing it's a two-year extension that expires next October
because it actually relates back to the last year's application. That is correct
yeah so it was automatically extended for 18 months and so we're taking that
date. Yeah it was quite a winding path it took I can see that. All right anybody
else have any other questions on the Commissioner Strongman, Vice Chair
Strongman. Just a couple quick, will this be a private street? No it's a public
Street public street and final question which is I know if we grant it if we
granted permission tonight and they broke ground tomorrow they'd have a hard
time completing all five houses by October 2024 so that is not the
requirement is to file the final map because this is the tentative map only
so it's not for any development they will still need to go through planning
entitlements for the development okay so we're looking for another hearing at
At some point, or is that going to go to the staff only?
Depending on the scope, if it's developed with all five units at one time, it's possible, yes, it will come back depending on the entitlements necessary.
But most likely, if they're sold individually and developed individually,
I think the scope would be small enough that it would only be staff level design review, but we will have to wait for the applicant.
Okay, thank you.
Other questions?
Commissioner Lezak?
So I had a couple of questions about the new conditions of approval.
So specifically, number 45 speaks to a variety of agency approvals.
Army Corps Permit 404, Water Board 401, and CDFW Streambed Alteration Agreement.
Is there a reason that we think that there are agency permits required for this?
That's typically a standard condition applied,
but I believe Kathleen may be able to expand more on that.
And before I take you there to bringing up Kathleen
to speak to this,
I'm looking at the original 2009 staff report
that was provided as an attachment.
And in it, it speaks to the environmental review.
And it says, a preliminary environmental analysis
found no issues that would warrant
a formal environmental review document.
Correct.
So if there was a reason that we would think
that an agency permit would be required,
I would think that that would require
some kind of a at least biological evaluation
as part of the CEQA analysis
and would make this categorical exemption
no longer appropriate.
So that's why I think that that condition,
if we know that there's something there,
then this review is no longer consistent
with the underlying CEQA review.
If we don't think there's something there
and this is just a standard condition
because the city now likes that standard condition,
then maybe you could convince me that's appropriate.
So I just wanna make sure that I'm asking the question
fully before you answer.
know that that makes sense and I think I might need some assistance to answer
that so good evening commissioners Kathleen Teeran-Tiff from the engineering
department that is a standard condition we generally include I am not aware of
any concerns regarding regulatory agency permits needed for the project at all so
if the preference is to remove it that would be acceptable by me. I'm really
just asking for staff clarification regarding the appropriateness of
consistency of the CEQA review and if there's staff still has no knowledge of
there anything on the property and we still think the original CEQA is
appropriate I'm not necessarily having an objection to the standard condition
I'm just was curious to understand why this became a new condition and that's
that's why I brought it up. I mean staff still agrees with the infill exemption
that was applied so this was just added as because it's a standard condition we
apply now to our current item but there's nothing that pinged it for us to
add it in. Okay that thank you that is the answer the question I was looking
for and based on that I don't have any objection to the condition being in the
Permit because it covers things that staff may not know about that come up during that process the rest of the process. Thank you
Thank you
Hey, Commissioner picket
Yeah, do you know if the
Any work has been initiated
Necessary to file the final map is the engineering underway or?
No, I don't believe so Kathleen can expand but I don't think the final map has been
Any progress on that?
Okay, any other questions?
Okay, at this time, we'll open the public hearing and the applicant will have 15 minutes for their presentation
I just want to make it quick. Thank you for
Considering my request. Thank you chair and members of the Planning Commission. I know
it was a long time, but
there were a lot of
in the financial meltdown, having injuries that took me out for a while.
But now we are in full swing and started the process for the final map, so this will definitely
be the last time asking for extension.
it is the final one we are aware about it. I just want to mention that the project is not just about
providing houses, homes in this desperate housing situation.
Living in that neighborhood, I sense the emphasis of
environmental protection, nature,
the park with the Lindsay White Life Museum,
the maintaining of relationships,
and the project should underline those,
the theme that is already in the neighborhood.
So in other words, it's not just about providing housing.
I want to add value to the neighborhood, not just to the future owners and to Walnut Creek
as a big public explosion in this neighborhood.
So that is in a nutshell what I would like to say.
But if you have any questions, I can answer them right now.
Okay thank you very much. Commissioners, any questions for the applicant? Okay thank you.
Any questions? Thank you very much. All right so is there any member of the
public who wishes to provide public comment with regard to this at this time?
I'm not a member of the public but I have something that I forgot and we did receive a phone call this
afternoon regarding the application. She was a neighbor, one of the owners in the
neighborhood and she just had questions about the development so I did clarify
for her that it's the map only she has no issues with the map and she just had
questions about the proposed development so I told her they will need future
permits for that and she was okay great thanks for passing that along all right
anybody I don't see anybody but we'll make sure somebody's not running in the
door here to like do the thing all right I don't see anyone in the chamber who's
gonna do public comment so there's nothing to respond to for the applicants
So we're gonna close the public hearing
and bring it back to the commission
for comments, questions, deliberations,
a motion, anything.
Any comments, questions, et cetera.
Commissioner Pickett.
I was gonna make a motion.
Please.
I would move approval of the two-year extension
for subdivision 9230, application number Y0-007,
which is stationed through October 23rd.
24th 23rd 2024 23rd to the 24th I'll second to clarify that is to adopt the
resolution granting the extension all right we have a motion in a second
Commission secretary can you please record the vote Commissioner Reiser yes
Commissioner Nating yes mr. Lee Zach yes mr. Pickett yes mr. Anderson
Yes. Vice Chair Strongman. Yes. Chair Ward. Yes. Motion passes. Okay, thank you very much. Thank you.
All right, so at this time we'll get more. Come on up.
Brittany's gone crazy today. All right.
You're welcome to make any comment you'd like. We're happy to hear from you.
All right, so we're on agenda item number five,
commission considerations.
So do we have any considerations?
None at this time, from staff.
All right, so we'll move on to number six,
commission member and staff reports or announcements.
None from staff.
Okay, commissioners, none?
All right then, so we will adjourn this meeting at 6.16.
Thank you very much, everybody.
I'm not quite the record that close.