Notice is hereby given that a Special Meeting of the Planning Commission will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, December 12, 2007, at the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 1685 Main Street, Room # 213, Santa Monica, for the purpose of conducting the following business:

 

 

A G E N D A

 

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE

PLANNING COMMISSION

OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA

 

Founded 1875

"Populus felix in urbe felici"

 

 

WEDNESDAY, December 12, 2007                                           CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS

7:00 P.M.                                                                                                  ROOM 213, CITY HALL

                                                                             

1.         CALL TO ORDER

 

2.         PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

3.         ROLL CALL

 

4.         PLANNING DIRECTOR'S REPORT:

Information concerning future Planning Commission and City Council Agendas.  Update on recent City Council action on appeals, ordinances, development projects, and planning policy studies. Information on recent Architectural Review Board and Landmarks Commission actions.  Update on project status and related planning matters.

 

5.         PLANNING COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

6.         APPROVAL OF MINUTES: None.

 

7.         STATEMENTS OF OFFICIAL ACTION:

 

7-A.     Conditional Use Permit 07-004 and Variance 07-006, 1420 Yale Street

 

7-B.     Conditional Use Permit 07-007, 1401 Ocean Avenue

 

7-C.     Development Review Permit 06-003, Design Compatibility Permit 06-002, Tract Map 06-005, 525 Broadway

 

8.         PUBLIC HEARING: Consent Calendar

 

8-A.     Tract Map 07-021 (Tentative Parcel Map No. 66574), 1021 Grant Street.  The applicant requests approval of Tentative Parcel Map No. 66574 pursuant to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 9.20.04.030 for a three unit airspace subdivision in conjunction with the construction of three (3) new residential condominium units. [Planner: Travis Page] APPLICANT:  Grand Melin Group. PROPERTY OWNER:  Ini Kamoze.

 

Staff Report

 

9.         DISCUSSION: Continued from November 14, 2007

 

9-A.     Discussion of Concept Plan for an Entertainment Studio Project: 2834 Colorado Avenue. A proposed concept plan to redevelop the 1.76 acre (76,795 square foot) industrial site at 2834 Colorado Avenue with a three-story, 115,200 square foot entertainment production building over a two-level subterranean parking garage.  The parking garage would provide 412 parking spaces accessed from Stewart Street.  The project is proposed as a Development Agreement with the City.  The information gathered during this discussion will be used to evaluate the feasibility of the proposal and potential alternatives. [Planner: Bruce Leach] APPLICANT/PROPERTY OWNER:  Colorado Creative Studios, LLC. [Continued from November 14, 2007]

 

Staff Report dated November 14, 2007

 

10.       PUBLIC HEARINGS:

 

10-A.   Development Review Permit 06-013, Conditional Use Permit 06-013 & Variance 07-015, 1419 19th Street. Allow the construction of a new two-story, 19-room hotel annex building with a rooftop pool and a two-level subterranean parking garage.  The building would measure 28’ 6’’ above ground level with a 7’ setback on the south side, which faces an apartment building.  The proposed Best Western hotel annex building would operate as a satellite facility where guests would check-in at the main hotel, which is located at 1920 Santa Monica Boulevard, across the alley to the northeast from the proposed site. [Planner: Bruce Leach] APPLICANT:  Howard Laks Architects for Best Western Hotel. PROPERTY OWNER:  Royal Palace Hotels Partnership.

 

Staff Report

 

10-B.  Development Review Permit 06-017, Tract Map 06-031 (Vesting Tentative Tract Map No. 066145), Environmental Impact Report 07-001, 1959 High Place & 2349 Virginia Avenue. An application for a Development Review Permit and Vesting Tentative Tract Map for the construction of an affordable housing project consisting of 45 condominiums (1959 High Place). The condominiums are being heard in conjunction with 47 affordable apartments at 2349 Virginia Avenue, which are being reviewed only as part of the Final Environmental Impact Report and are a permitted use not subject to discretionary review. The Final Environmental Impact Report and Mitigation Monitoring Program, and Statement of Overriding Considerations for project have been prepared. The Statement of Overriding Considerations will be necessary to approve the project because the EIR has concluded that there will be significant unavoidable impact to traffic/circulation.  All other potential impacts can be mitigated to a less than significant level. [Planner: Jing Yeo, AICP] APPLICANT/PROPERTY OWNER: Community Corporation of Santa Monica.

 

Staff Report

 

10-C.  Recommendation to the City Council to amend City of Santa Monica Municipal Code (SMMC) Section 9.04.02.030.305 [Definition of Fence Height], and Section 9.04.02.030.395 [Definition of Hedge], and Section 9.04.10.02.080 [Fence, Wall, Hedge, Flagpole] to modify fence, wall, and hedge standards; to grandparent existing nonconforming fences, walls, and hedges; to establish criteria for the repair and replacement of existing nonconforming hedges, walls, hedges; to establish administrative and discretionary height modification procedures; to clarify the criteria for assessing objections to nonconforming fences, walls, and hedges; to require the maintenance of hedges; and to specify a self-help remedy for overhanging hedges.

 

Staff Report

 

11        DISCUSSION:

 

11-A.   input, discussion and possible action on policies, process, materials, timeline, participation strategies and related issues pertaining to the Shape the Future 2025 and Motion by the Ocean projects.

 

12.       WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS:

 

12-A.   Planning Commission Caselist

 

12-B.   Current Projects List

 

13.       FUTURE COMMISSION AGENDA ITEMS:

 

14.       PUBLIC INPUT:  

 

15.       ADJOURNMENT

 

Please note that this agenda is subject to change up to 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. We encourage you to check the agenda 72 hours prior to the meeting.

 

Any documents produced by the City and distributed to a majority of the Planning Commission regarding any item on this agenda will be made available at the Planning Counter and/or Room 212 in City Hall, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, during normal business hours.”

 

City Hall and the Council Chambers is wheelchair accessible. If you have any disability-related accommodation request, please contact (310) 458-8341, or TDD Number: (310) 458-8696 at least three (3) days prior to the meeting. All written materials are available in alternate format upon request.

 

Please turn-off or set your cell phone to vibrate while in the Council Chambers.

 

Santa Monica Blue Bus Lines #2, #3, #4 and #8 serve City Hall. Parking is available in front of City Hall and on Olympic Drive.

 

CITY PLANNING COMMISSION

 

Julie Lopez Dad, Commissioner

Gleam Davis, Commissioner

Jay P. Johnson, Commissioner

Hank Koning, FAIA, Commissioner

Terry O’Day, Vice-Chairperson

Gwynne Pugh, AIA, ASCE, Chairperson

Jim Ries, Commissioner

 

Kevin McKeown, City Council Liaison

Pam O’Connor, City Council Liaison

 

Eileen Fogarty, Director of Planning & Community Development

Amanda Schachter, Planning Manager

 Barry Rosenbaum, Senior Land Use Attorney

 Kyle Ferstead, Commission Secretary

 

AGENDA POLICIES

 

The Planning Commission considers a range of requests for development permits, appeals, and planning policy matters, and conducts public hearings on many of its agenda items. Due to the number, complexity and public interest associated with many agenda items, meetings of the Commission are generally lengthy. The Commission makes every effort to proceed as expeditiously as possible; your patience and understanding is appreciated.

 

PUBLIC HEARING PROCEDURES on each public hearing item include ex parte communication disclosure by the Commissioners; presentation of a staff report; Commission questions of staff; a fifteen (15) minute presentation by the project applicant or applicant’s representative or team, if any; Commission questions of the applicant; three (3) minutes for each member of the public wishing to speak to the item; three (3) minutes for project applicant to respond to the public or clarify issues raised by the public; Commission deliberations and decision. For an appeal, the appellant, if not also the applicant, has fifteen (15) minutes to address the Commission prior to the applicant speaking and three (3) minutes to respond to public comment.

 

SPECIAL TIME LIMITATIONS. The Commission may limit the time of individual speakers or the total time on a particular issue. If there are more than seven (7) speakers requesting to speak on an agenda item, or if twenty (20) or more persons have requested to speak on any combination of items, the project applicant or appellant on any agenda item shall be limited to ten (10) minutes initially and three (3) minutes in rebuttal. Members of the public are permitted three (3) minutes to address the Commission except as follows: if a member of the public requests to speak on more than one agenda item, the time will be three (3) minutes for the first item and two (2) minutes for any other item unless the Commission grants by a majority vote additional time.

 

REQUESTS TO SPEAK on an agenda item must be submitted on a speaker's request form (“chit”) and submit it to the Commission secretary. All requests to address the Commission on public hearing items must be submitted prior to the Commission's consideration of the item.

 

ASSIGNING OF TIME for members of the public wishing to speak to an item is permissible within specified limits.  A "representative speaker" may be allowed one additional minute of speaking time, to a maximum of five (5) additional minutes [hence, eight (8) minutes total] for each person actually in attendance who assigns his or her right to speak via a request to speak form to the "representative speaker." The project applicant, applicant’s representative or team of representatives (which may include the project architect, attorney, facilitator and all other representatives of the applicant), shall be allowed a total of fifteen (15) minutes initially and three (3) minutes in rebuttal.

 

PRESENTATIONS BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC should begin with the speaker stating his or her name and address for the public record followed by a statement regarding the item under consideration.  Please speak to the Commission as a whole. 

 

PROFESSIONALS APPEARING BEFORE THE COMMISSION should clearly identify their status, such as "attorney", "paralegal", "architect", "designer", or "landscape architect".  Instances of misrepresentation of professional status may be referred to the City Attorney for possible prosecution.

 

WRITTEN MATERIALS, LETTERS AND E-MAILS regarding agenda items should be submitted to the City Planning Division staff prior to the Commission meeting. All written materials, including e-mails, will be forwarded the Commission Secretary for inclusion in the public record and, if received by noon on the Monday prior to the Wednesday public hearing, shall be forwarded to the Commission in advance of the meeting. Late submissions will be place on the dais on the night of the public hearing, but might not be reviewed by the Commission..

 

EX PARTE COMMUNICATION DISCLOSURES.  During the pendency of any quasi-judicial proceeding, no member of the Planning Commission may engage in ex parte communications with applicants, appellants or members of the public with respect to the matter which is the subject of the proceeding unless that member of the Commission discloses such communication. Prior to each quasi-judicial agenda item each Commissioner must place on the record the subject and substance of any written or oral ex parte communication including the identity of the person, group or entity with whom the communication took place.

 

TIME LIMITATION ON CONSIDERATION OF NEW ITEMS. The Commission shall not commence consideration of a new item on its agenda after 11:00 p.m. unless otherwise required by State or local law or unless otherwise determined by a majority vote of those Commissioners present.

 

CONSENT CALENDAR items will be acted upon by the Commission at one time without discussion unless a Commissioner requests discussion on an item or a member of the public has submitted a request to speak on an item.  If such a request is made, the item will be heard after the balance of the Consent Calendar has been voted upon.

 

ACTION BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION on most matters occurs with the affirmative votes of at least four Commissioners.

 

DESIGN ASPECTS OF PROJECTS considered by the Planning Commission must also be approved by the Architectural Review Board.  For more information on this process, contact the City Planning Division.

 

APPEALS of certain actions of the Commission are appealable to the City Council.  The appeal period is generally ten to fourteen days from the date of the Commission’s action For specific information on appeals, please contact the City Planning Division.

 

For more information regarding the Planning Commission  agenda or development permit procedures and standards,  please contact the  City Planning Division at (310) 458-8341.

 

Copies of agendas and staff reports are available on the City’s Home Page on the World Wide Web using the following address: www.santa-monica.org

 

Help Us Shape the Future!   Be part of the effort to update the City's Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance and help create a vision for Santa Monica in 2025.  http://www.shapethefuture2025.net/

Motion by the Ocean:  The City of Santa Monica is preparing an update to the General Plan Circulation Element to learn more about the Circulation Element and to download a personal transportation survey. . Go to
http://pen.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/planning/transportation/CirculationElement/index.html

 

No smoking in City Hall