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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Auburn Planning Commission and Historic Design Review Commission Joint Meeting - November 19, 2025

City Council & Commissions — Wednesday, November 19, 2025

BodyAuburn, California

SessionCity Council & Commissions

DateWednesday, November 19, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:30:26

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:53

Okay, let's go ahead and let's call uh the planning commission meeting and later it'll be followed by the planning commission and the joint historic design review commission meeting for November 18th, 2025.

1:08

Uh let's go ahead and call that to order.

1:10

Uh Tia, would you like to take a roll call, please?

1:24

Chair Hyatt.

1:27

Commissioner Lemberg.

1:29

Commissioner Hopps here.

1:33

And Commissioner Galliart and Vice Chair Kramer are absent.

1:54

And to the Republic for which stands under individual justice problem.

2:08

Okay, so tonight one of the first things I'd like to do is I'd like to uh switch up the order of agenda items slightly.

2:18

Uh right now we have item two as public comment and item three is approval of minutes from our October 21st meeting.

2:27

I'd like to switch those, and I believe I need approval from the other planning commissioners uh to do that.

2:34

And so uh uh commissioner uh commissioner Lemberg and Commissioner Hobbs.

2:44

Okay.

2:44

Okay.

2:47

Whoa, okay.

2:49

That works pretty good.

2:53

Okay.

2:54

Okay, so let's go ahead and let's move forward.

2:56

So approval of the minutes from October 21st, 2025.

3:01

Uh I was reviewing those minutes and I had some discussion on uh item D.

3:08

Item D was the administrative permit for a short-term rental at 10670 sunrise ridge circle file APL 25-03.

3:20

And uh you may recall, Commissioners, that we had a lot of discussion about this item last month.

3:26

Uh the minutes reflect, and remember these are action item minutes only, and they reflect uh some changes to that particular item, adding M.

3:39

The owner shall comply with the requirements of Auburn Municipal Code Section 33.185 regarding transient occupancy taxes and item N, provided that this approval is not in violation of the vintage oak C C and Rs.

3:55

You may recall that we had a lot of discussion about that, and at the end, I walked away with the impression that the City of Auburn city staff would be notifying the homeowners association to make sure that there was no conflict.

4:11

Uh since that time, city staff has informed me through discussions that they have had with the city attorney, and I'd like to read this these particular items into the record so that it's understood what the city attorney says about staff contacting homeowners and associations and getting in the middle of a potential dispute between a short-term rental and a homeowner's association.

4:53

And the HOA would be responsible for enforcing its C C and Rs.

5:00

If the city denied a permit based upon C C and Rs, when the application otherwise met the city's requirements, it would be subject to challenge, and the city would likely be overturned because of a violation of the CCNRs is not a basis to deny a permit by the city.

5:20

If an approval violates one of those private agreements, the parties to the agreement may pursue their own legal remedies.

5:29

I think it's important to note because it's a little bit different than what we walked away with.

5:34

And so I'd like to add that to tonight's record.

5:38

But with that, I would also like to uh motion that I feel that the minutes from October 21st, 2025, are in order and would make a motion to approve those minutes.

5:52

Second.

5:54

Would you like to call a vote, please?

5:58

Chair Hyatt.

5:59

Yes.

6:00

Commissioner Lemberg.

6:02

Commissioner Hobbs.

6:03

Yes.

6:04

Okay.

6:04

So that approves the minutes from October 21st, 2025.

6:11

So that moves us into the next item, which is the public comment item this evening.

6:19

Yes.

6:20

I don't believe we did roll call for.

6:23

Oh.

6:26

Yeah, I think.

6:30

I apologize.

6:32

That's fine.

6:34

No problem to you.

6:37

It's okay.

6:37

We have a lot of things to cover this evening.

6:40

Okay.

6:40

So the second item we have on the agenda is a public comment.

6:45

And this is a standard agenda item.

6:47

But I want to bring this up in particular tonight because tonight's discussion.

6:53

Uh, well, public comment is the times for anyone from the public to provide um the to the commission comments that they have on anything that is not on the agenda.

7:06

I want to emphasize the word not on the agenda.

7:10

One of tonight's, well, let's go through and talk about what tonight's agenda items are.

7:15

We have appeal for a denied administrative permit for a fence height.

7:20

Uh that is at 865 El Oro Drive.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Land Use Planning██████████████████████████26%

General Plan Update████████████████████20%

Historic Preservation█████████████████17%

Procedural███████████11%

Arts And Culture████████8%

Environmental Protection█████5%

Community Engagement███3%

Entertainment Zones███3%

Sustainability██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Auburn Planning Commission and Historic Design Review Commission Joint Meeting - November 19, 2025

Note: The agenda and transcript indicate this meeting occurred on November 18, 2025, but the provided timestamp is November 19, 2025. This summary uses the given date.

This joint meeting of the Auburn Planning Commission (PC) and Historic Design Review Commission (HDRC) convened at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The PC portion included approval of minutes, a public hearing on a fence height appeal, and public comment. The joint session featured economic development updates and three presentations: the Auburn 2045 General Plan, the Auburn State Theatre renovation, and the Sluice Box project. No authoritative actions were taken on the presentations.

Minutes Approval

The October 21, 2025, Planning Commission minutes were approved unanimously. Chair Hiatt read a statement from the city attorney clarifying that the city cannot deny short-term rental permits based solely on homeowners association (HOA) CC&Rs, as that would be subject to legal challenge; private agreements are enforceable by the parties, not the city. This addressed concerns from the previous meeting regarding a short-term rental at 10670 Sunrise Ridge Circle.

Public Comments & Testimony

Blocker Drive Property (Nevada and Blocker): Multiple speakers opposed industrial development on a 14-acre parcel southwest of Nevada Street and Blocker Drive, citing traffic congestion, narrow streets, noise from backup beeps, environmental impacts (oaks, wildlife, Spanish Ravine watershed), and safety concerns. Speakers included Jackie House (220 Hidden Creek Drive), Dok Whitley (237 Merrow Court), Gary (president of Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead), Linda Newhauser (255 Hidden Creek Drive), Lane Hackett (231 Merrow Street), Don Ravens (Sierra Foothill Audubon Society), Jennifer Ryan (204 Hampton Court), a representative from SARSIS (groundwater), Barbara Ravines (Mother Lode Sierra Club), and Jeff Wharton (180 Hidden Creek Drive). Many expressed support for residential use instead. Chair Hiatt noted he had visited the site that afternoon.
General Plan: Barry Miller, consultant project manager, gave an informational update. The Public Review Draft Auburn 2045 General Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) are anticipated in February 2026, with a 45-day public review period. A community open house is scheduled for December 3, 2025, at Placer High School. Key changes include updated land use map, new Arts and Culture and Community Services and Facilities elements, and alignment with Placer County categories. The plan focuses on infill, downtown revitalization, fiscal sustainability, and airport compatibility. Commissioner Lemberg urged greater prominence for the Downtown/Old Town Form-Based Code, noting it should be more than a bullet point.
Auburn State Theatre: Rod Tomkins (RJT Construction) presented renovation plans, including restoration of a balcony, increasing capacity to 428 seats, ADA compliance, a rear addition (400 sq. ft. per floor) for green room and elevator, and exterior repainting in historic 1930s colors (Cascade Green, Vogue Green, Deep Maroon). The first phase (exterior repainting and addition) is under staff review. HDRC commissioners questioned documentation for historically accurate features and the need for a preservation consultant; the applicant acknowledged challenges in finding original plans. No action was taken.
Sluice Box Project: Brad Roter (West Coast Velvet) presented an updated concept for a cargo-container-based venue at 250 Washington Street, Old Town. Changes included removing a container along Washington Street and adding a shade structure. Commissioners discussed finishes, landscaping, and context with the nearby railroad. No action was taken.

Discussion Items

Economic Development Report: Jonathan Wright reported the Oakow Steakhouse opened, Station A (old post office) soft-opened, and the Entertainment Zone ordinance will be implemented starting November 28, 2025 (weekends only). The cannabis ordinance is under environmental review with a draft expected in January 2026.
Staff Follow-Up: Planning Director Tia Klumpp announced no December PC meeting; the next meeting is January 20, 2026 (reorganization). A formal appeal of the PC's approval of a short-term rental at 180 Greenfield Avenue (APL 25-01) will go to City Council in late January. The 2025 building code cycle takes effect January 1, 2026.

Key Outcomes

Public Hearing – Fence Height Appeal (APL 25-05): The PC unanimously approved Resolution 25-10, granting an administrative permit for three 8-foot-tall wood fence panels at 865 El Oro Drive. The fence had been built in November 2024 in the required 12.5-foot street side-yard setback. Public Works determined it did not create a sight-distance hazard. Neighbors opposed on safety and aesthetic grounds. The vote was 3-0 (Chair Hiatt, Commissioner Hobbs, Commissioner Lemberg; Vice Chair Kramer and Commissioner Galyardt absent).
No other votes or authoritative actions were taken on the presentations or reports.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, let's go ahead and let's call uh the planning commission meeting and later it'll be followed by the planning commission and the joint historic design review commission meeting for November 18th, 2025. Uh let's go ahead and call that to order. Uh Tia, would you like to take a roll call, please? Chair Hyatt. Commissioner Lemberg. Commissioner Hopps here. And Commissioner Galliart and Vice Chair Kramer are absent. And to the Republic for which stands under individual justice problem. Okay, so tonight one of the first things I'd like to do is I'd like to uh switch up the order of agenda items slightly. Uh right now we have item two as public comment and item three is approval of minutes from our October 21st meeting. I'd like to switch those, and I believe I need approval from the other planning commissioners uh to do that. And so uh uh commissioner uh commissioner Lemberg and Commissioner Hobbs. Okay. Okay. Whoa, okay. That works pretty good. Okay. Okay, so let's go ahead and let's move forward. So approval of the minutes from October 21st, 2025. Uh I was reviewing those minutes and I had some discussion on uh item D. Item D was the administrative permit for a short-term rental at 10670 sunrise ridge circle file APL 25-03. And uh you may recall, Commissioners, that we had a lot of discussion about this item last month. Uh the minutes reflect, and remember these are action item minutes only, and they reflect uh some changes to that particular item, adding M. The owner shall comply with the requirements of Auburn Municipal Code Section 33.185 regarding transient occupancy taxes and item N, provided that this approval is not in violation of the vintage oak C C and Rs. You may recall that we had a lot of discussion about that, and at the end, I walked away with the impression that the City of Auburn city staff would be notifying the homeowners association to make sure that there was no conflict. Uh since that time, city staff has informed me through discussions that they have had with the city attorney, and I'd like to read this these particular items into the record so that it's understood what the city attorney says about staff contacting homeowners and associations and getting in the middle of a potential dispute between a short-term rental and a homeowner's association. And the HOA would be responsible for enforcing its C C and Rs. If the city denied a permit based upon C C and Rs, when the application otherwise met the city's requirements, it would be subject to challenge, and the city would likely be overturned because of a violation of the CCNRs is not a basis to deny a permit by the city. If an approval violates one of those private agreements, the parties to the agreement may pursue their own legal remedies. I think it's important to note because it's a little bit different than what we walked away with. And so I'd like to add that to tonight's record. But with that, I would also like to uh motion that I feel that the minutes from October 21st, 2025, are in order and would make a motion to approve those minutes. Second. Would you like to call a vote, please? Chair Hyatt. Yes. Commissioner Lemberg. Commissioner Hobbs. Yes. Okay. So that approves the minutes from October 21st, 2025. So that moves us into the next item, which is the public comment item this evening. Yes. I don't believe we did roll call for. Oh. Yeah, I think. I apologize. That's fine. No problem to you. It's okay.

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