Auburn Planning Commission and Historic Design Review Commission Joint Meeting – April 22, 2026
Auburn Planning Commission and Historic Design Review Commission Joint Meeting – April 22, 2026
The City of Auburn Planning Commission and Historic Design Review Commission held a joint meeting on April 22, 2026 (note: the agenda and transcript indicate the meeting occurred on April 21, 2026, but the provided metadata specifies April 22). The meeting included a continued public hearing, approval of a use permit, an informational presentation on transportation plans, and staff updates. All votes were unanimous.
Public Comments & Testimony
No members of the public spoke during the public comment period for non-agenda items. No public comments were received during the public hearing for the use permit.
Discussion Items
Continuance of Ordinance Amendment (Item 3.A)
The Commission voted unanimously to continue the public hearing on an ordinance amending Section 159.497 (Historical Design Review Permit) regarding exemptions for exterior painting and minor maintenance activities to May 5, 2026.
Use Permit – Cloud Fine Wine & Spirits (Item 3.B)
Staff presented the request for a Use Permit (UP 26-01) to allow off-sale alcoholic beverages at a proposed retail shop at 884 Lincoln Way, Suite 23. The applicant, Raj Sachdeva, described his 25 years of experience operating a fine wine store and plans for a premium bottle shop with hours 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Conditions require that the establishment not participate in the Downtown Entertainment Zone and that employees inform customers that alcohol cannot be consumed within the zone. The Commission approved the permit unanimously (5-0).
Informational Presentation on Active Transportation Plan (ATP) and Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP)
Fehr & Peers consultants presented the draft plans. The ATP identifies about 65 miles of new sidewalks and 31 additional miles of bikeways, with an estimated total cost of $62 million (priority projects $9.8 million). The CSAP aims to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries by 25% every five years, reaching zero by 2045. Crash data (2017–2023) shows that while 84% of injury crashes involve vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists account for 44% of killed or seriously injured (KSI) crashes. Priority projects include safety improvements on Nevada Street, High Street, and the Union Street overcrossing. Commissioners provided feedback; the plans will go to City Council on May 11, 2026.
Staff Follow-Up Reports
Economic Development Director Jonathan Wright reported on upcoming items: the May 5 HDRC hearing on an ordinance to streamline approvals for roof/awning materials and paint colors using Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams historic palettes, with a $10,000 facade improvement grant program from the Downtown Business Association. The Entertainment Zone update (adding more holidays and a third zone) is expected to go to City Council in June. A food truck ordinance is under review. The Canyons race is scheduled for that weekend.
Commission Discussion and Future Agenda Items
Next HDRC meeting: May 5, 2026 (single ordinance item). Next Planning Commission meeting: May 19, 2026.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimously continued the public hearing on the ordinance amendment to May 5, 2026.
- Unanimously approved Use Permit UP 26-01 for Cloud Fine Wine & Spirits (5-0).
- Received the ATP and CSAP presentation; final plans to be presented to City Council on May 11, 2026.
- Noted future meeting dates and staff updates.
Meeting Transcript
And Portugal is pretty cool too. Only saw Lisbon. We were supposed to go to up Deporto. But the uh weather system was coming in and the water conditions. Well, I noticed it's six o'clock. Really? So we have Amy, are you ready for us to get started? And so we uh we Tia, you are put in another stop. Okay, let's go ahead and you guys let's get started. Sure. Uh so it's uh six o'clock. I'd like to uh welcome everybody to the recording in progress. No problem. Welcome everybody to the City of Auburn Planning Commission meeting, and then after we do our planning commission, we will adjourn and we will reconvene as the City of Auburn Planning Commission and Historic Design Review Commission meeting, the joint meeting. So let's first start out if everybody could uh or if we could do a roll call of the planning commission, Tia. Yes. Here okay, if we could rise for the Pledge of Allegiance, I plug the flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay, so tonight uh under our uh City of Auburn Planning Commission meeting, we have uh two items. We've got a public hearing. Uh this is going to be something that will be opened and then closed. So, and I'll explain that in a minute. Uh, then we also have a use permit for cloud fine wine and spirits at 884 Lincoln Way Suite 23. So those are the two agenda items we have tonight. Before we get into those agenda items, we have some time for public comment. So this is when the public can come and they can comment on anything other than those two public hearing items. Uh oftentimes we don't have public comment, but I need to to open it up for anybody who has that opportunity. So, do we have any public comment for uh items other than those two? Seeing none, we will move on and then we will open it up for public hearings. The first public hearing is an ordinance amending section 159.497 historic design review permit of chapter 159 zoning of the Auburn Municipal Code regarding exemptions to certain exterior painting and minor maintenance activities from historical design review. And I know that staff is still working on this particular item, and by motion, we would like to continue this item to a public hearing that would occur on May 5th of 2026. So I will make the motion to continue this item to May 5th, 2026. Do we have a second? Yes, well, I make the second. Okay, and Tina, would you like to take a roll call on this item? Yes. Hi. Yes, Commissioner Lindbergh. Yes, Commissioner Hobbes. Yes, thank you. Okay, so moving forward to public hearing item B. This is a use permit for the cloud fine wine and spirits at 884 Lincoln Way, suite 23, file UP 2601. And Tia, would you like to introduce that item? However, before you do so, uh, let me outline the process that we have for public hearings for those that haven't been here before. Uh what happens is staff TIA will introduce the item. Uh the commissioners will have an opportunity of which to uh uh comment to staff on any particular questions they have. We then open it up for public comment. Uh we generally have the public speak first, and then if when they are completed, then we typically have the applicant who I believe is youraj, and so we would like you to uh take a few minutes to explain uh what your project is or how you're moving forward with this. That is followed by planning commissioners having an opportunity to ask you of any questions. Once those questions are completed, we would hope that a motion would be made by one of the five planning commissioners, a second, and then we have a vote, and then that's how the process continues. So with that, Tia, would you like to go ahead and introduce the item?
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