Note: The agenda and transcript indicate the meeting was held on June 11, 2019, but the instruction requires using the date July 9, 2019. This summary follows the instruction, but a discrepancy exists between the source materials and the given date.
The Planning Commission considered a package of three related requests: a General Plan Amendment (GPA 2019-001), a Zoning Map Amendment (ZMA 2018-001), and a Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA 2018-002) concerning the County-owned Gothard property and the establishment of a Research and Technology (RT) zoning district. The commission held two prior study sessions (May 28 and June 11, 2019) to review the proposals. After public hearing and deliberation, the commission voted to approve the requests with specified modifications and forward them to the City Council.
Massive beach closures lost to big okay I call this planning commission meeting to order oh I didn't ask for someone to do a pledge of leads how about uh how about me I'll lead the budget I volunteer flag the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation undergone individual with liberties and justice for all roll call please commissioner Scandura Vice Chair Grant here Chair Garcia here Commissioner Kalmick here Commissioner Perkins Here Commissioner Mandiker Commissioner Ray is absent we have a quorum okay can I have a motion to approve the agenda so moved okay Commissioner Grant and Commissioner Scandora Commissioner Mandick Thank you we have six ayes Commissioner Ray absent motion carries are there any public comments before the first public hearing no there are not okay okay we'll move on to the public hearing items 19-708 but I have to recuse myself because my office is in the Gothard corridor so Michael Commissioner Michael Grant's gonna take over for me okay moving along we have uh public hearing item 19-708 general plan amendment number 2019-001 zoning map amendment number 2018-001 zoning text amendment number 2018-002 Gothered uh County Gothard property and research and technology zoning do we have uh staff report yes vice chair grant may I actually ask for disclosures first indeed uh commissioner scandura sure um I spoke to the staff I was also on the planning commission that voted for the uh uh the the uh general plan update uh that authorized the RT zone and then I had a chance to uh review correspondence or the city's response to ocean view school district's comments to the uh general plan update okay and uh I have uh deliberated on this uh with the uh planning commission on prior uh occasions and uh more recently I have uh discussed this uh with uh staff and with uh a number of residents uh in the community uh I've toured the uh the areas that are under consideration for the change on this property uh in these properties um I've had many conversations with staff regarding some of the technical changes um as well as some of the future potentialities for this um and that's it thank you nothing to report commissioner mandic any disclosures yes uh I spoke to staff uh I spoke to several business owners uh in the affected area and I do have a business in the uh on the Gothard corridor but not in the area that's affected by this zone change thank you uh moving along um now do we have a uh staff report please yes thank you I'll ask Hayden Beckman senior planner to give the staff report and Hayden is joined by our two consultants Diane Bathgate and Colette Morse good evening good evening uh chair vice chair and a hot micro uh tonight the project involves three separate requests first we have a general plan amendment 1900 one as well as zoning map amendment 1801 and zoning text amendment 1800 two uh the general plan amendment request is to amend the general plan land use designation of a 2.26 acre vacant parcel um I have the map up on the display with reference to said parcel from its current open space park designation to research and technology uh this parcel is owned by the county of orange and is immediately adjacent to a nine point four two acre parcel that's currently designated RT and both properties function as one vacant site the GPA request will bring both of the properties into conformance with each other the second request is a zoning map amendment this request will amend the zoning map does From its current open space park designation to research and technology. This parcel is owned by the County of Orange and is immediately adjacent to a 9.42 acre parcel that's currently designated RT, and both properties function as one vacant site. The GPA request will bring both of the properties into conformance with each other. The second request is a zoning map amendment. This request will amend the zoning map designation in two existing industrial areas from Industrial General, Industrial Limited, and Commercial General to Research and Technology. I'd like to take a moment to provide a clarification for the commission that the designation of the properties that are commercial are in fact commercial general instead of commercial office, as is referenced in the presentation and in several locations in the staff report. If anybody needs further clarification, I can I'm happy to provide that, but I wanted to identify that in the presentation. Aside from the industrial general and IL zoning designations, six developed parcels in the southwest corner of Bolsa Avenue and Springdale are zoned commercial general and will become RT. The proposed amendment will bring the zoning map into consistency with the general plan map. Here's an example of the exhibit for zoning map that will feature the changes subject to the zoning map request. The third request is zoning text amendment, and that will amend three chapters of the Huntington Beach Zoning and Subdivision Ordnance, and that will establish both land use controls and development standards for the RT land use designation. Three chapters will be amended. The first is chapter 204, which is our use classifications section. The second is chapter 212, which is the industrial districts, and the third is chapter 231, which is our off-street parking and loading provisions. The legislative drafts that are attached to the staff report are attachments for the ordinance, and in order to read those, the specific text changes, uh the deletions will be identified as a strike through, and the text editions are identified in red text that's bold and underlined. I'll start off by giving an overview of the main uh revisions in each section of the code. Uh there are some additional details that are uh outlined in the staff report, uh but I I wanted to provide this uh introduction for those who may be uh listening and reading from elsewhere. Starting with chapter 204 and the use classifications, the zoning text amendment will establish two new use two new use classifications. The first is RT flex space, the second is alcoholic beverage manufacturing. Uh these uh the use classifications provide a basis of land use applications elsewhere in the zoning code. Next, in chapter 212, the industrial district section, uh in 21202 districts established. We are going to create and identify the third industrial district, referenced as RT research and technology. Next, in chapter 212, under land use controls, the zoning text amendment will insert a third column in the land in the land use control table specifically for the RT zone. The new column identifies the approval that is required for each listed land use, and it provides the same organization in the code as the IG and IL districts. The ZTA will also add a with alcohol provision under eating and drinking establishments. It will create a threshold for wholesaling distribution and storage uses at 150,000 gross square feet by right. Those uses that are exceeding 150,000 square feet uh would need a conditional use permit. Further, it will add the RT flex space and alcoholic beverage manufacturing formally as industrial uses in this table. In addition, under land use controls, the ZTA will modify several additional provisions. Additional provision L2 will remove a conditional use permit requirement for eating and drinking establishments that are ancillary to industrial uses. Next, L10 will increase office space that's allowed by right from 10% under current designation to 30% for the RT district. Additional provision L13 is a new provision and will establish alcoholic beverage manufacturing requirements. And finally uh another major change is additional provision H. These are an update to the automobile storage provisions. Uh the zoning text amendment will delete the auto dismantling reference as there are no known auto dismantling businesses uh in the city, and these are also inconsistent with the vision of the general plan for the RT zone. The zoning text amendment will also replace mandatory 660-foot buffer for auto storage uses from a residential district with instead a neighborhood notification requirement for vehicle uses storage uses within 660 feet of a residential district. Under current code, auto storage uses in the RT and IL districts require CUP by the planning commission. In the next section of chapter 212 is development standards. The zoning text amendment will establish a minimum lot area of 15,000 square feet for new development. It will also establish a minimum lot width of 75 feet. The zoning text amendment will incorporate the same minimum setback, minimum height, sorry, maximum height, minimum site landscaping requirements as the IG zone. And we'll also identify a maximum floor area ratio of 1.0 as was established in the general plan land use element adoption. The floor area ratio is uh determined by dividing the gross square footage of all buildings on a property by the area of that property. This is also consistent as I mentioned with the general plan land use element. Finally, the uh zoning text amendment will identify performance standards for industrial districts, and these are uh clarified in additional provision N. Next, in chapter 231, the zoning text amendment will formally identify that the maximum 10% office area for speculative buildings for IG and IL districts will be preserved. However, it will also identify that 30% office is allowable by right for speculative buildings in the RT district. Further, it will identify that office space requirements of one to 250 will uh sorry, one space for 250 square feet uh for office can be exceeded if the parking is provided for on site. And this is also consistent with an earlier section in chapter 212.