Yeah.

Okay, we'll get started here.

All right.

Good afternoon.

And welcome to the administrative zoning meeting of March 11, 2026.

My name is George Schroeder, and I'm presiding over the hearing today as the zoning administrator.

And I'd like to call the meeting of to order at 4 o'clock p.m.

I want to note that today's hearing will operate in a hybrid format.

Staff, the applicants, and some community members are in person.

However, we will also ask if community members joining us virtually want to speak on an item at certain points in the meeting.

When those opportunities arise, typically during the public comment portion of each agenda item.

Members of the public wishing to comment may do so by clicking the raise hand feature on Zoom when I announce the item on which you wish to speak.

Speakers will be notified of their turn shortly before they're called on to speak.

All speakers, virtual or in person, will have two to three minutes to provide comments with a timing dependent on the total number of speakers for each item.

If you are in person and wish to comment on the agenda item today, please also fill out a yellow card for us so we are able to accurately spell your name for the meeting minutes here.

So the next portion of our agenda is for oral communications from the public.

This time is set aside for persons wishing to address the zoning administrator on any matter not on the agenda.

Speakers are limited to three minutes, and state law prohibits any action on any items which are not on the agenda.

Is there anyone who would like to speak on any items not on the agenda?

So not the uh pickleball initial use permit that we'll about the year.

Okay.

Roxanne, is there anyone online?

No.

Okay, thank you.

Welcome.

All right, I will now move on to item three, which is the zone administrator public hearing.

Item 3.1 is 838 Independence Avenue with a request for a conditional use permit to allow a new recreational public slash quasi-public use in indoor pickleball court within it in an existing industrial building on a 0.22 acre site, and a recommendation that the project is categorically exempt pursuant to section 15301, which is existing facilities of the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA.

Brendan Norton is the project planner.

Brendan, do you have a staff presentation?

Good afternoon.

My name is Brendan Norton.

I am the project planner for this item at 838 Independence Avenue.

This project is located on a 0.22 acre site west of Independence Avenue within the MM40 General Industrial Zoning District.

On April 4th, 2025, Chris Robinson, on behalf of 100 Start LLC, filed a request for a new indoor pickleball for produce within an existing industrial building.

The proposed quasi-public use consists of one indoor pickleball court with no increase to existing floor area.

Report is available by reservation for public open play and private coaching sessions.

Based on the proposed business operation statement, the majority of court hours will be available by reservation for public open play with reoccurring time blocks scheduled throughout the week for private coaching sessions.

During the noticing period, staff received 53 public comments, which have been incorporated into the public records.

One public comment received uh expressed concerns with potential noise impacts from pickleball play, particularly uh with regards to roll-up doors that could be opened.

Staff responded to the commenter by identifying standard and project specific conditions of approval, addressing noise, specifically limiting pickleball activities to indoor areas only, and ensuring doors and windows remain closed during business operations.

The remaining 52 comments received expressed support of the project.

Staff has conducted review of the application and staff is recommending approval based on the finance report and conditions of approval and find that the project is categorically exempt pursuant to section 15301, existing facilities of the California Environmental Quality Act CEQA guidelines.

That concludes my presentation.

The public uh project applicant is also available for any questions at this time.

All right, thank you, Brendan.

It is now the applicant's turn to make a presentation.

And the applicant, do you have a presentation or anything you'd like to say today?

I don't.

I just want to say thank you for all the questions.

If you can please uh come to the code email.

All right, just wanted to say thank you for everyone who shows support in the game today or wrote emails uh online.

I really appreciate it.

Uh thanks, Brendan, for helping us get through the process to the spot.

I'm just excited to get the court open and have people use it.

Great.

And your name, sir, for the name is Chris Robinson.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Robinson.

Uh, just a question from me, uh, given that we did get the comment about some potential noise concerns with residential nearby.

Can you just uh describe your plan for matching noise impacts on site?

Yeah, actually, um we were we were concerned about the noise inside as well.

Um, and so we've already gone ahead and installed sound deadening material inside that's usually used in industrial spaces that are running uh machines.

Uh and it's it's almost imperceptible when you're outside of the building.

So as long as those doors are closed, I think we shouldn't have any issues.

Okay, and I understand there's no outdoor operations and you'll have the the roll of doors closed when when pickball is in play.

That's correct.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

I don't have any more questions.

All right.

So we will now open up to the the item to the public comments.

Is there anyone for the public that would like to comment on this item?

Item 3.1.

David Siegel.

Yes, and uh anyone who gets called, if you can please come to the podium.

And each member of the public has three three minutes to uh speak on the meeting.

So hi, my name is David Siegel.

I'm a 35-year resident of the city of Palo Palto.

I'm the president of the Palo Alto pickleball.

I appear before you today in strong support of Chris's application for the conditional use permit.

Pickleball is not simply a recreational trend.

It delivers measurable health, wellness, and social benefits, particularly in combating loneliness and social isolation.

That few other activities can match across such a broad demographic.

The barrier to accessing those benefits is at its core, a supply problem.

Mountain View currently has just three dedicated courts and six shared courts with tennis serving a population of 87,000 residents.

This equates to roughly one court for every 14,000 residents.

To illustrate how underserved Mountain View, the Mountain View community is, by comparison, Palo Alto has 15 dedicated courts for 67,000 residents or one per 4500 residents, and that's not enough to even meet the demand.

So we're actively working with the city of Palo Alto to expand that number.

The disparity is stark and its consequences are real.

Mountain View residents face excessive wait times that effectively deny them access to a sport with proven public health benefits.

I recognize that the Mountain View Pickleball Club is engaged in productive conversations with the city about public court capacity.

However, even under the most optimistic timeline, meaningful expansion is years away.

In the interim, a commercial pickleball facilities have emerged as a practical and effective part of the solution.

Over the past five years, about 100 commercial pickleball courts have been opened or have been announced across the South Bay.

The data is clear.

When organized groups migrate to commercial venues, they free up public courts and first-time players precise for the casual and first-time players, precisely the population most at risk of being shut out of these public courts.

I prefer to see expanded public court access where the benefits of the sport are available to everyone regardless of income.

But municipalities face realistic constraints, financial, logistical, and political, that the private sector simply does not.

And when a private operator like Chris is willing to assume all of the financial risk to develop and operate a facility that genuinely guarantees or generally delivers benefit, that is an opportunity that the city should welcome with open use.

It is for these reasons, and it looks like you're going to do so anyway, that I respectively urge you to approve Chris's conditional use.

The facility he proposes will benefit not only its direct patrons, but the broader Mountain View community community by relieving the pressure on the overtaxed public words.

Thanks for your time.

Thanks, sir.

Hey, is there any other members of the public here in the room today that would like to speak on the item?

If there's any members of the public, uh, if if you are online, please use the raise hand feature in Zoom or star nine to raise your hand.

And Roxanne, we have we do not have any.

Okay.

And uh seeing that that's all the public comments we have today.

I'll now uh I'll now uh go back to the appkin if you have any other comments you have to share.

Okay, seeing none.

There's one, George.

Um, if I could.

Yes.

Uh, if you can make sure you fill out a speaker card afterwards, but yeah, we could please go ahead.

Okay.

The walk there won't count as your three minutes.

My name is Mike Cobsa with Pope Set 2 Architects.

We're uh the architects for Chris on this project and worked with Brendan.

I just wanted to there was a condition of approval, a couple actually that I didn't know didn't seem warranted to me.

And uh one was that there would be a grading plan on site grading plan, basically provided.

And there really is no change to any uh payment.

We're adding a VA walk uh to the street and doing some striping, and that's basically all that's happening on the site and some landscaping.

And the other thing was that there should be a sewer application uh made as soon as uh a permit is filed, and the sewer was camera and reviewed as good to go.

So those couple items I felt like really should be stricken from the conditions by two sets.

Okay.

Well, let's let's take a look at the the conditions here.

Yeah, so the sewer condition would be our public works departments, and if they determine that there's no impacts needed or no further work, then that would that would essentially address the condition.

So um, I'm hesitant to remove any of their their conditions.

Um, and then the grading permit was that uh Brendan, are you aware of which yeah, Mr.

Cobza, you're not aware of which which one this was?

Uh it was down a ways.

I think it was right.

Um it was I think it was also public works.

Yeah.

27, 28, something like that.

I just know that when we submit, we have to address all these conditions.

Sure, and and it could be similar to the other one you mentioned where it's if it's not even part of the project, then it's really not applicable.

Yeah, I understand it's sort of a standard.

I understand.

Um, but let's see if we can find it real quick.

Uh, if not, then we'll still keep it in.

But uh as far as implementation goes, uh if there's no grading, then yeah, no, no uh plans would be needed.

Thank you.

The drainage plan was number 48.

48.

Yeah, that that is a condition from our public works department.

We don't have a representative here right now, so I'll I'll keep it in for now.

But as I mentioned, when we implement it, then if there's no grading that's occurring, really no further work is needed.

Uh appreciate that.

Okay, um, so I'll now go ahead and close the public hearing, and I will move forward in making a motion to approve item 3.1 based on the findings and conditions posted online, the public comment letters that we received prior to the meeting and the application materials reviewed by city staff.

I find that the use is consistent with the goals and policy of the of the general plan.

It serves uh recreational need for residents within the community.

The proposed operations are well managed and compatible with the site and the character of the land uses in the vicinity, and any operational impacts will be medicated to a less than significant level.

And please note my decision to approve the project is appealable to the city council within 10 calendar days.

And this concludes the public hearing today at 4 15 p.m.

And if anyone has any follow up questions, please contact the project planner, Brennan North.

Thank you, everybody.

Thank you.