Napa Planning Commission Regular Meeting – August 17, 2023
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Napa Planning Commission Regular Meeting – August 17, 2023
The Napa Planning Commission met on August 17, 2023, at 5:30 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included a consent calendar, an administrative report on the annual multi-family rental vacancy rate, a presentation on commission roles and responsibilities, and an update on the Housing Element adoption. The commission adopted a resolution determining the 2023 vacancy rate as 1.7%, and received a housing element progress report.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes for July 20, 2023 (motion carried, Commissioner Huether abstained).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Rishi Cruz, field representative for Carpenters Local Union 180, spoke in support of labor standards including medical and retirement benefits, apprenticeship programs, and local hiring opportunities. He shared personal experience of how the union provided stability and urged the commission to consider these values in future projects.
Discussion Items
- Vacancy Rate Determination (Item 8A): Staff presented the annual survey of apartment communities of 20+ units. The survey, conducted July 25–31, 2023, achieved an 87.5% response rate representing 95% of qualifying units. The resulting vacancy rate was 1.7%, down from the previous year, and remains below the 5% threshold, meaning condominium conversions are not permitted for another year (through August 31, 2024). Commissioners discussed the history of the ordinance (since 2003) and noted the rate has never reached 5% in at least 14 years. The commission adopted a resolution determining the 2023 vacancy rate as 1.7%.
- Planning Commission Roles & Responsibilities (Item 8B): Ricky Caperton presented an overview of commission duties as outlined in Napa Municipal Code Chapter 2.68, Policy Resolution 10, and the commission bylaws. The presentation covered advisory vs. decision-making roles, project review parameters, and staff resources. Commissioners discussed how to bring policy ideas to the City Council, the distinction between personal and commission positions when speaking at council, and the process for requesting staff resources. The commission expressed interest in making this orientation a recurring annual item for new members.
- Housing Element Update (Item 9A): Moved up in the agenda to allow staff to leave early. Michael Walker provided an early review of the draft Housing Element, noting that all documents are available at napahousingelement.com. The city received 35 comments from HCD, with a response matrix to be completed before the September 7 meeting. The commission will make a formal recommendation to the City Council for adoption at that time. Commissioners requested that the full commission be notified via email when the response matrix is posted, so they can network with community groups.
Key Outcomes
- Adopted Resolution 2023-XX (oral motion) determining the 2023 multi-family rental vacancy rate at 1.7%, effective September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024. Vote: 4 ayes, 1 abstention (Huether).
- Received the Housing Element update as a progress report; no action taken.
- Planning Secretary Patty announced her departure (last day in office August 25, 2023). The commission expressed gratitude for her service.
- No other votes or formal referrals were made.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Welcome to the August 17th meeting of the City of Napa Planning Commission. And we have low policy. Commissioner Urdado. Present. Commissioner Heather. I'm here. Vice Chair Shotwell. Present. And Chair Masaro. Commissioner Kelly noted absent. Paul Kelly. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. Yes, I would like to request for consideration to move item 9A up to the admin report. That way Mr. Walker can leave early. Do we have any objections to that? Well, I don't know. I don't think he should be able to leave early. No objections. Mr. Walker, you can get out early today. This is the time where we have public comment. If anyone would like to speak on anything not on tonight's agenda. I believe we had a speaker on something not on tonight's agenda, or are you just here to observe? He's here for a public regular general public comment. Which is now. Yes. Okay, sir. This is general public comment. So this is your time to go to the podium and please take three minutes and address the commission on your subject matter. Awesome. Well, thank you. I thought I had to wait till number nine. Thank you, everybody, for allowing me to speak. My name is Rishi Cruz. I'm a field representative for the Carpenter's Local Union 180. I cover Solano County and I assist in Napa County. So just want to introduce myself and also talk about some labor standards that we hold of high value in the membership, which are medical and retirement benefits, a commitment to an apprenticeship, and local hiring opportunities. Excuse me, so sorry. Well, all construction workers deserve uh fair wage with said benefits. It's it's a sad fact nowadays. 50% of all construction workers are on some type of financial aid. And this goes in hand with having to finance between four and five hours of commute time daily, chasing other opportunities in other cities in order to provide, you know. Local hiring opportunities not only gives us time back with our family, but maintains our pride of being able to point at developments in the city and saying, I built that. You know, it truly is a honorable feeling. Another commitment that we hold of high value is a commitment to an apprenticeship program. This ensures that we continue to evolve with the ever changing conditions of construction, that we complete high quality projects in a safe and timely manner, and that the future generation of carpenters continue our legacy as the master craft. And aside from the statistics, it really gives young adults like me an outlet.
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