Napa Planning Commission Regular Meeting – November 2, 2023: Blue Oak Public Art Approval and Consent Items
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Napa Planning Commission Regular Meeting – November 2, 2023
The Napa Planning Commission held a regular meeting on November 2, 2023, at 5:30 PM (local time) in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting covered consent items including approval of prior meeting minutes and a parcel map extension, a public hearing on a public art installation at Blue Oak Middle School, and commissioner discussions on the definition of an artist in the public art ordinance. All votes were unanimous.
Consent Calendar
- Planning Commission Minutes (October 19, 2023): Approved unanimously with two abstentions from commissioners not present at that meeting.
Consent Hearings
- Hernandez Parcel Map Extension – 1556 El Centro Avenue (PL23-0104): Approved as part of the consent hearing. This two-year extension allows subdivision of a 0.90-acre parcel into four lots (including two flag lots) with a single-family home. The project is CEQA exempt under Section 15315. No public comments were received, and no commissioner pulled the item.
Public Comments & Testimony
No members of the public spoke during the general public comment period for items not on the agenda.
Discussion Items
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Blue Oak School Public Art – 1461 Polk Street (PL23-0129)
Staff presented a Design Review Permit application for a public art piece titled "Roots of Resilience" by local artist Mikey Kelly. The artwork, a 26-foot-high by 30-foot-wide depiction of an oak tree made from quarter-inch aluminum panels with powder coating, will be installed on the western facade of the gymnasium at the Blue Oak Middle School campus (currently under construction). The project satisfies the city's public art ordinance requirement (1% of construction cost, which was $7 million, resulting in a $70,000 public art fee paid by the applicant).
Artist Mikey Kelly explained the design process and the two-layer aluminum construction with LED lighting on a dimmer, oriented away from neighboring properties. The lights are proposed to be on from dusk to 10:00 PM as conditioned by staff to address a neighbor's concern. Lighting will be controlled by timer and remote.
Commissioner questions focused on the definition of an artist per municipal code (proposed work must be by an artist with reputation among peers, educational attainment, etc.) and maintenance/durability (anti-graffiti coating, lifespan). The head of Blue Oak School, John Falk, stated that events past 10 PM are rare (about two per year).
After discussion, the commission agreed to modify the lighting condition: the lights may remain on until 11:00 PM on evenings when a school event extends past 10:00 PM, but standard shutoff remains 10:00 PM.
The commission voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the Design Review Permit as recommended by staff, with the modified lighting condition.
Key Outcomes
- Approved (Consent): Planning Commission minutes of October 19, 2023.
- Approved (Consent Hearing): Hernandez Parcel Map Extension (two-year extension) – resolution adopted.
- Approved (Unanimous Vote 5-0): Blue Oak School Public Art project – Design Review Permit with condition that lighting may be extended to 11 PM for limited evening events.
- Commissioner Comments: Discussion arose regarding the definition of an artist in the public art ordinance (Section 15.108 of Napa Municipal Code). Commissioner Huether expressed concerns about the circular language and its potential misuse, citing a city project diverting public art funds to a playground with an industrial designer deemed an artist. The commission agreed to seek a future workshop or orientation session to clarify the ordinance and planning commission authority over public art.
Meeting Transcript
Mara, would you please uh do roll call? Commissioner Heuther. Um right here. Commissioner Ortello? Present. Commissioner Kelly. Present. Vice Chair Shotwell. Present. And Chair Masaro. President. Pledge of allegiance, please. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God. Indivisible Liberty and Justice for All. The Planning Commission conducts all meetings in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act. And pursuant to the city's rules of orders for the planning commission. Staff, are there any changes to this evening's agenda? There are none. Commissioners, any changes? Nada. Okay, let's carry on. Public comment. This is the section in the meeting where if you would like to speak to the planning commission on any item not on tonight's agenda. So we have the Hernandez map and we have Blue Oak. If you're here for something else, you're welcome to come to the podium and talk about it. Otherwise, we'll move on. Okay. Seeing seeing none. We're at the consent calendar. These routine items may be approved by a single vote. However, any member of the public or commissioner may remove the only item on the consent calendar tonight are the planning commission regular minutes of October 19th, of which three of us were here. Do we have a motion from one of the three people to approve those minutes? So moved. Do I have a second? Second. All those in favor? Aye. And we have three abstentions or two abstentions. Okay, two abstentions. That goes in the minutes. We have consent hearings. These are items that are required to be noticed as a public hearing. But the city is not aware of any interest from members of the public to comment on the item. However, any members of the public or commissioner may remove an item from their consent hearing calendar. And the item will be considered during the public hearing portion of the agenda. Tonight we have the Hernandez Parcel map extension at 1556 El Centro. Would anyone like to pull it off consent calendar? Anyone from the public? Okay, let's move on.
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