Redwood City Planning Commission Meeting – August 16, 2022: Downtown Precise Plan Amendments, Historic Addition, and SB9 Continuation
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Redwood City Planning Commission Meeting – August 16, 2022
Summary
The Redwood City Planning Commission held a regular meeting on August 16, 2022, starting at 6:00 PM and adjourning at 7:45 PM. The meeting included approval of prior minutes, election of a new Chair and Vice Chair, a public hearing for a historic district addition, a continuation of SB9 zoning amendments, and a study session on proposed amendments to the Downtown Precise Plan (DTPP). No public comments were made on items not on the agenda.
Consent Calendar
- No items were on the consent calendar.
Public Comments & Testimony
- General Public Comment (Items Not on Agenda): No speakers.
- Public Hearing – 413 Alden Street: No public comments were received.
- Public Hearing – Study Session on DTPP Amendments: Two speakers addressed the Commission:
- Glenn Babbitt expressed concern that changing approval authority for large projects from the Planning Commission to the City Council might not be consistent with streamlining approval processes and could increase costs for both developers and the city.
- Adrian Brandt suggested that development agreements could encourage applicants to contribute to the local match for transit corridor improvements (e.g., grade separation, elevated station), noting that Menlo Park had a developer fund a train horn quiet zone study.
Discussion Items
- Approval of Minutes (June 21, 2022 – Adjourned and Regular Meetings): Approved 4-0, with Commissioners Bondonno and Sturken abstaining (absent from those meetings) and Commissioner Meunier absent.
- Selection of Planning Commission Chair and Vice Chair:
- Vice Chair Rick Hunter was appointed Chair (motion by Martinez, second by Bondonno; passed 7-0).
- Filip Crnogorac was appointed Vice Chair (motion by Bondonno, second by Martinez; passed 7-0).
- Public Hearing 6A – 413 Alden Street: A permit for a one-story, 231-square-foot addition and interior remodel to a contributing structure in the Mezesville Historic District. Staff found the project consistent with permit approval criteria. Commissioner Bondonno voiced support for retaining the original structure’s integrity. The Commission approved Resolution No. 22-02 (motion by Bondonno, second by Chu; passed 7-0).
- Public Hearing 6B – SB9 Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Amendments: Staff recommended continuation to a date uncertain to align with housing element amendments. The Commission voted to continue (motion by Bondonno, second by Martinez; passed 7-0).
- Study Session – Downtown Precise Plan (DTPP) Amendments: Principal Planner Anna McGill presented an overview of the Gatekeeper process, key amendments, and concurrent processes. Discussion covered:
- Development Capacity: Studying 830 units of housing and additional office capacity (including a 10% contingency, with 80,000 sq ft set aside for small office).
- Approval Process: Large projects requiring a General Plan or DTPP amendment would go to City Council for final action; development agreements would memorialize community benefits.
- R&D Laboratory Use: Staff proposed studying up to 30% of office capacity as R&D lab, with conditional use permits and performance standards. Commissioners expressed support for studying this use but raised concerns about hazardous materials, heavy deliveries, and impacts on nearby low-income communities.
- Exceptions Process: Sites physically constrained by creeks, storm drains, or potential Caltrain track expansion could opt out of certain DTPP standards.
- Vehicle and Bicycle Parking: Proposed adjustments to parking minimums, expansion of Parking Zone 1, and decoupling bicycle parking from vehicle parking ratios. Several commissioners advocated for eliminating parking minimums for residential and lodging, or at least reducing them.
- Rooftop Activities: Allowed uses such as bars, restaurants, open spaces, gardens, sports courts, and publicly accessible amenities, subject to height limits. Commissioners emphasized the need for public access during non-business hours and suggested a central list of rooftop locations on the city website.
- Affordable Housing: Of the 830 units studied, 226 affordable units are proposed within the DTPP area. Gatekeeper projects are providing deeper affordability than the city’s standard (10% moderate, 5% low, 5% very low for rental).
- Matters of Commission Interest: Staff provided updates on upcoming meetings (September 6 and 20, 2022) and noted that the City Council held a study session on the Harbor View project on July 25, 2022, which may return to the Planning Commission.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes of June 21, 2022 (adjourned and regular) on a 4-0 vote.
- Elected Rick Hunter as Chair and Filip Crnogorac as Vice Chair, both 7-0.
- Approved Permit No. AP2022-009 for 413 Alden Street (Resolution No. 22-02) on a 7-0 vote.
- Continued the SB9 zoning and subdivision ordinance amendments to a date uncertain (7-0).
- No action taken on the DTPP study session; staff will incorporate feedback and return with a draft subsequent EIR in September/October 2022, followed by a recommendation in spring 2023.
- Next Meeting: September 6, 2022.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, uh, you can't do it. Oh excuse me. Good evening, everyone, and welcome to our August 16th, 2022 Redwood City Planning Commission meeting. As a reminder, items will be taken in the order in which they are listed on the agenda. Before we get started, I wanted to go to briefly go over the public comment procedures for the meeting for those who may be joining us for the first time. All public comment on items not on tonight's agenda will be taken during the general public comment, which is item number three in this evening's agenda. Comments on agenda items will be taken only when that item is called. In-person speak and this is a this is a hybrid uh in-person and virtual meeting. So in-person speakers will be called first, followed by virtual attendees. Uh to uh for in-person speakers, please fill out a speaker's card at the front of the council chambers and bring to staff if you wish to speak. For those joining virtually, you may use the raise hand feature on Zoom to speak. If you're joining the teleconference by phone, you may raise your hand by dialing star nine and then dial star six to unmute your microphone when prompted. Please only raise your hand at the time that the item on which you are speaking is called. Each speaker is allotted three minutes. But that may time may be adjusted if there are a large number of speakers. For in-person speakers, there will be a light on the podium to let you know how much time you have left and a buzzer when the time is up. For virtual speakers, there will be a timer on your screen. Lastly, we know that we each bring different perspectives to the discussion. And we want to be sure everyone has a chance to be heard without interruption. So thank you for your attention and for your consideration during this process. We will now proceed with the roll call. Thank you. Commissioner Bondano. Here. Commissioner Chu. Here. Commissioner Shonogo Ratz. Here. Commissioner Martinez. Here. Commissioner Mounier is absent. Commissioner Stirkin. Here. And Vice Chair Hunter. Here. Um before we get to the agenda, I want to take a minute to uh recognize and welcome our newest planning commissioner. This is his first meeting, Chris Sterkin. Um we welcome you here. We hope you enjoy your experience. And I don't know if you have any words you'd like to say. Thank you very much for this opportunity. It's an honor to serve y'all and um really excited for the work we get to do together. Great. Thank you. We're excited to have you. Um the next item on the agenda is the approval of minutes. So the first uh the first minutes on the agenda are from June 21st, 2022. Um and this is the meeting that was adjourned from our the meeting on June 7th. Is there a motion to approve those minutes? Moved.
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