Planning and Design Commission Meeting - September 24, 2020
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Planning and Design Commission Meeting - September 24, 2020
The Sacramento Planning and Design Commission met on September 24, 2020, at 5:30 PM in a teleconference format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting covered two public hearings on third-party appeals for land-use modifications and a discussion of the 2021 Planning Work Program. The commission voted 7:4 to uphold an appeal and deny a major modification to allow a storefront cannabis dispensary at 1625 Del Paso Boulevard, while the appeal for the Sacramento Country Day School Master Plan was continued to October 22, 2020.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approved the meeting minutes of September 10, 2020, with Commissioner Ogilvie abstaining (10:0:1).
- Item 2: Received and filed the Director’s Report.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 4 – 1625 Del Paso Boulevard Cannabis Dispensary: Multiple members of the public spoke in opposition to the proposed storefront dispensary. Speakers from the Old North Sacramento Community Association and other residents argued that the site is within 600 feet of a church and a former school (St. Joseph Parish, which provides religious education to approximately 400 students), that there is an overconcentration of cannabis facilities in District 2 (citing 86 cannabis-related uses and over 2.6 million square feet of cannabis entitlement), that proper notification was not provided to nearby apartment residents, and that the use would harm the family-friendly character of Del Paso Boulevard. Some speakers also raised concerns about a planned lounge use and the lack of a business operating permit for the applicants.
- Supporters of the project (including applicant representatives and a resident) argued that the school is not currently operating as a K–12 institution, that the city council had recently allowed storefront dispensaries in the area, that the project would activate a vacant building and provide living-wage jobs, and that the operators are committed community members who have invested significantly in the property.
Discussion Items
- Item 4 (Continued): The commission heard presentations from staff, the applicant (Melissa Sanchez, representing owners Greg Vaughn and Mitsumiyagi), and the appellant (attorney for St. Joseph Parish and representative Nancy Kitts). Key issues included: whether the adjacent school (religious education program) meets the city code definition of a school with a 600-foot buffer; whether the project constitutes an overconcentration of cannabis uses; the adequacy of noticing; and the distinction between a delivery-only conditional use permit (already approved) and a new storefront use. The applicant argued the modification is appropriate and that city council had not prohibited storefront dispensaries in the Special Planning District. Commissioners expressed concerns about the school’s future reopening, the lack of a clear policy on overconcentration, and the speculative nature of the business operating permit. Commissioner Farrell made a motion to deny the staff recommendation and uphold the appeal, seconded by Commissioner Lenzi.
- Item 5 – 2021 Planning Work Program: Acting Planning Director Greg Sandlund presented an initial draft work program covering 25 initiatives, including the Housing Element update, density bonus ordinance update, general plan 2040 update, climate action plan implementation, ADU pre-approved plans, sign code overhaul, and neighborhood development action team plans. Commissioners provided comments emphasizing the need to prioritize near-term actions, address COVID-19 economic impacts, integrate parking policy changes with the general plan, and conduct community education on trade-offs. No formal vote was taken; the report was received and filed.
Key Outcomes
- Item 4 (1625 Del Paso Boulevard): Motion to deny staff recommendation (i.e., uphold the appeal and reject the major modification) passed 7:4 (Commissioners Farrell, Lenzi, Yee, Macias Reed, Hernandez, Kaufman, Wang-Connelly in favor; Commissioners Ogilvie, Burke, Pluckebaum, and Chair Covill opposed). The project will not receive a storefront dispensary conditional use permit. The existing delivery-only permit remains in effect.
- Item 3 (Sacramento Country Day School): Continued to the Planning and Design Commission hearing on October 22, 2020.
- Item 5: The 2021 Planning Work Program was received and filed; staff will incorporate commissioner feedback into the final program.
- The meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, everyone, we're gonna go ahead and do a thirty second countdown when we'll start recording, and then we can start the meeting after that. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the to the September twenty-fourth, twenty twenty City of Sacramento Planning and Design Commission hearing. For city staff, commissioners, and applicants and appellates that are logged into the meeting, please remember to keep your microphones muted until you are speaking. For members of the public that are joining the meeting, in addition to submitting e-comments, you have the option to phone in during the public comment period. And Station will share her screen now to display both those options. If you would like to give any comment during the meeting, please do so. You can call in any time before or during the public public comment period for that item, and you will be placed on hold until Azure turned to speak. Once you call in, please keep in mind it may take a moment or two to move you into the queue. It has been continued to October twenty second. And if you want to abstain yet. Commissioner Farrell. Here. Commissioner Ogilvy? Here. Commissioner Burke. Here. Commissioner Yee. Here. Vice Chair Plucky Baum. Here. Chair Cobil. Here. You have a quorum. Thank you. Now the consent agenda. Um, we'll be voting on all of them at the end, the two items. So if you want to abstend, just uh do it at the end in the roll call vote. Uh we'll get started with the director's report. Thank you. I wanted to give an update to the commission uh this week. Staff had some issues with the phone-in public comment system at the last meeting on September 10th. It resulted in a number of the callers unable to speak on the item that was of interest to them. In response, we've made some substantial updates to the phone in script and the agenda itself in order to make it very clear what number to press to be put in the proper queue for each item. And those changes I wanted to let you know are in effect for this evening's hearing. So hopefully we will not have a repeat of that type of situation again. That's the only thing I have for the director's report tonight. Thank you. We appreciate that. Uh okay, looking for a motion on the minutes. We have a motion and a second. Any questions, comments. Seeing none, we can take vote. Commissioner Wonconnelly. Uh yes. I commissioner Messias Reed. Aye. Commissioner Hernandez. Aye. Commissioner Kaufman.
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