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Record of Proceedings

Planning & Design Commission Meeting - March 24, 2022: Cannabis, Office Expansion, Senior Care Facility

Planning & Design Commission — Thursday, March 24, 2022
BodySacramento, California
SessionPlanning & Design Commission
DateThursday, March 24, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:16

Thank you, Chair.

0:17

We are live and staff is ready when you are all right.

0:21

Good evening, everyone.

0:22

Welcome to City of Sacramento's Planning and Design Commission hearing.

0:26

The date is Thursday, March 24th, 2022.

0:30

For staff commissioners and applicants logged into the meeting, please remember to mute yourselves except when speaking.

0:37

For members of the public tuning in, in addition to submitting e-testimony, you have the option to join the Zoom meeting from a link on the meeting agenda.

0:46

Comments submitted either through email or e-comment before 5 p.m.

0:49

today have been received by staff and available for commissioners to review.

0:54

If you would like to leave an e-comment during the hearing, please do so.

0:57

We will pull up e-comments posted after five o'clock today, and we'll take a moment to review them.

1:03

Members of the public participating via Zoom.

1:06

If you would like to speak on an agenda item, please use the Zoom raise your hand feature when the item begins in order to provide public comments.

1:20

If you go over your allotted time, you will be asked to make your final comments and will then be muted.

1:25

Tonight's agenda also has more detailed written instructions to help you use the raise your hand feature.

1:31

If you wish to speak on a subsequent agenda item, you will need to raise your hand again when that next item begins.

1:37

If there's any interruption in your videos uh stream, please refresh your browser.

1:43

We'll go ahead and move on to the agenda.

1:46

We do not have any changes to the agenda today.

1:49

So we'll move over to the roll call.

1:50

Commissioners, please unmute your mics.

2:05

Commissioner Chase.

2:06

Here Commissioner Coville is absent.

2:11

Commissioner Lindsay.

2:13

Here.

2:15

Commissioner Ogilvie?

2:16

Here.

2:17

Commissioner Pluckibon?

2:19

Here.

2:20

Commissioner Wallace.

2:21

Here.

2:22

Commissioner Wankonnelly.

2:24

Here.

2:25

Commissioner Yi.

2:27

Here.

2:28

Commissioner Young.

2:29

Here.

2:31

I do not see Commissioner Boyd.

2:34

So I'll mark him absent.

2:36

Vice Chair Hernandez?

2:38

Here.

2:39

And Chair Masses Reed?

2:41

Here.

2:41

You have a quorum.

2:42

Stacia, this is the city clerk in Council Chamber.

2:46

I do show uh Commissioner Boyd has joined the meeting.

2:50

Great.

2:50

Thank you.

2:51

Thank you.

2:52

Sorry, Stacia.

2:54

Here.

2:57

All right.

2:59

So we will move on to the land acknowledgement.

3:02

Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's Indigenous Peoples and Tribal Lands.

3:10

So to the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Miwok, Patwin Winton peoples, and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe.

3:25

May we acknowledge and honor the Native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's Indigenous People's History, contributions, and lives.

3:43

Thank you.

3:49

Okay, we can move on to the consent calendar.

3:53

Commissioners, if you're abstaining from one of the items on consent, please mention so during the roll call vote.

3:59

Madam Clerk, do we have any public comments on this item?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Cannabis Regulation██████████████████████████████████34%
Procedural█████████████13%
Senior Services███████████11%
Public Comments█████████9%
Community Engagement███████7%
Land Use Planning███████7%
Public Safety██████6%
Affordable Housing████4%
Transportation Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Planning & Design Commission Meeting - March 24, 2022

The Sacramento Planning & Design Commission held a virtual teleconference meeting on Thursday, March 24, 2022, starting at 5:31 p.m. and adjourning at 7:51 p.m. The commission considered four items: approval of prior minutes, continuation of teleconferencing due to COVID-19, and three public hearings for development projects. All items were approved, with one commissioner voting against a cannabis facility project.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (File ID: 2022-00564): The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the February 24, 2022 meeting.
  • Teleconferencing Meetings During COVID-19 State of Emergency (File ID: 2022-00678): The commission unanimously approved a motion to continue meeting by teleconference for another 30 days, citing the ongoing state of emergency and public health risks from in-person gatherings.

Public Comments & Testimony

Item 4 – Shashemene Land Institute of Agriculture & Holistic Rehabilitative Medicines (P20-029)

  • Eight members of the public spoke in support of the project, including representatives from the Greater Sacramento Urban League, Sacramento Sister Circle, SAC Black Biz, and the Institute for More. Speakers emphasized the project's potential for community uplift, equity in the cannabis industry, workforce development, and economic opportunity in South Sacramento. One nearby resident expressed concerns about noise from planned events, potential cannabis smoking in the wellness park, and the design of a mural on the building. The applicant clarified that the space would be membership-only, events would be limited and permitted, smoking would not be allowed outdoors, and the mural was a placeholder from online images and would be replaced with local community-selected art.

Item 5 – Office Space Expansion at 8561 23rd Avenue (P21-019)

  • No public comments were received.

Item 6 – Tenfold Natomas RCFE (P21-031)

  • One member of the public asked how to obtain a recording of the meeting (procedural question, not substantive comment on the project). Staff directed the speaker to the city's website.

Discussion Items

Item 4 – Shashemene Land Institute

  • Staff presented a proposal for two conditional use permits (delivery-only cannabis dispensary and cannabis production: cultivation, distribution, manufacturing) and site plan/design review for a 66,429-square-foot, two-story building on a 3.03-acre vacant site at 2759 Florin Road. The project includes a wellness park, classroom, and office space, with a focus on Ethiopian heritage and community education. The site is in the General Commercial zone and partially within a Transit Overlay.
  • Commissioner questions addressed the intended distribution network, membership-only access to the wellness park, street-level articulation and opaque windows, pedestrian safety improvements along Florin Road (future public works projects), and the possibility of a future retail storefront (applicant clarified it is not planned). Commissioner Ogilvie expressed concern that the building design did not meet Florin Road corridor design guidelines, particularly regarding street frontage activation. Urban Design Manager Bruce Monighan defended the design, noting the building's internalized program and cultural significance. The applicant offered to work with Commissioner Ogilvie on any concerns.
  • A motion to approve the staff recommendation passed 11-1, with Commissioner Ogilvie voting no.

Item 5 – Office Space Expansion at 8561 23rd Avenue

  • Staff presented a request to convert 9,434 square feet of warehouse space to office space within an existing 43,200-square-foot building on a 2.27-acre site in the M-2(S) Heavy Industrial zone, to accommodate a construction contracting company moving from Milpitas. The project included a deviation to open space standards. No commissioner questions or public comments. The commission unanimously approved the project.

Item 6 – Tenfold Natomas RCFE

  • Staff presented a request for a PUD schematic plan amendment and site plan/design review to build a 157,550-square-foot, three-story residential care facility for the elderly (RCFE) at the southwest corner of Arena Blvd. and Truxel Road. The project includes 142 units, 170 residents, 90 full-time/part-time employees, and a deviation to exceed the maximum building setback (28 feet instead of 23 feet). The site is adjacent to a future light rail easement. The applicant (Tenfold Senior Living) highlighted their existing projects and philosophy of resident autonomy, assisted living, and memory care.
  • Commissioner Boyd asked about the appropriateness of an 80+ age facility near a light rail station and the dimensions of the light rail easement. Staff confirmed the commercial/retail parcels to the south remain, and the easement is 12.5 feet for utilities and 40 feet for tracks. The project is considered compatible with the general plan designation.
  • The commission unanimously approved the project.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 4 (Shashemene Land Institute): Approved 11-1 (Commissioner Ogilvie dissenting). The commission approved the environmental exemption (CEQA Infill), conditional use permits for the dispensary and production facility, and site plan/design review. Commissioner Ogilvie expressed that the building design was inconsistent with Florin Road corridor design guidelines.
  • Item 5 (Office Space Expansion): Approved unanimously (12-0).
  • Item 6 (Tenfold Natomas RCFE): Approved unanimously (12-0).
  • All approvals are subject to conditions of approval listed in the staff reports.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you, Chair. We are live and staff is ready when you are all right. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to City of Sacramento's Planning and Design Commission hearing. The date is Thursday, March 24th, 2022. For staff commissioners and applicants logged into the meeting, please remember to mute yourselves except when speaking. For members of the public tuning in, in addition to submitting e-testimony, you have the option to join the Zoom meeting from a link on the meeting agenda. Comments submitted either through email or e-comment before 5 p.m. today have been received by staff and available for commissioners to review. If you would like to leave an e-comment during the hearing, please do so. We will pull up e-comments posted after five o'clock today, and we'll take a moment to review them. Members of the public participating via Zoom. If you would like to speak on an agenda item, please use the Zoom raise your hand feature when the item begins in order to provide public comments. If you go over your allotted time, you will be asked to make your final comments and will then be muted. Tonight's agenda also has more detailed written instructions to help you use the raise your hand feature. If you wish to speak on a subsequent agenda item, you will need to raise your hand again when that next item begins. If there's any interruption in your videos uh stream, please refresh your browser. We'll go ahead and move on to the agenda. We do not have any changes to the agenda today. So we'll move over to the roll call. Commissioners, please unmute your mics. Commissioner Chase. Here Commissioner Coville is absent. Commissioner Lindsay. Here. Commissioner Ogilvie? Here. Commissioner Pluckibon? Here. Commissioner Wallace. Here. Commissioner Wankonnelly. Here. Commissioner Yi. Here. Commissioner Young. Here. I do not see Commissioner Boyd. So I'll mark him absent. Vice Chair Hernandez? Here. And Chair Masses Reed? Here. You have a quorum. Stacia, this is the city clerk in Council Chamber. I do show uh Commissioner Boyd has joined the meeting. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Sorry, Stacia.

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