HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Min 2003-09-03
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CITY OF SEAL BEACH
PLANNING COMMISSION
AGENDA for September 3,2003
7:30 p.m.
District 1 - Ellery Deaton
District 2 - Jim Sharp
District 3 - Gordon Shanks
District 4 - Henry Eager
District 5 - Phil Ladner
Deoartment of Develooment Services
Lee Whittenberg, Director
Alexander Abbe, Assistant City Attorney
Mac Cummins, Associate Planner
Carmen Alvarez, Executive Secretary
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City Hall office hours are 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and
Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed noon to 1 :00 p.m.
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The City of Seal Beach complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you
need assistance to attend this meeting please telephone the City Clerk's Office at
least 48 hours in advance of the meeting (562) 431-2527.
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Planning Commission meetings are broadcast live on Seal Beach TV3. They are
rebroadcast on Sunday evenings, Channel 3 at 4:00 p.m.
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Videotapes of Planning Commission meetings may be purchased from Seal Beach
TV3 at a cost of $20 per tape. Telephone: (562) 596-1404.
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Copies of staff reports and/or written materials on each agenda item are on file in
the Department of Development Services and City libraries for public inspection.
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City of Seal Beach Planmng Commission · Agenda of September 3, 2003
PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET
The following is a brief explanation of the Planning Commission agenda
structure:
AGENDA APPROVAL: The Planning Commission may wish to change the order of the
items on the agenda.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: Anyone wishing to address the Planning Commission, only
on items not on tonight's agenda, may do so during this time period. No action can be
taken by the Planning Commission on these communications on this date, unless
agendized.
PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS: Public Hearings allow citizens the opportunity to speak in
favor of or against agendized items. More detailed information is found in the actual
agenda attached. If you have documents to distribute, you should have enough copies
for all Planning Commissioners, City staff and the public. Please give one to the
secretary for the City files. The documents become part of the public record and will not
be returned.
CONSENT CALENDAR: Consent Calendar items are considered routine items that
normally do not require separate consideration. The Planning Commission may make
one motion for approval of all the items listed on the Consent Calendar.
SCHEDULED MATTERS: These items are considered by the Planning Commission
separately and require separate motions. These transactions are considered
administrative and public testimony is not heard.
STAFF CONCERNS: Updates and reports from the Director of Development Services
(Planning and Building Departments) are presented for information to the Planning
Commission and the public.
COMMISSION CONCERNS: Items of concern are presented by the Planning
Commissioners and discussed with staff.
All Droceedinas are recorded.
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City of Seal Beach Planning Commission
Agenda for September 3, 2003
7:30 p.m.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
II ROLL CALL
III AGENDA APPROVAL
By Motion of the Planning Commission. this is the time to:
(a) Notify the public of any changes to the Agenda,
(b) Re-arrange the order of the Agenda, and/or
(c) Provide an opportunity for any member of the Planning Commission, staff, or public to
request an Item be removed from the Consent Calendar for separate action
IV ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
At this time, members of the public may address the Planning Commission regarding any Items
within the subject matter JUriSdiction of the Planning Commission, provided that the Planning
Commission may undertake no action or discussion unless otherwise authorized by law
V
CONSENT CALENDAR
Items on the Consent Calendar are considered to be routine and are enacted by one motion unless
prior to enactment a member of the Planning Commission, staff, or the public requests a specific
Item be removed from the Consent Calendar for separate action.
1 Approve Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of July 23, 2003
VI SCHEDULED MATTERS
2 Election of Chairperson
VII PUBLIC HEARINGS
3 Zone Text Amendment 03-2
Seal Beach Trailer Park
Applicant/Owner
Request
City of Seal Beach/L1NC Housing
Consider an amendment to the ZOning Ordinance to eliminate the
current separation standards for two-story cabana structures within the
Seal Beach Trailer Park, or within Identified areas of the trailer park The
current Code requires a 20-foot separation distance between two-story
cabana structures'
Recommendation
Approval subject to conditions and adoption of Resolution 03-35
VIII STAFF CONCERNS
IX COMMISSION CONCERNS
X ADJOURNMENT
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City of Seal Beach Planmng Commission · Agenda of September 3, 2003
Sept 17
Oct 8
Oct 22
Nav5
Nav 19
Dee 3
Dee 17
TO BE SCHEDULED:
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Study Session
Staff Report
Study Session.
Study Session
2003 Aaenda Forecast
Negative Declaration and Draft of Proposed General Plan & Local Coastal Plan
Conditional Use Permit 03-4 - Target Store
Conditional Use Permit 03-5 - Mane Callendars
Conditional Use Permit 03-6 - Ruby's Diner
Height Vanatlon 03-5 - C1 Surf side
Permitted Uses and Development Standards in Commercial Zones (5/6/98)
Undergroundlng of Utilities
ADA Handicapped-Accessible Restrooms
Parking Issues In Old Town
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CITY OF SEAL BEACH
PLANNING COMMISSION
Minutes of September 3, 2003
Vice-Chairperson Sharp called the regularly scheduled meeting of the Planning
Commission to order at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 3, 2003. The meeting
was held In the City Council Chambers and began with the Salute to the Flag.1
ROLL CALL
Present: Vice-Chairperson Sharp, Commissioners Deaton, Eager, Ladner, and
Shanks.
Also
Present: Deoartment of Develooment Services
Lee Whittenberg, Director of Development Services
Mac Cummins, Associate Planner
Alexander Abbe, Assistant City Attorney
Absent: None.
Mr. Whittenberg extended a welcome to the new District 4 Commissioner, Mr. Henry
Eager.
AGENDA APPROVAL
Commissioner Shanks requested that Election of Vice-Chairperson be added to
scheduled matters.
MOTION by Shanks; SECOND by Ladner to approve the Agenda as amended
MOTION CARRIED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
5-0
Sharp, Deaton, Eager, Ladner, and Shanks
None
None
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Vice-Chairperson Sharp opened oral communications.
There being no one wishing to speak, Vice-Chairperson Sharp closed oral
communications.
1 These Minutes were transcnbed from audiotape of the meeting
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CONSENT CALENDAR
CIty of Seal Beach Plannmg CommIssIon
Meetmg Mmutes of September 3, 2003
1. Approve Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of July 23, 2003.
Mr. Whittenberg noted that Commissioner Eager should abstain from voting on this
Item, as he was not in attendance at the meeting of July 23, 2003
MOTION by Deaton; SECOND by Shanks to approve the Consent Calendar as
presented
MOTION CARRIED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
SCHEDULED MATTERS
4-0-1
Sharp, Deaton, Ladner, and Shanks
None
None
Eager
2. Election of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson.
Mr. Whittenberg opened the nominations for Chairperson.
Commissioner Shanks nominated James Sharp for Chairperson.
There being no other nominations, Mr. Whittenberg closed the nominations for
Chairperson.
MOTION CARRIED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
5-0
Sharp, Deaton, Eager, Ladner, and Shanks
None
None
Chairperson Sharp opened the nominations for Vice-Chairperson.
Commissioner Shanks nominated Phil Ladner for Vice-Chairperson.
There being no other nominations, Chairperson Sharp closed the nominations for Vice-
Chairperson.
MOTION CARRIED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
5-0
Sharp, Deaton, Eager, Ladner, and Shanks
None
None
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CIty of Seal Beach Plannmg CommIssIon
Meetmg Mmutes of September 3, 2003
PUBLIC HEARINGS
3. Zone Text Amendment 03-2
Seal Beach Trailer Park
Applicant/Owner:
Request:
City of Seal Beach/L1NC Housing
Consider an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to
eliminate the current separation standards for two-story
cabana structures within the Seal Beach Trailer Park, or
within identified areas of the trailer park. The current Code
requires a 20-foot separation distance between two-story
cabana structures.
Recommendation:
Approval subject to conditions and adoption of Resolution
03-35.
Staff Report
Mr. Whittenberg delivered the staff report. (Staff Report is on file for inspection in the
Planning Department.) He provided some background information on this item and
stated that the proposal is to consider the elimination of the 20-foot separation distance
for all of the spaces within the Seal Beach Trailer Park (SBTP), or to eliminate the
separation distance for specific spaces only. He noted that the City would continue to
require compliance with Title 25, which is the state Code requirements on the actual
separation distances from trailer to cabana, or from a cabana to a cabana. He said that
any requests for a 2-story cabana would still have to come before the Planning
Commission (PC) for architectural review purposes, and all construction standards
would still have to comply with the City's Building Code. He indicated that with regard to
sprinkler systems, the Code requires residential sprinkler systems for all 2-story cabana
structures. With the accompaniment of a PowerPoint presentation, the Director of
Development Services then explained that the existing Code for 2-story cabana
structures was adopted in 1983 by Ordinance 1137. He indicated that each
Commissioner had been given a copy of a Staff Report providing an extensive history
dating back to the late 1970's up to 1983 of how the City came to adopt its current
development standards for this type of structure. He referred to Section E-3, which
states, "no 2-story cabana shall be located within 20 feet of an existing 2-story cabana."
He indicated that these standards were adopted in 1983 and the Code on any of the
section on 2-story cabanas has not been revised since that time. He indicated that the
area that would be most comparable to the trailer park spaces would be the lots in the
Surfside Colony, where the smallest lots measure 25 x 35 feet. He noted that a
summary of the different lot sizes within Surfside Colony and a comparison to the trailer
park lots is provided in the Staff Report. As an example, Mr. Whittenberg stated that
lots measuring 800 square feet are approximately the size of a 4-car garage, so a 1,000
square foot lot would be just a little larger. He noted that most of the lots in Old Town
measure 2,500 square feet and in College Park East they measure 5,000 square feet.
He reported that in Surfside Colony, A Row has 51 lots smaller than 1,000 square feet,
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City of Seal Beach Plannmg Commission
Meetmg Mmutes of September 3, 2003
B Row has 38, and C Row has 37 lots of this size, which calculates into 38% of the lots
in Surf side measuring less than 1,000 square feet, 26% measuring between 1,000 and
1,100 square feet, and 36% larger than 1,125 square feet. He noted that the largest lot
In Surfside measure 3,869 square feet. Mr. Whittenberg stated that the lease areas
within the SBTP the sizes are fairly comparable with the Surfside lots. He Indicated that
the central greenbelt area of the trailer park has 48 spaces, 30 of which measure less
than 900 square feet. For the remaining 77 spaces along the perimeter of the trailer
park, two are less than 900 square feet, with the maximum size for a space within the
greenbelt area at 1,600 square feet and the largest space within the trailer park
measuring 4,080 square feet. He indicated that 26% of the spaces within the trailer
park measure less than 900 square feet, and 74% are larger.
The Director of Development Services then explained that fire safety has been a
continuous concern since 1983, and Staff has attempted to provide enough information
to demonstrate that the City has dealt with this issue both in the Building Code and the
Zoning Code since the early 1980's. He said that the Building Code contains specific
provisions for lots that are less than 1,000 square feet that require a 13-D Fire Sprinkler
System, which is National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) standard for residential fire
sprinkler systems. He said that this standard has been adopted for building lots, which
are subdivided and can be sold and transferred. He noted that the trailer part spaces
cannot be sold and transferred, and are not applicable to the 1,000 square foot lot size.
He stated that when the City adopted the standards for the SBTP, the design standards
for 2-story cabanas included the requirement to comply with the NFPA standard. He
referred to Page 10 of the Staff Report and indicated that this information was provided
by the Orange County Fire Department and states that "if the measures outlined by the
Fire Department are imposed as well as the City's building requirements, there should
be no foreseeable fire hazard connected with 2-story cabanas," and" the mitigating
measures submitted by the Fire Department were developed on the premise that a
cabana could be built on each space." He said that this was not ultimately what the City
did approve, but the assumption from the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) was
that all of the spaces in the park could ultimately have a 2-story cabana, and the 13-D
Fire Sprinkler System satisfies the concerns of the Fire Department.
Mr. Whittenberg then stated that as Staff views the issue, the PC is dealing with a policy
issue as to whether or not to change the ultimate appearance of the trailer park by
allowing the opportunity for cabanas to be constructed on every space within the park.
He indicated that this would allow the residents the opportunity to expand their living
space and encourage more vertical structures within the trailer park. He pointed out
that Surfside Colony has the same building 3-feet side and rear setbacks from property
lines as the trailers and cabanas within the trailer park. He explained that within
Surfside 3-story homes can be constructed up to a maximum height of 35 feet, and
must provide the same 13-D Fire Sprinkler systems as the trailer park requires for
cabanas.
Mr. Whittenberg summarized the four alternatives presented for consideration by the PC
as follows.
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City of Seal Beach Planmng Commission
Meeting Mmutes of September 3, 2003
A. Recommend elimination of 20-foot separation standard for all 2-story cabanas
within the trailer park and require the minimum 6-foot separation.
B. Recommend elimination of 20-foot separation standard for "identified spaces"
within and adjacent to the "Greenbelt Area" of the trailer park.
C. Recommend modification of 20-foot separation standard to something different
than proposed by Staff.
D. Recommend no amendments to the existing separation standards for two-story
cabana structures.
He then proceeded to describe the photographs shown in a visual presentation of
development setbacks within Old Town, Surfside Colony, and the setbacks for 2-story
cabanas and trailers within the trailer park. He ended by stating that Staff is
recommending approval of Zone Text Amendment (ZTA) 03-2, eliminating the 20-foot
separation for 2-story cabanas for all lots within the trailer park. He then noted for the
record that a number of communications on this matter were received from the following
individuals:
Francis Little
Ed & Mary Welz
Sheri Diaz
Jennifer Carlsson
Penny Peddicord
Glenn A. Clark
Steve & Carlene Mesner
16 Cottonwood Lane
825 Driftwood
50 Riversea Road
29 Welcome Lane
43 Riversea Road
12 Cottonwood Lane
338 Spinnaker Way
Favors
Favors
Favors
Favors
Favors
Favors
Favors
Loydene & William Lazich
Stu Orton
100 Electric Avenue
49 Riversea Road
Opposed
Opposed
Copies were provided to the Commissioners.
Commissioner Questions
Commissioner Deaton asked for a tally of letters received of those in favor and those
opposed to ZTA 03-2. She then asked if any cabana constructed, regardless of lot size
would have to be sprinklered. Mr. Whittenberg confirmed that this was correct.
Commissioner Deaton then asked if the setbacks are measured? She said that she had
received a call from a resident of the trailer park who asserted that some of the
setbacks are not 3 feet. Mr. Whittenberg stated that over the years the State standards
have changed regarding what was allowable to build within trailer parks. He said that
when the trailer park was first relocated to its current location, the State standard was
that a trailer had to be 6 feet away from another trailer. At that time the State did not
deal with distance from a trailer space lease line. He continued by stating that as a
cabana began to become more of an issue beginning in 1993, a lot division map was
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City of Seal Beach Plannmg CommIssIon
Meetmg Mmutes of September 3, 2003
submitted to the City by the trailer park owner at that time to identify what the park
ownership considered as the trailer space lease lines, and since that time the City has
been using those lot dimensions for the setback standards. He said that this does not
mean that a pre-existing unit may already be located closer than 3 feet to a lot line, as in
many cases it was not possible to adjust the lines to meet a standard as many of them
were not correctly located when they were initially put in the park. He noted that any
new additions to the trailer park must comply with the 3-foot setback distance from the
lease lines as indicated on the map of the trailer park. Commissioner Deaton confirmed
that in order for any cabana to be constructed, it would have to be 6 feet from the
neighboring cabana. Mr. Whittenberg stated that it would have to be 3 feet from the
trailer space lease line. He said that if the other unit on an adjoining lot is 2.5 feet from
the lease line, the City cannot require that the other unit be moved in order to meet the
3-foot separation standard, but the new cabana would have to abide by the 3-foot
setback standard. Commissioner Deaton inquired about parking. Mr. Whittenberg
reported that the SBTP has no parking requirements for each space, but has a common
parking area with the number of parking spaces having been determined at the time the
park was relocated to its current location. He said that the SBTP is not required to
provide a parking space immediately adjacent to each trailer space, primarily due to the
small trailer spaces that cannot accommodate parking. Commissioner Deaton
confirmed that although allowing more living space increases density, additional parking
is not required. Mr. Whittenberg stated that this would be similar to adding a bedroom
to a home in Old Town or on The Hill, yet the City only requires a 2-car garage. He
noted that the common parking area in the trailer park accommodates approximately
190 cars and there are 125 trailer spaces.
Commissioner Eager asked for further clarification regarding the separation standard.
Mr. Whittenberg stated that by State law the requirement is now a 3 feet setback from
the trailer space lease line, so if adjoining structures both meet the standard, there
would be a 6-foot separation between them. He reiterated that due to a specific
separation standard in previous years, some of the trailer spaces may be more than 6
feet apart and some may be less.
Commissioner Ladner asked how many cabanas currently exist in the trailer park. Mr.
Whittenberg stated the he believed there are approximately 30 cabanas.
Mr. Abbe recommended two minor changes to the proposed resolution as follows:
Page 17 - Paragraph J refers to a Section 5-30.12, and this should be
listed as Section 5-30.22.
Page 17 - Final paragraph, No. 2 paragraph should be numbered as
Paragraph 1
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City of Seal Beach Planning Commission
Meeting Minutes of September 3, 2003
Public Hearina
Chairperson Sharp opened the public hearing.
Judy J Naimi-Yazdi, 89 Riversea Road, stated that she lives in a single wide trailer in
the greenbelt area and when she bought into the park she was made aware that she
could not "build up" because she does have a two-story structure in front of her trailer
space. She said that there is also an area in the center of the SBTP where the
residents are completely surrounded by mobile homes. She said that 7 trailers
surround her and 2 out of these are already built up with cabanas. She said that if all
trailer residents are allowed to build up there will be no more green belt and her home
will be completely surrounded by shadows due to obscuring of the sun. She stated that
she opposes eliminating the 20-foot separation standard.
Ed Welz, 825 Driftwood, stated that he is very much in favor of approving ZTA 03-2. He
said that thiS is an issue of equal opportunity. He said the building codes for the trailer
park are arbitrary and somewhat capricious and there is no reason that they should be
different from what applies in the rest of the City. He stated that in 1983 everyone in the
City was focused on zero-growth and the concept of aesthetics and pushed this concept
onto the trailer park with the 20-foot separation standard. He noted that usually all that
can be added with the 2-story cabanas is an extra bedroom and bath, which would not
significantly increase the density in the park. He said that residents of SBTP should be
treated the same as the residents of Surfside and Old Town. He recommended
approval of ZT A 03-2.
Mike Hutton, 38 Welcome Lane, stated that he had petitioned City Council a few years
ago to remove this 20-foot separation standard. He reported that several years ago
there was a sewage spill and the County Health Department was called to come out
and clean it up. He said the trailer park is built to accommodate 125 trailers and would
not support additional bathrooms in the 2-story cabanas. He reported that a 1-1%"
supply would be necessary to supply the sprinker systems of each unit In the park
creating safety and health issues. He recommended denial of ZT A 03-2.
Bob Latta, 94 Welcome Lane, said he does not oppose the 2-story cabanas, but he is
concerned about residents renting or sub-leasing their cabanas. He encouraged
creating the requirement that only the trailer owners or immediate family be allowed to
reside in the cabanas and that a survey of all the lot lines be conducted prior to allowing
more new construction of cabanas.
Mary Welz, 825 Driftwood, stated that her son and his wife, who are both disabled, live
In the trailer park with their two children and are planning on constructing a 2-story
cabana with the 20-foot setback at 48 Riversea Road. She said that all that could be
constructed on the second story would be one bedroom, a little 2nd bedroom, and one
bathroom. She said that downstairs would be a living room, one bathroom, one
bedroom. She stated that having a 2-story cabana is important to growing families.
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CIty of Seal Beach Plannmg CommIssIon
Meetmg Mmutes of September 3. 2003
Linda Copeland, 90 Riversea Road, said she and her family live in a 2-bedroom trailer
and they would like to build up, but cannot due to being surrounded on either side by 2-
story cabanas. She recommended approval of ZTA 03-2.
John McKee, 72 Riversea Road, said he had an opportunity to construct a 2-story
cabana, but chose instead to build a single story. He said that currently there are many
people in the SBTP that have the option to construct a 2-story cabana if they want to.
He commented that in the 12 years he has lived in the trailer park only two 2-story
cabanas have been constructed. He said that if ZTA 03-2 is approved many of the
trailer park residents will not construct 2-story cabanas as it is difficult to meet the
building standards and it is very expensive to build. He stated that for those who can
afford to, it would be good to allow those residents to be able to build a cabana. He
noted that it was not fair that all residents are paying an increase in monthly rent, yet
have no more living space available to them. He recommended approval of ZT A 03-2.
Ms. Karen Tarascio, 111 Welcome Lane, stated that her trailer is located on the
greenbelt and is completely surrounded on all sides. She indicated that the SBTP was
originally created to be the affordable housing for the City of Seal Beach, which she
believes carries with it the responsibility of ensuring that the housing is livable and
decent. She stated that many of the trailers along the greenbelt are currently vacant
because they are uninhabitable. She noted that in the last 1 ~ years the realization has
come about that the ability of homeowners on the greenbelt to replace their trailers with
a manufacture home are limited because the lots are too small to accommodate a
ready-made manufactured home. Although trailers and manufactured housing are
considered to be the same, trailer park residents, and particularly those along the
greenbelt, would have to order a customized manufactured home to conform to the lot
size. She noted that required 3-foot setbacks from all lot lines more severely limits the
size of the 2-story cabana that can be placed on an individual lot along the greenbelt.
Chairperson Sharp interjected that the issue under consideration tonight is the 20-foot
separation between 2-story cabanas. Ms. Tarascio stated that she believes It IS
important that the Commission have as much information as possible in order to make a
good decision. She asked what was to be done to replace the inhabitable trailers.
Chairperson Sharp stated that this was not the issue at this time. Ms. Tarascio
countered that it is her problem. Chairperson Sharp stated that although Ms. Tarascio
feels this way, there is nothing that the Planning Commission can do about this tonight
and she should confine her comments to the topic of the 20-foot separation standard.
Ms. Tarascio insisted that this was what she was doing as the residents of SBTP cannot
replace their home on the greenbelt with something that meets federal health and safety
standards unless the 20-foot separation standard is waived. She asked if the
Commissioners had any questions. Commissioner Shanks stated that although the PC
understands Ms. Tarascio's point, the City Redevelopment Agency has looked into thiS
problem, and determining the type of mobile home that would be appropriate for the
trailer park is beyond the jurisdiction of the PC. Ms. Tarascio asked if copies of the
minutes of the Redevelopment Agency meetings on this issue were available. Mr
Whittenberg interjected that copies of these minutes are available in the Staff Report.
Ms. Tarascio stated that she wanted to note that the water pipes also need replacing.
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City of Seal Beach Plannmg Commission
Meetmg Minutes of September 3, 2003
Jess Roque, 101 Welcome Lane, stated that he recently purchased one of the
abandoned mobile homes and noted that his home is surrounded by three 2-story
cabanas. He said that his space would probably only accommodate a one-bedroom
home, or a two bedroom, two-story home. He continued by noting that it seems unfair
that the 20-foot separation standard is not uniformly applied throughout the City, and he
does not feel that he should be restricted from being able to take full advantage of the
lot he has purchased. He recommended approval of ZTA 03-2.
There being no one else wishing to speak, Chairperson Sharp closed the public
hearing.
Commissioner Comments
Chairperson Sharp stated that he had served on the PC during the time that the 20-foot
separation standard was discussed. He said that at that time the PC had received
many recommendations to approve this standard for the safety of the residents of the
trailer park.
Commissioner Shanks stated that he had received a telephone call in opposition to ZT A
03-2. He noted that the PC cannot get involved with the management of the trailer park
and if residents are having a problem they must go to the management of the trailer
park or to the Redevelopment Agency. He stated that the infrastructure of the trailer
park was constructed around 1980 and he has no doubt that the sewer and water lines
may need attention, but this is not a reason to not move forward. He indicated that
unfortunately some of the units along the greenbelt may lose some of their sunlight, but
the same thing could occur in Old Town or on The Hill. He said when you look at
Surfside there is no justification for having these restrictions in the trailer park. He said
the City needs a fair policy throughout and he would vote to approve ZTA 03-2.
Commissioner Deaton stated that the City of Seal Beach inherited Surfside, and she
absolutely concurs that there should be no discrimination regarding distances between
homes throughout the City; however, if measurements are only taken to the property
line and housing ends up closer than 6 feet, this is not safe. She said that she did not
wish to be responsible for ignoring this possibility, in particular if there were insufficient
water for use in the event of fire. Commissioner Deaton stated that in order to ensure
safety, she would like to call for allowing the 2-story cabanas on all units that will be 6
feet apart.
Commissioner Shanks asked how many of the existing 2-story cabanas are closer than
6 feet, and would these applications have to come before the PC. Mr. Whittenberg
stated that any 2-story proposal would have to come before the PC for approval. He
then noted that any structure built within 5 feet of a property line must have one-hour,
fire rated construction, and all manufactured homes must meet this standard. With
regard to the number of homes being closer than 6 feet, Mr. Whittenberg stated that
there are many older homes within Old Town that were built closer than the required
setback, but the City does not require a new home on an adjoining lot to be set back
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Meetmg Mmutes of September 3, 2003
further than the standard building requirements because of the older home that exists
on the other property, since the new structure would have to have the one-hour
fire-rated construction. Commissioner Deaton then asked if the water pipes in the trailer
park are of a different caliber and condition than the rest of the City. Mr. Whittenberg
stated that he would not know this, as this is not an issue that is handled by the
Department of Development Services. He said that before a fire sprinkler system is
approved for installation, flow tests on the water line must be completed and approved
by the Fire Department to ensure that there is enough flow in the line to service the
sprinkler system.
Commissioner Eager inquired about the sewer system. Mr. Whittenberg stated that he
could not respond to this.
Chairperson Sharp stated that he has no objection to removing the 20-foot separation
standard.
MOTION by Shanks; SECOND by Deaton to approve Zone Text Amendment 03-2 and
adopt Resolution 03-35 as amended.
MOTION CARRIED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
5-0
Sharp, Deaton, Eager, Ladner, and Shanks
None
None
Mr. Whittenberg advised that tonight's action is only a recommendation to City Council
and a future notice of public hearing will be circulated advising of the meeting date for
City Council to consider this recommendation.
STAFF CONCERNS
Mr. Whittenberg again welcomed Commissioner Eager to the Planning Commission.
COMMISSION CONCERNS
Commissioner Deaton asked for a status report on the Marina Drive Bridge. Mr.
Whittenberg reported that construction on replacement of the bridge has commenced
and during construction the bridge will have only one open lane in each direction. He
said that the California Coastal Commission (CCC) permits require that the City tear
down one half of the bridge, then rebuild it, and then proceed to do the same with the
other half of the bridge so that access between Seal Beach and Long Beach is available
throughout the project. He indicated that a community meeting was conducted last
week to provide an update on the project. Commissioner Deaton asked if this were a
cooperative effort between the City of Seal Beach and the City of Long Beach. Mr.
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WhIttenberg stated that the cities are sharing the cost and the majority of the funding is
being provided through the federal government.
Commissioner Shanks inquired about the Marina Drive Circle project. Mr. Whittenberg
stated that he would check with the Public Works Department and report back to
Commissioner Shanks.
Chairperson Sharp thanked the Commissioners for his election as Chairperson
ADJOURNMENT
Chairperson Sharp adjourned the meeting at 8:58 p.m
Respectfully Submitted,
Carmen Alvarez, Executive Secreta
Planning Department
APPROVAL
The Commission on September 17, 2003, approved the Minutes of the Planning
Commission Meeting of Wednesday, September 3, 2003. Q...c-..
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