3A Public Hearing 2007 0319 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Excerpt from 10-19-06 Joint BZAIPC Meeting Page 3 of4 their subject property be included in the new Assembly Overlay District to conditionally permit Assembly uses. Commissioner Collier suggested that Option 2 seems to be the most logical and most generous of the two, because large churches would have far less impact on commercial and industrial areas on Sundays than they currently do in residential areas. Planning Services Manager Pollart then emphasized the importance of developing good definitions of Assembly use, because a club or a lodge may have a meeting once a month, whereas a large church may have activities going on every day. Commissioner Collier agreed that churches often do have daily activities, but the need for ample parking on the weekends far exceeds weekday requirements, a condition that is more conducive to Assembly uses in industrial areas, where most of the businesses would be closed on weekends, at least on Sundays. Planning Services Manager Pollart asked how the Commissioners would like the Planning Department to proceed. Mr. Horn asked if there were suggestions for areas to add or delete. Commissioner Dlugosh wondered if the areas listed might be an acceptable starting point, but could be revised later, to which Ms. Pollart replied that the City can initiate a rezone process at any time. Chair Raposo requested information regarding parking at a large church. Suppose, he said, the site has at least two acres. A small church would have plenty of room for parking; a large church might not. Mr. Horn clarified that the two acres is not intended as a minimum, but gave the staff a basis on which to start looking at potential areas. Ms. Pollart added that the current parking standard calls for one parking place for each 100 square feet of main seating area - the church's sanctuary area - and that square footage devoted to classrooms, day care and other such uses does not count in terms of required parking. In the context of other communities, San Leandro's requirement is on the low side, which is another issue that staff is looking at. Commissioner Dlugosh said that he favors Option 2, because it provides a definitive area to start with. Commissioner Wohltmann said that he favors pursuing both options simultaneously, or combining them, because including Option 1 adds more potential sites to the equation. Planning Services Manager PoUart pointed out that the only overlap between Options 1 and 2 is in Areas 2 and 3, but that there is a stretch of IL Zone along Doolittle Drive south of Area 11 that would come in if the two options were combined. Community Development Director Hom noted that the only conflict with combining the two options would be in the'S' Overlay District along Marina Boulevard. Poll art pointed out that she believes only one overlay district can apply at a time, so Area 3 would exclude the'S' Overlay District parcels on Marina Boulevard. Gary Mortara, head pastor of Faith Fellowship, said that he has gone to all the surrounding businesses near the former MDL building to determine whether they had any issues with Faith Fellowship coming into the area. He reported having personally received "an agreed-upon thumbs up," and that one of the fire captains deems it a perfect place for a church because of the ample parking and the limited weekend traffic. The church uses its buildings on a large scale on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, with small groups (up to 50 people) on some other evenings. Noting that the property has been in escrow since February, with a $50,000 deposit