4C Public Hearing 2014 0721 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Excerpts from the Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes May 15, 2014 Page 7 of 9 circumstance to enable the developer to increase density; thus, Caliente Drive is narrower than a public roadway. Ms. Faught clarified that although California Vehicle Code and traffic laws don’t apply to private streets, the police respond to any other kind of crime that’s going on. In response to Commissioner Hernandez following up on his earlier question, Mr. Trask said softening the appearance of the gate is a design issue that would be easy to address with the HOA. Noting that the pointy spikes were included with the design to match the fence in the back, he acknowledged that perhaps more decorative finials would be more visually appealing. Commissioner Collier said that while she generally opposes gates, Floresta Gardens is a relatively small, private development that doesn’t have some of the reasons to oppose a gate – nearby schools, churches and other facilities that would be adversely affected by gating. She said there’s no reason to use Caliente Drive as a shortcut. She said she favors the gate proposal. Commissioner Leichner agreed with Commissioner Collier. He said there’s no public purpose served by keeping this private road open. Chair Abero asked whether the increased traffic through the area may be a result of drivers trying to avoid the red light camera at the intersection of Floresta Boulevard/Halcyon Drive and Washington Avenue. She also noted that based on the crimes reported by tonight’s speakers, the crime statistics for District 3 may not be representative of the Floresta Gardens in particular. Chair Abero said she’s Neighborhood Block Captain where she lives, and Neighborhood Watch only works when the people involved speak up. On the other hand, she worries about vigilante-type reactions, when citizens take things into their own hands to the extreme. She said she also understands the constraints on the Police Department regarding some violations on private property. Chair Abero said she approves the gate proposal, but warned that although a gate might help, it won’t keep people out if they really want to get in. Commissioner Hernandez, after confirming that there’s free exit from the property from either driveway, said that he too supports the application. Commissioner Leung said he also lives in a subdivision community, so he empathizes with the safety concerns of Floresta Gardens residents. He said speed bumps create unreasonable noise but seem to have no effect on slowing speeders. He also said the gate may not provide the security the residents want, but there may be additional alternatives in addition to Neighborhood Watch. Ms. Williams said that an evening-hours security guard has been recommended, but it’s cost-prohibitive for Floresta Gardens. Without being confrontational, she added, they do try to police themselves. Chair Abero said she supports the General Plan in discouraging gated communities, and if the City were approached today with a proposal to build one, they’d be turned down on the idea of a gate. In this situation, though, there’s nothing the public needs to access, so she said she also favors the applicants’ proposal. Ms. Faught said the Commission would have to work on findings of fact for approving the application and modifying the PD. The Commissioners then proceeded to discuss the Findings to give general direction to Planner Penaranda in crafting language for new Findings of Fact. Secretary Liao said that if this item isn’t on the City Council agenda until early July 2014, the Planning Commission would have an opportunity to review the minutes of this meeting. Otherwise, the minutes would be presented to the Council in draft form along with the Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval. Finding #1 Chair Abero read current Finding #1: “The proposed location of the use is in accord with the objectives of the Zoning Code and the purposes of the district in which the site is located.” Planner Penaranda said that per the Commissioners’ discussion, the need for the gate is based on overriding public safety, i.e., to discourage unsafe through traffic, in terms of speeds and volume. Secretary Liao pointed out that the pass-through of unwanted traffic is the overriding issue, not the crime element because of the statistics Planner Penaranda had cited. Chair Abero emphasized that we don’t