2013 - August 19Planning Commission Meeting
Minutes
Planning Commission
City of Orange
August 19th, 2013
August 19, 2013
Monday 7:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Commissioners Buttress, Cathcart, Correa, Gladson, and Steiner
ABSENT: None
STAFF
PRESENT: Leslie Aranda Roseberry, Planning Manager
Robert Garcia, Associate Planner
Gary Sheatz, Assistant City Attorney
Mark Schwartz, Recording Secretary
REGULAR SESSION
1. OPENING:
Chair Steiner called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
All Commissioners present.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None
CONTINUED OR WITHDRAWN ITEMS:
None
PLANNING MANAGER REPORT:
Planning Manager Roseberry stated there was nothing additional to report.
APPEAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
Chair Steiner reviewed the appeal process.
Planning Commission Meeting
2. CONSENT CALENDAR:
August 19th, 2013
2.1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR SCHEDULED
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF JULY 15, 2013.
Commissioner Buttress made a motion to approve the meeting minutes from the July 15,
2013 Planning Commission meeting as written.
SECOND: Commissioner Correa
AYES: Commissioners Buttress, Correa, and Steiner
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: Commissioners Gladson and Cathcart
MOTION CARRIED
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Planning Commission Meeting
3. NEW HEARING:
August 19th, 2013
3.1 ZONE CHANGE 1270 -13 — GENERAL PLAN ZONING
CONSISTENCY FOR THE ECKHOFF STREET /ORANGEWOOD
AVENUE FOCUS AREA
To rezone properties in the Eckhoff Street /Orangewood Avenue 2010 General Plan Land
Use Focus Area, generally located east of the Santa Ana River, south of Struck Avenue,
north of West Orangewood Avenue, and west of North Poplar and North Commerce
Streets, to Office Professional (OP) and Light Manufacturing (MI) in order to achieve
consistency between the existing Neighborhood Office Professional (NOP) and Light
Industrial (LI) General Plan land use designations and zoning in accordance with State
law.
NOTE: The City's General Plan was adopted on March 9, 2010. The 2010 General
Plan Land Use Element included re- designation of certain properties of the
Eckhoff Street/Orangewood Avenue 2010 General Plan Land Use Focus
Area. As part of the General Plan update, refinements were made to the
industrial land use designations in the focus area, including a change in the
name of the land use designation from "Industrial" to "Light Industrial ".
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Adopt Planning Commission Resolution 29 -13 recommending the City
Council approve Zone Change 1270 -13 and adopt an Ordinance rezoning
properties in the Eckhoff Street /Orangewood Avenue 2010 General Plan
Land Use Focus Area to Office Professional (OP) and Light
Manufacturing (M1) to establish consistency between the Neighborhood
Office Professional and Light Industrial General Plan Land Use
designations in accordance with State law.
Principal Planner Anna Pehoushek presented a project overview consistent with the Staff
Report on this item. There were no questions for the staff.
Chair Steiner asked if there were any communications on this item. There were none.
Chair Steiner opened the public hearing.
George Kovacs, address on file, spoke. He is the owner at 1810 Business Center Dr,
which is a property that would be affected by this plan. He submitted a written document
outlining his primary objections to the plan:
1. Inconsistency of selected properties.
2. Property values likely to decrease due to change of new M1 zoning.
3. No explicating in the proposal who the beneficiaries of this rezoning action are.
4. No reference to whether the zoning change will apply when property is leased to a
new business tenant.
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Planning Commission Meeting August 19th, 2013
He generally felt that the plan doesn't have very many specifics, and leaves a lot of
questions.
Chair Steiner thanked Mr. Kovacs, and called Ms. Pehoushek back up to address the
commission. Chair Steiner explained the 4 different objections, and asked her to
comment on each objection.
Ms. Pehoushek offered an explanation on the boundary of the affected area. Going back
to the General Plan, there were 3 different industrial designations, based on their
development potential and floor area ratio. When the General Plan was updated, the
updates focused on the industrial designation with a 0.6 floor area ratio, and a single
uniform light industrial designation was created. This update actually increased the
property value, since it raised the development potential for the properties. That helps
explain how the boundaries were drawn, and sheds light on the property value question.
The heavier industrial designation is for businesses with more "caustic" uses, including
chemical production, manufacturing extraction, refinement of petroleum products,
production of construction materials, smelting, explosives, manufacturing brick and
concrete products, and sexually- oriented businesses. The light industrial designation is
for businesses not featuring these types of uses. There is still quite a variety of uses to
which these light industrial properties can be put, and therefore the property value
shouldn't suffer from this re- zoning. The city's goal in making these changes when the
General Plan was updated was recognizing the importance and value of the industrial
district to the community, both from the economic contribution those businesses make to
the city, and the employment base that they offer to the city. The goal is simply to
position the property better from a land use policy standpoint to accommodate the growth
and expansion of new and existing businesses, and offer more choices for use to
businesses and uses that are interested in coming to Orange County.
In terms of who are the beneficiaries, the property owners are intended to be
beneficiaries, and the zoning is currently inconsistent, which creates problems with trying
to attract and keep businesses in the area. It is intended to make the use and leasing of
the property more simplified than it currently is. If there is an existing property that is
M2, and the designation is changed to MI, the tenant can still stay as long as they would
like to, as long as there is a continuity of occupancy. The city has tried to be generous in
the way it accommodates these changes.
Commissioner Buttress asked if, in 2010, when the General Plan was updated, there were
public hearings. Ms. Pehoushek said there were. Commissioner Buttress asked if this
was discussed with the property owners at that time. Ms. Pehoushek said it was.
Commissioner Buttress asked if, since that's all been accepted now, this change is needed
to keep the city consistent with the state law regarding zoning change. Ms. Pehoushek
said it was.
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Planning Commission Meeting August 19th, 2013
Commissioner Gladson asked why the boundaries were drawn where they are. The
average person looking at the zoning map wouldn't necessarily understand why one side
of the street is affected while the other side isn't. Ms. Pehoushek stated that the problem
was the two different industrial designations in the original General Plan. The two
different designations were brought together, and the boundary lines from the original
General Plan were preserved in that process.
Commissioner Correa asked if business owners can continue doing the same type of
business if there's continuity of occupancy, even if the business becomes non - conforming
as a result of this change. Ms. Pehoushek said that was the case.
Chair Steiner addressed Mr. Kovacs, and said he felt that most of Mr. Kovacs' questions
regarding the plan had been addressed by staff. He then closed the public hearing.
Commissioner Buttress motioned to adopt the Planning Commission Resolution 29 -13
approving Zone Change 1270 -13 and adopting an ordinance rezoning properties in the
Eckhoff Street/Orangewood Avenue 2010 General Plan Land Use Focus Area to Office
Professional (OP) and Light Manufacturing (M1) to establish consistency between the
Neighborhood Office Professional and Light Industrial General Plan Land Use designations
in accordance with State law.
SECOND: Commissioner Gladson
AYES: Commissioners Buttress, Cathcart, Correa, Gladson, and Steiner
NOES: None
MOTION CARRIED
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Planning Commission Meeting
4. ADJOURNMENT:
August 19th, 2013
Commissioner Buttress motioned to adjourn until the next regularly scheduled meeting
on Wednesday, Sept 4, 2013.
SECOND: Commissioner Cathcart
AYES: Commissioners Buttress, Cathcart, Correa, Steiner and Gladson
NOES: None
Meeting adjourned at 7:35pm
MOTION CARRIED
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