2012 - February 22Planning Commission Meeting
Minutes
February 22, 2012
Pagel of 8
Planning Commission February 22, 2012
City of Orange Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Commissioners Buttress, Gladson, Grangoff and Steiner
ABSENT: None
STAFF
PRESENT: Leslie Aranda Roseberry, Planning Manager
Anna Pehoushek, Principal Planner
Robert Garcia, Associate Planner
Gary Sheatz, Assistant City Attorney
Sandi Dimick, Recording Secretary
ADMINISTRATIVE SESSION
Chair Steiner opened the Administration Session of the Planning Commission Meeting at
6:51 p.m.
Chair Steiner stated there were 2 items. He asked if there had been any opposition
received on the CHOC Helistop Agenda item.
Associate Planner Robert Garcia stated there had not been any received. There was one
inquiry noted in the Staff Report, which was from the Airport Landing Commission
regarding airport notification. Chair Steiner noted that the report provided was very
large. Mr. Garcia stated the report had not been printed as double sided. Commissioner
Gladson stated it felt like an EIR.
Chair Steiner stated that with the proposed helistop there would be a significant increase
in landings and air traffic. Planning Manager Leslie Aranda Roseberry stated there had
been a lot of discussion regarding the analysis of that situation. The information
provided concluded that there was no added hazard and after many discussions, the
CHOC representatives had brought in people who knew what the City was asking for, to
provide them with information and assurances on that situation. The conclusion was that
the increase in hazard to the City taking into account the per flight, flight hours and flight
routes was very small. The City was looking at crash hazard. Chair Steiner asked when
the helistop project would be operational. Mr. Garcia stated the applicant thought it
would be in September.
Chair Steiner stated the other item for consideration was the General Plan Annual Report
that would be presented by Principal Planner Anna Pehoushek. Ms. Pehoushek stated she
would present information on any changes that had occurred in the last year.
Chair Steiner asked if there was anything further to discuss.
Planning Commission Meeting February 22, 2012
Page 2 of 8
Commissioner Buttress stated on the CHOC item in reading the information regarding the
CHOC Foundation interests, there were statements that there would be limited access by
high profile donors to the helistop and flights; the number of these visits and flights had
not been defined and she asked Staff what that number was? Mr. Garcia stated CHOC's
statement had been that there would be no increase in the number of those types of
flights; however, he had not known what that number was. Commissioner Buttress
stated she would ask that question to the applicant.
Chair Steiner asked Assistant City Attorney Gary Sheatz if Mike Merino would be re-
joining the Planning Commission upon his return to the states and in the interim would
there be a re- appointment. Mr. Sheatz stated Mike Merino had tendered his resignation
from the Planning Commission and although he had not seen the letter, it was a
resignation. Upon his return, if he sought to be on the Planning Commission, it would
require a reappointment. The City Council could appoint a new member and upon Mr.
Merino's return, if the City Council chose to re- appoint him, it would require a
resignation by the new member. Once a Commissioner resigned, it was a resignation.
There had been situations in the past where a Commissioner had been asked to resign and
that Commissioner could not understand the reasoning for that request and fought the
request to be removed. The term for a Commissioner was a 4 year term and their position
on the Planning Commission was an appointment by a City Council member and their
term could be longer or shorter at the pleasure of the City Council members.
Chair Steiner stated his appointment had been initially proposed as a 6 month duty and
had been longer. He was enjoying his return to the Planning Commission and thanked
the Commission for re- nominating him as the Chair.
There was no further discussion.
Administrative Session adjourned @ 7: 01 p.m.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION None
REGULAR SESSION
Chair Steiner opened the regular Session of the Planning Commission Meeting with a
review of the City's appeal process.
Planning Commission Meeting
Consent Calendar:
February 22, 2012
Page 3 of 8
(1) APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR SCHEDULED
MEETING OF February 6, 2012
Commissioner Gladson made a motion to approve the minutes from the Planning
Commission Meeting of February 6, 2012, with corrections noted during the
Administrative Session.
SECOND: Commissioner Buttress
AYES: Commissioners Buttress, Gladson, and Grangoff
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: Commissioner Steiner
ABSENT: None
MOTION CARRIED
Planning Commission Meeting February 22, 2012
Page 4of8
COMMISSION BUSINESS:
(2) GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL REPORT
California Government Code Section 65400 requires that cities submit an annual report
on the status of their General Plan and progress in its implementation to the Governor's
Office of Planning and Research and Department of Housing and Community
Development by April 1 st of each year.
NOTE: Final Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) No. 1815 -09
for the Comprehensive General Plan Update was certified on
March 9, 2010 and prepared in accordance with the California
Environmental Quality Act. The implementation activities
identified in the subject report are addressed in the General Plan
EIR.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Receive and file 2011 General Plan Annual Progress Report for
final acceptance by the City Council.
Principal Planner Anna Pehoushek presented a project overview consistent with the Staff
Report.
Chair Steiner stated in reviewing the documentation in some depth, there was some
significant implementation of more than a dozen significant activities and actions over
the last year. He wanted to congratulate the City's Staff for their hard work. The
General Plan Update was certified on March 9, 2010, and all the activities throughout the
year had been consistent with the EIR. Chair Steiner opened the item to the Commission
for discussion or action.
Commissioner Buttress stated she wanted to remind everyone that was listening to the
presentation that the report was an annual report that they were mandated to file with the
State.
Commissioner Grangoff made a motion to receive and file The General Plan Annual
Report.
SECOND: Commissioner Buttress
AYES:
Commissioners Buttress, Gladson, Grangoff and Steiner
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
ABSENT:
None
MOTION CARRIED
Planning Commission Meeting
NEW HEARING:
February 22, 2012
Page 5 of 8
(3) CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT NO. 2822 -11 AND MITIGATED
NEGATIVE DECLARATION 1826 -11 — CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF
ORANGE COUNTY (CHOC) HELISTOP
The proposed project provides for the addition of a helistop that would be located on the
CHOC Children's Hospital South Tower. The existing helistop on the CHOC Children's
Hospital North Tower would be retained in commission as a secondary helistop to
accommodate overflow.
LOCATION: CHOC campus bisected by La Veta Avenue
NOTE: The proposed project provides for the addition of a helistop that
would be located on the CHOC Children's Hospital South Tower.
The existing helistop on the CHOC Children's Hospital North
Tower would be retained in commission as a secondary helistop to
accommodate overflow.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Adopt Planning Commission Resolution 10 -12 allowing a helistop
to be located on the CHOC Children's Hospital South Tower.
Associate Planner Robert Garcia presented a project overview consistent with the Staff
Report.
Chair Steiner opened the item to any questions for Staff. There were none.
Chair Steiner invited the applicant to address the Commission.
Fred Talarico, address on file, stated he was a representative for CHOC. He stated that
they had read the Conditions of Approval and the Staff Report and they were all
acceptable to them. He would not go over anything in detail, as it was all included in the
documents. The proposed project would provide another service to the children of
Orange County. When he had begun work on the project to its presentation tonight, he
described it as there were not really any new sick children, it would be that children that
had been going to other locations would now have a new site available to them. The new
helistop would provide for a fast and effective way to get children to the hospital.
Commissioner Buttress stated because of the fact that they would have the capability to
divert children to CHOC, she asked if that had been the reason for the 10 times increase
in flights?
Planning Commission Meeting February 22, 2012
Page 6 of 8
Mr. Talarico stated basically what they had done was to analyze a worst case scenario. It
had not been that they would anticipate an increase of 365 flights; that number was the
most flights that they would be able to handle. They also had to anticipate what the
hourly flights would be in a situation where there was a mass emergency somewhere and
how many children they would be able to accommodate. That was where the numbers
had come from.
Commissioner Buttress stated in reference to the utilization of the helistop for high
profile donors and board members; the visits and flights were noted as a few. There was
not a concrete number for those situations and when speaking with Staff on the issue she
had been told that CHOC had not defined that number and that it would remain the same
is it currently was. She asked what that number was.
Mr. Talarico stated that he believed the highest number of those types of visits in one
year had been 5. They had a wonderful program called Radio Lollipop and it was a
program that Ryan Seacrest put on; with such a major donor they would want to provide
for a visit for that type of donor. It had been approximately 5 a year at the most and he
had not anticipated an increase in that number.
Chair Steiner stated the donors paid for CHOC and he would think that CHOC would
want to show them their incredible resources, and the visits were beneficial. CHOC was
a tremendous resource for the county and it held a place in their hearts and it was an
incredible asset to the City of Orange and the children. He asked if the south tower
would be opening sometime in September.
Mr. Talarico stated they were ahead of schedule and completion of the tower was
anticipated for September. Once the new building was under hospital control, they would
go through a barrage of tests and they anticipated the first patients in the hospital in April
of next year.
Chair Steiner asked if the helistop on the north tower would remain in place.
Mr. Talarico stated yes, if there were ever a major disaster it would remain there for that
type of use.
Commissioner Gladson stated she understood Mr. Talarico to be the expert on the
environmental documents and in line with the questions that were asked by her
colleagues, the mitigation measure spoke of a friendly neighbor guide approach and she
asked how that measure would work in terms of nuisance prevention.
Mr. Talarico stated they had brought the Air Transportation Service, a private company
that serviced CHOC; they brought them in to meetings with staff and they had been
hospital carriers for several years. The object of the flight situation was to utilize existing
routes that worked, and they would basically be coming straight over the freeway and
into CHOC. If they received complaints CHOC would go back the transportation service
Planning Commission Meeting February 22, 2012
Page 7 of 8
and relay that information to that agency to have it remedied. They had very highly
trained professionals flying the helicopters.
Commissioner Gladson asked if there was a complaint or an issue would there be a
remedy that Staff would be able to work with CHOC to alleviate any concerns or issues
that might arise? The plan if she read correctly, and it was a worst case scenario, but that
there was the potential for 1 /2 of the trips to be in the very early morning hours that could
disturb residents and she wanted to clarify how that would work?
Mr. Talarico stated they had been under construction for several years and during that
time issue's had come up, with St. Joseph's and CHOC's construction occurring they had
worked hand in hand with City Staff to ensure that any concerns that came up were
handled very quickly. There was a tremendous amount of respect by CHOC for the Staff
of the City of Orange and it was a cooperative arrangement.
Commissioner Gladson stated she concurred with her colleagues and on the Chair's
comments about their affection for CHOC, but the reality was that the site was near some
residential areas and the fact that CHOC had a positive track record was favorable. She
wanted to understand how the mitigation measures would work and she wanted the
members of the public to know that there was a system in place that would assist with all
of that.
Mr. Talarico stated there were no issues currently and if concerns arose they would be
addressed.
Chair Steiner brought the item back to the Commission for further discussion or a
motion.
Commissioner Buttress made a motion to adopt PC 10 -12, CUP No. 2822 -11 and MND
No. 1826 -11- Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Helistop, subject to the
conditions contained in the Staff Report.
SECOND: Commissioner Gladson
AYES:
Commissioners Buttress, Gladson, Grangoff and Steiner
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
ABSENT:
None
MOTION CARRIED
Planning Commission Meeting
(4) ADJOURNMENT:
February 22, 2012
Page 8 of 8
Adjournment to the next Planning Commission Meeting scheduled for Monday, March 5,
2012.
Commissioner Grangoff made a motion for adjournment to the next regular scheduled
meeting of the Planning Commission on March 5, 2012.
SECOND: Commissioner Buttress
AYES:
Commissioners Buttress, Gladson, Grangoff and Steiner
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
ABSENT:
None
MOTION CARRIED
Meeting Adjourned @ 7:24 p.m.