June 12, 2025 Planning Commission - City of Rancho Mirage

Transcript text

AI transcript text.

[00:00:10] Good afternoon everyone. It is now uh 2
[00:00:12] o'clock and I want to go ahead and call
[00:00:15] the planning commission meeting. Today
[00:00:16] is Thursday, June 12th at 2 p.m. So I'll
[00:00:20] go ahead and start with the flag salute.
[00:00:21] So I'll ask Commissioner Gray to lead us
[00:00:23] in the flag salute.
[00:00:32] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
[00:00:35] United States of America and to the
[00:00:38] republic for which it stands, one nation
[00:00:41] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[00:00:44] justice for all.
[00:00:50] Thank you. Uh, now I'll go ahead and
[00:00:52] open up to roll call.
[00:00:54] Okay. Commissioner Beal, Commissioner
[00:00:58] Bryant, present. Commissioner Gray,
[00:01:00] present. Vice Chair Chanter, present.
[00:01:03] Chair Agustinini, present. And we have a
[00:01:05] quorum.
[00:01:07] Thank you. So, next on the agenda is our
[00:01:10] commissioner comments. I'll go left to
[00:01:12] right. Commissioner, if I may, um,
[00:01:14] sorry, you're right, Chair Augustini.
[00:01:15] Uh, for the oath of office, uh, that
[00:01:17] item is going to be continued to the
[00:01:19] next available meeting where
[00:01:20] Commissioner Beiel is present. And I
[00:01:22] also need a motion to excuse
[00:01:24] Commissioner Beal.
[00:01:27] Also move. Second. Okay. And we'll do a
[00:01:30] roll call vote for that. Commissioner
[00:01:32] Bryant, yes. Commissioner Gray, yes.
[00:01:36] Vice Chair Chanter, yes. Chair
[00:01:38] Agustinini, yes. Motion carries 40.
[00:01:41] Thank you.
[00:01:43] Now on to Commissioner comments.
[00:01:45] Commissioner Gray.
[00:01:48] Uh, I don't have any comments today.
[00:01:51] Vice Chair Chanter, I just like to thank
[00:01:54] you, uh, Chair Augustina, for the past
[00:01:56] year. You've done a great job. Thank
[00:01:58] you. Um, I
[00:02:02] thank you and I thank my fellow
[00:02:04] commissioners, um, for the opportunity
[00:02:07] to be chair and I look forward to
[00:02:10] passing this position along. Um, and I
[00:02:14] am very thankful for the trust that
[00:02:15] you've put in me. And I'll turn it over
[00:02:17] to Commissioner Bryant.
[00:02:21] And I will second that from Pamela what
[00:02:23] you said. So, thank you. Uh, and
[00:02:25] actually, thank you to everybody up here
[00:02:28] as well as all of the folks that serve
[00:02:31] on the many boards and commissions of
[00:02:33] this city. That's one of the things that
[00:02:34] makes this city great. So, thank you for
[00:02:36] that. And then secondly, uh we're in uh
[00:02:40] I guess the second round of using the
[00:02:42] new system. No more three ring binders
[00:02:45] this thick and 25,000 pages. Um and
[00:02:49] we're using it all on the screens. Uh it
[00:02:52] works very well. And even for techno
[00:02:54] dunes like me, it's a vast improvement.
[00:02:58] So thank you uh Mina and your team that
[00:03:01] did all this stuff.
[00:03:04] Yeah, it's a lot easier carrying an
[00:03:06] iPad.
[00:03:09] So, okay. So, moving on to approval of
[00:03:12] the minutes from the April 2020 April
[00:03:14] 24th, 2025 regular meeting.
[00:03:22] I I move that we approve the minutes of
[00:03:24] April 24th, 2025 for the planning
[00:03:27] commission.
[00:03:29] Second.
[00:03:33] Let's vote.
[00:03:36] Motion carries 40.
[00:03:40] Okay, that brings us to action item 4A,
[00:03:43] appointment of chairperson and vice
[00:03:45] chairperson. Thank you, Chair Augustine.
[00:03:47] Um, and good afternoon, members of the
[00:03:49] planning commission. A chairperson and
[00:03:51] vice chairperson is elected annually at
[00:03:53] the first meeting in June. Uh several
[00:03:55] years ago, the planning commission
[00:03:56] decided to rotate the chair and vice
[00:03:58] chair uh positions in the same manner as
[00:04:00] the city council rotates the mayor and
[00:04:01] mayor prom positions uh by a longevity
[00:04:04] of service. Uh the planning commission
[00:04:06] may choose to continue with this format
[00:04:07] or may choose alternative members with
[00:04:09] the motion in a second. Uh based on the
[00:04:11] rotation schedule, vice chair Chanter
[00:04:13] would move to the chair position and
[00:04:15] planning commissioner Bryant is next in
[00:04:17] line to act as vice chair. Um staff
[00:04:20] recommends that the planning commission
[00:04:21] appoint a chairperson and vice
[00:04:22] chairperson. That concludes staff's
[00:04:24] presentation and staff is available to
[00:04:25] answer any questions.
[00:04:30] So, I'll open it up for discussion,
[00:04:33] comments,
[00:04:35] or
[00:04:37] and I can open up for public comment as
[00:04:39] well. I did not receive any speaker
[00:04:41] cards. Is there anyone in the audience
[00:04:42] who would like to speak on this item? No
[00:04:44] speakers. Fantastic. So, then we need a
[00:04:48] motion for a chair and vice chair.
[00:04:52] I'd move that the current vice chair,
[00:04:54] Pam Chander, move into the position of
[00:04:57] chair of the planning commission and
[00:04:59] that the always esteemed Commissioner
[00:05:01] Bryant be made the next vice chair.
[00:05:06] I'll second that.
[00:05:15] Motion carries 4.
[00:05:20] And then we're going to take a fivem
[00:05:21] minute recess while we update our system
[00:05:23] and rotate chairs.
[00:05:40] The music stops.
[00:05:44] Let's sit down.
[00:06:02] Thank you.
[00:06:19] That's okay. I'll be speaking.
[00:06:22] Thank you for telling me that. Oh, okay.
[00:06:48] Yeah.
[00:07:20] Yeah. All right. Moving right along into
[00:07:23] public hearing.
[00:07:26] First item, sign program case
[00:07:28] SIPR25-00001,
[00:07:31] Cino Town Center sign program. the
[00:07:34] applicant DMB Development LLC on behalf
[00:07:38] of ECRM Commercial. Consideration of a
[00:07:41] sign program to establish sign criteria
[00:07:44] for the Cotino Town Center located in
[00:07:46] section 31 approximately 650 ft south of
[00:07:50] the Monterey Avenue and Gerald Ford
[00:07:53] Drive intersection on the west side of
[00:07:55] Monterey. APN's 685-220-048
[00:08:00] and 6585-540-036.
[00:08:06] May we please have the staff report.
[00:08:11] Thank you, Chair Chanter. Good
[00:08:14] afternoon, members of the planning
[00:08:15] commission. I have for your
[00:08:16] consideration sign program case number
[00:08:18] SIPR25-00001
[00:08:22] for the Cotino Town Center located in
[00:08:24] section 31.
[00:08:28] The town center is located within the
[00:08:29] northeastern quadrant of section 31. The
[00:08:33] Cotino Town Center sign program includes
[00:08:35] signs for the north restaurant, two
[00:08:36] restaurant buildings, three inline
[00:08:38] retail buildings, the back of house
[00:08:40] building, the artisan village that
[00:08:43] consist of nine small retail, food and
[00:08:46] beverage buildings. A total of 19 signs
[00:08:48] are proposed throughout the Coutino Town
[00:08:50] Center which consists of several
[00:08:52] monuments, vehic vehicular directional
[00:08:56] signs, pedestrian signs, attenant
[00:08:58] directory, building identity signage,
[00:09:01] banners, miscellaneous wall signs, and
[00:09:03] freestanding signs forformational
[00:09:05] purposes. Additional signage is also
[00:09:08] proposed for retail tenants.
[00:09:12] Two monument signs are proposed at the
[00:09:14] primary entrance at the intersection of
[00:09:16] Monterey Avenue and Gallery View Way.
[00:09:18] The monument is 5' 6 in in height and
[00:09:21] contains 4T 6 in aluminum slats painted
[00:09:24] corton brown with a powdercoated finish.
[00:09:26] The aluminum slats will be mounted to
[00:09:29] the perimeter wall on both sides of the
[00:09:31] entrance and will gradually spread out
[00:09:32] until it reaches a maximum length of 72
[00:09:35] feet 8 in.
[00:09:38] One double-sided monument is proposed
[00:09:40] along Monterey Avenue between Gallery
[00:09:42] Viewway and Illustration Way. The sign
[00:09:44] will be placed approximately 10 feet
[00:09:46] from the back of curb on Monterey
[00:09:48] Avenue. The monument will display six
[00:09:50] different tenant names along with the
[00:09:51] Cotino Bay branding at the top. The
[00:09:54] monument is 8 ft 6 in in height and 11
[00:09:58] ft 2 in in length. The sign will contain
[00:10:01] six-ft tall powdercoated angle post and
[00:10:03] an aluminum p mounted panel with a water
[00:10:06] jet cut pattern that is painted cord in
[00:10:08] brown.
[00:10:11] One double-sided monument is proposed at
[00:10:13] the intersection of Illustration Way and
[00:10:15] Monterey Avenue. The sign will be placed
[00:10:17] approximately 9 ft from the back of curb
[00:10:19] on Monterey Avenue and shall provide an
[00:10:21] 18inch minimum clearance from both ends
[00:10:23] of the sidewalk. The monument will
[00:10:25] display the Cotino Bay branding at the
[00:10:27] top and will contain three-foot aluminum
[00:10:29] slats painted quarton brown with a
[00:10:31] powdercoated finish. The monument is 4'
[00:10:34] 8 in in height and 12 ft in length. The
[00:10:36] aluminum slats will continue to the
[00:10:38] other side of the sidewalk and will
[00:10:40] gradually spread out until it reaches a
[00:10:41] maximum length of 11 ft 8 in.
[00:10:46] The last section of the Cotino Town
[00:10:48] Center sign program pertains to the
[00:10:50] Cotino Bay tenants. Signage allocation
[00:10:52] is determined by the tenant zoning which
[00:10:54] consists of corner inline and artisan
[00:10:56] village tenants. Primary identity
[00:10:58] signage includes any fascia or canopy
[00:11:00] mounted signs. The overall sign area is
[00:11:02] limited to one square foot per linear
[00:11:04] foot of frontage. The maximum sign logo
[00:11:07] and letter heights will vary from 18 in
[00:11:09] to 30 in which is based on tenant
[00:11:11] zoning. The maximum sign height is
[00:11:13] limited to 24 in to 36 in for stack
[00:11:16] letters. The sign program also provides
[00:11:19] the option of secondary identity signage
[00:11:21] which includes blade signs, wall-mounted
[00:11:23] plaques, wall-mounted menu boards,
[00:11:25] window graphics, and A-frame temporary
[00:11:27] signage. The secondary identity signage
[00:11:29] is smaller than the primary identity
[00:11:31] signage and will range from 3 to 9
[00:11:34] square ft.
[00:11:36] Staff recommends that the planning
[00:11:38] commission approve the filing of a
[00:11:39] notice of exemption pursuant to the
[00:11:41] California Environmental Quality Act SQL
[00:11:43] section 15162.
[00:11:45] subsequent EIRS and negative
[00:11:47] declarations and approved sign program
[00:11:49] case number SIPR25-00001
[00:11:53] subject to the conditions of approval
[00:11:55] and based on the content and findings in
[00:11:56] the staff report.
[00:11:58] Staff has received no public comments
[00:12:00] for this project. This concludes my
[00:12:01] presentation and I would be happy to
[00:12:03] answer any questions.
[00:12:07] Oops. Thank you.
[00:12:10] Uh will the city c clerk please open for
[00:12:13] public comment? Thank you. I did not
[00:12:15] receive any speaker cards. Is there
[00:12:17] anyone in the audience who would like to
[00:12:18] provide public testimony on this public
[00:12:20] hearing item? No speakers.
[00:12:24] Okay. Would the commissioners please uh
[00:12:27] ask any questions or comments at this
[00:12:29] time? And I will start to my left with
[00:12:31] Commissioner Gray.
[00:12:34] Thank you, our new chairperson. Um, I'll
[00:12:37] only make the same com comment that I
[00:12:39] make every time this particular item or
[00:12:43] closely related one comes up. I feel ill
[00:12:46] qualified to make the aesthetic
[00:12:49] judgments that people with far more
[00:12:52] ability and qualifications than I have
[00:12:55] have already made on this particular
[00:12:56] issue. But I did look through everything
[00:12:58] and it looks fine to me.
[00:13:03] Commissioner Augustini.
[00:13:06] Yeah, I I agree with Commissioner Gray.
[00:13:08] Um
[00:13:10] I I I see the existing signage already.
[00:13:14] This signage seems to have conformed to
[00:13:17] the similar themes that it already
[00:13:19] exists. So I don't see anything that is
[00:13:21] out of place or would be out of the
[00:13:24] norm. And it kind of it really blends
[00:13:26] nicely. what they've done already so far
[00:13:28] really blends with the community, blends
[00:13:29] in with the the landscaping, and I think
[00:13:32] it just continues to enhance that look.
[00:13:34] So, I don't see anything either.
[00:13:38] Commissioner Bryant.
[00:13:41] Yeah. Is there a representative here
[00:13:42] from Sir, would you mind uh coming up
[00:13:45] and just got a question or two for you?
[00:13:49] Thank you.
[00:13:53] My name is Jace Chitham. I'm the
[00:13:55] vertical development director with DMB
[00:13:56] at Catino. Great. Welcome. Uh a little
[00:14:00] off the actual signs, but would you give
[00:14:02] us a quick overview of how things are
[00:14:05] going there? Uh when things are going to
[00:14:07] open, the restaurant, the public beach,
[00:14:11] uh the uh the road that hooks up to
[00:14:14] Shadow Ridge across the way, that that
[00:14:16] sort of thing. Just give us an idea. I
[00:14:18] can I can give you some of that at
[00:14:20] least. Yes. So, being the vertical
[00:14:22] development director, I stay up late at
[00:14:23] night worrying about the non-residential
[00:14:25] building projects. So, the town center
[00:14:27] obviously is one of those. Um, but as
[00:14:30] far as completions and openings, I'll
[00:14:32] just give you a general broad overview.
[00:14:34] Um, our clubhouse project um is nearing
[00:14:38] completion as we speak. Um, and the
[00:14:41] general consensus within um our
[00:14:44] development partners is that it will be
[00:14:46] ready for a fall opening this year. So,
[00:14:50] that's pretty exciting. The lagoon, if
[00:14:52] you've flown over or driven by, is full
[00:14:54] of water and looking beautiful and blue
[00:14:56] every single day. The public beach uh
[00:14:59] project is has just started construction
[00:15:02] here in the last couple of weeks. And
[00:15:05] so, that will be moving uh towards a an
[00:15:08] approximate year-end completion. As far
[00:15:10] as the actual opening of that, um I'm
[00:15:13] not at liberty to really say, but it
[00:15:15] will most likely be early next year. Uh
[00:15:18] the town center itself is well under
[00:15:20] construction. Uh the north restaurant
[00:15:22] building which is in our mind sort of a
[00:15:25] separate project within the town center.
[00:15:28] Um we're trying to get that building the
[00:15:30] shell building to substantial completion
[00:15:33] um here just in the next two or three
[00:15:35] months. Uh Disney uh does have a
[00:15:38] preferred potential restaurant tenant
[00:15:40] that they're dealing with. Um but I'm
[00:15:43] not at liberty to discuss a particular
[00:15:45] opening date there. But the shell
[00:15:46] building itself will be ready uh if that
[00:15:49] tenant is we'll be ready for that tenant
[00:15:51] to uh to come into the city with their
[00:15:53] designs this year and hopefully open
[00:15:56] very soon. Uh the rest of the buildings
[00:15:59] uh we're trying to get those open in the
[00:16:00] town center, the Shell buildings done
[00:16:02] and open by early next year. And I know
[00:16:04] that Disney's leasing folks are working
[00:16:07] fast and furious on a number of exciting
[00:16:10] tenants. uh relative to the uh street
[00:16:13] openings, I'm afraid I don't have that
[00:16:15] information for you, but we can
[00:16:16] certainly get that to staff to present
[00:16:18] to anyone that's interested.
[00:16:23] Yep. Uh thank you. We're all uh raving
[00:16:27] fans and we're pulling for you. Uh
[00:16:30] because as that goes, it's going to have
[00:16:32] a big impact on the city and a great
[00:16:34] amenity for the entire valley actually.
[00:16:37] Uh, so we're all uh waiting with baited
[00:16:40] breath for things to get going and to be
[00:16:42] able to uh go dive in the water out
[00:16:45] there in in August when it's a little
[00:16:48] warm out here. So way off from signs, of
[00:16:51] course, one of your signs you have the
[00:16:52] valet where you're going to have a
[00:16:54] valet. Will there be a covered valet
[00:16:57] station and will it have misters?
[00:17:00] Um, at this point we haven't gotten to
[00:17:02] that yet. Uh, it would not be a
[00:17:04] permanent building of any kind. Um but
[00:17:06] in order to keep um staff at a station
[00:17:09] like that, we understand you have to
[00:17:11] protect them from the sun and provide
[00:17:13] some kind of cooling for them. So we'll
[00:17:17] certainly consider that. Yeah. Um one
[00:17:19] one good way to convince everybody is
[00:17:22] have them go work in August for a day at
[00:17:24] the valet station without misters. Uh
[00:17:26] and they will get one there right away.
[00:17:28] Uh so um yeah, that's a very tough job
[00:17:33] and you want to keep people there and
[00:17:35] you want to be happy and smiling when
[00:17:36] they're parking cars, not want to uh
[00:17:40] throw the keys to the customer and say
[00:17:42] go park it yourself. Absolutely. Um
[00:17:44] okay. Uh on the uh the signage uh you
[00:17:48] know my my feeling is uh if they meet
[00:17:51] all the codes and everything uh really
[00:17:54] it's up to the developer. your money and
[00:17:57] uh you know within the codes for you to
[00:17:59] maximize the benefit and the impact of
[00:18:02] your signs. Uh overall u I'm not a
[00:18:06] designer but they're very nice. The the
[00:18:09] look and the continuous theme of the
[00:18:11] signs I I think are excellent. You know
[00:18:13] the color schemes and all that sort of
[00:18:15] thing. Uh and also u the extensive work.
[00:18:21] Mina was it a hundred and some pages of
[00:18:25] the of the all the it was over a hundred
[00:18:27] pages. So uh people think oh gee what's
[00:18:30] the big deal about a sign? Well there's
[00:18:32] over aundred pages of information about
[00:18:35] the sign. So an extensive amount of work
[00:18:38] and obviously very important for your
[00:18:39] branding and your theming and so on. So
[00:18:42] um but again as long as they meet the
[00:18:44] codes it's your money and uh you guys
[00:18:48] figure out what to do. Uh, one thing and
[00:18:51] again uh DMB is not their first rodeo
[00:18:54] and they know this but I think it's
[00:18:56] important for everybody to know that uh
[00:18:58] within the CCNRs
[00:19:01] um there are provisions that the tenants
[00:19:03] must get DMB or the developers approval
[00:19:06] before they do signs and that's that's
[00:19:08] critically important to maintain the
[00:19:11] theming and the branding as well as to
[00:19:13] be sure that they meet the city codes.
[00:19:16] Um, so, uh, other than that, uh, I think
[00:19:19] they're great and thank you for sharing
[00:19:21] some of your thoughts with us. Thank
[00:19:23] you. And I'll pass on that compliment to
[00:19:25] RSM, our signage designer. And also,
[00:19:28] thank you to staff for helping us get
[00:19:30] through this process.
[00:19:32] Those are my questions and so on. All
[00:19:34] right. Thank you, Commissioner Bryant,
[00:19:36] as always. Very insightful. And thank
[00:19:38] you, sir, for your presentation and
[00:19:40] response to our questions. We're all
[00:19:42] very excited. It's it's quite a project
[00:19:44] and we'll we'll hear more from you, I'm
[00:19:47] sure, in the future.
[00:19:49] Um, as far as I'm concerned, I think the
[00:19:51] sign itself is attractive and consistent
[00:19:54] as others have said and um, and I'm sure
[00:19:57] the city has vetted it well and it
[00:20:00] follows the codes. So therefore, I have
[00:20:02] no objections either.
[00:20:05] So, we need a motion for this item on
[00:20:08] the agenda. I'll go ahead and like I'd
[00:20:10] like to make the motion that the
[00:20:12] planning commission approve the filing
[00:20:13] of a notice of exemption pursuant to the
[00:20:16] California Environmental Quality Act
[00:20:18] SQUA section 15162
[00:20:23] subsequent EIS and negative declarations
[00:20:25] and approved sign program case number
[00:20:28] SIP25-00001
[00:20:32] subject to the findings subject to the
[00:20:35] conditions and of approval and based on
[00:20:36] the content and findings in the staff
[00:20:39] report.
[00:20:41] I'll second that motion. Thank you. And
[00:20:45] city city clerk will call for a vote.
[00:20:56] I don't have a vote.
[00:20:58] Touch your screen. There you go.
[00:21:03] Touch the screen.
[00:21:05] We're learning the new system.
[00:21:09] Motion carries 40.
[00:21:12] Thank you.
[00:21:14] And we have a um
[00:21:18] let's see.
[00:21:20] We have the second uh item. It's the
[00:21:22] minor conditional use permit. Case
[00:21:25] number CUP25-00004-5
[00:21:29] Rancho Clansancy. The applicant Mark
[00:21:32] Temple Construction Inc. consideration
[00:21:34] of a pickle ball court located at 5
[00:21:36] Rancho Clansancy APN 682-09-10.
[00:21:42] Will the staff please make a
[00:21:44] presentation?
[00:21:47] Thank you, Chair Chanter. Good
[00:21:48] afternoon, members of the planning
[00:21:50] commission. I have for your
[00:21:51] consideration minor conditional use
[00:21:52] permit case number CUP25-00004
[00:21:57] for a pickle ball court located at five
[00:21:58] Rancho Clansancy.
[00:22:02] The subject property is located at five
[00:22:03] Rancho Clansancy. Per the Rancho Mirage
[00:22:05] Municipal Code, sports courts are
[00:22:07] allowed within residential zoning
[00:22:08] district subject to the approval of a
[00:22:10] minor conditional use permit.
[00:22:14] The proposal is for a pickleball court
[00:22:16] without any freestanding light fixtures.
[00:22:18] The original submitt included four
[00:22:20] freestanding light fixtures. However,
[00:22:21] due to public feedback, the applicant
[00:22:23] has decided to completely remove the
[00:22:25] light fixtures from the plans.
[00:22:26] Therefore, the proposal is for a pickle
[00:22:28] ball court only. The 20x 44 ft pickle
[00:22:31] ball court is proposed in the
[00:22:32] northwestern portion of the rear yard.
[00:22:35] The front setback of the pickleball
[00:22:36] court is 276 feet. The rear setback is
[00:22:40] 16 ft and the side setbacks are 20 and
[00:22:42] 63 ft from the property line. As
[00:22:45] proposed, the pickleball court meets and
[00:22:46] exceeds the setbacks on all sides.
[00:22:50] The pickleball court will be recessed 2
[00:22:52] feet from the surrounding grade and will
[00:22:54] have a 4ft 6in retaining block wall
[00:22:57] surrounding the sports court area. In
[00:22:59] addition, an existing 6' high block wall
[00:23:02] surrounds the property. Additional
[00:23:04] landscaping is proposed around the
[00:23:05] pickleball court to provide further
[00:23:07] screening and minimize impacts. The
[00:23:09] pickleball court will be surrounded by
[00:23:11] six 15gallon podto gracil pod cararpus
[00:23:15] corsilier hedges to the north, 11
[00:23:18] 15gallon prunes carolinana monis hedges
[00:23:21] to the west and four 15gallon citrus
[00:23:23] trees to the south. In addition,
[00:23:25] bugenvillian vines will be planted along
[00:23:27] the western and northern perimeter block
[00:23:29] wall. All planting areas outside of the
[00:23:32] prickle ball court will contain Palm
[00:23:33] Springs decomposed granite. Two public
[00:23:36] comments are included in the planning
[00:23:37] commission packet for this item. Staff
[00:23:39] has also received three additional
[00:23:40] comments which were distributed to the
[00:23:42] planning commissioners prior to the
[00:23:44] meeting.
[00:23:46] Staff recommends that the planning
[00:23:47] commission approve the filing of notice
[00:23:49] of exemption pursuant to the California
[00:23:51] Environmental Quality Act SQA guidelines
[00:23:53] section 15303 class 1 new construction
[00:23:57] and approved minor conditional use
[00:23:58] permit case number CUP25-00004
[00:24:02] subject to the conditions of approval
[00:24:04] and based on the content and findings in
[00:24:06] the staff report. This concludes my
[00:24:08] presentation and I would be happy to
[00:24:10] answer any questions.
[00:24:12] Okay, no questions. Uh, will the city
[00:24:15] clerk please open to public comment?
[00:24:18] Thank you. I did not receive any speaker
[00:24:20] cards for this item. Is there anyone
[00:24:21] who'd like to provide public testimony
[00:24:23] for this item? No speakers.
[00:24:27] All right. And will the commissioners
[00:24:28] please uh ask any questions or make any
[00:24:31] comments? And I'll start with again to
[00:24:32] my left uh with Commissioner Gray.
[00:24:37] Thank you, Madame Chair. Um Leslie, as I
[00:24:41] mentioned to you before the start of the
[00:24:43] hearing today,
[00:24:45] um sorry, meeting today, can you bring
[00:24:49] up the map that shows
[00:24:52] uh a surrounding view of the community
[00:24:54] because I want to locate the residences
[00:24:57] to the extent we can of the people who
[00:25:01] have provided comment.
[00:25:06] Okay. So I have uh an aerial view that
[00:25:09] is of the subject property. So five
[00:25:11] Rancho Clansancy is located here. Uh we
[00:25:14] received a comment from uh the property
[00:25:17] owner here at 72114
[00:25:19] Felonsby Road. And then we also received
[00:25:22] a comment letter from um the property
[00:25:24] owner at 1 via Elantico and then also 5
[00:25:28] via El Atlantico. Um, we also did
[00:25:31] receive two additional comment letters,
[00:25:33] but they did not specify their address,
[00:25:35] but they did mention they are from um
[00:25:37] the neighborhood north. So, it I I uh
[00:25:42] sorry, in reviewing the the different
[00:25:44] comments, the two people who didn't
[00:25:46] provide address said they were located
[00:25:48] or really three people in two different
[00:25:50] comments said they were located in Bella
[00:25:53] Clansancy. Is Bella Clancy encompass
[00:25:56] encompass the Via Lantika
[00:26:00] area? Yes. So we don't know what
[00:26:04] specifically where they are, but they're
[00:26:06] from that same community. Correct.
[00:26:08] Right. And is do you have another view
[00:26:10] which shows the location of the court on
[00:26:14] the five Rancho Clansancy property?
[00:26:28] So the plans would show just the plans
[00:26:31] in relation to the sports court and it
[00:26:34] would just only show their property
[00:26:35] lines. So um we can kind of take a look
[00:26:38] from the aerial just to see how they're
[00:26:40] going to be um along this property. So u
[00:26:43] one via Atlantico would be here um and
[00:26:46] then also we do have the aerial which we
[00:26:48] would have to refer back to. Okay. Can
[00:26:50] we look at that aerial again one more
[00:26:51] time, please?
[00:26:54] All right. So, looking at this, the
[00:26:57] property is on this screen. It's in the
[00:27:00] north and to my left
[00:27:03] area of the property. So, immediately
[00:27:05] adjacent.
[00:27:08] The nearest corner is really looks like
[00:27:10] undeveloped property.
[00:27:12] And then
[00:27:14] the remaining properties are the the
[00:27:17] fallinsby road one is very close and the
[00:27:19] via antico the only one that is very
[00:27:22] very close directly in more or less
[00:27:25] direct property is one. All right.
[00:27:28] Correct. Okay. I have one other question
[00:27:30] there. Several of the comments reference
[00:27:32] the elevation of the court as being
[00:27:36] somewhat lower but not as low as other
[00:27:38] courts which we have recently approved.
[00:27:41] Is that an accurate statement?
[00:27:43] So the the proposed sports court is
[00:27:46] going to be recessed approximately 2
[00:27:47] feet from um the surrounding grade. So
[00:27:51] the Ranch Mirage Municipal Code section
[00:27:53] 1730.230
[00:27:56] states that all tennis courts shall be
[00:27:57] recessed a minimum of 4T below finish
[00:28:00] grade. Although the pickleball court is
[00:28:01] recessed 2 feet instead of four. staff
[00:28:04] supports the courts pad elevation since
[00:28:06] the recessing requirement is intended
[00:28:07] for tennis courts and the proposed court
[00:28:10] meets and exceeds the setback and
[00:28:12] landscape standards. Um, additionally, I
[00:28:15] do also want to bring up that the
[00:28:16] property to the north here at VIA 1
[00:28:19] Atlantico has a finished floor of 17.7
[00:28:22] ft and the property to the west has a
[00:28:25] finished floor of 17.4 ft. Um, and then
[00:28:29] as previous mentioned, the areas outside
[00:28:31] of the sports court are 16.2 2 ft which
[00:28:34] is approximately 1 ft lower than the
[00:28:36] property to the north and also 1.3
[00:28:39] property lower than the also 1.2 ft
[00:28:42] lower than the property to the west. So
[00:28:44] the court will be recessed 2 feet and
[00:28:47] then if you take into consideration of
[00:28:49] um the finish floor from these adjacent
[00:28:51] properties 3 ft.
[00:28:54] Is there a reason that the uh there's a
[00:28:58] lower recommended elevation for tennis
[00:29:01] as opposed to pickle ball?
[00:29:04] Yes. That's because um with the tennis
[00:29:07] that the balls kind of will go flying
[00:29:09] outside of the courts area. So pickle
[00:29:11] ball uh it's typically contained within
[00:29:13] the the sports court area. Okay. So it's
[00:29:16] related to projectiles as opposed to
[00:29:18] noise
[00:29:19] from my understanding. Yes. And then
[00:29:21] what we also see with uh tennis courts
[00:29:23] is that there's a chainlink fence
[00:29:25] surrounding the tennis courts as well
[00:29:26] too to protect against projectiles as
[00:29:29] well. I would also like to add to that
[00:29:31] uh surrounding the pickle ball courts, a
[00:29:33] four and a half ft retaining wall um
[00:29:35] immediately surrounding kind of the
[00:29:37] courts um surface there in addition to
[00:29:39] the 6t perimeter block wall around the
[00:29:41] entire property. And so when it's 4 and
[00:29:43] 1/2 ft, will be 4 and 1/2 ft from the
[00:29:45] court surface level or 4 and 1/2 ft from
[00:29:48] the surrounding surface? four and a half
[00:29:49] ft from the court surface level. Okay.
[00:29:52] Uh I know I had one other question about
[00:29:55] this.
[00:29:57] Uh no lighting provided for in this uh
[00:30:02] permit. Correct. So u they originally as
[00:30:05] part of the application were proposing
[00:30:07] four freestanding light fixtures at 18
[00:30:09] ft tall from the port surface. uh based
[00:30:11] on the uh public feedback received, I
[00:30:14] talked to uh the applicants on Friday
[00:30:16] and uh they requested that the lighting
[00:30:18] be removed from the plan. So staff uh
[00:30:20] conditioned the um project uh for no
[00:30:23] lighting. Well, so the the lack of
[00:30:26] lighting somewhat limits when the court
[00:30:28] can be played, right? It's got to be
[00:30:30] light out. Yes. And are there any
[00:30:32] restrictions on the hours of play other
[00:30:34] than the availability of light or the
[00:30:37] ability to see in the dark? There's
[00:30:38] there's no restrictions if the court was
[00:30:40] lighted. the lighting would have to be
[00:30:41] shut down by 10 p.m. But since there's
[00:30:43] no lighting, then um it's kind of just
[00:30:46] uh when you can see, I guess our
[00:30:48] standard condition if lighting is
[00:30:50] proposed is the 10 p.m. cut off. All
[00:30:53] right. I appreciate all answering all my
[00:30:55] questions. Based on that, I
[00:30:58] uh I think this is a reasonable
[00:30:59] application and I'm in favor of it.
[00:31:03] Thank you, Commissioner Agustini.
[00:31:06] Uh Commissioner Gray kind of hit on the
[00:31:08] hot hot topics. Um, the only other
[00:31:11] comment or uh consideration I was going
[00:31:15] to ask staff was um couple of the uh
[00:31:19] public comments referenced additional
[00:31:21] sound absorbing material. Was any of
[00:31:24] that considered or suggested or what
[00:31:28] what did staff review with regards to
[00:31:30] that request?
[00:31:33] So, um they the applicant did propose a
[00:31:36] retaining 4 foot 6 inch retaining block
[00:31:39] wall that's going to surround this
[00:31:41] sports court. And then additionally,
[00:31:43] there is also a an existing 6ft block
[00:31:47] wall surrounding the property. Um our
[00:31:49] code does not have anything that would
[00:31:51] require them to install any sound
[00:31:53] barriers and that's in reference to the
[00:31:55] sports court section. Just to clarify,
[00:31:58] uh the two block walls and the
[00:32:00] additional uh landscape installations
[00:32:02] would help with any nose mitigation.
[00:32:07] All right, that that answers my
[00:32:08] questions. All right. Thank you. Uh Vice
[00:32:11] Chair, Commissioner Bryant,
[00:32:17] it's always when uh one is the uh when
[00:32:20] you're the first one in the area to
[00:32:22] develop and there's nobody around you.
[00:32:25] um uh there's going to be less few
[00:32:28] people fewer people uh against or
[00:32:31] complaining and so when you're the last
[00:32:33] one to come in of course uh there's much
[00:32:36] more scrutiny. So while all the codes
[00:32:39] are met um I did have same concerns
[00:32:43] David you had and Jason and and really
[00:32:46] it the noise the lights have been taken
[00:32:48] care of because they're gone away but
[00:32:51] it's a noise issue. um
[00:32:56] whether or not it's probably not
[00:32:57] reasonable to ask them to sink it 5 ft
[00:33:00] in the ground that's moving a lot of
[00:33:01] dirt. So, but the concerns of the
[00:33:05] neighbors to the west, I know the house
[00:33:08] well. I've been by it a million times.
[00:33:10] And then the immediate house, two houses
[00:33:12] to the north in Bella Clansancy. Um they
[00:33:15] do they do have issues. Uh there is uh
[00:33:19] the house I think to the south if I
[00:33:21] remember right. There is a sports court
[00:33:23] there. Is that correct? The house to the
[00:33:25] south in there's an existing uh sports
[00:33:28] court at four Rancho Clansancy which is
[00:33:30] which is adjacent to five Rancho
[00:33:32] Clansancy. Okay. Um so
[00:33:38] perhaps we should look at the the
[00:33:40] landscaping. When I looked at the
[00:33:42] landscaping along the west border next
[00:33:45] door to the Finsby house, uh they're
[00:33:48] talking about um uh uh Carolinian I
[00:33:54] don't know if that's the same as a
[00:33:55] Carolina cherry uh 15 gallon
[00:33:59] uh they don't grow that fast and so if
[00:34:02] they're using 15 gallon uh they're not
[00:34:05] going to be very high and they're not
[00:34:06] going to provide a lot of sound barrier.
[00:34:08] Same way with the uh the on the north
[00:34:12] the the fern pines
[00:34:15] uh that they're proposing. They didn't
[00:34:17] say the size, but if they're 15 gallons,
[00:34:20] uh those fern pines basically only grow
[00:34:23] about 12 to 24 in a year. So, it's going
[00:34:26] to be a long time before they provide
[00:34:28] any more sound attenuation.
[00:34:30] Um, so given that they they meet the
[00:34:33] codes, um, uh, I would I would recommend
[00:34:37] that they put 24 inch box, uh, plants
[00:34:41] along the west and the north. So they
[00:34:44] would start out immediately with height.
[00:34:47] Uh, and it provides some sound
[00:34:50] deadening. And anybody who's been near a
[00:34:53] pickle ball court knows the sound it
[00:34:54] makes. Uh and uh so I think so my
[00:34:58] recommendation would be on the west and
[00:35:01] the north um the plants and again I'm
[00:35:04] not familiar I don't have any at my
[00:35:05] house. So a question would be do they
[00:35:08] last in the summer here will both of
[00:35:09] those type of plants uh uh on the west
[00:35:13] side and the ones on the north
[00:35:16] will they survive the summer heat here?
[00:35:19] I I don't know that answer, but assuming
[00:35:22] that answer is yes, my recommendation
[00:35:24] was that they they put 24-in box trees
[00:35:27] along there so you have immediate height
[00:35:29] and you get some additional sound
[00:35:32] buffering.
[00:35:34] Those are my uh comments. All right.
[00:35:38] Thank you. Thank you very much, Vice
[00:35:39] Chair Bryant, and also for your
[00:35:41] questions and concerns. Um,
[00:35:44] Commissioners Agustini and Gray, I think
[00:35:46] I agree with you. um those were of
[00:35:49] concern, but the staff has addressed
[00:35:52] them uh has done some mitigation with
[00:35:54] the lighting and so on. So, I think um
[00:35:56] I'm comfortable with this um with this
[00:36:00] agenda item. And so, we'll go for a
[00:36:02] motion, please.
[00:36:06] I'd like to make a motion that the
[00:36:08] planning commission approve the filing
[00:36:10] of a notice of exemption pursuant to the
[00:36:12] California Environmental Quality Act PN
[00:36:14] squa closed PN section 15303 PNS class
[00:36:19] 3- new construction closed PNS and to
[00:36:23] approve minor conditional use permit
[00:36:25] case number CUP25-00004
[00:36:29] subject to the conditions of approval
[00:36:30] and based on the content and findings in
[00:36:32] the staff report.
[00:36:34] Um, comm may we also add to that um that
[00:36:40] they they put in 24inch box trees along
[00:36:43] the west and the uh north. Is that
[00:36:45] appropriate to do that? Uh how I don't
[00:36:48] know how the other commissioners feel
[00:36:49] about that? It seems appropriate. Is
[00:36:51] there any uh objection or can we get a a
[00:36:56] confirmation from staff that that's
[00:36:58] appropriate? I'll add uh Commissioner
[00:37:01] Vice Chair Bryant's recommendation to
[00:37:03] the motion at the end after the last
[00:37:06] that I read that we that the recommended
[00:37:08] landscaping be the 24in box plants
[00:37:11] rather than those currently in the
[00:37:13] recommendation.
[00:37:14] I'll second.
[00:37:16] All right. Thank you. That's perfect.
[00:37:20] And we have a second. Uh so will the
[00:37:22] clerk please um ask for voting and then
[00:37:25] we will announce
[00:37:32] motion carries 40.
[00:37:35] Thank you. And then we have as you may
[00:37:38] notice we've moved the non-aggenda
[00:37:40] public comments to the end of the
[00:37:41] meeting. We previously did that at the
[00:37:43] beginning. Uh this is the opportunity
[00:37:46] for those of you here to speak on issues
[00:37:48] not on the agenda for a maximum of three
[00:37:50] minutes per speaker.
[00:37:54] Do we have anyone? I did not receive any
[00:37:56] speaker cards. Um is there anyone who in
[00:37:59] the audience who would like to speak on
[00:38:00] something that is not on today's agenda?
[00:38:03] No speakers.
[00:38:05] Okay. Very good. In that case we can
[00:38:07] adjourn the meeting. Thank you.