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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - PC - 1986.11.10CITY OF BURLINGAME PLANNING COMMISSION NOVEMBER 10, 1986 CALL TO ORDER A regular meeting of the Planning Commission, City of Burlingame was called to order by Chairman Giomi on Monday, November 10, 1986 at 7:31 P.M. R M.T. C A T.T. Present: Commissioners Garcia, Giomi, H. Graham, S. Graham, Jacobs, Leahy, Schwalm Absent: None Staff Present: City Planner Margaret Monroe; City Attorney Jerome Coleman; City Engineer Frank Erbacher MINUTES - The minutes of the October 27, 1986 meeting were approved unanimously. AGENDA - Items #1 and #8 - changes in the applications to be explained by the CP in her presentation; Item #3 - continued at the request of the applicant; Item #4 - a public hearing will be held. Order of the agenda approved. ITEMS FOR ACTION 1. SPECIAL PERMIT TO ALLOW INSTALLATION OF A SATELLITE DISH ANTENNA .AT 1080 CAROLAN AVENUE, ZONED R-4 Reference staff report, 11/10/86, with attachments. CP Monroe reviewed details of the request, code requirements, staff review, Planning staff comment, applicant's letter, study meeting questions. CP stated applicant has revised the application to request a 9' diameter dish antenna which will be angled so it will not exceed a 6' height from grade. Four conditions were suggested for consideration at the public hearing. Commission discussed adding to the conditions that the antenna be fixed at a maximum height of 61, landscaping requirements, are there children living in the complex, enclosing the antenna with a fence, Commission's function under the antenna ordinance (definition of rear yard and a determination that the proposed location would have the least aesthetic effect upon surrounding properties). Chm. Giomi opened the public hearing. Ed Reece, Premier Channel, 821 Malcolm Road addressed Commission: there will be a fence around the installation, type of fence (minimum height 4', possibly 61) will be determined by the property owner; existing landscaping will not be removed, only a small amount of grass; there are two trees which will be used to screen the dish from view; regarding safety, voltage is not enough to harm someone. He wished to clarify the CBI's requirement Page 2 Burlingame Planning Commission Minutes November 10, 1986 for engineering calculations and commented that the ordinance states engineering calculations are needed only in certain instances, none of which relate to this installation. He did not feel this proposal would require a structural engineer's report and replied to the CE's question that windloading would be very minimal particularly since the installation would be almost hidden by the fence. Alternative locations (parking lot, around swimming pool or recreation building) were reviewed, this location seemed best aesthetically and with the least interference; antenna will be painted a flat dark forest green and will be nonreflective. He confirmed his understanding of the 6' height limit, a 9' diameter dish at a 45 degree angle will meet code requirements. There were no audience comments and the public hearing was closed. A Commissioner wished to question a representative of the property owner. The Chair allowed Ann Slider, representative of complex management company, 1080 Carolan Avenue to respond. She confirmed rents for apartment buildings facing garden areas are higher than for those facing the parking lot; people in the complex are asking for Cable TV and she believed regular cable can be received at this location; there are 510 apartments in the complex. Commission comment: from a thorough site inspection this location seems to be the least obtrusive area, it is as near to being a rear yard as possible without putting the antenna in the parking area; it will be located where surrounding properties cannot see it; tenants have not objected and it will be a benefit to them. C. Schwalm moved for approval of the special permit .and for adoption of Commission Resolution Approving Special Permits with the following conditions: (1) that the 9' diameter satellite dish antenna shall be installed at the location identified in the plans submitted to the Planning Department and date stamped September 30, 1986; (2) that the maximum height of the dish as installed shall not exceed 6' above the existing grade and the antenna shall be fixed at a maximum height of 61; (3) that the dish shall be painted or finished in a dark color (green or black), be nonreflective and the nonreflective surface shall be maintained by the property owner; (4) that the dish shall be enclosed with a 6' maximum wooden fence with a locked gate; (5) that the city shall be notified in the event of the future removal of this dish and the property owner shall be responsible for removing any concrete slab, replacing any excavated area and replacing the removed and disturbed landscaping; and (6) that this use permit shall be reviewed for compliance with its conditions in 18 months time. Second C. Leahy. Comment on the motion: even if the proposed location were classified as rear yard, tenants consider the parking lot as rear yard of the buildings, desirability of facing the garden area is to enjoy the landscaping, if it is possible to get Cable TV through conventional means rather than with a dish it would be more appropriate, 50% of the tenants may not have seen a copy of the notice of hearing since those with automobiles do not use the front door; has anyone approached Page 3 Burlingame Planning Commission Minutes November 10, 1986 the Cable TV company to determine what advantages there might be as opposed to satellite dish antennas; residents may or may not have seen the notice but a desire for cable has been expressed, no one came to this meeting to object, only 27 out of 510 apartments would be permanently impacted, 6' is a minimum impact, if installation were put any place else on the site it would affect surrounding properties also. Motion approved on a 6-1 roll call vote, C. S.Graham dissenting. Appeal procedures were advised. 2. SPECIAL PERMIT TO LOCATE A TEMPORARY FLOWER STAND AT THE BURLINGAME TRAIN STATION, 290 CALIFORNIA DRIVE, ZONED UNCLASSIFIED Reference staff report, 11/10/86, with attachments. CP Monroe reviewed details of the request, code requirements, staff review, Planning staff comments, applicant's letters, letter from Caltrans regarding the lease agreement, study meeting questions. Eight conditions were suggested for consideration at the public hearing. Comment: yellow zone by the planted area in front of the station is one of the designated taxi stands in the city; will 6' area requested for the flower stand expand with use of a table, garbage can, etc. Chm. Giomi opened the public hearing. Ivan Hugo Villa II, applicant, stated they agree to seven of the conditions but feel the requirement for a drain to the street is unnecessary; the "V" in the pavement drains off over the sidewalk; they will bring their -own water, a five gallon bucket; the flower stand at Primrose and Burlingame Avenue has a spigot from the building which causes the water problem there. He suggested spot checks be made of his operation, water can be swept away, there would not be enough water to cause a nuisance. Applicant/Commission discussion: lease with Caltrans will be for two years and year to year thereafter, lease is dependent upon retaining the use permit from the city, all details submitted to the city have been submitted to Caltrans; applicant is limited to .50 SF at their Millbrae operation; flowers will be preprepared, there should not be any cutting on site, they will sell from the buckets, wrapping can be done on the top of the stand; the extra employee from 4-6:00 P.M. will help with vacating the site each day and loading the truck, truck will pull into yellow zone, be loaded, area swept and they will leave, this can be done in a very short time, flower stand will be kept under the portico for the protection of the flowers from wind, rain, etc., operator will be there also; business will not extend out into the walkway. There were no audience comments in favor. Katherine Shelton, 859 California Drive spoke in opposition. Her concerns: stand will be open from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., at this time of year it gets dark early, how will they light up the area, will there be an electric outlet with extension cord, this with water could be a danger to the Page 4 Burlingame Planning Commission Minutes November 10, 1986 public; if flower cutting is done will the garbage can be located by the stand, is one can enough. In rebuttal applicant advised the area is fairly well lighted, they see no reason they will need to add lighting; flowers will be precut, what little cutting might be needed can be handled with their own garbage can; they do not plan to have a radio on site. There were no further audience comments and the public hearing was closed. Commission discussion/comment: would like to condition this application to allow a 50 SF area and change condition #8 to require review in three months rather than one year. A concern was expressed about the nuisance factor of outdoor businesses in downtown Burlingame, with previous outdoor operations there have been no flagrant abuses but it is a nuisance, employees tend to be less careful. Such nuisances include: it is easier to dump water than take it away, truck could arrive earlier and take up parking space, some cuttings might be left due to employees' carelessness; these are not serious enough for revocation of a permit but they are a nuisance. Further Commission comment: have mixed feelings about this type of business, am in favor of the free enterprise system but the train depot is an historical landmark, the city might be desecrating it by putting businesses on site and it will detract from the appearance of the station. With the statement Burlingame can support another flower stand, this is not a large business and the suggested conditions will regulate it, C. Jacobs moved for approval of the special permit and for adoption of Commission Resolution Approving Special Permits with the following conditions: (1) that the conditions of the Chief Building Inspector's September 26, 1986 and October 31, 1986 memos shall be met prior to any use of any portion of the site for the sale of flowers; (2) that the flower stand shall be limited to an uncovered removable structure 6' long, 3' wide and 3.5' high to be placed at the location shown on the plans submitted to the Planning Department and date stamped October 30, 1986; (3) that the flower stall shall be operated by one employee from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. weekdays and 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Saturdays, closed on Sunday, except that two employees may be present between 4:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. weekdays only, and this business shall be confined to a site not to exceed 10' x 5' or 50 square feet in area; (4) that signage shall not be a part of this use permit and a separate application, drawn to scale, clearly identifying the proposed signage for this use within the Caltrans property and noting the size, dimensions, height and placement of all signage for this use, shall be submitted to the Planning Department and approved prior to any use of the site for the sale of flowers; (5) that the truck delivering and picking up the flower stand shall not be parked in the short term parking in front of the railroad station or along the curb in front of the station for more than 30 minutes and during the time of pickup and delivery the truck shall use only an available legal parking space; (6) that the employees of the flower stand shall not use the short term parking in front of the station; (7) that this use permit shall become void if, at any time, Caltrans should cancel its lease with a flower Page 5 Burlingame Planning Commission Minutes November 10, 1986 ,seller or if the operator shall fail to comply with the conditions of this use permit; and (8) that this use permit shall be reviewed for compliance with its conditions in three months (February 1987) and each year thereafter. Second C. Leahy. Comment on the motion: of any business which might go into a train station a flower business is the only one I would approve, the flower stands of San Francisco are an enhancement to the business area; agree with this statement, a flower stand will enhance the appearance of the station, it could not add to the parking problems as there is no place for autos to stop, it will be for the use of foot traffic and passengers of Caltrain; the newspaper stands in that area look much worse than a flower stand will; cannot vote for this proposal, business tenant in the station is located within the walls, not imposing on pedestrians or street traffic, have a concern about loading and unloading the vehicle especially at 6:00 P.M. Motion approved on a 4-3 roll call vote, Cers H.Graham, Schwalm and Giomi dissenting. Appeal procedures were advised. 3. SPECIAL PERMIT - LIGHT AUTO REPAIR USE - 1875 CALIFORNIA DRIVE Application continued at the request of the applicant; no date for hearing was proposed. 4. AMENDMENT OF CONDITIONS FOR A SIGN EXCEPTION IN THE PRIVATE PARKING LOT ADJACENT TO 1431 CHAPIN AVENUE (APN 029-122-050), ZONED C-1 Reference staff report, 11/10/86, with attachments. CP Monroe reviewed Commission discussion and action at its October 27, 1986 meeting; a condition to place street addresses clearly over the! doors of the rear entrances to the private parking lot off Chapin Avenue had been discussed by staff and Commission on October 27 but was inadvertently omitted from the action. CP requested Commission consider adding this condition to those previously approved. Discussion: Fire Department request which this condition would address; does this relate to the sign application, it may be a matter for the Fire Department; staff felt it does relate to the issue of signage, how does a member of the public find the store he is looking for, three of the businesses do not have entrances on Burlingame Avenue; the additional condition would require the street number and name (Burlingame Avenue) be placed at each rear or main entrance. Chm. Giomi opened the public hearing. Kevin Osborne, representing the Chapin Committee, addressed Commission. He stated he was not arguing about the condition as it applies to the three businesses which are not accessible from Burlingame Avenue, they are still trying to get Chapin Avenue addresses; his studies in police science have shown the 911 computer will show there is an entrance off Chapin for any of the other businesses with Burlingame Avenue addresses, all of the businesses have their names on their doors at the rear and do not feel there is a problem in finding the back entrance; most do not wish to pay for Page 6 Burlingame Planning Commission Minutes November 10, 1986 ,any more signage nor do the Trustees of the property; the three businesses with entrances off Chapin would be shown as such on the computer. Responding to a request from the Chair, Bob Barry, Fire Marshal stated the Fire Department would like to have addresses above the doors, the computer holds much data but an emergency call would come in as a Burlingame Avenue number, signs in the rear would help in a confusing situation. Further Commission discussion: would prefer the requirement for businesses to put an address on their back doors be implemented in another manner without attaching a condition to a sign permit; the directory sign was specifically conditioned not to include any addresses, only the names of the businesses; almost every site has a wall sign with the name of the business, but no address; think Fire Department felt street and number would be more helpful as they might not know where the emergency was once they got to the rear. A Commissioner suggested leaving the existing sign for the time being until this problem is resolved; staff advised many businesses are not listed on the existing sign. Applicant commented the businesses interested in a Chapin Avenue address are just the two or three which don't have entrances off Burlingame Avenue; he felt the Fire Department and customers who come to the Chapin side would see the sign at the entrance and after entering would see the business names over each door; the applicant stated he thought a specific business name is included in the 911 computer data as well as the Burlingame Avenue address and the fact that there is access off Chapin. A Commissioner did not think a 2 SF sign was asking too much in the interest of safety and to help the Fire Department; applicant replied perhaps not for the three businesses with main entrances on Chapin but many of the other businesses have been at this location for many years with no problems. The cost of a 2 SF sign was estimated to be $125.00 at a minimum and permission of the Trustees of the estate would be required. There were no further audience comments and the public hearing was closed. With the statement these businesses were willing to pay for a large directory sign and now are objecting to only 2 SF more for each business; if there were an accident or some other obstruction on Burlingame Avenue the Fire Department would need the rear entrance; although the businesses already have identification signs they should also have their street addresses on their rear entrances, C. Jacobs moved to add the following condition to the October 27, 1986 conditions of approval for this application: (4) that each business with access to the private parking area behind 1426-1462 Burlingame Avenue place a sign no smaller than two square feet indicating their street address on or above their entrance, and that compliance with this condition be implemented within 30 days. Second C. S.Graham. Comment on the motion: this will be not only a safety factor facilitating emergency response but a help to customers using the back lot; there was some discussion on this matter at the previous meeting, Page 7 Burlingame Planning Commission Minutes November 10, 1986 had thought it was included in the previous action; if this is so important, believe it should be required of all businesses with back doors, object to adding this condition as a part of a sign permit. Motion approved on a 6-1 roll call vote, C. H.Graham dissenting. Appeal procedures were advised. At the request of the CP a motion was made, seconded and passed unanimously on voice vote to allow the applicant to proceed with erection of the directory sign with the following notation by the CP on the building permit: "The street address of each property with a door/entrance off the private parking lot shall be placed on or above the door/entrance at a minimum size of 2 SF or as allowed by the Fire Department if such is required by the Planning Commission and/or City Council." CONSENT ITEMS 5. Minor Modification - 228 Dwight Road 6. Minor Modification - 479 Chatham Avenue Consent items accepted on motion made, seconded and passed unanimously on voice vote. Recess 8:55 P.M.; reconvene 9:05 P.M. ITEMS FOR STUDY 7. SPECIAL PERMIT TO ALLOW COMPLETION OF A GARAGE - 1337 BERNAL AVE. Requests: who drew the plans dated 7/1/86 and were these the plans approved by the Building Department; did applicant complete the building permit process; are there any plans available showing the pitch of the roof; what is the window in the face of the building above the plate line; history of the 1136 Balboa garage; roof line of the house, is it a tile roof; is applicant building the garage himself. Item set for hearing November 24, 1986. 8. AMENDMENT OF SIGN PROGRAM - CROSBY COMMONS - 1375 BURLINGAME AVE. CP briefly discussed proposed changes to the approved master sign program. Item set for hearing November 24, 1986. 9. SPECIAL PERMIT - DISH ANTENNA - 1501 BAYSHORE HIGHWAY Requests: why do they need this antenna; list of other dish antennas in the immediate area; which building on this parcel is proposed for location of the dish; is it visible or isn't it, where is it visible from; what business is this company engaged in. Item set for hearing November 24, 1986. Burlingame Planning Commission Minutes Page 8 November 10, 1986 10. SPECIAL PERMIT TO ALLOW AN ADDITION AT PRIME TIME ATHLETIC CLUB, 1730 ROLLINS ROAD Requests: clarification of the size of the addition; response from applicant to the suggested conditions; use of parking in the back, will customers use it, how will they be advised of this available parking; number of parking spaces required and supplied; clarification from Fire Marshal regarding no penetration requirements; is the aerobic room new, what might be relocated to the new addition; CE to explain plans at the public hearing; review past history and why the addition was denied without prejudice previously. Item set for hearing [november 24, 1986. PLANNER REPORTS - Draft EIR-66P for the sealing of the sanitary landfill. Draft EIR was transmitted to Commission in packet for this meeting. Public hearing set for November 24, 1986. - Special Permit review - auto detailing, 70 Star Way. Motion made, seconded and passed unanimously to review this site in July, 1987. Staff will follow up. - Special Permit review - courier operation - 845 Cowan Road. - Commissioner Leahy reviewed Council actions at its November 3, 1986 meeting. ACKNOWLEDGMENT - Memo from City Attorney (November 3, 1986), subject: 1986 Brown Act Amendments (effective January 1, 1987). ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:57 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Robert J. Leahy Secretary