[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[3:26] Roll call, please.
[3:28] Let the record reflect that a quorum on members is present, commissioner Metzger and commissioner Stein absent.
[3:34] All right. Follow me again. Pledge of Allegiance, please.
[3:45] For which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
[3:52] Thank you.
[3:57] Oral communications. Are there any members of the public who wish to speak on non-agenda items today?
[4:03] Seeing
[4:06] none,
[4:09] can we get approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of June 9th, 2026?
[4:16] I'm
[4:20] sorry, I don't have my glasses.
[4:21] We'll put them on.
[4:23] We move through the minutes of the regular meeting of June 9th, 2026.
[4:29] I'll second that.
[4:34] And I neglected to mention today's date.
[4:37] I apologize.
[4:38] Today is Tuesday, July 14th, 2026.
[4:41] 6. Moving on, do we have any department reports?
[4:48] Oh, I'm sorry. Take a vote on the motion.
[4:56] You can still vote so long as you're comfortable voting if yes.
[5:05] Motion carries. All present voting aye.
[5:08] Thank you. The next item is department reports.
[5:14] Staff has no update today. Thank you.
[5:20] Check that general
[5:24] business review the three accessory dwelling unit floor plans and designs
[5:30] for the city's pre-approved accessory dwelling unit program.
[5:35] Is there a staff presentation please?
[5:37] There is.
[5:38] Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[5:40] So as part of the 2024 housing element update, the city set forth certain policies and
[5:45] goals that they're going to follow through within that element update cycle.
[5:50] So one of those is to create pre-approved ADU plans that can be used by any applicant
[5:55] in the city.
[5:56] The idea is to have the review process be more streamlined and more cost effective.
[6:00] So they'll have to look at certain site plan, things that are specific to the site obviously,
[6:05] but as far as engineering and construction, they'll all be standardized.
[6:10] So in early 2025, we put out an RFP to find a firm that can help us put together
[6:16] those designs.
[6:16] we ended up with our M design group who's been working with us since then which
[6:21] has been a great process creating three specific layouts that can be used and
[6:26] then also three architectural designs that can be mixed into those. So there's
[6:30] different combinations that can be used for those pre-approved designs. We went
[6:34] through and looked at a lot of different sites and Randy will walk you
[6:36] through sort of our thought process around both the designs and then
[6:41] and also the sizes that we landed on.
[6:44] So I'll kick it to him and we'll work through these.
[6:47] Happy to answer any questions as we go through this.
[6:51] Yeah, thank you.
[6:53] Thanks Randy.
[6:54] I'm
[7:01] Randy Bressen with our design group.
[7:03] You'll forgive my coughing and hopefully I had the pleasure
[7:05] of my granddaughter being out from Colorado last weekend
[7:08] and she passed along summer cold to me.
[7:11] So hopefully you can bear with me.
[7:14] Thank you for letting me make this presentation
[7:17] and sharing our program with you.
[7:22] Kurt, could we sort of start with our process document?
[7:24] Is that what we have up here?
[7:31] So we don't pull these things out of the air.
[7:34] We try to go through some process
[7:35] that customizes the solution to your city.
[7:39] I've done these in probably 40 jurisdictions
[7:41] throughout the state.
[7:43] And what we typically will do is working with staff,
[7:46] we're gonna take a look at your architectural styles.
[7:49] We're going to look at your, I would like to call them opportunities, basically your
[7:55] lot stock, see what we can fit in there because it's often an RFP may have three different
[8:00] sizes that have nothing to do with what really we can put on a site.
[8:03] So we like to back check that.
[8:05] And then we check things like what ADUs have already been permitted and built around
[8:11] here.
[8:12] Best example of what people want to build is what they've already done.
[8:14] So we sort of use this process.
[8:16] This is the document where we produce a context study.
[8:18] And, Kirk, if you just want to step through, I'll speak to it really briefly here.
[8:23] We picked out, we looked here, someone in Mac picked out different areas that had slightly
[8:32] different minimal lot sizes and configurations.
[8:36] These are essentially, we're calling them typical examples.
[8:40] I don't know if anything here is typical, to be honest with you, but it was our
[8:43] best shot at this.
[8:44] From this, we started identifying these, you know, here's your lot configurations
[8:49] And the areas that might be available for putting ADUs on, which starts speaking to
[8:54] length and width of them or configuration, sometimes we might find ones that really need
[9:00] a very skinny design that's only 40 feet wide for a 50-foot lot.
[9:06] Sometimes L-shaped ones, it can vary with different cities.
[9:09] This is a process we used with yours.
[9:11] We went through and test fit those along with parking, I think.
[9:14] Did we have some of those on here?
[9:16] I'm not sure if we have that in this selection.
[9:19] Parking.
[9:19] Yeah, we did.
[9:20] It's kind of hard to see on here, but we also even tried to identify how we're going to
[9:24] deal with parking because you do have a requirement for that here, which is kind of unique for
[9:28] your city.
[9:30] From that, we also kind of go around the community and identify styles, which is
[9:35] what the next section is here.
[9:37] You live here.
[9:38] I don't have to belabor this, but this is our process we go through to say what
[9:42] would be appropriate.
[9:44] A lot of this comes out of the RFP, but also we test this sometimes.
[9:46] I've had communities that didn't know that they had about 15-20% of their buildings were
[9:52] tutor style and they were all surprised by it.
[9:55] We didn't do it but they were surprised at how prevalent that was.
[9:58] Anyway, we want to go through that so we make a good fit.
[10:01] Now we can bring up the, this is my clicker here, bring up the other presentation.
[10:05] So from that process we end up, we started probably with 12 different examples to identify
[10:15] by what the values were, what the characteristics were for your ADUs that would be right for
[10:22] your city. I have communities where bedrooms are everything. How many bedrooms can we squeeze
[10:28] in this? And I'll tell you, I have a three-bedroom, 750 square foot design. As tight as that seems
[10:33] that is valuable in certain communities. That is not what your communities look like.
[10:37] It was exactly the opposite of that. It was these things are used, are going to be
[10:41] used not only as ADUs, but they're going to be used as granites. They're going
[10:44] uses guest houses for people and so we need to build flexibility into him and build a level
[10:50] of character like volume ceilings and things like that are consistent with the community.
[10:59] Nobody really cared that we had lots of washer and dryer space, that was not what this was
[11:03] going to be about.
[11:04] So it was a little bit different for us but it was great to hear we talked to
[11:07] a few locals, a builder, maybe two builders, that's all that showed up for our attempt
[11:13] to talk to people but we do get some feedback and they had some great input on on some of this stuff.
[11:18] Anyway, we ended up with these three different plans. It was the smallest of them right around 400
[11:24] square feet.
[11:27] You'll notice that this has a very, this is what we call an efficiency kitchen. It's
[11:33] about a smaller kitchen as you can do in something. In fact, we even considered the
[11:37] washer and dryer being those single unit under cabinet styles. This could be configured as a
[11:43] one bedroom or as a studio so that whole space could be open. We put those walls in optionally
[11:50] as well as the closet there. The way we structure these things allows for a lot of flexibility.
[11:59] We do have engineered structure. It's not just right out of the code so it allows
[12:04] us to design for a lot of flexibility. Any of these openings could be changed into
[12:11] slider. If you had a five-foot opening for a bedroom window, you wanted to have it open
[12:16] to a patio, drop a slider in there if we don't have a problem with that. We'll do the title
[12:20] 24 energy compliance to account for worst case scenarios. So we try to build flexibility
[12:25] into these. I think it's something I really want to let you guys know that's what's
[12:30] going on here. We also generate these in the three different styles. Kind of a coastal
[12:37] cottage style,
[12:41] a Mediterranean influenced, fits in anywhere in California, and then a little more
[12:49] uniquely to you guys is a contemporary modern style. You'll notice as we go through each of these
[12:57] plans, they will all have those same styles replicated, and I want to
[13:04] to assure you these are intended to be representative of what can be done. Our goal
[13:08] is to have something that's wood-sided. If it's at a house, if it's a shingle house
[13:14] and a shingle and horizontal siding, you don't need to use our board and bat one, but you've
[13:19] used the mass in the form that matches that cottage style and then apply the colors and
[13:25] materials that would be in the primary residence. Same with the Mediterranean, that's representative.
[13:32] You don't have a tile band.
[13:34] You have another band on there.
[13:35] Your windows are, you know, I don't know.
[13:40] Maybe they're a brown versus a black iron window.
[13:45] That all works.
[13:46] These are intended to be flexible in that manner.
[13:49] But from a baseline, we have a contemporary form,
[13:54] a form that'll go well with the meta-training
[13:57] can be finished that way,
[13:58] a form that goes well with a cottage coastal cottage look. We'll take you
[14:03] through these last couple here. Again this is built-in flexibility a little bit
[14:07] bigger not a lot bigger we had you know small lots small opportunities this one
[14:12] has can be done as a one-bedroom or as a studio and again you start seeing these
[14:20] how they manifest themselves architecturally in the coastal cottage
[14:26] in Mediterranean and again the contemporary and finally got a little bit
[14:33] bigger one not huge under 700 square feet designed to be a one bedroom or a two
[14:39] bedroom really flexible space a little bit bigger kitchen a little more
[14:45] articulation a little more interesting in a backyard but also takes up a little
[14:49] more depth so it might not be a be applicable to too many lots but it but
[14:53] But you'll notice this one again.
[14:55] This is 42 feet long, fit in a 50-foot lock with the state-limited...
[15:00] Four foot side yard setbacks.
[15:02] Those are some of the parameters we try to design to when we do this.
[15:06] And then, again, this is how it starts to play itself out.
[15:10] If the primary house doesn't have stone base columns,
[15:14] I wouldn't expect someone to build it here.
[15:16] We try to build that flexibility in there.
[15:19] Our plans are not going to show every single option
[15:21] that these can be conceived as.
[15:23] We'll indicate that these are optional things
[15:26] and then they can build them out as needed.
[15:29] Some of that flexibility also comes from how your building department wants to deal with
[15:34] them.
[15:35] I will tell you that from my perspective, I don't care what order your appliances are
[15:42] in your kitchen.
[15:43] I don't really care that that's the kitchen wall, to be honest with you.
[15:46] That's not a big thing for my architectural integrity.
[15:51] And many jurisdictions, as long as you meet the code, you know, where the GFIs
[15:57] are what the spacing is, some of that, you know, that basic stuff, minimal amount of
[16:00] countertop, all these code minimums, they're perfectly fine with it. Other jurisdictions
[16:06] want to be very strict, so nope, what you see is what you get. That's up for you guys
[16:10] to deal with internally. For me, you're not stepping on my toes when people move those
[16:15] things around.
[16:17] Anyway, I think that really kind of covers the package we have here. I really came
[16:23] down to introduce you to this and answer your questions along the way.
[16:34] Can I jump in to clarify some of that real quick?
[16:37] Thanks.
[16:38] Yeah, thanks Randy for all of that and walking us through and then especially around the options.
[16:42] I think especially with external materials that will be really easy from talking to
[16:47] Damon our building official about you know what he's going to look for if it's what
[16:52] type of shingled siding versus a hardy plank siding it's not really going to be an
[16:56] issue and same on planning's end.
[16:58] As far as where appliances go and things like that,
[17:00] it may end up triggering more of a review, which then sort of
[17:03] puts in a different process, where it's not
[17:06] going to be as streamlined.
[17:07] But it is totally possible.
[17:09] So any changes can be made.
[17:10] They can use this as a template and make all sorts of
[17:13] changes if they want to.
[17:14] But then it is going to have to go through our review
[17:17] process, because we have to make sure that it meets
[17:20] code.
[17:21] The purpose of this would be to say, well, this already
[17:23] does meet code does not need that review so does that kind of make sense there's
[17:27] sort of two ways you can do it you can make the very simple changes of like
[17:33] exterior stuff but then once you start altering it it's possible but then we
[17:37] will have to review it to ensure that it does meet code since the changes
[17:40] were made. For our perspective you know our our relationship with the city and
[17:44] the project ends when we get these things approved and so all those types
[17:48] of variability I like to build in up front as much as possible so if
[17:52] There's input on what can you do.
[17:54] And maybe you have suggestions of what you'd like to see
[17:56] that then we then run past the building official
[17:58] is how do we approach this?
[18:00] This is something you can manage.
[18:02] And we build those into the plan.
[18:03] So there isn't another loop for anybody
[18:06] going through the process.
[18:08] There are whatever it be, 10 different options
[18:11] that they can work with and create some flexibility under.
[18:15] That's our goal, anyway.
[18:20] Any questions?
[18:22] I have many.
[18:24] Excellent presentation, thank you. When you said we can do, you know, whatever you want
[18:32] to do you can do, specifically let's just use electrical as an example. So as this goes
[18:39] forward I'm assuming that your firm is going to do the engineering, do the structural engineering
[18:45] on these prototypes, correct, whereupon you would also be doing an electrical base,
[18:53] you know, electrical plan that passes through code, exactly. So if somebody
[18:59] wanted to add something, you know, some more lights or some fans or more outlets
[19:06] or something like that, how, how do you see, and this question may be directed
[19:11] for Coronado Planning Department,
[19:16] how would someone move forward
[19:19] if they wanted to add some of the electrical?
[19:24] Yeah, a lot of it will depend.
[19:26] So as they prepare those, we're going to work,
[19:29] obviously we're gonna have them approved
[19:31] through ESGIL and then also through
[19:34] the building department here.
[19:36] And so I think we're gonna learn those limits
[19:37] a little bit more as we go through that process,
[19:40] like it doesn't outlet trigger more review does anything I mean at some point it does require at
[19:47] least a little bit more review because we have to determine whether it needs review or not you know
[19:51] what I mean so it does add one layer how far does that go I think it really does just depend on
[19:57] how big of a change it is so we're going to sort of learn those limits and Randy probably
[20:01] has experience working with other cities and knows those a bit but for us as we get those
[20:06] construction drawings, we'll know more about what's going to trigger that. I know
[20:11] that's kind of a bogus answer, but... No, that's a good answer. Well, to your
[20:15] question, Dana, then something like an EV charger or something would throw that
[20:23] off. I'm sorry. Like an EV charger, like for a Tesla or a charger, so it needs
[20:30] a particular outlet and everything to do that with that. Well, there are no
[20:35] garages for you know for you could still know but it doesn't have to have a
[20:39] garage yeah that's a great that's a great example how would you manage that
[20:46] well something like probably it's laid out in infrastructure it's not a
[20:50] requirement you're not required to supply as you would on a new home you're
[20:56] required to provide those you know PV for for a car so there I mean that
[21:03] would be, when you said be flexible, I build houses. There are just so many factors that
[21:13] could play in. I'm just curious how this falls into, or is this meeting, is this unimportant
[21:21] for this meeting to okay these design, these prototypes too? Am I going further than I
[21:30] need to be going by asking these questions?
[21:32] staff here but I will speak for where I'm coming from. We are on our way to putting the permit sets
[21:38] together and at this point I'm looking for feedback from the city for these types of things. We want
[21:46] to see this and maybe not everything can be flexible. That's obvious and we'll go through a
[21:52] process with your building official or your building department to try to find their boundaries
[21:57] of comfort on some of these things and that's really what drives most of that flexibility.
[22:01] When you start talking about outlets, you know, like I've said, I've also been building for
[22:07] 30 years, do my own stuff, and I've never had anyone raise a finger when I added an outlet
[22:13] in a wall somewhere.
[22:15] Well, you don't have the corn out of building inspectors coming to your job, just letting
[22:20] you know.
[22:22] That's another factor.
[22:23] That's a layer that's going to have to follow this whole process, and the man in
[22:28] charges right here? Flexibility. Their operation is what's going to decide how
[22:32] that works. Yeah and as Randy's saying you know we're gonna work with them
[22:35] through this process and that's kind of the that is the next step is to see you
[22:39] are asking the right questions and that is what's coming next is we're going to
[22:43] hammer out those those limits and because we want to make it efficient to
[22:48] we want the process to be where you're not selecting from a menu of a
[22:51] million things it's sort of meant to be the point is to make it streamlined
[22:55] So to have that menu be very clear and concise and the process actually be quicker, I guess, is the point.
[23:03] I think the designs aren't great. I mean, they fit our community perfectly based on, you know, the research and the study that you've done.
[23:13] So I really appreciate that and the fact that someone doesn't have to use these.
[23:20] This only facilitates doing something a little quicker and our community is such
[23:28] that most building the individuals can afford to make their choices how they you
[23:38] know want to put in an ADU or granny flat or whatever so based on what I'm
[23:44] seeing it. I like it. Yeah that's a great point Sue. I thought as somebody that's
[23:52] actually lived in ADU for 10 years I really thought the designs were really
[23:57] very clever in terms of everything that you've been able to fit in a tight
[24:01] spot because some some ADUs are designed a little bit better than others so I
[24:06] thought the designs themselves are really nice. I agree. Another question the
[24:13] you mentioned volume ceilings.
[24:19] I've also noticed that the minimum building height
[24:23] for an ADU or a structure in the back 40% of our lots is 14 feet 4 inches I
[24:32] believe and some of these are quite a bit lower than that. You've got a 9 foot
[24:36] plate. If somebody wanted, so here's a great question,
[24:42] the engineering I know
[24:44] how much it costs to change engineering. Once you have an approved set of plans, you have
[24:50] to have your shear walls have to be right. I mean everything has to be such. And for
[24:55] these to go back to Intermark for another round is going to defeat the whole purpose
[25:02] of the affordability that these plans are providing for an honor. So would that mean
[25:12] And if somebody wanted a 10-foot plate so that they could get up to the, let's say they
[25:20] had 14 feet, 2 inches or something, and plan, I think plan 1 and 2, well, let's see, plan
[25:27] 3 is 14, 2, so that's pretty much it.
[25:31] But plan 1 and 2, they have a 9-foot plate, but are there going to be plans where it's
[25:40] The vaulted ceiling is, I mean, an affordable structure
[25:43] would typically be a truss roof.
[25:46] Is that gonna be part of the plan going forward?
[25:50] The structure would typically be a truss roof, yes.
[25:54] In our conversations previously,
[25:58] the desire to have an option for a volume ceiling
[26:01] was in there, so that is, we're building to that.
[26:04] I think we're doing, I haven't read the contract
[26:07] a little bit, I believe we're doing cut and stack
[26:09] and trust options so you have both going on there it may just be cut in stack the
[26:14] idea of being able to change plate height is suggesting that that is an option that
[26:18] would not be a realistic option that I mean like you said they're engineered at
[26:23] that point and yes thank you I agree that's that I just wanted to ask that
[26:28] question any
[26:32] other questions from commissioners the sorry
[26:45] just give me a
[26:45] moment oh
[26:49] here here was one this is this would be a simple change the if
[26:57] the
[26:58] hot water heater you know now that we're not putting on-demand gas hot water
[27:02] heaters on the side of a house. Now we're back to a closet for an electric hot water
[27:11] heater, large tank. To capture some closet space, let's say in plan 3, one of the bedrooms
[27:19] could have a larger closet if that water heater was an appendage.
[27:28] Well, the electric
[27:29] tankless are really not very efficient. It's gas is the way to go with the tankless. And
[27:36] gas is no longer, gas tankless are no longer permitted in California. That I believe I could
[27:44] be wrong. It's very recent. So just trying, California is trying to eliminate all gas
[27:50] appliances.
[27:52] We've been doing this for five or six years now and we used to do on demand gas water
[27:58] heaters in places that you know wanted that and we can't we can't get them to
[28:02] work anymore in title 24 it's they're gone so they have to be condensing
[28:07] electric which means they need to be in an enclosed
[28:14] environmentally you know a conditioned space they can't be just like in a little
[28:18] they could be in a lean tube but we got insulated we got to seal it we've
[28:22] got to do all that type of stuff it's not just like the old days where
[28:25] you'd have a little shed from Hope Depot
[28:27] and you stuck your water heater in.
[28:28] And that doesn't work anymore either.
[28:29] Right.
[28:31] And what happens is it impacts your setbacks.
[28:35] So now you've got to set back from that.
[28:37] So instead of a four foot, now you've
[28:39] got four plus a water heater room of three feet.
[28:42] So right.
[28:44] No, it could not go.
[28:45] And if there's a four foot setback,
[28:49] it certainly could not go there.
[28:51] It's not an architectural projection.
[28:54] That's only 12 inches by eight feet.
[28:57] Correct, yeah. It would just be part of the structure.
[29:00] But, you know, maybe, I mean, if it could, I mean, the other thing too, this is a question I have for you guys.
[29:09] So there are, you know, FAR requirements, there's lot coverage.
[29:14] All of these structures still have to meet the same zoning that we have currently in our Title 86, right?
[29:21] and that's correct and that's what we'll be reviewing in the next steps when they
[29:26] go through building plan review and through ed skill they'll also go through
[29:29] planning also and then when they go on to the to a site we're going to review
[29:34] them for that as well so we will review the site plan you know where they
[29:37] gonna get their parking what's their lot coverage etc and there are
[29:41] exemptions from because of state codes there are where they are exempt from
[29:46] FAR requirement and I think structural coverage so those two won't matter as
[29:51] much but as far as setbacks and parking and everything distance from the main
[29:56] house we have to look for all those and height you know if it's
[30:00] You know, not that we have much grade change in the city, but we have to make sure it all
[30:06] works. Does that answer your question? Yes, thank you.
[30:12] Yeah, I was just, when I had a conversation
[30:14] with Jesse yesterday and I was just talking about specificity, you know, it's like these,
[30:21] there's, and particularly building in Coronado, it's, your point is well taken, Edry, that
[30:29] if somebody really wants to make a change, they're just going to go ahead and spend
[30:33] and the money to make the change.
[30:34] And this is great for people who say,
[30:37] okay, this is gonna be my budget,
[30:39] this is what I'm gonna build,
[30:40] this is what I'm allowed to build,
[30:41] otherwise I gotta go back to Intermark, Eskil,
[30:45] I don't know what it's called now,
[30:47] but that's very clear, so.
[30:58] Approve these, essentially, to a certain extent,
[31:00] like you talked about, the coverage,
[31:02] the setback, some of those things.
[31:03] So in places that an individual
[31:05] might not be able to do something
[31:07] because of your development standards or a neighborhood that's going to come out and
[31:13] raise cane about it or whatever the issue may be, the state's going to force this down
[31:18] people's throats.
[31:19] No, you have to, you don't get to have a say on this.
[31:23] This is, matter of fact, there are jurisdictions that don't even go before planning commission
[31:26] because it doesn't really matter.
[31:27] They don't really have a say.
[31:28] Anyway, the state said we have to do this.
[31:30] Thankfully, you guys don't do that.
[31:31] and the whole purpose of those types of programs is to bring forward designs that are incentivized
[31:39] through time and money that are designed to fit your community, hopefully, so that you
[31:45] don't get people just saying, yeah, I bought something off of Amazon and I'm training
[31:48] it into my backyard and you can't do a thing about it.
[31:50] And that happens.
[31:53] All
[31:59] right.
[32:00] Well, thank you very much.
[32:01] That was a terrific presentation.
[32:03] Appreciate it.
[32:09] We agree.
[32:20] any more comments commissioners any more discussion okay moving forward can we
[32:31] get a motion to to approve or not move
[32:42] to recommend City Council approve the
[32:45] three accessory dwelling unit floor plans and designs as presented by staff
[32:53] Seconded. Let's vote.
[32:59] Motion carries. All present voting aye.
[33:08] Appears we're at the
[33:09] end of our meeting. It is 3.30. Thank you.
[33:18] Thank you. Thanks Dana. Thank you.