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Good

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for you,

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everyone.

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You guys?

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I think a lot. I told you, I've been trying to get this guy out on it.

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That's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right, that's right,

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well thankfully it's the only way to get it on that, so yeah, just a little bit here for sure.

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Yeah.

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If they're gonna, you know, we're getting a pretty serious.

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No, you know, we're getting serious.

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They're gonna be happy, slipped anymore.

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They just called for public comment.

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Full of inhibiting, it's one of the coolest walk-up stories.

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So, I don't know if that was the way you got it.

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But, you see, you got the tissue mark.

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Yeah, I'll show you.

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You

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got

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the

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tissue mark.

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What do you think, Schaeke?

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What do you think, Schaeke, please?

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I love you so much.

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I love you so much.

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Hey, I'll see you, chair.

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Oh my, I don't get a cushion.

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Wow.

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Good thing you got one.

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I'm here early.

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That's all ladies on the couch.

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Good thing I'm not last.

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Yeah.

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Great.

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I'll do that.

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No.

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Okay, thanks for your patience, everyone, a couple of minutes to start you today.

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But I'll call the February 5th, 2026 Planning Commission meeting to order.

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Will everyone please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and will commission a resin, please

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as we just in the flag slip.

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So

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it's a flag of the United States from America.

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And I look for which is saying, one nation,

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under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

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Thank you.

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Staff roll, call please.

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All commissioners are present with the exception

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of commissioners, Gazano, and Elmore,

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who are excused this evening.

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Okay, public comments.

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This is the time we take public comments

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and items that are not on the agenda tonight, but are generally within the purview of the Planning Commission.

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If you wish to speak, please keep your comments to three minutes or less.

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So are there any public comments on non-agenda items?

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Chair Harris, the members of the Planning Commission, my name is Jim Mosher.

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Since you last met the City Council, had a planning session, which they held here.

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I don't know how many of you were able to attend or review that meeting.

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but one of the slides that was presented by the city staff gave us an update on our progress

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meeting or obligations under our housing element that we currently have. And I found that interesting.

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As you may know, under our current rena cycle, we have an obligation to plan for

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the addition of about 3,000 affordable housing units in Newport Beach. And under our plan,

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Then we are promising that we can accomplish that by approving about 8,000 units under

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the assumption that those will redevelop at about 40% affordable.

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What the slide showed were currently halfway four years into the six-rena cycle and the housing

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overlays that were counting on to develop to produce those have so far produced only about

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200 out of the 3,000 we're supposed to produce and the disturbing thing about it is that they're being produced at about a rate of

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1 affordable unit for 20 market rate units and the math is not too complicated at that rate of production.

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We would have to add to our city 60,000 market rate units to meet our Renault requirement.

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But it sounds to me like we do not have a realistic plan.

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And I think you're from your tentative agenda.

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I saw at your first meeting in March, you're going to see a more definitive report from

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the city about this.

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But I think the lack of affordable housing production is going to come back to haunt us.

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And I think the caps that we have are currently not too realistic and we may be forced to raise those.

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We certainly will have to meet this in our next rena cycle and add into the complication if you've not heard.

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There's a recent California appeals court opinion which the last week the Supreme Court of California decided to not review.

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so it is now the law and it makes overlays not in an acceptable way of meeting the affordable

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housing requirements and the city will face having to actually zone properties for those so that

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if they redevelop they won't have the option of an overlay but will actually have to redevelop in

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that way and so I think it should give us all pause when we are considering more housing with

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An adequate affordable units.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Any other speakers for non-agenda items?

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Okay.

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Moving on to the next item.

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Request for Continuances, staff.

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Are there any requests for continuances?

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Either no request.

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Okay.

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Item number one, the minutes of the January 2022.

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20, excuse me, January 22, 2026, planning commission hearing.

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Would anyone like from the audience like to comment on the minutes from the January 22nd,

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2026 meeting?

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So, nobody?

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Call for a motion.

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I'll make a motion to approve.

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I'll second.

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Call for a vote.

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The motion carries 4-0 with Commissioner Rosy and Epstein.

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Okay.

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Thank you.

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On to item number two.

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Dover Town Homes.

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It's PA 2025-0135.

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5, the site location is 601 Dover Drive, staff?

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One at please.

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Good evening.

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Proceed with your presentation.

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Good evening, Chairman and Commissioners.

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Melinda Whalen, Planning Division.

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This is the Dover Town Homes.

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The location is at the corner of Dover Drive and Cliff Drive.

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The existing site is developed with medical offices.

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And it's downslope from the Cliff Haven residential neighborhood,

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across from Castaway's Park and Newport Bay.

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The site was identified in the housing element as an opportunity site and has an housing overlay within the 803 Dover Drive among 9 other sites with the intent to provide a variety of additional units for the city.

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The project will demolish the existing medical offices and construct a 33 unit for cell town homes.

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They will be within seven to attach three-story buildings, approximately 38 feet tall and provide two, three, and four bedroom units with two car garages, trash areas will be within the garages outside of the minimum garage dimensions.

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Here's the layout of the proposed project.

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It includes landscape buffers along the exterior property lines, public plaza towards the rear of the lot.

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It includes two amenity areas for the residents, and it will utilize an existing driveway, and

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it includes a hedge and landscape buffer adjacent to the existing residential.

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Required approvals are a major site development review, a variance requested to encroach into

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the street setbacks, a track map for condominiums, and it qualifies under

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sequender AB 130 statutory exemption.

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The HO3 sub area has specific

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development standards. The project complies with all of these development

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standards except for requesting the variance to encroach into the street setbacks.

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The design of the site provides interior drive aisles, amenity areas that are

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screen from public view. The larger rear setback with the publicly accessible plaza.

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The existing

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medical office has about 231 greater trips, so this is a significant lower trip generation.

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It's well below the height limit and it meets the minimum density. It's well below the maximum

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allowed density and provides greater setbacks and landscaping.

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A driveway analysis was provided by

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LSA Associates. It provided a Cueing Analysis for the proposed driveway operations and a site distance analysis for the safety of the project driveway.

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A condition of approval is included where if traffic issues do arise at the driveway, that the developer will have to implement a right in, right out only design.

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design. And the design was reviewed and approved and included in the LSA analysis. And this

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shows the design of the right turn right out.

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This is the view from the neighboring residential

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and it shows with the low height limit and the large slope and the landscape area. It provides

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a lesser impact if then if it were to maximize the development standards.

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This provides a view

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from Dover sidewalk. It shows the landscape buffer, the entry courtyards and the entries

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to each unit, which mimic typical residential throughout the city.

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It shows the public plaza,

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which provides a seating and viewing area for residents and the public alike. It also

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shows the hedge adjacent to the residential neighborhood to the side of the property.

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The

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project complies with 47 of the 52 objective design standards.

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Minor deviations are requested, but the intent of all the standards are still met.

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Here's the project rendering for the 16-minute building alone dover.

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Variance is requested due to the physical constraints of the property, to the side property line down slope of the residential above. There is a required slope stability step back that cuts into the buildable area. For a typical lot, this would be a zero setback.

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There's a site distance safety corner on Dover and Cliff Drive.

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The rear yard exceeds the minimum required setback and provides the required publicly accessible open space.

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Since

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the site is on the corner, it has two front setbacks,

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there are ten feet.

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Additionally, it has 20 foot setbacks for the upper levels.

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A typical site would have one front setback.

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So these constraints greatly cut into the buildable area of the site.

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Additionally, it was a priority for the design to provide the minimum 26 foot wide drive

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aisles for fire access, circulation, and safety.

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The alternative designs were explored to maximize the development standards up to the 65 foot height limit.

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But the goal was to be more compatible with the neighborhood and the encroachments were less impactful compared to a different design with the higher height limit.

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The Vesting tentative track map is for condo purposes and a park in Luffy will be charged per unit.

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The

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project was found to be statutorily exempt from CEQA, pursuant to AB 130.

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It meets the requirement, the criteria for AB 130 meets the zoning, land use, and no significant environmental resources on site.

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Tribal consultation concluded on December 22, 2025, and there are tribal monitoring conditions for two consulting tribes included in the resolution.

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There

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are some updated conditions, minor changes to conditions of approval that I would

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like to go through.

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So this adds a time limit or a time frame for recording the track map for the condominiums.

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They are required to be recorded prior to the issuance of the building permit.

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And this adds some language if the right turn, right out lane is required.

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And I would like to read that.

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But it says if not installed prior to the developer transferring the project to the homeowner association,

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the developer shall pre-fund the HOA reserves for this purpose.

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The fund shall be memorialized in the CCNRs.

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This condition shall expire five years from the date last unit sold and occupied.

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And there were some corrections to some fire conditions that were worked out post-distribution of the staff report.

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staff

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recommends conducting a public hearing and finding this project's

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statutorily exempt from CEQA, pursuant to AB 130,

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and it recommends the Planning Commission to adopt the resolution number PC

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2026-003, approving the site development review variants and besting tentative track map.

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The applicant is here and has a presentation, and I'm available for questions.

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Thank you.

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Thank you, Ms. Wellen.

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Commissioner, is there any questions for staff?

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Mr. Rosey?

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Thank you for the presentation.

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Just quickly in regard to the traffic and especially this condition, 71.

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If I understand correctly, the location of the curb cut is generally the same location as where the existing curb cut is.

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and if the traffic count is significantly less why are we requiring this condition?

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Good evening Chair and members of the Commission. My name is Kevin Riley. I'm the City Trappin Engineer.

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To answer your question, Commissioner Rosene.

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This is this condition 71 is based on the queuing at the eastbound approach.

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Where the driveway is proposed is actually, it's going to be maybe 20 feet west of the existing driveway based on LSA report.

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And what that does is it provides, if you have four vehicles queuing in the eastbound left turn lane, it blocks the ability of a driver exiting the private property to turn left, so they have to turn right.

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This will likely happen during the morning peak hour, because the morning peak hour

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aligns more with the hours of the school drop off at Ensign, but in other cases we

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feel comfortable that the left turn pocket will operate well with the with the

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proposed driveway curve cut. But we want to have the condition 71, just in case we

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be something different in the future.

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Okay, and thank you for adding that portion about the language for the mechanism for how this is going to work.

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You'll think that it's in a new show condition, but the 20 feet could be 20 feet and that makes the difference. So thank you.

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Commissioner.

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Thank you chair Harris.

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Yes, maybe I'll start with you, traffic engineer Riley, since we're on traffic.

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00:21:29,650 --> 00:21:36,950
I had a question about the parallel parking on Dover Drive and Clifft Drive.

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Currently, neither of them have parking on them.

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00:21:40,930 --> 00:21:45,450
Do you have plans to open them up for parking or keep them no parking zones?

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There's no plans to install offsite parking in the public right away.

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00:21:51,870 --> 00:21:56,570
Okay, great. Thank you. Miss Whalen, a couple of questions for you if you don't mind.

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Is the publicly available, I think you call it a gazebo or park area, is that fulfill

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a portion of the applicant's public park land requirement?

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00:22:14,190 --> 00:22:22,170
No, that is a development or design standard that's found in the multi-unit design standards.

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It requires amenities and it additionally requires a publicly accessible open space.

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But it's not part of the public part fee if that answers the question.

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That answers my question.

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Thank you.

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So, another question I have is there are often requirements for redevelopments to underground power if it happens to be in front of their property.

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Does this applicant have that requirement for this project?

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Yes, they will be undergrounding some utilities.

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Okay, that's good.

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And that is all I've got for now.

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Thank you.

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I

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have a meeting with the applicant.

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I spoke on the phone with the representative of the applicant.

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I briefly communicated with the applicant.

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Okay, I'll open the public hearing.

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Thank you. Good evening, Chair Harris, Planning Commissioners, staff. My name is Emily

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Samard, Director of Forward Planning with Shea Holmes. It's great to be here with you

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tonight. I first want to thank staff for all the work that they've done to get us to this

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point of the process. These housing element sites are still relatively new to all of us.

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They require quite a bit of work on these info sites and this one's no exception so I wanted

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wanted to give special thanks to Melinda Whalen, who has been our quarterback, no pundit-intended

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for Super Bowl Week, but she's really done great in guiding this application and this

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project forward. So thank you, Melinda. I'm joined tonight by my team at Shea and our

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consultants, so we'll be while we're presented for any questions that arise throughout

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the hearing tonight. Melinda did a great job covering the technical details, so my goal tonight

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is to give you some context on Shea Holmes and walk through the broader intent behind this community.

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I wanted to start off by giving a little history on Shea Holmes since we have such unique legacy.

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It began in 1881 with a small plumbing company in Oregon and over time the family expanded their construction business

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and were able to contribute to some major public works projects, most notably the Golden Gate Bridge as well as Parker and Hoover Dam's.

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In 1968, we entered the home building industry and today, Shea Holmes is one of the largest

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private home builders in the country operating across 11 states with our Southern California

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division based right here in Orange County.

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We're proud to be one of the nation's oldest and largest privately held builders with the

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Shea family now into its fourth generation of leadership.

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This slide is highlighting our most recent new port beach community, the K at Mariner Shores

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located off Urbinavenu and Mariners Drive, which was built out in early 2023.

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This is a 50-6 unit project that continues to be very well received by the community

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and reflects the type of thoughtful developments that we strive for.

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Bringing focus back to our current application, and just to reorient everybody,

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the sub-excite is outlined here in red.

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We're at the intersection of Dover and Cliff Drive.

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It's currently developed with a single-story medical office center

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and it's essentially positioned at the base of the Cliff Haven neighborhood and directly across from Castaway's Park,

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offering walkable access to trails, Newport Bay, retail and restaurants.

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You're probably noticing our West property line. We have seven existing homes directly abutting the site.

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These homes sit on average about 35 feet higher than our pad elevation and are separated by a 2-to-1 slope.

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Here's a ground level view of that condition.

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It's showing the existing wall and slope separating our site from the neighboring homes.

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On in full sites like this, especially when we have residential direct neighbors, like

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you just saw, outreach is very important to us.

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We take it as our responsibility to balance interests, not just for ourselves but for the local

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community in the city at large.

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We began engaging the Cliff Haven community about two months prior to our formal application

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into the city.

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In our intent of this was really just to open a line of communication early on in the process.

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So that neighbors had my direct telephone and email throughout the entire entitlement process with the city.

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At our first meeting with neighbors, this was in May of 2025.

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There were six neighbors that attended.

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and then from that point, our team has been consistent in communication with four direct

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neighbors on St. James Place and handling correspondence individually with them, just

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to better tailor to needs that come up or questions that arise.

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One of them even sends a letter of support this evening, which we really appreciate and

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I think speaks to the level of intimate communication that we've had this past year.

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When it came to site planning, like Melinda touched on, we were faced with several obstacles

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it's in a regular triangular parcel with street frontage on two sides and a slope

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condition on the third. Along Dover and Cliff City Code requires ten foot

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setbacks at grade and 20 feet for any portion of the building over 20 feet in

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height. Along the west side while zoning technically allows a zero setback

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California building code requires 15 feet from the toe of the slope. Once you

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layer in site distance requirements at the intersection the setbacks and so

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slope safety buffers, the buildable area shrinks dramatically.

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We go from about 1.6 acres to just over 1.1 buildable acres, which you can see here in

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gray.

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When it came to selecting product, we really wanted to plan this site with the neighbors

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and greater community in mind.

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Instead of shrinking the footprint and building taller, we were determined to make a more traditional

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road town home product work here. While the overlay would allow up to 65 feet in height

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and up to 81 units, we design this community out of minimum density of 20 units per acre

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and kept building heights below 38 feet with no rooftop decks here, specifically out of sensitivity

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to the adjacent homes and the greater community.

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I'll use this site plan to walk you through

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the layout of the site design. As you can see, although we have a tight footprint and minimum

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does city requirements to hit. The team did a really good job in laying out this community

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and utilizing space in a meaningful way. I'll bring you in off Cliff Drive. We are essentially

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utilizing the existing access point into the property as they touched on. We're actually shifting

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it west, so that's away from the intersection about 12 feet.

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You'll see enhanced paving and landscaping

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to create a vibrant sense of place for the sentence. The 33 units are arranged across seven buildings

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three of which front over drive and one

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orienting out towards cliff.

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This will really activate the street edge and introduce residential character to the corner. Along the west boundary, we essentially located our outdoor lounge space with seating, a fire pit and barbecue station. From here, there's a meandering landscaped walkway along the west project boundary, leading to passive open space with seating, landscaping, and a turf zone with benches and a waste receptacle. So for dog owners, sometimes you just appreciate not having to go on a full walk to get the job done.

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So, this space is really created for that convenience.

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And then at the northerly tip of the site, there's a public plaza which Melinda touched

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on.

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This is part of our 3% requirement of publicly accessible open space.

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So this is accessible directly off the right away as well as from the interior of the site.

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This space will be nicely landscaped with circular seating around a focal tree to create

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a scenic and relaxing environment for homeowners and the greater cleft haven community.

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I'll

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narrow focus a bit on project specifics and development standards.

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We went over most of this, but I'll restate that this site falls under the HO3 section

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of the Overly Zoning District in the Certified Housing Element.

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We're providing three distinct floor plans and meeting the minimum required density of

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33 units.

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Despite the tight site constraints, we exceed open space and parking requirements, providing

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providing an intentional and refined environment for future homeowners.

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It's also worth noting that the land use change from commercial medical to residential

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generates much fewer daily trips.

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During peak hours, it will generate 13 a.m. and 17 p.m. peak trips.

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This overlay district allows for a 65-foot maximum height and a maximum density of 50 units per acre.

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As you now know, we're building to the minimum allowed density of 20 units per acre

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and are keeping building heights at an average of 35 feet with no rooftop decks.

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When we are deciding on architectural direction here, we drew inspiration from the surrounding context.

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The project was inspired by mid-century modern design principles,

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drawing direct inspiration from both the existing on-site commercial buildings

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and the nearby environmental nature center, which features that distinct butterfly reform.

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We

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liked the idea of continuing that roof design and elongating the visual interest as you pass the ENC and continue south-downed over.

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These mid-century influences are also expressed through clean horizontal and vertical massing, deep overhangs, large window groupings,

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and a soft material palette that reflects the simplicity and refinement of mid-century architecture while complementing the coastal luxury atmosphere of Newport Beach.

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I'll go through some site renderings.

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So here are a couple examples.

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These buildings are fronting Dover Drive.

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So you can see the layer landscaping, focal street trees,

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the gates coming to the private courtyards.

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And then here are some vignettes of these site details.

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So going from left to right, you'll see the community gathering space.

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So this is our outdoor lounge area in the center of the community for residents.

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has a fire pit, seating and a barbecue and then in the middle you'll see the

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open space that we're calling the dog release area but it's really just a

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passive open space with seating and landscaping and then you'll see the

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public courtyard that's accessible off the public right away and that's really

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for the greater community and our residents to enjoy.

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Here's some comparison

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in street seamen images, so this is at the intersection of cliff and over.

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And you can see here just for a point of reference of height, the street light on the corner

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of cliff and over, it's 35 feet tall, so you can see that building has a peak height

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of 34 feet 11 inches coming in, you know, pretty much right where that light is, and a lot

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of the street trees along Dover actually exceed the height of the buildings right now so just to give

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a little bit scale of massing here.

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Here's a closer image of that intersection photo rendered.

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Here is a comparison image coming southbound down Dover Drive. So you'll see on the right hand side of

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the rendered image that's our public plaza or portion of it. You'll notice the street trees going

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down-dover drive, just going in and out of the buildings, which really makes this a softened

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residential feel as you come down the corridor.

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Another height reference here, we are removing that power pole as Commissioner Linkford highlighted.

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There are four cross arms on that pole.

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The bottom cross arm is at 38 feet, and again, the buildings along-dover drive are 34 feet

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11 inches so hard to assess scale there but I just wanted to point that out as

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you're looking out the street scene here.

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And then here's a focused image of

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that rendering as you're coming down Dover Drive.

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And that wraps up my

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presentation tonight. So on behalf of Shea Holmes thank you for your time and your

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engagement this evening. We hope that you agree that this project delivers

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housing in exactly the manner envisioned by the city housing element while

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While remaining sensitive to its residential surroundings, we're excited to bring another

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great community to new port beach, and I'll open it up for any questions now.

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Thank you.

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Do you agree with the conditions as changed and as presented?

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Yes, thank you, Chair Harris.

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We have worked on the conditions with staff and agreed to the resolution and conditions

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as modified.

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Thank you.

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Commissioner's questions for the applicant?

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I'll take the first few feet on mine.

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Thank you, Emily.

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A couple of questions for you.

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Number one, what was the thought process in pushing the project towards Dover and

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encroaching on the setbacks to request the variance?

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I'm sure there are variances.

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Yes, thank you for bringing that up.

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So a couple of things.

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And it wasn't necessarily a decision of moving it forward.

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It was kind of the opportunity cost that we landed on in picking product.

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So with the 15-foot setback that we needed off the toe of the slope, and then the unique

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situation that the site lent itself, since we have the major street frontage on two sides,

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we had that 20-foot setback requirement for anything over 20 feet, and then had the unique

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condition to have the 15-foot setback, whereas I'll use Ford Road as an example, just because

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as it had just come before you over the summer,

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they had two zero setbacks,

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Ford Road being one of them.

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So they had a six foot setback off

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of what would their advantage would be,

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but since it wasn't technically on an arterial street,

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they didn't have the same requirement.

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So our footprint shrunk right away.

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And instead of building higher,

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we decided to work with the city

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on encroaching on the setback

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to keep the product as less dense as we can.

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So it really was a matter of constraint because of topography.

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And then we just worked with staff on what would make the most sense for the site and product.

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So it was really product driven.

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Got it.

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And the second question, was there ever discussion to add a secondary exit on to Dover or to make

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Make that the primary versus exiting onto cliff, because as the city highlighted, it's a little unique in that if you're trying to go left, you can only get three or four cars backed up before you can't go left.

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So, it gets this particular intersection can get really crowded at certain times and backed up.

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We did, so when, again, when we were planning site, our preference was to utilize the existing access as Commissioner Rosine pointed out.

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If you have a less impact with residential use and lesser daily trips and it's a full access drive right now, why not preserve that?

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But in looking at the site with fresh eyes, I mean, we really did a litany of traffic studies to make sure that that access point was the safest condition

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for the community, our community that we're building

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and then the community at large.

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So we did assess going in off Dover,

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which would have been a right out access,

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not a full access.

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And ultimately it came down to safety

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with the traffic speed going southbound down Dover

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since we're downgrade.

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It did not pass as a primary access point.

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We would have to have a right lane to de-escalate traffic to turn into the site, to make that feasible, and so our primary access is actually most safe where it currently is, and then we've shifted it a stated 12 feet west, which creates a little bit looser of a condition since we're moving further from the intersection, and it just didn't lend itself space or requirement to have two points for a 33 years.

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in that project.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Appreciate it.

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Thank you, Chair Langford.

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Thank you, Chair.

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Ms. Samard, appreciate all your outreach to the Newport Heights and the Cliff Haven communities.

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I'm curious in those communications and open houses and whatnot, what they believed their

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preference was for the architectural inspiration if they pointed you towards the mid-century

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modern as something to replicate from ENC, whether they like the idea if there was consensus

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there.

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I'm just curious.

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Sure.

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The architecture elevation style was not a main part of conversation with the neighbors.

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It was mainly height and really just direct impact them individually, and that's really why

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a lot of our conversation with the neighbors ended up more individual approach.

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because they all had individual concerns with their property and it wasn't

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surrounding architectural style. More so, height and impact in that way.

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Okay. Yeah, my personal read on it and I'd be curious eventually with all of us

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and maybe from the audience what they thought about it. To me it seemed like it was

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kind of lending itself. This style made it seem more like part of the commercial

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quarter instead of part of the, you know, coastal Cape Cod cliff haven feel. So, I was just

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curious if that was intentional, unintentional, you thought you were trying to match the

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ENC look, which is its own kind of like goofy use case.

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Yeah. No good question. We felt the corner is a pretty transitional part of the town kind

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of marrying both commercial and residential, which is upgrade from us.

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So when we were playing with elevation styles and the density of the buildings to see

458
00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:12,300
really what would lend itself best to a rotown home style here and fitting coastal kind

459
00:42:12,300 --> 00:42:18,300
of contemporary, new port beach, we met with staff and went over multiple iterations of

460
00:42:18,300 --> 00:42:22,880
this project, and this is what we felt would resonate best for this corner.

461
00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:25,500
Okay, thanks, Mr. Martin.

462
00:42:25,660 --> 00:42:27,640
I really liked the manner of shores, by the way.

463
00:42:27,720 --> 00:42:28,360
I think it looks great.

464
00:42:28,500 --> 00:42:28,700
Thank you.

465
00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:31,000
Can I share?

466
00:42:34,530 --> 00:42:38,550
Do you mind walking through a little bit more of some of the feedback and how it's implemented

467
00:42:38,550 --> 00:42:44,770
in the site plan and the position of buildings or based off communication with neighbors?

468
00:42:45,210 --> 00:42:49,250
You walk us through some of that, or a little more of the back and forth, or some compromises

469
00:42:49,250 --> 00:42:55,150
is potentially that. Yeah absolutely. So just giving an example and if you

470
00:42:55,150 --> 00:42:58,810
don't mind I'll pull up a site plan just so it might be easier to follow the

471
00:42:58,810 --> 00:43:02,130
context of the neighbors or I'll pull up an aerial.

472
00:43:07,300 --> 00:43:10,400
So some of the neighbors have

473
00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:15,000
been utilizing the property because it has been partially vacant for some time.

474
00:43:15,940 --> 00:43:21,980
They've been utilizing that to access the back of their slopes and some have had

475
00:43:21,980 --> 00:43:28,400
gates put in and things for maintenance. So we've been working individually with homeowners to

476
00:43:28,930 --> 00:43:37,880
have something embedded in our CCNRs that would allow them access via pathway to the back of their

477
00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:46,940
slopes to facilitate landscaping. We have a neighbor who didn't necessarily have a suggestion for

478
00:43:46,940 --> 00:43:53,480
site planning for us but since you know we've been collaborating and we're you

479
00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:57,920
know a direct conduit to city staff at this point they have voiced certain

480
00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:02,980
concerns which I can share with you. We mentioned the power poles so we're

481
00:44:02,980 --> 00:44:07,260
conditioned to underground the pole that's directly in front of our property we're

482
00:44:07,260 --> 00:44:13,580
not conditioned to underground poles that are north on Dover and so that's

483
00:44:13,580 --> 00:44:19,300
something that was asked by a neighbor, if there's anything we can do to remove the

484
00:44:19,300 --> 00:44:20,780
poll in front of their property.

485
00:44:21,140 --> 00:44:25,680
So we're in design right now with so-called Edison and it's something that we asked

486
00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:29,360
Edison as if they can evaluate that as part of the design.

487
00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:37,800
What does that do, if we're moving that poll, what does it do to remove the second one?

488
00:44:37,960 --> 00:44:43,120
Is it going to cause us to have to dig up Dover because there's a switch and a transformer

489
00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:48,820
we're on that poll. So it might be more cumbersome than we would think. It's not just removing

490
00:44:48,820 --> 00:44:53,960
a second poll, but the question was asked. So I should know that information soon. And we're

491
00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:59,900
in direct conversation with the neighbors keeping them in a loop on that. Another thing that they

492
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:07,640
What brought up is the sick of more trees in the center median. The city recently redid that center median on Dover.

493
00:45:08,540 --> 00:45:26,020
The sick of more trees get pretty tall. And when they have all their leaves, it does impede views of the neighbors that are up on St. James Place. So that was another request if we could talk to the city about maybe selecting a more thoughtful type of tree in the median.

494
00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:30,800
So those are the kind of personal things that come up.

495
00:45:31,100 --> 00:45:34,960
There is a home that you see at 702 St. James Place.

496
00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:35,980
It's a new construction.

497
00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:38,000
They're building down the slope.

498
00:45:38,180 --> 00:45:41,540
So that's a unique situation because all the other homes,

499
00:45:42,300 --> 00:45:43,660
a lot of them are original.

500
00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:46,540
They have very mature vegetation on the slopes.

501
00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:49,900
That one in particular, they're building down the slope.

502
00:45:49,900 --> 00:45:52,720
And so we've been working closely with them as they work with buyers

503
00:45:52,720 --> 00:45:59,020
on really just messaging and giving them, you know, what we have as we work through the entitlement process.

504
00:46:00,220 --> 00:46:05,960
Thank you. Can you compare the heights on this project to Mariner Shores?

505
00:46:07,680 --> 00:46:13,580
Yes, Mariner Shores, I believe, hit a peak at about 33 feet.

506
00:46:16,440 --> 00:46:19,700
33 feet, it had a wider footprint.

507
00:46:19,700 --> 00:46:22,660
We actually initially tried to plot that product here.

508
00:46:23,080 --> 00:46:28,820
We did not come close to the yield that we needed to hit the minimum density required for this overlay district.

509
00:46:30,840 --> 00:46:39,360
But we're at about 33 feet at Mariners and then five of our buildings hit a max height of 34 feet 11 inches.

510
00:46:39,740 --> 00:46:47,920
We have two buildings at the interior of the site where the butterfly roof form hits a peak of 37 feet 1 inch.

511
00:46:50,580 --> 00:46:52,540
Thank you. Any other questions, commissioners?

512
00:46:53,680 --> 00:46:55,000
Okay. Thank you.

513
00:46:55,380 --> 00:46:56,200
Oh, I'm sorry.

514
00:46:56,360 --> 00:47:00,760
So it sounds like one of the letters that was sent from the neighbors, they had the two

515
00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:04,140
comments, one on the electrical and the poles, it sounds like you're undergrounding that.

516
00:47:04,260 --> 00:47:05,760
The other was to the sick and more trees.

517
00:47:06,460 --> 00:47:09,460
Were you able to work with the city to do something there or not?

518
00:47:10,100 --> 00:47:19,060
We had risen the question, and the feedback that we got was that it was newly landscaped

519
00:47:19,060 --> 00:47:23,440
and planted, you know, pretty intentionally as part of the city beautification project.

520
00:47:24,060 --> 00:47:27,760
And so that's where it rested.

521
00:47:28,520 --> 00:47:31,700
And you know, we'll keep raising the question and see.

522
00:47:31,940 --> 00:47:37,500
But we did renew the second more trees from our project because we initially had plotted

523
00:47:37,500 --> 00:47:46,080
a couple just for consistency bringing in the new port city selected trees into our site

524
00:47:46,080 --> 00:47:50,540
to have kind of that mirrored effect as you drive down Dover, but because it's a hot

525
00:47:50,540 --> 00:47:54,720
button for the neighbors, we elected to remove those from our site and pick a different

526
00:47:54,720 --> 00:47:55,140
species.

527
00:47:55,520 --> 00:47:56,120
Got it.

528
00:47:56,260 --> 00:47:56,480
Thanks.

529
00:48:00,370 --> 00:48:00,510
Okay.

530
00:48:00,830 --> 00:48:01,070
Thank you.

531
00:48:01,270 --> 00:48:01,510
Thank you.

532
00:48:05,260 --> 00:48:05,740
Okay.

533
00:48:06,680 --> 00:48:09,420
Does anyone from the audience wish to speak on this item?

534
00:48:12,020 --> 00:48:13,020
Please come forward.

535
00:48:13,460 --> 00:48:21,420
If you'd like to give your name, it's just a reminder of three minutes, typically, and it's

536
00:48:21,420 --> 00:48:23,340
Not a time for questions to Q&A, just a reminder, that's all.

537
00:48:23,340 --> 00:48:23,880
Got it, thanks.

538
00:48:25,460 --> 00:48:27,120
Thanks, Chair and commissioners.

539
00:48:27,220 --> 00:48:28,700
My name's Tom Delafi.

540
00:48:30,560 --> 00:48:32,580
You get more time, just give us a second.

541
00:48:32,580 --> 00:48:32,740
Perfect.

542
00:48:33,980 --> 00:48:38,160
I don't need much, so I live at 2532 Vista Drive,

543
00:48:38,280 --> 00:48:39,840
which is just south of this project.

544
00:48:40,340 --> 00:48:42,560
I've been driving and walking by this site

545
00:48:42,560 --> 00:48:45,660
when I'm heading up to walk my dogs at the park

546
00:48:45,660 --> 00:48:47,280
for the last 20 plus years.

547
00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:50,780
It's always looked to me like an obsolete medical office building,

548
00:48:50,780 --> 00:48:56,240
a little out of place with where it's at, and I think that this project is a great reuse

549
00:48:56,240 --> 00:49:00,320
for it. I think adding new housing stock to the city is really important and the ripple

550
00:49:00,320 --> 00:49:05,240
effect for the city with people being able to buy more affordable homes. Maybe the folks

551
00:49:05,240 --> 00:49:10,380
who buy homes here are leaving houses somewhere else and more residents can come into the city.

552
00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:17,580
Well, I could probably never afford to buy my house again. Maybe I could at least hope that my kids

553
00:49:17,580 --> 00:49:19,440
to get some day fined by the house

554
00:49:19,440 --> 00:49:20,720
of someone that moved into this house.

555
00:49:21,020 --> 00:49:22,440
So I think that's real important.

556
00:49:22,680 --> 00:49:24,620
A lot of great amenities in the area for it.

557
00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:28,160
I really like how the front doors face dover.

558
00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:31,360
So it doesn't have just the kind of like the wall look

559
00:49:31,360 --> 00:49:32,880
like you see in a lot of new projects

560
00:49:32,880 --> 00:49:35,860
or existing projects throughout Orange County.

561
00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:38,400
It's really kind of open and I think friendly.

562
00:49:38,760 --> 00:49:40,120
So I'm a big fan of it.

563
00:49:40,200 --> 00:49:41,260
I think it's a great reuse.

564
00:49:41,400 --> 00:49:43,520
I'd love to see more stuff like this happening in the city.

565
00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:44,280
Thanks.

566
00:49:44,880 --> 00:49:45,480
Thank you.

567
00:49:47,270 --> 00:49:47,670
Speaker.

568
00:49:47,670 --> 00:49:47,730
here.

569
00:49:53,500 --> 00:49:59,200
My name is Morgan Craig. I live at 624. It's my grandparents old house. They built

570
00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:05,980
in 1973 and my first point, I didn't want to say anything to Emily that she couldn't

571
00:50:05,980 --> 00:50:10,840
rebuttal, but I was going to bring up, I was going to ask which neighbor wrote a letter of

572
00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:14,740
support because I wouldn't expect anybody to support this really in the neighborhood, but

573
00:50:14,740 --> 00:50:19,780
I'm apparently wrong because the gentleman before me just made a statement in support of

574
00:50:19,780 --> 00:50:22,640
which I don't really understand.

575
00:50:22,900 --> 00:50:26,140
I've grown up in this neighborhood, I grew up in this neighborhood, lived here almost

576
00:50:26,140 --> 00:50:26,680
my whole life.

577
00:50:30,900 --> 00:50:35,120
And, you know, first of all, the traffic that it'll produce, the traffic numbers that

578
00:50:35,120 --> 00:50:37,060
Emily presented to me don't seem correct.

579
00:50:37,740 --> 00:50:41,880
The amount of cars that are going in and out of it now are, the volume is very low.

580
00:50:42,240 --> 00:50:45,840
And I think with that many residences there, it'll go up quite a bit.

581
00:50:46,600 --> 00:50:49,220
and with Ensign and Newport Harbor right there.

582
00:50:49,700 --> 00:50:53,160
And the amount of kids and riding bikes, the amount of people running,

583
00:50:53,440 --> 00:50:56,640
the amount of people walking, the amount of cars every morning going up and down that hill.

584
00:50:57,960 --> 00:51:00,560
I think it'll create quite a problem.

585
00:51:01,660 --> 00:51:05,560
They talk about, you know, shea homes talks about wanting to work with the community.

586
00:51:06,800 --> 00:51:10,340
The third level at 35 feet or whatever it's at, to me.

587
00:51:11,020 --> 00:51:14,480
Sit luckily I get to sit on a beautiful deck and look over the bluffs.

588
00:51:14,480 --> 00:51:19,740
but that level is pretty much right at eye level for all of us there and it's

589
00:51:19,740 --> 00:51:25,020
going to block a lot and she compared she was pointed out the trees being

590
00:51:25,020 --> 00:51:30,140
at pretty much that height and you can't really compare something in nature

591
00:51:30,140 --> 00:51:37,140
to a constructed building a condo in an area that is just surrounded by beautiful

592
00:51:37,140 --> 00:51:45,540
home so to me it's that's pretty disappointing and like I said in its

593
00:51:45,540 --> 00:51:49,460
unfortunate for the gentleman who built the house that beautiful home right

594
00:51:49,460 --> 00:51:56,940
next to us who dug case on spent a lot of money securing that hill to build a

595
00:51:56,940 --> 00:52:02,240
pool at a level that is now basically going to be staring at the back of these

596
00:52:02,240 --> 00:52:05,660
of these homes and I understand that there's a mandate by the state and all that

597
00:52:05,660 --> 00:52:12,140
sort of thing. But in this situation, people that have been there for 40 years, 30 years,

598
00:52:12,140 --> 00:52:20,980
all my neighbors, it breaks my heart, and it's really hard to see happen. And in such a beautiful

599
00:52:20,980 --> 00:52:28,340
area, it doesn't, to me, it doesn't make a lot of sense. A compromise, which would be, I would

600
00:52:28,340 --> 00:52:34,560
understand, is two levels and not three of these, of these homes that don't look like they belong

601
00:52:34,560 --> 00:52:44,640
there and completely stand out, and we'll just create more traffic and with more traffic, more accidents, and more kids in danger with Newport Harbor High School and

602
00:52:44,640 --> 00:52:49,460
an incident right there, and that's all I have to say, so thank you for your time.

603
00:52:50,340 --> 00:52:50,620
Thank you.

604
00:53:00,500 --> 00:53:03,520
Good evening commissioners, my name's Nick.

605
00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:06,940
I'm here to speak in support of building these homes.

606
00:53:08,240 --> 00:53:13,020
I moved to Newport Beach from Manhattan Beach a few years ago, my family.

607
00:53:13,020 --> 00:53:18,360
probably for work, the jobs are down here, but honestly it was more than that.

608
00:53:18,540 --> 00:53:23,680
I heard Newport Beach is where all the young families were, that if I wanted to raise

609
00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:31,200
a family that was similar to the place that I grew up, good schools, safe streets, real

610
00:53:31,200 --> 00:53:33,940
communities, that Newport Beach was the place to go.

611
00:53:34,260 --> 00:53:41,440
So I started house hunting, being a renter now down here, and quickly dawned upon me that

612
00:53:41,440 --> 00:53:43,440
But that was not going to be an option.

613
00:53:44,300 --> 00:53:49,680
It was not an option for me to put down roots, buy a home, move here with my family, unless

614
00:53:49,680 --> 00:53:52,760
I was from here and inherited or lived in my parents' home.

615
00:53:53,800 --> 00:53:59,460
So I started getting creative, then desperate, started trolling through listings that I just

616
00:53:59,460 --> 00:54:01,580
didn't think fit for me and my family.

617
00:54:02,080 --> 00:54:06,020
I even started getting on planning department websites and looking at development pipelines.

618
00:54:06,020 --> 00:54:08,400
That's how desperate I was getting to find something.

619
00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:11,760
Then I come across this project and it's perfect.

620
00:54:12,240 --> 00:54:15,300
It's not a mega mansion, it's not tiny condos.

621
00:54:15,980 --> 00:54:21,320
It's just exactly what I was looking for, good, honest, fair, price housing.

622
00:54:24,540 --> 00:54:27,620
It looks like it actually belongs in the community.

623
00:54:28,220 --> 00:54:36,120
It fits in terms of size, it fits in terms of parking, it fits in terms of open space that you can actually use.

624
00:54:36,120 --> 00:54:41,360
It feels like somebody actually thought about what it would be like to live in these homes

625
00:54:41,360 --> 00:54:46,680
and wasn't just trying to maximize what the law legally allows them to build.

626
00:54:47,380 --> 00:54:51,620
Candidly I'm confused how anybody can in good faith oppose this project.

627
00:54:52,300 --> 00:54:57,240
The developer could have gone taller, they didn't, they could have gone denser, they didn't,

628
00:54:57,480 --> 00:55:02,380
they could have put roof decks on here, they didn't at every turn where they had the right

629
00:55:02,380 --> 00:55:04,280
to take more, they took less.

630
00:55:04,280 --> 00:55:07,680
Yes, so I'm asking the commission to support this project.

631
00:55:08,300 --> 00:55:12,340
This is exactly what a family like mine needs to put roots down here.

632
00:55:12,600 --> 00:55:17,620
Not just my family, but any family that wants to move to Newport Beach and be a part of this community.

633
00:55:18,100 --> 00:55:21,060
Otherwise, it's basically closed off to people like us.

634
00:55:21,640 --> 00:55:21,980
Thank you.

635
00:55:23,180 --> 00:55:24,140
Thank you.

636
00:55:26,620 --> 00:55:32,360
Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, not appropriate, guys.

637
00:55:32,360 --> 00:55:33,400
Good

638
00:55:35,990 --> 00:55:41,390
evening. My name is Cynthia and I live at 500 Kings Place.

639
00:55:42,110 --> 00:55:42,870
Can you speak in the microphone?

640
00:55:43,750 --> 00:55:44,350
Yeah, more.

641
00:55:46,070 --> 00:55:49,050
My name is Cynthia. Good evening.

642
00:55:49,810 --> 00:55:57,770
I live at 500 Kings Place, which is just up the street and around the corner from this development.

643
00:55:58,450 --> 00:56:02,370
My primary concern is the traffic problem.

644
00:56:02,370 --> 00:56:13,130
I understand that there's statistics on traffic and trips, but I also know that there's two entries.

645
00:56:13,490 --> 00:56:23,310
I walk my dog in that area, I'm in Castaway's Park regularly, and there's two entries into that medical office building.

646
00:56:23,550 --> 00:56:26,850
One off of Dover and one off of Cliff Drive.

647
00:56:26,850 --> 00:56:36,590
I also walk up and down Cliff Drive and I know how busy it is during the morning when

648
00:56:36,590 --> 00:56:42,670
school comes out the elementary school or the high school at lunch time for both the

649
00:56:42,670 --> 00:56:45,630
elementary and high school and at three o'clock.

650
00:56:46,270 --> 00:56:50,870
I also know that people use Cliff Drive for parking.

651
00:56:50,870 --> 00:56:58,750
not regularly residential parking, but they do come and park along cliff drive.

652
00:56:58,970 --> 00:57:05,990
And when you park there, if it's a no parking zone, it's not clear to many people.

653
00:57:06,650 --> 00:57:17,710
And so my concern really is that the traffic on a singular entry exit off of cliff drive

654
00:57:17,710 --> 00:57:24,950
is going to severely impact the traffic for anybody that lives in the immediate area.

655
00:57:25,330 --> 00:57:27,130
Those first few blocks.

656
00:57:27,670 --> 00:57:33,270
If you miss that entry off of Cliff Drive,

657
00:57:33,710 --> 00:57:40,510
you're going to come up and you're going to try to make a U-turn exactly on the corner of

658
00:57:40,510 --> 00:57:46,390
King's Place and Cliff Drive. When you make that U-turn, it's very blind.

659
00:57:46,390 --> 00:57:53,330
It's very difficult for anybody to see when people are crossing the street at that corner.

660
00:57:53,550 --> 00:58:03,630
They're already risking a certain amount of danger because the traffic is very fast on that corner.

661
00:58:04,070 --> 00:58:09,590
That corner could really use a for-way stop in order to get people across it.

662
00:58:09,590 --> 00:58:15,990
And once you start to add the idea that people may be coming up there and doing a U-turn,

663
00:58:16,230 --> 00:58:21,470
or coming into the neighborhood because they miss the drive to come back down and get

664
00:58:21,470 --> 00:58:26,610
into the housing development, you see that there might be a significant problem.

665
00:58:27,110 --> 00:58:32,690
There also might be a lot of people with ten visitor parking spaces and everything else

666
00:58:32,690 --> 00:58:35,610
all the other sight parking in garages,

667
00:58:36,250 --> 00:58:39,150
the ten visitor parking spots may not be enough.

668
00:58:40,730 --> 00:58:46,570
This is my time is up, but my thought really is that it needs

669
00:58:46,570 --> 00:58:53,050
to be clear that you can't park along cliff drive up and down,

670
00:58:53,670 --> 00:58:56,290
so that people don't start parking there

671
00:58:56,290 --> 00:58:58,950
and then start parking into the neighborhood.

672
00:58:58,950 --> 00:59:02,870
I'm in terms of the, I'm sorry.

673
00:59:03,290 --> 00:59:04,130
Okay, that's good.

674
00:59:04,130 --> 00:59:04,570
Thank you so much.

675
00:59:04,650 --> 00:59:06,010
Thank you.

676
00:59:06,190 --> 00:59:07,150
Next speaker please.

677
00:59:14,570 --> 00:59:17,450
Chair Harris, members of the commission, my name is Jim Mosher.

678
00:59:20,770 --> 00:59:25,390
To follow up on my earlier comment about the housing element, I think we're all grateful

679
00:59:26,160 --> 00:59:34,750
that the developer is not proposing to put 81 units in 65 foot tall structures at this

680
00:59:34,750 --> 00:59:35,190
site.

681
00:59:35,190 --> 00:59:42,830
it would be very inharmonious with that neighborhood, however there does seem to be a state

682
00:59:42,830 --> 00:59:49,710
requirement that your resolution because we're not producing the 81 units that we promised

683
00:59:49,710 --> 00:59:56,550
is good should explain how that impacts our housing element because they have to go somewhere else.

684
00:59:57,250 --> 00:59:59,850
So I did not see that in the resolution.

685
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:07,320
Any analysis of how we make up for the shortfall at this location and how it impacts our ability

686
01:00:07,320 --> 01:00:15,640
to complete our housing element. I agree with Cynthia that intuitively, this seems to be creating

687
01:00:15,640 --> 01:00:22,520
a parking problem. If there's many guests here, I don't know where they're going to park even

688
01:00:22,520 --> 01:00:24,700
and though it meets our technical requirement.

689
01:00:25,780 --> 01:00:31,140
There may be a condition in here if the home owners

690
01:00:31,140 --> 01:00:32,500
are not using their garage,

691
01:00:32,740 --> 01:00:34,460
we have something to keep them from parking

692
01:00:34,460 --> 01:00:37,680
in the dry vials and creating hazardous situations.

693
01:00:39,240 --> 01:00:41,640
And I personally do not live in the area

694
01:00:41,640 --> 01:00:43,940
so I do not understand the parking situation.

695
01:00:44,240 --> 01:00:46,360
On my bicycle, I noticed near the ENC,

696
01:00:47,000 --> 01:00:49,040
there is a sign saying on Dover

697
01:00:49,040 --> 01:00:56,180
that there is no parking along that whole block, but Cliff Drive seems to have some red zones which

698
01:00:56,180 --> 01:01:01,960
imply that the non-red zones you can park, and also if you continue downed over drive there's

699
01:01:01,960 --> 01:01:08,100
no sign, and there are some red zones and it applies you can park there, which I think would be a

700
01:01:08,100 --> 01:01:14,600
dangerous thing to do. As to the finding that this is harmonious with the area, it was good to see

701
01:01:14,600 --> 01:01:20,440
some renderings of what it looks like from some locations. I did not see anything from what it

702
01:01:20,440 --> 01:01:26,620
looks like from Castaways Park to the public. And the rendering I saw looking southbound on Dover,

703
01:01:26,860 --> 01:01:34,160
it is very imposing and very close to the street. And that is what they're asking for a variance for.

704
01:01:35,300 --> 01:01:42,280
And in your resolution there are claims that other sites with the same zoning

705
01:01:42,980 --> 01:01:48,380
are much bigger and non-constrained, but there's actually only two other sites.

706
01:01:48,940 --> 01:01:53,000
One at 1501, 16th Street, and the other at 747 Dover.

707
01:01:53,460 --> 01:01:56,720
And they're both smaller, and they're probably both marked and strained.

708
01:01:57,160 --> 01:01:59,560
So I'm not sure how you can grant the variance for that.

709
01:02:00,100 --> 01:02:03,000
So I would just ask they seem to have three floor plans,

710
01:02:03,620 --> 01:02:07,320
which are mislabeled incidentally on handwritten page 110 and 111.

711
01:02:08,420 --> 01:02:11,500
But to avoid the encroachment, they have another plan

712
01:02:11,500 --> 01:02:15,960
that just makes those units a little bit smaller so that they're not right up

713
01:02:15,960 --> 01:02:20,340
against overdrive. I agree with Commissioner Landford the style does not

714
01:02:20,340 --> 01:02:25,500
really fit in and finally I don't understand at all the trash plan that is on

715
01:02:25,500 --> 01:02:31,120
handwritten page 130. It has no explanation about the trash is going to be handled.

716
01:02:31,620 --> 01:02:35,580
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Measurer. Thanks, Baker, please.

717
01:02:39,480 --> 01:02:40,600
Hi, my name is

718
01:02:40,600 --> 01:02:43,840
Jody Young and I was born in Newport Beach.

719
01:02:44,120 --> 01:02:47,200
I grew up on Dover Drive at my parents' home

720
01:02:47,880 --> 01:02:50,660
and I live at 604 St. James Place,

721
01:02:51,280 --> 01:02:53,040
directly above this project,

722
01:02:53,380 --> 01:02:54,800
and we've lived there for 40 years.

723
01:02:55,980 --> 01:02:58,360
I have seen the traffic on Dover,

724
01:02:58,840 --> 01:03:02,640
the start with, there wasn't castaways or any place,

725
01:03:02,800 --> 01:03:07,000
and now there's just so many more people

726
01:03:07,000 --> 01:03:15,220
that use that thoroughfare to get to coast highway, they cut up a cliff drive oftentimes

727
01:03:15,820 --> 01:03:23,400
to avoid PCH. So it's not just students at a certain time, but it's people all the

728
01:03:23,400 --> 01:03:29,020
time in that traffic area. And it's going to be dangerous. There are people with their

729
01:03:29,020 --> 01:03:35,580
strollers, they're walking their dogs, Newport Harbor has their cross country team going

730
01:03:35,580 --> 01:03:42,560
up and down the hills. It just, and the project itself seems so out of character for single

731
01:03:42,560 --> 01:03:51,360
homes, family homes. And it's just, it makes me really sad. I feel like it's ruining where

732
01:03:51,360 --> 01:03:54,920
I live in my community. And that's all I have to say.

733
01:03:56,330 --> 01:03:56,760
Thank you.

734
01:04:04,240 --> 01:04:09,240
Good evening. My name is Tom. I live on 418. Snug Harbor Road. I've been a

735
01:04:09,240 --> 01:04:15,660
resident here for 40 years, we didn't get any notification on Snug Harbor,

736
01:04:16,040 --> 01:04:22,420
but I will say that I did use the buildings when the professional buildings,

737
01:04:22,420 --> 01:04:24,700
when the professionals were in those medical spaces.

738
01:04:25,160 --> 01:04:29,320
And it is practically impossible to exit and turn left.

739
01:04:29,980 --> 01:04:35,440
Number one, the cars coming down over are very fast and they make a very quick right turn on the cliff.

740
01:04:35,440 --> 01:04:46,520
just very fast. If you can get out and make a left turn on the cliff, trust me, it just doesn't happen.

741
01:04:47,060 --> 01:04:51,020
I have waited there 10 minutes when it's just at the simple medical building.

742
01:04:51,680 --> 01:04:57,500
You have to turn right, go up the hill, and you would have to make a turn like Cynthia said on that blind corner.

743
01:04:58,000 --> 01:05:01,980
And it is a blind corner. It's where everybody crosses with their dogs, the kids.

744
01:05:01,980 --> 01:05:05,320
Newport Harbor and the high school.

745
01:05:07,040 --> 01:05:12,160
Ensign, the kids are just impacting like crazy all the time.

746
01:05:12,280 --> 01:05:15,840
It's not just after school, it's during school hours, lunch hours,

747
01:05:16,460 --> 01:05:21,420
a cliff drive is now just impacted, very, very heavy with traffic.

748
01:05:22,200 --> 01:05:26,800
And it's backed up all the way to the top of the hill when the school lets out.

749
01:05:27,300 --> 01:05:28,720
And it goes very, very slow.

750
01:05:28,720 --> 01:05:39,020
So, the egress from this project is completely insufficient for this plan.

751
01:05:39,620 --> 01:05:44,480
And additionally, the people in this new development, they're going to have housekeepers.

752
01:05:44,680 --> 01:05:46,180
They're going to have construction trucks.

753
01:05:46,340 --> 01:05:49,620
There's going to be people that are working on their homes.

754
01:05:49,840 --> 01:05:55,460
And there's just no space for these contractors and housekeepers to park their cars.

755
01:05:55,460 --> 01:06:00,080
and it really is busy on my street alone on Stug Harbor.

756
01:06:00,800 --> 01:06:06,840
The whole street is full with just contractors working on homes, house keepers, all during the day.

757
01:06:07,160 --> 01:06:10,920
There's just almost no parking and this is a residential neighborhood with large homes.

758
01:06:11,720 --> 01:06:20,740
So I cannot imagine how this project is going to work packed in so tight with such limited parking.

759
01:06:20,740 --> 01:06:28,500
It's going to be a nightmare and you can just write off this left exit onto Clift Drive.

760
01:06:28,580 --> 01:06:29,420
It just doesn't happen.

761
01:06:31,320 --> 01:06:32,980
So, thank you for your time.

762
01:06:33,680 --> 01:06:34,040
Thank you.

763
01:06:37,690 --> 01:06:40,350
Good evening, Commissioner Harris, members of the commission.

764
01:06:41,330 --> 01:06:42,970
My name is Mark Shinuda.

765
01:06:43,670 --> 01:06:50,550
For the record, I live on 712 St. James Place in Newport Beach right above the project or

766
01:06:50,550 --> 01:06:53,270
just two houses to the north of the project.

767
01:06:55,750 --> 01:07:03,070
In light of the housing element, I will say I am not opposed to this project.

768
01:07:04,110 --> 01:07:05,070
Make no mistake.

769
01:07:05,330 --> 01:07:10,810
I am opposed that it's part of the housing element, but I realize that ship is sailed.

770
01:07:12,350 --> 01:07:15,210
And I understand that the commissioners, your hands are tied somewhat.

771
01:07:15,210 --> 01:07:25,500
But one of the things that I would have liked to see as a community benefit is

772
01:07:26,240 --> 01:07:30,740
undergrounding the power lines that are right on the over.

773
01:07:30,760 --> 01:07:31,900
It's a beautiful street.

774
01:07:32,480 --> 01:07:36,500
Now they're undergrounding the power line that's right in front of their

775
01:07:37,820 --> 01:07:42,800
proposed developments where there's another power line that is just right in front of ours.

776
01:07:42,960 --> 01:07:43,640
I'd like to see that.

777
01:07:43,920 --> 01:07:45,540
And I'd like to see that as a community benefit.

778
01:07:45,540 --> 01:07:50,320
We're not opposed to this project, again, as in light of what's going on.

779
01:07:51,280 --> 01:07:52,920
We like the shades, we like Emily.

780
01:07:53,100 --> 01:07:55,540
She's done a great job in reaching out to the neighbors.

781
01:07:56,220 --> 01:07:57,220
But I would like to see that.

782
01:07:57,780 --> 01:08:00,500
And more particularly, I'd like to see that as a condition of approval.

783
01:08:01,240 --> 01:08:05,720
I know she's doing the best she can to underground, talking with Edison.

784
01:08:07,080 --> 01:08:10,800
But we should get a lot more comfort if it's a condition of approval to do that.

785
01:08:11,880 --> 01:08:12,440
Thank you.

786
01:08:15,600 --> 01:08:16,380
speaker please.

787
01:08:27,170 --> 01:08:32,310
Good evening. My name is Kathy. I live in Newport Heights. I did not receive any

788
01:08:32,310 --> 01:08:36,710
notification of this project and only found out about it a couple of weeks ago and I know my

789
01:08:36,710 --> 01:08:41,090
neighbors did not either because I was telling them we're coming tonight and they didn't know anything

790
01:08:41,090 --> 01:08:46,850
about it. That's irrelevant. What I would say is that I would be very concerned about the traffic

791
01:08:46,850 --> 01:08:49,350
impacts as many people have said.

792
01:08:50,030 --> 01:08:56,390
Cliff Drive is a thoroughfare to avoid PCH people drive at great rates of speed up and down

793
01:08:56,390 --> 01:08:56,870
that hill.

794
01:08:57,670 --> 01:09:02,630
All the time I walk over to Castaway's Park on a regular basis almost probably three or

795
01:09:02,630 --> 01:09:03,270
four times a week.

796
01:09:04,110 --> 01:09:09,550
There are electric bikes and people speeding down Cliff Drive, there are cars speeding up Cliff

797
01:09:09,550 --> 01:09:09,990
Drive.

798
01:09:10,570 --> 01:09:15,090
There at Dover of course is a nightmare at any time of the day just about anymore.

799
01:09:15,290 --> 01:09:15,770
It's so busy.

800
01:09:15,770 --> 01:09:22,510
So, if this is going to happen and if the ship has sailed and this is unavoidable, there

801
01:09:22,510 --> 01:09:26,390
really doesn't need to be some consideration of a stoplight at the top of Cliff Drive

802
01:09:27,150 --> 01:09:33,670
where King's Place hits Cliff Drive because it's a completely blind corner as cars come

803
01:09:33,670 --> 01:09:39,310
from the opposite direction on Cliff Drive going down toward Dover and anybody who's trying

804
01:09:39,310 --> 01:09:43,790
to cross that intersection, you take your life in your hands, you have to run because you

805
01:09:43,790 --> 01:09:46,870
can't see and cars are coming so fast that, you know, it's dangerous.

806
01:09:47,370 --> 01:09:51,730
So I would really recommend that there be some consideration for a stop light there or

807
01:09:51,730 --> 01:09:58,010
a crosswalk, if not a stop light, at least a crosswalk, because with the increase in traffic

808
01:09:58,010 --> 01:10:01,790
that will come with this development, I can guarantee there's going to be some kind of accident.

809
01:10:01,990 --> 01:10:03,210
Somebody's going to get killed or hurt.

810
01:10:05,610 --> 01:10:13,770
I would hope that this project gets done and that our worst fears don't come to further

811
01:10:13,770 --> 01:10:19,850
but I fear that this is a done deal so at least take into consideration the

812
01:10:19,850 --> 01:10:24,590
impacts to neighbors with the parking and one other thing I don't know how all

813
01:10:24,590 --> 01:10:28,670
these big construction vehicles are were they're going to be parking or be

814
01:10:28,670 --> 01:10:32,130
situated while all of this is going on but someone should have a good plan for

815
01:10:32,130 --> 01:10:37,930
that because my home is under construction right now and I know all of the the

816
01:10:37,930 --> 01:10:42,230
crafts people and all the vehicles that they drive and the size of these

817
01:10:42,230 --> 01:10:46,370
vehicles and cement tracks and great halls and all of that. So someone needs to be thinking

818
01:10:46,370 --> 01:10:51,430
about how that's going to impact Cliff Drive as well while it's under construction. So that's

819
01:10:51,430 --> 01:10:56,630
my two cents. Thank you. Thank you. Speak please.

820
01:11:03,840 --> 01:11:08,240
Good evening. I'm at 1101 Kings Road and I think

821
01:11:08,240 --> 01:11:16,900
my neighbors are going to be pissed at me. But life comes full circle. I took my kids to that

822
01:11:16,900 --> 01:11:23,860
pediatric center when they were babies. So that means that that building is 25

823
01:11:23,860 --> 01:11:30,380
years old medical used to be medical. As far as I can tell I dry by there every day

824
01:11:30,380 --> 01:11:37,060
it has not changed one bit they've not paved the parking lot. It is a dying

825
01:11:37,060 --> 01:11:42,960
building that is at least 25 years old and medical office has moved to the

826
01:11:42,960 --> 01:11:48,960
hospital that is never going to be a medical office building and the truth is, my son

827
01:11:48,960 --> 01:11:54,500
lives in Houston and it was really interesting that the young man came up and he was right.

828
01:11:54,940 --> 01:12:01,500
He would be, if I lived on St. James Place, I would be not happy that this was happening.

829
01:12:01,880 --> 01:12:03,720
I'd be happy that it was in 65 feet.

830
01:12:04,460 --> 01:12:08,440
But and his idea of a second story is actually a great idea.

831
01:12:09,220 --> 01:12:12,520
The problem is the state mandates 20

832
01:12:14,160 --> 01:12:16,500
density units, 20 houses per acre.

833
01:12:16,720 --> 01:12:18,380
There is no way you're getting two

834
01:12:18,380 --> 01:12:21,660
story. It's just not physically possible.

835
01:12:22,160 --> 01:12:23,420
This is not possible.

836
01:12:24,260 --> 01:12:25,520
So there's this kind of thing.

837
01:12:25,840 --> 01:12:27,780
You have to meet the state and you have to do this.

838
01:12:28,140 --> 01:12:29,660
I actually like the elevations.

839
01:12:30,160 --> 01:12:31,620
It's interesting that someone was,

840
01:12:31,880 --> 01:12:33,240
you were saying that Christmas,

841
01:12:33,580 --> 01:12:34,120
you're right.

842
01:12:34,460 --> 01:12:36,560
Castaways is here, which is very kick-cud.

843
01:12:36,560 --> 01:12:48,680
But if you look just to the left, the actual houses that are all modern houses and on King's Road, and there's actually a new kind of duplex on Cliff, that's almost identical like type of architecture.

844
01:12:48,900 --> 01:12:52,500
So it's definitely drifting toward a modern architecture.

845
01:12:53,660 --> 01:12:57,960
But it was interesting. There was a lot of conversation about the front setback.

846
01:12:57,960 --> 01:13:03,940
The best thing about the frontseverk, the closer the houses, the units are to the streets,

847
01:13:04,640 --> 01:13:09,220
the farther they are away from the house and in the site plan wasn't pointed out, but

848
01:13:09,220 --> 01:13:14,180
it was the best thing about the site plan was the narrow side of the buildings are facing

849
01:13:14,180 --> 01:13:15,160
the existing residents.

850
01:13:15,880 --> 01:13:21,660
And so they're actually, it's about as amicable as you're going to get as opposed to putting

851
01:13:21,660 --> 01:13:23,280
the long buildings along the slope.

852
01:13:25,860 --> 01:13:33,560
So I actually really want my son to move back here, and that is just not possible unless

853
01:13:34,800 --> 01:13:40,500
this type of product is built, a starter housing, starter town home, it's just not possible,

854
01:13:40,620 --> 01:13:42,460
unless we build it in Newport.

855
01:13:42,880 --> 01:13:47,300
And I've lived in Newport Heights for, I don't know, 30 years or something.

856
01:13:47,300 --> 01:13:55,740
So, but, and if you remember, there isn't any of these none, except the mayor and square

857
01:13:55,740 --> 01:13:59,060
that they built, so we have to do it, we just have to.

858
01:14:02,700 --> 01:14:03,360
Thank you.

859
01:14:06,130 --> 01:14:06,730
Any other speakers?

860
01:14:13,300 --> 01:14:13,800
Good evening.

861
01:14:13,960 --> 01:14:14,780
My name is Georgia Fox.

862
01:14:15,020 --> 01:14:21,240
I live on the boundary of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, but I'm on Dover and Cliff all the time.

863
01:14:22,000 --> 01:14:27,860
And I'm attending this meeting basically to express my concern to the approval of this construction

864
01:14:27,860 --> 01:14:34,860
project and all these units. I think it's just too much. It's going to add to all the traffic on

865
01:14:34,860 --> 01:14:43,420
Dover and Cliff. And I think what people are not really talking about is in the event of a fire,

866
01:14:44,520 --> 01:14:51,960
how long would it take people to get out of this area? I mean, it would be a danger to the residents

867
01:14:51,960 --> 01:14:57,780
in the event of a fire. How would the residents be able to evacuate in time? Which way

868
01:14:57,780 --> 01:14:58,360
Where would they go?

869
01:14:58,700 --> 01:14:59,780
They would have limited ways.

870
01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:06,640
In and out of that area. So, really, did we not learn anything from the fires and Pacific

871
01:15:06,640 --> 01:15:13,260
Palisades and Los Angeles about a year ago? I'm hoping we did. I guess people have forgotten

872
01:15:13,260 --> 01:15:20,980
too soon about those fires, especially in Pacific Palisades. And there was 12 to 13 people

873
01:15:20,980 --> 01:15:25,780
that died in Pacific Palisades, simply because there was only one way in and one way out of the

874
01:15:25,780 --> 01:15:29,040
and I'm afraid this is going to happen in this area.

875
01:15:29,400 --> 01:15:30,380
That's why I'm speaking out.

876
01:15:31,540 --> 01:15:34,180
So I don't think we want this to happen in Newport.

877
01:15:34,560 --> 01:15:35,880
I think we want a safe area.

878
01:15:36,720 --> 01:15:40,340
And the problem with Dover is, especially on the weekends,

879
01:15:40,340 --> 01:15:43,500
especially on Friday nights and Saturdays,

880
01:15:44,320 --> 01:15:46,440
the traffic there is really congested.

881
01:15:46,680 --> 01:15:47,860
It's not gotten any better.

882
01:15:48,300 --> 01:15:50,340
If you put 33 units more in that area,

883
01:15:50,520 --> 01:15:51,560
it's just going to add to the traffic.

884
01:15:51,980 --> 01:15:55,580
And as somebody said, especially with construction people

885
01:15:55,580 --> 01:15:57,580
All in trucks and things like that, it's going to make it worse.

886
01:15:58,620 --> 01:16:00,740
So that's basically my opinion, thank you.

887
01:16:03,360 --> 01:16:04,000
Thank you.

888
01:16:04,320 --> 01:16:04,780
Any other speakers?

889
01:16:07,840 --> 01:16:11,360
The applicant, would you like to respond to anything or make any other comments?

890
01:16:13,280 --> 01:16:13,520
Okay.

891
01:16:15,950 --> 01:16:18,070
Okay, staff, any comments for the record?

892
01:16:20,960 --> 01:16:21,620
Just chair.

893
01:16:22,460 --> 01:16:26,960
Hi, my name is Leo, Community Development Director, so I just want to touch upon a couple points.

894
01:16:27,400 --> 01:16:32,360
Regarding notification, the project was notified and accordance with our municipal code.

895
01:16:32,360 --> 01:16:39,600
And so we have a minimum distance that we send out mail notices, but we also have other means of providing notice.

896
01:16:40,680 --> 01:16:51,720
With regards to potential construction impacts, we do have a condition of approval that does require the preparation and approval of a construction management plan prior to the issuance of building permits.

897
01:16:52,720 --> 01:17:01,380
With regards to parking concerns, the city's municipal code does prohibit the storage of materials or

898
01:17:01,380 --> 01:17:03,480
anything in a garage that's not a vehicle.

899
01:17:04,220 --> 01:17:08,720
To reinforce that, we do have conditions of approval that requires as part of the CCNRs.

900
01:17:09,000 --> 01:17:11,420
That prohibition being included in the CCNRs.

901
01:17:12,480 --> 01:17:18,300
And with regards to traffic, I know it's hard to compare under today's conditions,

902
01:17:18,300 --> 01:17:22,460
given that the medical office complex is kind of underutilized and

903
01:17:22,460 --> 01:17:24,360
a lot of the existing tenants are vacated.

904
01:17:24,460 --> 01:17:29,040
But based on what's allowed and peak usage of medical office,

905
01:17:29,040 --> 01:17:33,740
That complex is estimated to generate 453 trips per day.

906
01:17:34,200 --> 01:17:43,220
The residential project is projected to generate 222 trips, so it's actually 231 trips less than the law of medical office complex today.

907
01:17:44,280 --> 01:17:48,500
So, with regards to that, we believe there ought to be a reduction in traffic.

908
01:17:54,510 --> 01:17:58,590
Unless there are any specific questions with regards to the validity and happy to answer those.

909
01:17:58,590 --> 01:18:06,370
a question. One of the speakers asked about undergrounding and potentially a condition.

910
01:18:07,270 --> 01:18:13,530
Would we be able to, is that a possibility, you know, assuming that's approved by SC,

911
01:18:13,990 --> 01:18:15,350
if they've applied for it or whatnot?

912
01:18:15,790 --> 01:18:18,890
I think it would be beneficial to hear from the applicant and see if they're amenable

913
01:18:18,890 --> 01:18:19,610
to that condition.

914
01:18:24,620 --> 01:18:29,900
Thank you. So we do have a condition of approval that requires us to underground the power

915
01:18:29,900 --> 01:18:32,060
poll along the project frontage.

916
01:18:32,840 --> 01:18:38,340
So that has been submitted and it's similar conversations that we've had with the neighbors.

917
01:18:38,620 --> 01:18:44,940
So I hope I'm not beating a horse here, but when we submitted it into Addison for the

918
01:18:44,940 --> 01:18:53,080
evaluation of the removal of the poll in front of the project, they have to assess the circuit.

919
01:18:53,080 --> 01:19:02,540
So we had essentially rise on the most northerly pole, which is a subject pole in front of 6-12 St. James place.

920
01:19:03,460 --> 01:19:07,000
That pole has a transformer and a circuit on it.

921
01:19:07,900 --> 01:19:13,360
So while the request was made to Edison, what it would take to underground that pole,

922
01:19:14,000 --> 01:19:17,220
I still have not gotten that design back of what that would take.

923
01:19:17,220 --> 01:19:28,960
We're anticipated to get it, mid to end of next month, which will be shared with the neighbors and further the conversation on what the undergrounding is.

924
01:19:29,180 --> 01:19:34,780
It's hard to commit to a condition when we don't know how far we would need to chase it.

925
01:19:35,620 --> 01:19:44,500
The undergrounding of that poll, if it's something that we can realistically rope in with the removal of the one fronting our site, we'll do it.

926
01:19:44,500 --> 01:19:56,360
If we're having to chase a circuit, really far updover to West 16th Street, I just don't know what scope I'd be committing to at this time.

927
01:19:56,720 --> 01:20:11,300
So for that reason, it's hard to openly commit to broadening the condition, but I will commit that we will be in transparent communication with Edison, the neighbor, and the overall design as we look at removing that poll.

928
01:20:12,140 --> 01:20:14,120
This is a mark that that's very helpful.

929
01:20:14,280 --> 01:20:20,500
Would you be amenable to a condition that's contingent upon getting the information and

930
01:20:20,500 --> 01:20:26,200
if it is viable to underground that the applicant would be willing to approve that?

931
01:20:26,620 --> 01:20:31,600
I think it's something that we can work on with planning on just keeping it very open-ended

932
01:20:31,600 --> 01:20:34,480
and up to the discretion of the applicant.

933
01:20:36,200 --> 01:20:41,660
Well, up to the discussion of the applicant's subject to SEE's determination as to whether

934
01:20:41,660 --> 01:20:43,340
it can be underground reasonably.

935
01:20:44,240 --> 01:20:44,520
Correct.

936
01:20:44,860 --> 01:20:52,740
But I guess reasonable is a kind of an open end to terms, so I just want to make that

937
01:20:55,230 --> 01:20:55,630
clear.

938
01:20:56,050 --> 01:20:58,230
Yeah, I just don't want to extend expectations.

939
01:20:58,710 --> 01:21:03,930
It's something that we will be assessing transparently with the neighbors in the city as

940
01:21:03,930 --> 01:21:05,510
we get more information from Edison.

941
01:21:05,510 --> 01:21:11,190
So, however, we can word that as a condition, we're open to putting that as a condition

942
01:21:11,190 --> 01:21:14,630
as long as we are in control of that language.

943
01:21:15,230 --> 01:21:19,730
And would, if it were, let's say, we're talking about reasonableness, so if it were up

944
01:21:19,730 --> 01:21:24,690
to a certain amount of money, if we could kind of come to an agreement on a reasonable amount

945
01:21:24,690 --> 01:21:27,870
that it would cost for the under grounding, is that something the applicant would be

946
01:21:27,870 --> 01:21:28,430
amenable to?

947
01:21:28,990 --> 01:21:35,270
It's something we can speak further on, it's cost and scope, so it's hard to, I don't

948
01:21:35,270 --> 01:21:41,790
I don't know if any of you have worked with Southern California Edison, but it's very hard to predict what that's going to look like.

949
01:21:41,990 --> 01:21:48,450
So committing to something is difficult because the poll can move so quickly with them.

950
01:21:51,450 --> 01:21:55,730
So it's difficult to commit to language or a condition here.

951
01:21:56,310 --> 01:21:58,770
Anything that we commit to would be fairly open ended.

952
01:22:02,400 --> 01:22:03,600
Okay, thank you.

953
01:22:05,260 --> 01:22:09,100
Are there any other plans for traffic mitigation and cliff drive area?

954
01:22:14,530 --> 01:22:22,850
There are no other plans at this moment that's on our CIP schedule, but I did hear several

955
01:22:22,850 --> 01:22:25,810
little comments about parking on cliff drive.

956
01:22:25,810 --> 01:22:35,490
We can evaluate it to see if we can add more signs or to see what the actual impacts are

957
01:22:35,490 --> 01:22:39,350
initially maybe because you can't park in a bike lane.

958
01:22:39,350 --> 01:22:48,030
So, there's no parking east of Kings between Kings and Dover, so we can look at that.

959
01:22:48,770 --> 01:22:54,170
We can evaluate the intersection at Kings to see if we can add and always stop.

960
01:22:55,310 --> 01:23:00,470
So there's a clear warrant requirements for that, so that's something that I could take

961
01:23:00,470 --> 01:23:03,710
back to my office and we can take a look at that.

962
01:23:03,710 --> 01:23:09,650
Or even consider, you know, methods to slow people down a little bit or something to that effect?

963
01:23:09,670 --> 01:23:10,570
Yes, that's correct, yes.

964
01:23:10,690 --> 01:23:10,910
Thank you.

965
01:23:12,190 --> 01:23:14,250
Any other questions for staff at this time?

966
01:23:14,290 --> 01:23:14,670
Is that okay?

967
01:23:15,210 --> 01:23:16,530
Can we keep the public comment open for a minute?

968
01:23:16,790 --> 01:23:18,630
Yeah, I had two questions for staff.

969
01:23:18,630 --> 01:23:22,650
I think one's a little bit redundant on what you were saying, but just so we're clear,

970
01:23:23,250 --> 01:23:28,890
the visitor right now, the site has I think 66 parking spots, 10 visitor spots.

971
01:23:29,350 --> 01:23:31,870
I think we all know the project of this scale.

972
01:23:31,870 --> 01:23:36,410
You tend to go out of the ten guest spots rather quickly, and you tend to have sprawl

973
01:23:36,410 --> 01:23:41,050
of cars on both sides. In this case, it would be dover, and it would be cliff.

974
01:23:41,430 --> 01:23:45,350
But if I understand today, there is no parking on dover, there is no parking on cliff,

975
01:23:45,590 --> 01:23:46,810
correct? All the way up to the hill.

976
01:23:48,110 --> 01:23:51,410
There is existing parking west of King's Place.

977
01:23:52,410 --> 01:23:53,090
West of.

978
01:23:54,910 --> 01:23:58,390
So you have to get to the top of the hill, into the residential neighborhood, before

979
01:23:58,390 --> 01:23:59,250
you can have parking.

980
01:23:59,590 --> 01:23:59,970
That's got it.

981
01:23:59,970 --> 01:24:06,990
So down below, though, there's no, once those ten spots are full, there's no parking all the way up to the top, and there's no parking up and downed over, correct?

982
01:24:07,190 --> 01:24:07,510
That's correct.

983
01:24:07,810 --> 01:24:08,570
Okay, got it.

984
01:24:09,570 --> 01:24:10,590
That was my first question.

985
01:24:10,690 --> 01:24:17,310
The second question is the, I think you hit on it, but one of the speakers mentioned the stops.

986
01:24:17,670 --> 01:24:22,110
I think she said stoplight, but I think she meant stop sign at King's Place and Cliff.

987
01:24:22,590 --> 01:24:24,930
What is the process to evaluate that with the city?

988
01:24:27,330 --> 01:24:28,050
Time duration?

989
01:24:28,050 --> 01:24:37,130
So we follow the state guidelines to evaluate the intersection for always stop.

990
01:24:37,830 --> 01:24:42,790
So the process would be, so we already received the request here.

991
01:24:43,150 --> 01:24:49,070
And so I can work with the constituent or resident on that request.

992
01:24:49,410 --> 01:24:53,330
We need to obtain traffic counts at the intersection.

993
01:24:53,330 --> 01:25:01,110
and stop signs are based on meeting a certain amount of like value them through the intersection.

994
01:25:01,470 --> 01:25:02,930
I always stop.

995
01:25:04,070 --> 01:25:08,990
The idea is that you have an equal amount of traffic in both directions.

996
01:25:09,190 --> 01:25:16,070
So if that's the case then always stop with help with facilitating the right way at the intersection

997
01:25:16,070 --> 01:25:19,830
with the equal amount of traffic in both directions.

998
01:25:20,890 --> 01:25:25,790
Or it could be warranted based off of collision experiences,

999
01:25:26,030 --> 01:25:30,870
so we could look at the recorded collisions at the intersection.

1000
01:25:33,150 --> 01:25:35,990
Type of collisions that are correctable by always stop,

1001
01:25:36,150 --> 01:25:39,150
it's like a broad side collision, so that would be a type of collision

1002
01:25:39,150 --> 01:25:41,390
that's correctable by always stop.

1003
01:25:42,230 --> 01:25:44,450
And generally, it would require about five collisions

1004
01:25:44,450 --> 01:25:47,890
within a 12-month period to warrant the, to always stop.

1005
01:25:47,950 --> 01:25:50,030
So those are two ways you can warrant based on traffic

1006
01:25:50,030 --> 01:25:52,970
values and based on a collision experience.

1007
01:25:53,350 --> 01:25:54,070
Okay, got it.

1008
01:25:54,210 --> 01:25:59,070
And just one final question, so I'm clear, as it stands today, if this is approved,

1009
01:25:59,550 --> 01:26:03,990
and the 10 visitor spots are full, and you want to park, you're parking up in the

1010
01:26:03,990 --> 01:26:08,410
residential community, walking down cliff into the project, because there's no other parking area.

1011
01:26:08,730 --> 01:26:09,270
That's correct.

1012
01:26:09,530 --> 01:26:10,270
Okay, thank you.

1013
01:26:17,500 --> 01:26:18,800
Any other questions, commissioners?

1014
01:26:20,080 --> 01:26:24,880
Okay, close the public hearing, thank you for all the speakers.

1015
01:26:26,460 --> 01:26:28,540
Bring it back to the commission for discussion action.

1016
01:26:29,680 --> 01:26:32,580
Many general comments or responses, commissioners,

1017
01:26:35,360 --> 01:26:36,460
would you like for it, please?

1018
01:26:38,220 --> 01:26:39,340
Thank you, Chair Harris.

1019
01:26:41,820 --> 01:26:46,380
Yeah, I would have concerns, same concerns as everyone in the room, I think.

1020
01:26:47,120 --> 01:26:52,980
For parking, I know one of our conditions of approval is including in the CCNRs or

1021
01:26:52,980 --> 01:26:57,220
requirements that the garages are used for vehicles.

1022
01:26:58,160 --> 01:27:01,020
And that's hard to police, us at policing it.

1023
01:27:01,240 --> 01:27:04,140
So that ends up being on the HOA to enforce.

1024
01:27:05,140 --> 01:27:12,060
But now I understand new HOA caps that the state has set.

1025
01:27:12,560 --> 01:27:15,820
And maybe that's something that we should put on a future agenda is to understand how

1026
01:27:15,820 --> 01:27:22,980
those HOA caps will influence our decisions on how we condition projects for future approval.

1027
01:27:25,160 --> 01:27:33,260
But it didn't, it said the CCRs would be in there, it didn't necessarily say the HOA would require it or enforce it or something.

1028
01:27:34,280 --> 01:27:36,080
Which would give me a little bit more comfort.

1029
01:27:36,240 --> 01:27:43,200
I forget how we ended up writing it into the Ford Road project, but we had the same concerns there.

1030
01:27:43,920 --> 01:27:53,300
that being my neighborhood in the port streets, so I had special attention on that one also, but it was the same philosophy you would apply here.

1031
01:27:54,180 --> 01:27:58,520
And then, as far as architectural style, I alluded to it earlier.

1032
01:27:58,900 --> 01:28:09,300
If it was my neighborhood, and I used to drive to Newport Harbor every day from the port streets, so this would be my entrance into Cliff Haven and Newport Heights.

1033
01:28:09,300 --> 01:28:14,760
And I find it strange and maybe it's okay because no one brought it up.

1034
01:28:15,000 --> 01:28:22,800
Maybe it's just me that it wasn't really an entryway into the neighborhood to reflect the style of the neighborhood.

1035
01:28:23,540 --> 01:28:38,620
And I know with the for road project that we approved that applicant specifically included design elements as like Port Street style because you wanted it to reflect that neighborhood and

1036
01:28:38,620 --> 01:28:44,500
be kind of and to immediately be part of the neighborhood instead of like this is the commercial

1037
01:28:44,500 --> 01:28:51,000
corridor like multi-family housing project that's outside of the neighborhood and then you get

1038
01:28:51,000 --> 01:28:56,740
into the neighborhood. So to me it doesn't seem completely congruous. It kind of reminds me of some of

1039
01:28:56,740 --> 01:29:08,600
these west side Costa Mesa multi-family projects. Not that there's anything wrong with that it just

1040
01:29:08,600 --> 01:29:16,140
This site being so high profile and you know dover and cliff drive is like such you know everyone's gonna drive by all the time

1041
01:29:16,140 --> 01:29:18,380
It's an entryway into the neighborhood. So

1042
01:29:19,340 --> 01:29:21,180
But if anyone else feels that way then that's fine

1043
01:29:21,680 --> 01:29:27,940
But it's there would be my note to the applicants and and perhaps part of it is you can't design that same

1044
01:29:28,460 --> 01:29:30,680
You know coastal Cape Cod

1045
01:29:31,520 --> 01:29:32,000
style

1046
01:29:33,100 --> 01:29:35,140
And get the same amount of square footage

1047
01:29:35,140 --> 01:29:46,620
I think that's what I heard you saying, trying to match the manner of short look onto this site didn't quite pencil, but those would be my thoughts.

1048
01:29:46,620 --> 01:29:46,700
Yes.

1049
01:29:47,860 --> 01:29:50,380
Thank you.

1050
01:29:50,400 --> 01:29:50,500
Oh.

1051
01:29:51,160 --> 01:29:51,540
You're good.

1052
01:29:52,080 --> 01:29:52,320
Thank you.

1053
01:29:52,440 --> 01:29:52,500
Sorry.

1054
01:29:55,220 --> 01:29:55,860
Forward to start.

1055
01:29:56,700 --> 01:29:59,980
First of all, I think the, I think the, uh, uh, epic.

1056
01:30:00,000 --> 01:30:29,720
It's done a really nice job on the design of it. It's a very constrained site. So I think from an access point, it's really tough to do anything other than what's proposed. Coming down to over, I don't think would be realistic to put an entrance on the dover from a parking perspective. We're offering, I think it's 10 more spaces that are required for the code. You know, certainly based on the underlying zoning, this could be much more aggressively planned. So I appreciate the restraint that the applicant has.

1057
01:30:30,480 --> 01:30:38,000
used in designing this, you know, from a design perspective, you know, I like the diversity

1058
01:30:38,000 --> 01:30:42,220
of doing different things, not just having, you know, it's just an herbine.

1059
01:30:44,100 --> 01:30:49,360
So I mean, I think this is a well thought out, well designed project, and you know, I

1060
01:30:49,360 --> 01:30:53,200
think it's going to be, you know, while I respect the concerns of the people right above it,

1061
01:30:53,200 --> 01:30:57,660
Let's certainly understand that, this is allowed here.

1062
01:30:58,340 --> 01:31:05,280
It's been proposed, it's been known, and I think it's a well-designed project and I'm in support of it.

1063
01:31:12,330 --> 01:31:16,130
So first of all, I heard a couple things tonight that I think we should really consider.

1064
01:31:16,950 --> 01:31:23,350
Number one, there is no nexus for asking the applicant to underground the line further up the hill.

1065
01:31:24,570 --> 01:31:30,150
If you've dealt with Edison, I think that this is unreasonable.

1066
01:31:31,130 --> 01:31:34,090
It's easily a million dollars that you're asking them to absorb.

1067
01:31:34,830 --> 01:31:41,190
And so I think it's dangerous to have that as a potential condition of approval and would not support that.

1068
01:31:42,690 --> 01:31:45,530
Additionally, they were meeting our parking requirements.

1069
01:31:46,470 --> 01:31:51,150
So those are our parking requirements and we need to be comfortable with that.

1070
01:31:51,150 --> 01:31:54,350
that they've been, they've met those guidelines.

1071
01:31:54,670 --> 01:31:59,210
And so I think we need to be aware that we're not talking

1072
01:31:59,210 --> 01:32:02,290
about anything other than the code here.

1073
01:32:05,610 --> 01:32:07,910
Additionally, I'd like to commend the applicant

1074
01:32:07,910 --> 01:32:11,230
because I think that this is a good looking project.

1075
01:32:11,850 --> 01:32:16,330
I think that this architectural style is achievable in construction.

1076
01:32:16,910 --> 01:32:19,570
And I also think that this architectural style protects

1077
01:32:20,090 --> 01:32:26,030
the height limitation with the butterfly roofs that otherwise you're going to end up with a taller building.

1078
01:32:28,230 --> 01:32:31,010
I think it's appropriate and it will be a good looking project.

1079
01:32:33,170 --> 01:32:39,530
The applicant could have gone to a higher density, they could gone to a higher height limitation.

1080
01:32:40,230 --> 01:32:44,990
They had a lot of leeway and they showed what was appropriate for the neighborhood.

1081
01:32:46,230 --> 01:32:53,010
that's our code remember so they're meeting our code and then I do think that

1082
01:32:53,010 --> 01:32:57,830
this will fit into the context of the neighborhood and will be a good looking

1083
01:32:57,830 --> 01:33:04,270
project. On top of that we're bringing four sale housing into our city that

1084
01:33:04,270 --> 01:33:10,170
isn't much more achievable price point so I think that's a fantastic thing and

1085
01:33:11,550 --> 01:33:15,290
I think this is going to be a great project, and I will be supporting it.

1086
01:33:18,630 --> 01:33:19,050
Make sure you read.

1087
01:33:19,930 --> 01:33:20,950
Sure, I'll go.

1088
01:33:22,770 --> 01:33:27,270
Let's see, I'll start off with, I've been a resident of the Heights community for 18 years.

1089
01:33:27,610 --> 01:33:33,090
So I very much know and appreciate the community's concerns.

1090
01:33:33,090 --> 01:33:36,750
I appreciate everyone here tonight to speak for and against the project.

1091
01:33:37,370 --> 01:34:06,510
At the expense of being redundant with my other commissioners to the applicant, I appreciate everything you did with the community outreach, how organized, how thoughtful you were, how would every turn, you could have taken more, you took less, but on the other side of it, I also understand the traffic complexities, and I think there's no, there's no easy answer with our housing needs and our housing goal and our housing plan, it's really tough because you get stuck with these,

1092
01:34:06,510 --> 01:34:11,990
unique parcels where there just isn't the right answer for public parking, there isn't the right.

1093
01:34:13,050 --> 01:34:18,490
A forced right and a right, for example, is not great because they're going to go up the hill and make a U-turn.

1094
01:34:19,290 --> 01:34:21,210
Having them go out at Dover is tough.

1095
01:34:21,490 --> 01:34:28,210
So it's really tricky when we get into these types of lots and we're putting it overlay.

1096
01:34:28,470 --> 01:34:36,230
So, it's a challenge and I understand and that being said, I do think the applicant meets the

1097
01:34:36,230 --> 01:34:38,790
conditions and I will be supporting this project.

1098
01:34:42,200 --> 01:34:43,120
Thank you.

1099
01:34:46,800 --> 01:34:53,080
I think the site plan design was thoughtful considering what they could do.

1100
01:34:53,180 --> 01:34:56,960
We're kind of in a rock and a hard place here with our zoning and this overlay.

1101
01:34:58,300 --> 01:35:03,100
Where it could have been, they can go vertical and get their density.

1102
01:35:03,520 --> 01:35:06,200
They need, they have a minimum of 20 acre such 33 units.

1103
01:35:07,200 --> 01:35:12,620
I think they were thoughtful in trying to push it out, get away from the housing behind

1104
01:35:12,620 --> 01:35:16,460
them, and worked with the neighbors as well, so I can appreciate that.

1105
01:35:17,680 --> 01:35:24,540
Traffic, I do, I've taken my kids here, Harbor Pediatrics for years.

1106
01:35:25,700 --> 01:35:28,140
When it was buzzing, it was buzzing a little bit, it was pretty full.

1107
01:35:28,900 --> 01:35:31,020
I don't think traffic's this big of an issue.

1108
01:35:31,200 --> 01:35:33,720
I do see parking potentially as an issue.

1109
01:35:33,720 --> 01:35:42,480
I like we have a condition that people, you know, have to have their garages clean or empty and have to park inside.

1110
01:35:42,480 --> 01:35:43,360
I hope that's enforced.

1111
01:35:43,680 --> 01:35:45,480
I could foresee there just aren't many.

1112
01:35:45,600 --> 01:35:46,760
There isn't a lot overflow.

1113
01:35:47,020 --> 01:35:52,900
So if you have roommates or some other considerations or kids and, you know, four cars and two spots, you know,

1114
01:35:53,320 --> 01:35:54,840
I don't know if they're parking and cliff walking down the hill.

1115
01:35:54,980 --> 01:35:55,600
I don't know where they go.

1116
01:35:55,780 --> 01:35:57,480
So, you know, they comply.

1117
01:35:57,920 --> 01:35:59,940
That's a problem and I don't know how we solve it.

1118
01:35:59,940 --> 01:36:02,580
So I don't foresee parking on cliff.

1119
01:36:05,000 --> 01:36:08,440
When I look at what alternatives could be built here,

1120
01:36:09,860 --> 01:36:16,700
the community could really be jammed with a really big project that was really tight and tall and be a lot worse.

1121
01:36:17,140 --> 01:36:19,740
And I think there's actually a nice project.

1122
01:36:20,100 --> 01:36:24,840
It offers a different little income level to potentially purchase here and be in the community.

1123
01:36:24,840 --> 01:36:31,800
I, along with Commissioner Langford, don't love the design just to be honest, I would rather

1124
01:36:31,800 --> 01:36:37,280
have seen and would rather see something similar to the Mayor's Shores project.

1125
01:36:37,440 --> 01:36:43,400
I think that would fit in, blend better with the traditional Cape Cod, even a little bit

1126
01:36:43,400 --> 01:36:46,700
of farmhouse community, and blend more as you come up the hill.

1127
01:36:46,860 --> 01:36:54,820
I think it's more an out parcel for the heights in Cliff Haven versus blending as this

1128
01:36:54,820 --> 01:37:01,440
This to me fits in more of a industrial area, or more of a commercial area, where we've done some spot zoning.

1129
01:37:01,600 --> 01:37:08,460
But some overlays where housing has been introducing commercial areas, this is surrounded by residential.

1130
01:37:09,540 --> 01:37:22,300
So I would be open to trying to think of, and I've kind of talked to staff about, you know, you could condition, some sort of condition to soften up some lines, some colors, potentially.

1131
01:37:23,400 --> 01:37:25,480
or that they could come up with a different idea.

1132
01:37:25,680 --> 01:37:28,440
I don't know if that's, I've got the support for that.

1133
01:37:30,120 --> 01:37:32,220
But I would be in favor of something to that effect.

1134
01:37:33,400 --> 01:37:34,620
Another look at the design.

1135
01:37:36,260 --> 01:37:40,080
Also, the underground we talked about, I understand what you guys are saying,

1136
01:37:40,160 --> 01:37:45,280
the argument, we cannot mandate that they underground be on their property.

1137
01:37:45,920 --> 01:37:49,620
I would like to, if the applicant is up to it, and if I could add the sport,

1138
01:37:49,620 --> 01:37:55,180
that they would still, we could put that they would continue working with City as they've said,

1139
01:37:55,440 --> 01:38:00,840
NSE and if it's feasible, at their discretion, clearly we have to leave it,

1140
01:38:00,960 --> 01:38:04,220
then I would like to add that as condition if everyone's in favor.

1141
01:38:05,380 --> 01:38:11,720
So if anyone has any thoughts on the design or ways we could soften that up or change something,

1142
01:38:12,340 --> 01:38:17,800
I'd be open to it, or else if somebody else wants to make a motion as is,

1143
01:38:17,800 --> 01:38:21,220
or with the condition that I'm proposing, we can go from there.

1144
01:38:28,390 --> 01:38:28,610
Rosie?

1145
01:38:31,290 --> 01:38:36,190
I'd like to make a motion to approve, based on the existing conditions of approval,

1146
01:38:36,430 --> 01:38:44,350
the existing architecture, and not add any additional conditions of approval that are outside the nexus for this project.

1147
01:38:47,160 --> 01:38:48,140
I'll second that.

1148
01:39:34,690 --> 01:39:40,250
The motion carries four, one with chair, Harris voting, no.

1149
01:39:40,730 --> 01:39:41,990
Congratulations, thank you.

1150
01:39:43,400 --> 01:39:44,260
Okay.

1151
01:39:46,520 --> 01:39:47,660
Moving on to the next item.

1152
01:39:48,040 --> 01:39:50,340
Item number three, motions for reconsideration.

1153
01:39:50,540 --> 01:39:51,540
Are there any motions staff?

1154
01:39:55,580 --> 01:39:57,860
Okay, item number four, report by the community development

1155
01:39:57,860 --> 01:39:59,480
director or request for matters

1156
01:39:59,480 --> 01:40:01,120
which a planning commission member would like place

1157
01:40:01,120 --> 01:40:02,060
on a future agenda.

1158
01:40:02,980 --> 01:40:04,420
We're going to give a sec for everyone to.

1159
01:40:04,800 --> 01:40:05,500
It's like a lot of things.

1160
01:40:50,860 --> 01:40:52,720
Yeah. Director, are you ready?

1161
01:40:53,920 --> 01:40:55,760
I just want to note for the commission

1162
01:40:55,760 --> 01:40:58,120
that the February 19th planning commission hearing

1163
01:40:58,560 --> 01:40:59,260
will be canceled.

1164
01:40:59,260 --> 01:41:09,280
So no meeting for the second one in February and then our next meeting will be scheduled for March 5th and it'll be a slightly heavier agenda.

1165
01:41:09,720 --> 01:41:15,680
On that agenda we do have scheduled the 300 new ports and our drive condominiums.

1166
01:41:16,420 --> 01:41:18,940
So that's another housing project for your consideration.

1167
01:41:19,440 --> 01:41:25,360
We'll also be sharing the annual General Plan Housing Report for your consideration and recommendations to the City Council.

1168
01:41:26,000 --> 01:41:43,280
We have an ordinance related to streamlining and incentivizing telecom facilities that's an update to our municipal code, and then lastly we have a conditional use permit for a restaurant called the nice guy over at 267 west coast highway.

1169
01:41:43,600 --> 01:41:46,380
So those will be the four items for your consideration.

1170
01:41:47,120 --> 01:41:47,520
That's it.

1171
01:41:48,080 --> 01:41:49,660
Thank you, so long one.

1172
01:41:50,040 --> 01:41:51,780
Does anyone from the audience want to comment on these items?

1173
01:41:51,780 --> 01:41:52,600
motion.

1174
01:41:56,180 --> 01:41:57,900
Thank you again, Chair Harris.

1175
01:42:01,190 --> 01:42:03,470
I want one item pending before you will be the

1176
01:42:03,470 --> 01:42:10,470
general plan update, and I notice if I look on this in the gray areas, I would I see a

1177
01:42:10,470 --> 01:42:15,890
number of the other boards and commissions reviewing the general plan, and then I see an

1178
01:42:15,890 --> 01:42:23,970
April 28 study session before the city council. I don't see on the schedule when you will

1179
01:42:23,970 --> 01:42:29,610
be reviewing the general plan and to the best of my memory you've seen two of the eight

1180
01:42:29,610 --> 01:42:35,170
elements so far you've seen the land use element and the safety element. There's eight other

1181
01:42:35,170 --> 01:42:42,090
elements so there's a lot of stuff and the last time the general plan was updated the planning

1182
01:42:42,090 --> 01:42:48,270
commission spent many, many hours reviewing it before presenting it to the city council so I'm

1183
01:42:48,270 --> 01:42:50,470
not totally sure when that will happen.

1184
01:42:51,510 --> 01:42:54,450
One element that is not being reviewed

1185
01:42:54,450 --> 01:42:55,910
though is the housing element.

1186
01:42:56,730 --> 01:42:58,570
And I made a non-agenda comment

1187
01:42:58,570 --> 01:43:03,750
about our progress on that, but another aspect of that

1188
01:43:03,750 --> 01:43:07,070
is part of our housing element has not been implemented yet

1189
01:43:07,070 --> 01:43:08,770
because it's in the coastal zone.

1190
01:43:09,770 --> 01:43:12,850
And we've been waiting and been hearing for a couple of years

1191
01:43:13,610 --> 01:43:15,970
that were waiting for the Coastal Commission

1192
01:43:15,970 --> 01:43:22,010
to certify our plan for the housing and the overlays and so forth in the coastal zone.

1193
01:43:23,130 --> 01:43:29,990
And that was actually on the Coastal Commission agenda today.

1194
01:43:32,140 --> 01:43:35,440
But before the hearing happened, it was marked as being postponed.

1195
01:43:36,560 --> 01:43:41,460
And on this schedule, it's just on the very last page, it's now pending before the Coastal

1196
01:43:41,460 --> 01:43:46,620
Commission. And so that part of our housing element we can't even act on.

1197
01:43:47,760 --> 01:44:00,860
And so I'm just, maybe you would be wondering that the Coast Commission had finally offered to hear it, that we the city told them we didn't want them to or why is it going off through agenda?

1198
01:44:04,080 --> 01:44:07,360
And when are you going to hear the other elements of the general plan?

1199
01:44:07,960 --> 01:44:09,260
Those are my comments. Thank you.

1200
01:44:16,740 --> 01:44:23,600
Okay, item number five, request for excused absences, anyone March 5th?

1201
01:44:23,600 --> 01:44:24,600
I'll be out March 5th.

1202
01:44:28,400 --> 01:44:28,920
adjourned.