RESOLUTION PC-1694 Page 7
Exhibit A: Affordable Housing Overlay Zone 2 Boundary Line Map.
2. Housing Goal. To provide a minimum of 3.3 acres for development at a minimum density of thirty dwelling units per acre to accommodate a minimum of one hundred dwelling units.
3. Change in Existing Use. When any existing parcel or group of parcels which can be assembled into a minimum site area of one acre becomes available for development for a new use, no change from the existing use to any other use shall be permitted until said property is evaluated for higher density residential use.
The change of use does not apply to changing tenants in existing buildings, minor alterations to existing building, or other non-substantive changes to existing buildings or improvements.
4. Standards of Review. Prior to any change in use as described in subsection (B)(3), an evaluation of the suitability of the available property shall be performed to assess the following:
a. Location of available land and its capability, including the timing thereof, to be assembled with adjacent properties to accommodate a minimum parcel size
RESOLUTION PC-1694 Page 8
of one acre. The ability of a parcel to accommodate an interim use pending assembly may also be considered.
b. Availability of access to public street.
c. Availability of utilities.
d. Compatibility with uses on nearby properties.
e. Ability to accommodate the minimum density of thirty dwelling units per acre.
f. Any environmental consideration related to soils, adjacency of railroad or other environmental considerations.
5. Review Procedure. The evaluation shall be reviewed by the planning commission and city council to determine if the available property shall be limited to new development of higher density residential housing. The planning commission and city council may enter into agreements, impose conditions, change the underlying zoning or take other actions deemed necessary to facilitate the higher density housing development opportunity.
(Ord. 1217 § 1, 2013; Ord. 1223 § 1, 2013)
CITY OF SAN DIMAS
PLANNING COMMISSION
MINUTES
Regularly Scheduled Meeting
Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
245 East Bonita Avenue, City Council Chamber
PRESENT
Chairman David Bratt
Vice-Chairman John Davis
Commissioner Margie Green
Commissioner James Shirley
Commissioner Doran Barnes
Director of Community Development Luis Torrico
Director of Public Works Shari Garwick
Planning Manager Marco Espinoza
Assistant Engineer Peter Jacoy
Assistant Planner Taylor Galindo
Senior Management Analyst Kimberly Neustice
CALL TO ORDER AND FLAG SALUTE
Commissioner Bratt called the regular meeting of the Planning Commission to order at 6:00 p.m. and Commissioner Barnes led the flag salute.
CONSENT CALENDAR
CC 1. Approval of April 17, 2025 minutes.
MOTION: Moved by Commissioner Green, seconded by Commissioner Shirley to approve the consent calendar. Motion carried 5-0.
PUBLIC HEARING
PH 1 Continued from the April 17, 2025 meeting. Municipal Code Text Amendment 25-01, Consideration and discussion of a City-initiated Municipal Code Text Amendment of Title 18, Chapter 18.40 Affordable Housing Overlay Zone, modification of the boundary lines for Affordable Housing Overlay Zone No. 2 (AHO-2)
Planning Commission Minutes Page 2
May 15, 2025
Staff report presented by Assistant Planner Galindo recommending Planning Commission approve Resolution PC-1694 recommending City Council adopt Municipal Code Text Amendment 25-01.
Vice-Chairman Davis asked if this MCTA is reducing the affordable housing overlay Site 2 to just cover the one section where the Grove Station and Village Walk are and not to cover Housing Element Site 5 and why are we changing this.
Assistant Planner Galindo stated that was correct. Under the current code, if a developer came in to develop the site, they would fall under the Transit Village standards in the Downtown Specific Plan (DTSP) which specifies a maximum of thirty dwelling units per acre. The Housing Element Site 5 is zoned in the Housing Element as thirty-five to forty-five units per acre. With the overlay still over the Housing Element Site 5 area it’s setting a maximum of thirty dwelling units per acre which is downzoning the site from what was set in the Housing Element. Staff would also like to add a note to the DTSP for Staff to be reminded that for this specific parcel the density requirement would be referred to in the Affordable Housing Overlay Zone No. 2 (AHO-2).
Community Development Director Torrico stated that in the DTSP the Director is allowed to make changes to the document for clarification and so staff will be making a note in the DTSP regarding this change.
Commissioner Barnes stated that he felt from a development standpoint the higher density would work well in this area.
Chairman Bratt asked if the Affordable Housing Overlay No. 1 (AHO-1), which is the school district property, was going to change. It was mentioned in the presentation but are there any changes being proposed to this area.
Assistant Planner Galindo stated that no changes were being proposed to AHO-1.
Chairman Bratt opened the public hearing
No communications made.
Chairman Bratt closed the public hearing.
RESOLUTION PC-1694
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SAN
DIMAS, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, RECOMMENDING TO THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL OF MUNICIPAL CODE TEXT AMENDMENT 25-01, WHICH AMENDS TITLE 18 - ZONING, CHAPTER 18.40 AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERLAY ZONE,
TO MODIFY THE BOUNDARY LINES OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSIN OVERLAY ZONE 2 (AHO-2).
Planning Commission Minutes Page 3
May 15, 2025
MOTION: Moved by Vice-Chairman Davis, seconded by Commissioner Shirley to approve Resolution PC-1694 recommending City Council adopt MCTA 25-01.
Motion carries 5-0.
PH 2. Municipal Code Text Amendment 25-03, Discussion and consideration of a Municipal Code Text Amendment to amend the San Dimas Municipal Code, Title 18, Chapter 18.142 Development Standards for Specific Lan Uses, to create objective design standards for qualified housing and mixed-use developments.
Staff report presented by Community Development Director Torrico recommending Planning Commission approve Resolution PC-1698 recommending City Council adopt Municipal Code Text Amendment 25-03.
Commissioner Barnes in the agenda on page 43 item 5B it states that garage doors shall be recessed at least twelve to twenty-four inches from the adjacent wall plane. He feels that twelve inches is a sensible offset for a garage door but feels it might add an additional financial impact to the developers.
Community Development Director Torrico stated that this standard is to create some articulation to the development. Recessing the garage doors gives depth. It might cost more to meet some of these standards but overall it would help. Some of these standards will cost some additional money but would be better for the City and make the project look better.
Commissioner Barnes asked for more clarification on item 6 on page 43.
Community Development Director Torrico stated that this item addresses situations where projects have a portion of the building below grade and some above grade. The intent of this standard is to screen the below grade garage area by adding landscaping for coverage.
Commissioner Barnes asked if he built a trellis and some landscaping around the area that would satisfy this requirement.
Community Development Director Torrico stated yes.
Commissioner Barnes stated on page 56, item F1 it states that buildings shall have a color palette that consists of a main color and accent color. Is there any level of review of the paint colors the developer chooses or can they choose whatever colors they want.
Community Development Director Torrico stated that these standards were put in place to create some interest on the facades. Staff would work with the developer to come up with color palettes that are aesthetically pleasing, and hopefully the developer will want that as well.
Planning Commission Minutes Page 4
May 15, 2025
Vice-Chairman Davis asked if these standards will be applicable to DTSP areas.
Community Development Director Torrico stated that this document will be applicable to all areas of the City except the DTSP areas because the DTSP has it’s own set of standards for development but are similar to these standards.
Vice-Chairman Davis asked how many parcels are there in the City that might accommodate these types of projects.
Community Development Director Torrico stated that there are not a lot of parcels outside of the DTSP unless a developer comes in and demolishes large developed areas to build a new project.
These standards are being put in place more so for the type of projects that would be part of the State streamlining process.
Chairman Bratt asked if the general consensus between the Consultants and our City Attorneys is that this document meets the objective design standards.
Community Development Director Torrico stated that Staff worked really closely with the consultants on this project. The City Attorney didn’t review the whole document but Staff made sure that there are clear and concise objectives to follow. The initial thought was that these standards would apply to these streamlined projects but then realized that these could be applicable to other projects in the city as well. The State Law does allow developers to ask for waivers from things such as the development standards and currently it’s proposed that Staff would consider any requested waivers. If the Commission would like us to include language into the code regarding review of waivers, it certainly can be added.
Vice-Chairman Davis stated that he feels that waivers should be written into the code giving review authority to the Planning Commission.
Community Development Director Torrico stated for a non-exempt project any amount of waivers could be requested. If Planning Commission would like to review all waiver requests we can put that in the code or we can do a tiered system where maybe up to three waivers are reviewed by staff and over three is reviewed by Planning Commission.
Commissioner Barnes stated that if the project is coming to Planning Commission anyways, then maybe the Planning Commission should review the all waivers.
Community Development Director Torrico stated that maybe there should be a limit as to how many waivers of the standards a developer can ask for.
Chairman Bratt opened the public hearing.
No communications made
Planning Commission Minutes Page 5
May 15, 2025
Chairman Bratt closed the public hearing.
Vice-Chairman Davis stated that he felt the document overall is well thought out and feels that developments according to these standards will look very nice. While he feels that Staff should enforce the standards in the document, waivers should come to Planning Commission for review and approval.
Community Development Director Torrico stated that he understands the Commission would like to be the review authority for all waivers no matter how many are being proposed, but should there be a limit to the number of waivers developers can ask for.
Chairman Bratt stated that was correct and he doesn’t feel that there should be a limit on the number of waivers that can be requested.
RESOLUTION PC-1698
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SAN
DIMAS, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, RECOMMENDING TO CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL OF MUNICIPAL CODE TEXT AMENDMENT 25-03
APPROVING A REQUEST TO AMEND THE CITY OF SAN DIMAS MUINCIPAL CODE TITLE 18 TO CREATE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS FOR MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL AND MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.
MOTION: Moved by Vice-Chairman Davis seconded by Commissioner Barnes to approve Resolution PC-1698 recommending City Council adopt MCTA 25-03 with the following modifications:
Add language that the Planning Commission will be the review authority for all waiver requests.
Motion carried 5-0.
OTHER BUSINESS
OB 1. San Dimas Citywide Bicycle Master Plan 2025 Draft Staff Report and introduction by Assistant Engineer Jacoy introducing GTS - Gentecsol consultants Rawad Hani and Ryan Meller.
Mr. Hani and Mr. Meller gave presentation of the 2025 Bicycle Master Plan Draft.
Vice-Chairman Davis asked if this plan is a State required process.
Mr. Hani stated it wasn’t state required but if the City wants to go for grant funding than it’s important to have this plan in place. It also provides justification for finance requests to explain why certain projects are needed.
Planning Commission Minutes Page 6
May 15, 2025
Vice-Chairman Davis stated that there is a wandering sidewalk in the area where the plan proposed a Class I Bikeway on Via Verde. How would a bikeway work with this type of sidewalk.
Mr. Meller stated that more than likely that wandering sidewalk would be converted into a straight sidewalk to accommodate the Class I bikeway.
Vice-Chairman Davis stated that in the 2011 plan there was a thought to add a path from the Via Verde area to the High School and Middle School on Covina so the kids can get from Via Verde to their school safely. Was this considered in the current draft.
Director of Public Works Garwick stated that this path was removed because this area is County and State property.
Vice-Chairman Davis stated that the freeway might need to be upgraded at some point and maybe the City can negotiate obtaining some property from CalTrans to put in a bike path. This is something he feels shouldn’t be taken off the plan.
Commissioner Barnes stated that he is curious about the total network. The intersection where Bonita Avenue and Arrow Highway meet going west is where a lot of the major shopping areas are located and bicyclists would miss a lot of points of interest along Arrow Highway. By running the bikeway down Cienega you miss a lot of the shopping areas that bikers are probably trying to get to.
He’s surprised that a path on West Arrow Highway is not on the plan at all even though he can see that it would be tricky to use and maybe be difficult to implement. He also stated that the area on San Dimas Canyon Road north of Foothill Boulevard isn’t in the plan at all. It looks like the bikeways end at Foothill Boulevard.
Mr. Meller stated that the public right of way is kind of narrow up in that area and hard to fit in a bikeway.
Commissioner Barnes stated that if we had all the money in the world and as part of a long-term plan maybe something should be added to include that part of the community in the plan. The presentation was great and really explained the class system better than the documents provided.
Commissioner Shirley stated on page 159 under 5.3 Bicycle Donation and Refurbishment, will there be any kind of waiver that the people accepting the bikes or repairs have to sign to protect the City. He wants to make sure the City is protected should something happen to someone that receives a refurbished bike or free bike repairs.
Mr. Meller stated that in San Luis Obispo there is a private organization that provides parts at cost and people could go in and do their own repairs which provide low cost ways for fixing bikes. He believes that as part of this program, the City should partner with an organization to provide a similar service.
Planning Commission Minutes Page 7
May 15, 2025
Commissioner Shirley stated if a private company were to do this that would be ok. He doesn’t want the City to be liable for any defects or accidents.
Commissioner Green asked what is actually considered a bicycle now that there are so many eBikes and alternative modes of transportation out there.
Mr. Hani stated that bicycles are typically considered something that doesn’t go above 15 miles per hour. Typically, eBikes can go as fast as a car and should be using the street. But the whole eBike industry is a bit of a tricky subject when it comes to where can they go, where can they bike, who can use them, can you ride them on a sidewalk where typically they aren’t meant to be shared with pedestrian.
Mr. Meller stated that the State has established three different classifications for eBikes.
Commissioner Green asked where do people go to learn these rules and regulations.
Mr. Meller stated that education and outreach is very important for these things. It would be up to the City to pass an ordinance to say which eBikes could be used in these bike lanes and what works best for the community.
Commissioner Shirley asked if that would be hard for the City to enforce and regulate. The City could post what it should be but that doesn’t mean the people follow the rules. What would be the maximum speed of an eBike if they are going to share the bike paths.
Mr. Hani stated that decision would need to be made by the City.
MOTION: Moved by Commissioner Barnes, seconded by Green to recommend the City Council approve the Bicycle Master Plan 2025 Draft with the following additions to the plan:
Add a bikeway from the Via Verde area to the Middle and High Schools on Covina Boulevard.
Add a bikeway from the intersection of Bonita Avenue and Arrow Highway west to Valley Center Avenue.
Add the north area of the city on San Dimas Canyon Road north of Foothill Boulevard to the plan.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
a. Community Development Department
Planning Manager Espinoza gives an update:
• The City Council approved the elimination of DPRB with the second reading going to the May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting.
• The Tree Ordinance MCTA will be presented to City Council on May 27, 2025. • There will be two items on the June Planning Commission Agenda.
Planning Commission Minutes Page 8
May 15, 2025
b. Members of the Audience
No communications were made.
c. Planning Commission
Vice-Chairman Davis asked about the development across the high school and when it might be presented to Planning Commission. Would it be possible to have the City attorney attend the meeting. This is the first time we have a project with the density bonus and it might be a good idea to have a little refresher from the Attorney on the topic.
Planning Manager Espinoza stated that the RC Homes Development will be brought to Planning Commission at the June meeting and he would talk to Community Development Director Torrico about setting up an overview of the Density Bonus Law.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: Commissioner Barnes moved, seconded by Commissioner Davis Motion carried 5-0.
The meeting adjourned at 7:39 p.m. to the regular Planning Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 12, 2025.
________________________________
David A. Bratt, Chairman
San Dimas Planning Commission
ATTEST:
_______________________
Kimberly Neustice
Senior Management Analyst
Approved: June 26, 2025