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PC - Minutes - 08-07-17 Minutes of the PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING August 7,2017 The regular Planning Commission was called to order by Vice-Chair Tang at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers located at 8838 E. Valley Boulevard. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE-Vice-Chair Tang INVOCATION-Commissioner Herrera ROLL CALL-Commissioners Eng,Herrera,and Vice-Chair Tang ABSENT-Commissioner Lopez and Chair Deng STAFF PRESENT - City Attorney Thuyen, Interim Community Development Director Valenzuela, Assistant Planner Lao,and Commission Secretary Lockwood. 1. EXPLANATION OF HEARING PROCEDURES AND APPEAL RIGHTS City Attorney Thuyen presented the procedure and appeal rights of the meeting. 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE None 3. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 17-05 AND DESIGN REVIEW 17-04-Peiji Tong has submitted applications for a Conditional Use Permit and a Design Review to establish an automobile rental use and to renovate the facade of an existing commercial building at 9510 Valley Boulevard.The proposed project would not increase the floor area of the existing building and does not include automobile repair. The project site is located in a Medium Commercial with Design Overlay (C-3/D-0) zone. Approval of a Conditional Use Permit is required to establish an automobile rental (no repair) use within a Medium Commercial zone and approval of a Design Review is required for all improvements requiring a building permit or visible changes in form, texture, color, exterior facade, or landscaping within a Design Overlay zone. PC RESOLUTION 17-16 - A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, APPROVING CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 17-05 AND DESIGN REVIEW 17-04, PERMITTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AUTOMOBILE RENTAL USE AND THE COMMERCIAL FACADE RENOVATION AT 9510 VALLEY BOULEVARD (APN: 8593-001-042),IN A MEDIUM COMMERCIAL WITH A DESIGN OVERLAY(C-3/D-0)ZONE. Staff Recommendation - It is recommended that the Planning Commission ADOPT Resolution No. 17- 16 with findings and APPROVE Conditional Use Permit 17-05 and Design Review 17-04, subject to the 34 conditions. Assistant Planner Lao presented the staff report. Vice-Chair Tang asked the Planning Commission if there were any questions or comments for staff. 1 Commissioner Eng asked if this is rental only or will sales of vehicles also be included. Assistant Planner Lao replied this hearing is only for rental use, but it has been brought to staff's attention today that the applicant would like to propose a sales use in the near future. Commissioner Eng asked if additional conditions of approval will be necessary for that proposal. Assistant Planner Lao replied the applicant has been told a modification process will be necessary and another hearing will take place before the Planning Commission. Commissioner Eng asked if the applicant is also the property owner. Assistant Planner Lao replied yes, he is also the property owner. Commissioner Eng asked how many auto rental businesses the City of Rosemead has. Assistant Planner Lao replied there are currently five. Commissioner Eng asked if there are a total of five excluding this one. Assistant Planner Lao replied yes. Commissioner Eng stated two are located on Garvey Avenue and is not sure where the others are located. Staff and Planning Commission stated they are they are located on Rosemead Boulevard and Valley Boulevard. Vice-Chair Tang asked if the applicant is proposing the colors of the facade to be black, white, and gray or did staff make that recommendation. Assistant Planner Lao replied staff has recommended stone veneer to the bottom to incorporate some natural element and to match the hotel next door. In addition,staff proposed a metal roof, which "Starbucks" also has, the applicant proposed the black and white, so the roof will complement the modern facade they are requesting. Vice-Chair Tang asked what color is the stone veneer. Assistant Planner Lao replied it is a cool tone stone veneer to complement the black and white. Vice-Chair Tang asked if that is like a grayish-blue color. Assistant Planner Lao replied yes. Vice-Chair Tang referred to the entitlements for the ABC license at this site and asked if the applicant will be able to sell alcohol even if they are not a restaurant establishment. Assistant Planner Lao replied no, because they are not operating a restaurant use. She added the applicant is operating an auto rental use,so the conditional use permit is null and void,for the ABC license. Vice-Chair Tang asked what happens to that ABC license, does it stay with this property, or can it be sold to another establishment. Assistant Planner Lao replied it can be sold to another establishment. 2 Vice-Chair Tang asked who owns the ABC license, is it the owner or the applicant. Assistant Planner Lao replied the applicant does own the ABC license and is intending to sell the ABC license. Commissioner Eng asked if the glass storefronts will be clear or shaded. Assistant Planner Lao replied it will be clear. Commissioner Eng commented that the rendering looks as if they are shaded. Assistant Planner Lao stated staff has added a condition of approval stating it must be clear and any modifications would have to go through a process. Commissioner Eng commented that she is pleased the lit sign on the second level has been removed. She asked what the plans for landscaping in the front are or if the applicant is submitting a landscaping plan. Assistant Planner Lao replied the applicant is required to submit landscaping plans that meet the (WELO) requirements. Vice-Chair Tang asked if the Planning Commission had any further questions or comments for staff. None Vice-Chair Tang opened the Public Hearing and invited the applicant to the podium. Peter Wang stated he is the Engineer and Architect for this project and thanked staff for all their help. He stated this is a good project for this site because the property has been vacant, is run down,and currently looks like a house. He added it is located on Valley Boulevard and with the modern design renovation, it will be compatible with the neighborhood as a commercial building. He addressed the Planning Commission question about the ABC license and gave a brief explanation of the applicant's current ABC license status. He added this is not a normal auto rental project, it is a specialty,and it will be for high-end auto rentals(such as, Porsche and Lamborghini). He stated this is a new renovated idea by this young entrepreneur and a great idea to bring this facility into the City of Rosemead. He added that this is a great way to experience driving a high-end car, hopefully the business does well and survives, and the owner is not sure if they will sell autos yet. Commissioner Eng asked where the cars that are being driven on to the lot coming from and are they new or used cars. Architect Peter Wang replied they are previously-owned cars, but the cars are high-end. Commissioner Eng reiterated that the car rental is for previously-owned cars and are high-end. She asked if they are stored in a storage facility or garage. Architect Peter Wang replied he currently does not have that information, but he believes they have another facility to secure the vehicles. He added when the vehicle is reserved, it will be transported to the project site. Commissioner Eng asked who the target market for this type of business is. 3 Architect Peter Wang replied it is a new idea and there is not a leasing program for high-end cars. He added that it may be persons wishing to rent a car for proms, or people looking to buy a high-end car and wanting to test them out before purchasing a new model. Commissioner Eng stated these are young entrepreneurs and asked if this is their first venture into this type of car rental business. Architect Peter Wang replied no, they are in the auto parts business, importing specialty/decorative auto parts. He added that the owner is not a first-lime business owner. Commissioner Eng referred to the site plan and stated she did not see an office on the first floor. Architect Peter Wang replied that the second floor is currently renovated and the office is on the second floor. Commissioner Eng asked if the customers would have to go to the second floor to process paperwork. Architect Peter Wang replied that this is an exclusive location and they do not anticipate a lot of customers coming in. He explained there will probably be a desk and chairs located on the first floor, but the second floor is primarily for operations. He added this is a new idea and will be the first businesses location/headquarters. He added if it does well they plan on moving the headquarters to another location. Commissioner Eng asked if the applicant owns this property. Architect Peter Wang replied yes. Vice-Chair Tang referred to Commissioner Eng's question on the storage of the vehicles. He asked Mr. Wang if he thinks the cars will be stored off-site and it they will be transported from the storage facility after they are reserved. Architect Peter Wang replied the owner currently has not finalized the plan because construction has not taken place. Vice-Chair Tang stated he is asking because there may be a Public Safety concern and it the high-end vehicles are stored on-site,there may be a lot of interest from the public. He also asked if the site will have 24-hour lighting. Assistant Planner Lao replied in the security plan, which was approved by the Chief of Police, it states that during hours of darkness there shall be good lighting. Vice-Chair Tang asked if it would cover the entire property. Assistant Planner Lao replied yes. Vice-Chair Tang questioned if cars are going to be stored on-site, are there security measures to ensure the vehicles are not vandalized or stolen. He stated that is why he is asking if the vehicles will be stored on-site or off-site. Architect Peter Wang confirmed with the applicant and replied the vehicles will be stored off-site. Vice-Chair Tang asked how many cars will be in the showroom at any given time. Architect Peter Wang replied the showroom is small, so there will be two cars, and the feature of the week will be shown. 4 Vice-Chair Tang asked why the applicant would like to have a car rental business and if there is a high demand in the market for high-end vehicles. Architect Peter Wang replied there has never been an opportunity to rent high-end cars and this business will give someone the opportunity to rent a Lamborghini for a day. He mentioned there is a Car Club in the City of Industry where people can share the cars, but this is the first where you will be able to rent one. He stated the owners believe there is a demand,know there are qualifications, and fees such as insurances to support this business, but they are willing to take the chance. Commissioner Eng stated there are security cameras on the site and asked it there are any plans to have a security guard in the future. Architect Peter Wang replied yes,that is one of the considerations for the business budget, if the business picks up. Commissioner Eng stated the applicant has indicated to staff that they are considering sales in the future and asked if they know when or will they just start with rentals first. Architect Peter Wang replied they want to start with rentals first and they currently do not have any plans to do sales. Commissioner Eng asked how many parking spaces are available for the car rentals. Vice-Chair Tang replied there are 14 parking spaces. Commissioner Eng asked if all the spaces are anticipated to be used to store cars. Architect Peter Wang replied they are anticipating that they will only use 5 or 6 parking spaces. Vice-Chair Tang asked if there is anyone else wishing to speak on this item. None Vice-Chair Tang closed the Public Hearing and asked if the Planning Commission had any further questions or comments for staff. Commissioner Eng asked staff if it is included in the conditions of approval that it is required to shield the light from reflecting onto the residential area. Assistant Planner Lao replied yes. Commissioner Herrera asked if the applicant knows if there have been any issues with the City of Industry Car Club business. Assistant Planner Lao replied staff is not aware of any issues and was not aware there was an Auto Club in the City of Industry until this hearing. Vice-Chair Tang asked if a survey had been conducted to see if there have been any concerns or issues with other car rental businesses. Interim Community Development Director Valenzuela stated this item was reviewed by the Chief of Police and he did not find any concerns or issues with this auto rental business. 5 Vice-Chair Tang stated since there has been an influx of car rental businesses and there is a demand for this type of business, he recommended that staff contact business owners of this type of business,to see how their business is going or if they have had to face any concerns or issues. He added that it will help the Planning Commission to address any of those issues in the future if needed. Interim Community Development Director Valenzuela agreed and stated that staff will do this for the next auto rental application. Commissioner Eng stated she agrees with Vice-Chair Tang. She added Rosemead is a small city, 5.5 square miles,and we want to offer the community and residents a good array of opportunities, as well as for the business community. She added monitoring and taking that extra step will help business owners be successful. Vice-Chair Tang asked it there were any further questions or comments. None Vice-Chair Tang asked for a motion. Commissioner Herrera made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Eng, to ADOPT Resolution No. 17-16 with findings and APPROVE Conditional Use Permit 17-05 and Design Review 17-04, subject to the 34 conditions. Vote resulted in: Ayes: Eng, Herrera,and Tang Noes: None Abstain: None Absent: Dang and Lopez Interim Community Development Director Valenzuela stated the motion passes with 3 Ayes, 0 Noes, and 2 Absent vote, and explained the 10-day appeal process. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Minutes of 7-17-17 Commissioner Eng made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Herrera, to approve PC Minutes of 7-17-17 as presented. Vote resulted in: Ayes: Eng, Herrera,and Tang Noes: None Abstain: None Absent: Dang and Lopez Interim Community Development Director Valenzuela stated the motion passes with 3 Ayes, 0 Noes, and 2 Absent vote. 6 5. MATTERS FROM STAFF Interim Community Development Director Valenzuela announced the date, time, and location of the following events: 1)Concerts in the Park,and 2) 9/11 Ceremony. 6. MATTERS FROM THE CHAIR&COMMISSIONERS Commissioner Eng stated Lucille's BBC) is officially open for business, but stated that for social media they introduce themselves as being located in Montebello. She requested staff contact them and let them know it is Rosemead. Commissioner Herrera asked if technically it is in the City of Montebello. Interim Community Development Director Valenzuela replied that it is in the City of Rosemead, but the postal service required that it be listed in the City of Montebello. Commissioner Eng recommended that everyone visit Lucille's and enjoy the onion rings. Vice-Chair Tang stated he would like to report positive feed-back and stated the freestanding sign at 'Rosemead Place' if fully lit and functional. He stated he would like to thank staff for following through. 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:32 pm. The next regular Planning Commission will be held on Monday ust 21,2017,at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers. gligitaaallr r John ' Vice-C.. AczTditeoeL1/4.< Rachel Lockwood Commission Secretary 7