Quick Planning Commission Meeting

DON'T BLINK!
If you blinked you may have missed the Costa Mesa Planning Commission meeting Monday night.  Playing with a short deck - Chairman Rob Dickson and Commissioner Tim Sesler were absent and two items were bounced from the agenda earlier - the meeting lasted just short of 55 minutes.

MATHEWS RAN THE SHOW SHORT-HANDED
With Vice Chair Jeff Mathews at the helm, he and commissioners Colin McCarthy and Stephan Andranian made quick work of the remaining three items on the agenda.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
During Public Comments four people spoke - five if you count one fella who took two bites at the apple.

Beth Refakes again reminded us of the ball gown drive for the 1/5 Marines at Camp Pendleton. The City is collecting gently-used gowns for the October Marine Ball.  Donations of dresses and accessories may be dropped off at the City Hall Lobby.

An unidentified fella made a curious demand of Deputy City Attorney Yolanda Summerhill.  Nobody could figure it out, including Summerhill.  He later came back to comment on sober living homes.

An unidentified woman spoke on sober living homes and told the commissioners that denizens of Eastside sober living homes currently infest the Mariners Library.

Jay Humphrey wondered if the new Holiday Club - formerly Maison - had met all the code requirements that plagued the former operation.

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
During Commissioner Comments McCarthy wondered if the trail along side the Costa Mesa Country Club could be cleaned up - and suggested the country club be contacted.

Andranian observed about the recent rescue of a blind 14-year-old bulldog rescued by members of the Costa Mesa Fire Department from a hole in the ground.  See the Daily Pilot story HERE.

NORTH COSTA MESA SPECIFIC PLAN
Public Hearing #1, the tidying up of the North Costa Mesa Specific Plan proceeded without public comment and passed on a 3-0 vote in quick fashion.  Principal Planner Minoo Ashabi did the heavy lifting on this item and the next one.

FOURTH AMENDMENT TO HOME RANCH
Public Hearing #2, the 4th amendment to the Home Ranch Development Agreement which, similar to #1, brings that plan into conformity with the General Plan, took about the same amount of time.  It also passed, 3-0.

OAK AND COAL CUP
Public Hearing #3, the Conditional Use Permit for serving alcoholic beverages past 11:00 at the new restaurant at 333 E. 17th Street, Oak and Coal, which replaces the Fish and Chips store that had been there for decades, also moved quickly.  The operator told the commissioners there would be no alcohol sold without food.  It passed on a 3-0 vote.

ADJOURNED UNTIL NEXT WEEK!
Mathews closed the meeting at approximately 6:55 p.m. - that must be some kind of a record - adjourned it to the next meeting IN A WEEK!  Now, that's unusual!  Can you say "Sober Living Appeals"?

Two Sober Living Items Yanked From Planning Commission Agenda

IT WILL BE A SHORT NIGHT MONDAY
The Costa Mesa Planning Commission meets again on Monday, August 22, 2016 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall and the agenda, HERE, was changed since originally issued.

2 SOBER LIVING ISSUES PULLED
Public Hearings #4 and #5 were continued to September 12, 2016.  These items, HERE and HERE are requests for Conditional Use Permits for two sober living homes at 165 E. Wilson Street and 2041 Tustin Avenue.  The applicant is Keith Randle, a Newport Beach resident who lives just a couple blocks from me.  There is no indication as to why these items have been continued, but it's my understanding that they are the tip of the iceberg of sober living issues about to descend on the Planning Commission.

NORTH COSTA MESA SPECIFIC PLAN VS. GENERAL PLAN
Public Hearing #1, HERE, is a request to amend the North Costa Mesa Specific Plan as related to Home Ranch, 3350 Avenue of the Arts and Sakioka Lot 2.  Staff recommends approval of the proposed amendments to bring the projects into compliance with the most recent 2015-2035 General Plan adopted in June.

AMENDING HOME RANCH DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is the 4th amendment to the Home Ranch Development Agreement.  The staff report - all 173 pages - provides plenty of information.  However, the first page tells you what this is all about.  This amendment is to address the following:

• Correct the inconsistency and clear up the uncertainty related to the State dedicated land;
• Add the 10,000 SF Water District Parcel to the Office Portion for all purposes;
• Reflect the allocation in the Trip Budget between the Office Portion and the Industrial Portion;
• Update the description of the Office Portion; and,
• Ensure that the development Agreement includes and references the changes to the Home Ranch Project approved by the City.

EXTENDING HOURS FOR NEW RESTAURANT
Public Hearing #3, HERE,  is a planning application for a conditional use permit to allow extended hours of operation for customer service and sale of alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption after 11:00 p.m. for a new restaurant (Oak and Coal) located at 333 East 17th Street, Suite 2.  This is the former site of Union Jack Fish and Chips.  The propose operating hours are 6:00 p.m. - 11:00, Monday thru Thursday and 6:00 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday.