Zoning Administrator

- Good afternoon, everyone. My name's Michael Cass. I am serving as zoning administrator today for our zoning administrator meeting on December 4th. It is 4:10 in the afternoon. I'd like to start by stating the civility statement. So, as your appointed governing body, we will treat each other and the public with patience, civility, and courtesy as a model of the same behavior we wish to reflect in Martinez for the conduct of all city business and community participation. This includes respect for everyone's First Amendment right to voice their opinion on matters within the city's subject matter jurisdiction, even if that opinion is different from our own. the decisions made will be for the benefit Of the Martinez community and not for personal gain. I'd now like to have an opportunity for public comment. This is for public comment for items that are not on today's agenda. Non-agenda public comment is limited to matters that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the zoning administrator and which are not action items listed elsewhere on the agenda. If you're interested in making a public comment, please use the raise-your-hand feature located at the bottom of your screen. Right, seeing none, I'm now ready to move on to the public hearing items. If I could start with a staff presentation for the project at 624 Allen Street. Brandon. - Thank you, Michael. Yeah, so associate planner Brandon North Art here to present the 624 Allen Street project. So, the site is located at 624 Allen Street between Estudillo and Castro Streets, as you can see here. So, the site is located in the R-3.5 zoning district on a 5,000 square-foot lot. The existing use at the site is a single family home with an existing detached garage, as you can see on the top image. The scope of work on the bottom image is to demolish the existing detached garage to construct a new 588 square-foot detached garage, with a 588 square-foot ADU on the second story of the proposed detached garage, which would have a max height of 20 feet and six inches. These are elevations for both the new structure, which shows the detached garage on the first floor, and the ADU On the second story. As you can see, there's also a stairway on the left-hand side, leading to the front entry of the ADU. And the colors materials would also match the existing home. So, in review of the project, it was determined that the project would require a variance, minor exception, and conditional use permit. Variances would be required for the reduction of side-yard setbacks and rear-yard setbacks. Minor exceptions would be required to reduce the distance between structures to allow for a two-story ADU where only one is permitted, and to allow an exterior stairway, which is visible from the right-of-way. And a conditional-use permit is required to allow an accessory structure to be 588 square feet where it would normally be limited to 574. There are three sets of findings for each of the various entitlements requested for the variance, minor exception, conditional use permit. But to summarize, staff are supportive of all of the requests because enforcing some of the development standards could possibly result in hazardous ingress and egress issues, especially for distance and separation between structures. Allowing the reconstruction of the detached garage would actually create a more conforming situation than under the current condition, which has no setbacks, and several of the other surrounding properties already enjoy similar privileges in terms of building height, lock coverage, and setbacks for their existing detached structures. And lastly, the applicant would be required to implement privacy design standards into the ADU second story, such as opaque, frosted and clear story windows. So, with that, staff's recommendation is to conduct a public hearing and adopt resolution number 25-24, approving a request for, 1: a variance to reduce the side-yard setback from the required five feet to three feet and reduce the rear-yard setback from the required 25 feet to four feet, to a minor exception to reduce the distance between structure, the existing primary residence, and proposed garage from 10 feet to three feet. Permit a new two story accessory dwelling unit ADU, where only one story is permitted, and permit an exterior stairway that is visible from the right of way. And 3: conditional use permit to permit an accessory structure to be 588 square feet where regularly limited to 574 square feet to construct a new 588 square-foot detached garage and 588 square-foot ADU located at 624 Allen Street in the R-3.5 family residential zoning district assessor parcel number 372-242-003-5, subject to conditions of approval. With that, I am happy to take any questions. - Great, thank you, Brandon. I have no questions at this time. I appreciate the thorough presentation and staff report. I believe the applicant has joined us, calling from a 310 number. Didi, if you could please promote them so they can have an opportunity to make a presentation if they should wish. - Looks like they've been promoted. They'll just have to unmute themselves. - Okay, as they're not doing so, I will open it up to public comments. Anyone wishing to make a public comment on this application can do so by using the raise-your-hand feature located at the bottom of their screen. Seeing none, I will now close the public portion of the meeting for this item. Again, thank you, Brandon, for the thorough presentation. I found myself really appreciative of the sensitive design, of this project considering the tight constraints of the existing development. I do appreciate that there's a number of components where the non-conforming situation is getting better, as well as I appreciate the fact that an accessory dwelling and additional unit is being added to the site, and per-state law, there's a lot more flexibility when there's new units being created in terms of setbacks and other development standards. So, I found myself agreeing with the recommendations as outlined in the staff report, and I'm prepared to adopt resolution number 25-24, approving the application subject to conditions of approval as presented by staff. My decision can be appealed. There's a 10-day appeal period, which starts today. Thank you very much, and congratulations to the applicant. We'll now move on to the second public hearing item, which is for Ross Dress For Less. Salmana, if I could have a brief presentation please. - Yes, thank you, Michael. I'm sharing my screen. Can you see my screen? Okay, great. Good afternoon. My name is Salmana Shah. I am associate planner here at the city of Martinez, and today I am presenting on a request for a Major Sign Program for Ross Dress For Less at 1165 Arnold Drive. And okay. So, for context, the project location is 1165 Arnold Drive. The zoning here is neighborhood commercial, and the existing use of the site is commercial retail. Surrounding this is primarily commercial, and then there's some residential near there as well. - Salmana, not to interrupt, but your slides are not advancing. - Oh, okay. - It's not showing the presentation view, it's showing. - Oh, okay. I think it's on the wrong screen. So, let me just fix that. Thank you. All right, is it okay now? - Yes. - Okay, great. So, the applicant is proposing a major sign program to allow vinyl window signage featuring branding images along the frontage of the retail store, to screen the existing black interior wall. This proposal deviates from Martinez Municipal Code's development standards because it proposes to install vinyl window signs that total 54.1 square feet, which will cause a subject site to exceed 200 square feet of signage, which is a maximum allowable size of all signs permitted for any one store frontage per the Martinez Municipal Code. The Martinez Municipal Code allows an increase of up to 25% of signage if the structure is set back more than 100 feet from the right of way. Since this applies in the situation and the structure is set back more than 100 feet from the public right of way, the total allowable sign area in this case is 250 square feet unless a Major Sign Program is approved. For some background, Ross currently has 225 square feet of signage approved by ZA resolution number 25-12. The Martinez Municipal Code allows deviation from the above signing standards with the approval of Major Sign Program if certain design criteria and findings are made. So, staff believes that the design criteria has been met because the signage is placed where it is sufficiently visible and readable, and that signage is compatible in size, materials, and quantity, with the context of the surrounding area. In addition to the design criteria, staff has to make Major Sign Program findings. So, just to summarize, staff believes that all of the required findings may be made, subject to conditions of approval due to signage meeting all applicable design criteria, because the Major Sign Program contributes to the attractive identification of business and services at the project site and conforms with the intent of Title 16 signs, and the signage screens the existing blank interior wall. Staff recommends to conduct a public hearing and adopt resolution number 25-25, approving a request from Bill Moore and associates to consider a Major Sign Program for proposed vinyl window signage featuring branding images along the frontage of the retail store associated with Ross Dress For Less, located at 1165 Arnold Drive in the neighborhood commercial zoning district, subject to conditions of approval. Thank you. - Great, thank you very much, Salmana. I appreciate the thorough presentation. I'd now like to invite the applicant to make any presentation that they deem appropriate. - [David] Hello, this is David Ford. I don't really have anything to add. I think Salmana pretty much covered the entire project, so. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have them. - Great. No questions at this time. I think the application's pretty straightforward, but I appreciate your attendance today. I'll now open the matter up for members of the public to comment on this application. If you'd like to speak on this application, please use the raise-your-hand feature located at the bottom of your screen. Okay, seeing none, as there's been, I'm now prepared to close the public comment for this item. And again, appreciate that Ross is being sensitive to the site and designing some signage to break up that blank interior wall to add some visual interest, and I think that's a unique circumstance that could support a Major Sign Program for the site. I also believe that the site can accommodate additional signage, given the size of the building, size of the site. And variety of signage that's being proposed as part of this project, not only with the current proposed vinyl window signage, but also the previously-approved signs as well. So, I'm prepared to approve the project through the adoption of resolution number 25-25, approving the application as presented by staff, subject to conditions of approval. My decision is subject to a 10-day appeal period, in which case anyone can appeal a decision to the planning commission. We've now finished both of the items on today's agenda, and I am prepared to adjourn today's meeting at 4:24 PM. Thank you so much.