[00:00:07] WELCOME TO THE CITY OF CARLSBAD PLANNING COMMISSION OF MARCH 19TH, 2025. [CALL TO ORDER] MINUTES CLERK, WOULD YOU TAKE ROLL, PLEASE? YES. LET THE RECORD SHOW PETER MERZ IS ABSENT. SPENCER BURROWS. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER STINE. HERE. COMMISSIONER FOSTER. HERE. COMMISSIONER HUBINGER. HERE. CHAIR MEENES. HERE. COMMISSIONER STINE, WOULD YOU JOIN US WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE THIS EVENING? READY? BEGIN. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. OKAY. NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 5TH, 2025 MEETING. [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS IN REGARD TO THAT BY ANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS? OKAY. DO I SEE NO ADDED ADDITIONS? CAN I HAVE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 5TH, 2025 MINUTES. SO MOVED. DO YOU HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. OKAY. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER STINE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BURROWS. PLEASE VOTE. OKAY. FOLLOWING PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING PROCEDURES ARE IN EFFECT. WE WILL REQUIRE A REQUEST TO SPEAK. SPEAKING FORM FOR ALL ITEMS ON THE AGENDA, INCLUDING PUBLIC HEARINGS. REQUEST TO SPEAK FORMS MUST BE TURNED INTO THE MINUTES CLERK PRIOR TO THE ITEM COMMENCING. THIS WILL ALLOW SPEAKER TIME TO BE MANAGED IN A MORE EFFICIENT MANNER. ALL SPEAKERS WILL BE GIVEN THREE MINUTES UNLESS THE TIME IS REDUCED BY THE CHAIRPERSON. SPEAKERS MAY NOT GIVE THEIR TIME TO ANOTHER PERSON. GROUP TIME WILL BE PERMITTED FOR ITEMS LISTED ON THE AGENDA. THE REPRESENTATIVE MUST IDENTIFY THE GROUP AND AT LEAST THREE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP MUST BE PRESENT. THOSE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP HAVE TEN MINUTES UNLESS THE TIME IS CHANGED BY THE CHAIRPERSON. MINUTES CLERK WILL CALL THE NAMES OF THOSE WISHING TO SPEAK IN THE ORDER OF THE REQUEST THAT THEY COME IN. THE BROWN ACT ALLOWS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA. IN THE MEETING TO PROVIDE, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING BY PROVIDING COMMENTS AS PROVIDED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE AGENDA. THE PLANNING COMMISSION WILL RECEIVE COMMENTS AS REQUESTED UPON THE TOTAL OF 15 MINUTES IN THE BEGINNING, 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE MEETING. ALL OTHER NON-AGENDA ITEMS WILL BE HEARD AT THE END OF THE MEETING IN CONFORMANCE WITH THE BROWN ACT. NO ACTION CAN OCCUR ON THESE ITEMS. MINUTES CLERK DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKER SLIPS? NO. CHAIR WE DO NOT. OKAY. SEEING NONE, WE'LL BEGIN TONIGHT'S HEARING. [1. PONTO SEWER MANHOLE REHABILITATION PROJECT – SDP2024-0014, CDP2024-0019, HMP2024- 0007] THE PROCEDURES FOR OUR HEARINGS ARE. IF EVERYONE WILL DIRECT THEIR ATTENTION TO THE SCREEN, I WILL REVIEW THE PROCEDURES THE PLANNING COMMISSION WILL FOLLOW IN THIS EVENING'S PUBLIC HEARING. PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE OPENED. STAFF WILL MAKE THEIR PRESENTATION. THE PLANNING COMMISSION MAY ASK CLARIFYING QUESTIONS ON THE STAFF ON THE STAFF'S PRESENTATION. THE APPLICANTS WILL MAKE THEIR PRESENTATION AND RESPOND TO CLARIFYING QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS. THEY WILL HAVE TEN MINUTES FOR THEIR PRESENTATION. PUBLIC TESTIMONY PERIOD WILL THEN OPEN. THE TIME LIMIT IS THREE MINUTES ALLOTTED FOR EACH SPEAKER. AFTER ALL THOSE WANTING TO SPEAK HAVE DONE SO, THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PERIOD WILL BE CLOSED. THE APPLICANT AND STAFF WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND TO ISSUES OR QUESTIONS RAISED. COMMISSIONERS WILL THEN DISCUSS THE ITEM AND THEN VOTE ON IT. PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE CLOSED. CERTAIN PLANNING COMMISSION DECISIONS ARE FINAL BUT MAY BE APPEALED TO THE CITY COUNCIL. YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION PROCEDURES ON THE BACK OF THE TONIGHT'S AGENDA. I'LL NOW NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE. FIRST, HAVE ANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE AN EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS ON THIS ITEM? COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY, I'VE TAKEN THE TRAIN SEVERAL TIMES THROUGH THIS AREA. THE SPECIFIC AREA I WAS NOT ABLE TO GO SEE THOUGH. [00:05:05] THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER STINE. I'VE ALSO TAKEN THE TRAIN THROUGH THIS AREA, AND I'VE WALKED EXTENSIVE PARTS OF THAT CORRIDOR RIGHT NEXT TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS. COMMISSIONER BURROWS. I WALKED THE PEDESTRIAN TRAIL TO SEE THE SITE AND THE HABITAT RESTORATION AREA RIGHT ALONGSIDE. OKAY. COMMISSIONER FOSTER. I'VE TAKEN THE TRAIN THROUGH THE AREA, BUT I'VE NOT WALKED THE AREA. COMMISSIONER HUBINGER. I WALKED THE TRAIL. MR. STRONG, WILL YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE THIS ITEM? THANK YOU. CHAIR. WE HAVE ONE AGENDA ITEM THIS EVENING FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO REVIEW AND CONSIDER. AND HERE TO PRESENT, REPRESENTING THE PLANNING DIVISION IS SHELLEY GLENNON, ASSOCIATE PLANNER. AND THIS IS FOR THE PONTO SEWER MANHOLE REHABILITATION PROJECT. OKAY. THANK YOU, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR STRONG. GOOD EVENING, CHAIR MEENES AND MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION. THE PROJECT BEFORE YOU IS AN APPLICATION FOR A SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT AND A HABITAT MANAGEMENT PLAN PERMIT TO REHABILITATE NINE EXISTING SEWER MANHOLES WITHIN THE CITY'S EXISTING SEWER EASEMENTS. SHOWN HERE IS THE AGENDA FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATION. I'LL BE WALKING YOU THROUGH THE PROJECT LOCATION, BACKGROUND, SCOPE, CONSISTENCY REVIEW, AND STAFF'S RECOMMENDED ACTION. THE PROJECT SITE IS LOCATED WITHIN THE NORTH COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT RIGHT OF WAY AND WATERS AND HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATION CONSERVATION EASEMENT EAST OF THE TRAIN TRACKS BETWEEN AVENIDA ENCINAS AND POINSETTIA LANE. TO THE WEST AND EAST OF THE PROJECT SITE ARE RESIDENTIAL USES, AS SHOWN IN THE KIND OF DARK BROWN TAN COLORS AND THE MUSTARD COLORS HERE. TO THE NORTHEAST IS THE POINSETTIA TRAIN STATION, SHOWN HERE, AND DIRECTLY TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH IS THE CONTINUATION OF THE NORTH COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT RIGHT OF WAY AND TRAIN TRACKS. THE SITE'S GENERAL PLAN, LAND USE DESIGNATIONS AND ZONING DESIGNATIONS ARE PRIMARILY TRANSPORTATION, CORRIDOR, AND OPEN SPACE. HOWEVER, THE NORTHEAST PROJECT SITE AREA IS PARTIALLY DESIGNATED R 23 PUBLIC AND ZONED RDM. THE SITE IS LOCATED WITHIN FOUR PARCELS COVERING APPROXIMATELY 3.29 ACRES. HOWEVER, THE ACTUAL AREA OF TEMPORARY IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REHABILITATION PROJECT IS A TOTAL OF 0.13 ACRES. THE PROJECT IS PART OF THE CITY'S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM TO MAINTAIN, REHABILITATE AND IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE AS IDENTIFIED BY CURRENT CONDITION ASSESSMENTS. THE NINE EXISTING SEWER MANHOLES ARE APPROXIMATELY 50 YEARS OLD AND HAVE BEEN ASSESSED BY WASTEWATER OPERATIONS TO BE REHABILITATED. THE CITY WILL RISK POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT LEAKS, SEWER SPILLS, OR STRUCTURAL FAILURE IF THE REHABILITATION WORK DOES NOT OCCUR. THE PROPOSED REHABILITATION EFFORTS DOES NOT INCLUDE UPSIZING THE FACILITY. IT IS SPECIFICALLY FOR MAINTENANCE PURPOSES INCLUDING MINOR EXTERNAL WORK TO REPLACE THE EXISTING DETERIORATING SEWER, MANHOLE COVERS AND FRAMES SHOWN ON THE PHOTOS TO THE LEFT, AS WELL AS REPLACING OR INSTALLING NEW FIVE FOOT SQUARE CONCRETE PADS AROUND THE SEWER MANHOLES AS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO CURRENT STANDARDS. MAJORITY OF THE REHABILITATION EFFORTS WILL BE CONDUCTED INSIDE THE EXISTING SEWER MANHOLES, AS SHOWN IN THE PHOTOS TO THE RIGHT. THE INTERIORS WILL BE PRESSURE WASHED, ALL INTERNAL CRACKS AND WALL SURFACES WILL BE REPAIRED AND ALL INTERIOR WALLS WILL BE RELINED. THE PROJECT PROPOSES TWO STAGING AREAS OUTSIDE OF THE PROJECT SITE. THE FIRST ONE IS LOCATED AT THE NCTD PARKING LOT, SHOWN TO THE NORTH EAST SIDE OF THE SITE, AND THE SECOND STAGING AREA IS AT THE CENTRAL SEWER LIFT STATION, SHOWN TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE PROJECT SITE. ACCESS WILL BE TAKEN FROM THE PARKING LOT AS WELL AS THE ADJACENT PEDESTRIAN TRAIL, AS OUTLINED IN THE ORANGE COLOR HERE. BECAUSE THE SITE IS LOCATED WITHIN THE EXISTING POINSETTIA STATION, VERNAL POOL PRESERVE, WHICH IS PROTECTED UNDER THE CITY'S HABITAT MANAGEMENT PLAN THE PROJECT PROPOSES TO LAY PLYWOOD DOWN ALONG THE ACCESS ROUTES, AS HIGHLIGHTED IN RED, IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE PRESERVE AREA FROM TRAMPLING DURING ENTRY AND EGRESS TO AND FROM THE SEWER MANHOLES. [00:10:05] CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES WILL NOT INCLUDE THE USE OF HEAVY MACHINERY, AND ONLY MINIMAL SOIL DISTURBANCE AT THE SITES WILL OCCUR. THEREFORE, NO GRADING PERMIT IS REQUIRED. ADDITIONALLY, BIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL TRIBAL CULTURAL RESOURCE MONITORS WILL BE LOCATED ON SITE DURING CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES TO AVOID AND MINIMIZE POTENTIAL TEMPORARY IMPACTS RELATED TO BIO AND OR CULTURAL TRIBAL CULTURAL RESOURCES. THE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES WILL TAKE APPROXIMATELY 6 TO 8 WEEKS TO COMPLETE, AND WOULD ONLY OCCUR DURING THE DRY SEASON BETWEEN MID-AUGUST AND OCTOBER. IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE THE ECOLOGICAL DISRUPTION WITHIN THE PROJECT AREA. SPECIFICALLY, IT WILL AVOID IMPACTS TO VERNAL POOL SPECIES THAT ARE TYPICALLY ONLY PRESENT DURING THE WET SEASON, AS WELL AS OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION AND MIGRATORY BIRDS DURING THE BIRD BREEDING SEASON. THE PROPOSED PROJECT REQUIRES APPROVAL OF THREE PERMITS ARE LISTED HERE. A SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN PERMIT IS REQUIRED DUE TO THE REHABILITATION ACTIVITIES BEING CONDUCTED WITHIN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREA AND WITHIN THE TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR. A COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT IS REQUIRED BECAUSE THE PROJECT SITE IS LOCATED WITHIN THE MELLOW TWO SEGMENT OF THE LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM. ADDITIONALLY, PORTIONS OF THE SITE IS WITHIN THE COASTAL COMMISSION'S APPEALS JURISDICTION. THEREFORE, ANY DECISION MADE ON THE CDP CAN BE APPEALED TO COASTAL COMMISSION. LASTLY, THE HABITAT MANAGEMENT PLAN PERMIT IS REQUIRED DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES OCCURRING WITHIN THE EXISTING HARD LINE PRESERVE AREA AS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED. STAFF ANALYZED THE PROJECT AND FOUND THAT ALL THE REQUIRED FINDINGS FOR APPROVAL OF THE PERMIT APPLICATIONS CAN BE MET, AND THAT THE PROJECT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE GENERAL PLAN, ZONING ORDINANCE, LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM, AND CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT. STAFF DID DETERMINE THAT THE PROJECT WOULD NOT RESULT IN ANY SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, WITH MITIGATION INCORPORATED RELATED TO BIOLOGICAL, CULTURAL AND TRIBAL CULTURAL RESOURCES. IMPACTS WILL BE AVOIDED OR MINIMIZED BY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION SCOPE AND MITIGATION MEASURES. WITH THAT, STAFF IS RECOMMENDING THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION ADOPT TWO RESOLUTIONS APPROVING THE PONTO SEWER MANHOLE REHABILITATION PROJECT. THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. I AM AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. ALSO WITH ME IS PRINCIPAL ENGINEER KERI MARTINEZ WITH PUBLIC WORKS, WHO IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS GLENNON. EXCELLENT PRESENTATION, I APPRECIATE THAT. COMMISSIONERS, ANY CLARIFYING QUESTIONS OF MISS GLENNON? COMMISSIONER STINE. THANK YOU, MISS GLENNON. A VERY GOOD PRESENTATION, SHORT AND SWEET AND TO THE POINT. A COUPLE OF THINGS. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING WE RECEIVED NO OPPOSITION TO THIS PROJECT. IS THAT RIGHT? CORRECT. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY LETTERS OF OPPOSITION. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY LETTERS FROM THE PUBLIC. THERE WERE TWO LETTERS DURING THE DURING THE REVIEW PERIOD OF THE DRAFT MND IT WAS RELATED TO BIDDING PROCESS AND A LETTER FROM A WATER DISTRICT STATING THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE JURISDICTION. OKAY, BUT NOBODY'S BEST CONCERN. DON'T DO THE PROJECT IS GOING TO INTERFERE WITH THIS OR INTERFERE WITH THAT? CORRECT. WEDID NOT RECEIVE ANY. OKAY. AND MY RECOLLECTION, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I WALKED THAT PATHWAY. BUT MY RECOLLECTION IS IT'S A DISTURBED AREA. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A PRISTINE AREA UNDISTURBED. AM I RIGHT FOR THE MOST PART. THERE ARE SOME OPEN SPACE AREAS. IT IS NEXT TO THE TRAIN TRACKS, SO IT'S IN AN OPEN AREA? PRETTY MUCH. BUT YEAH, THERE IT IS WITHIN THE PRESERVE POINSETTIA STATION PRESERVE AREA. SO DURING THE WET SEASONS, THERE MAY BE VERNAL POOLS LOCATED THERE. BUT IT'S AN AREA THAT'S LARGELY BEEN DISTURBED ALREADY. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A PRISTINE AREA THAT HASN'T BEEN DISTURBED. RIGHT. CORRECT. THERE'S IT'S. YEAH, IT'S WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY. COMMISSIONER STINE. YES. IF I MAY, PLEASE. SO THE SCOPE AND EXTENT OF THE REPAIR AND REHABILITATION PROJECT IS CONFINED TO THE MANHOLE AREAS WHERE THERE'S ALREADY MAINTENANCE AND ACCESS THERETO. RIGHT. THERE WILL BE AN EXTENSION OF A CONCRETE PAD AROUND THAT TO BE CONSISTENT WITH OUR ENGINEERING STANDARDS. [00:15:03] BUT IT ISN'T LIKE A WHOLE REPLACEMENT TRENCHING OF THE WHOLE CORRIDOR LINE. IT'S JUST LIMITED TO THOSE MANHOLE LOCATIONS THAT WERE REPRESENTED ON THAT GRAPHIC IN THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. AND THEN SO WHEN THE PROJECT IS FINISHED, PRESUMING IT WILL BE APPROVED AND I HOPE IT AND EXPECT IT WILL BE THE CITIZENS ARE NOT GOING TO SEE ANYTHING ABOVE GROUND THAT'S GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT THAN THE WAY IT IS RIGHT NOW. CORRECT. THERE IS NO VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT BEING PROPOSED. IT'S JUST THE EXISTING SEWER MANHOLES BEING REPLACED WITH MANHOLES THAT MEET THE CURRENT STANDARDS. SO FOR PEOPLE WALKING THEIR DOGS, HIKING AND WHATEVER TRAVERSING THAT AREA, IT'S GOING TO BE THE SAME. CORRECT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS? COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY. THANK YOU. SO THE VERNAL POOL OF VERNAL POOLS, I SHOULD SAY, APPEAR AND THEN DISAPPEAR. RIGHT. THAT'S WHERE THE DUCKS GO AND KIND OF HANG OUT. AND YES, THERE ARE. THEY GET WET. YEAH WHEN THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY. YES. THEY ARE A TYPE OF TEMPORARY WETLAND. YOU KNOW, VERNAL POOLS ARE DEPRESSIONS IN AREAS WHERE A HARD UNDERGROUND LAYER PREVENTS RAINWATER FROM DRAINING DOWNWARD INTO THE SUBSOIL. SO WHEN DURING THE SUMMER SEASONS OR DRY SEASONS, THEY NO LONGER EXIST. IT'S DRIED OUT. AND YOU MENTIONED TRIBAL MONITORING. IS THAT AN ONGOING THING? LIKE, IS THERE A PERSON STAKED OUT WHEN THEY'RE DOING WORK, OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? TRIBAL MONITORING? YES. SO THERE WILL BE A TRIBAL MONITOR DURING ALL GROUND ACTIVITIES, GROUND WORK ACTIVITIES. SO THEY ARE JUST THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE'S ANY CULTURAL RESOURCES FOUND THEY COULD IDENTIFY IT. OKAY. AND HOW BIG IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST LIKE YOU KNOW. SO THERE'S ONE, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 MANHOLES. RIGHT. NINE MANHOLE AREAS. HOW BIG IS THE ACTUAL AREA THAT THEY'RE GOING TO, IN A SENSE, HAVE TO DISTURB, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WHEN THEY DIG A TRENCH, THEY HAVE TO SORT OF DO STUFF AROUND THAT. WHAT'S LIKE THE BIGGEST ONE? YOU SAID IT WAS 0.303 ACRES OR 0.01. SO THERE'S TEMPORARY IMPACTS RELATED TO THE ACCESS ROUTES. AND AS FAR AS THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MANHOLES WILL BE SURROUNDED BY A FIVE FOOT SQUARE CONCRETE PAD. SO THAT IS THE EXTENT TO HOW MUCH YOU WILL SEE OF THE MANHOLES AND WHAT'S NEEDED TO BE DEVELOPED. YEAH, BUT TO GET THAT FIVE FOOT PAD IN, YOU HAVE TO WORK AROUND IT. SO IT'S GOING TO BE BIGGER THAN FIVE FEET. RIGHT. SO I COULD DEFER TO KERI. THANK YOU. HI. GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS. KERI MARTINEZ, ENGINEER AND UTILITIES. AND I'M THE PROJECT MANAGER. THANK YOU FOR HELPING US WITH THIS PROJECT THIS EVENING. SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IN TERMS OF THE TEMPORARY IMPACTS THERE WILL BE SOME VEGETATION TRIMMING THAT WILL OCCUR FROM PER SHELLEY'S SLIDE. A MAXIMUM EIGHT FOOT WIDE FOR EACH OF THE LOCATIONS TO THE MANHOLES THEMSELVES. AND THAT'S WHERE THE PLYWOOD WILL BE PLACED, BECAUSE THEY ARE GOING TO BE YOU KNOW, PEDESTRIAN AND HAND CARRYING TOOLS THROUGH THAT AREA. IN TERMS OF AROUND THE MANHOLE THEMSELVES, IT WON'T BE. IT WOULD CONSTITUTE OF AN EIGHT FOOT PIECE OF PLYWOOD ON EITHER SIDE OF THE MANHOLE WHILE THEY'RE WORKING INSIDE THE MANHOLE, THEY SET UP A TRIPOD OVER THAT, AND THAT'S WHEN THEY'RE DOING THE INTERNAL WORK. WHEN THEY SET THE FORMS FOR THE FIVE FOOT PAD, THOSE, AGAIN, WILL BE NO EXCAVATION. THEY'LL BE, YOU KNOW, SCARIFYING AND SETTING THE FORMS. THEN THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO USE THOSE PLYWOOD TO PROTECT THE VERNAL POOLS FROM THE WORKERS FOOT TRAFFIC. BASICALLY A SLAB ON GRADE. THEN THERE'S NOT REALLY ANY. IT'S SLAB ON GRADE. CORRECT. OKAY, GREAT. YEAH. BECAUSE YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE MANHOLES ARE ONE THING, BUT THE LITTLE DIAGRAMS THAT YOU HAVE IN THE REPORT ARE SLIGHTLY LARGER AREAS. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND. RIGHT. AND SO ALL THAT VEGETATION GETTING TRIMMED OR POTENTIALLY DAMAGED, I GUESS I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOU'RE GOING TO POUR CONCRETE WITHOUT CARRYING THAT IN. YOU KNOW, FIVE FOOT OF PAD IS PRETTY BIG, BUT. RIGHT. SO THE AREA IMMEDIATELY AROUND THE MANHOLES WILL BE TRIMMED BACK AND THAT AND CLEARED IN THAT AREA. AND THOSE ARE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SHARE. SO THE MANHOLE RIGHT THERE WITH THE PAD. THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE'RE REPLACING. [00:20:02] SOME OF THE MANHOLES DON'T HAVE THOSE. I THINK THERE'S FIVE OF THEM TOTAL THAT DO NOT HAVE THOSE CURRENTLY. AND THOSE ARE REQUIRED FOR SETTING UP A TRIPOD, YOU KNOW, FOR ONGOING ACTIVITY. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE ADDING THOSE. THE ONES THAT ARE RAISED THERE ABOVE GRADE ARE RAISED BECAUSE THEY'RE IN LOW LYING AREAS. AND IT'S TO MINIMIZE THE INFILTRATION. SO THAT THAT BRUSH THAT YOU SEE AROUND THERE WILL BE CLEARED SO THAT WE CAN PUT THE CONCRETE PADS AROUND THOSE THAT DON'T HAVE THEM. IN THE REPORT THAT SAYS, YOU ALREADY SAY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO REPLACE IT 1 TO 1 OR 2 TO 1. WHAT WAS IT? IT WAS 1 TO 1, RIGHT? YES, IT WAS 1 TO 1. OKAY. THAT'S GOOD. AND THE ONLY OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS THE DISRUPTION OF THE TRAIL. DOES IT GET DISRUPTED? WELL, IT'S ONLY 6 TO 8 WEEKS, SO IT'S BASICALLY A TWO MONTH PERIOD THAT IT WOULD POTENTIALLY BE DISRUPTED. OR IS IT GOING TO BE OPEN ON AN OFFICER LIKE A IS IT PHASED OR IS IT HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO IT? YES. WE WILL BE WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO DEVELOP A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN. SO LETTING THE TRAIL USERS KNOW IN ADVANCE OF WHEN WE PLAN TO BE, BECAUSE THERE IS SOME PRELIMINARY WORK, WE DO NEED TO MAKE SOME FENCE MODIFICATIONS THAT WON'T IMPACT THE TRAIL. BUT ON THE DAYS THAT WE WILL BE WORKING IN A PARTICULAR AREA, WE WILL BE NOTIFYING THE TRAIL USERS. WE DID A PROJECT OUT AT LAKE CALAVERAS, AND WE HAD SOME TEMPORARY, YOU KNOW, SIGNS THAT WE PUT OUT THERE WHEN, WHEN WE WERE GOING TO BE DOING WORK. AND. YEAH, GREAT. THANKS FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS. I APPRECIATE IT, COMMISSIONER HUBINGER. I HAVE SOME SIMPLE QUESTIONS NOT VERY FLUENT ON MANHOLE COVERS. SO HAVE YOU EVER BEEN? DOES THE CITY HAVE A RECORD OF HOW OFTEN THEY'VE ACTUALLY ACCESSED THOSE MANHOLE COVERS AND GONE DOWN AND CHECKED OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS? SURE. WE HAVE ACTUALLY QUITE A ROBUST INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING SYSTEM AND UTILITIES FOR ALL OF OUR WASTEWATER FACILITIES. OUR ASSET MANAGEMENT TEAM MANAGES THAT. AND SO THEY KEEP VERY DILIGENT RECORDS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, THERE ARE AREAS WHERE WE INSPECT AND CLEAN THOSE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. THERE ARE SOME CASES WHERE, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEWAGE FLOW OF A RESTAURANT OR HIGHLY USED, IT'S MORE FREQUENT ON A THREE MONTH BASIS. AND THERE ARE SOME CASES WHERE WE DON'T GET IN THERE FOR TWO YEARS JUST BECAUSE OF THE CONDITION OF THE FACILITIES. HOW OFTEN IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA WE ARE ACTUALLY IT'S NOT PART OF THE ONGOING MAINTENANCE SYSTEM RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF THE ACCESS SITUATION. SO THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THE ACCESS BECAUSE OF THE VERNAL POOLS MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO HAVE A REGULAR MAINTENANCE. I DID, YOU KNOW, CHECK INTO THAT. AND IT'S BEEN ABOUT FIVE YEARS SINCE WE'VE BEEN IN THERE. NOW IT IS A LARGER SEWER AND A LOT OF OUR LARGER SEWERS BECAUSE OF THE HIGH FLOW THERE'S NOT AS MUCH OF A NEED FOR THE FREQUENT MAINTENANCE. BUT THESE MANHOLES ARE DEFINITELY. DO WE NEED ALL THE MANHOLES. WE DO WHEN THEY ARE, THEY DO PROVIDE US ACCESS WHEN THERE IS A PROBLEM. SO IT DOES ALLOW US YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE TO ELIMINATE THE ONES IN BETWEEN AND JUST USE THE ONES ON THE END, IF THERE WERE A PROBLEM IN THE MIDDLE, THEN IT BECOMES A MUCH LARGER PROBLEM. SO THEY ARE IMPORTANT FOR US TO, TO UTILIZE. ANOTHER QUESTION. WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS NEW IN THE WORLD OF MAN MAN COVER OR MANHOLE COVERS. SO WHAT IF YOU STRETCHED IT OUT AND SAID, HEY, THERE'S A NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT WE COULD BE USING, MAYBE IT DOESN'T PAY BACK OR WHATEVER, BUT CAN YOU EDUCATE US ON PERHAPS WHAT WOULD BE A STRETCH TECHNOLOGY THAT MAYBE WE'RE NOT CONSIDERING? WELL, ACTUALLY, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. OUR CURRENT STANDARDS, WE WOULD PREFER TO PUT WHAT'S CALLED A POLYMER CONCRETE INSERT INTO THE MANHOLE. WE'RE NOT PROPOSING TO USE THAT FOR THIS PROJECT. WE'RE PROPOSING A SPRAY LINER ON THE INSIDE OF THE MANHOLE. SO BASICALLY THEY COME IN AND REPAIR THE CRACKS WITH MORTAR AND CONCRETE, AND THEN THEY APPLY THE SPRAY EPOXY. THAT'S JUST GIVEN THE EQUIPMENT REQUIRED. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING HERE. THE NEWER TECHNOLOGY IS TO PUT IN BASICALLY IT'S ALMOST A NEW MANHOLE INSIDE THE MANHOLE. AND THEY'RE POLYMER CONCRETE. THEY REQUIRE LARGE CRANES. THEY REQUIRE QUITE A BIT OF EXCAVATION. WHEN I STARTED THIS PROJECT, I THAT'S WHAT I HAD PLANNED TO DO. AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT IS IN THIS HIGHLY SENSITIVE HABITAT AREA, WE CAN'T GET HEAVY EQUIPMENT IN THERE. AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I THINK, IN MY OPINION. IN TERMS OF LONGEVITY, I MEAN, THEY HAVE A LONGER LIFE. I WANT TO SAY ON THE ORDER OF, YOU KNOW, 70 TO 100 YEARS, THIS RESIN EPOXY SPRAY IS [00:25:09] PROBABLY IT'S LESS THAN THAT. I MEAN, WE MIGHT BE ON THE ORDER OF A 30 YEAR LIFE. SO SORRY FOR INTERRUPTING. WHEN YOU DO THIS ONE. WHEN WILL WE NEED TO GO BACK IN AND REPAIR IT? EVERY 10 YEARS. WELL, NO, NOT EVERY TEN YEARS. I THINK THE THE WARRANTY ON THIS, IT RANGES PROBABLY BETWEEN 30 AND 50 YEARS. OKAY. AGAIN, DEPENDS ON THE ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WASTEWATER. YOU KNOW AND ACIDITY AN THE GASES, THE H2S GASES AND HOW QUICKLY THEY DEGRADE. THAT'S A TOUGH QUESTION BECAUSE. SURE. I'M JUST SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE WE MISSING SOMETHING WHERE WE COULD DO THIS ONCE AND SAVE A LOT OF MONEY AND NOT HAVE TO DO IT FOR SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE NEXT 30, 40 YEARS? YOU KNOW, IT'S A GREAT TECHNOLOGY IS MOVING SO FAST. SURE. IT'S A GREAT POINT. I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAD TO BALANCE THAT WITH, YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S OBJECTIVES IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, PRESERVING THIS VERY SENSITIVE SPECIES. YOU KNOW, IN THIS ENVIRONMENTAL AREA, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CITY'S HABITAT MANAGEMENT PLAN AND A VERNAL POOL EXPERT ON THIS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE BENEFITS OF THAT ECOSYSTEM ARE IMPORTANT TO, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY HERE. BUT, YOU KNOW, I GUESS I'M CHALLENGING YOU TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO BOTH, PERHAPS. RIGHT? I MEAN, I DON'T THINK IT'S I DON'T THINK IT'S A BINARY CHOICE. SURE. SO IT MAY BE I'M NOT SAYING IT ISN'T. I'M IT MAY BE, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET ACROSS IS TECHNOLOGY IS MOVING SO QUICKLY NOW. FOR SURE. I WANT TO MAKE SURE TECHNOLOGY IS CONSIDERED BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME EXTRAORDINARY TECHNOLOGICAL MOVES IN ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF BUILDING AND OF LIFE THAT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IS CONSIDERED. AND I'LL JUST LET IT RIDE NOW. SO. NO, THAT'S A GREAT POINT. I APPRECIATE IT. I APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION. OH, THROUGH THE CHAIR, IF I MAY. THE UTILITIES DIVISION IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON A SEWER MASTER PLAN UPDATE, AND SO THAT COMMENT CAN BE SHARED AS PART OF THAT PROCESS. BUT THIS CIP HAS BEEN ADOPTED FOR THE SCOPE THAT'S BEING SUBMITTED. SO THAT'S WHAT THE CITY IS PURSUING. YEAH. SO I HAVE A QUESTION. OBVIOUSLY THIS PROJECT IS THE SEWER MANHOLES 50 YEARS OLD. WHAT ABOUT THE SEWER LINE THAT IS TRAVELING THIS CORRIDOR? IS IT ALSO 50 YEARS OLD? AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, WAS THAT INSPECTED AS A PART OF THIS PROJECT INITIALLY AS TO DECIDING JUST TO DO THE MANHOLES ONLY. AND THE SEWER LINE DOES NOT NEED TO HAVE ANY MAINTENANCE OR CHANGES TO THAT LINE. YEAH. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I THINK THAT IT WAS ASSESSED ORIGINALLY AND WAS DEEMED TO BE IN YOU KNOW, GOOD CONDITION AT THIS POINT. THE REASON THAT THE MANHOLES HAVE DEGRADED MORE QUICKLY THA N THE PIPELINE IS BECAUSE OF YOU KNOW, THE OPEN SPACE. AND THAT'S WHERE THOSE GASES COLLECT, AND THAT'S WHAT DEGRADES IT FASTER. BUT YES, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT'S A 27 INCH LINE. AND IT'S THE UPSTREAM OF THE ENCINO WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, KIND OF ONE OF THE LAST STOPS, BUT IT IS IN GOOD OPERATING CONDITION. IT'S A VCP LINE. [INAUDIBLE] PIPELINE. THANK YOU. AND COMMISSIONER BURROWS. SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. AND LOOKING AT THE FULL AGENDA TO CONFIRM, FOR THE RECORD, AFTER THE MARCH 10TH MEETING WITH THE TRIBAL LEADERS, THE CITY HAS SATISFIED THE AB 52 FORMAL CONSULTATION REQUIREMENTS. CORRECT. WE IN GOOD FAITH EFFORTS, CONSULTED WITH RINCON BAND OF LUISEÑO TRIBES, AND WE DID ADDRESS SOME OF THEIR CONCERNS AND MADE CHANGES TO THE FINAL INITIAL STUDY, M&D, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LANGUAGE WAS MORE INCLUSIVE FOR ALL TRADITIONALLY AND CULTURALLY AFFILIATED TRIBES, WHICH IS WHAT THEY REQUESTED. SO WE DID END TRIBAL CONSULTATION CONSISTENT WITH AB 52 AND CEQA. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME? OKAY. I'LL OPEN. OH, COMMISSIONER FOSTER. SORRY, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION. WHEN WAS THIS PROJECT IDENTIFIED BY PUBLIC WORKS AS NEEDING TO BE DONE? I BELIEVE OUR WASTEWATER OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR WAS COORDINATING WITH A BIOLOGICAL CONSULTANT IN LATE 2020, IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING THIS PROJECT AS NEEDING REHABILITATION, AND THERE WERE SOME INITIAL BIOLOGICAL SURVEYS BEING DONE. AS SHELLEY MENTIONED, WE DO HAVE A SEWER EASEMENT, BUT WE KNEW THAT THE BIOLOGICAL ISSUE KIND OF NEEDED TO BE RESOLVED. SO THAT IS WHEN IT WAS INITIATED. I ACTUALLY STARTED WORKING ON THIS PROJECT IN MID 2021. [00:30:07] SO WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY IT TOOK ABOUT FIVE YEARS TO GET HERE TODAY? YES, SIR. IS THERE ANYTHING IN YOUR. AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE ALLOWED TO COMMENT ON THIS OR NOT, BUT IS THERE ANYTHING IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION THAT COULD HAVE EXPEDITED THAT PROCESS FASTER THAN GETTING FIVE YEARS FROM IDENTIFYING A PROBLEM WITHIN CITY INFRASTRUCTURE TO GETTING IT IN FRONT OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION. IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR HABITAT MANAGEMENT TEAM AND OUR PLANNING TEAM TO, YOU KNOW, SYSTEMATICALLY KIND OF ADDRESS ALL OF THE PERMIT REQUIREMENTS. YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN COORDINATING WITH THROUGH A BIOLOGICAL CONSULTANT WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. THEY HAD TO MAKE A DETERMINATION ON IT BEING THE WATERS OF THE STATE, COORDINATING WITH THE REGIONAL BOARD. SO THERE'S A LOT OF IN ADDITION TO OUR OWN PERMITTING REQUIREMENTS. WE NEEDED TO COORDINATE THOSE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER THOSE TIME FRAMES. SO, SURE, I MEAN, I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE THIS TO HAVE BEEN DONE SOONER. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST KIND OF HAD TO FOLLOW THE PROCESS. WE THERE WAS SOME COORDINATION WITH SOME OF THE RESOURCE AGENCIES. CALIFORNIA FISH AND WILDLIFE GAVE SEVERAL PRESENTATIONS. THE COASTAL COMMISSION. AND SO, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR THIS MAINTENANCE PROJECT TO THE RESOURCE AGENCIES WHOSE OBJECTIVE IS TO PROTECT THE HABITAT AREA. AND THE ONLY REASON IT'S HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE OF THE BASICALLY THE CONSTRUCTION AROUND THE REHAB EFFORT. NOT EXACTLY THE CLEANING, THE CLEANING, THE MAINTENANCE PART. YOU GUYS CAN DO ON YOUR OWN WITHOUT HAVING TO GO IN FRONT OF A PLANNING COMMISSION. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. WE DO THAT IN MANY AREAS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. OKAY. REHAB PROJECTS. OKAY. OKAY. THAT'S IT FOR ME. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME? OKAY, I'LL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY. MADAM CLERK, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKER SLIPS? NO, CHAIR WE DO NOT. OKAY. THEREFORE, I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY. WITH THAT IN MIND COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OF STAFF. COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY? I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE VERY THOROUGH MITIGATION REPORT, ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT AND FOR ALL THE DOCUMENTATION THAT YOU HAVE ACTUALLY DONE TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THE PRESERVE, KEEP THE PATHS, KEEP THE AREAS THAT ARE IMPORTANT HABITAT, ESPECIALLY DRAINING INTO A LAGOON SAFE. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT EFFORT. AND THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ALL HAVE TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS DONE SAFELY AND ALSO MAKING SURE THAT IT HAPPENS IN A TIMELY MANNER. THANKS. ANY OTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR STAFF AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME? COMMISSION DISCUSSION AMONGST OURSELVES. COMMISSIONER STINE. YES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THIS IS AN EASY YES FOR ME. I SEE THIS AS A PROJECT THAT WAS PERHAPS OVERDUE. MANHOLES DO NOT MAINTAIN THEMSELVES. YOU HAVE TO DO THAT. YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN THEM. BUT THIS IS MORE MAINTENANCE. WE'RE MAKING SOME CHANGES IN THE MANHOLE TO REHAB THEM IN CASE NEW ONES. AND, YOU KNOW, OVER TIME, THEY'RE GOING TO WEAR OUT FOR OBVIOUS REASONS AND NEEDS TO BE DONE. ALSO, IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, OUR ROLE AS A PLANNING COMMISSION, I DON'T SEE THAT THIS HAS ANY ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE COMMUNITY AT ALL. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT BUILDING A BUILDING, BUILDING A STATION, SOMETHING THAT WOULD IN ANY WAY INTERFERE WITH THE USE OF THIS AREA. IT'S A PATHWAY. PEOPLE WALK THEIR DOGS THERE, PEOPLE HIKE THROUGH THE AREA. SO YOU'RE NOT GOING TO REALLY SEE MUCH, IF AT ALL, ANYTHING IN TERMS OF A PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENT ABOVE SURFACE, MOST OF THE WORK IS DONE SUBSURFACE OR AT OR AT THE SURFACE LEVEL OF THE GROUND. SO I THINK THE FACT THAT WE DON'T SEE ANY OPPOSITION, WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY THE OPPOSITION, AND THERE ARE NO PEOPLE HERE IN OPPOSITION SAYS A LOT. I THINK STAFF DID AN EXCELLENT AND VERY THOROUGH JOB. I DON'T KNOW, COUNTING THE WHOLE PAGES. I THINK IT'S OVER 400 PAGES OF ANALYSIS, INCLUDING COMPREHENSIVE CEQA ANALYSIS, AND THEY FOUND THAT THERE'S NO IMPACTS OR IMPACTS THAT ARE LESS THAN SIGNIFICANT. THEY TOOK A THOROUGH, INCREDIBLY THOROUGH LOOK AT THAT. SO TO ME THAT'S EASY THAT THERE'S THERE'S NOTHING THAT WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT FROM A CEQA ANALYSIS THAT THE INITIAL STUDY WAS CERTAINLY ADEQUATE. AND THE MINOR MITIGATION THAT'S NECESSARY SHOULD BE ADEQUATE FOR THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE HERE, [00:35:03] WHICH ARE NOT A LOT ON THE MERITS OF THIS THING. SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, NO ISSUE. COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. ALL OF YOU WHO'VE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE HEARD ME SAY, YOU KNOW, LOOK TO VIEW ISSUES AND LOOK TO ACCESS TO THE BEACH ISSUES. AND THERE ARE NONE HERE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT BUILDING ABOVE THE GROUND. AND THIS IS NOT A TRAIL. IT'S CLOSE TO THE BEACH, BUT IT PARALLELS THE BEACH. IT'S LONG. IT GOES NORTH SOUTH, SO THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY INTERFERENCE WITH ANYBODY WHO IS TRYING TO GET TO THE BEACH. AND ANOTHER THING I WANT TO COMPLIMENT STAFF FOR IS THE TIMING ON THIS. WE'RE DOING IT DURING THE DRY SEASON. SO ANY POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO VERNAL POOLS AND PERHAPS HABITAT IN THOSE POOLS WE'RE DOING AN END RUN AROUND THAT BY DOING IT WHEN WE DON'T EXPECT RAIN IN THE SUMMER, SO THAT THAT IMPACT SHOULD BE NONEXISTENT OR NEGLIGIBLE. SO I THINK STAFF DID A WONDERFUL, THOROUGH JOB HERE. YES, IT TOOK A LONG TIME, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THE NUMBER OF AGENCIES THAT YOU HAVE TO CONTACT TO GET THEIR BLESSING AND WORK WITH THEM, THAT IS A PROTRACTED PROCESS. AND SO SO THEY WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS, DIDN'T TAKE ANY SHORTCUTS. IT'S THOROUGH. SO I'M ALL IN FAVOR OF THIS ONE. COMMISSIONER BURROWS. I COMMEND THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT FOR TAKING A PROACTIVE APPROACH IN REPAIRING THE APPROXIMATELY 50 YEAR OLD SEWER MANHOLE COVERS AND GIVEN THE CONSIDERATION THAT WAS PUT TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND TRIBAL INPUT. I SUPPORT THE PROJECT. ANY OTHER FURTHER DISCUSSION? I WILL ALSO SAY STAFF, EXCELLENT JOB. VERY, VERY THOROUGH. AND I LOVED READING ALL THOSE PAGES OF 400 OR MORE. THAT WAS EXCELLENT, [LAUGHTER] BUT AT LEAST YOU PROVIDED THAT TO US. WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT. COMMISSIONER HUBINGER. I ALWAYS LIKE IT WHEN COMMISSIONER STINE GOES FIRST BECAUSE HE SUMMARIZES EVERYTHING, GETS EVERYTHING OFF THE TABLE. I JUST A COMMENT THAT'S TOTALLY OUTSIDE OF OUR PURVIEW. I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT TAKES FIVE YEARS TO GET MANHOLE COVERS APPROVED. I MEAN, SOMETHING'S WRONG. YEAH. GO AHEAD, FEEL FREE. COMMISSIONER FOSTER. YEAH. SO. OKAY, SO THE FIRST KIND OF BIG RED FLAG IS THE COMMISSIONERS ON THIS DAIS. WE GET APPROXIMATELY A 500 PAGE REPORT TO REHAB, NINE MANHOLE COVERS. AND THAT IS MIND BLOWING. AND SO THAT'S WHAT LED ME TO OPEN WITH THAT QUESTION OF WHEN DID YOU GUYS FIRST IDENTIFY THIS PROBLEM? FIVE YEARS AGO. IT TOOK FIVE YEARS TO GET HERE TODAY. AND THAT'S A BROKEN SYSTEM THAT'S INEFFICIENT BECAUSE THE PROBLEM THAT CONTINUES ON WITH THE CITY, WITH ANY INFRASTRUCTURE IS OKAY, THE CITY IDENTIFIES SOMETHING BROKEN TODAY. IT'S GOING TO TAKE THEM FIVE YEARS TO FIX SOMETHING THAT'S INEFFICIENT. AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO ON THIS DAIS. BUT I DON'T KNOW, THAT'S JUST ME VENTING OUT LOUD. BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND ANSWERING THE PUBLIC WORKS QUESTIONS. AND THANK YOU, STAFF FOR EVERYTHING. AND, YOU KNOW, I PRAY FOR YOU GUYS AND ALL FOR ALL THE HOOPS YOU HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH TO GET HERE TODAY. [LAUGHTER] SO I APPROVE THIS PROJECT. THAT'S WHERE I'M GOING. MR. STRONG, WOULD YOU LIKE TO. DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS AT ALL AS TO LENGTH OF TIME? I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH JUST GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS. COASTAL COMMISSION, CORPS OF ENGINEERS ETC. COULD YOU EXPAND ON THAT A LITTLE BIT FOR US? THAT THAT IS TRUE. IN PART, WHEN A SEWER MASTER PLAN IS ADOPTED, IT LOOKS AT THE TOTAL SEWER COLLECTION SERVICE SYSTEM AND IDENTIFIES ALL THE DEFICIENCIES THAT ARE NEEDED TO BE CORRECTED OVER THE HORIZON YEARS. SO IN THIS CASE, 2040. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THERE'S FUNDING IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR ALL THOSE PROJECTS. SO IN SOME CASES THERE'S SEED MONEY FOR PLANNING AND ENGINEERING AND DESIGN. AND THEN THE CONSTRUCTION FUNDS WILL COME LATER. SO I DON'T KNOW THE PARTICULARS ABOUT THIS SITUATION, BUT BECAUSE OF ITS SENSITIVITY AND ITS ENVIRONMENT, IT DID REQUIRE A MORE PROTRACTED PROCESS. AND I THINK WE WOULD ALL LIKE TO SEE BUT JUST LET YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LIKE IMMEDIATELY THAT THE FUNDS ARE ALWAYS THERE TO COMPLETE ALL THE PROJECTS ALL AT ONCE. THANK YOU, MR. STRONG. COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY. THANK YOU. WELL, MY ONLY COMMENT TO THE EXPEDITING OF THIS IS HABITAT EXISTED WAY LONGER THAN THESE MANHOLES. SO YOU KNOW AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD AS A, YOU KNOW, ENTITY DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THESE HABITATS, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THEY LEGISLATE, THEY WANT, THEY PROTEST, THEY WANT TO KEEP THE FLOWER FIELDS. THEY WANT TO KEEP THE STRAWBERRY FIELDS. THEY WANT TO KEEP OUR ENVIRONMENTAL HABITATS AND LAGOONS AND EVERYTHING PRISTINE. SO, YOU KNOW, AND OUR CITIZENS ARE REALLY THE DRIVERS OF THIS IMPORTANT PROCESS THAT I THINK WE, [00:40:03] YOU KNOW, WE MAY SEE A 500 PAGE REPORT FOR NINE MANHOLES, BUT THEN WE DON'T REALIZE THAT SO MANY OTHER ENTITIES ARE INVOLVED IN THIS BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN SUCH A DISRUPTION IN OUR ENVIRONMENT. SO SO I REALLY APPLAUD THIS PROJECT. I WILL SUPPORT IT. AND YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT THESE THINGS ARE HURDLES THAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW SO I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK. THANK YOU. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A MOTION? COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY. I MOVE TO APPROVE? MAY I HAVE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER BURROWS. SECOND. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BURROWS, PLEASE VOTE. BEFORE. I'M SORRY. CAN WE JUST GET A CLARIFICATION THAT THIS WAS FOR BOTH RESOLUTIONS? THERE WAS TWO. THERE WAS ONE TO ADOPT THE MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION AND ANOTHER ONE TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION FOR ALL THE PERMITS. THANK YOU. OKAY. WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT WAS SIX ZERO. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS BEING THAT WE ONLY HAVE ONE AGENDA ITEM WE CAN COME TO HAVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU MAKE A [COMMISSION MEMBER COMMENTARY AND REQUESTS FOR CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS] COMMENT. I'M SURE THAT TWO OF OUR COMMISSIONERS, I THINK, WENT TO THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES PLANNING COMMISSION. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY CONFERENCE UP IN SANTA ROSA. WOULD EITHER ONE OF YOU OR BOTH OF YOU LIKE TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS IN REGARD TO THAT? DID YOU GRADUATE? YES. WE'RE HERE, AREN'T WE? YEAH. ARE WE STILL LIVE? YES. YEAH. SO? SO, YEAH, WE BOTH ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE. IT WAS VERY EDUCATIONAL. COMMEND CITY STAFF ON PREPARING THE CITY. SO WE'RE NOT SUBJECT TO BUILDER'S REMEDY BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF SAD STORIES OF CITIES ACROSS CALIFORNIA THAT ARE GETTING INUNDATED WITH BUILDERS REMEDY PROJECTS. AND I THINK THERE'S LIKE 200 CITIES IN CALIFORNIA DON'T EVEN HAVE STRONG, YOU KNOW, THE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE AMENDMENT OR WHATEVER TO PROTECT THEM AGAINST BUILDERS REMEDY. THAT HAS APPROVED CERTIFIED HOUSING ELEMENT. YEAH. CERTIFIED HOUSING ELEMENT. SO THERE'S OVER 200 CITIES IN CALIFORNIA THAT DON'T HAVE THAT. BUT I GUESS CARLSBAD WAS LIKE ONE OF THE FIRST IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY TO GET THAT. SO IT'S LIKE BIG PAT ON THE BACK TO CITY STAFF OF CARLSBAD FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER. BUT YEAH, NO, I FOUND THE WHOLE WHOLE EXPERIENCE VERY EDUCATIONAL. AND I THINK WE GRADUATED. DID WE GRADUATE? [LAUGHTER] LIKE I SAY, WE'RE HERE, SO YEAH. COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY, I APPRECIATE IT. YEAH. THANKS, NICK. I MEAN, COMMISSIONER FOSTER. APPRECIATE IT. I'M SORRY I GOT TO KNOW YOU AS NICK SO I'M SORRY. DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT. YEAH. MINE'S A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC. ONLY BECAUSE THERE WERE. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO GO A COUPLE OF TIMES. SO AND AGAIN, THIS IS A REALLY LONG PROCESS TO LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THERE ARE JUST SO MANY MOVING PARTS. BUT A COUPLE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT I WANTED TO JUST SHARE WITH YOU. THE OBVIOUSLY IT GOES TALKING TO TALK ABOUT CEQA AND THE HOUSING ELEMENT, RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE P LANNING COMMISSION, THE STAFF AND THE COUNCIL. IT TALKS ABOUT CALIFORNIA HOUSING LAWS, DENSITY BONUS. OBVIOUSLY, COMMISSIONER FOSTER MENTIONED THE BUILDER'S REMEDY, WHICH IS A VERY THANKFUL THING WE'RE NOT HAVING TO GO THROUGH BECAUSE THIS IS WHEN THE STATE COMES IN. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A HOUSING ELEMENT APPROVED UNDER HCD THAT THEY JUST SAY, WELL, YOU CAN BUILD ANYTHING IN ANYWHERE YOU WANT TO IRREGARDLESS OF ANY OF OUR POLICIES OR THINGS LIKE THAT. SO IT'S A, YOU KNOW, AND THE HOUSING ACCOUNTABILITY IS IMPORTANT. AND THEN THE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE, WHICH IS THE HIGHLIGHT, I THINK, OF THE WHOLE THING, TALKS ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA BUDGET SURPLUS, BUT THE CUTS, CUTS ARE EXPECTED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO MONEY ALLOCATED FOR HOMELESSNESS OR AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUNDING. NOT THAT THEY'RE CHANGING FUNDING TO THOSE, BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALLOCATED NEW FUNDING TO ANY OF THOSE EFFORTS, WHICH OBVIOUSLY AFFECT OUR DEVELOPMENT ABILITIES. AND THEY'RE ALSO REALLY FOCUSED AT THE LEGISLATIVE LEVEL ON STREAMLINED PERMITTING, IMPACT FEES, [00:45:05] ADUS AND LAND USE ZONING AND ALLOWABLE INCREASES TO OUR EXISTING ZONING. SO SB 9. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEING THAT WAS WELL, YEAH A BILL THAT IS A BILL AB 1061. AND IT TALKS ABOUT HOW HISTORIC RESOURCES AND DISTRICTS CAN QUALIFY FOR LOT SPLITS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ALLOWED ON SITES THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN IDENTIFIED AS HISTORIC. SO THEREFORE YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN HAPPEN BECAUSE THAT EXEMPTION SORT OF DOES EXIST. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BASICALLY WHAT, 19 PROPERTIES ON THE HISTORIC REGISTER IN OUR COMMUNITY AND ANY ONE OF THESE, IF THIS BILL PASSES COULD IMPACT EVERY ONE OF THOSE PROPERTIES. AND THE ONE THAT'S REALLY IMPACTFUL THAT WE'VE TALKED MULTIPLE TIMES ABOUT AT HISTORIC PRESERVATION IS THE CULVER HOUSE UP ON HIGHLAND. AND SO THESE ARE KINDS OF CONCERNS THAT BECOME MORE REAL AS THEY START IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT AND AFTER, THE SORT OF QUICK DEBRIEF THAT WE HAD WITH THE LEGISLATION THE A LOT OF THE LEGISLATURE IS GOING THROUGH AND A LOT OF EVEN OUR HOUSING ELEMENT AND OUR PLANNING POLICIES GO THROUGH WHAT THEY CALL SMART GROWTH POLICY. IT'S AN EPA BASED SERIES OF IDEALS. I GUESS SAN DIEGO REGIONAL SMART GROWTH THROUGH SANDAG IS ALSO KIND OF ALIGNED WITH IT, AS WELL AS THE CALIFORNIA HOUSING LAWS. BUT A LOT OF THE CALIFORNIA HOUSING LAWS ARE BASED ON THIS SMART GROWTH POLICY, WHICH IS AN APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT CONSERVATION STRATEGIES TO PROTECT HEALTH, THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, WHILE STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC GROWTH AND RESILIENCY. AND SO THEY'RE ENCOURAGING MIXED LAND USES, COMPACT BUILDINGS DESIGN, RANGE OF HOUSING CHOICE, WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS. FOSTERING A SENSE OF PLACE AND PRESERVATION OF OPEN SPACE AND CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS. DIRECT DIRECTING DEVELOPMENT TO EXISTING COMMUNITIES, TRANSIT CHOICES, PREDICTABLE AND FAIR AND COST EFFECTIVE MEANS OF DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS MADE BY COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDERS. SO THOSE ARE SORT OF THE MAIN PRINCIPLES OF SMART GROWTH. OBVIOUSLY S OME OF THE LAWS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED, THEY TRY TO FOLLOW THIS MODEL, BUT THEY GET VERY SPECIFIC. THIS IS A MUCH MORE GENERAL POLICY. SOME OF THE IDEAS ARE VERY GOOD. SOME OF THEM BECOME, AGAIN, REALLY CONCERNING WHEN THEY GET IN YOUR CITY. SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR THE STAFF. JUST NOT THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THEM TODAY, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN ADDRESS THEM IN FUTURE MEETINGS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE LIKE A ONE MEETING AGENDA ITEM LIKE TODAY'S. I DID WANT TO REQUEST THAT THERE'S A POSSIBILITY TO REVIEW CARLSBAD POLICY ON PUBLIC REVIEW TIME OF DOCUMENTS. THE ESPECIALLY CEQA DOCUMENTS WITH EXEMPTIONS MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATIONS IN EIRS. THE PLANNING COMMISSION CONFERENCE MENTIONED 30 DAYS FOR EACH OF THESE TYPES OF REVIEWS. I KNOW THAT WHEN THEY HAD THE SMART AND FINAL, THERE WAS A HUGE PUBLIC. I MEAN, AS YOU ALL REMEMBER, OR MOST OF YOU REMEMBER, TEN DAYS WASN'T ENOUGH FOR THAT EXEMPTION TO BE REVIEWED BY THE PUBLIC. AND SO I'M HOPING THAT MAYBE STAFF CAN COME BACK AND REVIEW THOSE POLICIES WITH US, THOSE REVIEW TIMES, TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE CEQA TRAININGS WERE TALKING ABOUT WAS JUST ALLOWING THAT 30 DAY PERIOD AS JUST A GENERAL RULE, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, AGAIN, THE TEN DAYS CAME UP A LOT. SO THE OTHER THING IS BECAUSE OF THE HOUSING LAWS AND OUR HOUSING ELEMENT, IS THERE A POSSIBLE UPDATE OR ARE YOU GOING TO SHARE AN UPDATE WITH COUNCIL THAT COULD BE SHARED WITH US? BECAUSE LIKE I SAY, THE ZBA'S SMART GROWTH POLICIES, SOME OF THEM ARE QUITE VAGUE, BUT OTHERS MAYBE COULD BE RESEARCHED AND IMPLEMENTED TO HELP CONTINUE TO FOSTER OUR DEVELOPMENT, BUT IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY. SO WE WERE WONDERING IF WE COULD GET A PROGRESS REPORT ON THE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE. AND THEN AGAIN, THIS HISTORIC RESOURCE INVENTORY IS ANOTHER QUESTION. [00:50:02] AND THE MILLS ACT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT EVEN AT THE. SO THAT'S PART OF THE HISTORIC REPORT THAT I HAVE. WE HAD A HISTORIC PRESERVATION MEETING, AND THEY WENT THROUGH THE CALENDAR AND THEY WENT THROUGH THE WORK PLAN. AND MR. STRONG CAN PROBABLY TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THAT. WHAT THEY'RE HOPING TO TRY AND MOVE TO, TO THE NEXT COUPLE OF THINGS. BUT AGAIN, UPDATING OUR HISTORIC INVENTORY COULD HELP OUR COMMUNITY PRESERVE SOME OF THE IMPORTANT BUILDINGS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THOSE IDENTIFIERS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND THEN THE LAST THING IS THE OBJECTIVE DESIGN PROGRESS UPDATE. THAT BECAME A HUGE TOPIC, BECAUSE A LOT OF THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT DON'T HAVE THE HOUSING ELEMENT APPROVED DON'T ALSO OR THEY JUST GOT THEM APPROVED THEY'RE STILL TRYING TO GET OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS IN PLACE. SO HOW'S OUR OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARD? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO COUNCIL AGAIN. CAN WE SEE THAT REPORT. SO THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE REALLY INSIGHTFUL. I HOPE ALL OF YOU GUYS GET TO GO SOMETIME BECAUSE IT IS INCREDIBLY INFORMATIVE. AND YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY WE CAN MAKE HELP. WE CAN BE HERE TO HELP MAKE OUR POLICIES A LITTLE MORE ROBUST. JUST THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS WE CAN'T DO, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS MAYBE WE COULD DO IF WE KNOW THE INFORMATION. SO THANKS A LOT. MR. STRONG DID YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING? NO. SURE. BRIEFLY, SINCE IT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA, BUT. EXACTLY. THE TIME LIMITS THAT ARE SET BY STATUTE AND GUIDELINES RELATIVE TO YOUR FIRST POINT ON CEQA ARE MINIMUM STANDARDS, I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING THAT INDICATES A MAXIMUM REVIEW TIME FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORTS, BUT THE REST ARE EXPRESSED AS MINIMUM STANDARDS. THERE IS NO STATED PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD FOR EXEMPTIONS, WHICH IS THE PROJECT THAT YOU REFERRED TO EARLIER? I DO WANT TO POINT OUT, AND I'LL ADDRESS THIS LATER, BUT THE UPCOMING AGENDA ITEM ON APRIL 2ND IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST PROJECT THAT THIS COMMISSION CONSIDERS, REVIEWS AND CONSIDERS THAT IS PROPOSED TO QUALIFY FOR AN EXEMPTION. WE HAVE POSTED THAT DRAFT NOTICE OF EXEMPTION DETERMINATION. SO IT'S NOT A DECISION OF THE PLANNING DIVISION, BUT IT'S A DRAFT DOCUMENT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW. AND THAT'S BEEN POSTED. SO THAT'S BEEN DONE WELL IN ADVANCE OF THAT MEETING. SO WE ARE TRYING TO ESTABLISH A PROCESS TO MAKE THOSE DOCUMENTS OR THOSE FINDINGS AVAILABLE EARLIER IN THE PROCESS, SO THAT THE PUBLIC HAS A CHANCE TO VIEW THAT MATERIAL AND PROVIDE COMMENT, IN THIS CASE, TO THE COMMISSION AS PART OF THE PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS. SO I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANY OBJECTION FROM STAFF TO RETURNING AT A FUTURE MEETING AND PRESENTING WHAT THE EXPRESS STANDARDS ARE FOR PUBLIC OUTREACH OR ENGAGEMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSING, AND THEN WHAT THE CITY IS DOING TO AUGMENT BEYOND THOSE MINIMUM STANDARDS. ONE OTHER POINT THAT YOU MADE WAS THE HOUSING ELEMENT PROGRESS REPORT. THE CITY IS OBLIGATED TO REPORT ITS STATUS IN IMPLEMENTING VARIOUS PROGRAMS OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT, AND TRACK ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF HOUSING UNITS BY APRIL 1ST OF EVERY YEAR. THE BODY TO RECEIVE THAT REPORT IS THE CITY COUNCIL, AND THEY RECEIVED IT LAST NIGHT. SO THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AS PART OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT ANYONE, ANY INDIVIDUAL COMMISSION MEMBER CAN REVIEW. THE THIRD POINT THAT YOU IDENTIFIED WAS THE CLG MEMBERSHIP OR PURSUING AN UPDATED INVENTORY, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS ANTICIPATED THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION WILL BE ACTIVELY WORKING ON. AND SINCE YOU ARE AN EX OFFICIO MEMBER OF THAT COMMISSION, YOU CAN CERTAINLY REPORT OUT ON ITS PROGRESS TO THE REST OF THIS COMMISSION. AND THE LAST ITEM WAS THE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS. I'M JUST MAKING SURE I'M GETTING EVERYTHING. YOU'RE VERY, VERY IMPRESSIVE. THE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS HAS BEEN ABOUT A YEAR IN EFFECT, AND THERE'S ONLY BEEN ONE PROJECT. I THINK THAT THIS COMMISSION HAS HAD ITS HANDS ON THE TYLER STREET PROJECT THAT WAS SUBJECT TO THOSE STANDARDS. SO CITY STAFF IN GENERAL IS IN OBSERVATION MODE TO SEE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THOSE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS AND TO SEE WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T. AND LIKELY THERE WILL BE SOME SORT OF FOLLOW UP REPORT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE REFINEMENTS BASED ON THOSE STANDARDS. SO THAT'S PROBABLY A FORTHCOMING ITEM. I'M NOT SURE HOW IT WAS REPRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT THAT WAS RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL LAST EVENING, BUT I WOULD EXPECT THERE WOULD BE SOME SORT OF FOLLOW UP ACTION ON THAT ITEM. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THIS COMMISSION WILL GET A CHANCE TO REVIEW LATER. COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY, I KNOW IN PAST CONFERENCES THAT I'VE BEEN TO THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS EXTREMELY INFORMATIVE AND YOUR RIGHT. [00:55:01] BREAKOUT SESSIONS ARE AMAZING AS WELL, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I ALWAYS ENJOYED WAS TO BE ABLE TO I GUESS YOU SAY, HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH INDIVIDUALS FROM MANY OF THE OTHER CITIES, FROM A SMALL CITY OF 50,000 OR 30,000 OR 20,000, YOU KNOW, TO A LARGE CITY LIKE, YOU KNOW, SAN FRANCISCO OR SACRAMENTO, AND YET TALK WITH THOSE OTHER INDIVIDUALS AT THE CONFERENCE AND COMPARE AND CONTRAST, YOU KNOW, POLICIES THAT WE HAVE OF A CITY OF OUR SIZE AND WHERE WE HAPPEN TO BE LOCATED ALONG THE COAST VERSUS A CITY, YOU KNOW, IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY, AND BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT AND BE ABLE TO TAKE SOME OF THAT LEGISLATION AND SEE ITS APPLICABILITY IS EXTREMELY IT'S A PROCESS IN GOING TO A CONFERENCE LIKE THAT, VERY EDUCATIONAL. AND COMMISSIONER STINE. YES, OFF TOPIC HOUSEKEEPING MATTER. I NOTICED THE DATE IS WRONG. WE'RE NOT JANUARY 15TH, SO I WAS HOPING THAT MAYBE WHEN THAT GOES ON THE WEBSITE, WE CAN CHANGE IT TO MARCH 19TH. IT'S OKAY. [LAUGHTER] I JUST NOTICED THAT. COMMISSIONER BURROWS. I ATTENDED A CEQA WORKSHOP PUT ON BY THE ASSOCIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONALS ON FEBRUARY 21ST IN TEMECULA. AND LIKE YOU WERE SAYING, MOSTLY A REVIEW OF THE LEGAL MATTERS AND UPDATED CASE LAW RELATED TO CEQA. AND IT WAS A GREAT WORKSHOP. THEY'RE GOING TO DO ANOTHER ONE IN THE FALL ONE DAY WORKSHOP AND ATTENDING THAT WOULD BE GREAT DOWN HERE IN SAN DIEGO. THANK YOU. CAN I ASK SOMETHING LIKE OF THE CITY. WHAT? WHAT IS THE PLAN ON THE CITY REGARDING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? HAVE YOU STARTED? I'M SERIOUS. I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INEFFICIENCY HERE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF ADMINISTRATIVE STUFF THAT'S GOING TO GET WIPED OUT IN THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS. SO WHAT IS THE NEXT PLAN? AND ARE YOU INCORPORATING SOME OF THAT. IT'S NOT MY PURVIEW, BUT I'M JUST KIND OF CURIOUS. THE EFFORT OR INITIATIVES THAT THE CITY IS CURRENTLY UNDERTAKING IS UPLOADING OPPORTUNITIES TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS ELECTRONICALLY. SO WE'RE STILL PRETTY FAR BEHIND THE TECHNOLOGY CURVE. THERE ARE ONLY A FEW PERMIT TYPES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SUBMISSION THROUGH THE CITY'S PORTAL. SO WE'RE LOOKING TO GROW AND CONTINUE EXPANDING THAT. AND AT SOME POINT I IMAGINE I WILL SOMEHOW BE INTRODUCED INTO THAT, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT MAY LOOK LIKE. BUT WE DO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE THAT ATTENDS A CONFERENCE, JUST LIKE COMMISSIONER BURROWS AND COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY AND COMMISSIONER FOSTER ATTENDED TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH SOME OF THOSE. NO, BUT WE HAVE A STAFF MEMBER THAT ATTENDS AND THEY JUST GOT BACK OR. NO. SORRY. THEY'RE ATTENDING I THINK IN TWO WEEKS OR A WEEK OR. YEAH. UPCOMING CONFERENCE OUT OF STATE THAT IS A NATIONAL CONFERENCE THAT DELVES INTO THESE ISSUES. SO WE ARE MONITORING THE ABILITY TO DO IT. AND THEN THERE'LL BE A DECISION IF WE WANT TO. BECAUSE MESSAGE RECEIVED. I GOT A QUESTION. COMMISSIONER FOSTER FOR MR. STRONG THERE. THE BONUS DENSITY IS THAT PRETTY MUCH EVERY HOUSING PROJECT THAT'S GOING TO COME INTO CARLSBAD VILLAGE, LIKE EVERY SINGLE ONE, IS GOING TO HAVE BONUS DENSITY IN THERE. I MEAN, WHAT LIKE IN YOUR FROM WHAT YOU'RE SEEING WITH APPLICANTS SUBMITTING PROJECTS FOR HOUSING, PARTICULARLY IN INFILL, ARE YOU SEEING BONUS DENSITY ON LIKE 100% OF THEM OR A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THEM? WE ARE SEEING A LOT MORE THAN WE USED TO. AND THE LAST INVENTORY THAT I SAW WAS OUT OF 25 PROJECTS THAT WERE RECENTLY APPROVED DOWNTOWN, ABOUT SEVEN OF THEM INCLUDED A DENSITY BONUS ELEMENT. SO THAT'S A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT. AND IF I WERE TO BE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION 10, 15 YEARS AGO, MAYBE THERE WOULD BE ONE IF WE WERE LUCKY. SO IT IS A GROWING AND EMERGING INTEREST IN THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NOT ONLY DENSITY BONUS TO ECONOMIZE OR THROUGH ECONOMIES OF SCALE TO SUBSIDIZE THE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL, BUT ALSO TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOME OF THE STREAMLINING AND MINISTERIAL ACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE TYPE OF APPLICATIONS. THAT WAS ONE OF THE TAKEAWAYS THAT COMMISSIONER LAFFERTY AND I SAW IN SOME OF THE SESSIONS AT THE CONFERENCE WAS, IT SEEMS LIKE A NO BRAINER TO HAVE A DENSITY BONUS INVOLVED IN YOUR PROJECT IF YOU'RE A DEVELOPER. AS A BUSINESS PERSON. AND THEY SHOWED A LOT OF EXAMPLES IN OTHER CITIES WHERE THEY'RE JUST GETTING HAMMERED WITH THEM CONSTANTLY. AND SO, SO YEAH, I WAS JUST KIND OF CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, MYSELF AND COMMISSIONER BURROWS ARE NEWER HERE, BUT IT'S JUST WHEN YOU SEE ALL OF THE STUFF GOING ON ON THE SCREEN AS FAR AS ALL THESE OTHER DENSITY BONUS PROJECTS GOING ON IN OTHER CITIES, IT'S LIKE, WOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL ALMOST 100% OF THE PROJECTS IN CARLSBAD VILLAGE ARE GOING TO BE A DENSITY BONUS. [01:00:03] AND THAT IS AN AREA OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE THAT SEEMS TO BE MODIFIED OR ALTERED EVERY LEGISLATIVE CYCLE. AND WHEN IT IS, IT'S MORE IT ENCOURAGES MORE OF THAT DEVELOPMENT TYPE. YEAH. IT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU SAY THAT BECAUSE IT'S EVOLVED. I KNOW SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, IT'S ASTOUNDING HOW THE LEGISLATION AND THE IMPACT EACH AND EVERY BILL HAS AS TO EXPANDING, YOU KNOW, THE HOUSING, THE HOUSING PORTION, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY OF A DEVELOPMENT AND THE IMPACTS THAT IT HAS WITH DENSITY, BONUS EXCEPTIONS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. AND WHEN IT COMES TO OUR VILLAGE, IT HAS AN IMPACT. COMMISSIONER BURROWS. AND I THINK THERE'S PENDING LEGISLATION RIGHT NOW FROM SENATOR BLAKESPEAR TO CLOSE THE LOOPHOLE IN DENSITY BONUS. IS THAT RIGHT? HAVE YOU SEEN THAT? THERE IS A LEGISLATIVE BILL THAT'S PROPOSED THAT WOULD LIMIT DENSITY BONUS TO RESIDENTIAL ONLY PROJECTS? SO THAT WOULD THEREBY REMOVE ANY MIXED USE PROJECT FROM ITS ELIGIBILITY. SO THAT WOULD LIMIT THE TYPE OF PROJECTS THAT WOULD PURSUE THAT TYPE OF APPLICATION. ARE YOU SEEING RESIDENTIAL ONLY? CORRECT. YES. OKAY. AN YTHING FURTHER? I GOT ONE LAST QUESTION. COMMISSIONER FOSTER. AT ONE OF THE SESSIONS. ONE OF THE ATTORNEYS DID YOU SPEAK ANY LATIN? NO, NO, NOT AT ALL. OKAY. [INAUDIBLE] SAY. WELL. AND ONE OF THE ATTORNEYS SAID THAT CEQA IS LATIN FOR DELAYS PROJECT. AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF IN YOUR EXPERIENCE IF IF THAT IS THE LATIN INTERPRETATION OR NOT. [LAUGHTER] THAT'S IT FOR ME. MR. STRONG, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING, ANY [STAFF COMMENTS] CLOSING COMMENTS OR STATEMENTS? NO, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE ON BEHALF OF THE THREE COMMISSIONERS THAT ATTENDED RECENT CONFERENCES AND REPORTED BACK TO THE COMMISSION. IT'S ONE THING TO PURSUE LIFELONG LEARNING AND TO BROADEN YOUR ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A VOLUNTEER ROLE IN YOUR CIVIC DUTY, BUT ANOTHER TO REPORT BACK AND SHARE WITH THE REST OF THE COMMISSION. SO THAT IS APPRECIATED. BUT THE ONLY THING I PROBABLY SHOULD REPORT ON IS THE APRIL 2ND AGENDA DOES HAVE ONE AGENDA ITEM, AND I SPOKE TO THIS EARLIER. THIS IS GOING TO BE AN ITEM THAT CARRIES A RECOMMENDATION FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO MAKE A DECISION ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL EXEMPTION REQUEST. THANK YOU. ATTORNEY, COMMENTS? NO COMMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING. WE APPRECIATE THAT. OKAY. WITH THAT I'M GOING TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 6:02. THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.