PC 06-24-85 { CITY OF CUPERTINC,STATE OF CALIFORNIA PC-469
10300 Torre Avenue,Cupertino, Ca. 95014 Pare I
Telephone : (408) 252-4505
IIP MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION
HELD ON JUTE 24, 1985
SALUTE TO THE FLAG 7: 30 P .M.
ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present : Com. Mackenzie
Com. Adams
Coma Sorensen
Chr. Claudy
STAFF PRESENT: Assistant Planning Dir. Cowan
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION: Com. Mackenzie, to adopt the Minutes of the
REgular Meeting of June 10, 1985, after correc-
tion to Page 12, penultimate paragraph "Allco"
to be replaced by "Johnson and Scanlan Appliance
and T.V. Store" .
SECOND: Com. Sorensen
VOTE: Passed 3-0
(Com. Szabo absent, Chr. Claudy abstaining)
POSTPONEMENTS OR NEW AGENDA ITEMS
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
41/ ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
CONSENT CALENDAR
MOTION: Com. Adams, to remove Item #1, Application 4-U-83
from the Consent Calendar
SECOND: Com. Mackenzie
VOTE: Passed 4-0
(Com. Szabo absent)
ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR
1. Application 4-U-83 of CARL N. SWENSON, CO. , INC. (ITSUO
UENAKA) : Request for approval of minor modification to
increase the height of the building from 60 ft . to 63 ft .
Assistant Planning Director Cowan pointed out the garden
area for Commissioners ' information.
Chr. Claudy established the height was four stories and the
front setback was being increased by 10 ft . , and noted that
each story was almost 16 ft . high.
Assistant Planning Director Cowan reminded the increase
required was 3 ft . in total.
Com. Adams felt on the basis of the grade requirements and
because the building was being moved back 10 ft . , the change
was acceptable.
MOTION: Com. Ada..s, to approve a minor modification to
Application 4-U-83 based on. the Model Resolution
in the Staff Report .
SECOND: Con. Sorensen
VOTE: Passed 4-0
(Com. Szabo absent )
f
PC-469 PLANNING CCNMISSION MINUTES, JUNE 24, 1985
Page 2 PUBLIC HEARINGS
UNFINISHED BUSINESS 110
NEW BUSINESS
2 . General discussion of proposed revisions to the Trailer
Ordinance.
Chr. Claudy explained the existing Ordinance was not being
enforced and that City Council required the Commission' s
input on the matter of an updated Ordinance.
Assistant Planning Director Cowan continued that the City Council
had recently received communications from individuals interested
in rescinding the Ordinance and also from others who wished to
keep and strengthen it, so that the Council had directed Staff
to initiate the revision process, since the Ordinance drafted
in 1964 did not address certain types of recreational vehicles
now available. He mentioned a City-wide survey conducted last
August which had shown 511 instances of recreational vehicles
parked legally and illegally in front yards and on City streets.
The Commission felt these figures might have been distorted
one way by people being on vacation and having their recreational
vehicles with them, and another, because recreational vehicles
and boats might be kept home during the summer and stored
during the winter.
Assistant Planning Director Cowan showed 13 slides of various
types of recreational vehicles, campers and trailers, legally
110
and illegally parked and examples of boat and utility trailers
presently unregulated. He drew attention to a motor home,
properly narked 15 ft . from the front setback, but with less
than 3 ft . clearance from the house in the sideyard space, thus
making it illegal.
Mr. Cowan promised to do further research, prepare a first
draft Ordinance and advertise a Public Hearing, but asked for
direction on whether (a) Staff should look at storage
availability in the area (b) there should be an abatement
procedure or grandfather clause (c) there should be a more
comprehensive study of such vehicles as boats, utility trailers,
etc . , presently unregulated (d) there should be a size differential.
Chr. Claudy invited public input, though not a Public Hearing.
Andrew Zeigler, 825 Kim Street, reported his neighbor had a
Winnebago and also a company electrical truck, and that when
the two were parked in front of the house, Mr. and Mrs . Zeigler
could not see to get out of their driveway properly. His
neighbor also had other cars, he said, sometimes as many as
eight in the household, and when these were parked across the
street, it was almost impossible t,o make a left turn out of
the Zeigler' s driveway. Though it seemed this was presently
legal, he felt it was an imposition on them, and wanted it on
record that he was interested in getting the vehicles off the
street . He mentioned that .Director of Planning and Development
411
Sisk and Councilpersons Rogers and Plurgy had been investigating.
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, JUNE 24,1985 PC-469
Pale 3
Com. Adams recollected that cars parked on the street a
certain time could be required to move.
P Assistant Planning Director Cowan advised the 72-hour
limit largely pertained to inoperative vehicles and was
not now part of the Ordinance.
Com. Adams felt the Ordinance obviously needed update and
enforcement, should cover boat and utility trailers, should
establish size - (maybe nothing larger than a 3/4 ton truck)
should stipulate no parking on driveways, should relinquish
the sideyard clearance requirement if necessary.
Corn. Sorensen agreed that vehicles should be defined as to
size, and additionally supported an ability to park a
recreational vehicle on the street for a 24/48 hour period
for loading purposes, wanted the aspect of storage
investigated and wanted an update on on-property parking.
Com. Mackenzie favored a minimally restrictive Ordinance
that could realistically be enforced in Cupertino; he felt
that grandfathering would not be practical or fair. He
was concerned about blocked views, driveways, crosswalks,
stop signs and corners, and observed that putting a large •
motor home into a sideyard was comparable with building a
fence; and a fence of that height would not be allowed.
Com. Sorensen wondered if such a vehicle parked in a side-
yard would present a fire hazard.
S Assistant Planning Director Cowan confirmed that this was
the basis for the sideyard control.
Com. Mackenzie observed that if such a vehicle was used
daily, it could be parked on the street; some people did thi
and it reduced car count .
Chr. Claudy summarized the problem as "shrinking" lots with
narrow sideyards. He wanted to see a minimal Ordinance too,
but big recreational vehicles parked on streets should be
limited, he felt, storage yards were inconvenient and
potentially expensive and driveway parking meant fewer cars
parked in garages. He felt the issue was almost political.
Assistant Planning Director Cowan undertook to prepare a
matrix based on other cities, and noted it was common to
have different sets of regulations based on lot size.
3. Discussion of schedule for semi-annual General Plan
Amendment .
There was a short discussion to clarify the process .
Assistant Planning Director Cowan established the Commission
ers did not have any_additional itemsthey wanted to discuss
at the Hearing on July 8, 1985.
REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSIONT -
REPORT OF PLANNING DIRECTOR
ADJOURNMENT c : 20 P.M.
ATTESTED}: A PRO y%
Cirq Clerk �� Chairperson