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Home My WebLink AboutPC 07-14-2026 MinutesAPPROVED MINUTES CUPERTINO PLANNING COMMISSION Tuesday, July 14, 2026 At 6:45 p.m. Chair Tracy Kosolcharoen called the regular Planning Commission meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance in the Cupertino Community Hall Council Chamber, 10350 Torre Avenue and via teleconference. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Tracy Kosolcharoen, Vice Chair Steven Scharf and Commissioners David Fung, Seema Lindskog and Santosh Rao. Absent: None. Chair Kosolcharoen moved Staff and Commission Reports and Future Agenda Setting after Agenda Item No. 2 and before Item No. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1.Subject: Approval of the June 23, 2026 Planning Commission Minutes. Recommended Action: Approve the June 23, 2026 Planning Commission Minutes. MOTION: Rao moved and Scharf seconded to approve the June 23, 2026, Planning Commission Minutes. The motion carried with the following vote: Ayes: Kosolcharoen, Scharf, Fung, Lindskog, Rao. Noes: None. Abstain: None. Absent: None. POSTPONEMENTS – None ORAL COMMUNICATIONS – None OLD BUSINESS – None STUDY SESSION 2.Subject: Study session on Permit Streamlining and Simplification for Small Home Upgrades City Work Program item. Recommended Action: Review the outreach survey findings, discuss ongoing permit streamlining efforts, and provide input on priorities and potential next steps. Planning Commission Minutes July 14, 2026 Written communications for the item included a staff presentation. Assistant Director of Community Development Luke Connolly introduced Assistant Planner Julia Garofalo, Building Official Sean Hatch, and Deputy Building Official Phuong Devries. Assistant Planner Julia Garofalo gave a presentation. Commissioners asked questions which staff responded to. Chair Kosolcharoen opened the public comment period and, seeing no one, closed the public comment period. Commissioners made the following comments: •Continue to improve documentation and clarify processes to ensure uniformity in information shared and review. •Provide a clear list of what qualifies as small home upgrades and what does not, including the current permitting process by type (online, manual, or automated), any proposed or completed automation, and the types of permits required. •Determine whether there are patterns in the types of issues being missed and use that information to develop a checklist. •Address issues related to the permit application process, including inconsistent submission methods (online portal versus email), review times compared with other cities (particularly for heat pump and water heater permits), and identify opportunities to increase automation throughout the permitting process. •Review available data, including data in Accela, to determine where the Building process is causing delays. •Identify trends in missing application documents to improve checklists, including one checklist for requirements across all departments and divisions. •Improve the Building Permit website's design while providing more information and clearer guidance for users. •Review available data on turnaround times for different permit types to identify opportunities for streamlining. •Utilize AI to create surveys for applicants and residents. •Benchmark the experience and performance of consultant staff versus in-house staff to evaluate whether critical functions should be performed by in-house staff. •Determine whether the permitting process discourages homeowners from applying for permits due to its complexity, cost, or perceived difficulty. Planning Commission Minutes July 14, 2026 •Determine whether residents are unaware of permit requirements and consider citywide outreach, including email, yard signs (similar to Active Transportation Plan outreach), social media, and a banner across Stevens Creek Boulevard, to improve awareness. •Consider removing permit numbers from the feedback process to allow anonymous feedback. •Consider whether the permitting portal should be replaced and how the current system affects staff's ability to perform their work and serve the public. STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS As noted under Roll Call at the start of the meeting, this item was reordered to be heard after Item No. 2. Planning Manager Piu Ghosh reported on upcoming planning projects and priorities. Commissioner Rao reported on resident feedback regarding scope expansion in building projects. FUTURE AGENDA SETTING As noted under Roll Call at the start of the meeting, this item was reordered to be heard prior to Item No. 3. Commissioners made comments. The Commission unanimously consented to reopen Item No. 2 as Commissioner Rao requested to add an additional motion to the item. Commissioner Rao withdrew the motion. The Commission continued with Future Agenda Setting. Commissioners added the following future agenda items. •Form a subcommittee to conduct a study session with applicants to better understand their pain points to identify improvements to permit streamlining and simplification for small home upgrades based on the study session. (Rao, Kosolcharoen) At 8:10 p.m., Chair Kosolcharoen recessed the meeting. The meeting reconvened at 8:16 p.m. with all Commissioners present. Planning Commission Minutes July 14, 2026 NEW BUSINESS 3.Subject: Review of the Draft Active Transportation Plan and Provide a Recommendation to the City Council. Recommended Action: That the Planning Commission adopt the Draft Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt the Active Transportation Plan. Written communications for the item included a staff presentation. Senior Transportation Planner Matt Schroeder gave a presentation. Commissioners asked questions, and staff, including Transportation Manager David Stillman, responded. Chair Kosolcharoen opened the public comment period and the following people spoke: •Jennifer Griffin Chair Kosolcharoen closed the public comment period. MOTION: Kosolcharoen moved and Rao seconded that the Planning Commission adopt the Draft Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt the Active Transportation Plan, but with the additional note that City Council reevaluate projects that might impact evacuation risk in very high fire hazard zones. (The Commission did not vote on this motion). FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Rao made a friendly amendment to the motion to consider smaller motions rather than make the adoption as its own motion so they can deal with the individual changes that the Commission would like to see by omitting the “adopt the project” part in order to approach it piece by piece. (Kosolcharoen accepted this friendly amendment) (The Commission did not vote on this motion). MOTION: Kosolcharoen moved and Lindskog seconded that City Council consider an addendum weighting that considers the impact on evacuation risk of any project. (The Commission did not vote on this motion). SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Rao moved to exclude from the project the proposed separated bike lanes on streets identified as potentially losing parking. (There was no second, and the motion was not considered). MOTION: Kosolcharoen moved and Lindskog seconded to add a modification to the Active Transportation Plan that factors in the impact of evacuation risk in very high fire hazard zones. The motion carried with the following vote: Ayes: Kosolcharoen, Scharf, Fung, Lindskog, Planning Commission Minutes July 14, 2026 Rao. Noes: None. Abstain: None. Absent: None. MOTION: Rao moved and Kosolcharoen seconded to recommend that City Council exclude from the report any recommended projects that impact street parking, cause lane reduction, or involve separated bike lanes. The motion failed with the following vote: Ayes: Kosolcharoen, Rao. Noes: Scharf, Fung, Lindskog. Abstain: None. Absent: None. MOTION: Rao moved and Kosolcharoen seconded to recommend that City Council exclude the projects that would potentially impact parking on Blaney, Miller, Bollinger and Stelling from the report. The motion failed with the following vote: Ayes: Kosolcharoen, Rao. Noes: Scharf, Fung, Lindskog. Abstain: None. Absent: None. MOTION: Lindskog moved and Scharf seconded that the Planning Commission adopt the draft resolution recommending that the City Council adopt the Active Transportation Plan as recommended by staff. The motion carried with the following vote: Ayes: Kosolcharoen, Scharf, Fung, Lindskog. Noes: Rao. Abstain: None. Absent: None. SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Rao moved to recommend they exclude the proposed bike lane project around Finch Avenue and the related streets around Cupertino High. (There was no second, and the motion was not considered). ADJOURNMENT At 9:38 p.m. Chair Kosolcharoen adjourned the regular Planning Commission Meeting. Minutes prepared by: Lindsay Nelson, Administrative Assistant