10.10.23 PC meeting minutes - signed_
PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 I 7:30pm
City Hall Council Chamber
CALL TO ORDER
The Regular Planning Commission meeting of October 10, 2023 was called to order at 7:30 pm by
Chair Buchbinder, and the following proceedings were had to wit.
ROLL CALL
Members present:
Rob Eastwood, Director
Bill Seligmann, City Attorney
Stephen Rose, Senior Planner
Ken Ramirez, Administrative Analyst
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. Approval of Minutes of September 26, 2023 (Roll Call Vote)
➢ Meeting Minutes, 9/26/2023 (Regular Meeting)
➢ All commissioners present approved meeting minutes.
COMMUNICATIONS
None
AGENDA MODIFICATIONS OR POSTPONEMENTS
None
Planning Commissioners Present:
Adam Buchbinder, Chair
Alan Zisser, Vice Chair
Davis Fields
Michael Krey
Planning Commission Absent
Maggie Ostrowski
Cori Majewski
Matt Kamkar
Campbell Planning Commission Meeting Minutes – October 10, 2023 Page 2
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
This portion of the meeting is reserved for individuals wishing to address the Planning
Commission on matters of community concern that are not listed on the agenda. In the interest
of time, the Chair may limit speakers to five minutes. Please be aware that State law prohibits the
Commission from acting on non-agendized items, however, the Chair may refer matters to staff
for follow-up.
Opened and Closed Public Comment, no public comments were received.
PUBLIC HEARING
Note: Members of the public may be allotted up to two (2) minutes to comment on any public
hearing item. Applicants/Appellants and their representatives may be allotted up to a total of five
(5) minutes for opening statements and up to a total of three (3) minutes maximum for closing
statements. Items requested/recommended for continuance are subject to Planning Commission’s
consent at the meeting.
2. PLN-2023-155 – Study Session on Housing Overlay Districts and Related
Amendments
Study Session to review and provide feedback on the development of new Housing
Overlay zoning districts and related amendments to the Campbell Municipal Code and
Zoning Map. File No.: PLN-2023-155. Project Planner: Stephen Rose, Senior Planner.
Senir Planner Stephen Rose presented and facilitated a Study Session on Housing Overlay Districts
and Related Amendments.
Background and purpose of Study Session was stated as follows:
Campbell Planning Commission Meeting Minutes – October 10, 2023 Page 3
Part 1 of the Study Session covered the following:
Campbell Planning Commission Meeting Minutes – October 10, 2023 Page 4
Senior Planner Rose completed Part 1 of the Study Session and paused Study Session for Questions
/ Feedback from the Public and/or Planning Commission.
Chair Buchbinder opened and closed public comment
Policy Consideration #1: Should the AHOZ be designed to compete with, or complement, State
Density Bonus Law?
The Planning Commission was supportive of staff’s recommendation to establish a
“complementary” AHOZ. The Planning Commission recognized the benefits outlined by the
approach and noted that this approach was consistent with the majority of the jurisdictions
surveyed.
Policy Consideration #2: Establishing Local Priorities and Incentives (“Tradeoffs”) In developing
an AHOZ, the City must also establish a list of local priorities and identify appropriate incentives
to be offered in exchange
Campbell Planning Commission Meeting Minutes – October 10, 2023 Page 5
Several members of the Planning Commission questioned the importance of maintaining the City’s
maximum height limit and the relevance of the City Ballot Measure from over thirty years in the
past (1986). Instead, individual members of the Commission expressed greater interest in ensuring
mixed-use development and reasonable heights in the Downtown, achieving sufficiently
varied/modular design outcomes (i.e., avoiding “cookie cutter” development), and preserving
adjacency standards that serve to protect single-family areas. In terms of potential incentives, the
Planning Commission expressed concern with offering financial incentives, favoring other options
identified – with an emphasis on allowing for Ministerial (“By-Right”) Permit processing for
compliant projects. In establishing potential project incentives, the Planning Commission further
questioned whether the City could be more targeted in their application (i.e., waiving the
requirement to underground utilities for only specific properties, or for only projects of a certain
size). In response, staff advised that incentives could be established by the size, or number of units
produced by a project (noting that smaller projects tend to benefit more from waiving utility
undergrounding requirements), but rather assigning incentives on a site-by-site basis, to consider
broader policy approach – such as waiving utility undergrounding requirements except on key
image streets (i.e., Hamilton Avenue, Bascom Avenue, Winchester Boulevard, Campbell Avenue).
Policy Consideration #3: Identification of Policy Area
The Planning Commission supported the staff’s recommendation for a Citywide AHOZ excepting
single-family properties.
Part 2 and Part 3 of the Study Session covered the following:
Campbell Planning Commission Meeting Minutes – October 10, 2023 Page 6
The Planning Commission acknowledged the requirement to establish a Reuse Overlay and did
not provide further comment.
Campbell Planning Commission Meeting Minutes – October 10, 2023 Page 7
Senior Planner Rose completed Part 2 and Part 3 of the Study Session. Welcomed Questions /
Feedback from the Public and/or Planning Commission.
By-Right Overlay Option #1: Reuse Sites + Highest Density (1,067 units / 29 sites).
Under this approach, all of the reuse sites that are already subject to ministerial review (discussed
under II. above) would be also included in the By-Right Overlay.
By-Right Overlay Option #2: Reuse Sites + Lowest Density (1,039 units / 27 sites) 13 Packet Pg.
Housing Overlay Zoning Districts Page 12 of 15 Similar to Option 1, Option 2 would include all
eligible sites in the Reuse Housing Overlay, but instead of targeting high-density sites, include the
minimum number of low density sites (sites starting at 26-33 units per gross acre; First
Congressional Church on Hamilton) necessary to meet the City’s lower-income housing shortfall of
1,024 units. In total, Option 2 would provide for the ministerial review of 1,039 units on 27 sites.
Campbell Planning Commission Meeting Minutes – October 10, 2023 Page 8
By-Right Overlay Option #3 (Staff Rec.): Protect Mixed-Use (1,029 units/ 17 sites) Option 3 aims
to protect mixed-use sites.
Under this option, only one mixed-use site (located in the Campbell Plaza Shopping Center –
Safeway Site on Winchester Blvd.) would be impacted.
The Planning Commission expressed broad support for Option 3, generally finding that preserving
the requirement for mixed-use to be more important than providing the opportunity for a
discretionary review process. Individual members noted that the preservation of mixed-use may
not be as critical everywhere it is required (i.e., more important in Downtown than at Campbell
Plaza on Winchester Boulevard) and that it may be important to consider which sites are most
important to protect. In contrast with this point, other members of the Planning Commission felt
that it would be favorable to rely on existing maps identifying where mixed-use development
should be required, rather than revisiting the subject.
Staff will develop a refined list of potential priorities and concessions and solicit feedback on their
effectiveness from developers (including affordable housing developers). Further, staff will solicit
feedback from property owners of sites identified for potential inclusion in a Housing Overlay.
Accounting for this feedback, staff will return with completed Ordinances and Overlay Zones for
review by the Planning Commission, and consideration of adoption by the City Council, later this
year.
OLD BUSINESS
3. Ad hoc Subcommittees Discussion
The assembled ad hoc Subcommittees may provide updates of their activities, as
applicable, to the Planning Commission.
Economic Development Subcommittee for Planning Commission presented.
Campbell Planning Commission Meeting Minutes – October 10, 2023 Page 9
Commissioner Fields provided a recap on the goals and efforts of the subcommittee.
Principles for Permit updates will focus on:
• Identifying areas to streamline permitting for land uses as an overall efficiency
measure and responding to business feedback / market demand.
• Avoid streamlining of land use that require a more thoughtful / long range economic
development strategy
• Avoid streamlining land uses that require significant stakeholder engagement or that
have legacy issues.
• Use zoning tools with streamlining that prevent unintended consequences.
Next steps:
• Subcommittee will share full set of recommendations with respective stakeholders.
• Planning Commission will review and vote on the full set of recommendations during
the October 24, 2023 regular Planning Commission meeting.
• If approved, the recommendations will be included in the broader set of Economic
Development proposals that City Council will be reviewing, leading up to a vote in
early 2024.
Report of the Community Development Director
Director Eastwood reported that:
• Four semi-permanent parklets are nearing completing construction.
• Environment Program Specialist will start October 16, 2023.
• Housing Program Manager recruitment is close to being completed.
ADJOURNMENT
Adjourned meeting at 9:43 p.m. to the next Regular Planning Commission Meeting on Tuesday,
October 24, 2023, in the City Hall Council Chambers, 70 North First Street, Campbell, California and
via telecommunication.
PREPARED BY: _______________________________
Ken Ramirez, Administrative Analyst
APPROVED: ______________________________
Adam Buchbinder, Chair
ATTEST: ________________________________
Rob Eastwood, Secretary
Adam Buchbinder (Dec 1, 2023 02:38 PST)
10.10.23 PC meeting minutes
Final Audit Report 2023-12-01
Created:2023-10-25
By:Ken Ramirez (kenr@campbellca.gov)
Status:Signed
Transaction ID:CBJCHBCAABAAU4o-32pDC3Nuc03tUDevbrb7WanujS9C
"10.10.23 PC meeting minutes" History
Document created by Ken Ramirez (kenr@campbellca.gov)
2023-10-25 - 5:22:58 PM GMT
Document e-signed by Ken Ramirez (kenr@campbellca.gov)
Signature Date: 2023-10-25 - 5:23:55 PM GMT - Time Source: server
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Signer abuchbinder@google.com entered name at signing as Adam Buchbinder
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Document e-signed by Rob Eastwood (robe@campbellca.gov)
Signature Date: 2023-12-01 - 5:24:53 PM GMT - Time Source: server
Agreement completed.
2023-12-01 - 5:24:53 PM GMT