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Minutes-PC 1963/01/28~ ._ ... ` J ~`-~ ~~ ~ ADJWRNBD REGUTAR MBETING - ANAHBIM CITY PIANNING COD4~4ISSION JANUARY 28, 1963, 7:OO~P.M. ~ ! PUBLIC HHARING TO RBCHIVS TBSTIMONY FOR AND AGAINST THB MASTT,R OR GfiNffitAL PIAN I i PRB3ENT: CHAIRMAN: Gauer. CObAIISSIONBRS: Allred, Camp, Chavos, Marcoux, Mungall, Pebley, Perry. AB3SNT: COhAtISSIONBRS: Hapgood. ; i i PRB3HNT: PLANNING DIRECTClt: Richard A, Reese. i PIANNING COORDINATOR: Allan M. Shoff. ' DHPUTY CITY ATTORNEY: Furman Roberts. YIANNING COMMISSIONBR SHCRBTARY: Ann Krebs. INVOCATION: Reverend Stanley Herber, pastor, Free Methodist Church, gave the ~I Invocation. PLBDGB OF I ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Marcoux led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Plag, Chairman Gauer opened the hearing by reading from Title 7 of the State Plannir-g Law ~ governing the requirements in the preparation of a General Plan and explained the difference between a General plan and a Precise Plan. Chairman Gauer also explained that the Commission and staff had held numerous work . sessions which resulted in the Plan that is now being reviewed at public hearings. He stressed the importance of the hearings and the testimony from individuals and representatives of community groups. He also noted that the General Pian was dynar::c in nature and that there would be periodic reviews and recommended changes as a result of substantial changes in conditions or policies in the community. It was also noted that no property owner loses his right of application as a result of an adopted General Plan, that anyone wishing to do so could still file an appli~ation in the normal manner and it would be reviewed by the Commission and Council as it presentiy is. planning Director Richard Reese,gave a comprehensive review of the text contained on the printed ~'~eneral Plan, reviewing the objectives and policies of the Plan and illustratinf; the review with various exhibits. ~ Mr. Reese emphasized that many land development policies have been formulated dxring the City*s growth and that one oE the pcima=y purposes of the General Plan is to ~ fo'rmalize these policies and draw them together into s siilgle comp~ehensive document. He explained that the General Plan is but one of the many tools utilized by the .~ Planning Department and Planning Commission in provid~ing a service to the public. It was noted that persona seeking information oa any parcel ~f property would not only have the Generai Plan reviewed~ for development policy as it pertaias to the overall area, but. would also have reviewed land use maps, zoning maps, aerial photographs, precise planning studies relating to the specific area and specific information fre.m previous appiications for zoning action on properties in the area. He emphasized that the General Plan is not intended to provide detailed information and that specific information must reac out of these other documents. ~ - 1368-A - I ~ I . ; ~ - --r------ -- . , ~~,~~'~°`~°"~ . ~, , . , ~ r: ,, . , •. . ~ ~ ~ U ~ ADJ~~~ RBGtJIAR MHETING, Jannary 2g~ 1963, PROPOSED G8NffitAi, pIAN, Contiaued: 1368-B Mr. Reese noted that the Geaeral Plan made proposals oaly for a 34 square mile area lying west and north of the Santa Ana River and that a new Generai plaa of hill and ~ canyon areas is now in preparation for the area to the east. Mr. Reese reviewed the broad community goals statement of the Plan which noted the basic low density characteristic of Anaheim~s residential areas, the fact that Anaheim , is a~regional industrial employment ceater, that Anaheim is a regional tourist and ~ recreation ceater, that these three major land use factors give Anaheim its basic character and that detailed.objectives and proposals of the plan have a±tempted to maximize the potentials of these basic factora. ~~~ Mr. Reese reviewed the residential, industrial, commercial, commuaity facilities and circulation elements of the Plan, discussiag the sL~ecific objectives= policp statements, and proposals of each sub-element of the General ~lan. Emphasized were the necessity for protecting the integrity of Anaheim*s residential azd industrial areas and the Disneyland comaiercial recreation area. It was noted that the colors in the center city area merely represen'teQ a generalization of the present zoaing patterns and were aot proposals for land use siace thoae proposals will read out of the Center City Study now underway, It was noted that all but two of the school sites to serve the residents of the 34 square mile area have been acquired and that there was a need for a junior coliege site to serve the community. Mr. Reese noted that the acquisition of sites for the part system as proposed by the Cztizens Capital Improvement Committee has nearly been completed, that there is a present need for three aew park sites with an expansion of three others and for the exploration of joint use for school facilities ia certain areas where laad is no longer available for parks. A major proposal of the Plan for a "Riverview park" extending aloag the Santa Ana River from Ball Road and the Santa Ana Canyon was explained. The acquisition of sites for branch iibrariea, it was noted, is nearly complete with the one remainiag site to be acquired aear the intersection of x,incoln aad State College Boulevard. He stated a system of fire suh-stations will be completed upon the acquisition of three additional sites. With regard to the circulation element of the General Plan, it was noted that no designation had been made for the Route 171 Preeway, that there was close communicat3on with the 3tate Diviaion of Highways, and that we were assured of fuil participation in the study. The future desigaation of a right-of-way would be refl.ected in terms of an amendment to the General Plam. In conclusion Mr. Reese emphasized that the General Plan has ao power in itself, but relies upoa community understaadiag and support for its effectiveaeas. 1he Plaa merely repreaenta the objectives and policy goals of the community that must be carried out through intelligent programmiag and aound administration, He emphasized that the Plan must not be considered as the end, but the beginning of the City`a plaaning program. He noted that following the adoption of the General Plaa,preciae plaa studies will be developed of the maay problem areas itt the community and that the Zoning Ordinance would be revised to accomplish the objectives aad policy statements of the Piaa. Ia addition, the studies and data developed in coafuaction with the General Plaa will provide valuabie information which will be utilized in the programming of major public facilities. During 1963 and subaequent years, many studi2a wiil be completed, actiona taken aad aew policies formulated which will require review~and posaible amendment to the present proposals of the Plan. If, as the years go by, aerious considesation ia given to a11 propoaed changes and the p7.aa is maintained as a current dynamic document, the proposals oa the General Plan wiil more and more clearly represeat the often referred to "Commuaity Policy". r ~ ~ Y . r , , . , .... -- , ,, ,., ,. , , .. .. .., ,, . ~ . . , ~ . . - ,. '. . ,, . . . . . . "_ . .. _._ _.. , ~ , , . . - ~J~~ 1~G[JLAR M.BSTING, January 28, 1963, PROPOS,BD GHI~3RpL pypN~ Coatinued; 1368-C Chairman Gayer asked that any interested peraons ~resevc their questions for clarif- cation~ or expresa their approval or disapprovai of 2he proposed General plan. Mr. Gordon McCone, 218 Normandie Drive, representing thg Anaheim-Sunkist Civic Aasociatioa~ appeared before the Commisaioa aad read a letter from the Asaociation eadorsing the proposed General Plan, and further stated that the Ylan represented a significant accompliahmeat by the Planning Departmeat and planniag Commisaioa which wouid serve as a guide to the City in its determiaation of zoning matters. Mr. 1layne Reedstrum, S17 3. Palcon Street, appeared t•efore the Commission and asked for clarificatioa of the foiiaaing items: 1. How does the Citq propoae to uae precise plana aad studies and what studies are presently anticipated to carry out the General Plaa proposals? Chairman Gauer requested Mr. Reese to reply to the questioas. Mr.,Reese replied that the N:~cise plan aad zoaing program are the two major tools uaed to carry out the proposals of the Geaeral plaa, He aoted that upon adoption of the Plan, the Department intends to propose a fu11 tine precise planning function in the Zoniag Admiaistration Division to establish a community-wide series of precise plan studiea which would give detailed iaformation aad specific answers to maay problem zoniag areas. The Ceater City 8tudy is probably the largest precise plan program which will be under- taken by the City. It was aoted that the physical and economic portions of that study xe:e nearing completion aad that the plaaning phase would coremence at the beginniag of the next fiscal year. In addition, aunerous precise plan studies of prablem areas have been undertaten by the Urbaa Reaewal Conmittee appoiated by the City Couacil, 2. What is the relationship of the General Plan with regards to speeific zoning problema? Mr. Reese noted tbat the aew 2oaing Ordiaance will be one of the priacipal tools for carryiag out the policies of the General Plan aad that once policies have been adopted, it will be far easier to resolve specific zoning problems. 1b clarify the relatianship of the General Plan and the Zoniag Ordiaance~ Mr. Reese aoted that the firat step in the formulation of a new Zone is a atatenent of the purpose and iatent of that zone, aad the purpoae and iatent statement will repeat the policy statement or community ob,~ective as adopted oa the General Piaa. Poilowing this, the zone sets f<rth a list of permitted uses which are normailq characteristic of that particular typt of land uae area. This, in turn~ is foiloxed by a set of aite development staadards which set forth the minimum staadards of site developmeat eonsistent with the established quality in the City of Anaheia. By incorporating all of the Generai Plan policies into a series of land uae zonea, the City tranalates its oU,~ectives iato law. Mr. Richard Tevlin, 106 Bcho Place~ appeared before the Co~issioa, and asted Mr. Reese to elaborate more oa his ststement that the "strip commerciai" type of zoning was considered obsolete; did this meaa that it would not be aliowed? Mr. Reese repiied that whea the Generai Plan was being formuiated the Coamisaion determiaed that '"strip co~ercial" zoaiag vras ao loa~;er considered the ideal method of providiag comeercial facilities. That unified shoppiag ceaters could provide a more efficient' se~rvice for the reaideats of the coevmuaitq and that the Planning Commisaion policy was to diacourage "strip coamercial" and "spot zoaing" developzent. Mr. Tevlin then stated he approved the General Pian as it was propoaed. Mr. John i~lright~ 1620 South Buclid Avenue, appeared before the Commiaeion~ and stated he wished to complimeat a11 the persona who had participated in the.formulation and completioa of the propoaed Geaerai Piaa. ~ -- ---- --- ,.... . ...._ _ ..~.w.,.~ ~_ ~~~~. . . '~~~~~. C~ ~ t~ ~, • ADJOURNBD RHGULAR MBBTING, Jaauary 28, 1963, PROPOSBD GHNBRAL PLAN, Contiaued: 1368-D Mr. Wright further stated that there were many questiona and doubts regarding all the implications of the proposed General Plan, and now was the time to formulate a goo3 sound policy based on the followiag: 1. A park system which was naw considered one of the bes4 in the United States. 2. A Plan to resolve the problem of vacancies in existing shopping centers. He noted that many deveZopers had apparently anticipated a higher deasity of population to support the centers and that the population had in some cases not materialized. Mr. Wright felt that the City should consider a higher quality of multiple develop- ment and perhaps the introduction of this higher quality development would make possible an increase in density which would help support the shopping centers. ;, Mr. Wright noted thaL the Anaheim General ~lan had not made provision for the , reservation of agricultural lands, that more and more of Orange County was being a.bsorbed into residential areas, and that there was less and less chance for the continued use of tillable land for agricultural purposes. He felt that in the City's head-long rush to develop, this most important asset had been forgotten. i Mr, John Simpson, 3309 Deerwood Drive, representiag the Westridge Home Owners Associ- ation, appeared before the Commission, and stated that he was concerned about a small ~ingle family area on the north side of Orange between %nott and the Western High School ~ which was beiag surrouaded by multiple family development, that the single family tract { had been there some time, and that although they did not disapprove of multiple family : developments, they would like to have the developments limited to single story, so that ~ the residenFs of the tract wouid not feel as though they were being engulfed by multi- story all around them. Mr. Simpson further stated that with so many developments being proposed for higher density, the problems of schools aad recreational facilities, now being overtaxed, wouid become intolerable due to crowded conditions. Mr. Reese noted that two-story construction was not permitted by Code adjacent to eingle family development, that 150 feet was the minimum required space before two-story construction could be anproved. Chairman Gauer stated the Commission and the Department would expiore the pos~sib.ility of projecting one-story low-medium density for that area weat of Beach Boulevard and south of Orange Avenue lying north of the Plood Controi Channel. Mr. Lewis Disinger, 1825 West La Palma Aveaue, appeared before the Commission and inquired whether the proposed General Plaa had considered other than the commercial- professional development for the north side of La Palma Avenue west of Auclid Street to the proposed site of Brigham Young University, and whether the zoning action initiated by the City Council had been re£lected for that area on. the proposed General Plan. Mr. Reese,in reply, stated that the muitiple ownership of the properties in questioa together with the sma11 size of the lots made unified development difficuit for this area. He noted that during the work sessioas on the Plan, the Commission hoped that Brigham Young University would have a positive effect on this area, making it usable for other than strip retail commercial, and that this had been reflected in the commercial- professional designation on the Plan. Howe~er, since the recent action of the Commission and Councii =eading a Resolution of Intent for C-1 on these properties, it was probably proper that the Commiasion could reconsider this proposal at their wosk session following the second public hearing. ~ ' ' Mr. Haroid Hyman, 1114 Groveland Place, representing the Rio Vista Home Owners Association, appeared before the Co~ission and inquir~d of Mr. Reese whether there was a special planning philosophy relating to the proper zone between commercial anG single family developments. Mr. Reese stated that there were numerous ways in which a transi- tion between a commercial and residential area mig:.s take place. The only planning philosophy which might be stated was that opea space is the only effective transition between dissimilar uses; that open spaces can be provided by streets. highways, open chsnnels or easements. It could even be provided in terms of a large parking area separated from residentiai areas by a six (6) foot block wail and suitabie landscaping. ~ ~ ~..~.~,... ~__--s _ ----____..__ __ _._ ___ ----~,-..--.- -~._..., . :~ ~..:~~~ ._ ~ ___ c~ ~ ~ . . - ~ ~~ ~ ADJOURNBD RBGULAR IrIDSTING, Jaauary 28, 1963, PROPOSHD GBNBRAL PLAN, Continued: 1368 B Yt was noted that in the recently adopted industrial aones, where the industry abuts residential areas, a block wall is required as weil as a setback equal to the height of the bnilding; and that although this did not provide for ideal separation between dissimilar uses,it did provide the only measure of protectioa possibie uttder these conditions. Mr. Hyman also asked whether aaything had been done to maintain open space buffera betweea commercial and iadustrial deveiopments aad single family areas. It was noted that the present General Plan proposals call for the separatxoa of uses at open space buffers,such as, streets and highways, Mr. Reese further stated that historically, cities have teaded to separate dissimilar uses by multiple family zones, aad that this was no longer recognized as sound community planning since, in effect, it was an intent of buffer with a"wall of people". He noted that contemporary zoning ordinances recognized the open space concept through provisions for setbacks, walis, landscaping, and the regulation of signs and lighting, and that the General Plan had specifically attempted 4o take advantage of the open space provided by the streets, highways, and freeways wherever possible. 11vo letters, one from the Chamber of Commerce and the other from the Anaheim Board of Realtors, were read, in which approval of the proposed General Plan was given by both groups. Mr. A. L. Wolfert, 3404 West Ball Road, appeared before the Commission, and inquired if the Planning Department in their maay contacts with the Department of Highways, had considered the use of the =ailroad right-of-wuy which was s^_idom used, b3secting north- west to southeast on the westeriy portion of the proposed General Plan, siace vacant iand was fast becoming unavailable for future freeway rights-of-way. Chairman Gauer stated that the railroad right-of-way had not been considered by the Commission, nor did he believe the Department of Highways projected any possible use for the right-of-way, since no plaas were projected for another freeway in the general direction of the railroad right-of-way. Commissioner Perry noted that an important factor to keep in mind was that the General Plan not only indicated proposed land use for the Anaheim City area, some thirty-four (34) miles, but that land use proposals for other cities had beea reflected on the Plan for a total area of some sixty (60) square miles. 11ivs the City of Anaheim could review hroposed land uses within the City and other communities to assure their general compatioility with the long-range community objectives r~presented on the Plan. Commissioner Marcoux offered a motion to set the second hearing for the proposed General Plan at 7:00 0'Clock P.M., Monday, Pebruary 25, 1963 in the Council Chamber, and further moved that the Adjourned Regular Meeting be adjouraed. Commissioner Pebley seconded the motion. MOTION CARRIBD, Ths meeting adjourned at 9:00 O'Clock P.M. Respectfully submitted, /~~~~'1'/~-'~i~../ pNN SRHBS, 3ecretarq Anaheim Planning Commission * * * . .- - . _..._. _ . _ _. .._. ,. ..,.,~_~ - - ' ,._ , ...~,,,...w.,~....~....-.,...._...~~.,.~..... -.~ ~~- .. . ,__