[1. CALL TO ORDER]
[3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
[00:00:41]
IT'S 2025 MEETING AND ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS, HEARING AND SEEING NONE.
THE CHAIR WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
ON THE MINUTES WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GRAHAM AND A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER PINEDA.
PLEASE VOTE IT IS PASSED BY A MAJORITY VOTE.
[a. Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments – Chapter 28, Article 1 (Administration and Procedures); Article 5 (Special Districts; Overlays); Article 8 (Parking); Article 9 (Signs); Article 12 (Landscape, Walls, and Fences) — Application PL-25-0291]
WE ARE READY TO PROCEED TO ITEM FOUR, A PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS STAFF.MAY I HAVE THE REPORT FOR THAT ITEM? GOOD EVENING CHAIR, VICE CHAIR COMMISSIONERS.
I AM MONICA BRTI, SENIOR PLANNER.
ITEM FOUR, A ZONING CODE TEXT AMENDMENT FOR CITY CENTER DISTRICT REMOVAL APPLICATION PL DASH 25 DASH 0 2 9 1.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS TO REVIEW THE PROPOSED CITY INITIATED ZONING CODE, TEXT AMENDMENT, CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING, AND FORWARD A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
BEFORE WE DISCUSS FURTHER ABOUT THE CITY CENTER'S ZONING, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST PRESENT A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF THE CITY CENTER ZONING DISTRICT.
THE CITY CENTER'S ZONING DISTRICT WAS ADDED TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE IN 2009.
OVER TIME, MORE THAN TWO 50 ACRES WERE REZONED TO CITY CENTER DISTRICT, SHOWN IN BLUE ON THIS GRAPHIC.
AND THEN IN SEPTEMBER, 2019, THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED THE BOULEVARD ZONING DISTRICT WITH THE GOAL OF CREATING A VIBRANT URBAN CORE AND ULTIMATELY REPLACING THE CITY CENTER ZONING DISTRICT.
WITH THIS ACTION, THE BOULEVARD ZONING DISTRICT BOUNDARY WAS ESTABLISHED.
THE BOUNDARY SHOWN HERE IN PURPLE BECAUSE PARTICIPATION IN THE BOULEVARD WAS VOLUNTARY.
APPROXIMATELY 79 ACRES INITIALLY STILL REMAINED UNDER CITY CENTER ZONING DISTRICT THAT YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THIS GRAPHIC.
IN AUGUST, 2000, UH, 22, THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE REMAINING CITY CENTER DISTRICT WAS REZONED TO PLAN AREA DEVELOPMENT FOR FUSE 6, 2 3.
AND THEN IN NOVEMBER, 2025, THE FINAL PARCEL WITH THE CITY CENTER'S DISTRICT ZONING DESIGNATION WAS ALSO REZONED TO A PLAN AREA DEVELOPMENT FOR AVONDALE TECH CENTER.
SO THESE ACTIONS TRIGGERED THE REQUIREMENT OF SECTION 28 91 K, WHICH MANDATE THE REMOVAL OF CITY CENTERED DISTRICT FROM THE ZONING CODE.
ONCE NO PROPERTIES REMAIN WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
AS A RESULT, SUBSECTION K, WHICH CONTAINS THE CITY CENTER DISTRICT LAND USERS AND THE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS WOULD BE DELETED AS PART OF THE PROPOSED TEXT AMENDMENT.
THE AMENDMENT WOULD ALSO REMOVE ALL REMAINING REFERENCES TO THE CITY CENTER DISTRICT THROUGHOUT THE CODE AND REPLACE THEM WITH REFERENCES TO THE BOULEVARD, WHEREVER IT'S APPLICABLE.
STAFF FINDS THAT THE PROPOSED TEXT AMENDMENT IS NECESSARY TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE ZONING CODE AND WILL IMPROVE ITS USABILITY AND ENHANCE OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE.
IN TERMS OF THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, ALL REQUIRED NOTIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED TO DATE, NO PUBLIC COMMENTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED BY THE STAFF, AND WITH THAT STAFF IS RECOMMENDING MOTION TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF APPLICATION
[00:05:01]
PL DASH 25 DASH 0 2 9 1.A REQUEST FOR TEXT AMENDMENT TO THE CITY OF AVONDALE ZONING ORDINANCE FOR THE REASONS SET FORTH IN THE STAFF REPORT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? FOR THE STAFF HEARING AND SEEING NONE, WE'LL PROCEED TO OPENING THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THIS ITEM, ARE THERE ANY REQUESTS TO SPEAK? THANK YOU, CHAIR.
WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY REQUEST TO SPEAK, BUT IF THERE IS ANYONE IN THE PODIUM WHO OR IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, YOU MAY PROCEED TO THE PODIUM HEARING AND SEEING NONE.
I WILL NOW CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THIS ITEM.
AND THAT COMPLETES OUR PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS. WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM FIVE.
MR. CHAIR, WE NEED YOU TO PROVIDE A MOTION AND A SECOND AND WE SURE DO NEED TO DO THAT, DON'T WE? I'M SORRY.
THE CHAIR WILL NOW ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON THIS ITEM.
WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER PANDA AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GUZMAN.
UM, DO WE NEED TO READ THE MOTION OUT LOUD? NOT NECESSARY.
THE MOTION IS PASSED BY A MAJORITY VOTE OF SIX TO ZERO.
NOW WE'RE FINISHED WITH THAT ITEM.
[5. COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENTS]
ITEM FIVE ON THE AGENDA COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENTS.UH, I JUST HAVE ONE ON MONDAY EVENING THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF, UH, CHAIR, UH, COMMISSIONER MCBURNEY AND THE VICE CHAIR COMMISSIONER GRAHAM FOR THE YEAR 2026.
AS THIS IS MY LAST NIGHT ON THE COMMISSION.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS HAVE ANY COMMENTS? I DO.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK, UH, CHAIR WHITE FOR HIS SERVICE, UH, TO THIS BOARD.
UH, IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO WORK WITH YOU AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, TAKING OVER YOUR ROLE IN THE FUTURE.
ANY OTHERS? THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID.
IT'S BEEN MY HONOR TO SERVE, UH, ITEM
[6. PLANNING DIVISION REPORT]
SIX PLANNING DIVISION REPORT.UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
UM, FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER, WE DID RECEIVE 18, UH, NEW PLANNING APPLICATIONS, GIVING US A TOTAL OF 130 ACTIVE CASES.
AND I JUST WANTED TO ADD ON THE BE BEHALF OF THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT, WE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR HEARTFELT APPRECIATION, UH, TO CHAIR WHITE FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, UM, ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION IN THESE LAST SIX YEARS OF SERVICE.
UM, YOU'VE BEEN A PART OF A LOT OF GREAT PROJECTS FOR AVONDALE AND YOU WILL BE MISSED.
AND WITH THAT, I JUST WANTED TO WISH YOU ALL A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY AND WE WILL SEE YOU IN THE NEW YEAR.
[7. CALENDAR]
ITEM SEVEN, UH, CALENDAR.THE NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING IS JANUARY 21ST, 2026.
AND MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GRAHAM AND A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER LOPEZ.