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Planning Commission

February 5, 2025 ·6:00 PM Final

City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, Merced Civic Center, 678 W. 18th Street, Merced, CA 95340

Agenda PDF 📹 Watch video Official record ↗

Agenda — 22 items

  1. 1 NOTICE TO PUBLIC
  2. 2 WELCOME TO THE MEETING OF THE MERCED PLANNING COMMISSION
  3. 3 At least 72 hours prior to each regular Planning Commission meeting, a complete agenda packet is available for review on the City's website at www.cityofmerced.org or at the Planning Division Office, 678 W. 18th Street, Merced, CA 95340. All public records relating to an open session item that are distributed to a majority of the Commission will be available for public inspection at the Planning Division Office during regular business hours. The Planning Commission also serves as the Board of Zoning Adjustment and the Design Review/Historic Preservation Commission. Assisted hearing devices are available for meetings held in the Council Chamber.
  4. 4 PUBLIC COMMENT: OBTAIN SPEAKER CARD FROM THE CLERK
  5. 5 Members of the audience who wish to address the Planning Commission are requested to complete a speaker card available at the podium against the right-hand side of the Council Chamber. Please submit the completed card to the Clerk before the item is called, preferably before the meeting begins. Speakers will be called up, 3 to 5 at a time, in the order in which the forms are received. Please use the microphone and state your name and city of residence for the record. For permits, licenses, and other entitlements, the applicant will be allowed 15 minutes (including rebuttal), the appellant/leader of the opposition will be allowed 15 minutes (including rebuttal), and all other speakers shall have 3 minutes each, unless the number of speakers is over 10, which in that case, comments shall be limited to 2 minutes each. For all other issues, for 3 or less speakers, 3 minutes each and for over 10 speakers, 2 minutes each shall be allotted. A timer clock is located above the City Council dais illuminating the remaining time. Once the buzzer sounds, please be courteous and conclude your remarks. Material may be emailed to planningweb@cityofmerced.org no later than 1 PM on the day of the meeting. Please specify which portion of the agenda you are commenting on, for example, Item # or Oral Communications. Your comments will be presented to the Planning Commission at the appropriate time. Any correspondence received after 1 PM will be distributed to the Planning Commission and retained for the official record.
  6. A. CALL TO ORDER ▶ jump to 0:01
  7. A.1. Moment of Silence ▶ jump to 0:07
  8. A.2. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag ▶ jump to 0:21
  9. B. ROLL CALL ▶ jump to 0:49
  10. C. PUBLIC COMMENT ▶ jump to 2:45
  11. 11 Members of the public who wish to speak on any matter not listed on the agenda may speak during this portion of the meeting and will be allotted 3 minutes. The Chairperson may, at their discretion, reduce the time to 2 minutes if there are more than 10 speakers, in order to accommodate as many speakers as possible. State law prohibits the Planning Commission from acting at this meeting on any matter raised during the public comment period. Members of the public who wish to speak on a matter that is listed on the agenda will be called upon to speak during discussion of that item. Please submit a Request to Speak card prior to the item being called.
  12. D. CONSENT CALENDAR ▶ jump to 3:07
  13. 13 Adoption of the Consent Calendar may be made with one motion of the Planning Commission provided that any Planning Commission member, individual, or organization may request removal of an item from the Consent Calendar for separate consideration. If a request for removal of an item from the Consent Calendar has been received, the item will be discussed and voted on separately. With Consent items, there is generally no staff presentation but staff is available for questions.
  14. D.1 SUBJECT: Planning Commission Minutes of January 22, 2025 ACTION: Approving and filing the Planning Commission Minutes of January 22, 2025 25-117 approved Pass
  15. E. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ACTION ITEMS
  16. 16 Members of the public who wish to speak on public hearings listed on the agenda will be heard when the Public Hearing is opened, except on Public Hearing items previously heard and closed to public comment. After the public has commented, the item is closed to further public comment and brought to the Commission for discussion and action. Further comment will not be received unless requested by the Commission.
  17. E.1 SUBJECT: General Plan Amendment #24-17, Zone Change #436, Site Utilization Plan Revision #19 to Planned Development #4, Site Utilization Plan Revision #14 to Planned Development #42, and Site Utilization Plan Revision #8 to Planned Development #46 - , initiated by the City of Merced, to change the General Plan and Zoning designations for thirty (30) sites totaling approximately 94.96 acres. The general plan amendment and zone change of these sites is necessary to accommodate the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) shortfall. The RHNA shortfall is the remaining RHNA once planned and approved units (pipeline projects) and projected ADU development is considered. Pursuant to California Housing Law, the City must demonstrate the availability of enough sites (with appropriate zoning) to allow for the development of the RHNA shortfall. **PUBLIC HEARING** ACTION: PLANNING COMMISSION: Recommendation to City Council Approve/Disapprove/Modify 1) Environmental Review #24-42 (General Plan EIR Addendum) (Sites A through DD) 2) General Plan Amendment #24-17 (Sites A through DD) 3) Zone Change #436 (Sites A through V) 4) Site Utilization Plan Revision #19 to P-D #4 (Site W) 5) Site Utilization Plan Revision #8 to P-D #46 (Site X) 6) Site Utilization Plan Revision #14 to P-D #42 (Sites Y, Z, AA, BB, CC, & DD) CITY COUNCIL: Approve/Disapprove/Modify 1) Environmental Review #24-42 (General Plan EIR Addendum) (Sites A through DD) 2) General Plan Amendment #24-17 (Sites A through DD) 3) Zone Change #436 (Sites A through V) 4) Site Utilization Plan Revision #19 to P-D #4 (Site W) 5) Site Utilization Plan Revision #8 to P-D #46 (Site X) 6) Site Utilization Plan Revision #14 to P-D #42 (Sites Y, Z, AA, BB, CC, & DD) SUMMARY The City of Merced’s 6th cycle Housing Element update includes a commitment to rezone sites to accommodate the City’s share of the regional housing need pursuant to State law. Thirty (30) sites were considered for rezoning. Ultimately, Planning staff is recommending approval of the changes in land use designation and rezone of twenty-seven (27) sites (totaling 89.13 acres), dispersed across the City to allow for increased housing density. RECOMMENDATION Planning staff recommends the Planning Commission recommend approval to the City Council of the Addendum to the General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (Environmental Review #24-42) for Sites A through DD, General Plan Amendment #24-17 for Sites A through DD with the exception of Sites G, R and S (totaling 5.83 acres) which are recommended for denial, Zone Change #436 for Sites A through V with the exception of Sites G, R and S which are recommended for denial, Site Utilization Plan Revision #19 to Planned Development #4 for Site W, Site Utilization Plan Revision #8 to Planned Development #46 for Site X, and Site Utilization Plan Revision #14 to Planned Development #42 for Site Y (as modified herein) and Sites Z, AA, BB, CC, and DD. Planning Commission Options The Planning Commission will be holding a public hearing and voting separately on the above applications for each individual site. The Planning Commission has the option to recommend approval or denial of the proposed General Plan and Zoning changes for each of the thirty (30) sites. For those Planning Commissioners who may have a conflict of interest regarding any of the sites, the Planning Commissioner will need to recuse himself when that site’s public hearing is called and exit the Chambers for the duration of that item. City staff will be providing guidance to the Commission regarding these conflicts prior to the meeting. There may be suggestions from the public regarding rezoning additional sites. Because of the public noticing requirements, the Planning Commission cannot take any action on such rezones, but can recommend to the City Council that staff be directed to consider additional sites in the future. The same can be said for recommending programs, like making residential uses allowed uses in commercial zones and other suggestions that may be raised at the hearing(s). 25-096 ▶ jump to 4:28
  18. E.2 SUBJECT: Cancellation of February 19, 2025, Planning Commission Meeting due to a lack of items and March 5, 2025, Planning Commission Meeting due to the League of California Cities Planning Commissioners Academy ACTION: Cancel the Planning Commission Meetings of February 19, 2025 and March 5, 2025 25-116 approved Pass ▶ jump to 96:07
  19. F. INFORMATION ITEMS
  20. F.1 SUBJECT: Report by Temporary Director of Development Services of Upcoming Agenda Items ACTION Information only. 25-119 ▶ jump to 96:32
  21. F.2 SUBJECT: Calendar of Meetings/Events Feb. 3 City Council, 6:00 p.m. 5 Planning Commission, 6:00 p.m. 18 City Council, 6:00 p.m. (Tuesday) 19 Planning Commission, 6:00 p.m. (To Be Cancelled) 25 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, 4:00 p.m. Mar. 3 City Council, 6:00 p.m. 5 Planning Commission, 6:00 p.m. (To Be Cancelled) 17 City Council, 6:00 p.m. 19 Planning Commission, 6:00 p.m. 25-118 ▶ jump to 96:35
  22. G. ADJOURNMENT adjourned Pass ▶ jump to 99:02