Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the C U Permit Modification topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Escondido zoning administrator tables church CUP modification after applicant asks for more time
Summary
Escondido Zoning Administrator Veronica Morones on Sept. 24 tabled a request from Christ Community Reformed Church to modify a previously approved conditional use permit that would remove classroom (preschool) use from a 2,400-square-foot modular building and restrict it to ancillary administrative and Sunday school uses.
Escondido Zoning Administrator Veronica Morones on Sept. 24 tabled a request from Christ Community Reformed Church to modify a previously approved conditional use permit that would remove classroom (preschool) use from a 2,400-square-foot modular building and restrict it instead to ancillary administrative and Sunday school uses.
The request, presented by Principal Planner Ivan Flores, would not change the structure or location of the modular building approved under Planning Commission PL23-0174. Flores told the zoning administrator the project "does not include a physical expansion on the site other than a change of operation for the previously approved existing modular building" and is exempt from further CEQA review under Section 15301.
Flores said the original Planning Commission approval allowed the addition of a 2,400-square-foot, single-story modular building and that the preschool on site currently has a capped enrollment of 50 children. The church and school operate on different schedules: staff said the preschool operates roughly 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., while the church operates about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
During the hearing, applicant representatives asked for more time to work with staff on the draft conditions of approval. Gary Cass, representing the church, told the zoning administrator the architect requested additional time "to work with staff to make sure...where everybody's on the same page." Veronica Morones granted the request to table the item back to staff for follow-up, explaining she could not continue to a date certain because the Zoning Administrator meeting schedule is not fixed.
A homeowner adjacent to the church, John Anthony Gagliano, spoke during public comment and said the modular buildings "were brought in 1 night stuck on stilts blocking sunset views from the home wheel." He asked that the city ensure approved landscaping and screening are installed and considered relocating the buildings farther south on the site.
Morones and staff responded that the requested modification does not include relocating the modular building; any relocation would require a separate review and approval. Staff also noted a condition requiring tall-growing shrubs along the eastern side of the modular building but said the condition does not specify a maximum or minimum height. Morones clarified that the City of Escondido does not regulate private views and that buildings in the R-1 zoning district may be built to the districts maximum height (staff said the R-1 maximum is 35 feet) and that the modular building is about 15 feet tall.
Outcome and next steps: The zoning administrator tabled the item back to staff so the applicant and city staff can work through the draft conditions of approval. Morones said the item will be renoticed at the applicants expense to property owners within 500 feet and in a newspaper of general circulation; no new Zoning Administrator date was set at the hearing. Ivan Flores will work with the applicant on invoicing and timelines.
