Porterville staff: proposed 20-unit duplex project lacks 24 parking stalls; multiple infrastructure requirements noted

Porterville’s Project Review Committee on an unspecified date reviewed a resubmittal for a multifamily project proposing 10 duplexes (20 units) on APN 247-170-032, east of North Jay Street near Mulberry Avenue, and found the plan short by 24 parking stalls and requiring multiple site improvements.

Planning staff said the site is zoned RM-2 (medium density residential) with a general-plan land-use designation of medium-density residential. “The development is not showing the adequate required parking, which will require to provide an additional 24 stalls,” Oscar Cepeda, chairperson and associate planner, said. Cepeda summarized the development code’s parking standard as two stalls per multifamily unit, one of which must be covered and designated to the unit, plus one guest stall per five units.

The committee and staff identified a set of code-driven requirements the applicant must address. Planning noted that units adjacent to the street must be oriented toward that street; staff suggested this could be achieved by relocating a patio to the west side of a front duplex. Landscaping must meet the standards in Chapter 303 of the Porterville development code, and all project lighting must comply with section 300.07. Trash enclosures are required for developments of four units or more and must comply with section 300.13; fences and freestanding walls must comply with section 300.03. Signage would be limited to one building-mounted sign and one monument sign with a cumulative area not exceeding 32 square feet, staff said.

Engineering staff said frontage improvements along J Street will be required, including curb and gutter, a landscape strip and an offset sidewalk, and a streetlight. “The furnace improvements will be required. So curb gutter, landscape strip, and offset sidewalk. There’ll be a streetlight need in there,” Javier Sanchez, engineering and project management director, said.

The Fire Marshal, Clayton Dignam, outlined fire-safety requirements for multifamily development: hydrant spacing no greater than 300 feet as a hose would lay, a required fire-department access roadway and turnaround meeting Appendix D of the 2022 California Fire Code, visible marking and signage for fire lanes, and a requirement that the duplexes be protected with NFPA 13D fire sprinkler systems. Dignam also advised that if the project requires more than two on-site hydrants the hydrant mains must be looped; if only two are required, two connections may be acceptable.

Refuse staff said curbside service is not appropriate for the development and requested two triple-bin trash enclosures, one near the entrance and one near the end of a hammerhead turnaround, to provide accessible refuse service for residents. Water utility staff said a backflow device will be required after the domestic meter for landscape irrigation and another backflow device if a private fire line is run from the public right-of-way.

City staff said the applicant will receive a consolidated letter summarizing each department’s preliminary comments within two to three weeks and should resubmit plans addressing parking, landscaping, trash enclosures and the fire- and water-related items noted by staff.

No formal action or vote was taken during the committee’s review; staff comments were presented as preliminary review items.