Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Appeals Call For Review topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Westminster Planning Commission backs new ‘call for review’ to allow appeals without stating reasons
Summary
The commission voted unanimously Nov. 5 to recommend that the City Council repeal and re-adopt Chapter 17.64 of the Westminster Municipal Code to add a 'call for review' procedure allowing commissioners or council members to initiate an appeal without submitting a reason, a change staff said reduces appearance of bias and unnecessary recusals.
Ken Fichtelman, principal planner for the City of Westminster, told the Planning Commission on Nov. 5 that staff is proposing to repeal and re-adopt Chapter 17.64 of the Westminster Municipal Code to add a new "call for review" procedure that allows a planning commissioner or city council member to initiate a review of a previously approved project without stating a reason. "We're introducing the call for review that will allow a planning commissioner or council member to appeal," Fichtelman said, adding that requiring a stated reason can create the appearance of bias and lead to recusals.
Staff said the proposal is mostly procedural cleanup aside from the new section (identified in staff materials as 17.64.0.101) and that the changes are not a project under CEQA. Commissioners asked why a redline edit was not provided; staff explained the chapter is being repealed and re-adopted rather than amended line-by-line, so a clean text is provided in the exhibits and the new "call for review" section is entirely new.
No members of the public spoke on the item. Commissioner Anderson moved to recommend approval of case number 2025-0227 to the City Council and to adopt a resolution repealing and re-adopting Chapter 17.64 to provide the call-for-review procedure and other minor amendments; Chair Hamadi seconded. On roll call the motion carried unanimously, with all five commissioners voting yes.
The Planning Commission's action is a recommendation to the City Council; the proposed code text will be considered by the council before any change becomes effective.
