The Glendora Planning Commission has several items of interest scheduled for discussion during the Tuesday, May 5, meeting.
Drought Restrictions Update
City Staff is set to provide the Planning Commission with a status report concerning Governor Jerry Brown’s Executive Order on emergency drought restrictions. Brown’s order from April 1 directs the State Water Resources Control Board to oversee a statewide 25 percent reduction in water consumption by Feb. 2016, which means drastic cuts for local water agencies like Glendora.
Condominium Development – Vermont and Carroll avenues
The Planning Commission will discuss and vote to recommend the Glendora City Council approve a zone amendment, development plan review, tentative tract map, minor conditional use permit and demolition of exiting buildings to make way for 40 condominiums.
The project by Watt Communities, LLC would bring the condominiums to 255 S. Vermont Ave.; and 296, 300 and 308 W. Carroll Ave. The Planning Commission is recommending the City Council eliminate the mixed-use development provision from the above properties in the Towne Center Mixed Use district.
The two buildings that would be removed are a 650-square-foot home and 22,184-square-foot warehouse both built in 1910.
The two-story, detached condos would range in size from 1,634 to 1,766 square feet.
City Staff is seeking the zone amendment change from mixed-use to residential because they feel the “mixed use requirement is not sound policy and should be evaluated at a more project-specific level rather than a blanket requirement for all residential development,” according to the Planning Commission’s agenda item.
The City Council could still vote against the zone amendment and require the developer to incorporate a mixed-use element, City Staff said.
Approval of Final Tract Map for Long-Awaited Gladstone Townhomes
The city and developers are continuing work on a 21-unit townhome condominium project at Gladstone Street and Bonnie Cove Avenue.
The Project by Olson Urban Housing would bring the condos to a 
currently-vacant plot of land.
After two years of work between the developer and city building, safety, engineering and planning staff, the Commission may seek that the City Council approve the final tract map for the parcel at 447 E. Gladstone Street.
The project was approved on Sept. 24, 2013.
The project was first brought before staff in spring of 2013 as a 23-unit development to change zoning and General Plan land use for four properties and to develop one, with future development on the three remaining parcels happening in the future.
However, the Planning Commission convinced Olson Urban to agree to the zone and General Plan land use changes for the one parcel at 447 E. Gladstone.
Two years ago, City officials were weary of the original project due to zoning issues dating back nearly 50 years.
In the 1960s, the land that was annexed into Glendora was zoned for medical use. The rest of the area was zoned for single-family homes, according to city records.
Officials previously stated that the original project would not be compatible with the existing single-story homes in the neighborhood and would not “provide a positive contribution in the future physical quality of the city,” officials said.
Amongst the 53 conditions of approval for the current project were conditions that Olson Urban was required to meet before approval of the final tract map, which have been met, City Staff said.
The Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 116 E. Foothill Blvd.
