Planning Commission Regular Meeting

public comment Larry

Good evening. Thank you for everybody what everybody does about a month ago, I sent an email regarding Chapter 10 on the VMU Regarding four usages that are required to have C UPS a deli a flower shop a stationer and I believe there was one other but I can't remember I really would like think that because of the lack of service businesses we have in the city That these type of businesses Have no reason to happen you to see up to go into the VMU. I mean maybe when the VMU was built or set up Certain businesses were protected by the CUP which would make sense stuff to me To keep other people out As a reason to vote for it, but that reason has come and gone those businesses don't exist in the VMU And there's no reason to have a CUP because a CUP takes people forever an opening of business is time value money so if you could just Add them back to permitted or add them as permitted versus CUP required It might make sense just to make it easier To open a business considering all the other issues, but just that one thing.

So thank you

Thank you, Larry. Is there anyone online Sherry? No thank you. OK moving to the consent calendar. Minutes of the meeting Planning Commission meeting with January 7th 2026. Are there any additions or corrections? I would take a motion to approve them

Motion to approve the agenda or that the

minutes

Thank

you

roll call Sherry Reichman

yes,

Chesley. Yes Murphy. Yes Okay moving on to the Public hearing for item two, which is a design review permit DRP 25-010 and conditional use permit for the remodel and expansion of an outdoor dining facility previously approved by the Planning Commission through a conditional use permit. At the rear of a newly establishing restaurant called Ojai Mountain Farm at 242 East Ojai Avenue.

We will open the public hearing for this item at this time and I have two cards, Brian Akins first.

Good evening Planning Commission commissioners nice to be with you tonight and staff who are here So I'm here on item number two. I realized that it's being continued. I am here as the physical portion of the Email that was sent out by my fellow Commissioner Craig Walker I'm here in his stead because he was unable to be here tonight to represent himself And that is about a subject that I think I've now been to four or five PC or HPC meetings in Been unable to address.

I do encourage people to find that article This looks like this has been being continued to a further date. That's will give people the background clocks not on background in order to be prepared for a Thank you in order to be prepared for a future hearing on this item You know, I kind of I kind of think of this is and in the way that we've been limited as the elephant in the arcade so if you don't know what that means find out and So again It's been very difficult I've been on this my twelfth year on the Commission. I can't remember being muzzled before and so just ask people to Find out the information And be prepared a way in on whichever that Side they feel like thank you. Thank you very

much Larry Steingold

This outdoor dining facility and the freezer, more of the freezer than the space I think, the fences changes the feeling, the look of the back of the arcade. It now turns into the back of a restaurant, the back of an industrial building. That's all it is now. Now it's a walk-in freezer. They need more space. Okay, you don't want to build it inside? Build it outside.

I understand why but this doesn't do justice to the arcade. This city has spent a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of effort making the arcade what it is. Do I really want to have to go past multiple freezers because now it's one and yes it's another and then someone else wants something else and they keep chipping away Okay, so I'm going to talk a little bit about what we're doing here.

You know, you've got the Chinese restaurants. You've got the Italian. You've got the French. You've got the German. You got the Mexican. In the back of all them, you get giant mushrooms. You have got fences. You have got freezers. And yes, this is the worst look you can get. But this is just a beginning. So I plead with you to say, hey, this is not what's right. It may make sense for the business—I get it—not against the business, but this is not the way to do it.

OK, in my view because it encumbers the rest of the arcade. It's like other things that allow once you let the cow out of the barn, the rest of the cows are following right or whatever. Call it a slippery slope and thank you.

Thank you, Larry. Do you want to say anything, Lucas, before we go to the continuation of this item?

Before the Commission deliberates and then takes makes it makes a recommendation I just would identify that recently I did receive word that there were two council members that have asked this item to be called up So it will be before the City Council at a future meeting in the very near future

Near future. Did you say

yes, I can't give a specific date because I don't have that in front of me But yes

It's holding up the possibility of a business in town opening to a wider audience Of customers, so I hope that we can get this on City Council's Agenda very quickly and back on our agenda very quickly

mindful of that. Certainly

Could I have a motion to continue this item Do you have comments first?

No comment. Well, is the

look like one?

One question is, is the what's going before the city council just the freezer and electrical box or the whole thing?

The whole thing.

Oh yeah. Is that so it is that something that they're going to see as property owner or as the regulatory agency?

That'll be teased out during the discussion yes.

Kim would you

oh, yes for the audience that we might have

out there. Okay, Kingman City Council I just want to let you know that in the current working agenda that came out today We do have this on as February 10th It will be coming to the council. Oh good. So if everything stays that's what the date is great

Thank You Kim Okay, then I would the chair would entertain a motion on this item

I make a motion. To continue to item two

an uncertain date

to answer and it.

My second. Roll call please Sherry Chesley yes right Schmidt Murphy yes okay now we have we're

Well, we've already made the announcement at the beginning that item's been taken off calendar. Yes. So it would have to be re-noticed. Vice Chair Chesley had identified that yes he does have a financial conflict when it had to...

Okay so what do we do with it then? There

is no action that needs to be taken. No action. You approved an agenda that no longer has this item on it. Correct.

Perfect thank you. Okay directors report.

Can we go to future agenda items first. Is that on here?

Oh, yes. Future agenda items. Okay. It's got a little... it just disappeared right off the page!

Sorry, it's at the very top of our agenda. So okay so we for the 4th We don't necessarily have any items that are specifically ready for the fourth So we're considering canceling that meeting but we do have at least one item That's going to be ready for the 18th So just know that certainly for the 18th, there's at least one item that'll be ready as well as potential the discussion piece that we had a couple weeks ago regarding the use. So there's a possibility for that too but I will just note I do need some help staff would need some help from this body from a couple individuals that may be interested in helping obviously we couldn't have more than two so we don't get into the quorum issue If if there's nothing else of business for February 4th, I would I would recommend obviously you as the as a commission has to make the determination and then take a vote to it but canceling the meeting for the fourth.

But then recognizing at least one item is gonna be ready for the 18th.

What about the item that what if we have we can get a quorum for the fourth? Can we get this one?

I have staff working on that right now. Now if we, if you would like, we could just leave this up in the air until we have final determination on whether or not that item is going to be ready but it will have to be re-noticed and I do know the paper has certain deadlines and I think today is the deadline for the notice to go out

so... Oh okay, so it won't make the 4th?

No.

I move that we cancel February 4th.

I second.

Roll call sharing. Rye-Schmidt? Yes. Chesley? Yes. Murphy? Yes Okay, now a director's report.

Yes A couple of things one is I wanted to point To the direction of the Commission there was a directors exemption that went out. I want to say a couple weeks ago I'm gonna make you aware of that if you have any questions, I know that I think actually had everybody Acknowledge it so thank you for doing We're moving in the right direction. If you do have questions on these director's exemptions, please reach out to me or to staff, the person or the individual that's involved in it so that we can have that conversation just to iron out any pieces involved in it okay? And then as identified in...

Yeah, it's actually on our website. I know I'm not supposed to be reacting to the public, but all of our director's exemptions they get published on our website and the policies on our website as well in terms of the process and the call-up actions that go along with it as well. With the directors' exemptions there is a specific code section that gives specific direction for the director to basically make those determinations. They're not taken lightly obviously.

So there's that piece and then I just wanted to identify and I do thank you There is a council member that's in the audience. I wasn't certain on when that date was but right now It's looking like it'll be the next the next meeting which so so look out for that

Okay,

and that's it placed on my end

do we have any council liaison reports

So I think the county liaison is actually the mayor who was at a youth council meeting tonight. I think it's at Sarzotti.

Okay, I have missed the commission member reports. Do we have any? No, not for me. Reports

now the only the only thing that you would be doing on the Commission reports is if you went to the Mac meeting Recently, then we do want you to identify what was on that agenda What you spoke about and then just kind of give us a general And I'm hoping that each of you have been attending. I know there was one that was canceled recently so

We have a rotating schedule which Sherry has recently sent to us.

I'll have Sherry resend it so it's at the top of your inbox and again if you have any questions on that one because when you attend they do have an area sliced out for you to speak as a commissioner and basically you're talking about items that this body is seeing

Council Member Mang, would you have anything that you would care to share with the commission? I don't. I'm sorry. That's OK. In that case we are going to adjourn the meeting to February

18th. Wow.

OK.