Thursday, July 7, 2016

• Planning Commission Meeting July 2016

This meeting only had two items on the agenda. Both were dealing with zoning ordinances.

2.1 Dealt with Micro-Craft Breweries

The amendment to the existing zoning will allow up to 15,000 barrels to be produced per year for a type 23 ABC license and 5,000 BPY for a type 75 ABC lic.

This applies to "consumption on site" types of businesses, not breweries looking to sell to the mass market.

Ken Mayes spoke on this topic. His concerns were about water use, though he started off by reading some history about the town's founders' desire to make Wildomar a perpetual dry area in the years leading up to Prohibition. 

So much for attempting to control others after your days are over.

"What's the benefit to the community of producing a product that will use imported water, imported ingredients —as barley and hops are no longer local crops, there's nothing unique about any beer that can be produced here. They could all be brewed somewhere where there's plentiful water, and sold in any bar."
—KM

Let me step in here Kenny. 

We can certainly extend that same logic to everything. Why have anything in Wildomar when we can easily drive to a neighboring city to purchase goods and services?

He then mentioned that the water consumption of a micro-brewery is akin to a laundromat, and how we don't even have a laundromat. 

When it was the commission's turn to chime in, Stan Smith suggested, "About the laundromat, what if we had a micro-brewery in the laundromat? While you washed your clothes you could drink beer."


That sounds like a great new business
And while I'm in creative mode, allow me to suggest that one of the signature beers be called Dos Jotos with the following 'commercial' produced in 2009.


Planning director Matt Bassi was asked if there were any applicants considering opening a micro-brewery at this time, and his answer was, "Officially no, but they're coming."

Before voting 3-0 to approve this, Commissioner Stan Smith shared a tender story with those in attendance. 

"That reminds me of a story that a lady had written to her sons that their father had died. She said, that he had worked at the local brewery and he had fallen into the mix and drowned. They tried repeatedly to pull him out and he kept fighting them off."

2.2 Sign Regulations
This one was one of those that ended on a double negative.

The "yes" vote was to "not" recommend that the council approve the amendment, with the vote going 2-1 (Langworthy and Lloyd against the amendment and Smith for it).

This will still be going to the council where I'm betting that they will override the Planning Commission's recommendation (or lack thereof).

It potentially affects any business center within 600 feet of the freeway. Walmart has already said they aren't interested in such an LED sign.

If this zoning ordinance amendment is approved by the council, it would allow existing places (like Stater Bros or Albertson's) to consider installing such a sign too.

Specifically mentioned was the soon to come Wildomar Square, wanting to put in a sign that has a 200sf LED board in its freeway sign.
Artist's rendition of sign, with a mockup of what it would look like at night.


I'm no fan of billboards, but this is just a sign and hardly different than the one that Stater Bros has on the northwest side of Clinton Keith. The only difference is that the LED portion of it allows for a changeable image.

This was amended to change the dark period to 9:30pm-6:30am.
Having this sign display Amber Alerts was mentioned as were community messages, though that wasn't elaborated on. 

I'm wondering if such "community messages" would include info about coming city/parks events like the one below?

Planning Director Report
Matt Bassi mentioned several items of interest.

• Office building on Clinton Keith and Palomar is under reconstruction/remodeling. It's new name is to be "The Barn."
• Wildomar Square moving forward with 4 of the 8 buildings nearing construction approval.
• Lennar/Briarwood project on Prielipp and Elizabeth is moving ahead. 50% of the homes have already been sold.
• Griffin Homes in The Farm have complete 2 of 4 phases.
• Richmond America on Palomar (Chaparral at The Ranch) has models finished.
• The Grove Park development has had interest from a commercial broker (Yamas and Clinton Keith).
• Among several other things in the early stages.
•        •        •


If anyone, anywhere, at any time, commits a wrong, and we condone it or refuse to speak out against it, we truly become a silent partner.

—E.G. Marshall, CBSRMT 

Wildomar Rap tip of the day: When you find yourself befuddled by the words of a bien pensant, just keep moving and don't make a scene. 

4 comments:

  1. Interesting you failed to mention the funny guy showed up late, to a meeting that had all of 6 people in attendance. The newest planning commissioner-elect had as much interest as the rest of this town in that she failed to show up to be sworn-in.
    As to the water issue with breweries, "Surprise" EVMWD misses conservation goal by more the 5% (of 398 districts reporting 45 missed their target by more than 5%) yet they continue to issue "Will Serve Letters" History may repeat itself and this town may end up dry once again, in more ways than one.
    Future agenda items were also lacking as there was no mention of the previously tabled special events ordinance changes that was supposed to be worked on by a subcommittee and brought back. Guess who one of the members on the subcommittee is.

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  2. Yeah, I thought about posting the video where he came in late, and it's not that I'm "past" such things, but not nearly as driven by them as I was when I first started this blog.

    I was wondering about the new commissioner. Was she sick? On a long ago planned Summer vacation? I always think it's better to explain an absence, otherwise people will make their own conclusions, usually not flattering.

    The entire water issue is something I'm unstudied on. The water district keeps greenlighting projects, and I had heard one unsubstantiated report last year that claimed LE was going to balloon to over 300,000 people in just 40 years (not to mention the rest of SoCal). If there isn't enough water in the future, no amount of rain dances will remedy it. (Oh damn, I think I was just being racist there).

    About the tabled special events thing, I wonder what the SOP is for reporting on updates at PC meetings? I'm guessing that if something is in the works, they don't bother reporting on giving status updates unless asked. Which probably wouldn't be happening at the dais.

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  3. Ty for the blog about the planning commission meeting, I know many of us with busy schedules appreciate the information. But just an FYI-sometimes the peanut gallery is not worthy of a mention, especially when they toss the same old lame peanuts around."We don't even have a laundromat?" Non sequitar much? If there is such a need then I suggest the person complaining put up the money and open one. It is always easy to sit on the sidelines and point out supposed mistakes(I say supposed because I have done the fact checking and to use a sports analogy- he is not even batting well enough to play in the minor leagues). I suggest a long conversation with George Cambero- I may not always agree with him but he knows his facts.

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    Replies
    1. Good points, it just helped set up a fun graphic and a zinger from Commissioner Smith. When the meetings have more meat and potatoes I generally discard the wilted parsley instead of touting it.

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