ON THE AGENDA: PLANNING COMMISSION OCTOBER 17

A Development Code update and the next Homeless Committee Study Session

and

Oct 17, 2023

The October 17 Twentynine Palms Planning Commission agenda contains one item on the Consent Calendar, one Public Hearing item with two items in the Study Session section, including the Homeless Committee. We have asked that that Committee meetings be live streamed. City residents and business owners deserve transparency from the Planning Committee and the City Council.

CONSENT CALENDAR

#1. Approval of the Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of October 3. The minutes of the last planning commission meeting include the Commission’s recommendations on Vacation Home Rentals (VHRs), which were so difficult to pick out during the meeting itself. We are grateful to the City staff for making a clear and simple list out of an opaque discussion. These are the Committee’s recommendations:

Reduction in insurance requirement: No change.
Limiting the number of VHRs per parcel: No change.
Good Neighbor Course: Require a short refresher class every year.
Conditions of Approval: Keep the number of VHR permits per owner at 5.
Single-family residences built as VHRs: No change to code.
National Park Buffer Zone: Commission agreed this does not apply to VHRs and no code change is necessary.
Density per neighborhood: Commission consensus is that the 500 cap has worked and no code change necessary.
Response time for nuisance complaints: No change.
Storage of recreational vehicles: They may be stored but not used as VHRs.
Film and Conditional Use Permits: These are allowed.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

#2 DCA23-000017 Article 3 Permitting Processes. This discussion item continues the Committee’s work to bring City code in compliance with changes the State of California has made of the last few years.

In this case, the Committee looks at requirements for building and land use permits, including:

Fees and deposits
Home occupation permits
Site plan review
Administrative use permit
Similar use determination
Conditional use permit
Planned development

All the changes outlined in the agenda packet appear to be minor.

STUDY SESSION

#3 Painted signs and statuaries. The agenda packet gives no clue about testimony that might be given or what might be recommended.

One approach is that of the City of Yucca Valley, which regulates signage including mascots belonging to businesses. The recently opened Black Bear Diner does not have a signature bear statue outside, as it does in many other cities, and Dino, the iconic green Sinclair dinosaur, disappeared in March, “devastating for any Hi-desert children (or reporters) who love seeing the small-sized sauropod on gas fill-ups.” (This reporter misses the dinosaur too.)

What approach will the City of Murals take? What do you think?

#4 Homeless Committee and Updates
Three items listed for this study session:

Mobile Showers: The purchase of a Mobile Shower facility was approved by the City Council at its August 22 meeting. The showers will be managed by Shadow Mountain Community Church.1
Navigation Center - Funding for the Navigation Center was approved at the September 12 City Council Meeting.
Inventory of Services Available

Again, it is imperative that these Committee meetings be live-streamed. Residents and business owners need to know what kind of progress is being made in finding places for the unhoused to live—and, dare we say it?—thrive.

Desert Trumpet writer Kat Talley-Jones is a member of the Public Arts Advisory Committee, which is a part of the City of Twentynine Palms.

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