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Please refer to the attached Planning Commission staff report, dated November 29, 2006, and the applicants' plans and written narrative for additional information on the proposed project. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION The applications were heard by the Planning Commission on November 29, 2006. Detailed information on the November 29,2006, hearing is provided by the attached draft excerpts of the Planning Commission minutes. Several residents spoke for and against the project at the hearing. In addition, an adjacent business owner at 4471 Stoneridge Drive spoke against the project. After hearing all public testimony, the Commission approved the applications on a 4-1 vote (Commissioner Fox dissenting), subject to the staff-recommended conditions plus several new conditions: require additional trees be planted along the west side of the parish center building and along the church's southern property line planter; allow the Planning Director to require that the church construct an on-site gravel parking lot on its site should it be determined that the off-site parking lot at 2174-2186 Rheem Drive is not being effectively used by the church; require a two-inch conduit be installed in the roof for emergency purposes; require the church install thermoplastic reflective paint for the outermost (northernmost) bicycle lane striping along the church's Stoneridge Drive frontage; and require that the City Engineer consider appropriate mitigation measures on Rheem Drive to address the neighbors' traffic concerns. The dissenting Commissioner indicated that she was supportive of the project, but believed the parish center building should be located between Nielson Park and the sanctuary/chapel as shown in the 1998 master plan. DISCUSSION Churches are a common use in residential areas, and they are typically regarded as "good neighbors." Staff is sensitive to the potential impacts that churches may have on existing residents and businesses, such as traffic, parking, noise, or similar issues. In evaluating applications, stafflooks carefully at the specifics of the proposal and tries to mitigate all potential impacts to ensure a reasonable quality of life for the nearby residents. In this case, staff believes that the applicants' proposal and the Planning Commission's conditions of approval would ensure that the surrounding uses are not impacted due to noise, parking, traffic, or other objectionable influences. For example, the church has scheduled the activities such that no major events would occur simultaneously in the sanctuary/chapel and proposed parish center building. The site layout for the revised master plan would provide adequate distance between the new structures and nearby residences, and new and existing landscaping would provide a buffer between the proposed parish center building and the adjacent residences to the south. Conditions of approval require that the parish center doors remain closed when not being used for ingress/egress purposes and that the exterior doors be self closing, that any operable windows remain closed during basketball practices/games and banquet/benefit/dances, and that the parish center activities comply with the City's noise regulations. Adequate parking would be provided for the existing and proposed church activities. In addition, because the site is governed by a SR:07:003 Page 4