HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-10-2025 Planning Commission Meeting MinutesDRAFT MINUTES
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
SARATOGA PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING
Chair Kausar called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL
PRESENT: Chair Kausar, Commissioners Clinton Brownley, Paul Germeraad,
Zaheer Hassan, Badri Sridharan, Herman Zheng
ABSENT: Vice-Chair Li (excused)
ALSO PRESENT: Bryan T. Swanson, Community Development Director
Cindy McCormick, Development Manager
Christopher Riordan, Senior Planner
Kyle Rathbone, Associate Planner
Frances Reed, Administrative Analyst
1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Action Minutes from the Planning Commission Meeting of August 13, 2025.
Recommended Action:
Approve Minutes of August 13, 2025 Planning Commission Meeting.
GERMERAAD/SRIDHARAN MOVED TO APPROVE THE AUGUST 13, 2025 MEETING
MINUTES. MOTION PASSED. AYES: BROWNLEY, GERMERAAD, KAUSAR, HASSAN,
SRIDHARAN, ZHENG. NOES: NONE. ABSENT: LI. ABSTAIN: NONE.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ON NON-AGENDIZED ITEMS: NONE
2. PUBLIC HEARINGS
2.1 Application PDR23-0014, GRE23-0001, ARB23-0074: 13947 Albar Court (503-31-088) Harvey
Hwang (Applicant): The applicant is requesting Design Review approval for a 6,512 square foot, 25-foot
tall, two-story single-family residence with a 4,371 square foot basement/garage. A 783 square foot
attached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) will be located on the first floor. The project includes a request
for a grading exception for 4,258 cubic yards of grading which includes remediation of areas with unstable
slopes and for contouring the site for driveway access, landscaped areas, and drainage. Five protected
coast live oak trees are requested for removal. The site is zoned Hillside Residential (HR) with a General
Plan Designation of Residential Hillside Conservation (RHC). Staff Contact: Christopher Riordan (408)
868-1235 or criordan@saratoga.ca.us.
Recommended Action:
Adopt Resolution No. 25-014 approving the project as staff can make all required findings for design
review and for granting an exception for grading to exceed 1,000 cubic yards.
Maya Yutsis spoke.
Nancy Bosenberg spoke.
HASSAN/SRIDHARAN MOVED TO APPROVE APPLICATION PDR23-0014. MOTION PASSED.
AYES: BROWNLEY, GERMERAAD, KAUSAR, HASSAN, SRIDHARAN, ZHENG. NOES: NONE.
ABSENT: LI. ABSTAIN: NONE.
2.2 (Continued from August 13, 2025) The Application APPC25-0001: 14650 6th Street; (517-08-004)
Ismar and Kristin Maslić (Applicant): The applicant/appellant is appealing to the Planning Commission
the recommendation from the Heritage Preservation Commission to reject the proposal to remove the
property from the historic resource inventory (Application HPC25-0001). The applicant is seeking to
remove the historic designation in order to construct a third story addition for ADU conversion, new
garage, and living space. No protected trees are proposed for removal. The site is zoned CH-2 with a
general plan designation of Commercial Retail. Staff Contact: Kyle Rathbone (408) 868-1212 or
krathbone@saratoga.ca.us
Recommended Action:
Staff Recommends that The Planning Commission find that the property does not meet any of the required
criteria to be included on the City’s Heritage Resource Inventory and adopt the resolution recommending
that the project go back to HPC for their recommendation.
Dwight Nickenson spoke.
Marilyn Marchetti spoke.
Brian Shelter spoke.
Sunil Ahuja spoke.
Unknown speaker.
Bill Cooper spoke.
Kirti Mehta spoke.
Kris Chellam spoke.
Vikram Mehta spoke.
Anil Batra spoke.
Alexander Sasha Lunginovic spoke.
First Motion: Brownley/Zheng moved to approve Resolution 25-012 approving application APPC25-
0001.
Second Motion: Germaraad/Hassan made a second motion to refer the appeal back to the Heritage
Preservation Commission for evaluation of a report not presented at the July 8, 2025 HPC Meeting (voted
on first).
GERMERAAD/HASSAN MOVED TO REFER THE APPLICATION BACK TO THE HERITAGE
PRESERVATION COMMISSION FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. MOTION FAILED. AYES:
GERMERAAD, HASSAN. NOES: BROWNLEY, KAUSAR, SRIDHARAN. ZHENG. ABSENT: LI.
ABSTAIN: NONE.
BROWNLEY/ZHENG MOVED TO APPROVE RSOLUTION NO. 25-012 APPROVING
APPLICATION CPX24-0001. MOTION PASSED. AYES: BROWNLEY, GERMERAAD, KAUSAR,
HASSAN, LI, SRIDHARAN, ZHENG. NOES: NONE. ABSENT: LI. ABSTAIN: NONE.
3. DIRECTOR ITEMS
Development Manager Cindy McCormick reminded the Commission of the Special Meeting on
September 24th. She also highly encouraged commissioners to attend the second WUI Community
Meeting on Thursday September 18th at 6 PM at the Community Center.
4. COMMISSION ITEMS: NONE
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Kausar moved for adjournment at 8:55 P.M.
Minutes respectfully submitted:
Frances Reed, Administrative Analyst
City of Saratoga