Planning Commission Meeting (Special Meeting)

Docusign Envelope ID: F8F73F7A-5E3B-4E73-BA8E-8839DAEACC85 CITY of ESCONDIDO Planning Commission Minutes November 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM Council Chambers: 201 North Broadway, Escondido, CA 92025 WELCOME TO YOUR COMMISSION MEETING We welcome your interest and involvement in the legislative process of Escondido. This agenda includes information about topics coming before the Commission. CHAIR Stan Weiler VICE CHAIR Barry Speer COMMISSIONERS Marc Correll Jeff Jester Carrie Mecaro Dustin Steeve Corey Gustafson MINUTES CLERK Angel Estrada HOW TO WATCH The City of Escondido provides one way to watch the Planning Commission meeting: In Person 201 N. Broadway, Escondido, CA 92025 Docusign Envelope ID: F8F73F7A-5E3B-4E73-BA8E-8839DAEACC85 CITY of ESCONDIDO Planning Commission Minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2025 MINUTES CALL TO ORDER: 7:00 p.m. FLAG SALUTE: Chair Weiler. ROLL CALL: Commissioners Present: Stan Weiler, Chair; Barry Speer, Vice Chair; Carrie Mecaro, Commissioner; Dustin Steeve, Commissioner; and Corey Gustafson, Commissioner. Commissioner Absent: Jeff Jester, Commissioner; Marc Correll, Commissioner. City Staff Present: Oscar Romero, Principal Planner; Owen Tunnell, Assistant City Engineer; Dare DeLano, Assistant City Attorney; Ivan Flores, Principal Planner; Angel Estrada, Minutes Clerk. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. October 28, 2025 Meeting Minutes. Motion to approve meeting minutes. Motion: Chair Weiler; Second: Vice Chair Speer. Motion carried (5-0) to approve the minutes. Ayes: Weiler, Speer, Mecaro, Steeve, Gustafson. Nays: None. Abstain: None. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS: None. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None. PUBLIC HEARINGS: 2. PL24-0091/PL24-0092/PL24-0093/PL24-0094/PL24-0095/PL25-0324 – THE MAPLE - DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENT, DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, PLANNED DEVELOPMENT PERMIT, AND DESIGN REVIEW PERMIT REQUEST: Recommend to the City Council approval of a project with a Specific Planning Area 9 (SPA) General Plan land use designation and within the Specific Plan (S-P) zoning district, consisting of: an Amendment to the Downtown Specific Plan removing the requirement for ground-floor retail or office on the first floor, establishing a height overlay on the subject property increasing the height limit from 60’-0 to 65’-0”, and increasing the allowable number of stories from four to five; a Development Docusign Envelope ID: F8F73F7A-5E3B-4E73-BA8E-8839DAEACC85 CITY of ESCONDIDO Planning Commission Minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2025 Agreement to transfer 50 dwelling units from the Downtown Density Credit Pool to the subject site, and for a reduction in the required amount of open space; a Planned Development Permit to allow for a reduction in the required open space pursuant to the Downtown Specific Plan, for the construction of ground-floor residential units, and utilization of tandem spaces; and a Design Review Permit for construction of 128 multi-family units (“Project”). The Project includes ancillary non-substantive text amendments to the Downtown Specific Plan for consistency purposes, as well as off-site improvements to Maple Plaza and right-of-way improvements. The request also includes adoption of the environmental document prepared for the Project. APPLICANT: Kingsbarn Realty Inc. CEQA RECOMMENDATION: Recommend adoption of a Fifth Addendum to the Final Environmental Impact Report to the 2012 General Plan Update, Downtown Specific Plan Update, and Escondido Climate Action Plan. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Recommend approval of the Project. PUBLIC COMMENT: Ed Gallo, resident, submitted a public comment with questions related to the project. COMMISSION DISCUSSION: Chair Weiler recused himself from this item and appointed Vice Chair Speer to lead the discussion. City staff and project consultants delivered a detailed presentation on the proposed residential development. The Commission discussed various aspects of the project, including parking impacts, site design, pedestrian connectivity, and the project's potential to support downtown revitalization. Commissioners asked questions and provided comments to staff and the applicant team. Following the Commission's discussion and vote, Chair Weiler resumed presiding over the meeting. COMMISSION ACTION: Motion to Approve Resolution No. 2025-10. Motion: Commissioner Steeve; Second: Commissioner Mecaro. Motion Carried (4-0) to approve the resolution. Ayes: Speer, Mecaro, Steeve, Gustafson. Nays: None. Abstain: None. Docusign Envelope ID: F8F73F7A-5E3B-4E73-BA8E-8839DAEACC85 CITY of ESCONDIDO Planning Commission Minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2025 CURRENT BUSINESS: None. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: None. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None. SELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR: None. PLANNING COMMISSIONERS: None. CITY PLANNER'S REPORT: Oscar Romero, Principal Planner, noted that most upcoming items are being deferred to the new year. A few private development projects are anticipated, including a 70-unit townhome project and a Planned Development proposal for an office-to-residential conversion, both expected to come before the Commission in early 2026. Policy-related work is also in draft form and tentatively scheduled for February or March. Informational presentations regarding CEQA and the North County Mall permit history are in development. ADJOURNMENT Chair Weiler adjourned the meeting at 7:56 p.m. ___________________________________ _____________________________ Veronica Morones, City Planner Angel Estrada, Minutes Clerk Planning Commission