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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-08-18 PC MINS MINUTES OF THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA Council Chambers 6:00 p,.m. Public Services Building Wednesday, August 18, 2004 276 Fourth Avenue Chula Vista ROLL CALL/ MOTIONS TO EXCUSE: Present: Madrid, O'Neill, Hall, Castaneda, Cortes, Hom, Felber Staff Present: Luis Hernandez, Deputy Planning Director Marilyn Ponseggi, Environmental Review Coordinator Ben Guerrero, Environmental Projects Manager Raymond Pe, Senior Planner Ann Pease Associate Planner Stan Donn, Associate Planner Elizabeth Hull, Assistant City Attorney PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SILENT PRAYER li INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Read into the record by Chair Castaneda APPROVAL OF MINUTES: MSC (Felber/Castaneda) to accept minutes of July 28, 2004 as submitted with noted clarification regarding the trip generation number on Telegraph Canyon Road and Olympic Parkway. Motion carried. MSC (Felber/Hom) (5-0-0-2) to approve minutes of July 7, 2004 as submitted. Motion carried with Commissioners Castaneda and Cortes abstaining. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: No public input, 1,. PUBLIC HEARING: PCC 04-58; Conditional Use Permit for Costco Wholesale to expand an existing gas station from three islands to four islands at 1190 Broadway. Commissioner Cortes recused himself from the dais Background: Stan Donn, project managerforthe commercial centergave an overview of the 344,000 sf revitalized shopping center known as the Broadway Plaza, featuring a Planning Commission Minutes - 2 - August 18, 2004 Costco and Wal-Mart. Mr. Terry Oddle, Architectforthe project gave a progress report on the construction that is underway. Ann Pease, project manager reported that the existing gas station located on the northwest corner of Oxford and Broadway was originally approved in 1999 as a Conditional Use Permit, The proposal to expand the existing facilityfrom a three bay to a four bay gas station would provide more space for stacking and more efficient traffic circulation. Among the features of the proposed expansion redesign is an enhanced, more protected, long-neck driveway providing access from Oxford Street and the exit will be on the north side of the gas station. Public Hearing Opened 6:20. Terry Oddle with Mulvaney Architecture, 18200 Von Carmen Ave.. Ste 910, Irvine CA stated he was available to answer any questions from the Commission Public Hearing Closed 6:22. Commission Discussion: Cmr. O'Neill stated that back in 1999, the Commission conditioned the project to move the driveway entrance on Oxford furtherwest because of concerns related to vehicular stacking and potential spill-over onto Oxford Street The proposal to add another two-lane pump station would increase the station's ability to service a greater number vehicles as well as allow for more cueing space„ Cmr. Hall stated he could not support the expansion proposal because having two major stores at that centerwill generate significantly more traffic, require more parking, and he is very concerned with traffic impacts and spill-over onto the public streets. Cmr. Felber stated that the extended landscaping strip on the neck of the driveway that provides access from Oxford St. appears to be a very tight-turning radius and could potentially cause maneuverability problems for vehicles cueing on the most-southerly fueling island. Cmr. Felber questioned whether the project could be conditioned to require that on days when there is heavy traffic, the first driveway off of Oxford be coned-off, redirecting traffic further west to the next driveway to avoid aspill -over of vehicles onto Oxford Street. Mr. Oddle stated that the MND included a traffic study, which concluded that there were no significant impacts with the expansion proposal and they were the ones who recommended the extension of the driveway neck. Planning Commission Minutes - 3 - August 18, 2004 He further stated that parking requirements for the project are barely met, therefore, although coning- off the driveway and redirecting cueing into the parking area sounds like a reasonable solution, this would not be feasible because it would render some parking spaces unusable and would cut off ingress/egress to the center, Cmr. Castaneda stated that if the same use were to remain on the site, then clearly, the expansion would be an enhancement to what is currently there and would increase the efficiency of the gas station operation, however, such is not the case, As previously stated, he too is very concerned with the traffic impacts on the public right-of-way that inevitably will occur as a result of having two tremendously successful stores„ Cmr. Hom inquired if a comparison analysis was done with other 4-bay Costco facilities,. Frank Rivera, Deputy City Engineer responded that the Costco on E. H Street was looked into and comparing the two facilities, the one on Broadway would have more cueing capacity because the one on E. H St. only has a stacking capacity of approximately 5 standard-size vehicles on the east end and is diminished to 3 or 4 vehicles on the west end. A discussion ensued regarding whether this was a new CUP or a modification of the existing CUP that was approved in 1999. It was determined that the proposal is a modification to the original CUP, however, the Commission felt that they would like to review the original staff report and resolution that was prepared in 1999, MSC (Hall/Castaneda) (6-0-0-1) that this item be continued to the August 25, 2004 Planning Commission meeting, directing staff to clarify whether this is a modification of the existing CUP, to provide the Commission with a copy of the original staff report and resolution for• their review, and to craft conditions of approval that would address the cueing and stacking concerns. Motion carried. 2. PUBLIC HEARING: GPA 03-11; General Plan Amendment for Research and Limited Manufacturing to Retail Commercial; PCZ 03-06 -Zone change from Limited Industrial Zone to Central Commercial Zone; DRC 03-87 - Design Review of retail commercial shopping center located at 4501 Main Street. Background: Ray Pe reported that this project is located in the Otay Valley Road Redevelopment Project Area and is surrounded by the Otay Valley River flood plain along the southern boundary and the existing Auto Park to the east, The applicant is proposing to develop approximately 188,860 sf of retail shopping center on a 17.2-acre Planning Commission Minutes - 4 - August 18, 2004 site, with parking for 1,011 cars. Five retail buildings would be aligned along the west side with the main entrances on the east facing the primary parking areas. Two restaurant pads would be oriented towards Main Street„ The anchor buildings would be occupied by potential tenants like Kohl's department store (88,400 sf), Babies R Us (37,665 sf), Office Depot (18,140 sf), and Pier 1 Imports. The two restaurant buildings would be occupied with potential tenants like Panda Express (3,600 sf) and Soup Plantation (6,800 sf) A tower element with signs identifying the center and major tenants would be located at the southwest corner of the site and a comprehensive planned sign program is proposed for the center, Vehicle access is proposed at the northeasterly corner and is proposed to be a T- intersection with Main Street and signalized as a four-way intersection with Oleander. The required Main Street improvements would include decceleration and acceleration lanes at the project entrance, dual westbound left turn lanes from Main Street, and parkway and median improvements along the entire project frontage and adjacent properties. The landscape plan emphasizes drought-tolerant plant material, with native plant selection along the southern project boundary to create a transition between the project and the river valley,. A walking path is proposed within the southern boundary landscaping and the City would have the option of retaining a 15-foot wide easement over the path for future connection to the proposed Otay Valley Regional Park trail system. Staff Recommendation: That the Planning Commission adopt Resolution GPA 03-11, PCZ 03-06, DRC 03-87 recommending that the City Council/Redevelopment Agency adopt a General Plan Amendment, introducing an ordinance adopting Zone Change and adopt resolution approving Design Review. 2. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR 04-03) for the Crossings Commercial Retail Project and Conceptual Tentative Map. Background: Ben Guerrero stated that the EIR evaluates the environmental effects of the proposed project and conceptual Tentative Map. The Crossings EIR evaluated several issue areas and determined that potentially significant impacts could result in the following categories. - Air Quality - Geology/Soils Agricultural Resources - Landform Alterations and Aesthetics - Cultural/Paleontological Resources - Noise - Hazards & Hazardous Materials Planning Commission Minutes - 5 - August 18, 2004 - Water Quality/Hydrology - Traffic/Circulation and Access - Biological Resources As documented in the Final EIR, all impacts would be reduced to a less than significant level with the implementation of the required mitigation measures, The Crossings commercial project will not result in any impacts that would remain significant after the application of mitigation measures Staff believes that the Final EIR meets the requirements ofthe California Environmental Quality Act and, therefore, recommends that the Planning Commission and City Council find that the Final EIR has been completed in compliance with CEQA and adopt the Draft Findings of Fact, and MMRP. Commission Discussion Cmr. Castaneda inquired if the O-tay River Valley Master Plan contains standards and guidelines for the edge effects on sensitive lands,. Marilyn Ponseggi responded that the OVRP has a concept plan and the final management plan is still in preparation and so they do not have those specific guidelines. However, the MSCP does have adjacency requirements and since the OVRP is part of the MSCP preserve, the adjacency rules apply to this project. Cmr.. O'Neill inquired if there would be a clean-up of the 6+ acres of the southern-most parcel that is currently occupied by junk cars and will be dedicated to the Otay River Valley preserve,. Ben Guerrero responded that he was not aware that it would be.. Cmr. Comes stated he would hate to see a missed opportunity to maximize promotion of other uses in the area, like the auto park to the east, and wondered if somehow that could be incorporate and promote on the signage for this project, The Commission also felt that the signage for this project is very important as the project is located in a gateway to Chula Vista, therefore, they would like to see the applicant incorporate into the design of the sign an identifier displaying "Chula Vista" in amore prominent manner. Public Hearing Opened. Teresa Acero, 3730 Festival Ct, Chula Vista, CA. stated she is pleased to see the mitigation measures included in the EIR like bio-filters, the buffer with trail easement, however, she would recommend that the City adopt the reduced density alternative. She would also like to see the site that is being dedicated to the City be cleaned up Planning Commission Minutes - 6 - August 18, 2004 Scott Alevy, representing SBC as Director of External Affairs, stated that theirfield operation center is located to the east of the proposed project and was there to speak in support of this excellent project that brings economic benefits to the City and region in general, and removes blight from the area. Mr Alevy stated that from a logistics standpoint of running a "24-7" operation, that houses approximately 120 service vehicles and approximately 200 employees, the safe ingress and egress of their work crew was of grave concern to SBC. Mr. Alevy stated he was very pleased to have worked with a developer that was attentive to their concerns and committed to work out a mutually agreed-upon solution to mitigate their traffic safety concerns, Sunny Goyle, representing SNL Oil, 28456 Century Street, Hayward, CA stated that SNL Oil is the owner of the Shell gas station at 455 Auto Park Drive,. Mr. Goyle stated that they found out about this project through a letter that came to them lasf week so they considered it extremely important that they be present at tonight's meeting to voice their concerns. He indicated that the way the proposed project is currently configured, and with the proposed raised center median, restricting westbound traffic from Auto Park Drive from making a left turn into their gas station, this will cripple their small business by limiting their customer base strictly to eastbound traffic.. Cmr.. Hom stated that the project will attract more traffic and it would appearto him that that would be good for business to the gas station, and possibly having reciprocal access to the project through a driveway might be the solution,. Claude Yacoel, 2801 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach, CA, applicant stated that they are very proud of this project they've been working on for two years and is a perfect model for redevelopment because they are going to transform a junk yard that is a visual blight to the community into a new redevelopment projects. He thanked staff for their work and the Commission's review of this project,. Addressing Cmr O'Neill's comments regarding the clean-up of the most-southerly parcel, Mr. Yacoel stated that eviction notices have already gone out to the tenants on both parcels requesting the removal of their vehicles. Additionally, the dirt road running through the river valley that currently connects the two parcels will be removed and the south parcel will be dedicated to the City to become part of the OVRP. With respect to signage, Mr. Yacoel stated that atone point they had had discussions about incorporating signage that included some of the uses to the east, like the auto park, however, currently the City has no ordinance in place that permits off-site signage. Addressing the Shell station, Mr Yacoel stated that there are unavoidable constraints in Planning Commission Minutes - 7 - August 18, 2004 that the gas station is on a grade level with Main Street; while the proposed project site is 6 to 8 feet below the Main Street grade From a design standpoint, there is no feasible way, short of importing hundreds of thousands of yards of dirt to try to bring up the entire site to unite the two sites. Mr. Yacoel further stated that he was informed, almost two years ago by the Engineering Department, of their plans to install a median on Main Street because of safety issues associated with lefts turns from westbound traffic coming from an easterly direction towards the I-805 freeway. Therefore, Mr Yacoel wished to clarify that the proposed raised median would be installed whether or not this project was developed, Public Hearing Closed. Cmr Hall stated that he is comfortable in stating that this project is in step with the City's Economic Development Strategy. Elizabeth Hull stated, as a point of clarification, that the noticing for this project was done in accordance with CEQA guidelines and the City's noticing guidelines, utilizing the tax roll information for property ownership, Frank Rivera, Deputy City Engineer clarified that the raised median is a capital improvement project that the City is pursuing and in no way is tied this project other than the timing of when it is constructed,. Cmr„ O'Neill stated that, in his opinion, it appears the City arbitrarily chooses where to place medians; i.e. they should have been placed along H St. from Broadway to I-5, but weren't., He further stated that he would like to see the applicant and the Shell Station representative get together to see if they can find a way where the can co-exist without the detriment of one over the other. Cmr,. O'Neill indicated he would like to add a condition stating that access to and from the gas station is developed. Elizabeth Hull clarified that the two items before the Commission are the recommendation to certify the EIR and secondly, the General Plan Amendment and Rezone, therefore, there is nothing to condition. Mr. Yacoel stated that if the Shell Station owners were willing to carry the costs of redesigning their property in such as way as to overcome the grade constraints and possibly finding a way to link their property with the Center, then he would have no problem discussing the possibility of granting them an access easement to theircenter The majority of Commission members stated they were encouraged to hear that at least there is a willingness to sit down and discuss the issues and would hope that the Planning Commission Minutes - 8 - August 18, 2004 City Engineer would be a part of those discussions. MSC (Hall/Castaneda) (7-0) that the Planning Commission recommend that the City Council certify that the Final EIR 04-03 has been prepared in accordance with CEQA, the State CEQA Guidelines and the Environmental Review Pr'ocedur'es of the City of Chula Vista; making certain Findings of Fact; and adopting a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, including the following recommendation to Council: that they look at directing staff to develop guidelines that ensure the protection of sensitive lands that abut development such as this project. Motion carried. MSC (Hall/Castaneda) (7-0) that the Planning Commission adopt Resolution recommending that the City Council/Redevelopment Agency adopt a resolution adopting General Plan Amendment GPA 03-11, introduce an ordinance adopting Zone Change PCZ 03-06, and adopt resolution approving Design Review DRC 03-87.. Motion carried. Commission Business: MSC (Hall/Hom) nominating Marco Cortes as Chair of the Planning Commission for FY 04-05, and Vicki Madrid as Vice Chair. Motion carried.. ADJOURNMENT at 8:45 p.m to the Planning Commission meeting of September 8, 2004, Diana Vargas, Secretaryto Planning Commission