HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 1986-12734 RESOLUTION NO. 12734
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHULA VISTA AMENDING THE CHULA VISTA LOCAL COASTAL
PROGRAM TO INCLUDE THE GRAPHIC AND TEXTUAL CHANGES
IN ATTACHMENTS A - C AND CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL IN
ATTACHMENT D, AND FORWARDING SAID AMENDMENTS TO THE
CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION
The City Council of the City of Chula Vista does hereby resolve
as follows:
WHEREAS, the Chula Vista Local Coastal Program includes specific
development criteria for the Midbayfront subarea; and,
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Chula Vista held
a public hearing on September 17, 1986 to consider amending the Chula Vista
LCP to revise specific land use, circulation, and grading and drainage
provisions, and adopted Resolution No. PCM-86- recommending that the
City Council adopt said amendment; and,
WHEREAS, in accordance with the provisions of the California
Environmental Quality Act, local environmental review (Final Supplemental
EIR-86-1) has been completed for said Amendment #2 to the LCP; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council~.~f the City of Chula Vista held a
public hearing on September 18, 1986 and considered said amendment to the
Chula Vista LCP.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the
City of Chula Vista hereby adopts Amendment #2 to the Chula Vista Local
Coastal Program designating the specific changes in land uses, circulation,
and grading and drainage, as attached hereto in Attachments A, B, and C and
incorporated as though fully set forth.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Amendment #2 is adopted subject to
the conditions set forth in Attachment D.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Clerk is hereby authorized
and directed to forward said Amendment #2 to the California Coastal
Commission for review and consideration.
Presented by Approved as to form by
~ ~ ~ ~ T~mas O. H~r~n
C u~it e ~nt Director ~City Attorn~
ADOPTED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA, this 18th day of September
19 86 , by the following vote, to--~vit:
AYES: Councilmembers Cox, Moore, Campbell, McCandliss
NAYES: Councilmembers Malcolm
ABSTAIN: Councilmembers None
ABSENT: Councilmembers None
~yor~~ City of Chula Vista
ATTEST //' City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO ) ss.
CITY OF CHULA VISTA )
I, JENNIE M. FULASZ, CMC, CITY CLERK of the City of Chulo Vista, California,
DO HEREBY CERTIFY that the above and foregoing is a full, lrue and correct copy of
RESOLUTION NO. 12734 ,and that the some has not been amended or repealed
DATE D
City Clerk
CI'IY OF
CHUtA VISI'A
CC-~O
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of September 17, 1986 Page 1
3. PUBLIC HEARING: Proposed amendments to the Certified Local Coastal
Program and the Bayfront Specific Plan
A. BACKGROUI~D
Santa Fe Land Improvement Company is the major landowner of property
located in the Chula Vista Bayfront north of "F" Street. Santa Fe has
combined with Watt Industries to form Chula Vista Investment Company
(CVIC) for the purpose of developing Chula Vista bayfront lands. Since
the adoption of the Chula Vista Local Coastal Program, CVIC has been
evaluating potential development for the Midbayfront subarea (property
located west of Interstate 5, north of "F" Street, south of the Sweetwater
Marsh and east of the San Diego Bay). As the company's engineers reviewed
the area in detail, it became apparent that soils conditions along the
bayside would constrain development, particularly roadways and residential
use, if not create a cost prohibitive situation. Alternative construction
techniques were analyzed as well as land use and circulation
reconfiguration to find a financial and planning solution to development
problems. As a result of the studies, CVIC requested modifications to the
Midbayfront subarea of the Bayfront Specific Plan and Land Use Plan.
These modifications constitute the need for the amendment of the Bayfront
LCP which consists of both the Land Use Plan and Specific Plan. This
amendment requires public hearings by the Planning Commission and City
Council prior to review by the State Coastal Commission.
A supplement to the Bayfront Master EIR also was prepared to address the
additional potential environmental impacts which could occur due to
development as proposed by the LCP amendments.
The following items have been included in the members' packets. These
items are available for public review at the Community Development
Department. T~e ~iscussion section of this a§enda statement includes a
staff summary of the amendments for your information and consideration:
1. FEIR-85-1,
2. Supplemental FEIR-86-1,
3. Copies of the Certified Local Coastal Program, and
4. Proposed textual and graphic LCP amendments.
B. RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Planning Commission adopt a motion recommending
that the City Council:
1. Adopt a resolution:
a. Certifying that FEIR-85-1 and Supplemental FEIR-86-1 have been
prepared in accordance with CEQA and the Environmental
Procedures of the City of Chula Vista and that the Planning
Commission has reviewed these documents; and
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for i,leeting of September 17, t986 Page 2
b. Amending the Chula Vista Local Coastal Program and Specific Plan
as set forth in Attachments A, B, and C of the attached
resolution subject to conditions listed in Attachment D of the
attached resolution.
2. Enact an ordinance amending the Chula Vista Bayfront Specific Plan as
set forth in Attachment A, B, and C subject to conditions listed in
Attachment D.
On August 18, 1986, the Resource Conservation Committee voted to recommend
that the Planning Commission accept the proposed amendments to the Local
Coastal Program subject to incorporation of the alternative that would
eli~ainate the above-ground drainage swale by placing storm drain
structures underground as described in Supplemental EIR-86-1.
C. DISCUSSION
The following amendments to the Local Coastal Program (LCP) have been
requested by Cnula Vista Investment Company. They include realignment of
roadways, changes in right-of-way design, reconfiguration of parkland and
residential uses, modification of grading and redesign of some storm
drainage facilities. In addition, the City has included several general
text, graphic and technical corrections to clarify land uses and ensure
consistency within the Local Coastal Program documents.
Resolution Attachment A contains all textual and graphic changes to the
Bayfront Land Use Plan and Attachment B contains the amendments to the
Specific Plan. Attachment C entails the addition of an emergency permit
process to Section 19.92 of the Specific Plan. Most text changes are
minor; the graphic changes are more significant. The following analysis
provides a synopsis of the amendments.
1. Circulation
Freeway Ramps and "E" Street Bridge
The proposed amendments include the relocation of the I-5 southbound
on/off ramp at the "E" Street/I-5 interchange to a location aligned
with Bay Boulevard. (CalTrans is in the plan approval stage for this
on/off-ramp re-configuration.) Relocation of these on/off ramps and
construction as a loop-ramp would eliminate the westbound to
southbound turn conflict now existing on the "E" Street bridge and
would lengthen the storage capacity of the eastbound to northbound
turn lanes on the bridge. (This ramp location and loop configuration
is similar to the option-one ramp design discussed in the adopted
LCP.)
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of September t7, 1986 Page 3
Also, relocating the southbound I-5 off-ramp eastward to align with
Bay Boulevard would allow the restriping of the existing "E" Street
overpass to provide for a total of 6 travel lanes including two
through lanes in each direction and dual left turn lanes. This
restriping will be an interim solution for the increase in the
traffic due to the Bayfront development.
The major change to the "E" Street freeway interchange from the
adopted LCP is that the widening of the "E" Street bridge is not
proposed. Widening of the bridge would provide additional capacities
at the ramp intersections that are projected to be congested and
possibly reduced to a Level of Service D in the future due to
Bayfront development.
In addition, trips generated by the new "E" Street Trolley Station
east of the bridge also have the potential to add to the "E" Street
congestion. Iv~DB has reviewed the potential for additional traffic
congestion. They recently evaluated headway times (4 trains per hour
versus 6 trains per hour) and concluded that by adding one car to the
existing three car trains, no change in headway was needed.
Ultimately, ridership increase could dictate the need for additional
trains. MTDB is also reviewing a proposed fail-safe system which
would eliminate the need for the trolley line crossing arm to be
lowered when passengers are loading at "E" Street or the other
stations adjacent to road crossings. Success of such a system would
reduce the arm "downtime" by 50% thus reducing backup traffic
conditions on the public street.
Because of the potential for serious traffic impacts at the "E"
Street/I-5 bridge and interchange, it is recommended that when the
traffic circulation on "E" Street between Bay Boulevard and Woodlawn
Avenue declines to a Level of Service D as determined by the City's
Traffic Engineer, the "E" Street bridge must be widened to 7-9 lanes
as originally designed in the current certified LC?. Also, a
feasibility study of the widening should be required of the Bayfront
developer and should be included in the facilities/finance plan that
will be required for the Midbayfront Subdivision Map processing. If
the bridge widening is found to be feasible, a monitoring program
should be implemented to determine when the bridge width needs to be
increased.
Marina Parkway (Formerly Tidelands Avenue)
In the existing LC?, Tidelands Avenue traverses the Midbayfront from
the southwest to the northeast and continues northward (from "E"
Street) to National City. The roadway section is 120' with 6 travel
lanes and bike lanes separated from the street by a 9' landscape
strip. THe right-of-way is planned to narrow to two lanes at the
S~eetwater Marsh crossing to the "D" Street Fill.
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Ileeting of September 17, 1986 Page 4
The amendments propose to realign Tidelands Avenue (renamed Marina
Parkway) to sweep northeast from "F" Street and to link up directly
with "E" Street at Bay Boulevard. The new street section would have
two through lanes in each direction, left-turn lanes, bike lanes, a
raised, landscaped, median and "No Stopping Anytime" restrictions
within a minimum ~5' right-of-way. The street would widen at "E"
Street to three through lanes in each direction, left-turn lanes,
raised median, and "No Stopping Anytime" restrictions within a
minimum 108' right-of-way. The new Marina Parkway alignment would:
1) provide continuous direct visual access to the waterfront from a
major public right-of-way, 2) allow the creation of a continuous
linear waterfront park which is separated from private development,
and 3) allow consolidation and reconfiguration of residential areas
into one parcel that had previously been separated by Tidelands
Avenue (~larina Parkway).
The northern extension of Tidelands Avenue is proposed as a link
between Marina ParKway and the "D" Street fill. The roadway section
would have six lanes at Marina Parkway and would reduce to the
planned two lanes at the Sweetwater Marsh crossing. The primary
function of this roadway would be to provide access to the highway
commercial properties at the northwest quadrant of Interstate 5 and
Marina ~arkway and the "D" Street fill.
Lagoon Drive Section
In the adopted plan, the "F'~ Street extension includes a lO0-foot
right-of-way with two travel lanes in each direction, a left turn
lane, a sidewalk adjacent to the roadway (separated by a curb), a
separate bike path, and landscaping. The proposed revisions to the
"F" Street extension, renamed Lagoon Drive, include a right-of-way
reduction to the 95-foot roadway section. The provision of a
landscaped median would be positive from an aesthetic standpoint
because it would provide visual continuity with Marina Parkway, the
other major bayfront thoroughfare. The changes would result in a
roadway that would be adequate to handle the anticipated traffic.
Bay ~oulevard
In the traffic analysis for the adopted plan, railroad abandonment
was assumed east of Bay Boulevard, allowing for right-of-way
expansion. In the traffic analysis for the revised project, the
roadway width was assumed to be constrained by the railroad
right-of-way to the east because railroad abandonment is not foreseen
in the near future. Bay Boulevard between "E" and "F" Streets was
calculated to operate overcapacity when the bayfront is completely
developed due to the dedicated right-of-way constraint. This is not
seen as a significant traffic impact because of the limited area that
is projected to operate overcapacity, and the amount of vehicle
traffic that would be effected. Also, the potential exists for a
future expansion of Bay Boulevard into the railroad right-of-way at a
later date if abandonment call be accomplished.
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of September 17, 1986 Page 5
2. Land Use
Uevelopment parcels within the Midbayfront have been reconfigured
based on soils limitations and the revised circulation system. Total
acreage per land use has, however, not been modified significantly.
(Acreage changes are shown on page III-4 of the Land Use Plan.) Tile
most notable changes on the Land Use Plan are within parklands and
the residential area. The existing LCP indicates that a major park
will De located at the foot of Lagoon Drive (formerly "F" Street)
adjacent to the waterfront. It also designates parkland area
adjacent to the Vener Marsh and Pond, adjacent to the eastern edge of
the residential area and north of the highway commercial site at Bay
Boulevard and "E" Street
The amended plan proposes reconfiguration of parkland adjacent to bay
and marsh areas into a consolidated, larger, linear park along the
bay and marshlands from the foot of Lagoon Drive extending to
Gunpowder Point Drive. This modification would open the waterfront
views along Marina Parkway and increase public access to the coastal
area which is a prime objective of the coastal program. In addition,
reconfiguration of. the +3.0 acre salt marsh to be recreated adjacent
to the "E" Street ~4arsh-is proposed to reflect tile City's enhancement
planning study for this area.
Residential parcels in the existing LCP are segmented by Tidelands
Avenue (renamed Marina Parkway). The most westerly residential area
has the potential to limit public views and access to the bayside.
By consolidating tile residential uses onto the east side of Marina
Parkway, as proposed in the amendments, private views of the
waterfront would be preserved and public access and enjoyment of the
coastal resource would be increased. In addition, this consolidation
would allow a larger and more usable park adjacent to all residential
properties on the east side of Marina Parkway.
The proposed amendments include a provision allowing transfer of
development rights from the office park area south of Marina Parkway
to the office park area north of Marina Parkway. This transfer would
allow a floor area ratio (FAR) of .65 on portions of the office park
area north of Marina Parkway and reduce the FAR on parcels of equal
size south of Marina Parkway to .35 to maintain the existing overall
FAR of .5. To ensure that this intensification of use north of
Marina Parkway does not result in a bulky appearance, the following
provision was included in tile amended text, "Special attention will
be required to ensure that substantial building setbacks include
consideration for stepping building heights to retain proper scale
and views to the Bay. In general, building setbacks from the public
road shall be equal to or greater than the building height."
City Planning Commissio~
Agenda Iten~s for ~ieeting of September t7, 1986 Page 6
Grading and Drainage
The grading plan for the Midbayfront has been revised to allow for
the realignment of Marina Parkway and to decrease the amount of
imported fill required for adequate building pad elevations.
CVIC has requested that the grading/filling/and drainage plan be
modified to reduce the amount of import originally estimated at one
million cubic yards. The 1-1.5 acre desiltation basin north of
Lagoon Drive would be retained. This desiltation facility would
connect to the newly created freshwater marsh adjacent to the F-G
Marsh to provide a seasonal freshwater supply. This freshwater pond
has been expanded to the east of the F-G Marsh to provide +3.2 acres
of freshwater habitat. Both the desiltation basin and ~he newly
created freshwater marsh would receive dampened tidal action during
the dry weather season. This dampened tidal action would compensate
for the loss of the seasonal freshwater supply from the reverse
osmosis operation at the foot of Lagoon Drive that was included in
the certified plan. The idea of utilizing this seasonal freshwater
supply was dropped following inquiries by the City's enhancement
planning consultant about the reliability oand long-term availability
of this water source. Areas south of Marina Parkway will drain as
originally planned. However, the area north of Marina Parkway now is
planned to drain west via a swale into the bay. This grading change
will reduce the amount of import needed for filling to approximately
40U,UO0 cubic yards.
This grading and drainage amendment, as proposed, creates several
problems. The open swale, as designed, would run parallel to the
Vener Pond and Marsh within the areas designated for office park and
public parkland. During and following storm events, park use would
be impeded by runoff and wet soils conditions. In addition, the
entire length of the drainage swale would require constant
maintenance to provide an acceptable appearance and unrestricted
water flow. The Final SEIR discusses two additional drainage
alternatives both of which utilize underground drainage facilities.
The incorporation of the proposed open swale within public parkland
would result in less usable public space adjacent to the coastal area
due to the land area necessary to create the swale, slopes and land
graduation to the swale. A primary objective of the LCP is to
provide public access and recreation to coastal areas. The open
swale, as proposed, would restrict the viability of the acreage to be
devoted to public use. Therefore, an alternative drainage system,
such as underground facility, should be utilized within the park
area. If this alternative is not feasible, additional usable
parkland should be dedicated and developed to fulfill the intent of
the coastal program provisions for public access and recreation
opportunities adjacent to coastal resources.
City Flanning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of September 17, 1986 Page 7
If t~e applicant wishes to incorporate the drainage swale into the
office park, the applicant should be responsible for ongoing drainage
swale maintenance.
A tentative agreement has, however, been reached between staff and
the applicant to implement Project Alternative 2 whic~ includes the
following drainage provisions. An underground drainage system would
be located in approximately the same location as the swale. Inlets
for drainage would be provided along the length of the underground
pipe. A +1.5 foot berm would be located west of the inlets to the
undergrou~ pipe to ensure that urban runoff, from storm events up to
tile 1UO-year storm, does not enter Sweetwater Marsh, Verier Pond, or
Vener >larsh. This alternative would require importation of
approximately the same amount of fill as the proposed project.
4. Pi~ysical Form and Appearance
The applicant has revised the "E" Street/Marina Parkway Gateway
format to create a "project focal point" at the Marina
Parkway/Tidelands Avenue intersection. Once past the gateway,
traveling west on Marina Parkway, views would be focused at the
Midbayfront's center of urban activity. Building heights on the
south and north sides of the parkway will be stepped to a maximum of
4 to 5 stories respectively to provide architectural edges. Special
attention will be given to plazas, planting and other landscaped
features. An architectural focal point such as a tower, dome or
other vertical form reaching a height of (up to) 70 feet would be
permitted in the office park north of Marina Parkway. This vertical
element would be a visual landmark identifying the core area of the
Midbayfront.
T~is proposal follows the basic design intent of the existing plan.
However, due to the realignment of Marina Parkway and relocation of
the residential and parkland areas to the west of the gateway, the
new proposal provides a more dynamic entry to the Midbayfront and
sense of arrival. Once west of the focal point the views to the
marshlands and waterfront open-up dramatically.
5. Consistency Amendments
The City of Chula Vista proposes to make the following amendments to
tile Land Use Plan and Specific Plan to ensure consistency within the
LCP documents.
a. Specialty Retail
The Specialty Retail (SR) designation on the Land Use Control
Flap ~l of the Specific Plan should be changed to Office Park and
a note indicating "4 acres of Specialty Retail to be integrated
within the office park use" in accordance with the text of the
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for fleeting of September 17, 1986 Page 8
Certified Land Use Plan. Also, an addition to the text on page III-7 of the
Land Use Plan requires that the specialty retail high volume activities be
located a minimum distance of 200' back from the wetland buffers to avoid
disturbance to the high use wildlife areas.
b. The Industrial Business Park designation for approximately 21
acres within the Midbayfront appears as Office Park on Figure #4
of the Land Use Plan. Specific land uses allowed within the
Industrial Business Park of the Specific Plan are very similar
to those allowed under Office Park. Industrial Business Park
uses at this location would provide a good transition from
existing General Industrial Development south of "G" Street to
the proposed Office and Highway Commercial uses north of "F"
Street. Therefore, the Midbayfront Office Park designation
south of "G" Street on Figure 4 of the Land Use Plan is proposed
to be changed to Industrial Business Park in accordance with Map
1 of the Specific Plan.
c. When the Coastal Commission reviewed the City's LCP, Section
19.85.01 of the Specific Plan included a special condition to
allow a maximum height of 44 feet at the northeast quadrant of
Bay Boulevard and "E" Street provided that the structure was at
least 4OU feet north of "E" Street and did not contain more than
20% of the allowed FAR of the total site. At the time of its
adoption, the Land Use Plan failed to address this condition,
therefore, it was deleted, to be addressed through a future
amendment.
THe Commission's condition has been re-evaluated and considered
appropriate and consistent with physical form and appearance
criteria set forth in the Specific Plan and Land Use Plan.
Therefore, the condition as described above is being proposed to
be included in the Land Use Plan. This would bring the Specific
Plan and Land Use Plan into conformance.
d. At this time the City is utilizing the general provisions within
Article 2, Sections 13329 through 13329.4, of the California
Administrative Code for issuance of emergency coastal permits.
Since it is desirable to have specific procedures and a
consistent format for such permits, a new section is proposed to
be added to Section 19.92 (Coastal Development Procedures) of
the Chula Vista Specific Plan, Section 19.92.05-Emergency
Development Permit.
A copy of the Emergency Development Permit Application and
Permit is attached as Attachment C.
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for ~leeting of September 17, 19~6 Page 9
e. When the LCP was certified, the street names were tentative.
The City has approved permanent names as follows:
Existing LCP New
"E" Street west of I-5~ Marina Parkway
"J" Street west of I-5' Marina Parkway
Tidelands Avenue south of "E" Street* Marina Parkway
"F" Street west of I-5 Lagoon Drive
Gunpowder Point access road Gunpowder Point Drive
"J" Street west of Tidelands Avenue Marina Way
*The first three street sections will connect as a "loop" street.
WPC 2462H
RESOLUTION NO. PCM-85-5B
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA PLANNING
COMMISSION RECOMMENDING TO THE CITY COUNCIL THE
ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT #2 TO THE CHULA VISTA
LOCAL COASTAL PROGP~AM
WHEREAS, the Chula Vista Local Coastal Program includes specific
development criteria for the Midbayfront subarea; and,
WHEREAS, specific revisions in the areas of land use, circulation,
and grading and drainage have been proposed for the Midbayfront; and,
WHEREAS, the time and place for a hearing on LCP Amendment #2, which
consists of those revisions, was set and notice of said hearing, together with
its purpose, was given by its publication in a newspaper of general
circulation in the City at least ten days prior to the hearing; and,
WHEREAS, the hearing was held at the time and place as advertised,
namely 7:00 p.m., on September 17, 1986, in the Council Chambers, 276 Fourth
Avenue, before the Planning Commission and said hearing was thereafter closed;
and,
WHEREAS, in accordance with the provisions of the California
Environmental Quality Act, local environmental review (Final Supplemental
EIR-86-1) has been completed for said amendment to the Local Coastal Program.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT FROM THE FACTS PRESENTED AT THE
HEARING, THE PLANNING COMMISSION recommends the adoption of Amendment #2 to
the Chula Vista Local Coastal Program revising land use, circulation, and
grading and drainage provisions as attached hereto in Amendments A, B, and C
and incorporated as though fully set forth.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that adoption of Amendment #2 is recommended
subject to the conditions set forth in Attachment D.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution should be
transmitted to the City Council.
PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA
this 17th day of September 198~, by the following vote, to-wit:
AYES: Commissioners Carson, T~'les, Shipe and Grass~r
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: Commissioner Cannon
ABSENT: None
Thomas L. Shipe, Chairman
ATTEST:
Ruth M. SmitD, Secretary
WPC 2473H