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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2 - Staff Report Item: __2____ Meeting Date: 1/22/20 ITEM TITLE: A. Public Hearing: CUP19-0020; Consideration of a Conditional Use Permit to allow the use of the Marriott Springhill Suites-Eastlake hotel with 179 guest rooms and associated recreation area on a 2.75-acre site located at the corner of Fenton Street and Showroom Place. Applicant: Spectrum Development Group, Inc. Resolution of the City of Chula Vista Planning Commission approving a Conditional Use Permit CUP19-0020 to allow the use of the Marriott Springhill Suites-Eastlake hotel with 179 guest rooms and associated recreation area on a 2.75-acre site located at the corner of Fenton Street and Showroom Place. B. Public Hearing: DR19-0029; Design Review consideration of a 5-story, 127,628 sq. ft. Marriott Springhill Suites-Eastlake hotel with 179 guest rooms and associated recreation area on a 2.75-acre site located at the corner of Fenton Street and Showroom Place. Applicant: Spectrum Development Group, Inc. Resolution of the City of Chula Vista Planning Commission approving a Design Review Permit DR19-0029 to construct a 5-story, 127,628 sq. ft. Marriott Springhill Suites-Eastlake hotel with 179 guest rooms and associated recreation area on a 2.75-acre site located at the corner of Fenton Street and Showroom Place. SUBMITTED BY: Caroline Young, Associate Planner REVIEWED BY: Kelly Broughton, Director of Development Services INTRODUCTION The Applicant has submitted a Design Review and Conditional Use Permit application for approval of the noted project. The site is vacant and located at the corner of Fenton Street and Showroom Place within the Planned Community, Eastlake III, Business Center BC-4 area (see Locator Map, Attachment 1). ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The Director of Development Services has reviewed the proposed project for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the project was adequately covered in previously adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS-00-03), for the DR19-0029/CUP19-0020 Page No. 2 Planned Community, Eastlake III Sectional Planning Area (SPA) Plan, and also qualifies for a Categorical Exemption pursuant to In-Fill Development Projects, Section 15332 of the State CEQA Guidelines. Therefore, no further environmental review or documentation is required. RECOMMENDATION: That the Planning Commission adopt Resolution CUP19-0020 and Resolution DR19-0029 approving the project, based on the findings and subject to the conditions contained therein. DISCUSSION: Project Site Characteristics: The 2.75-acre vacant project site is located at the corner of Fenton Street and Showroom Place in the northwestern portion of the Planned Community, Eastlake III, Business Center BC-4, located on a parcel north of Fenton Street and east of Showroom Place. The site is bordered on the south, east and west by commercial retail and business offices, and an RV storage yard to the north (Attachment 1, Locator Map). Summary of Surrounding Land Uses General Plan Zoning Current Land Use Site: Limited Industrial PC, Business Center (BC-4) Vacant South: Limited Industrial PC, Business Center (BC-4) Medical/Dental Offices North: Limited Industrial PC, Business Center (BC-4) RV Storage East: Limited Industrial PC, Business Center (BC-4) Business Offices West: Commercial Retail PC, Village Center & Coml Dist. (VC-5) Commercial Retail Project Description The overall proposal consists of a 5-story, 127,628 sq. ft. Marriott Springhill Suites-Eastlake hotel with 179 guest rooms and associated recreation area on a 2.75-acre site. The building will be 68-ft. in height. The first floor consists of the main entrance, lobby, lounge and bar area, buffet, guest rooms, game room, three (3) meeting rooms, and staff offices. The rest of the hotel floor area consists primarily of remaining guest rooms with a fitness center on the second floor and guest laundry on the third floor. The guest rooms include 4 hospitality suites and 175 studio bedrooms. The proposed floor plans for all rooms include: a living room, restroom, and one or two beds. For the hospitality units, a separate bedroom, dining, bar, and patio area is provided. The proposed modern contemporary style architecture incorporates a variety of colored stucco, stone veneer, aluminum material used at the front entrance roof overhang and also below the window sills, and a flat roof with varying heights. Required parking is provided onsite with 187 parking spaces (see Attachment 5, Project Plans). Onsite amenities include a pool, jacuzzi, fire pit, bbq and outdoor lounge with TV, event lawn, and a covered patio and trellis area. Vehicle and pedestrian access on and off the site is from Showroom Place via a public driveway. Pedestrian paths are located throughout the site and DR19-0029/CUP19-0020 Page No. 3 along the perimeter of the site within the public right of way along Showroom place and Fenton Street. Due to the slope and grade difference along both street frontages, an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pedestrian path is located adjacent to the driveway along Showroom Place. Compliance with Development Standards The following Project Data Table shows the development regulations along with the Applicant’s proposal to meet said requirements: Assessor’s Parcel Number: 595-710-21-00 Current Zoning: Planned Community, BC-4 General Plan Designation: Limited Industrial Lot Area: 2.75-acres PARKING REQUIRED: PARKING PROPOSED: Parking spaces, broken down as follows: 1 space per unit plus 1 space for every 25 Standard parking= 132 spaces rooms Compact parking= 47 spaces Handicapped parking = 6 spaces (179 units + 8=187 spaces) Accessible EVCS parking = 2 Total: 187 parking spaces Total: 187 parking spaces SETBACKS/HEIGHT REQUIRED: SETBACKS/HEIGHT PROPOSED: Front: 25 50 feet Side: 15 71 feet Exterior Side: 20 66 feet Rear: 10 50 feet Height: 35 feet* 68 feet * Height limits for buildings within the BC-4 District may be increased to 76-ft. with approval of the Planning Commission. ANALYSIS: Compliance with Eastlake III Business Center Design Guidelines Site Planning/Building Massing and Scale/Building Details The Eastlake Business Center Design Guidelines include guidelines and policies for the commercial site. The proposed building layout and design features meet the intent of the Eastlake Business Center Design Guidelines as described below. The land use pattern for the SPA is that of a large commercial and business use area surrounded by an enhanced slope buffer and major and minor circulation routes. The commercial and business center uses were planned to accommodate retailers that serve a local and regional market. The hotel use, as proposed, will serve a regional market demand, in addition to the demand of visitors to the Chula Vista area. Currently, there are only three hotels located in the City of Chula Vista’s Planned Community areas. The addition of a fourth hotel will meet the current demand. DR19-0029/CUP19-0020 Page No. 4 Eastlake III Business Center Design Guidelines All buildings are to be functional and contemporary. Large-scale, uninterrupted walls facing a street shall be visually reduced by human scale by mature landscaping/mounding, clustering small-scale elements such as planter walls around the major form, creation of horizonal shadow lines, landscaped terraces, and offset building planes and recessed areas. The Project includes these features such as providing a modern and contemporary style building. The lot is currently surrounded by a private landscaped easement adjacent to the site, which consists of a large sloped area along Fenton Street and Showroom Place. A variety of landscaping, such as tree shrubs, and vines are provided throughout the site and adjacent to the building to visually reduce the appearance of the five-story building and provide an additional horizonal shadow line. Various colors and building planes are also proposed along the elevation to promote the human scale environment. The building also has a recessed front entrance with a covered canopy. The open space area for the customers is provided adjacent to the parking lot area, further recessing the 5-story building towards the rear of the property. Structures should be designed to create transitions in form and scale between large buildings and adjacent smaller buildings. The Project incorporates a variety of roof heights throughout the building with tower elements on the corners of the building with varying vertical offsets in wall planes. The hotel only consists of one building on the site, however it does provide a greater rear yard setback in addition to the open space sloped area, to provide a greater transition to the adjacent one-story commercial building to the west. Other buildings within the area consists of one to two story structures, however, a recently constructed hotel in the area is a four-story building. The height of the proposed building is under the maximum allowed building height of 76-ft per Planning Commission’s approval. Simple and uniform texture patterns are encouraged to enhance the architecture of buildings. Building materials shall complement existing materials within the development. Use of glass is encouraged. The proposed modern contemporary style architecture incorporates a variety of colored stucco, such as the “white picket fence” and “tea bag” brown color of the building that will match the surrounding developments. To further accent the building, stone veneer is placed along the front entrance to the building and along the tower elements. An aluminum material is used at the front entrance roof overhang and also below the window sills. Glass windows are provided throughout the building elevation. Architectural Theme The Eastlake Business Center Design Guidelines do not identify a required architectural style for the business center. The adjacent buildings within the area provide a modern contemporary design with stucco and various design elements. The Applicant is proposing a modern contemporary design with light to dark colors for accent walls. The building will also have a flat roof, stone veneer accent walls, and an aluminum material to show contrast around the windows and accent the front entrance to the hotel building. Varying building planes were added throughout the exterior of the building to avoid a monotonous design. The project provides these features on all sides of the building. DR19-0029/CUP19-0020 Page No. 5 Parking The Planned Community Business Center (BC-4) zone regulations require 1 space per unit plus 1 space for every 25 rooms for a hotel use. Therefore, the required parking is 187 spaces. The project meets the required parking spaces by providing a total of 187 parking spaces. Conditional Use Permit In accordance with the Planned Community District (BC-4) Business Center zone, a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is required for a hotel within the BC-4 Zone. The Applicant is requesting a CUP to comply with the Eastlake III SPA plan requirements, including specific findings as stipulated in Chula Vista Municipal Code (CVMC) Section 19.14.080 for CUP’s. The findings are contained within the attached Planning Commission Resolution for CUP19-0020 (see Attachment 3). The hotel use is consistent with and complementary to the surrounding retail commercial and business offices. The hotel will not only provide accommodations to business professionals visiting the Eastlake area, but also provide an amenity to the residents to accommodate their guests. Currently, there are only three hotels on the east side of Chula Vista within the areas of the Otay Ranch Freeway Commercial and Millenia projects, and one recently constructed in Eastlake along Fenton Street. According to the Applicant, there is a growing need for hotels to be located on the east side of Chula Vista. Therefore, the proposed hotel at this location will be an asset to the surrounding properties and residential communities in the area. Land Use Compatibility The site is located adjacent to retail commercial to the east, business offices to the south and west, and an RV storage yard to the north. The property’s grade is relatively flat, however, it is bordered along the east, west, and south with a sloped private open space lot, which provides a grade different from the adjacent properties and public streets. The site is level with the property to the north. Along the eastern property line, the proposed building observes a 50-ft. setback from the property line, whereas, only a 10-ft. rear setback is required in accordance with the applicable regulations. This CUP is in compliance with the General Plan policy of providing a hotel use for the surrounding business and residents. The proposed hotel use is appropriate for this site and allowed under the BC-4 Zone. Approval of the project requires compliance with all applicable codes and regulations, and all conditions must be satisfied prior to the final building inspection or occupancy. CONCLUSION The proposed 5-story, 127,628 sq. ft. Marriott Springhill Suites-Eastlake hotel with 179 guest rooms and associated recreation area is a permitted land use with a CUP in the Planned Community, Eastlake III, Business Center BC-4 zone. The proposal complies with the policies, guidelines and design standards for the Eastlake III SPA plan. Therefore, staff recommends the Planning Commission approve Conditional Use Permit, CUP19-0020 and Design Review Permit, DR19-0029 subject to the conditions listed in the attached Resolutions. DR19-0029/CUP19-0020 Page No. 6 DECISION-MAKER CONFLICTS Staff has reviewed the property holdings of the Planning Commission members and has found no property holdings within 1,000 feet of the boundaries of the property which is the subject of this action. Consequently, this item does not present a disqualifying real property-related financial conflict of interest under California Code of Regulations Title 2, section 18702.2(a)(7) or (8), for purposes of the Political Reform Act (Cal. Gov’t Code §87100, et seq.). Staff is not independently aware and has not been informed by any Planning Commission member, of any other fact that may constitute a basis for a decision-maker conflict of interest in this matter. FISCAL IMPACT The application fees and processing costs are paid for by the Applicant, resulting in no net fiscal impact to the Development Services Fund or the General Fund. Attachments 1. Locator Map 2. Planning Commission Resolution DR19-0029 3. Planning Commission Resolution CUP19-0020 4. Disclosure Statement 5. Project Plans (flash drive) J:\\Planning\\Caroline\\Discretionary Permits\\Marriott Springhill Suites-Eastlake\\DR19-0029, CUP19-0020 PC Staff report