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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm Reports/1980/05/28 AGENDA City Planning Commission Chula Vista, California Wednesday, May 28, 1980 - 7:00 p.m. City Council Chambers PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - SILENT PRAYER APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Meeting of May 14, 1980 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS 1. PUBLIC HEARING: Request for modification of precise plan guidelines for property at 950 Industrial Boulevard to permit freestanding sign adjacent to I-5 freeway - Fun for All 2. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of tentative subdivision map for Chula Vista Tract 80-21, Bonita Centre East ORAL COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR'S REPORT COMMISSION COMMENTS To: City Planning Commission Fron: D.J. Peterson, Director of Planning Subject: Staff report on agenda items for Planning Commission Meeting of May 28, 1980 1. PUBLIC HEARING: Request for modification of precise l~]~9_guide]]ne_s~£ property at 950 In--rial Boulevard to_p_~rmit freestanding sign ad3acent to ~Z~ ]~'~a~ ~ F-F~-~o~ All A. BACKGROUND 1. The applicant is requesting a modification to the precise plan guidelines in order to erect a 28 foot high, 112 sq. ft. Freestanding pole sign adjacent to I-5 freeway on the Fun for All site located at 950 Industrial Boulevard in the I-L-P zone. 2. The proposed project is exempt from environmental review as a Class 11 a exemption. B. RECOMMENDATION Adopt a motion recommending that the City Council deny the request. C. DISCUSSION 1. Existing site characteristics. The subject property is a 1.84 acre parcel bordered on the wesL a~<i south by the northbound onramp to the I-5 freeway, to the east by Industrial Boulevard, and to the north by an industrial rental facility. The site is presently developed with an amusement center, Fun for All, approved in 1977 PCM-77-2) and constructed in 1978. The center consists of: l) a central structure housing an office~ snack bar and amusement arcade; 2) a circular batting cage; 3) a miniat(~re golf course; 4) bumper boats; and 5) related parking as well as landscapir~g. The property is relatively level and essentially at the same elevation as the adjoining streets and freeway. 2. Existing signs. The existing signs on the property are as follows: a. A 3½ foot high, 6 sq. ft. non-illuminated ground sign located near the entrance to the parking; b. A 3' x 16' identification sign mounted on the west side of the building facing the freeway; and, c. Other miscellaneous signs indicating the major activities, such as "arcade" and "miniature golf." City planning Commission Page 2 Agenda Items for Meeting of May 28, 1980 3. Precise plan guidelines. The precise plan guidelines, from which the applicant is seeking relief, govern the development of the properties lying between I-5 and Industrial B~)ulevard and between "L" Street and the northbound onramp to the I-5 freeway, l'he guidelines stipulate that "signs along Industrial Boulevard and 'L' Street shall he ground monument type in accordance with I-L regulations" and "a coordinated sign program shall be drawn up for the property." The findings of fact in support of such determination are, in part, that "L" Street is a gateway into the southern part of the city. 4. Similar request. In 1978, the PHd Corporation located at the southwest corner of "!." Street and Industrial Boulevard requested an amendment to the precise plan guidelines by deleting the restriction of signs to ground monument signs on Industrial Boulevard. By a vote of 5 to 2 the Planning Commission recommended that the guidelines be amended to specifically provide for a 28 ft. tall sign containing 100 sq. ft. on the PHd property. The Council upheld this action by a vote of 4 to 1. At the Council meeting it was clear that the guidelines were to remain in effect as to other properties at this interchange and an exception was being granted only for the one property. D. ANALYSIS 1. The City Council's action on the PHd sign leaves the guidelines intact as to their application to other properties at the "L" Street/I-5 interchange. As noted in the report on the PHd item, the "L" Street/I-5 interchange is designated as a gateway on the Scenic Highway Element of the General Plan. Such a designation implies that special attention is to be paid to aesthetic considerations. It should be noted that at the time the PHd sign was approved, it was anticipated that the action could result in additional sign requests. Any action by the city. to approve a second freestanding freeway oriented sign at this location will negate the precise plan guidelines and set the stage for each business or industrial firm with freeway exposure to make a similar proposal. 2. The subject property enjoys very good exposure from the freeway and Industrial Boulevard. The fact that the property is located on an onramp enhances its visibility. These factors, as well as those stated in paragraph D.1 offer the basis for the staff recommendation for denial. "L" ST ~ ~ ',vAc I PHD L._J S~D TRUCK I:l LUMBER i~ I I r~ ~ ~ YARD ~ VAC ...... ~ ~[4 ~ ~ ~ ~OTHINO MANUE ~~ m ~ CHULA VISTA ~ . COg~, Y ~PCC- J PCM-?7-2 J PRECISE PLAti FOR FA~JILY TRUCK CROPS J AMUSE~ENT CENT~ J THE I-L-P ZONE. ~ MOSS .... ~ ; .. ~ SIGN_. LOCATION (SI~ EXHIBIT B) q" '-'~. ' "- "' ' ', '~ ' O~ , ~ / % ' ~ / . .: o~. j" EXHIBIT lB ~ PERMIT TO E'~ECT A 28 HIOH~ 112 FREESTANDINO POt.[ SION JlO INDUSTRIAL BLVD. ,,~ City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of May 28, 1980 Page 3 2. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of tentative subdivision map for Chula Vista Tract 8~-~1, Bonita Centre East A. BACKGROUND 1. The applicant has filed a tentative subdivision map known as Bonita Centre East, Chula Vista Tract 80-21, to subdivide 18.2 acres located at the southeast corner of Otay Lakes Road and Bonita Road into one 3 acre commercial lot and three residential lots (15.2 acres total) containing a total of 109 condominium units. The property is zoned C-C-P and R-3-P-8. 2. The site plan and architecture of the proposed development have been reviewed and approved by the Design Review Committee. The commercial development was approved on March 6, 1980 (DRC-80-19) and the residential development on April 3, 1980 (DRC-80-29). 3. The Environmental Impact Report, EIR-79-7, on this project was certified by the Planning Commission on April 8, 1979 and forwarded to the City Council on May 15, 1979. B. RECOMMENDATION Based on the findings contained in Section "D" of this report, adopt a motion recommending that the City Council approve the tentative subdivision map for Bonita Centre East, Chula Vista Tract 80-21, subject to the following conditions: 1. Approval of the tentative map is contingent upon the applicant's provision of 11 housing units at prices affordable by moderate income families, either on the site or in an alternative location acceptable to the City Council. As an alternative, Council may accept payments in lieu of such housing in an amount to be determined prior to the approval of the final map. Such payments shall be placed into a special fund for use by the City in providing low or moderate income housing within the city. 2. The owner shall dedicate sufficient right-of-way to the City along Otay Lakes Road to provide 48 feet from centerline to property line prior to approval of the final map. 3. The owner shall dedicate sufficient right-of-way to the City along Bonita Road to provide 48 feet from centerline to property line prior to approval of the final map. 4. The owner shall grant an easement to the City for sewer, drainage, access and utility purposes over Street "A" prior to approval of the final map. 5. The owner shall grant sewer and drainage easements along the south side of Bonita Road to the City to provide for maintenance of the proposed facil- ities located in this area as shown on the tentative map. 6. The developer shall be responsible for the widening of both Otay Lakes Road and Bonita Road adjacent to the property as indicated on the typical sections on the tentative map. City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of May 28, 1980 Page 4 7. The storm drain system on the tentative map is approximate only. The entire system, including location and size of all facilities, shall be approved by the City Engineer as a part of the final grading and improve- ment plans. 8. During the progress of land development operations, the developer shall take all safety precautions reasonably necessary to protect adjacent property from damage due to erosion, flooding, silting and other storm related hazards which are a consequence of his operation. Measures to mitigate the above mentioned hazards shall be incorporated into the final grading plans. 9. Drainage from pads shall not be permitted to flow over slopes. 10. All mitigation measures identified in the environmental impact report for this project (EIR-79-7) shall be incorporated into the development work. ll. Stop signs shall be provided for all three approaches at the intersection of Streets "A" and "B". 12. All entrances to the commercial portion of the project shall be 30 feet wide and shall utilize alley type approaches with curb radii of 20 feet. 13. An overall lighting plan for the private streets and driveways sha)l be submitted to the Traffic Engineer for approval prior to approval of the final map. 14. The owner shall grant easements for street tree purposes to the City along dedicated streets as determined by the City Engineer prior to approval of the final map. 15. The CC&R's shall include, but are not limited to, the following: a. Prohibition against the conversion of any garage. b. Prohibition against the installation of individual radio and TV antennae. c. Prohibition against any outside architectural remodeling without approval of the City of Chula Vista. d. The developer and his successors in interest shall agree to maintain all landscaping, required fencing, recreation areas, and buildings in a manner satisfactory to the City of Chula Vista. 16. Each garage shall be equipped with an automatic garage door opener. 17. The name of the private street shall be subject to the approval of the Director of Planning. 18. Concurrent with the approval of the final map, the developer shall request that the City Council adopt a resolution allowing the City to enforce traffic regulations on private property. City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of May 28, 1980 Page 5 19. The final grading plan, including the remedial measures regarding the landslide area, shall be reviewed by a registered engineering geologist to assure geologic stability, and evidence of this review provided to the city staff. In the absence of a showing of stability, this portion of the tentative map shall be redesigned to remove the residences from the landslide area. 20. A 5 foot high landscaped berm and/or masonry wall shall be provided along Bonita Road and Otay Lakes Road street frontages to screen all usable open space (common and private) which would be exposed to traffic noise. (Note: A 45 dBA or lower interior noise level is required.) 21. The developer shall comply with all applicable sections of the Chula Vista Municipal~Code. Preparation of the final map and all plans shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Subidivision Map Act and the Subdivi- sion Ordinance and Subdivision Manual of the City of Chula Vista. C. DISCUSSION 1. Existing site characteristics. The project site is an "L" shaped property with slightly more than 400 feet of frontage along Otay Lakes Road and over 1,000 feet along Bonita Road. The topog- raphy, with an average natural slope of 17%, varies from a relatively level area along Bonita Road to very hilly terrain with slopes up to 50% in the southeast corner of the site. The northerly one-third of the site lies within the 100 year flood level of the Sweetwater River and is presently subject to inundation. 2. Proposed development. a. Commercial. l) Lot 1 is a level 3 acre commercial lot, zoned C-C-P, with approxi- mately 410 feet along Bonita Road and 280 feet along Otay Lakes Road. The site is to be developed with 3 one and two story structures (30 feet high) and a gazebo with a total floor area of 22,965 sq. ft. Access to the site is provided by a single two way driveway on both streets. Parking for 133 cars is provided on-site. 2) The design features include pitched roofs of varying heights with medium shake shingles. The front elevations will consist of wood siding, fascias and trim. The rear elevations will consist of combination wood siding and stucco. The pedestrian areas and portions of the planters will be textured paving. Landscaping is to be provided throughout the project including the areas adjacent to the rear of the building. b. Residential. l) The proposed residential development, at a density of 6 units per acre, will consist of 8 basic floor plans combined into 4 housing types. There will be 3 single family units; 18 duplexes, 6 five-plexes and 5 eight unit clusters consisting of a six-plex and duplex. The majority of the units will be split level City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of May 28, 1980 Page 6 structures and distributed on each of the lots as follows: Lot Acres Number of build.ings and type Number of Units 2 5.2 6 (3) five-plexes, (3) 8 unit clusters 39 3 3.0 5 (3) five-plexes, (2) 8 unit clusters 31 4 7.0 21 (3) single family, (18) duplexes 39 Totals 15.2 32 109 2) A description of the various floor plans is presented below: Open Space Storage Plan Number Bedrooms (sq. ft.) Parkin9 (cubic feet) A 32 2 275 Detached one-car garage 200 (96 adjacent) B 22 3 225 Detached one-car garage 250 (100 adjacent) C 16 2 230 Detached one-car garage 200 (83 adjacent) D 6 3 350 Attached two-car garage 250 (in garage) E ll 3 260 Attached two-car garage 250 (in garage) F 9 3 280 Attached two-car garage 250 (in garage) G 6 2 + den 245 Attached two-car garage 250 (in garage) H 7 2 250 Attached two-car garage 250 (in garage) 3) There will be 70 single car garages and 39 two car garages, providing for a total of 148 spaces within a garage. In addition, 125 open guest parking spaces will be provided throughout the project bringing the total to 273 parking spaces, a ratio of 2.5 spaces per unit. 4) The units will be served by a private street system. The primary street intersects both Otay Lakes Road and Bonita Road and will have a right-of-way width of 32 feet with a 5 foot wide sidewalk located on one side and a 24 foot wide travel way. Because of the topography, the street grades will be relatively steep with 10% to 15% grades on the southeasterly portion of the site. 5) The proposed design of the buildings will be very attractive, consisting of contemporary Spanish and rustic ranch style architecture. Blue glazed roof tile is proposed for is proposed for the 5 and 8 unit clusters (with the option of substituting red concrete tile approved by the Design Review Committee). The primary exterior material will be stucco accented by stained wood fascias, beams and railings. The remaining units (single family and duplexes) will have medium shake shingle roofs and exteriors of ship-lap siding. The privacy walls and fences are to be treated with the same materials as their respective units. 3. Grading. a. The proposed grading plan shown on the tentative map is primarily for construction purposes and a grading plan reflecting finished grades and contours will be submitted upon application for building permits. City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of May 28, 1980 Page 7 b. The grading will consist of approximately 50,000 cubic yards of cut and fill and an additional 50,000 cubic yards of imported fill. Cuts up to 40 feet and fills of up to l0 feet will take place on the southeasterly portion of the site. The lower areas, subject to inundation, will be elevated approximately 5 feet to eliminate .possible flooding. Because of the split level construction, a number of retaining walls are proposed throughout the project. Although there will be extensive grading, it will be minimized to the extent compatible with development by the use of retaining walls and split level structures c. It has been found that landsliding has occurred on the hill located at the southeast corner of the site. In order to increase the safety factor against future landsliding to an acceptable degree, a buttress fill is proposed in that location. The adequacy of the buttress fill will be determined upon submittal of the grading plan and soils report. 4. Low and moderate income housing. The developer is required to address the issue of making 10% of the units (ll units) available to low and moderate income families. Because of the anticipated costs and type of development, the proposed units are projected to be far above the price range of low and moderate income families. Therefore, the developer has contacted the Community Development Department in an effort to determine what pro- grams are available or how they will be expected to participate in order to satisfy this requirement. As of this writing the City Council has not established a program for the developer to follow. In lieu of the developer submitting a program to satisfy the Housing Element, the staff is recommending that the developer be allowed to pay a fee into a fund which would be used to buy land and construct low/moderate housing in other loca- tions in the city. Since a fee has not been established as of this date, it is necessary to condition the map upon the City Council determination of an appropri- ate fee prior to the approval of a final map. This approach to giving developers the option of providing the housing or a fee would be similar to the city's park dedication ordinance, where in-lieu fees are an acceptable alternative to construction of a park. D. FINDINGS Pursuant to Sections 66473.5 of the Subdivision Map Act, the tentative subdivision map for Bonita Centre East, Chula Vista Tract 80-21, is found to be in conformance with the various elements of the Chula Vista General Plan, with the exception of the Housing Element, based on the following: 1. The site is physically suitable for the combination of commercial and residential development and the proposal conforms to all standards established by the City for such projects. 2. The design of the subdivision will not affect the existing improvements: streets, sewers, etc., which have been designed to avoid any serious problems. City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of May 28, 1980 Page 8 3. The project is in substantial conformance with the Chula Vista General P)an Elements as follows: a. Land Use Element - The 3 acre property at the southeast corner is designated for retail commercial in which manner the property will be developed. The density of the residential development is approxi- mately 6 units per acre, well within the density range designated on the General Plan diagram. b. Circulation Element - The development will be served by a private road system and the adjoining streets widened and improved to City standards for major roads. c. Housing Element - The developer is required to address the question of providing 10% of the units for low/moderate income families. Since the proposed price of units within this project would make it difficult to devote 10% of the units within the development to such a program, the developer will be allowed to pay a fee as established by the City Council to be used for the development of low/moderate income housing at a suitable alternate location. d. Conservation Element - The site has not been used for agricultural purposes for many years and is located within an area which has been determined desirable for residential development. e. Park and Recreation, and Open Space Elements - The proposed development will be required to pay fees in lieu of the dedication and improvement of park lands. The site does not lie within an area designated for open space. f. Seismic Safety and Safety Elements - No known faults exist within close proximity to the site. The site will be filled above the 100 year flood level and the proposed circulation will facilitate the the movement of emergency vehicles. The buttress fill will stabilize the landslide areas. g. Noise Element - All dwellings are to be designed so as not to exceed a maximum interior noise of 45 dBA. h. Scenic Highway Element - The perimeter and interior of the project will be heavily landscaped and the structures are attractively designed. The use of textured paving at the entrances and within the commercial area will enhance the development. i. Bicycle Routes Element - The adjoining streets will be widened to accom- modate bicycle traffic. j. Public Buildings Element - No public buildings have been designated on the subject property. 4. Pursuant to Section 66412.2 of the Subdivision Map Act, the Commission certifies that it has considered the effect of this approval on the housing needs of the region and has balanced those needs against the public service needs of the residents of the City and the available fiscal and environmental resources. SCHOOL RD.