HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm Reports/1981/07/22 AGENDA
City Planning Commission
Chula Vista, California
Wednesday, July 22, 1981 - 7:00 p.m. City Council Chambers
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - SILENT PRAYER
APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Meeting of July 8, 1981
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
1. PUBLIC HEARING: Conditional use permit application PCC-81-18 to operate
a used car sales lot at 696 Broadway in the C-T zone -
E. A. Vargas and L. M. Barrera
2. PUBLIC HEARING (cont.): Conditional use permit PCC-81-14, request to
construct multi-purpose recreational facility at 900 block
Buena Vista Way - Bonita Valley Girls Softball Assn.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT
COMMISSION COMMENTS
To: City Planning Commission
From: D.J. Peterson, Director of Planning
Subject: Staff report on agenda items for Planning Commission
Meeting of July 22, 1981
1. PUBLIC HEARING: Conditional use permit application PCC-81-18 to operate
a used car sales lot at 696 Broadway in the C-T zone -
E. A. Vargas and L. M. Barrera
A. BACKGROUND
1. This item involves a request to establish a used car lot at 696 Broadway
(northwest corner of Broadway and "J" Street) in the C-T zone. The property is
presently being used as a used car lot (Broadway Motors) without authorization
from the City.
2. An Initial Study, IS-81-53, of possible adverse environmental impacts of
the project was conducted by the Environmental Review Committee on July 9, 1981.
The Committee concluded that there would be no significant environmental effects
and recommended adoption of the Negative Declaration.
B, RECOMMENDATION
1. Adopt the Negative Declaration on IS-81-53 and find that this project
will have no significant environmental impact.
2. Based on the findings contained in Section "E" of this report, adopt a
motion to approve the request, PCC-81-18, to establish a used car lot at 696
Broadway, subject to the fulfillment of the following conditions within the time
period specified, otherwise the permit shall become null and void and the applicant
shall immediately cease and desist operations and vacate the premises:
a. The gasoline tank shall be removed within 30 days from the date of
approval.
b. The gas pumps shall be removed within 30 days from the date of
approval.
c. A landscaping and irrigation plan shall be submitted to the City
Landscape Architect for approval and said landscaping and irrigation
shall be installed not later than 60 days from the date of approval.
d. All illegal painted signs shall be painted out within 30 days. All
illegal "A" frame type signs, such as "enter", and the sign for
Interstate Transmission shall be removed immediately.
e. A complete sign program shall be submitted to the Planning Depart-
ment for approval no later than 30 days from the date of this approval.
f. A construction permit for the removal of the driveways along Broadway
shall be requested, issued, and all work accomplished within 90 days
from the date of this approval.
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of July 22, 1981 Page 2
g. The applicant shall apply for a building permit for the exterior
remodeling of the existing structures within 30 days from the date
of approval. The design and exterior colors shall be subject to the
approval of the Zoning Administrator.
h. The open areas shown on the approved plot plan shall be kept free
of used cars to provide interim customer parking and circulation.
C. DISCUSSION
1. Adjacent zoning and land use.
North C-T Auto transmission repair shop
South C-T Carpet sales
East C-T Retail commercial uses
West R-1 Single family dwellings
2. Existing site characteristics.
a. The subject property is a 100' x 150' (15,000 sq. ft.) parcel located
at the northwest corner of Broadway and "J" Street, which, together with the
adjacent parcel to the north, is a former service station site. The original building,
pumps, pump island canopy, and underground gas storage tank still exist on the
property. The northerly parcel, which originally measured 75' x 150', as did the
subject parcel, has been reduced in width to 50 feet and the subject property
increased to 100 feet through the adjustment plat procedure. The northerly
parcel has since been developed separately as a transmission repair shop (Inter-
state Transmission), approved by the Planning Commission in 1979 (PCC-71-21).
According to our records, the two properties are still under one ownership and it
appears that the two sites have some form of reciprocal access agreement which may
be part of their lease.
b. The project site is currently being used as a used car lot without
authorization. The gasoline storage tanks have not been removed even though the
Fire Marshal notified the owner in October, 1980, to remove the tank in compliance
with the Uniform Fire Cdde. The matter has been referred to the City Attorney
for appropriate action.
3. Proposal
The plans submitted in connection with this application indicate removal of
the gasoline storage tank, the gas pumps and the two driveways located along the
frontage on Broadway. The two driveways on "J" Street will remain. Landscaping
is to be provided along the Broadway frontage as well as a portion along "J"
Street. The pump island canopy and existing structure will be remodeled. The
canopy will have a mansard style roof (all four sides) and the existing support
columns will be encased. The building, which will be used as an office and for
auto detailing (service bays) will have a partial mansard' roof on the east
elevation. The rest of the building will remain essentially the same, except for
the north and south elevations which will have the mansard roof wrapped around for
a short distance. The exterior color will be basically white with red and blue
color bands. The cars will be parked in tandem along the Broadway frontage with
single row parking along the west property line and on the north side of the building.
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of July 22, 1981 Page
D. ANALYSIS
1. The purpose of the conditional use permit procedure is to determine whether
the proposed use is compatible with other uses in the area and to establish appro-
priate conditions, if necessary. The adjoining residential uses to the west are
separated from the use by a block wall. The proposed use probably will generate
less traffic than the previous service station use and, therefore, should not
adversely affect the residential areas, since it is primarily oriented towards
Broadway.
2. There are a number of used car lots in the general vicinity to the north
and south, so the proposed use is considered compatible with the other commercial
uses. In addition, the proposed use will not disrupt the continuity of retail
commercial uses in the area.
3. Because the use is already in existence, it is appropriate to establish
time limits on any conditions placed on the use to insure compliance within
reasonable periods of time. The time periods should be predicated on the nature
of the condition and provide the applicant an opportunity to meet the conditons.
E. FINDINGS
1. That the proposed use at the particular location is necessary or desirable
to provide a service or facility which will contribute to the general well being
of the neighborhood or the co,~nunity.
The proposed use will provide an expanded choice of service to the community
and is located in an area where similar uses are offered.
2. That such use will not, under the circumstances of the particular case,
be detrimental to the health, safety or general welfare of persons residing or
working in the vicinity, or injurious to property or improvements in the vicinity.
The impact of the proposed use should be substantially less than a service
station which operated on the site for many years.
3. That the proposed use will co~ply with the regulations and conditions
specified in the code for such use.
The conditions of approval and the time periods established for compliance
will ensure the proposed use will comply with the requirements of the Code
for such use.
4. That the granting of this conditional use will not adversely affect the
general plan of the city or the adopted plan of any governmental agency.
The subject property is located on a "gateway" into the city. The upgrading
of the site through landscaping and remodeling of the existing structures is
in keeping with the goals and objectives of the Scenic Highway Element of the
General Plan.
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of July 22, 1981 Page 4
2. PUBLIC HEARING (cont.): Conditional use permit PCC-81-14, request to
construct multi-purpose recreational facility at 900 block
Buena Vista Way - Bonita Valley Girls Softball Assn.
A. BACKGROUND
1. On June lO, 1981 the Planning Commission considered an application from the
Bonita Valley Girls Softball Association to construct a multi-purpose recreational
field allowing for a combination of soccer fields and softball diamonds. The
Commission voted unanimously to continue the public hearing to July 22 to give
the staff time to evaluate and research the various issues raised during the
hearing. (See attached staff report of June 10, 1981 for previous analysis.)
2. In addition, the Commission specifically asked that the Traffic Engineer
look at the area from the standpoint of traffic safety, and evaluate the potential
dust problem that might result from the parking area.
B. RECOMMENDATION
1. Take no action on the Negative Declaration, IS-81-42.
2. Based on the findings contained in Section E of this report, adopt a
motion denying PCC-81-14.
(Planning Director's note: My earlier recommendation for approval of the applica-
tion was based upon an incomplete understanding of the intensity of the proposed
use of the site. A more complete understanding has led me to conclude that the
proposed use would be detrimental to the neighborhood in which it would be located.)
C. DISCUSSION
1. Proposed use of the l0 acre site.
The applicant in this case, Bonita Valley Girls Softball Association, intends
to use the subject property during the months of February through June with the
following typical schedule:
On Saturdays - 2 games scheduled at 9:00 a.m., 2 games to follow at ll:O0 a.m.,
and 2 more games to follow at l:O0 p.m. Thus, the area would be
occupied from approximately 8:00 in the morning until 3:30 in the
afternoon. A third field is to be used for practice or warm up
during that same period.
Monday through Friday - One game would be played on each of the two fields
starting at 4:30 and ending at approximately 7:30 p.m., with,
again, the third field being used for practice.
In addition to girls softball, the American Youth Soccer Organization intends
to use the field from August through December, having a total of 7 league games on
Saturday, starting at 9 o'clock and running through 3 o'clock, with one hour
allocated for each game. During the week the three fields would be used for
practice and would involve a maximum of 90 children.
City Planning Commission Paue 5
Agenda Items for Meeting of July 22, 198!
On a typical Saturday during the softball season or a week day afternoon,
one could expect a total of 75 players and coaches, together with 25-50 parents
watching the games, and another 15 to 20 players and coaches utilizing the
practice field.
A typical soccer league, played on Saturday, involving one game every hour,
would result in a total of approximately 40 players and coaches and 30 parents
at any one game. Practice during the week could result in as many as 100 players
and coaches and 20 to 25 parents watching the practice.
2. Availability of other facilities.
a. Enclosed is a position paper from the Bonita Optimist Club indicating
the willingness of that organization to work with any of the youth groups in
developing permanent fields for their use and establishing a scheduling priority
based upon the organization's contribution in funds and man hours to develop such
facilities. The Bonita Optimist property is located near the northeast corner of
the Chula Vista Golf Course in the center of the Bonita Valley.
b. Representatives of the Girls Softball Association ha~ further discus-
sions with the principal of Bonita Vista Junior High School which serves as one
of the current playing areas used by the organization, to determine the status of
the playing fields at that location. Girls Softball had been tentatively notified
that the school district was planning to turf the existing playing areas, which
would have made the playing areas unavailable for approximately six months while
the seeding operation was taking place and, once completed, would have left the
area unacceptable for softball league play since the homo plate and bases could
not be installed in the turf. The turfing, however, would make the area more
acceptable for soccer play. The principal of Bonita Vista Junior High School
has now indicated to the league representatives that the school district has
withheld plans to move ahead on the proposed turfing and, therefore, the fields
will remain open for softball play.
c. At the present time Bonita Valley Girls Softball and the American
Youth Soccer Organization are using fields at Bonita Vista High School, Bonita
Vista Junior High School, Southwestern College and the elementary schools in the
Bonita area. Conflicts are arising due to the playing conditions of the various
fields, competition involving winter baseball and the soccer league at Bonita
Vista High School, and simply the sheer number of children participating in the
programs and the number of fields available in the Bonita area. As an example,
the American Youth Soccer Organization has some 1200 children registered for
90 teams and there are 237 girls involved in the Bonita Valley Girls Softball
Association. Both of these organizations serve the Bonita area with the 1-805
freeway constituting the westerly boundary of the district. At the present time
in the Chula Vista Planning Area, there are 14 elemontary schools west of 1-805
and 6 elementary schools east of 1-805. There are 3 each Junior High and Senior
High Schools west of 1-805 and one Junior High and one High School east of 1-805.
Thus, on the west side of 1-805 there is an opportunity to use playing facilities
at 20 schools and only 8 east of 1-805.
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of July 22, 1981 Page 6
d. The City and County have held discussions during the past two years on
the possibility of constructing ball fields north of Bonita Road west of the
Brookside Winery in Bonita. The City was ready to participate in a joint venture
of construction with the County, however, the County wanted the City to maintain
the fields, whereas, the City wanted joint participation in the maintenance. The
County is presently pursuing development in the area which would involve a variety
of recreational activities, such as rides and water slides, with ball fields
playing only a secondary role as a recreational activity. The prospects of the
area developing in the near future do not appear to be very optimistic.
3. Parking Surface.
The applicant proposes to provide a decomposed granite, overlaid with road oil
mix, to be used for a parking surface to accommodate up to 75 vehicles adjacent to
Buena Vista Way. The City's zoning ordinance allows for such a parking surface on
an interim basis. We would expect to review and monitor the condition of this
surface on a regular basis to insure that it provides a cost effective dust free
surface. Using the oil mix in combination with the decomposed granite base is
only 20-25% as costly as concrete over an aggregate.
4. Traffic.
Attached is a memo from the City Traffic Engineer to the City Engineer
indicating that Buena Vista Way is designed as a residential collector street
which could physically handle up to 5,000 cars a day as opposed to the present
2,000 per day vehicle count. While it is recognized that the curvilinear nature
of the street and the 90 degree turns at "H" Street and Telegraph Canyon Road
would make it highly undesirable to increase traffic flows to anywhere near the
maximum, the street is sufficiently designed to accommodate the projected increase
for the proposed recreational activities. Nevertheless it must be realized that
residents fronting along a residential collector street always fear that traffic
is too heavy well before the capacity of the street is reached.
5. Liability.
A question was raised at the hearing regarding liability insurance. Both the
Bonita Valley Girls Softball Assn. and American Youth Soccer Organization are
required to file proof of liability insurance with the elementary school district.
D. CONCLUSION
While it is clear that softball and soccer facilities are not adequate to serve
the eastern Chula Vista area, the subject location is simply too deeply into the
heart of a residential neighborhood to properly accommodate the level of activity
discussed in Section C.1 of this report.
E. FINDINGS
1. That the proposed use at the particular location is necessary, or desirable
to provide a service or facility which will contribute to the general well being, of
the neighborhood or the co~nunity.
City Planning Commiss,~a
Agenda Items for Meeting of July 22, 1981 Page 7
The proposed use would provide a desirable service to the young people in
the easterly section of Chula Vista. However, this would be provided at the
expense of homeowners adjacent to the site and across the street from it and,
to a lesser extent, persons residing along Buena Vista Way. The activity
level contemplated in the application would, to a substantial extent, deprive
nearby residents of the peace and quiet they should be able to enjoy in their
homes. Accordingly, staff cannot make the finding that the proposed use
would contribute to the well being of the neighborhood.
2. That such use will not, under the circumstances of the particular case,
be detrimental to the health, safety or general welfare of persons residing or
working in the vicinity, or injurious to property or improvements in the vicinity.
The increase in traffic and noise and general activity level on week ends
and after normal working hours would be detrimental to the welfare of nearby
property owners and may have an adverse effect on property values. This is
more true on this site than on most other elementary school sites because
it is surrounded on three sides by single family homes, there is no school
building present to buffer noise and dust, and sites with schools on them
characteristically have permanently surfaced parking areas and lawn areas
that make them more compatible with single famil~ homes.
3. That the proposed use will comply with the regulations and conditions
specified in the code for such use.
The code does not specify regulations for this type of use.
4. That the granting of this conditional use will not adversely affect the
general plan of the city or the adopted plan of any governmental agency.
The General Plan would not be affected by this interim use of a designated
school site.
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of June 10, lgS1 Page
2. PUBLIC HEARING: Conditional use permit PCC-81-14, request to construct
multi-purpose recreational facility at 900 block Buena Vista
Way - Bonita Valley Girls Softball Assn.
A. BACKGROUND
1. The Bonita Valley Girls' Softball Association is requesting approval of
a conditional use permit in order to construct a multi-purpose recreational
facility consisting of three soccer fields, four combination baseball/softball
diamonds and offstreet parking for 75 cars on a 9.84 acre vacant elementary school
site located on the west side of the 900 block of Buena Vista Way in the P-C zone.
2. An Initial Study, IS-81-42, of possible adverse environmental impacts of
the project was conducted by the Environmental Review Committee on May 21, 1981.
The Committee concluded that there would be no significant environmental effects
and recommended adoption of the Negative Declaration.
B. RECOMMENDATION
1. Adopt the Negative Declaration on IS-81-42 and find that this project will
have no significant environmental impact.
2. Based on the findings contained in Section E of this report, adopt a motion
approving the conditional use permit, PCC-81-4, for a multi-recreational facility
to be located on the west side of the 900 block of Buena Vista Way, subject to the
following conditions:
a. The area shall be kept free and clear of alt litter and debris and
properly maintained at all times.
b. The construction of any structures other than the storage shed and
backstops shall be subject to the approval of the Director of Planning.
c. The conditional use permit shall be subject to review by the Planning
Commission after one year to determine the impact on the neighborhood
and the adequacy of the conditions of approval. Pursuant to the review
the Planning Commission may modify the conditions of approval or, if cir-
cumstances warrant, terminate the permit.
d. The backstops shall be located a minimum of 50 feet from any adjacent
residential property line.
e. The parking area shall be paved with a minimum of 2 inches of decomposed
granite and treated with asphalt road oil in sufficient quantities and
with sufficient frequency to prevent dust from reaching the adjacent
residential development.
f. The use of speaker systems shall be prohibited.
g. The location of the portable restrooms and trash containers shall be
subject to approval of the Planning Department.
h. Signing shall be subject to Planning Department approval.
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of June lO, 1981 Paste 5
C. DISCUSSION
1. Existing site characteristics.
The subject property is a relatively level 9.84 acre vacant elementary school
site with frontage along the west side of Buena Vista Way. Single family homes
and park lands abut the property on the other three sides. The site has been
previously graded in conjunction with the adjacent residential development and
ranges between 3 feet to 15 feet lower than the homes along the northerly and
westerly property lines. The homes along the southerly property line are approxi-
mately 2-4 feet above the level of the field. A city park and open space canyon
abut the southwesterly corner of the property.
2. Proposed facility.
The applicant proposes to do additional grading consisting primarily of leveling
the property to acco~odate the ball fields. Improvements will consist of 20 foot
high backstops, an 8'x12' metal storage shed, portable bathrooms, parking (unmarked)
for approximately 75 cars and a 6 foot high chainlink fence with appropriate gates
located between the parking area and the ball fields. Additional chainlink fencing
will be located along a portion of the southwesterly property line where the property
slopes into a shallow canyon. The fencing between the parking and ball fields will
deter vehicles from driving onto the field. The facility will be used Monday through
Friday, between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. No
nighttime activities are planned and no lights are proposed.
The central 4.3 acres of the property, located between the parking area and the
ball fields, will remain unimproved as will the ball fields themselves, at least for
a period. Turfing of the field area is being considered at some future time.
Approximately 290 girls are active in the Bonita Valley Girls' Softball Assn.
and most live in the Bonita, Sunnyside, East Chula Vista area, although membership
is open to the entire South Bay area.
3. Lease.
At the time of this writing a formal agreement to lease the property from the
school district has not been finalized. However, officials of the school district have
indicated that they do not foresee any problems in approving the lease and support
the proposed use. The lease is expected to be on a year to year basis. According
to school officials, construction of the school is a minimum of three years away and
possibly longer. This time schedule will allow the fields to operate for a minimum
period of three years at this location.
D. ANALYSIS
1. To some extent the noise and traffic which will be associated with this
use will be similar to that associated with an elementary school which, of course,
is the use originally planned for the site. However, an elementary school is
usually fairly inactive and quiet during the early evening hours and on Saturday,
when the subject use will be most active. It is also during those hours that many
City Planning Commission
Agenda Items for Meeting of June lO, ~981 Page 6
families tend to expect to enjoy a period of quiet relaxation. For that reason,
it is my opinion that the proposed use will be more disruptive to the immediate
neighbors than an elementary school would be.
2. Also, an elementary school involves many nearby residents in its activities
and it becomes something of a social as well as an educational hub. The proposed
use is more specialized and draws from a larger area, so that fewer nearby residents
are likely to participate in its activities. Thus, it tends to be more of a foreign
element in a neighborhood and it may not enjoy the same "home town" feeling and
acceptance that a neighborhood school does.
3. The above comments notwithstanding, the proposed use will undoubtedly be
heavily used by persons residing in the East Chula Vista area, and during the summer
day time hours it probably will be used for informal play by children in the
immediate area.
E. CONCLUSION
There are factors which argue for approval of the application and factors which
argue for denial. All things considered, I am recommending approval subject to
the conditions listed earlier in this report. However, this is the type of
application for which heavy weight should be given to the testimony which is offered
at the public hearing and the evaluation of that testimony should play an important
part in the Commission's decision.
F. FINDINGS
1. That the proposed use at the particula~ location is necessary or desi~abLe
to provido a service or facility whick wL~l contribute to the generat well being of
the neighborhood or the community.
The proposed use will provide a needed and desirable service to the residents
of the eastern portion of the city. The fields and parking can be adequately
accommodated on the 10 acre site. The site is graded and available for active
uses of this type.
2. That such use will not, under the circumstances of the particular case, be
detrimental to the health, safety or general welfare of persons residing or working
in the vicinity, or i~urious to property or improvements in tk~ vicinity
The subject property is a vacant elementary school site which once developed
would generate similar noise and traffic anticipated by the proposed use. The
expected levels of noise and traffic are within the range of acceptability.
3. That the proposed u~e will compl~ with the regulations and conditions
specified in the code for such use.
The parking area will be provided on a dust free surface.
4. That the granting of this couditionaZ use wil~ not adversely affect the
generaZ plan of the city or the adopted plan of any goVernmental agency.
The General Plan will not be affected by this interim use of a designated
school site.
BONITA OPTIMIST CLUB
P.O. BOX 872 ® BONITA, CA 92002
Community Center 4610 Sweetwater Road (east of Rohr Park)
Meeting 7 a.m. Thursdays at Community Center
June 1981 MULTI-PURPOSE FIELD POSITION PAPER ~_/~i~,zd ~,] l~o,t~
The Bonita Optimist Club is leasee of County of San Diego property, approx 14 acres,
located at 4610 Sweetwater Road, Bonita. The end of the first five year lease will
be in January 1983. Subsequent to that date, two five year renewal options exist.
To date, the major efforts toward developing the property as a community center
have been in the rehabilitation of the main upper level building. In January i980,
the Bonita Optimist Club established the Bonita Optimist Club Youth & Community
Service Activities Foundation, a IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Foundation
membership includes all Bonita Optimist Club members, and is open to any other
individuals. The foundation conducts all matters associated with the Community
Center operation, and most all of the Youth Activities and Community Service projects
normally undertaken by clubs within the Optimist International organization.
The major portion of the Community Center property consists of river bed level land
to be developed for multi purpose such as jogging and horse trails, dog matches and
shows, recreational vehicle club member rally site, sports fields, picnic and play
ground area, and possible horse riding/exercise ring. Recent acquisitions for the
multi purpose field include a tractor ($2500) and three rotor blade finishing mower
($1200), donated field office/concession building ($800 move-on and $400 site prep),
equipment barn (350), and well pump $475).
Future plans call for installation of a field area irrigation system as funds
become available. Three or four soccer fields are possible depending upon
anticipated arrangements for a horse riding/exercise ring. Unofficially, the
County Parks and Recreation Department has indicated that they prefer ball diamonds
not be built, other than practice diamonds which do not inlcude elaborate stops, etc.
In order to speed up field area development, the Bonita Optimst Club is willing to
cooperate with other organizations interested in proposing a specific activity use.
In consideration of the funds and volunteer manhours being provided by such an
outside activity, priority use will be scheduled. However; if and when a particular
field area (e.g. soccer field) is not scheduled for use or maintenance, that same
field must be made available for other public or group users. On such occasion, a
reasonable user fee can be established with a percentage credited to the primary
users field maintenance cost share.
Long term interest in field area use can be accommodated via a sublease which can
run with the Bonita Optimist Club's lease term with the County of San Diego. The
responsibility for originating and obtaining County approval of a sublease rests
with the proposing user activity. Additionally, proposals for joint field
development and cooperative use should include , but not limited by, the following:
a. Seasonal use time frame (dates)
b. Field area maintenance during a above (and "x" time prior for season sports)
c. Utility costs: trash bins, 'porta potties' (if desired),water (agricultural
electric rate anticipated for irrigation pump)
d. Concession stand/field office use
e. Liability Insurance - minimul one million with Bonita Optimist Club and
County of San Diego as additional insured
f. Parking area and traffic control during scheduled activities, as necessary
g. Use fee for other public/group users, if appropriate
h. Review of County of San Diego lease
June 23~ 1981
File: HYOO1
TO: John Lippitt, City Engineer ~
FROM: Gary Hansen, Traffic Engineer'
SUBJECT: Traffic Study/Girls' Softball Field - Buena Vista Way
In accordance with your action request of 6-17-81~ I have reviewed the
expected impact of the proposed development (girls' softball fields) on
the existing traffic conditions on Buena Vista Way.
Existing conditions on Buena Vista Way are as follows:
1. The street is designed to residential collector standards (design volume
is 5,000 vehicles per day).
2. The street presently carries approximately 2,000 vehicles per day in
the vicinity of the proposed development,
3. A check of the accident history shows there has been no significant
accident problem on Buena Vista Way since this street was built.
4. Over the past few years, we have received some complaints on Buena Vista
Way of high speed traffic and of students using Buena Vista Way as
a shortcut to and from Southwestern College~
The street can easily accomodate any additional traffic generated by this
development. Field checks (radar speed surveys and traffic counts) have
failed to verify the claim of citizens that there is significant amount of
high speed traffic on Buena Vista Way (85th percentile is around 30-32 miles
per hour). ! would expect the existing volume on Buena Vista to decline
slightly when East "H" Street is built between 1-805 and Otay Lakes Road.
Using the softball facilities on Orange Avenue between Max Avenue and
Hilltop Drive as a model, I would expect a significant amount of on-street
parking on Buena Vista during periodsof peak activity at the athletic fields,
However, this street is designed to accomodate on-street parking without seriously
restricting through traffic. But, I should point out that this on-street
parking may irritate homeowners along Buena Vista Way when vehicles are parked
in front of their houses. In sugary, I can see no significant impact on
traffic circulation and safety from the proposed development. It should
be kept in mind that this site was originally designated for an elementary
school which was expected to generate 250-500 trips per day, It seems unlikely
to me that the athletic field would generate that much traffic.
GRH:fpw
i
V,~C,~,NT
PROJECT
~LEMENT~.R Y
SCHOOL
SITE
'GARDEN