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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm Reports/1985/07/24 AGENDA City Planning Commission Chula Vista, California Wednesday, July 24, 1985 - 7:00 p.m. City Council Chambers PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - SILENT PRAYER INTRODUCTORY REMARKS APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Meetings of May 8 and June 12, 1985 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS 1. PUBLIC HEARING: Conditional Use Permit PCC-85-22: Requests permission to relocate an existing cardroom from 11 Third Avenue to 631 'H' Street - Vegas Club, Inc. 2. PUBLIC HEARING: Conditional Use Permit PCC-85-12: Requests permission to construct 18 residential units for alcohol recovery patients at 270 'C' Street - South Bay Pioneers 3. PUBLIC HEARING: PUD-85-1, Consideration of an amendment to a planned unit development to allow the construction of a 48-unit apartment complex located at 1665-1667 Brandywine Avenue - Donald and Jacqueline Goss DIRECTOR'S REPORT COMMISSION COMMENTS ADJOURNMENT AT to the Regular Business Meeting of August 14, 1985 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. To: City Planning Commission From: George Krempl, Director of Planning ~ Subject: Staff Report on Agenda Items for Planning Commission Meeting of July 24, 1985 1. PUBLIC HEARING: Conditional Use Permit PCC-85-22: Requests permission to relocate an existing cardroom from 11 Third Avenue to 631 "H" Street - Vegas Club, Inc. A. BACKGROUND The applicant has requested that this item be continued to the Planning Commission meeting of August 14, 1985. B. RECOMMENDATION Adopt a motion to continue PCC-85-22 to the meeting of August 14, 1985. WPC 2051P City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of July 24, 1985 Page 1 2. PUBLIC HEARING: Conditional Use Permit PCC-85-12; request to construct 18 residential units for alcohol recovery patients at 270 "C" Street in the R-1 zone - South Bay Pioneers A. BACKGROUND 1. This item involves a request by the South Bay Pioneers to construct 18 residential units on the easterly portion of their 2.21 acre site located at 270 "C" Street in the R-1 zone. The units would be used as residences for alcohol recovery patients. A prior request to construct 24 units in two 2-story, 140 ft. long structures on the site was approved by the Planning Commission on February 13, 1985. However, the City Council called the item up on appeal and denied the request at their meeting of April 9, 1985. The Council concluded that the proposal represented an inappropriate multiple family use and density in an R-1 single-family area. 2. An Initial Study, IS-85-23, of possible adverse environmental impacts of the project was conducted by the Environmental Review Coordinator on January 3, 1985. The Environmental Review Coordinator concluded that there would be no significant environmental effects and recommended that the Negative Declaration be adopted. B. RECOMMENDATION 1. Find that this project will have no significant environmental impacts and adopt the Negative Declaration issued on IS-85-23. 2. Based on findings contained in Section "E" of this report, adopt a motion to deny the request as filed but approve the construction of residential structures at 270 "C" Street subject to the following conditions: a. The number of units shall be limited to 12 1-bedroom apartments (minimum 500 sq. ft. each). b. The units shall be a maximum of one story in height. c. Each unit shall have a minimum of one resident parking space. d. The 12 units shall consist of a combination of duplex and/or triplex units separated by a minimum of 10'. e. The project shall be subject to site plan and architectural review by the Design Review Committee prior to application for a building permit. f. A landscape and irrigation plan shall be submitted with the application for a building permit. City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of July 24, 1985 Page 2 g. Installation of any missing public improvements on the south side of "C" Street fronting the property will be required. Existing power poles and street sign at the intersection of "C" Street and Del Mar Avenue must be relocated. h. Prior to issuance of any building permit for the expansion of the facility, the permittee shall enter into an agreement with the City of Chula Vista ensuring that the use of the facility shall remain consistent with this conditional use permit. Said agreement shall be secured by a recorded Deed of Trust. The agreement shall be satisfactory to the City Attorney's office. C. DISCUSSION Adjacent zoning and land use. North R-l, R-3-G-D Vacant and multiple family South R-1 Single family East R-1 Single family West R-3-G-D Multiple family Existing site characteristics. The subject property consists of 2.21 acres with 661 feet of frontage along the south side of "C" Street and a depth of 146 feet. The South Bay Pioneers Alcoholics Rehabilitation Center and associated parking are located on the westerly 1.32 acres of the site. The easterly 0.9 acre portion consists of relatively level, unimproved terrain which is depressed over 12 feet below "C" Street and approximately 18 feet below single family homes to the south. Proposed use. The proposal consists of the construction of four two-story structures each containing four units, one one-story structure containing two units, a laundry/storage structure, and 17 parking spaces on the presently unimproved easterly portion of the property. The net residential density for the 0.9 acres would be 20 dwelling units per acre. The present center on the west end of the property contains six dormitory type rooms accommodating 24 male live-in residents for stays averaging four months. According to the proponents, the 18 new units would supplement the structured living environment of the center by providing an on-site, transitional living environment for those who have completed an alcoholic recovery program but who are not yet ready to return to independent living. The units would also provide the opportunity to offer resident treatment for women and married couples, as well as men. The residents would be required to have completed an alcoholism recovery program, and some of the units would be eamarked for senior members wi th a long history of sobriety to serve as counselors and monitors. City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of July 24, 1985 Page 3 D. ANALYSIS In our judgment, the present proposal represents a substantial improvement over the prior request. The number of units has been decreased from 24 to 18, and the unrelieved building mass of the two 2-story 140 ft. long structures previously proposed has been broken into a cluster of five separate structures more in scale with the area. Nevertheless, the staff position is unchanged based on density and a determination as to the best location to transition the multiple and single-family land uses; i.e., westerly of this site. The issues in support of the extended land use are: 1. The site is depressed over 12 feet below "C" Street. Thus, the 2-story structures when viewed from the north could be considered no more intrusive than single story construction. (Structure height proposed from ground level would be approximately 23'). 2. The single family homes adjoining the site's southerly boundary are likewise oriented away from the site and receive access from Sea Vale Street. Since the site is depressed some 18 feet below these dwellings, the 2-story structures would not extend above the rear yard fencing, and would be separated from the nearest residence by approximately 60 feet. There would be some view obstruction down to "C" Street and the slope beyond, but views to the west and northwest would remain unobstructed. Dense planting along the rear property lines of these homes appears to currently obstruct their rear-yard views in all directions. 3. The property to the east is a one-half acre single-family lot with access off "C" Street. The dwelling is located on the easterly portion of the lot, and is elevated approximately 20 feet above the proposal site. The separation between this home and the proposed structures would approximate 100 feet. There would be some view obstruction directly to the west, down to the rehabilitation center and apartments beyond. But dense planting currently obstructs any view to the west from this home. 4. The 18-unit design is superior to that for the 24-unit project previously. Other factors tending to ameliorate the potential for noise and traffic conflicts are the fact that the site is generally self-contained, access will occur only on the far westerly boundary of the property, the resident population will be adults only and limited to between 27-36 people by virtue of the one-bedroom design of these units. In addition, the living environment will be semi-structured and monitored by the center. The issues in opposition to approve the extended land use are: 1. Approval of this request could very well result in other requests to rezone properties to the north and east of the site based on the City's action on this property. The property to the north is vacant and has had various multiple rezoning requests suggested on it. City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of July 24, 1985 Page 4 2. The project is too dense; placing 18 units on less than an acre of ground represents somewhat of an intrusion into this single family area. 3. The number of residents living in 18 units would represent between 27-36 residents per acre, a number higher than the adjacent single family homes (approximately 18 per acre). E. CONCLUSION The site is relatively isolated by virtue of access, topography, and vegetation. The existing development of the South Bay Pioneers building, parking lot, and nearly 1 acre of vacant property makes it ideal to provide for an extended use which fits the needs of the organization while fitting into the neighborhood fabric. Based on the above factors, the Planning Department continues with our prior recommendation that additional units be authorized but at a substantially reduced number and with additional conditions. The recommendation would limit the number of units to 12 one-story buildings, divided into duplex or triplex units. They would be limited to a single story height and one bedroom in size. Approving the project with these limitations and certain other conditions would all ow the project to move forward without impacting the adjacent neighborhood. To compare the recommended project with the adjacent single family area, we would note that: 1. Twelve one-story units of approximately 500 sq. ft. would represent a building mass of approximately 6,000 sq. ft. Using the same area and developing 5 single family homes of approximately 1,200 sq. ft. would also equal 6,000 sq. ft. of building mass. 2. Requiring the buildings to be limited to duplexes and triplexes would ensure that no building would exceed 1,500 sq. ft. in area (500 sq. ft. - 1 bedroom). 3. Limiting the construction to one story, given the topo of the area, would minimize the visibility of the structures. 4. Having 12 units with a resident population of 1.5 to 2 persons per unit would equal 18-24 residents. Similarly, 5 single family homes with an average of 3.5 persons per home would result in approximately 18 residents. WPC 2037P CITY .~TATE HWY. 5 4 P-20 TROUSDALE DRIVE MF 1:t-3 I I , of Chula Visto ~ : · SF I SF ' - "1 )rezone-~-' ,~ H-P sF ,, ~----~ ; Home , · Park · IIII , SHIRLEY ;' ' ' ' SF[ SF:SFS,~ SF STREET negative declaration PROJECT NAME: South Bay Pioneers Apartments PROJECT LOCATION: 270 "C" Street PROJECT APPLICANT: South Bay Pioneers, 270 "C" Street, Chula Vista, CA 92010 CASE NO: IS-85-23 DATE: January 3, 1985 A. Project Setting The project site consists of a 2.21 acre site of which approximately 1.32 acres is presently utilized for an existing Alcoholics Rehabilitation Center and associated' off-street parking. The remaining property, approximately .9 acre is a relatively level natural area bounded on the north and south by existing slopes. Adjacent land uses consist of single-family dwellings to the east and south, vacant land and multiple family to the north across I'C" Street and multiple family to the west. No significant manmade or natural features presently characterize the site and there are no known geologic hazards on or near the project site. B. Project Description The project consists of the construction of 24 apartment units to be contained in two, 2-story structures at the easterly end of the project site and the provision for 23 additional paved on-site parking spaces. The proposed apartment units are to be used by the members and the families of residents of the existing Alcoholic Rehabilitation Facility. C. Compatibility with Zoning and Plans The project involves the building of multiple-family units within the R-1 zone and is subject to approval of a Conditional Use Permit by the Planning Commission as a quasi-public use. The net density proposed is 27 dwelling units per acre. D. Identification of Environmental Effects 1. Grading The proposed project will include an Engineering Department requirement for widening of "C" Street adjacent to the project site. The widening of "C" Street will require new slopes and retaining walls on the south side of the street, not reflected accurately on the current site plan. These modifications will not result in a significant land form alteration, although the applicant's designer will be required to modify the site plan and address erosion control for new slopes. city of chula vista planning department ~ environmental review section 2. Schools The local elementa~ (Rosebank) and junior high (Chula Vista Junior High) schools are currently operating above capacity levels. If children are pemitted in the facility, an additional five elementa~ and seven junior and high school students could be generated from the project which could exacerbate the current high enrollment levels. If this conditon could develop, the applicant shall comply with public facilities policies and ensure that adequate classroom space is available for new students. E. Findings of Insignificant Impact 1. The proposed multiple family units will not degrade the quality of the environment because of the p~sical separation from adjacent single family residential uses and because of the access to "C" Street which has multi-family uses to the west. 2. Short-term environmental goals will not be gained therefore there will be no impact on long tem goals. 3. Cumulative impacts of the proposed project have been analyzed and are not anticipated to result in a significant environmental impact. 4. No impacts are anticipated which will have a substantial adverse impact on human beings. G. Consultation 1. Individuals and Organizations City of Chula Vista: Steve Griffin, Associate Planner Roger Daoust, Senior Civil Engineer Duane Bazzel, Assistant Planner Tom Dyke, Building and Housing Department Ted Monsell, Fire Marshal Chuck Glass, Traffic Engineer Applicant's Designer: John Nash 2. Documents EA-74-12, South Bay Pioneers The Initial Study application and evaluation ~rms documenting the findings of no significant impact are on file and available for public review at the Chula Vista Planning Department, 276 ~urth Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 92010. REVIEW COORDINATOR WPC 1671P EN 6 (Rev. 12/82) city of chula vista planning department ~'~ environmental review section EN 6 (Rev. 12/82) City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of July 24, 1985 Page 1 3. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of Planned Unit Development PUD-85-1; request to eliminate RV storage yard and develop a 48 unit apartment complex at 1665-1667 Brandywine Avenue - Donald and Jacqueline Goss A. BACKGROUND This item involves a request to eliminate a 1.1 acre site presently designated as an RV storage yard for the Point Robinhood Subdivision, combining this property with an abutting 0.8 acre multiple family residential site to the north, and developing a 48 unit apartment complex on the resulting 1.9 acre parcel. An Initial Study, IS-85-48, of possible adverse environmental impacts of the project was conducted by the Environmental Coordinator on July 10, 1985. The Environmental Review Coordinator concluded that there would be no significant environmental effects and recommended that the Negative Declaration be adopted. B. RECOMMENDATION 1. Find that this project will have no significant environmental impacts and adopt the Negative Declaration issued on IS-85-48. 2. Based on the findings contained in Section "E" of this report, adopt a motion recommending that the City Council approve PUD-85-1 subject to the following conditions: a. A parcel map shall be filed in order to create the new parcel. b. The project shall be required to provide a common open space area with appropriate amenities per the approval of the Design Review Committee or provision shall be made for the tenants of the project to have access to the Point Robinhood recreation courts located on Sequoia Street. C. DISCUSSION Adjacent Zoning and Land Use North PC Neighborhood commercial center South R-l-lO-H Vacant East P-C Open space/Recreation lot West R-l-5 Single family attached City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of July 24, 1985 Page 2 Existing Site Characteristics The 1.9 acre site is vacant and generally rectangular in shape, with 480 ft. of frontage on the easterly side of Brandywine Avenue and a depth of some 200 feet. Substantial slopes abut the site's easterly boundary and rise to the Point Robinhood Subdivision and recreation area to the east. The northerly half of the property was approved for a 14-unit apartment complex in 1981 but was never developed. The southerly half of the site is currently a part of an open space lot under the ownership of the Point Robinhood Homeowner's Association and is fenced and designated for recreational vehicle storage for the Point Robinhood homeowners. Proposed Use The proposal would consist of eliminating the site presently designated for recreational vehicle storage, combining this land with the site previously approved for the 14 unit apartment complex, and developing a 48 unit apartment complex on the resulting 1.9 acres. The units would be located in five, two-story structures--two abutting the northerly boundary of the property, and the other three distributed along the remaining length of the site. Parking would be located between these two clusters of units and also along the property's easterly boundary. The density of the project would be 25 dwelling units per acre. D. ANALYSIS The subject application raises two issues. First, is it appropriate to eliminate the Point Robinhood RV storage yard? And secondly, if so, are multiple family units at the density proposed appropriate for the subject property? The RV storage yard was established in accordance with the City's PUD Development Policy at the time the Point Robinhood PUD was developed. The availability of the yard was coupled with the requirement that Point Robinhood's CC&Rs prohibit the parking of RV's or boats within the unit clusters--either on the lots or the narrow private streets. Upon inspection, it is apparent that the RV lot has not been in use for some time and is not being utilized at present by the homeowners since it contains nothing but an unsightly overgrowth of weeds. According to the Point Robinhood Homeowners Association, the lot is not being used because of the extensive amount of alien activity and vandalism in the area. A canvass of the subdivision also revealed substantial compliance with the prohibition against RV parking within the unit clusters. Thus it appears that the homeowners have made other arrangements for RV storage off-site and the storage yard now represents nothing more than an eyesore. Consequently, we see no reason the site should not be upgraded and converted to a viable use. City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of July 24, 1985 Page 3 The use of the storage site for multiple family development would also appear supportable as a logical extension of the multiple family use al ready authorized for the northerly 0.8 acre portion of the property. However, the approved plan is for 14 units on 0.8 acres, or 17.5 dwelling units per acre, while the current proposal calls for 48 units on 1.9 acres, or a density of 25 dwelling units per acre. The property is located on Brandywine Avenue--a future residential collector street connecting Telegraph Canyon Road and Otay Valley Road--and is isolated from adjacent single family areas by grade separations. Thus, there would appear to be little potential for land use friction as a result of the proposed density. The density is also consistent with that which would be allowed under standard R-3 zoning based on the size of the parcel and the unit mix. The increase in dwelling units for the Brandywine Area as a result of this project is still considerably less than originally proposed. The original General Development Plan for the area was approved in 1971 and provided for 895 single family attached and apartment units on ll9 acres. In 1973, when the Point Robinhood development was approved, this was reduced to 291 clustered single family detached units--a reduction of more than 600 units. The 291 units al ready developed in addition to the 48 units proposed would result in a total of 339 units or an overall density of 2.8 dwelling units per acre for the General Development Plan area--well below the density range of the General Plan for this area of 4 to 12 dwelling units per acre. Although we can support the density of 25 dwelling units per acre, the amount of the site taken up in slope has resulted in a site plan which lacks common usable open space. Again, using the standards of the R-3 zone as a guideline, this project would require 19,200 sq. ft. of usable open space (an area with a minimum dimension of 6 ft. and developed for recreational and leisure use). Assuming an 85 sq. ft. patio or balcony for each unit as indicated on the plans, this would still leave a project deficit of some 15,000 sq. ft. of open space. The remaining open space is divided into relatively small common areas which create needed visual breaks in the project but fail to provide a meaningful common area. Thus, the site plan may have to be modified or the density decreased in order to provide an adequate amount of usable open space. As an alternative, the project developer could arrange with the Point Robinhood Homeowners Association to allow the project tenants to utilize the tennis/basketball courts serving the Point Robinhood Subdivision and which are located adjacent to the northeast portion of the subject property. A condition of approval has been added in this regard. It should al so be noted that the project site is located only some 300 ft. from the Valle Lindo Park at the northwesterly corner of Brandywine Avenue and Sequoia Street. This 4.3-acre neighborhood park contains picnic areas, multi-purpose play areas, and play equipment. City Planning Commission Agenda Items for Meeting of July 24, 1985 Page 4 E. FINDINGS l. That the proposed planned unit development is consistent with the Chula Vista General Plan: The proposal will result in an overall residential density of 2.8 dwelling units per acre for the 119 acre General Development Plan Area involved. This density is well below that authorized by the General Plan for the area of 4 to 12 dwelling units per acre. 2. That such development will constitute a residential environment of sustained desireability and stability; that it will be in harmony with or complimentary to the character of the surrounding neighborhood and will result in standards of open space at least as high as permitted or specified otherwise for such development in this title. The specifics of the project will be subject to the approval of the Design Review Committee. A condition of approval has been added to ensure that usable open space available to the project shall be at least as great as that required of projects of comparable density within the City. WPC 2052P PRO,.IECT V, AC PUD-85-1 negative declaration PROJECT NAME: Robinhood Mall Apartments (2) PROJECT LOCATION: 1665-1667 Brandywine Avenue PROJECT APPLICANT: Don and Jacqueline Goss 1497 Jayken Way Chula Vista, California 92011 CASE NO: IS-8§-48 DATE: July 10, 1985 A. Project Settin9 The proposed project site consists of 1.85 acres of land south of 1655 Brandywine Avenue. An existing RV storage yard is located on the southerly portion of the site. Adjacent land uses consist of a neighborhood shopping center to the north, open space to the east, condominiums across Brandywine Avenue to the west, and vacant land to the south. There are no rare or endangered plant or animal species located on or near the project site. Expansive soils are known to exist in the project vicinity. EIR-?3-8, Brandywine Planned Community {Robinhood Point Subdivision) identifies the presence of the La Nacion Fault Zone, approximately lO0 feet to the east of the project site. The project site has been previously graded for the expansion of the commercial lot to the north and for the existing RV storage yard. B. Project Description The applicant proposes to amend the approved general development plan for the project site which now consists of a 14-unit apartment complex and an RV storage yard. The proposed development consists of 48 apartment units to be contained in five two-story structures. Appropriate private open space, landscaping and parking are provided. The RV storage yard will be removed. C. Compatibility with Zonin9 and Plans The project site is part of a 108-acre planned con~nunity {Robinhood Point). Residential density (gross) within this previously approved plan amounts to 2.7 dwelling units per acre. The proposed revision to the previously approved plan would increase density (gross) to 3.14 dwelling city of chula vista planning department environmental review section units per acre, well below the maximum 12 dwelling units per acre designated on the General Plan for this area. The project will amount to 26 dwelling units per net acre on the individual site. The proposed project will be compatible with the General Plan upon the approval of the revised General Development Plan. D. Identification of Environmental Effects 1. Soils Expansive soils have been identified in a Soil Report prepared on the subject property {Woodward-Clyde Consul tants, May 1979). Recommendations contained in the report will be incorporated into any development. 2. Geology The location of the La Nacion Fault Zone was identified in EIR-73-8. The EIR advises that no residential structures be constructed within the fault zone {identified on the Robinhood Point Subdivision Map). Since commercial structures were previously proposed west of the fault zone and this proposed project will not have any structures located within the fault zone, no additional geological investigation will be required for environmental review. 3. Drainage Surface drainage from the commercial site to the north presently traverses the subject site at two locations via concrete low-flow ditches. This runoff will be rerouted with this proposal, in order to reach Brandywine Avenue. Approval by the Landscape Architect and City Engineer will be required for the design of these systems. 4. Schools Each of the local elementary and high school districts are experiencing student capacity problems. The developer will be required to provide written assurance from the local school districts that adequate classroom space is available. 5. Sewers Sewer capacity will be limited to a first-come, first-serve basis in the Otay Valley Road area. The City is currently conducting a sewer study for the Otay Valley Road area. Sewer capacity must be available before any construction is approved by the City Engineer. E. Findings of Insignificant Impact .. 1. The project will not adversely affect any natural or manmade environmental features present in the project setting, nor will the project generate any pollutants that will have a potential to significantly degrade the quality of the environment or curtail the range of the environment which supports the bio system. 2. The project is in conformance with the long-range goals of the City of Chula Vista and will not, therefore, attain short term to the disadvantage of 1 ong-term goal s. 3. The proposed apartments will not have any impacts that are anticipated to interact and cause any substantial cumulative affect on the environment. 4. The project will not result in the generation of any noise, air pollution, light, aesthetic blight, or any other hazard to the welfare or health of any human beings. F. Consultation 1. Individuals and Organizations City of Chula Vista: Mando Liuag, Associate Planner Roger Daoust, Senior Civil Engineer Duane Bazzel, Assistant Planner Gene Grady, Building and Housing Department Carol Gove, Fire Marshal Chuck Glass, Traffic Engineer Applicant's Agent: Bill Hedenkamp, Architect 2. Documents IS-81-48, Robinhood Mall Apartments EIR-73-8, Brandywine (Robinhood Point) The Initial Study application and evaluation forms documenting the findings of no significant impact are on file and available for public review at the Chula Vista Planning Department, 276 Fourth Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 92010. ENVIRO~ENTAL REVIEW COORDINATOR WPC 2046P EN 6 (Rev. 5/85) city of chula vista planning department environmental review section EN 6 (Rev. 12/82)