HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm min 1987/12/16 Tape No: 286
Side 1
MINUTES OF A REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING
OF THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF
CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA
Council Chambers
7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 16, 1987 Public Services Building
ROLL CALL
COM~ISSIONERS PRESENT: Chairman Carson, Commissioners Casillas, Fuller,
Grasser, Shipe and Tugenberg
COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Cannon - with notification
STAFF PRESENT: Director of Planning Krempl, Principal Planner
Lee, Deputy City Attorney Moore, Senior Civil
Engineer Daoust, Environmental Review
Coordinator Reid, ERDR Consultant Lettieri
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - SILENT PRAYER
The pledge of allegiance to the flag was led by Chairman Carson and was
followed by a moment of silent prayer.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Chairman Carson reviewed the composition of the Planning Commission, its
responsibilities and the format of the meeting.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MSUC (Shipe/Grasser) to approve the minutes of the meeting of October 14,
1987, as mailed.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
None
1. PUBLIC HEARING: ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT PCZ-88-3 CONSIDERATION OF
AMENDMENT TO TITLE 19 OF THE NUNICIPAL CODE TO REQUIRE
APPROVAL OF A MAJOR USE PERMIT TO OPERATE CARDROOMS
WITHIN MONTGOMERY
Principal Planner Lee stated that in September a moratorium had been adopted
prohibiting cardrooms in Montgomery. That moratorium expired on December
15th. The Montgomery Planning Committee endorsed a proposed ordinance
amendment requiring a major use permit for cardroom facilities. At present no
cardrooms exist in Montgomery. The City standards allow 1:40,000 population
- Planning Commission Meeting -2- December 16, 1987
or a total of three in the City. However, four licenses exist based upon a
previously adopted formula. The ordinance would bring Montgomery into
synchronization with the rest of the City. In response to a question about
the status of the fourth cardroom, Mr. Lee replied in lieu of this ordinance
that the fourth cardroom could be located anywhere in Montgomery in either
commercial or industrial areas as a matter of right.
This being the time and the place as advertised, the public hearing was
opened. No one wishing to speak, the public hearing was closed.
MSUC (Shipe/Fuller) to find that this project will have no significant
environmental impacts and adopt the Negative declaration issued on IS-88-30M.
MSUC (Shipe/Fuller) to recommend the City Council amend Title 19 (Zoning) of
the Municipal Code to permit the location of cardrooms within Montgomery
subject to approval of a major use permit as shown in Exhibit A, attached and
made a part thereto.
2. PUBLIC HEARING: CONSIDERATION OF TENTATIVE RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION MAP FOR RANCHO DEL REY, CHULA VISTA TRACT 88-1 RANCHO DEL
REY PARTNERSHIP
3. PUBLIC HEARING: CONSIDERATION OF TENTATIVE INDUSTRIAL SUBDIVISION MAP FOR RANCHO DEL REY, CHULA VISTA TRACT 88-2 - RANCHO DEL
REY PARTNERSHIP
Director Krempl presented an update on Council Action at the meeting of
December 15, 1987, saying that Council certified the EIR, approved the
resolutions and ordinances for the General Plan Amendment, SPA Plan, Public
Facilities Financing Plan, District Regulations and Development Agreement by a
vote of 3-1 with the Mayor not in attendance.
Since the Planning Commission meeting, staff, the applicant and the residents
of Eucalyptus Ridge Homeowners' Association have reached a compromise on the
number of ballfield and soccer fields. Lighted ballfields will be
concentrated on the easterly portion of the community park and the portion
adjacent to Eucalyptus Ridge end will be retained as natural open space and
will not be filled in or used for community park purposes. Buffering,
screening and limitation of access at the easterly end of the community park
will be established, also restrictions on lighting, PA system and noise
control put forth. The Eucalyptus Ridge Homeowners' Association expressed
support for the Sectional Area Planning Plan based on those arrangements.
Councilman Nader requested a joint workshop with the Commission to discuss
concerns voiced in the December 2nd minutes, employment parks, goals, land-use
philosophy and other land-use issues. Staff was directed to work with the
Commission on developing that agenda.
Staff was also requested to review noise impacts as well as access impacts on
the Eucalyptus Ridge Homeowners' Association in terms of the six-lane widening
of "H" Street.
Planning Commission Meeting -3- December 16, 1987
Council indicated concern about the transfer of densities between the
single-family attached homes and the multi-family and expressed hope that such
a transfer would not be extended into SPAs II and IV and that more attention
~ould be paid to the traditional suburban single-family lot and to the estate
lots.
Comments were made regarding provisions for additional church sites in the SPA
as well as future SPAs.
The Director then turned the presentation over to Principal Planner Lee.
~r. Lee indicated that he would review both the residential and industrial
subdivision maps although the Commission's action would be taken on each map
separately. He noted that the entire project consists of 716 acres of
residential area and 91 acres of industrial, is located 1/2-mile east of
1-805, north of "H" Street, abutting Otay Lakes Road to the north and the east.
The Specific Plan established the basic land uses, development areas, the park
and open space areas, school and other public facilities location as well as
the circulation system. The residential districts were broken into four
categories: estate, single-families, planned residential, and condominium.
Planner Lee reviewed the lotting pattern of the subdivision indicating its
location and details.
The estate housin_~ is located in the extreme northwest corner of the project
with ~3 1/2-acre lots whose pads equal 10,000 to 12,000 square feet. The
larger lots are adjacent to the loop road and will utilize a private street
entry with a possible gate guard. The smaller (R-2) area is located somewhat
below and closer to Otay Lakes Road and will have slightly smaller pads and
utilize the public street system.
S~ingle-family - The larger (284 lot) R-3 and R-4 areas consist of the ~ore
traditional lots (lot sizes over 7,000 square feet and a minimum pad area of
5,00D square feet) are located on the south side of the loop road and take
access from an existing traditional development backing up onto "H" Street.
They will have a 50-foot lot as opposed to the more traditional 60-foot. The
floor area ratio (FAR) proposed is .5.
The small lot section comprises over 600 lots in six different locations. It
is divided into two phases. The largest of the small lots (R-5, R-6 and R-8)
are located off the loop road and are set at 45'x 95' square feet with the
average lot over 5,000 square feet and the minimum pad area at 4,200 square
feet. The housing sizes will range from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet with a FAR
of .55. There are 226 lots in that category.
The second phase of the small lots (R-7, R-9, R-10) goes into a slightly
smaller lot with a 40'x 90'pad area and an average lot size of 5,000 square
feet. The proposed house size is between 1,200 to 1,600 square feet with an
attempt to scale down the house. A total of 400 units is proposed, A great
Planning Commission Meeting -4- December 16, 1987
deal of time was spent on this segment of the circulation system so that in
traversing Otay Lakes Road different views of the subdivision would be
revealed.
Staff is comfortable with the lot sizes because the Development Standards
established for the Rancho del Rey area require the submittal of a development
package including building elevations and proposed addition standards for all
lots under 5,000 square feet in area.
Planned Residential The 22-acre, R-11A area adjacent to the elementary
~l~~ned for 152 duplex units. As staff is not satisfied with
the proposed 32-foot wide product, the developer has been asked to record the
area as a single lot until a total package is available. One of staff's
concerns is the parking both on- and off-site.
The 12-acre, R-11B area is located outside of the loop and adjacent to
Ridgeback Road and is also a one-lot subdivision and was planned for a wide-
and shallow-lot product. Again this area is being recorded as a single lot.
The intent is to provide a 90-unit subdivision with lots proposed at 55' x 64'.
Condominium - The townhouse and multiple-family lots (Area 12) are located at
the west end of the project. It is a 15-acre site and is planned for some 180
townhouse units which will be submitted at a later date as a development
package. That density figures out at 16 du/ac and is comparable to the
development on the south side of "H" Street as one proceeds easterly along
I-$U5. A substantial amount of open space is planned. Areas R-13, R-14 and
R-15 are planned to accommodate nearly 800 various apartment units.
Each of the mentioned products will be submitted to the Design Review
Committee for consideration.
Principal Planner Lee reviewed briefly the overall phase program, pointing out
that Phasesl and 7 are in the industrial area with the first phase as the
residential development involving the multiple-family area. Phase 3 is the
first major phase, moving into the single-family detached products. The
developer has indicated they will start into Phase 2 and develop certain
projects and move rapidly into Phase 3 to get into the single-family product.
Phase 4 will involve an extension of the single-family homes and the first
move into the estate housing program. Phases 5 and 6 contain the southerly
portion of the loop road and involve the townhouse project. The developer is
committed to park land and open space in the early part of the project along
with on- and off-site improvements and regional facility contributions. With
the first phase, the City will receive 273 acres of open space, 55 acres
developed ~o neighborhood and community facilities, an active park system plus
45 acres of canyon, park and hiking trails. It should be noted that the
project is well in excess of the City's parkland requirements.
Mr. Lee praised the design of the loop road serpentining through the
development creating views into the canyon for both the public traversing the
roads as well as private residents who would be living in the area. The
Planning Commission Meeting -5- December 16, 1987
8U-foot right-of-way and a 40-foot travel-lane will allow a vast amount of
landscaping, and the detailed road planning has considered the effect of the
left-turn lanes along the portions of the loop road.
Planner Lee stated that there has been late input from a number of agencies
requesting additions.
(1) SDG&E requests that the CC&Rs contain a disclosure to buyers that
construction by SDG&E is not complete and additional above- and
below-ground work is planned for the future.
(2) The Otay Water District has requested the developer enter into an
agreement with the District to provide for terminal storage as well as
other major facilities. The District has been working with the Del Rey
Partnership and other developers in the area to form a new improvement
district, which, according to the Water District, is expected to be
completed in early 1986.
(3) An added staff condition requires that prior to final map approval, the
applicant shall comply with the City's adopted threshold standards to the
satisfaction of the City Planning Director.
(4) Additional conditions modified by the Engineering Department and worked
out with the applicant were distributed to the Commissioners prior to the
meeting.
(5) One last additional condition ~as that the grading in the park lot
identified as Lot D be revised to coincide with the approved SPA Plan I.
This is in connection with the agreement between the Parks Department and
the residents of the condominium off of "H" Street.
Staff recommends approval of the remaining conditions listed subject to the
findings also the adoption of the CEQA Findings and the Statement of
Overriding Consideration.
Principal Planner Lee gave a brief overview of the industrial subdivision
which includes a 91-acre industrial park~ Phase 1 being the westerly half and
Phase 2 being the easterly half. The subdivision is located immediately
adjacent to "H" Street and abuts the open space canyon to the north and
includes 1- and 2-acre sites. Two larger 8-acre lots are located at the
extreme east and west ends. The circulation and lotting pattern have been
designed to open the views up to the canyon. The road design is somewhat
unique for an industrial area having three points of access and maximizing the
use of cul-de-sacs. The building and landscaping setbacks for "H" Street and
berming were provided to ensure the scenic qualities along that road. The
east end is actually Phase 2 of the employment park but is also the last phase
of the SPA. This subdivision is graded to provide individual pads to create
interest. The most easterly elevation is set at 449 feet and the westerly at
259 feet - an approximate 180-foot drop along the 1-1/4 mile subdivision.
Design guidelines establish building height, mass, focal points and landmarks
within the development. The trail system is also tied in with the employment
park.
Planning Commission ~qeeting -6- December 16, 1987
Staff recommends approval of the industrial subdivision subject to the
findings and conditions listed in the staff report.
The recent aOditional conditions referred to in the residential map - those by
SDG&E, Otay Water District, as well as those agreed upon by the Engineering
Department and the applicant are also included and will apply to both
industrial and residential packages.
Staff expressed their appreciation to the applicant and his planning and
engineering teams for the response to and cooperation in resolving the various
design issues involved in a project of this magnitude.
Questions asked of staff by the Commission included: (1) the number of trips
anticipated for the loop road? (2) The time-line (month) for the family
homes; for the estate homes; and the status of the Mello Roos? (3) The pad
sizes for the 400 units in Phase 3, Unit 17 (4) The timing for the completion
of East "~" Street; the year?
Staff replied that (1) 5,000 daily trips are anticipated. (2) The time-line
for the family homes would be late spring or early summer of 1990. (3) The
minimum pad size is 40'x 90~ (4) The completion of East "H" Street in terms
of the six-lane width must coincide with Phase 1.
This being the time and the place as advertised, the public hearing was opened.
Ken Baumgartner, representing the Rancho del Rey Partnership, at 2727 Hoover
Avenue, National City, stated that his designers and engineers were present to
answer any questions from the Commission. He indicated that a landscape team
had been assembled under the direction of a Master Landscape Architect to
develop a total coordinated landscaping plan for the project, including the
trail and park systems.
The phasing of the project will start with the employment park. While that is
being graded, work will start on the two parks, the YMCA, and the major part
of the area east of the loop road. It is necessary to build the
infrastructure through the main canyon which is supportive of the multi-family
homes to the east and the single-family homes to the north. The Otay Lakes
Road construction will be a controlling factor in the use and development of
the single-family area.
In the open space lot areas, Mr. Baumgartner pointed out that they have
provided entry monuments to identify each of the neighborhoods and have spent
a lot of time in looking at the visual impact from the public streets.
Regarding the conditions of approval on the residential subdivision map, they
are in agreement with staff. They have been working with the Otay Water
District for about 9 months and are prepared to enter into an agreement. The
SDG&E disclosure statement will be included in the CC&Rs; the Mello Roos is
going forward according to plan; and the completion of "H" Street is
anticipated in Hay or early June.
Planning Commission ~eeting -7- December 16, 1987
Mr. Baumgartner indicated they are also in agreement with the changes made to
items 6 and 16 in the industrial subdivision map.
Questions from the Commission included (1) target date for a model? (2) An
estimate of how many people the industrial park will employ and how many will
be residents of the area? (3) Whether such an estimate would be realistic
with the combination of the employment park and residential areas in EastLake,
Bonita Long Canyon and the other developments?
Mr. Baumgartner replied that (1) although building permits can be issued,
occupancy of the homes is not possible until after the public improvements are
in place; therefore, it is anticipated that it will be two years from now that
the models will be available.
(2) It is projected that between 3,000 to 4,000 persons will be employed in
the park. The only estimate on the number living nearby would be based on the
1983 traffic analysis of traffic and flows which indicated that approximately
75 percent of the trips out of the employment park would be p.m. trips (one of
the key movements) westbound on "H" Street - a counterdirectional flow from
the eastbound homecoming trips coming off 1-805 and proceeding east.
(3) Mr. Baumgartner said he was not a regional expert, but it was obvious that
there will be a clear cut stop in development of Chula Vista until SR 125 is
completed.
No one else wishing to speak, the public hearing was closed.
Commissioner Fuller stated that practically every facet of concern that had
been expressed by all parties had been covered. The plan is a well-detailed
one and the City should feel some relative comfort that all aspects have been
covered. She is happy that the concerns of the citizens of Eucalyptus Grove
have been alleviated and was ready to propose a motion for approval.
Commissioner Shipe declared he still had a concern for the traffic situation
but he would like to compliment the staffs of both the applicant and the City
in doing an excellent job. He would support the project.
Commissioner Tugenberg stated he could not support the project. The
employment park will create two Chula Vistas and the density of 800 apartments
and 600 small-family houses does not do anything for the City of Chula Vista.
Commissioner Grasser stated that she would support the plan.
iqSC (Fuller/Grasser) Tugenberg, no - that based on the findings contained in
the staff report to recommend that City Council approve the subdivision map
for Rancho del Rey, CVT 88-1, subject to the conditions "a" through "ii" as
well as the corrections added by staff and those presented by the Engineering
Department during the course of the meeting.
Planning Commission Meeting -8- December 16, 1987
MSC (Fuller/Grasser) Tugenberg, no - that based on the findings attached to
the staff report to recommend City Council approve the industrial subdivision
map of Rancho del Rey, reference Chula Vista Tract 88-2, subject to conditions
1 through 29, with the revisions presented at tonight's meeting.
MSC (Fuller/Grasser) Tugenberg, no - to adopt the CEQA Findings for Rancho del
Rey SPA I.
MSC (Fuller/Grasser) Tugenberg, no to adopt the attached Statement of
Overriding Considerations for Rancho del Rey SPA I area.
The Chair expressed thanks to the applicant and the staff for working out the
many problems associated with this subdivision.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
Chairman Carson declared a letter had been received from National Avenue
Associates regarding a zoning ordinance amendment in connection with the
Bayfront Specific Plan Land-Use Regulations and directed the letter to staff
to place on the agenda for January 13, 1988.
A letter received from the City Clerk regarding Boards/Commissions/Committee's
Absenteeism was al so placed on the agenda for January 13, 1988.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Director Krempl wished the Commission a happy holiday.
COIIMISSION COMMENTS
In response to Commissioner Tugenberg's inquiry as to when the joint meeting
would be scheduled, Director Krempl replied that it would be in January.
Commissioner Shipe referred to the invasion of rats in the City. Director
Krempl replied that money had been authorized and a survey was planned to
determine the area in which the rats are most prevalent.
ADJOURNMENT AT 8:15 p.m. to the Regular Business Meeting of January 13, 1988,
at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
Ruth M. Smith, Secretary
Planning Commission
WPC 4718P