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HomeMy WebLinkAbout42 - NB-3 - General Plan Screening GPS-14-04 - 10/6/2015CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 6, 2015 ITEM NUMBER: IVB -3 SUBJECT: GENERAL PLAN SCREENING GPS -14-04 FOR PROPOSED 28 -UNIT RESIDENTIAL PROJECT AT 440 FAIR DRIVE DATE: SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 FROM: PLANNING DIVISION/DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT PRESENTATION BY: MINOO ASHABI, PRINCIPAL PLANNER FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: MINOO ASHABI, PRINCIPAL PLANNER (714) 754-5610, minoo.ashabi(a)costamesaca.gov RECOMMENDATION Accept or deny General Plan amendment request for processing to amend the land use designation from Neighborhood Commercial to Planned Development Residential related to development of a 28 -unit residential development at 440 Fair Drive. REQUEST The applicant is proposing a 28 -unit residential development on the site of an existing office and commercial building located at 440 Fair Drive. If the General Plan Screening is accepted for processing, the proposal would require approval of the following: General Plan Amendment to change the land use designation from Neighborhood Commercial (NC) to High Density Residential (HDR); Rezone to change the zoning from C1 (Local Business District) to PDR -HD (Planned Development Residential — High Density); and, Master plan for site design and architectural plans. BACKGROUND This items was continued from September 1, 2015 City Council meeting. The applicant requested additional time to organize meeting(s) with the community and to revise the site plan addressing open guest parking and perimeter open space issues. The applicant held two community meetings on Friday September 11, 2015 and Saturday September 12, 2015. There were 18-20 residents in attendance at the Friday meeting and eight attended the Saturday meeting. Residents expressed concerns with the proposed high density, added driveway on Carnegie Drive, on-site parking and impacts of the project on street parking and traffic, and privacy impacts to neighbors with the proposed roof decks. The revised site plan includes four guest parking spaces in the common area. Project Site The proposed project is a 1.66 -acre site located at 440 Fair Drive with frontage on Fair Drive and Carnegie Avenue (Attachment 2). A small service station and the Fiat and Dodge dealership separate the site from Harbor Boulevard on the west side. The site is also bounded by the dealership on the north and single family residential units on the east across Carnegie Avenue. The original application was submitted in May 2014 for development of 32 units. The applicant considered other options and the proposal was recently revised to 28 units. Proposed Project Setting The project site contains two parcels (APNs 141-421-19 and 141-421-21) is developed with a two-story office building that contains 13,500 square feet of medical office, 600 square feet of storage and 6,650 square feet of office and retail space. The project site has a Neighborhood Commercial land use designation that allows for convenience shopping and service needs of local residents. The current building and the neighboring dealerships have been in place since 1960s. Residential development would require a General Plan Amendment and rezoning of the site to high density residential. Residential Units The proposed project submitted for screening to the City Council involves a General Plan amendment to allow a 28 -unit three- and two-story residential development at a density of 17 du/acre. The project includes two residential unit types; eight units of two-story detached product and 20 units of three-story duplex structures. The proposed units are an average of 1,786 and 1,811 square feet in area and include a roof deck and a two -car garage as follows: Unity type Unit Number Total SF Garage SF Roof Deck SF 3 -story - 2 bedroom unit + den 20 1,786 SF 471 SF 330 SF 2 -story — 3 bedroom unit 8 1,811 SF 404 SF 320 SF Total 28 Parking /Access Access to the site is currently from Fair Drive. The proposed development will eliminate that access and create a new one on Carnegie Avenue; this access is across from low density residential development. No on -street parking opportunity is available to the site; parking on both sides of Carnegie Avenue is resident only parking. The proposed plan provides for a required fire department access on Fair Drive that will be restricted for emergencies. Based on the current mix of office, medical, retail and service uses within the 20,750 SF building, it is anticipated that the new proposal will reduce the number of average daily trips by approximately 484 trips. A full trip generation analysis including AM and PM peak hours will be required for the general plan amendment. To comply with the parking standards, the project will require a total of 92 parking spaces (3 spaces per unit for two-bedroom units and 4 spaces per unit for three- bedroom units). The proposed project meets the overall parking requirement (a two -car garage and a carport for the two-bedroom units and a two -car garage and two open parking spaces in driveways for the three-bedroom units); however, only four open guest parking spaces are provided. At a minimum 10 open guest parking spaces at a rate of 0.5 per unit is required for the duplex units. Unit Type Garage Tenant / Guest Parking Required parking Provided parking Detached Two -car garage 2 open space 8 units — 32 total 32 (16 garage, 16 open parking) Duplex One -car garage 1.5 tenant & 0.5 guest 20 units — 60 total 64 (40 garage, 20 carports & 4 open parkin 92 96 Building Design and Setbacks The proposed site plan will provide a 16 -foot building setback along Fair Drive and Carnegie Avenue. The minimum front setback for corner lots is 20 feet on both street frontages in Planned Development zoning districts and the proposal will be subject to approval of a minor modification, administrative adjustment or a variance depending on the provided landscape open space. The site design allows for installation of a perimeter wall along Fair Drive to enclose the private open spaces for those units and mitigate any potential noise from Harbor Boulevard. The units along Carnegie Avenue are designed with a front facing yard that are visible and accessible from that street frontage. This configuration allows a good interface with the single family residences on the east side of Carnegie Avenue. The residential property to the south and east of the project site are two-story and single story structure. Since the single family residences on east side of the Carnegie will be mostly impacted by visual effects of the new development, the units along Carnegie Avenue are designed with two stories and a roof deck. The three-story units are positioned along the commercial properties and Fair Drive frontage. The site is currently bounded by a concrete block wall along Carnegie Avenue and mature Ficus trees (on private property) that will be replaced with other tree species with less -intrusive root system and landscaping complementing the proposed front yards and the building designs. Staff recommended a wider setback along the commercial properties on the west and north; the proposed site plan provide an average of 15 feet on the west side and 10 feet along the north abutting the dealership parking lot. The following is a list of proposed setbacks in comparison with the development standards of the Planned Development Residential zoning: Criteria PDR -HD requirement Proposed Perimeter Open Space 20 feet - along Fair Drive and 16 -feet on Carnegie Drive -includes Carnegie Avenue front yard hardscape and stoops 5 -feet on Fair Drive Open Space 42% inclusive of perimeter open 40% at grade space Balconies — 900 SF Roof Decks — 9,160 SF Total Proposed — 53.8% Interior Setbacks N/A 10 ft. and 16 ft. — north 15 ft. — west Max. Height Four stories Three -stories and a roof deck 44 feet Minimum lot size 1.0 acre 1.66 acre Maximum density 20 du/acre 17 du/acre Distance between N/A 8.5 -10 ft. Buildings ANALYSIS General Plan Amendment Screening Criteria City Council Policy 500-2 sets forth the criteria to evaluate General Plan amendment requests. Council takes action on whether or not a proposal should be accepted for processing by using these criteria as guidance. The Policy establishes a procedure for processing privately initiated General Plan amendments (Attachment 1). The policy also acknowledges these criteria are only guidelines and City Council may accept an application which does not meet the criteria if it finds there are overriding reasons to do so. A project summary sheet is attached for the screening request. This summary sheet provides the following information: • General Plan Land Use Map and Aerial Photograph • Potential Project Description, Land Use and Traffic Evaluation • Justification for approval or rejection of application for further processing Additionally, acceptance of a proposal for screening is not a commitment to approve the General Plan amendment. This action represents that Council would like to consider the request for processing, and subsequently explore alternatives prior to making a final decision on amending the General Plan. The following includes a list of items that may require additional site planning considerations: • Neighboring Commercial Uses - Because this site is abutting commercial properties and is located across from single family residential properties. The project needs to be designed to minimize any potential land use and aesthetics impacts; an initial study and potentially a mitigated negative declaration may be required for the project. The environmental analysis will also examine existing noise and circulation conditions and consider mitigation measures to reduce any potential impacts. Common Area Open Space - The project site does not provide any common area open space; however, since a subdivision will be processed with the development application, the project will be subject to parkland in lieu fees. The project's overall open space at ground level is 39 percent (42% required); roof decks and balconies are provided to address the shortfall. With these added private spaces, the overall open space will be raised to 53 percent. The Planned Development Residential open space criteria does not allow for inclusion of roof decks in the open space calculation; it is a policy decision to allow meeting this requirement with the proposed roof decks. In addition, the open space standards require a minimum 50 percent common open space area. As proposed, the only common open space is along the perimeter of the property. Perimeter Open Space — The proposed planned development zoning requires a 20 -foot minimum landscape setback along Fair Drive and Carnegie Drive. The applicant is proposing stoops and front yards with perimeter fencing within this setback area along Carnegie Drive, which will be subject to approval of a variance. The landscaping design along Fair Drive provides for a five-foot setback to a perimeter block wall which is subject to approval of a variance. Open Parking Spaces - Even though the project provides the required number of parking spaces; the proposal does not include the required number of open guest parking spaces. With the exception of four, all parking are provided on driveways and carports. A minimum of 10 open parking spaces is required for the duplex units. Roof Decks — The proposed roof decks are considered private open space and subject to exterior noise standards. Because of compatibility and noise issues, the footprint of the roof decks may need to be modified. The applicant has provided preliminary line of sight drawings; however, this will require further studies that will be evaluated with the environmental analysis for the project. ALTERNATIVES In addition to providing general feedback on the proposed project, City Council would need to take action on the General Plan amendment screening request. Accept processing of the General Plan Amendment request. This will require amending the General Plan to allow a high density residential development in place of an existing two-story office/commercial building. 2. Deny General Plan Amendment request from further processing. If the application is denied, the property owner will continue to maintain the office/ commercial use. FISCAL REVIEW Fiscal review is not required for this item. LEGAL REVIEW The City Attorney's office has considered the proposal and determined that a General Plan amendment is necessary in order for the project to proceed as proposed. CONCLUSION Staff believes the proposed development meets the goals and intent of the City's General Plan and regional land use plans in that it provides new housing within proximity to transit and commercial service; however, additional on-site guest parking and common open space is recommended to meet the needs of the new residents. The proposed development will replace a dated office/ commercial building with new for -sale housing ideal for first time homebuyers, in addition to providing housing opportunities in close proximity to major transportation corridors and neighborhood service uses. MINOO ASHABI, AIA Principal Planner Attachments: 1. Summary Sheet 2. Council policy 500-2 3. Vicinity Map 4. General Plan Map 5. Zoning Map 6. Submitted plans cc: Chief Executive Officer Assistant Chief Executive Officer Public Services Director City Attorney Transportation Services Manager City Engineer City Clerk (9) Staff (7) File (2) Sheldon Development, LLC. 901 Dove Street, Suite 140 Newport Beach, CA 92660 GARY ARMSTRONG, AICP Economic and Development Services Director