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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-12 - Adopting General Plan Amendment GP-09-01 to Amend Fairgrounds Land Use DesignationRESOLUTION NO. 10- 12 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT GP -09-01 TO AMEND THE FAIRGROUNDS LAND USE DESIGNATION IN THE LAND USE ELEMENT OF THE 2000 GENERAL PLAN. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS: WHEREAS, Final Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) No. 1049 (State Clearinghouse Number 200031120) was prepared by the City of Costa Mesa for 2000 General Plan and certified by City Council in January 2002; WHEREAS, Final Program EIR for the 2000 General Plan addresses a full range of environmental issues associated with the 20 -year planning horizon of the 2000 General Plan (2020). All impacts resulting from implementation of the 2000 General Plan were minimized to a level of significance with the exception of impacts related to transportation/circulation, air quality, and noise; WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Costa Mesa adopted the 2000 General Plan on January 22, 2002. The General Plan is a long-range, comprehensive document that serves as a guide for the orderly development of Costa Mesa. By its very nature, the General Plan needs to be updated and refined to account for current and future community needs; WHEREAS, the Fair Board of Directors of the 32nd District Agricultural Association (DAA) adopted a 10 -year strategic Master Plan and Final EIR in 2003. In conjunction with the City's General Plan EIR, this document serves as environmental documentation for General Plan Amendment GP -09-01; WHEREAS, the Costa Mesa 2000 General Plan designates the 150 -acre Orange County Fair and Event Center property at 88 Fair Drive as Fairgrounds. This designation recognizes the unique land uses associated with the fairground and event uses; WHEREAS, General Plan Amendment GP -09-01 involves textual amendments to the Fairgrounds land use designation, including but not limited to, expanded description of the existing land use and traffic context and. discussion on permitted and prohibited land uses; WHEREAS, General Plan Amendment GP -09-01 emphasizes the central importance of retaining and sustaining the annual Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa; WHEREAS, duly noticed public hearings were held by the Planning Commission on January 11, 2010 and by the City Council on February 2, 2010 to allow for public comment on the proposed project and with all persons having been given the opportunity to be heard both for and against the proposed amendment; WHEREAS, the project has been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the CEQA Guidelines, and the City environmental procedures, and the previously -certified General Plan Final EIR. General Plan Amendment GP -09-01 is found to be within the original scope of the General Plan Final EIR and OCFEC Master Plan EIR, and no additional environmental documentation is required; BE IT RESOLVED that, based on the evidence in the record, the City Council does hereby ADOPT General Plan Amendment GP -09-01 which amends the Land Use Element as set forth in Exhibit "A" attached to this resolution; PASSED AND ADOPTED this 16th day of February, 2010. ATTEST: Juli Folcik, Ci y Clerk Allan R. Mansoor, Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: imberl Hall Barlow, City Attorney STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss CITY OF COSTA MESA ) I, JULIE FOLCIK, City Clerk of the City of Costa Mesa, DO HEREBY CERTIFY that the above and foregoing is the original of Resolution No. 10-12 and was duly passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Costa Mesa at a regular meeting held on the 16th day of February, 2010, by the following roll call vote, to wit: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: MANSOOR, LEECE, BEVER, FOLEY, MONAHAN NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: NONE ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: NONE IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereby set my hand and affixed the seal of the City of Costa Mesa this 17th day of February, 2010. JU E FOLCIK, CITY CLERK (SEAL) (Excerpt of Land Use Element of 2000.General Plan: The existing discussion of the "Fairgrounds land use designation" discussion on Page LU -46 of the 2000 General Plan shall be replaced in its entirety with the following new discussion below.] Fairgrounds The Fairgrounds land use designation is applicable to only one property known as the Orange County Fair and Event Center (OCFEC) in the City of Costa Mesa. The Fairgrounds is a 150 -acre site located at 88 Fair Drive. This designation is intended to: • Ensure continued development of the property as an integrated complex that is composed of recreational, agriculture -related educational institutions, open space, farmland, equestrian, and commercial uses, and • Promote the continued and sustained use of the property for the annual Orange County Fair in recognition of its value as a regionally significant resource in the City of Costa Mesa. LJ Home to the annual Orange County Fair since 1949, the site is bounded by Arlington Drive (north boundary), Fair Drive (south), Fairview Road (west), and Newport Boulevard (east). Regional access is primarily provided to the site by State Route 55 (SR -55) at the interchanges of Fair Drive/Del Mar Avenue and 22nd Street/Victoria Street. Access from Interstate 405 (1-405), which is approximately one mile north of the Fairgrounds, is provided via interchanges at Bristol Street, Fairview Road, and Harbor Boulevard. The site was formerly a portion of the Santa Ana Army Air Base, and in 1949 the California 32nd District Agricultural Association (DAA) acquired the property from the Federal Government. Since that time; the annual Orange County Fair has occurred at this location. Through the years the 32nd DAA has expanded the use of the property into a year-round exhibition, conference, equestrian, activity, and event center; these uses compose collectively the OCFEC. The 32nd DAA Fair Board adopted the current OCFEC Master Plan in 2003. Given that the 32nd DAA is a state entity for administration of the Orange County Fair, Costa Mesa has limited land use and permitting authority over the property while it is controlled by the State. Therefore, the City of Costa Mesa did not have the authority to adopt the 2003 OCFEC Master Plan. If in the future, the State no longer controls the property, any proposed new development or change of use shall be subject to review for consistency with the City's General Plan and zoning regulations. The new property owner/operator may continue to operate the Fairgrounds as it existed at the time of sale as a legal nonconforming use and development. The property's legal nonconforming status will remain in effect until such time as the property owner submits and receives approval of a master plan by Costa Mesa. During the timeframe that General Plan Amendment GP -09-01 for the OCFEC was adopted, Costa Mesa was in the process of preparing a ballot initiative for the June 2010 election. The ballot measure intends to preserve the property for fairground and event center uses by requiring Costa Mesa voter approval of any General Plan amendment in respect to the Fairgrounds designation. Additionally, the City was preparing a Fairgrounds Specific Plan that would further establish land use regulations that reinforce the fairground uses. As of 2009, the Fairgrounds site contains a total of 400,000 square feet of buildings, including: • Pacific Amphitheater • Arlington Theater • Grandstand Arena • Equestrian Center • Exhibit and Administration Buildings • Concession and Restaurant Buildings • Memorial Gardens • Centennial Farms • Livestock Barns Orange County Fair (OC Fair) attendance from 1995 to 2006 ranged from 750,000 to 950,000 visitors during the 4 -week long period. From 2006 to 2009, OC Fair attendance exceeded a million visitors. Based on peak attendance of approximately 60,000 visitors per day during the OC Fair event, approximately 48,000 vehicle trips per day is expected (based on average vehicle occupancy of 2.5 persons per vehicle). Although best known for the annual OC Fair, the site hosts many "non -fair" activities and events year round, including the weekly Orange County Marketplace and Farmer's market, equestrian events, trade and consumer shows, special vehicle sales events, agricultural events, and cultural festivals. In 2009, the Fairgrounds were also home to the Centennial Farm, Equestrian Center, 4-H Clubs, and All American Boys Chorus. In addition, Orange Coast College used a portion of the parking lot for off-site parking during the school year. The Fairgrounds designation recognizes the existing fairground and event center uses associated with this site. The 2000 General Plan traffic model does not take into account the trip generation from the annual OC Fair or weeknight/weekend special event uses (i.e. Orange County Marketplace) because peak vehicle trips to the site occur outside normal business timeframes. However, further development of the Fairgrounds will need to be balanced with the development capacity of the City's transportation system and with the protection of surrounding neighborhoods. Permitted uses include ancillary office uses, exposition/conference uses, equestrian uses, agricultural/livestock activities, restaurants, temporary specialty retail sales (including vehicle sales), outdoor marketplace, emergency operational uses, and concerts/live entertainment uses. Complementary uses to the fairground and event center uses may include botanical gardens, animal exhibits, museum, art/historical artifacts gallery, and performance art theaters that are supportive of the fairground uses. Uses that are not supportive of fairground and event center uses are expressly prohibited. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, casinos/gambling venues, shopping centers, hotel/motels, residential uses, self -storage facilities, hospitals, and medical uses. In addition, exclusive use or dedicated athletic sports facilities and educational uses that are unrelated to the OCFEC are prohibited. As a State-owned property, the Fairgrounds is not normally subject to the City's Noise Ordinance. However, pursuant to a 1990 Court Order (Case Nos. 42 07 28 and 55 65 08), exterior noise standards comparable to the City's noise regulations have been applied to the property. Noise sensitive uses include neighboring residences, Davis Intermediate School, and Costa Mesa High School. The court-ordered noise restrictions apply to the operation of the Pacific Amphitheater. Development within the Fairgrounds designation is intended for buildings ranging from one- to four-story structures. The maximum allowable floor area ratio for this designation shall be 0.10. Employment generation for fairground and event center uses vary dependent upon the specific use within this designation. For example, typical employment density standards are 1 employee per 300 square feet of office use, 1 employee per 333 square feet of service uses, and 1 employee per 500 square feet for retail. Because of the limited range of uses and lower building intensity permitted in the Fairgrounds designation compared to other nonresidential land use designations, the standard mix of uses in this designation would generate a population density in the range of 4 to 15 employees per acre. Office development consisting of a maximum buildout of 653,400 square feet at 0.10 FAR would generate up to 14.5 employees per acre, although it is important to note that office uses are ancillary to the primary fair and event center uses. The compatible zoning district is I&R. [Excerpt of Land Use Element of 2000 General Plan: The existing discussion of the "Trip Budgets" discussion on Page LU -20 of the 2000 General Plan shall be amended as shown below.] TRIP BUDGETS The concept of regulating development potential in terms of both building intensities and trip generation limits was first used to control major developments within the Regional Commercial and Urban Center Commercial designations in the mid-1980s. The thought behind this concept was to design a combination of freeway access improvements and local arterial improvements and to allocate development rights to the major landholdings in northern Costa Mesa based upon land use intensities which could be accommodated by the planned improvements. These major landholdings include the Industrial Park portion of Segerstrom Home Ranch, Metro Pointe, South Coast Plaza, South Coast Plaza Town Center, South Coast Metro Center and the currently undeveloped portions of Sakioka Farms. The trip budget is expressed in terms of morning (AM) and afternoon (PM) peak hour traffic volumes. The trip budget for each of the major landholdings is based upon the general office trip rates and office FAR standard as used in the Costa Mesa Traffic Model prepared for this 2000 General Plan; and the Regional Commercial, Urban Center Commercial are described in the Land Use Classifications portion of this element. The trip budget for the Industrial Park portion of Segerstrom Home Ranch is also based on assumptions from the 2000 General Plan Traffic Model. The allowable floor area ratios and trip budgets shall be applied on a project -planning rather than parcel -specific basis. This approach will allow consideration of multi -phased or multi -lot projects as a whole development rather than individual pieces of the whole. An example would be a commercial condominium subdivided as a planned unit development where each building is located on a separate lot which conforms to its building footprint and where the parking and landscaped areas are located on common lots. In this example, the individual building lots would have a floor area ratio of at least 1.00 FAR, but the overall project (individual building lots and all common lots) would met the allowable floor area ratio building intensity standard for the given land use classification. However, the rates could be applied at a parcel -specific level if the project is or can be developed on a single lot and not subdivided at a later date. Subdivisions of existing developments or projects shall not cause the development to become nonconforming or, if already nonconforming, shall not make the development more nonconforming with respect to the density and intensity standards for the land use designation in which the project is located unless binding agreements restricting development of the newly created parcel(s) are recorded as a part of the subdivision.