For the Planning Commission Meeting of July 17, 2024
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Colby Cataldi, Community Development Director
REVIEWED BY: Paul Gonzales, Community Development Manager
FROM: Daniel Casey, Principal Planner
Title
Tentative Parcel Map No. 2023-0001 (TPM 20853): A request to allow the consolidation of six (6) parcels of land (APN's: 0239-301-40, -49, -51, -55, -56, & -64) located at the southeast corner of Locust Avenue and West Coast Boulevard within the Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) land use district of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan into one (1) 11.19 net acre parcel of land.
Conditional Development Permit No. 2023-0011: A request to allow the development and use of a 225,173 square foot industrial warehouse building on 11.19 net acres of land.
Precise Plan of Design No. 2023-0018: A request for site and architectural review for a proposed 225,173 square foot industrial warehouse building.
Environmental Assessment Review No. 2023-0022: An Addendum to the Environmental Impact Report for the Rialto Airport Specific Plan has been prepared in conjunction with Tentative Parcel Map No. 2023-0001, Conditional Development Permit No. 2023-0011, and Precise Plan of Design No. 2023-0018, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Body
APPLICANT:
Rialto Springs, LLC, 13116 Imperial Highway, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
LOCATION:
The project site consists of six (6) parcels of land (APN's: 0239-301-40, -49, -51, -55, -56, & -64) located at the southeast corner of Locust Avenue and West Coast Boulevard (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
BACKGROUND:
Surrounding General Plan Land Use Designations
Location
General Plan Designation
Site
Light Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay (Rialto Airport SP)
North
Light Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay (Rialto Airport SP)
East
Residential 6
South
Light Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay (Rialto Airport SP)
West
Business Park with a Specific Plan Overlay (Rialto Airport SP)
Surrounding Zoning Designations
Location
Zoning or Specific Plan Land Use Designation
Site
Rialto Airport Specific Plan (Planned Industrial Development (I-PID))
North
Rialto Airport Specific Plan (Planned Industrial Development (I-PID))
East
Single-Family Residential (R-1B)
South
Rialto Airport Specific Plan (Planned Industrial Development (I-PID))
West
Rialto Airport Specific Plan (Planned Industrial Development (I-PID))
Site Characteristics
The project site is a relatively flat and asymmetrical-shaped area of land totaling approximately 12.01 gross acres in size with approximate dimensions of 740 feet (north-south) by 690 feet (east-west). The project site is bound on the north by an undeveloped segment of West Coast Boulevard and on the west by an existing segment of Locust Avenue. The south two-thirds of the project site was previously developed into a contractor's storage yard. The remainder of the site consists of vacant land that previously contained at least two (2) single-family residences that have since been demolished.
Surrounding Area
To the north of the project site, across West Coast Boulevard, are several single-family residences, and to the east is a tract of single-family residences. To the south is an existing contractor's storage yard, occupied by Condon Johnson, and to the west, across Locust Avenue, is a partially developed storage yard, occupied by Pyro Spectaculars.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
The applicant, Rialto Springs, LLC, proposes to consolidate the project site's six (6) parcels of land into one (1) 11.19 net acre parcel and construct a 225,173 square foot industrial warehouse building with associated paving, landscaping, fencing, lighting, and drainage improvements on the new parcel. There is no proposed tenant for the new building at this time, but the design of the building will accommodate various storage and distribution uses.
Entitlement Requirements
The following entitlements are required for the applicant's proposal:
* Tentative Parcel Map: Per Section 17.16.040 of the Rialto Municipal Code, the proposed consolidation of land requires the approval of a Tentative Parcel Map.
* Conditional Development Permit: The development and operation of an industrial warehouse use within the Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) land use district of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan requires the approval of a Conditional Development Permit.
* Precise Plan of Design: The design of the development and the related site improvements (e.g. building exterior, landscaping, etc.) requires the approval of a Precise Plan of Design.
Parcel Map
As shown on the tentative parcel map (Exhibit B), the applicant proposes to consolidate six (6) parcels of land into one (1) 11.19 net acre parcel of land. Street dedication along the project site frontage of West Coast Boulevard will reduce the size of the project site from 12.01 gross acres to 11.19 net acres. The size of the proposed parcel greatly exceeds the minimum parcel size of 0.50 acres required by Table 9 (Development Standards Non-Residential Designations) of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan.
Site Design
As shown on the site plan (Exhibit C), the applicant proposes to construct a 225,173 square foot industrial warehouse building in the center of the project site. The proposed layout includes a truck court on the west side of the building that faces away from the single-family residences to the north and east. The layout also includes passenger vehicle parking areas along the east and south sides of the building. The truck court will accommodate a maximum of 87 trucks and trailers, while the passenger vehicle parking areas will provide for the parking of up to 153 passenger vehicles. The proposed warehouse building will be separated from the single-family residences to the north by 108 feet, and the proposed warehouse building will be separated from the single-family residences to east by a range of 86 feet to 101 feet.
Additional on-site improvements include paving, lighting, landscape planters throughout the site, screen walls around the truck court, and an underground infiltration basin for runoff water quality treatment and retention. Off-site improvements will include new curb, gutter, sidewalk, street paving, and the undergrounding of overhead utilities along the frontages of Locust Avenue and West Coast Boulevard.
Access
Two (2) driveways are proposed to be connected to Locust Avenue for access - a forty-five (45) foot wide driveway on the north end of the Locust Avenue frontage will provide full access for trucks only and a forty-seven (47) foot wide driveway on the south end of the Locust Avenue frontage will provide full access for trucks and passenger vehicles. One (1) additional driveway is proposed to be connected to West Coast Boulevard for access - a twenty-six (26) foot wide driveway on the east end of the West Coast Boulevard frontage will provide right-in/left-out access for passenger vehicles only.
Floor Plan
The floor plan for the proposed building (Exhibit D) indicates that the building will consist of 215,173 square feet of warehouse space and 10,000 square feet of office space. The office space will potentially occupy the northeast and/or southwest corners of the building, with 5,000 square feet on the ground floor and an additional 5,000 square feet on a second-floor mezzanine. The west side of the building will have up to 31 dock high loading doors and two (2) grade level roll-up doors.
Architectural Design
The proposed building will feature significant vertical and horizontal wall plane articulation in the form of recessed wall panels, projected wall panels, and panel height variations on all four (4) sides of the building. As shown on the elevations (Exhibit E), the height of the building will range from 40 feet to 44.5 feet from the finished floor level. The exterior of the building will be of concrete tilt-up wall construction painted with a palette of four (4) different colors - four white and gray tones. Additional architectural features of the building include limestone accents, wall panel reveals, metal eyebrow accents, and glazing.
Parking
The development will have 153 auto-parking spaces, including nine (9) ADA accessible parking spaces. This quantity exceeds the minimum parking requirement as shown in the parking calculation chart below and as required by Chapter 18.58 (Off-Street Parking) of the Rialto Municipal Code:
Type of Use
Floor Area (square feet)
Parking Ratio
Number of spaces required
Office
Ground floor
Above ground floor
Warehouse
5,000
5,000
1 / 250
1 / 500
20
10
Floor area up to 10,000 square feet
Floor area 10,001 square feet or more
10,000
205,173
1 / 1,000
1 / 2,000
10
103
Total Required/Total Provided
143/153
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 16.3 percent, which exceeds the minimum required amount of 10.0 percent. This includes a twenty-five (25) foot landscape setback along Locust Avenue, a forty-four (44) foot landscape setback along West Coast Boulevard, and planters around the perimeter of the building and the project site. All the landscape planters will feature a variety of trees spaced every thirty (30) linear feet and an abundant number of shrubs and groundcover (Exhibit F).
Traffic
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. prepared a Traffic Study (TS), dated May 2024, to assess the project's potential impacts to local streets and intersections (Exhibit G). The TS estimates that the project will generate approximately 391 daily vehicle trips (655 PCE daily vehicle trips) with 39 trips in the AM peak hour and 41 trips in the PM peak hour. Trucks will constitute a maximum of 156 of the 391 new daily vehicle trips.
The TS analyzed the following 6 intersections in the project vicinity:
Two (2) of the intersections operate at an unacceptable level of service under existing conditions and are anticipated to continue to operate at an unacceptable level of service when the existing plus ambient and project generated traffic volumes are combined with cumulative growth without any mitigation. The specific intersections are (1) Locust Avenue & Casa Grande Drive and (2) Locust Avenue & West Coast Boulevard. The deficiencies to these intersections do not occur on Locust Avenue be rather they occur from vehicles queuing on the side streets waiting to turn onto Locust Avenue. The TS determined that a traffic signal warrant is met at the intersection of Locust Avenue and Casa Grande Drive, but the TS concluded that the traffic signal warrant is not met for the intersection of Locust Avenue and West Coast Boulevard.
The City's Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines and Requirements and the project TS conclude that the payment of "fair share" fees constitutes adequate mitigation to address the intersection deficiencies. The applicant will be responsible for a fair share payment toward the new traffic signal at the intersection of Locust Avenue and Casa Grande Drive. The fair share fees are calculated based upon the project's anticipated portion of traffic generated at each of the affected intersections. Specifically, the applicant is responsible for 12.2% of the cost for a traffic signal at the intersection of Locust Avenue and Casa Grande Drive.
Voluntary Community Benefits
In conjunction with the development of the proposed industrial warehouse building, the applicant proposes to voluntarily provide additional benefits to the City and the community at-large. The proposed benefits include the following:
1. The applicant will voluntarily construct the full width of West Coast Boulevard, including curbs, gutters, sidewalks, street paving, and parkway landscaping from Locust Avenue to the terminus of West Coast Boulevard on the east end of the project site.
2. The applicant will voluntarily repave the western half of Locust Avenue along the entire project frontage.
3. The applicant will voluntarily relocate and replace private property improvements, including items such as fences, mailboxes, landscaping, etc., to the lots along the north side of the proposed segment of West Coast Boulevard.
All voluntary benefits will be completed prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.
Land Use Compatibility
The project is consistent with the Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) land use district of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan, the regulations contained within Chapter 18.112 (Indoor Storage Uses) of the Rialto Municipal Code, and the industrial uses to the south and west of the project site. The nearest sensitive uses are the existing single-family residences located to the north and east of the project site. The development and operation of the proposed industrial warehouse building will not significantly impact these uses since measures, such as the placement of the truck court on the west side of the building, the installation of solid screen walls around the truck court, and the installation of landscape planters around the perimeter of the building and the project site will reduce both noise and visual impacts to acceptable levels. Additionally, the Draft Resolutions of Approval contain conditions of approval requiring that the project not exceed the traffic estimates contained within the TS, thereby ensuring that the project will not significantly impact local streets and intersections. The project will be a benefit to the community and an improvement to the surrounding area.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The General Plan land use designation of the site is Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay. This designation requires the underlying Specific Plan to establish distinct land use designations within the Specific Plan itself. Exhibit 8 (Land Use Plan) of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan indicates that the land use designation for the project site is Planned Industrial Development (I-PID). According to Section 3.3.4 of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan, the I-PID designation is intended to facilitate light industrial uses, including warehousing and manufacturing uses. As a result, the project is consistent with the I-PID designation. Furthermore, the project is consistent with the following goals of the Land Use Element and Economic Development Element of the Rialto General Plan:
Goal 2-16: Improve the architectural and design quality of development in Rialto.
Goal 2-22: Promote commercial and/or industrial development that is well designed, people-oriented, environmentally sustainable, sensitive to the needs of the visitor or resident, and functionally efficient for its purpose.
Goal 3-1: Strengthen and diversify the economic base and employment opportunities and maintain a positive business climate.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
California Environmental Quality Act
The applicant engaged Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to prepare an Addendum to the Environmental Impact Report for the Rialto Airport Specific Plan (EIR Addendum), in accordance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA Guidelines, and the rules, regulations, and procedures for implementing CEQA as set forth by the City of Rialto. Section 15164(a) of the State CEQA Guidelines states that "the lead agency or a responsible agency shall prepare an addendum to a previously certified EIR if some changes or additions are necessary but none of the conditions described in Section 15162 calling for preparation of a subsequent EIR have occurred."
The purpose of the EIR Addendum is to analyze any potential differences between the impacts identified in the Rialto Airport Specific Plan Environmental Impact Report (RASP EIR) and those that would be associated with the proposed Project. Pursuant to provisions of CEQA and State CEQA Guidelines, the City is the Lead Agency charged with the responsibility of deciding whether to approve development on the Project site. As detailed in the EIR Addendum, the proposed Project would result in no new significant impacts that were not analyzed in the RASP EIR, nor would the proposed Project cause a substantial increase in the severity of any previously identified environmental impacts. The potential impacts associated with proposed Project would either be the same or less than those described in the RASP EIR. In addition, there are no substantial changes to the circumstances under which the proposed Project would be undertaken that would result in new or more severe environmental impacts than previously addressed in the RASP EIR, nor has any new information regarding the potential for new or more severe significant environmental impacts been identified. The EIR Addendum is attached to the agenda report as Exhibit H.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The City published a public hearing notice for proposed project in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper, posted copies of the public hearing notice outside the Council Chambers and the City Clerk's Office, and mailed public hearing notices to all property owners within 1,000 feet of the project site, as required by State law.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Planning Division recommends that the Planning Commission:
1. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit I) to approve an Addendum to the Environmental Impact Report for the Rialto Airport Specific Plan (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2023-0022) for the proposed project, and authorize staff to file the attached Notice of Determination with the Clerk of the Board of San Bernardino County; and
2. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit J) to approve Tentative Parcel Map No. 2023-0001 (TPM 20853), subject to the findings and conditions therein; and
3. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit K) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 2023-0011, subject to the findings and conditions therein; and
4. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit L) to approve Precise Plan of Design No. 2023-0018, subject to the findings and conditions therein.