For the Planning Commission Meeting of [April 11, 2018]
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Robb Steel, Interim City Administrator
REVIEWED BY: Gina M. Gibson, Planning Manager
FROM: Daniel Rosas, Assistant Planner
Title
Conditional Development Permit No. 2017-0035: A request to allow the development of a 120,600 square foot distribution warehouse facility located at the northeast corner of Locust Avenue and Vineyard Avenue (APNs: 1133-201-01, -02 and -03) within the Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) zone of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan & Variance No. 2017-0009: A request to vary from the maximum allowable building height of 35 feet by 10 additional feet to construct the proposed distribution warehouse facility to a maximum building height of 45 feet.
Body
APPLICANT:
CDREP, LLC, 523 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90245.
LOCATION:
The project site consists of three (3) parcels of land (APNs: 1133-201-01, -02 and -03) located at the northeast corner of Locust Avenue and Vineyard Avenue (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
BACKGROUND:
Surrounding Land Use and Zoning
|
Location |
Existing Land Use |
Zoning |
|
Site |
SFR / Vacant |
Planned Industrial (I-PID) |
|
North |
SFR |
Planned Industrial (I-PID) |
|
East |
Vacant Land |
Not a Part |
|
South |
Storage yard |
Planned Industrial (I-PID) |
|
West |
Roof Manufacturer |
General Manufacturing (I-GM) |
General Plan Designations
|
Location |
General Plan Designation |
|
Site |
Light Industrial with Specific Plan Overlay |
|
North |
Light Industrial with Specific Plan Overlay |
|
East |
N/A |
|
South |
Light Industrial with Specific Plan Overlay |
|
West |
General Industrial with Specific Plan Overlay |
Site Characteristics
The project site is a rectangular shaped piece of land comprised of three (3) parcels. The project site is 5.78 net acres in size with approximate dimensions of 618 feet (east-west) by 408 feet (north-south). The project site is on the east side by Locust Avenue and north side of Vineyard Avenue. To the north are non-conforming residences and to the south is an industrial storage yard. To the west, across Locust Avenue, is a roof tile manufacturer and to the east is vacant land. The zoning of the project site and the properties to the north and south is Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) within the Rialto Airport Specific Plan.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal & Site Design
CDREP, LLC is processing a Lot Merger with the Public Works Department to consolidate three (3) parcels of land into one (1) parcel of land and it proposes to construct a 120,600 square foot warehouse building. There is currently no tenant for the new building, but its design accommodates a wide-range of manufacturing and/or warehouse uses. According to the applicant’s site plan and floor plan (Exhibit B & C), the building will consist of 8,000 square feet of office space and 112,600 square feet of warehouse space. Eighteen (18) dock doors and a trailer yard will be located on the east side of the building. A fourteen (14) foot concrete screen wall will serve to screen views of the trailer yard.
Architectural Design
The exterior of the building will be of concrete tilt-up wall construction painted with a palette of four (4) different colors. The main wall panels will have a two-tone color scheme consisting of grey along the base and a white band along the roofline. The projected wall panels will have a base consisting of three-tones of grey and a white band along the roofline. The incorporation of three (3) foot deep projected wall panels provides building articulation along building wall planes visible from the public right-of-way and the installation of generous amounts of glazing at the building corners create a focal point. Other key features of the building include significant building height variations along all four (4) sides of the building and panel reveal lines (Exhibit D).
CDP No. 2017-0035
Pursuant to Ordinance No. 1394, all uses within the I-PID (planned Industrial Development) zones of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan require Planning Commission and City Council approval of a conditional development permit. The applicant has complied by filing an application for Conditional Development Permit No. 2017-0035.
Variance No. 2017-0009/Building Height
The maximum building height of the project, as measured from the average finished ground level per Section 18.04.170 of the Rialto Municipal Code, is 45 feet, while the I-PID zone requires a maximum building height of 35 feet. The proposed building height is 10 feet more than that allowed in the I-PID zone. Modern day warehouse buildings utilizing current logistic technologies often need a minimum interior clearance of 35 feet. Additional building height is then necessary to facilitate proper drainage and to provide adequate screening of rooftop equipment. For these reasons, several warehouse buildings in the surrounding area have building heights often well above 35 feet. One example is the existing warehouse to the north of the project site, developed at a height of 47 feet via Variance No. 701. Furthermore, the properties to the southeast and southwest of the project site are zoned Employment within the Renaissance Specific Plan, which permits a maximum building height of 75 feet. A building height of 45 feet will not be out of character with the heights of existing and future buildings in the area.
The purpose of a Variance is to provide flexibility to prevent practical difficulties or unnecessary hardships that occur through the strict enforcement of development standards. However, the following findings from Section 18.64.020 of the RMC must be made prior to Planning Commission approval of the Variance:
1. That there are exceptional circumstances or conditions applicable to the property involved, or to the intended use of the property, that do not apply generally to the property or class of use in the same vicinity or district.
The project site is currently restricted to a maximum building height of 35 feet per the development standards of the I-PID zone. Nearby properties also zoned for industrial uses, to the southeast and southwest, are not subject to this height limitation. Specifically, the property to the north received a variance in 2013 allowing the development of a separate 47-foot tall warehouse buildings. Meanwhile, the properties to the southeast and southwest are located within the Employment zone of the Renaissance Specific Plan, which allows developments built up to 75 feet high. As such, the subject property is subject to conditions that do not apply to property in the same vicinity and zoning district.
2. That such variance is necessary for the preservation and enjoyment of a substantial property right of the applicant as possessed by other property owners in the same vicinity and district.
The proposed development offers the highest and best use of the property under the current zoning. However, in order to develop a viable warehouse building that allows for the installation of the latest technologies and equipment used by logistics companies, a building height in excess of 35 feet is required. The variance will further assist the developer in securing a tenant, which otherwise might not be possible. As previously mentioned, the building to north received a variance allowing a building height of 47 feet, and the properties to the southeast and southwest may build up to 75 feet without a variance. Without a variance, constructing a competitive distribution warehouse is not possible on the subject site, giving an unfair advantage to the properties not restricted by a 35-foot building height limitation.
3. That the granting of such variance will not be materially detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to the property or improvements in such vicinity and district in which the property is located.
The 10-foot difference in building height is negligible considering the properties adjacent to the southeast and southwest may construct buildings up to 75 feet high without a variance. The existing warehouse building to north already stands at 47 feet. The design of the warehouse building will not be unsightly or otherwise injurious to the property or improvements in the vicinity or detrimental to public welfare.
4. That the granting of such variance will not adversely affect the master plan.
Granting the variance will facilitate the development of a high-quality warehouse building in keeping with General Plan Land Use Element Goal 2-22, which requires the City to “Promote commercial and/or industrial development planned that is well designed, people-oriented, environmentally sustainable, sensitive to the needs of the visitor or resident, and functionally efficient for its purpose”. Additionally, a precedent has already been set to allow I-PID projects beyond the 35 foot maximum building height, as established by Variance No. 701 for Newcastle Partners.
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 14.8 percent, which exceeds the minimum required amount of 10.0 percent. This includes a twenty-six (26) foot wide landscape setback along Locust Avenue and a twenty (20) foot wide landscape setback along Vineyard Avenue, a five to six landscape planters along the interior property lines and planters adjacent to the building and parking areas. All landscape planters will feature a mix of fifteen (15) gallon and twenty-four (24) inch box trees every thirty (30) feet, and an abundant amount of shrubs and ground cover (Exhibit F).
Access
The development will have two (2) points of access - one (1) driveway connected directly to Locust Avenue and one (1) entryways connected directly to Vineyard Avenue. The Transportation Commission has reviewed the location of the proposed driveway for the project as part of the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA).
Parking Calculations
The development will have ninety-four (94) auto parking spaces and sixteen (16) truck trailer spaces. This quantity meets the minimum parking requirement as shown in the parking calculation chart below and as required by Section 18.58.050(J) of the Rialto Municipal Code:
|
Type of Use |
Floor Area (square feet) |
Parking Ratio |
Number of spaces |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Office |
8,000 |
1 / 250 |
32 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warehouse |
10,000 |
1 / 1,000 (up to 10,000) |
10 |
|
|
102,600 |
2 / 1,000 |
52 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Required |
|
|
94 |
|
Total Provided |
|
|
94 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Truck Yard |
N/A |
1 / Dock Door |
16 Trailer spaces |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Required |
|
|
16 Trailer spaces |
|
Total Provided |
|
|
16 Trailer spaces |
Development Review Committee
The Development Review Committee (DRC) reviewed the project on September 20, 2017. The DRC recommended approval of the project subject to the applicant revising the site design and architecture of the building. The Committee’s revisions included enhanced building articulation and adequate truck dock screening. The latest project plans incorporate the Committee’s revisions. After Planning Commission review, the project will return to the Development Review Committee for finalization of all Precise Plan of Design development-related conditions.
Transportation Commission
Kunzman Associates, Inc. prepared a traffic study for the project, dated November 2, 2017, to assess potential impacts to local streets and intersections. The Transportation Commission reviewed and approved the traffic study on January 3, 2018. A total of 719 daily Passenger Car Equivalent (PCE) trips are anticipated, with 59 AM peak hour trips and 64 PM peak hour trips. The traffic study determined that the project is responsible for “fair-share” payment of $70,294 towards intersection and roadway improvements along Alder Avenue and Baseline Road.
Half-width street improvements, previously noted, and payment of development impact fees related to traffic are also required. All street improvements and “fair-share” payments, as established by the traffic study, must be paid and/or completed prior to occupancy.
Land Use Compatibility
The project is consistent with the Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) zone of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan and the surrounding land uses. The nearest sensitive uses are the few non-conforming single-family residences in the surrounding area. The project is not likely to have a negative impact any uses with the implementation of measures such as landscape buffering and the installation of solid screen walls. The project will benefit the community and improve the surrounding area. Upon completion of the project, the aesthetic enhancements to the site, including new structure and landscaping will comply with the City’s Design Guidelines.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
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 3-1: Strengthen and diversify the economic base and employment opportunities, and maintain a positive business climate.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
The applicant engaged Lilburn Corporation to prepare an Initial Study (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2017-0057) for the project in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Initial Study is an attachment to the agenda report (Exhibit I). Based on the findings and recommended mitigation within the Initial Study, staff determined that the project will not have an adverse impact on the environment and a Mitigated Negative Declaration was prepared. The San Bernardino Sun newspaper published a copy of a Notice of Intent to adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the project and the notice mailed to all property owners within 300 feet of the project site. A public comment period occurred from February 8, 2018 to March 10, 2018. As such, planning staff determined that the Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared appropriately satisfies the requirement of CEQA.
Additionally, the City mailed notices, in accordance with California Assembly Bill 52, to six (6) Native American tribes informing them of the project and allowing them to request consultation on the project. The thirty (30) day period between February 8, 2018 and March 10, 2018 provided the tribes an opportunity to request consultation on the proposed project. The Planning Division received a letter from the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation as well as a letter from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Lilburn Corporation prepared response to comments resulting in the City’s incorporation of additional conditions of approval requiring the applicant coordinate with both the Kizh Nation and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to place a certified Native American Monitor on-site during all ground disturbance activities.
Although the Initial Study indicates that the project could present a significant effect with respect to Noise, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, and Transportation/Traffic, any potential impacts will be mitigated to a level of insignificance through the implementation of the mitigation measures included within the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (Exhibit J).
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The City mailed notices to all property owners within 300 feet of the project site, and published the notice in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper for a public hearing on March 28, 2018. The Commission continued the agenda item to April 11, 2018 and no further noticing is required.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Planning Commission:
- Adopt a resolution (Exhibit L) recommending approval of the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the proposed project and authorize staff to file a Notice of Determination with the Clerk of the Board of San Bernardino County; and
-
- Adopt a resolution (Exhibit H) recommending approval of Conditional Development Permit No. 2017-0035 to allow the development of a 120,600 square foot warehouse building on subject to the findings and conditions therein; and
-
- Adopt a resolution (Exhibit G) recommending approval of Variance No. 2017-0009 to increase the maximum building height from 35 feet to 45 feet related to a request to develop a 120,600 square foot warehouse building subject to the findings and conditions therein.