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. 2024-0002 (TPM 20700): A request to allow the consolidation of three (3) existing parcels of land (APN's: 0258-121-23, -33 & -34) located on the west side of Riverside Avenue approximately 550 feet north of Jurupa Avenue within the Heavy Industrial (H-IND) land use district of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan into one (1) 9.95 net acre parcel of land.
Conditional Development Permit No. 2022-0055: A request to allow the development and use of a 219,000 square foot industrial warehouse building on 9.95 net acres of land.
Precise Plan of Design No. 2022-0077: A request for site and architectural review and development of a 219,000 square foot industrial warehouse building.
Environmental Assessment Review No. 2022-0077: A Mitigated Negative Declaration has been prepared in conjunction with Tentative Parcel Map No. 2024-0002, Conditional Development Permit No. 2022-0055, and Precise Plan of Design No. 2022-0077, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Body
APPLICANT:
Riverside XC, LLC, 3010 Old Ranch Parkway, Suite 470, Seal Beach, CA 90740
LOCATION:
The project site consists of three (3) parcels of land (APN's: 0258-121-23, -33 & -34) located on the west side of Riverside Avenue approximately 550 feet north of Jurupa Avenue (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
BACKGROUND:
Surrounding General Plan Land Use Designations
Location
General Plan Designation
Site
General Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay (Agua Mansa SP)
North
General Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay (Agua Mansa SP)
East
General Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay (Agua Mansa SP)
South
General Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay (Agua Mansa SP)
West
General Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay (Agua Mansa SP)
Surrounding Zoning Designations
Location
Zoning Designation
Site
Agua Mansa Specific Plan (Heavy Industrial (H-IND))
North
Agua Mansa Specific Plan (Heavy Industrial (H-IND))
East
Agua Mansa Specific Plan (Heavy Industrial (H-IND))
South
Agua Mansa Specific Plan (Heavy Industrial (H-IND))
West
Agua Mansa Specific Plan (Heavy Industrial (H-IND))
Site Characteristics
The project site is a relatively flat and asymmetrical-shaped area of land totaling approximately 10.11 gross acres in size with approximate dimensions of 750 feet (north-south) by 575 feet (east-west). The project site is bound on the east by an existing segment of Riverside Avenue. One (1) of the project site's three (3) parcels was previously developed into a truck repair facility, currently occupied by CC Enterprise Trucks & Body Repair. The remainder of the site consists of undeveloped land.
Surrounding Area
To the north of the project site is a steel yard and fleet maintenance facility, occupied by Pacific Steel Group, to the east are two (2) existing truck yard facilities, to the south is an existing Southern California Edison high-voltage transmission line, and to the west, is an existing 6.47-acre contractor's storage yard.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
The applicant, Riverside XC, LLC, proposes to consolidate three (3) parcels of land into one (1) 9.95 net acre parcel and construct a 219,000 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 building within the Heavy Industrial (H-IND) land use district of the Agua Mansa 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 three (3) parcels of land into one (1) 9.95 net acre parcel of land. Street dedication will reduce the size of the project site from 10.11 gross acres to 9.95 net acres. The size of the proposed parcel greatly exceeds the minimum parcel size of 15,000 square feet (0.34 acres) required by Table 11 (Development Standards for "Heavy Industrial" Land Use Category) of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan.
Site Design
As shown on the site plan (Exhibit C), the applicant will construct a 219,000 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 and passenger vehicle parking areas along the east, south, and west sides of the project site. The truck court will accommodate the parking of up to 58 trucks and trailers, while the passenger vehicle parking areas will provide for the parking of up to 144 passenger vehicles.
Two (2) driveways are proposed along Riverside Avenue for access. This includes a 45-foot-wide driveway on the north end of the Riverside Avenue frontage that will provide full access for trucks and passenger vehicles, and a 40-foot-wide driveway on the south end of the Riverside Avenue frontage that will also provide full access for trucks and passenger vehicles.
Additional on-site improvements include paving, lighting, landscape planters throughout the site, screen walls, and an underground infiltration basin for runoff water quality treatment and retention. Off-site improvements will include new curb, gutter, sidewalk, and street paving along the frontage of Riverside Avenue.
Floor Plan
The floor plan for the proposed building (Exhibit D) indicates that the building will consist of 209,000 square feet of storage area and 10,000 square feet of office space. The office is proposed at the northeast and 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 south side of the building will have 23 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 39 feet to 51 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 - white, gray tones, and a blue accent. Additional architectural features of the building include wall panel reveals, metal brow accents, and glazing.
Parking
The development will have 144 auto-parking spaces, including eight (8) ADA accessible parking spaces. This quantity equals the minimum parking requirement as shown in the parking calculation chart below and as required by Table 13 (Off-Street Parking Requirements) of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan:
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 / 300
1 / 300
17
17
Floor area up to 10,000 square feet
Floor area 10,001 square feet or more
10,000
199,000
1 / 1,000
1 / 2,000
10
100
Total Required/Total Provided
144/144
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 9.4 percent. This includes a fifteen (15) foot landscape setback along Riverside Avenue as well as 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
Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. prepared a Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA) to assess the project's potential impacts to local streets and intersections (Exhibit G). The TIA estimates that the project will generate approximately 375 actual daily vehicle trips (629 PCE daily vehicle trips) with 38 trips in the AM peak hour and 40 trips in the PM peak hour. Trucks will constitute up to 150 of the 375 actual daily vehicle trips.
The TIA analyzed the following six (6) intersections in the project vicinity:
The TIA concluded that the project would generate a less than significant amount of traffic and all six (6) study intersections would continue to operate at Level of Service (LOS) D or better. The level D rating is considered acceptable per he City's General Plan adopted in 2010. The study intersections do not require additional improvements to maintain an acceptable LOS and therefore the project will not require additional "fair-share" fees.
Land Use Compatibility
The project is consistent with the H-IND land use district, the Agua Mansa Specific Plan, the regulations contained within Chapter 18.112 (Indoor Storage Uses) of the Rialto Municipal Code, and the industrial uses surrounding the project site. Additionally, the Draft Resolutions contain conditions of approval requiring that the project not exceed the traffic estimates contained within the TIA, thereby ensuring that the project will not significantly impact local streets and intersections. The project will be compatible with the existing uses in the surrounding area and an improvement to the site.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The General Plan land use designation of the site is General Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay. This designation requires the underlying Specific Plan to establish distinct land use designations within the Specific Plan itself. Figure 20 (Land Use Plan) of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan indicates that the land use designation for the project site is Heavy Industrial (H-IND). According to Section 4.2.1 and Section 4.2.2 of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan, the H-IND designation is intended to facilitate the most intensive industrial uses with the Specific Plan area, including warehousing, manufacturing, and uses likely to have truck traffic. As a result, the project is consistent with the H-IND 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
An Initial Study (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2022-0077) was prepared for the project in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Initial Study is attached to the agenda report (Exhibit H). 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 prepared a Mitigated Negative Declaration. Although the Mitigated Negative Declaration identified potential impacts related to air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, noise, transportation, and tribal cultural resources, any of these impacts will be reduced to a level of insignificance subject to the imposition of the recommended mitigation contained within the project's Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (Exhibit I).
The Planning Division published a Notice of Intent to adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the project in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper, mailed copies to all property owners within 1,000 feet of the project site. Staff also completed a Notice of Completion and distributed copies of the Initial Study to the State Clearinghouse. A twenty (20) day public comment period for the Mitigated Negative Declaration began on February 12, 2024 and ended on March 12, 2024. No comment letters were received during the public comment period.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The City published a public hearing notice for the 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.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Planning Division recommends that the Planning Commission:
1. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit J) to approve the Mitigated Negative Declaration (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2022-0077) prepared for the proposed project and authorize staff to file a Notice of Determination with the Clerk of the Board of San Bernardino County; and
2. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit K) to approve Tentative Parcel Map No. 2024-0002 (TPM 20700), subject to the findings and conditions therein; and
3. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit L) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 2022-0055, subject to the findings and conditions therein; and
4. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit M) to approve Precise Plan of Design No. 2022-0077, subject to the findings and conditions therein.