For the Planning Commission Meeting of May 15, 2024
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Colby Cataldi, Community Development Director
REVIEWED BY: Paul Gonzales, Community Development Manager
FROM: Shannon J. Casey, Contract Senior Planner
Title
Conditional Development Permit No. 2022-0061 & Precise Plan of Design No. 2022-0082: A request to allow the development and operation of a 100,020 square foot industrial warehouse building and related paving, landscaping, lighting, and drainage improvements on approximately 4.76 acres of land (APN: 0258-041-08) located on the east side of Willow Avenue approximately 950 feet south of Slover Avenue within the Heavy Industrial (H-IND) land use district of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan. This project is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15332 (In-Fill Development Projects) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Body
APPLICANT:
DP Willow, LLC, 100 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 250, Santa Monica, CA 90401
LOCATION:
The project site consists of one (1) parcel of land (APN: 0258-041-08) located on the east side of Willow Avenue approximately 950 feet south of Santa Ana 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 & Surrounding Uses
The project site is a relatively flat and rectangular-shaped area of land totaling approximately 4.76 acres in size with approximate dimensions of 330 feet (north-south) by 630 feet (east-west). To the north is an existing Old Dominion Freight and Fuel facility, to the east is APC Advanced Power Coating, to the south is a vacant site with a recently entitled 100,845 square foot industrial building, and to the west, across Willow Avenue, is an existing truck terminal facility operated by Old Dominion Freight Line. The project site was previously developed and utilized by Camblin Steel Services. The applicant will demolish all existing structures and on-site improvements as a part of the project.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
The applicant, DP Willow, LLC, proposes to construct a 100,020 square foot industrial warehouse building and install associated improvements that include paving, landscaping, fencing, lighting, and drainage improvements on the project site as shown on the site plan (Exhibit B). The proposed layout includes a truck court on the south side of the building and passenger vehicle parking areas along the south, east, and west sides of the project site. The truck court will accommodate parking for up to 13 trucks and trailers. Passenger vehicle parking areas will provide for the parking of up to 72 passenger vehicles.
Two (2) driveways are proposed along Willow Avenue for access to the site. This includes a 40-foot-wide driveway on the south end of the Willow Avenue frontage that will provide full access for trucks and passenger vehicles, and a 30-foot-wide driveway on the north end of the Willow Avenue frontage that will provide full access for passenger vehicles only.
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.
Floor Plan
The floor plan for the proposed building (Exhibit C) consists of 94,020 square feet of storage area and 6,000 square feet of office space. The office is proposed at the northwest corner of the building with 3,000 square feet on the ground floor and an additional 3,000 square feet on a second-floor mezzanine. The south side of the building will have 13 dock high loading doors and one (1) grade level roll-up door.
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 D), the height of the building will range from 42.5 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 - white, gray tones, and a Arizona Wood tile accent. Additional architectural features of the building include wall panel reveals, metal brow accents, and glazing.
Parking
The development will have 72 auto-parking spaces, including four (4) ADA accessible parking spaces. The proposed amount of parking meets the 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 |
3,000 3,000 |
1 / 300 1 / 300 |
10 10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Floor area up to 10,000 square feet Floor area 10,001 square feet or more |
10,000 84,020 |
1 / 1,000 1 / 2,000 |
10 42 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Required/Total Provided |
|
|
72/72 |
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 8.2 percent. This includes a fifteen (15) foot landscape setback along Willow 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 E).
Traffic
Kimley Horn prepared a Traffic Scoping Agreement (TSA), dated January 11, 2023, to assess the project’s potential impacts (Exhibit F). The project is estimated to generate 102 passenger car (PC) trips daily with 10 PC trips in the morning peak hour and 11 PC trips in the evening peak hour; and 68 truck trips on a daily basis with 7 truck trips in the morning peak hour and 7 truck trips in the evening peak hour.
The proposed project, with the deduction of trips associated with the existing manufacturing land use on the site, is estimated to generate a net increase of 98 daily PCE trips, with 5 PCE trips in the morning peak hour, and 7 PCE trips in the evening peak hour.
Based on City of Rialto guidelines, certain types of projects are exempt from Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) preparation based on their size, nature, or location. City guidelines present the following criteria:
“Any proposed use which can demonstrate, based on the most current Trip Generation Manual published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), or other approved trip generation data, that there will be less than 50 vehicle trips during peak hours and no other operational concerns exist.”
The trip generation estimates show that the proposed warehouse project will not exceed this 50-trip threshold during peak hours established by the City. Therefore, the project would be exempt from LOS analysis.
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 Light 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
The project is categorically exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The project qualifies as a Class 32 exemption under CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 - In-Fill Development Projects - as the project is consistent with the Rialto General Plan, the Agua Mansa Specific Plan, and the Heavy Industrial (H-IND) land use designation, the project occurs on a site less than 5.0 acres in size that is substantially surrounded by development, the project site has no value as habitat for threatened or endangered species, the project will not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality, and the project site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services.
Kimley Horn prepared an Air Quality (Exhibit G) and Greenhouse Gases Impact Analysis (Exhibit H) for the project. These reports provide evidence that the project will not exceed any threshold or standard required by either the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) or the Rialto General Plan, and therefore the project will not result in a significant impact as it relates to air quality, greenhouse gases, or noise. As previously mentioned, the project’s TSA, prepared by Kimley Horn, provides evidence that the project will not have a significant impact as it relates to traffic. Lastly, the Draft Resolutions of Approval contain conditions of approval that require City approval of a project-specific Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) prior to the issuance of a grading permit, to ensure that the project will not result in a significant impact to water quality.
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. Determine the project is categorically exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per Class 32 exemption under CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 - In-Fill Development.
2. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit I) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 2022-0061, subject to the findings and conditions therein; and,
3. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit J) to approve Precise Plan of Design No. 2022-0082, subject to the findings and conditions therein.