For the Planning Commission Meeting of February 19, 2025
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Colby Cataldi, Director of Community Development
REVIEWED BY: Paul Gonzales, Community Development Manager
FROM: Daniel Casey, Principal Planner
Title
Variance No. 2024-0002, Conditional Development Permit No. 2024-0009, & Precise Plan of Design No. 2024-0017 (Master Case No. 2024-021): A request to allow the development and use of a 42,000 square foot commerce building on 2.13 acres of land (APN: 0246-201-51) located at the southwest corner of Rialto Avenue and Linden Avenue within the General Manufacturing (M-2) zone. The request includes a variance from Section 18.112.050C(1) of the Rialto Municipal Code to reduce the minimum building setback required along Linden Avenue from 36 feet to 25 feet. A Mitigated Negative Declaration (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2024-0024) has been prepared for consideration in conjunction with the project.
Body
APPLICANT:
Stewart Development, LLC, 1920 W. 11th Street, Upland, CA 91786
LOCATION:
The project site consists of one (1) parcel of land (APN: 0246-201-51) located at the southwest corner of Rialto Avenue and Linden Avenue (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
BACKGROUND:
Surrounding General Plan Land Use Designations
|
Location |
General Plan Designation |
|
Site |
Light Industrial |
|
North |
Residential 21 |
|
East |
Light Industrial |
|
South |
Light Industrial |
|
West |
Residential 21 |
Surrounding Zoning Designations
|
Location |
Zoning or Specific Plan Land Use Designation |
|
Site |
General Manufacturing (M-2) |
|
North |
Multi-Family Residential (R-3) |
|
East |
General Manufacturing (M-2) |
|
South |
General Manufacturing (M-2) |
|
West |
Multi-Family Residential (R-3) |
Site Characteristics
The project site is located at the southwest corner of Rialto Avenue and Linden Avenue. The site is a relatively flat, square-shaped, area of land totaling approximately 2.13 acres in size with approximate dimensions of 315 feet (north-south) by 295 feet (east-west). The property was previously developed as a contractor’s storage yard with various improvements including screen walls on-site and curbs, gutters, and sidewalks in the public right-of-way.
Surrounding Area
To the north of the project site, across Rialto Avenue, is the Las Palmas 101-unit apartment complex, to the east, across Linden Avenue, is a 710,000 square foot industrial warehouse building, occupied by American Building Supply, to the south is 20,000 square foot industrial building, occupied by Superior Roofing, and to the west is the Cambria Villa 50-unit apartment complex.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
The applicant, Stewart Development, LLC, proposes to construct a 42,000 square foot commerce building with associated paving, landscaping, fencing, lighting, and drainage improvements on the new parcel. The proposed tenant for the building is Nace Holdings, LLC, which specializes in furniture assembly and distribution.
Indoor Storage Facility Moratorium
On January 28, 2025, the City Council adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 1697 establishing a 45-day moratorium on the establishment, modification, expansion, and intensification of indoor storage facilities that are, not yet approved/permitted, over 100,000 square feet in floor area, and within 500 feet existing residential uses, church, schools, and recreational parks. Though the project site is located adjacent to existing residential uses, it is less than 100,000 square feet in floor area size and therefore is exempt from the moratorium.
Site Design
As shown on the site plan (Exhibit B), the applicant proposes to construct a 42,000 square foot commerce building at the northeast end of the project site near the intersection of Rialto Avenue and Linden Avenue. The proposed layout includes a truck court on the south side of the building and a passenger vehicle parking area along the west side of the building. The truck court will accommodate a maximum of 3 trucks and trailers, while the passenger vehicle parking areas will provide for the parking of up to 36 passenger vehicles. The proposed building will be separated from the apartment complex to the west by eighty-four (84) feet, well over the thirty-six (36) foot minimum setback required by Section 18.112.050C(1) of the Rialto Municipal Code.
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 curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and street paving along the frontages of Rialto Avenue and Linden Avenue.
Access
The applicant will install one (1) thirty-foot wide driveway on the west end of the Rialto Avenue frontage, which will provide full access for passenger vehicles only. Trucks will not be allowed to access the Rialto Avenue driveway to prevent trucks from driving alongside the apartment complex to the west of the site. The applicant will also install one (1) thirty-five (35) foot wide driveway on the south end of the Linden Avenue frontage, which will provide right-in/left-out access for both passenger vehicles and trucks.
Floor Plan
The floor plan for the proposed building (Exhibit C) indicates that the building will consist of 38,000 square feet of warehouse space and 4,000 square feet of office space. The office space will occupy the northwest corner of the building with 2,000 square feet on the ground floor and an additional 2,000 square feet on a second-floor mezzanine. The south side of the building will have three (3) dock high loading 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 D), the height of the building will range from 33 feet to 36 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, two (2) gray tones, and a brown accent. Additional architectural features of the building include wall panel reveals, metal eyebrow accents, and glazing.
Parking
The development will have 36 auto-parking spaces, including two (2) ADA accessible parking spaces. This quantity equals 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 Storage |
2,000 2,000 |
1 / 250 1 / 500 |
8 4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Floor area up to 10,000 square feet Floor area 10,001 square feet or more |
10,000 28,000 |
1 / 1,000 1 / 2,000 |
10 14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Required/Total Provided |
|
|
36/36 |
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 18.4 percent, which exceeds the minimum required amount of 10.0 percent. This includes a thirty-two (32) foot landscape setback along Rialto Avenue and a twenty-five (25) foot landscape setback along Linden 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
LSA Associates, Inc. prepared a Focused Traffic Impact Analysis (FTIA), dated October 2024, to assess the project’s potential impacts to local streets and intersections (Exhibit F). The FTIA estimates that the project will generate as much as 72 daily vehicle trips (121 PCE daily vehicle trips) with 7 trips in the AM peak hour and 8 trips in the PM peak hour. Trucks would constitute a maximum of 29 of the 72 new daily vehicle trips. The FTIA concluded that the project would generate an insignificant amount of traffic, and all nearby intersections and roadway segments will continue to operate under their current Level of Service (LOS). The nearby intersections and roadway segments do not require any improvements to maintain an acceptable LOS.
Variance
Chapter 18.112 (Indoor Storage Uses) of the Rialto Municipal Code, requires a minimum building setback of one (1) foot for every one (1) foot of building height along street frontages. The proposed height of the building is 36 feet, and therefore the building requires a minimum 36-foot setback from any street frontage. However, the applicant proposes a 25-foot setback along Linden Avenue and submitted a variance application to facilitate the reduction.
The reduced setback allows the applicant to place the passenger vehicle parking area on the west side of the building between the existing apartment complex and the proposed building, and as a result will maximize the building setback from the apartment complex to greatest extent possible.
The variance request will facilitate a more ideal setback between the proposed building and the existing apartment complex to the west, while maintaining consistency with the existing industrial developments in the surrounding area. Alternatively, the applicant could shift the building further to the west towards the apartment complex to meet the setback requirement, but the Planning Division concludes that the reduced setback along Linden Avenue is preferred as this will provide additional separation from the use to the west.
Land Use Compatibility
The project will be consistent with the M-2 zone, the regulations contained within Chapter 18.112 (Indoor Storage Uses) of the Rialto Municipal Code, with approval of the submitted variance for building setbacks along Linden Avenue. The nearest sensitive uses are the existing apartment complexes located to the north and west of the project site. The development and operation of the proposed commerce building will not significantly impact these uses since measures, such as the placement of the truck court on the south side of the building, the increased building setback along the west side, and the installation of landscape planters around the perimeter of the 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 FTIA, thereby ensuring that the project will not significantly impact local streets and intersections. Lastly, the project will serve to improve an under-developed site with a new industrial building, landscaping, screen walls, and drainage improvements.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The General Plan land use designation of the site is Light Industrial. According to Chapter 2 (Managing Our Land Supply) of the Rialto General Plan, commerce/industrial warehouse buildings, such as the project, are consistent with the Light Industrial land use 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
LSA Associates, Inc. prepared a Draft Initial Study (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2024-0024) for the project in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Draft Initial Study is attached to the agenda report (Exhibit G). Based on the findings and recommended mitigation within the Draft 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, noise, 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 H).
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 thirty (30) day public comment period for the Mitigated Negative Declaration began on December 30, 2024, and ended on January 28, 2025. No comment letters were received during the public comment period.
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 the Mitigated Negative Declaration (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2024-0024) prepared 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 Variance No. 2024-0002, subject to the findings and conditions therein; and,
3. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit K) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 2024-0009, subject to the findings and conditions therein; and,
4. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit L) to approve Precise Plan of Design No. 2024-0017, subject to the findings and conditions therein.