For the Planning Commission Meeting of November 8, 2017
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Robb Steel, Assistant CA/Development Services Director
REVIEWED BY: Gina M. Gibson-Williams, Planning Manager
FROM: Daniel Casey, Associate Planner
Title
Conditional Development Permit No. 2017-0038: A request to allow a thirteen percent (13%) increase in the permitted floor area ratio, through the implementation of non-residential development incentives, to facilitate the development of a 151,866 square foot warehouse building. The project site is located at the northeast corner of Casmalia Street and Locust Avenue (APN: 1133-241-07 within the Employment (EMP) zone of the Renaissance Specific Plan. The Planning Commission adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration (Environmental Assessment Review No. 13-44) for the project on March 12, 2014.
Body
APPLICANT:
B&B Plastics, Inc., 3040 N. Locust Avenue, Rialto, CA 92377.
LOCATION:
The project site consists of one (1) parcel of land located at the northeast corner of Casmalia Street and Locust Avenue (APN: 1133-241-07) (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
BACKGROUND:
Surrounding Land Use and Zoning
|
Location |
Existing Land Use |
Zoning |
|
Site |
Vacant Land |
Employment (EMP) |
|
North |
Roofing Contractor |
Employment (EMP) |
|
East |
Vacant Land |
Employment (EMP) |
|
South |
Vacant Land |
Freeway Incubator (FI) |
|
West |
Pipe Storage and Manufacturing |
Employment (EMP) |
General Plan Designations
|
Location |
General Plan Designation |
|
Site |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Renaissance SP) |
|
North |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Renaissance SP) |
|
East |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Renaissance SP) |
|
South |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Renaissance SP) |
|
West |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Renaissance SP) |
Site Characteristics
The project site is a relatively flat, rectangular-shaped piece of land comprised of one (1) parcel. The parcel is 6.59 net acres in size with approximate dimensions of 611 feet (east-west) by 470 feet (north-south). The property is vacant and covered by naturally occurring shrubs and grasses. Locust Avenue borders the project site on the south and on the west. To the north is a roofing contractor’s yard consisting of two (2) buildings totaling approximately 7,800 square feet in size, and to the east is approximately 9.2 acres of vacant land. Across the street to the south is approximately 2.5 acres of vacant land, and across the street to the west is a pipe storage and manufacturing facility that consists of one (1) 44,210 square foot building on approximately 18.4 acres of land. The zoning of the project site and the properties to the north, east, and west is Employment (EMP) within the Renaissance Specific Plan. The zoning of the property to the south is Freeway Incubator (FI) also within the Renaissance Specific Plan.
Prior Entitlements
On March 12, 2014, the Planning Commission adopted Resolution No. 14-08 (Exhibit B), which approved Conditional Development Permit No. 740 and allowed a thirteen (13) percent increase in the permitted floor area ratio, through the implementation of non-residential development incentives, to facilitate the development of a 151,705 square foot warehouse building on the project site. Then on March 25, 2014, the Development Review Committee approved Precise Plan of Design No. 2295 (Exhibit C) for the project. Subsequently, the applicant proceeded to submit construction drawings for plan checking and permitting. However, the applicant never pulled any permits and the project expired on March 25, 2016. The applicant refiled entitlement applications for the project on September 27, 2017 in order to reactivate the project.
Lot Merger
In 2014, the project site consisted of two (2) parcels of land. As a part of the project at that time, the applicant filed Lot Line Adjustment No. 216 to facilitate the merger of the two (2) parcels. The Director of Development Services approved Lot Line Adjustment No. 216 on September 29, 2014 and the Public Works Department recorded it on February 22, 2015.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
The applicant proposes to construct a 151,866 square foot warehouse building on the project site (Exhibit D). The applicant will occupy the entire building and use it for storage and distribution of recycled materials that are previously processed at their existing facility located at 3040 N. Locust Avenue. According to Table 3-2 (General Permitted Uses) of the Renaissance Specific Plan, recycling uses are permitted by right within the EMP zone. The floor plan indicates that the building will consist of 6,221 square feet of office floor area on the first floor, 4,656 square feet of office floor area on the second floor, and 140,989 square feet of warehouse space (Exhibit E). The applicant will construct the building at the south end of the project site, adjacent to a thirty (30) foot landscape setback along Casmalia Street. A parking lot containing thirty-five (35) auto-parking spaces will be located directly to the west of the building, adjacent to a twenty-five (25) foot landscape setback along Locust Avenue. The applicant will pave the area north of the building to accommodate truck access to twenty-eight (28) dock doors on the north side of the building. The building placement will ensure that none of the dock doors are visible from the public right-of-way. Still though, the truck yard will be fully enclosed with a nine (9) foot high concrete tilt-up screen wall. The truck yard will also provide ninety-nine (99) additional employee parking spaces.
Architectural Design
The proposed building will feature footprint articulation in the form of projected wall panels on the south and west sides of the building and projected pillars at the corners of the building. The building height ranges from thirty-six (36) feet to forty-seven and one-half (47.5) feet from the finished floor, with the highest points generally being the office corners and the articulated portions. The exterior of the building will be of concrete tilt-up wall construction painted with a palette of four (4) different colors (Exhibit F). The main color is a medium beige tone. Accent colors include a light brown tone around the base of the building, a white tone on each of the projected pillars, and a light beige tone underneath the vertical glazing elements on each projected wall panel. Other architectural features of the building include panel reveals and generous amounts glazing.
Access
The project will have three (3) points of access - two (2) via Locust Avenue and one (1) via Casmalia Street. The southerly driveway on Locust Avenue will serve passenger vehicles using the offices. The northerly driveway on Locust Avenue and the driveway on Casmalia Street will primarily serve truck traffic accessing the truck yard. The Casmalia Street driveway will also serve as a shared driveway for any future development to the east. A condition of approval requires the applicant to record a reciprocal driveway easement with the neighboring property owner to guarantee shared access to the driveway. Access to each of the driveways will be provided via new half-width street improvements along both Casmalia Street and Locust Avenue.
Parking
The development will have 134 auto-parking spaces. This quantity exceeds the minimum parking requirement as shown in the parking calculation chart below and as required under Table 3-6 of the Renaissance Specific Plan (RSP):
Auto-Parking Calculation:
|
Type of Use |
Floor Area (square feet) |
Parking Ratio |
Number of spaces required |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warehouse |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Floor area up to 40,000 square feet |
40,000 |
1 / 1,000 |
40 |
|
Floor area 40,001 square feet or more |
100,989 |
1 / 4,000 |
26 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Office |
10,877 |
1 / 250 |
44 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Required/Total Provided |
|
|
110/134 |
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 12.44 percent, which exceeds the minimum required amount of 10.0 percent. This includes a landscape setback with a minimum depth of thirty (30) feet along the entire frontage on Casmalia Street and twenty-five (25) feet along the entire frontage on Locust Avenue. This landscape setback will feature undulating berms, twenty-four (24) inch box trees every thirty (30) feet, and an abundant amount of shrubs and ground cover, all in compliance with the City’s Design Guidelines (Exhibit G).
Floor Area Ratio
Per Section 3 (Development Criteria), Table 3-5 of the Renaissance Specific Plan the maximum allowable Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for a 6.59 net-acre project site within the EMP zone is 40.0 percent. The FAR for the proposed project is 52.9 percent, which exceeds the maximum allowable by 13.0 percent.
However, page 3-45 of Section 3 (Development Criteria) of the Renaissance Specific Plan contains provisions for incentives, or development standard bonuses, in exchange for desired development features. The incentives may provide an FAR bonus, setback reduction, parking reduction, etc., and may be awarded through a Conditional Development Permit on a case-by-case basis. As written, the Renaissance Specific Plan indicates that the City may only award two (2) incentives per project, and that the same incentive may not be awarded twice for the same project. However, the Renaissance Specific Plan gives the City the discretion to work with a developer and allow additional development incentives beyond two (2) and use the same incentive without limit. Thus, the applicant proposes to incorporate seven (7) development features into their project to obtain the desired FAR. The following is a list of each proposed development feature and a discussion of each:
1. Lot Consolidation - Projects that consolidate lots into parcels that exceed five (5) acres are eligible to receive an increase of 1.0 percent in floor area ratio for every acre over five (5) acres. The applicant consolidated two (2) parcels of land into one (1) 6.59 net-acre parcel of land under Lot Line Adjustment No. 216. As a result, the project will receive a 1.0 percent FAR bonus.
2. Reciprocal Driveway Access - Projects that consolidate and combine driveway access to minimize conflicts with traffic are eligible to receive an increase of 2.0 percent in the floor area ratio. The applicant proposes to provide shared access to the driveway on Casmalia Street to the neighboring property owner and will record a reciprocal driveway easement. As a result, the project will receive a 2.0 percent FAR bonus.
3. Pedestrian Building Orientation - Projects that orient the main entrance of the building toward the public sidewalk are eligible to receive an increase of 2.0 percent in the floor area ratio. The applicant proposes to orient the buildings main entrance as close as possible to the public sidewalk along Casmalia Street near the intersection with Locust Avenue. As a result, the project will receive a 2.0 percent FAR bonus.
4. Public Art - Projects that provide permanent, outdoor art that is viewable by the public from the public sidewalk are eligible to receive an increase of 2.0 percent in floor area ratio. The applicant proposes to install an assemblage of decorative columns at the southwest corner of the project site, near the intersection of Casmalia Street and Locust Avenue (Exhibit H). The inclusion of public art will provide a 2.0 percent FAR bonus.
5. Employee Plaza - Projects that incorporate an outdoor employee plaza, to serve as break/lunch/meeting area, are eligible to receive an increase of 2.0 percent in floor area ratio. The project plans include a 1,000 square foot employment plaza containing a decorative overhead trellis and outdoor seating at the northwest corner of the building. The inclusion of the employee plaza will provide a 2.0 percent FAR bonus.
6. Landmark Intersection Features - Projects that are adjacent to intersections of arterial or collector roadways and that provide features such as a unique corner building treatment, entries or monuments, fountain, or other similar features are eligible to receive an increase of up to 2.0 percent in floor area ratio. The project site is adjacent to the intersection of Casmalia Street (arterial) and Locust Avenue (arterial). The proposed building will contain a significantly sized glass exterior at the southwest corner of the building, thereby providing a unique feature at the intersection of Casmalia Street and Locust Avenue. In addition, the proposed public art will also contribute towards this incentive. All of the landmark intersection features together will provide a 2.0 percent FAR bonus.
7. Business Retention - The Planning Division determined that businesses located in the City of Rialto that choose to expand their operations through new developments in City of Rialto, are eligible to receive an increase of 2 percent in floor area ratio. B&B Plastics has outgrown their current location. During their search for adequate facilities, B&B Plastics chose a site in City of Rialto to expand their operations. Retention of B&B Plastics within the City of Rialto is a benefit to the community. As such, the project will receive a 2.0 percent FAR bonus.
The addition of the seven (7) development features results in a 13.0 percent bonus to the allowable FAR. As such, the maximum allowable FAR for the project is now 53.0 percent, which exceeds the proposed FAR.
Fiscal Analysis
Prior to completion of the project, the applicant will be required to pay plan check, permit, and development impact fees to the City. The applicant will pay approximately $1,125,000 for those one-time fees, as shown in the chart below:
|
Fee |
Capital |
Operating |
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Development Impact Fees |
$1,075,000 |
- |
$1,075,000 |
|
Building Plan Check / Permit Fees |
- |
$25,000 |
$25,000 |
|
Planning Fees |
- |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
|
Engineering Plan Check / Permit Fees |
- |
$20,000 |
$20,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
One Time Fee Revenues |
$1,075,000 |
$50,000 |
$1,125,000 |
Additionally, the project will generate approximately $18,500 in annual recurring revenues to the City General Fund. The applicant will pay increased property taxes, business license taxes, and utility taxes on a recurring basis.
|
Revenue Source |
Estimated First Year Revenue |
|
|
|
|
Property Taxes |
$8,400 |
|
Utility Taxes |
$7,300 |
|
Business License Tax |
$7,500 |
|
|
|
|
Total Annual Revenues |
$23,200 |
Furthermore, the project will generate approximately 60 to 80 jobs. Not only will the project provide additional employment opportunities for City of Rialto residents, but it will also result in result in employees spending their discretionary income as they frequent local restaurants, gas stations, and other local businesses.
Land Use Compatibility
The project is consistent with the Employment (EMP) zone of the Renaissance Specific Plan and the surrounding land uses. There are no sensitive uses in the immediate area of the project site. The project is not expected to negatively impact any uses since measures, such as landscape buffering and the installation of solid screen walls, will be implemented. The project is anticipated to be a benefit to the community and an improvement to the surrounding area. Upon completion of the project, the site will be enhanced aesthetically with a new structure and landscaping that complies with the City’s Design Guidelines.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The project is consistent with the following goals of the Land Use 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.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
On March 12, 2014, the Planning Commission adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration (Environmental Assessment Review No. 13-44) for the project. Pursuant to Section 21166 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), projects that were previously reviewed in compliance with CEQA need not undergo a supplemental CEQA review upon reapplication of the same project unless substantial changes are proposed or if new information indicates the possibility of potential environmental impacts. The applicant proposes no changes to the project and there is no new information that indicates any new potential environmental impacts as a result of the project. Therefore, no further review under CEQA is required for the project.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The City mailed public hearing notices for the proposed project to all property owners within 300 feet of the project site, and published the public hearing notice in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper as required by State law.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Planning Commission:
- Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit I) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 2017-0038 to allow a thirteen percent (13%) increase in the permitted floor area ratio, through the implementation of seven (7) non-residential development incentives, to facilitate the development of a 151,866 square foot warehouse building subject to the findings and conditions therein.