For the Planning Commission Meeting of February 13, 2019
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, Senior Planner
Title
Conditional Development Permit No. 2018-0029: A request to allow up to a four (4) percent increase in the permitted floor area ratio through the implementation of non-residential development incentives, as it relates to a proposal to develop a 78,680 square foot industrial warehouse building on 4.44 gross acres (4.10 net acres) of land (APNs: 0240-201-08 & -41) located on the west side of Alder Avenue approximately 170 feet south of Miro Way within the Employment (EMP) zone of the Renaissance Specific Plan. This project includes a Mitigated Negative Declaration (Environmental Assessment Review No. 2018-0072) for consideration in conjunction with the project.
Body
APPLICANT:
CDRE Holdings 13, LLC, 523 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90245.
LOCATION:
The project site consists of two (2) parcels of land located on the west side of Alder Avenue approximately 170 feet south of Miro Way (APNs: 0240-201-08 & -41) (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 |
Vacant Land |
Employment (EMP) |
|
East |
Industrial Warehouse |
Employment (EMP) |
|
South |
Single-Family Residence |
Employment (EMP) |
|
West |
Stormwater Detention Basin |
Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) |
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 |
Business Park with a Specific Plan Overlay (Rialto Airport SP) |
Site Characteristics
The project site is a relatively flat, rectangular-shaped piece of land comprised of two (2) parcels. Altogether, the project site is 4.10 net acres in size with approximate dimensions of 599 feet (east-west) by 298 feet (north-south). The property is entirely undeveloped and covered only with natural grasses and a sparse amount of trees. The project site is bound on the east by Alder Avenue.
Surrounding Area
To the north of the project site is a vacant parcel of land approximately 0.95 acres in size, and to the east, across Alder Avenue, is the I-210 Logistics Center III warehouse building. To the south is a legal non-conforming single-family residence on approximately 1.15 acres of land, and to the west is a 6.96 acre stormwater detention basin that serves several of the Prologis warehouse developments in the area. The zoning of the project site and the properties to the north, east, and south is Employment (EMP) within the Renaissance Specific Plan, and the zoning of the property to the west is Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) within the Rialto Airport Specific Plan.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
CDRE Holdings 13, LLC, the applicant, proposes to consolidate two (2) parcels of land into one (1) 4.10 net acre parcel of land and then construct a 78,680 square foot warehouse building on the project site. There is no proposed tenant for the new building at this time, but the building’s design will accommodate a wide-range of warehouse uses.
Lot Merger
The applicant filed Lot Line Adjustment No. 2018-0009 to facilitate the merger of the two (2) parcels of land that comprise the project site. The Development Services Department approved Lot Line Adjustment No. 2018-0009 on July 25, 2018. The lot line adjustment is currently in plan check with the Public Works Engineering Division. Lot Line Adjustment No. 2018-0009 does not require Planning Commission action.
Site Design
According to the site plan (Exhibit B), the applicant will construct the building in the center of the project site. The proposed layout will place the truck court on the south side of the building and the employee/customer parking areas on the north and south sides of the building. A new forty (40) foot wide driveway connected directly to Alder Avenue at the south end of the project frontage will provide right-in/right-out access to trucks and passenger vehicles, while a second twenty-six (26) foot wide driveway connected directly to Alder Avenue at the north end of the project frontage will provide access only to passenger vehicles and emergency vehicles. Other proposed on-site improvements include landscape planters throughout the site, screen walls around the truck court, and an underground infiltration basin for water quality treatment.
Floor Plan
The floor plan (Exhibit C) indicates that the building will consist of 5,000 square feet of office space and 73,680 square feet of warehouse space. The office space will occupy the southeast corner of the building, with 2,500 square feet on the first floor and another 2,500 square feet up above on a second floor. The south wall of the building will have eight (8) dock high doors and one (1) grade level roll-up door. The applicant will place the main entrance to the building on the south side of the office space for convenient access to the employee/customer parking lot, along with thirteen (13) secondary/emergency exits distributed amongst all four (4) sides of the building.
Architectural Design
The proposed building will feature significant vertical and horizontal wall plane articulation in the form of projected masses and panel height variations on all the sides of the building that are visible from the public right-of-way. As shown on the elevations (Exhibit D), the building height ranges from thirty-eight (38) feet to forty-three (43) feet from the finished floor level, with the highest points being the corners on the east and west sides of the building. The exterior of the building will be of concrete tilt-up wall construction painted with a palette of five (5) different colors - white, light gray, medium gray, dark gray, and light green. Other architectural features of the building include panel reveals, a steel canopy, and generous amounts glazing.
Parking
The development will have 78 auto-parking spaces, including four (4) disabled parking spaces. This quantity exceeds the minimum parking requirement as shown in the parking calculation chart below and as required by Table 3-6 (Parking Standards) of the Renaissance Specific Plan, which requires one (1) parking space for every 250 square feet of office space gross floor area, one (1) parking space for every 1,000 square feet of warehouse space gross floor area up to 40,000 square feet, and one (1) parking space for every 4,000 square feet of warehouse space gross floor area beyond 40,000 square feet:
|
Type of Use |
Floor Area (square feet) |
Parking Ratio |
Number of spaces required |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Office Warehouse |
5,000 |
1 / 250 |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Floor area up to 40,000 square feet |
40,000 |
1 / 1,000 |
40 |
|
Floor area 40,001 square feet or more |
33,680 |
1 / 4,000 |
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Required/Total Provided |
|
|
69/78 |
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 16.4 percent, which exceeds the minimum required amount of 10.0 percent. This includes a 30 foot landscape setback/easement along Alder Avenue, as well as planters around the perimeter of the building and the project site. All of the landscape planters will feature a variety of trees spaced every 30 feet and an abundant amount of shrubs (Exhibit E).
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 $627,500 for those one-time fees, as shown in the chart below:
|
Fee |
Capital |
Operating |
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Development Impact Fees |
$515,000 |
- |
$515,000 |
|
Building Plan Check / Permit Fees |
- |
$25,000 |
$25,000 |
|
Planning Fees |
- |
$7,500 |
$7,500 |
|
Engineering Plan Check / Permit Fees |
- |
$80,000 |
$80,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
One Time Fee Revenues |
$515,000 |
$112,500 |
$627,500 |
Additionally, the project will generate approximately $14,000 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 |
$4,700 |
|
Utility Taxes |
$5,350 |
|
Business License Tax |
$3,950 |
|
|
|
|
Total Annual Revenues |
$14,000 |
Furthermore, the project will generate approximately 40 to 50 jobs with a warehouse use tenant. 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.
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 4.10 net-acre project site within the EMP zone is 40.0 percent. The FAR for the proposed project is 44.0 percent, which exceeds the maximum allowable by 4.0 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 the use the same incentive without limit. Thus, the applicant proposes to incorporate two (2) 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. 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 a decorative steel sculpture near the public sidewalk along Alder Avenue (Exhibit F). The inclusion of public art will provide a 2.0 percent FAR bonus.
2. Employee Plaza - Projects that incorporate an outdoor employee plaza, to serve as a break/lunch/meeting area, are eligible to receive an increase of 2.0 percent in floor area ratio. The project plans include a 221 square foot employment plaza containing a decorative overhead trellis and outdoor seating on the south side of the building. The inclusion of the employee plaza will provide a 2.0 percent FAR bonus.
The addition of the two (2) development features results in a 4.0 percent bonus to the allowable FAR. As such, the maximum allowable FAR for the project is now 44.0 percent, which is equals the proposed FAR.
Development Review Committee
The Development Review Committee (DRC) reviewed the project on June 13, 2018. The DRC recommended approval of the project subject to the applicant revising the site design to provide additional parking outside of the truck court and to provide a screen wall and landscape planter along the south side of the truck court. The applicant incorporated each of the DRC’s revisions into the project plans attached to the agenda report. 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
Urban Crossroads, Inc. prepared a traffic study for the project, dated October 29, 2018, to assess the projects potential impacts to local streets and intersections. The Transportation Commission reviewed and approved the traffic study on December 17, 2018. The traffic study anticipates that the project will generate a total of 300 vehicle trips daily, with 31 trips in the AM peak hour and 32 trips in the PM peak hour. Analyzed further, the traffic study anticipates that truck trips will constitute 121 of the 300 vehicle trips, while the rest will consist of passenger cars. The Transportation Commission determined that the project is responsible for “fair-share” payment of $96,223 to go towards the widening of Alder Avenue between Walnut Avenue and Renaissance Parkway from four (4) lanes to six (6) lanes and improvements to the SR-210 Freeway and Alder Avenue interchange.
Half-width street improvements along the project frontage 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.
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:
The Initial Study is attached to the agenda report (Exhibit G). 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. The Planning Division published a Notice of Intent to adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the project in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper, and mailed notices to all property owners within 300 feet of the project site. A twenty (20) day public comment period for the Mitigated Negative Declaration began on December 22, 2018 and ended on January 10, 2019. The Planning Division received one (1) comment letter during this period from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).
On January 8, 2019, the Planning Division received a letter from Lijin Sun, J.D., Program Supervisor with SCAQMD (Exhibit H). The letter expressed a concern with the analysis of cumulative air quality impacts as it relates to other proposed projects in the area. The applicant submitted a response to the Planning Division on January 24, 2019 (Exhibit I), which indicated that the analysis was conducted in accordance with a report published by the SCAQMD on conducting proper analysis of cumulative air quality impacts, and that the analysis conducted for this project determined that the project will not create a significant cumulative air quality impact. The Planning Division forwarded a copy of the response to the SCAQMD on January 24, 2019. The SCAQMD did not provide any further comment upon receiving the response.
Native American Tribal Consultation (Assembly Bill 52)
In accordance with California Assembly Bill 52, the Planning Division mailed notices to six (6) Native American tribes informing them of the project and allowing them to request consultation on the project. The six (6) tribes were given thirty (30) days, from December 20, 2018 to January 18, 2019 to request consultation on the proposed project. One (1) tribe, The Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation (Kizh Nation), requested formal consultation during the period. Planning staff conducted formal consultation with Matt Teutimez of the Kizh Nation on January 28, 2019. The topics discussed included a basic background of the project and the anticipated construction activities. During the consultation, Mr. Teutimez requested the ability to allow a certified Native American Monitor on-site during all ground disturbance activities. The Draft Resolution of Approval includes a Condition of Approval requiring the applicant to coordinate with the Kizh Nation to allow access to the project site during all ground disturbance activities.
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:
The Planning Division recommends that the Planning Commission:
- Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit J) to approve 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 the attached Resolution (Exhibit K) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 2018-0029 to allow up to a four (4) percent increase in the permitted floor area ratio through the implementation of two (2) non-residential development incentives, as it relates to a proposal to develop a 78,680 square foot warehouse building, subject to the findings and conditions therein.