For the Planning Commission Meeting of September 11, 2019
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
REVIEWED BY: Pam Lee, Assistant City Attorney
FROM: Daniel Casey, Senior Planner
Title
Specific Plan Amendment No. 2019-0003: An amendment to Table 8 (Permitted Uses Non-Residential Designations) of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan requiring a Conditional Development Permit for all new “storage warehouse” developments within the Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) zone of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan.
Body
APPLICANT:
City of Rialto, 150 S. Palm Avenue, Rialto, CA 92376
LOCATION:
All land zoned Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) within the Rialto Airport Specific Plan.
BACKGROUND:
On November 18, 1997, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 1269 approving the Rialto Airport Specific Plan and certifying the Final EIR. The Rialto Airport Specific Plan was the 6th Specific Plan adopted by the City of Rialto encompassing approximately 3,131 acres of land, prior to the adoption of the Renaissance Specific Plan. The Airport Specific Plan project area was ‘L’ shaped, with boundaries set by Casa Grande Drive, Mango Avenue, Palmetto Avenue, Baseline Road, Cactus Avenue and the east side of Locust Avenue extending north to Riverside Avenue.
Upon adoption of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan, certain non-residential uses such as administrative offices, health clubs, storage warehousing, and light manufacturing, within the I-PID (Planned Industrial Development) zone were permitted by right, while other uses such as storage yards, were conditionally permitted.
However, due to the proximity of some I-PID zoned properties to residential uses beyond the Rialto Airport Specific Plan, several members of the Planning Commission expressed a desire to have storage warehouses be conditionally permitted rather than permitted by right. On April 24, 2019, the Planning Commission requested that the Planning Division prepare a draft amendment to the Rialto Airport Specific Plan requiring a Conditional Development Permit for all new “storage warehouse” developments within the Planned Industrial Development (I-PID) zone.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Specific Plan Amendment No. 2019-0003
Per the request of the Planning Commission, the Planning Division prepared a modification to the Table 8 (Permitted Uses Non-Residential Designations) in Section 5 of the Rialto Airport Specific Plan (Exhibit A) that will require the approval of a Conditional Development Permits for all new “storage warehouse” developments in the I-PID zone.
The Conditional Development Permit will allow the Planning Commission to place conditions of approval upon future warehouse developments in the I-PID zone to ensure that the warehouse developments are constructed and operated continuously in manner that is consistent with the vision and goals of the City’s General Plan and the Rialto Airport Specific Plan. Additionally, a Conditional Development Permit will act as an enforcement mechanism, through either modification, suspension, or revocation of the Conditional Development Permit, on any subject warehouse development and/or its tenant(s) that may be found to be operating in a nuisance condition or out of compliance with any of the required conditions of approval.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The project is consistent with the following goals and policies of the Land Use Element of the Rialto General Plan:
Goal 2-9: Protect residential, schools, parks, and other sensitive land uses from the impacts associated with industrial and trucking-related land uses, as well as commercial and retail areas.
Policy 2-9.1: Require mitigation and utilize other techniques to protect residential development and other sensitive land uses near industrial land uses or within identified health risk areas from excessive noise, hazardous materials and waste releases, toxic air pollutant concentrations, and other impacts.
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 adoption of the proposed Specific Plan Amendment is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act, a ‘Project’ means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. A project does not include:
• Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
The Planning Division will file a Notice of Exemption with the Clerk of the Board of San Bernardino County in accordance with CEQA upon completion of the Specific Plan Amendment.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The City published a public hearing notice for Specific Plan Amendment No. 2019-0003 in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper and posted a copy of the public hearing notice outside the Council Chambers, as required by State law.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Planning Commission recommends that the Planning Commission discuss the proposed specific plan amendment, review a draft Resolution (Exhibit B) prepared by staff for the specific plan amendment, and provide its recommendation for the City Council to discuss and decide.