For the Planning Commission Meeting of July 29, 2020
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Karen Peterson, Community Development Manager
FROM: Daniel Casey, Senior Planner
Title
Conditional Development Permit No. 2020-0007: A request to establish vehicular drive-thru service in conjunction with a proposed 2,364 square foot restaurant building on 0.39 acres of land (Pad ‘F’) within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center located at the southeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Cedar Avenue within the Commercial Pedestrian (C-P) zone of the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan. On April 19, 2017, the City of Rialto Development Review Committee adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration (Environmental Assessment Review No. 16-01) for the development and operation of the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center, in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Precise Plan of Design No. 2020-0013: A request to allow the development of a 2,364 square foot restaurant building with drive-thru service on 0.39 acres of land (Pad ‘F’) within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center located at the southeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Cedar Avenue within the Commercial Pedestrian (C-P) zone of the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan. On April 19, 2017, the City of Rialto Development Review Committee adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration (Environmental Assessment Review No. 16-01) for the development and operation of the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center, in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Body
APPLICANT:
The Noble Comet, LLC, 428 Euclid Street, Santa Monica, CA 90402.
LOCATION:
The project site is located at the southeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Cedar Avenue (APN’s: 0128-061-50) within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
BACKGROUND:
Surrounding General Plan Land Use Designations
|
Location |
General Plan Designation |
|
Site |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Boulevard SP) |
|
North |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Boulevard SP) |
|
East |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Boulevard SP) |
|
South |
Residential 6 (2.1 - 6.0 dwelling units per acre) |
|
West |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Boulevard SP) |
Surrounding Zoning Designations
|
Location |
Zoning |
|
Site |
Commercial Pedestrian (C-P) |
|
North |
Commercial Pedestrian (C-P) |
|
East |
Residential-Mixed Use (R-MU) |
|
South |
Single-Family Residential (R-1C) |
|
West |
Commercial Pedestrian (C-P) |
Site Characteristics
The project site is Pad ‘F’ within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center. The Cedarhill Plaza commercial center currently consists of five (5) commercial buildings totaling 46,762 square feet in size. Tenants either open or under contract within Cedarhill Plaza include Starbucks, Dollar Tree, AT&T, Juice It Up!, Blink Fitness, The Buffalo Spot, and Bright Now! Dental. The location of Pad ‘F’ is immediately to the east of the Starbucks building along the Foothill Boulevard frontage. Pad ‘F’ is square in shape, 0.39 acres in size, and contains approximate dimensions of 137 feet (east-west) by 124 feet (north-south).
Surrounding Area
To the north of the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center, across Foothill Boulevard is the Tudor Plaza commercial center comprised of six (6) buildings totaling approximately 45,000 square feet, and to the east is a 36,681 square foot County of San Bernardino County Transitional Assistance Department office. To the south is a single-family residential subdivision built in 1984, and to the west, across Cedar Avenue, is the Home Depot commercial center comprised of four (4) buildings, totaling approximately 141,000 square feet, and a Chevron gas station. The zoning of the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center and the properties to the north and west is Commercial Pedestrian (C-P) within the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan, the zoning of the property to the east is Residential-Mixed Use (R-MU) within the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan, and the zoning of the properties to the south is Single-Family Residential (R-1C).
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
The Noble Comet, LLC, the applicant, proposes to construct a 2,364 square foot restaurant building with drive-thru service on the project site. The applicant will operate an Arby’s restaurant at the location.
Entitlement Requirements
Per Table 3-1 (Permitted Uses) of the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan, the establishment of a drive-thru service within the C-P zone requires Planning Commission approval of a Conditional Development Permit, and per Section 18.65.010 of the Rialto Municipal Code, the development of the proposed restaurant building and the associated improvements requires the approval of a Precise Plan of Design by the Planning Commission.
Site Design
According to the site plan (Exhibit B), the applicant will construct the building on the west side of Pad ‘F’. The drive-thru lane will wrap around the east, north, and west sides of the building and provide stacking for approximately six (6) vehicles from the drive-thru entrance to the menu board/speaker and five (5) vehicles from the menu board/speaker to the pick-up window, for a total of eleven (11) vehicles from the drive-thru entrance to the pick-up window. The applicant proposes to install the drive-thru order speaker on the north side of project site facing Foothill Boulevard. The orientation of the drive-thru speaker system will direct noise generated by the speaker towards Foothill Boulevard and away from the existing single-family residential neighborhood located to the south of the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center. Additionally, the largest commercial building within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center separates the project site from residences to south, and this building will serve as a significant buffer between the drive-thru speaker system and the single-family residential neighborhood to the south. Given the location and orientation of the proposed drive-thru speaker system, the drive-thru use will not negatively affect any nearby sensitive uses.
The proposal also includes twelve (12) new parking spaces to the east of the building (in addition to the 245 parking spaces available within the Cedarhill Plaza), as well as landscape planters around the perimeter of the building and drive-thru lane.
Floor Plan
The floor plan (Exhibit C) indicates that the building is a single-tenant stand-alone restaurant building. The building features significant footprint articulation due to the incorporation of projected masses on all four (4) sides of the building. These projected masses have varied depths between six (6) inches and five (5) feet relative to the main wall plane. The interior of the floor plan places the dining/seating area in the north portion of the building, the customer order/pick-up area in the center of the building, and the kitchen/work area in the south portion of the building. Furthermore, the applicant will place the main entrance on the east side of the building nearest the on-site vehicle parking areas, one (1) secondary/emergency exit on the north side of the building, one (1) service door on the south side of the building, and the drive-thru pick-up window on the west side of the building.
Architectural Design
The applicant proposes a building with an architectural design consistent with the other buildings proposed within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center (Exhibit D). This includes the incorporation of projected masses, varied roof forms, natural stone accents, and light earth-tone colors. This particular building will feature significant wall plane relief in the form of projected masses and recessed niches, and tower elements with pitched concrete tile roofs on the north and east sides of the building. The exterior building height will range from 19.5 feet up to 25 feet at the top of the pitched roof ridge. Additional architectural features include a decorative cornice along all rooflines, reveals, metal accent banding, and a porte cochere structure over the drive-thru window.
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 26.0 percent, which exceeds the minimum required amount of 5.0 percent. This includes a 14-foot wide landscape setback along Foothill Boulevard and planters within the parking lot and around the building. Other notable landscape elements include a screen hedge along the drive-thru lane and decorative pavers within the pathway at the main entrance to the building (Exhibit E).
Parking
The Cedarhill Plaza commercial center currently contains of 245 parking spaces. With the development of Pad ‘F’ the total number of parking spaces provided within the commercial center will increase to 257. Per Table 3.4 (Parking Standards) of the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan and Chapter 18.58 (Off-Street Parking) of the Rialto Municipal Code the commercial center requires 243 parking spaces based upon existing uses, speculative uses, and the development of Pad ‘F’. The Cedarhill Plaza commercial center will contain ample parking for the various uses on-site. The following chart displays the minimum parking requirement for all speculative uses within the commercial center as required by Table 3.4 (Parking Standards) of the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan and Chapter 18.58 (Off-Street Parking) of the Rialto Municipal Code:
|
Type of Use |
Floor Area (square feet) |
Parking Ratio |
Number of spaces required |
|
Retail Dollar Tree AT&T Speculative (Bldgs. B, C, & D) Total Retail Gym Blink Fitness Medical Bright Now! Dental Restaurant The Buffalo Spot Arby’s Total Restaurant Drive-Thru Credit Beverage Starbucks Juice It Up! Total Beverage Total Required/Total Provided Total “Over-parked” |
10,042 1,636 12,101 23,779 15,263 2,610 1,911 2,364 4,275 2,052 1,147 3,199 |
3 / 1,000 5 / 1,000 5 / 1,000 1 / 75 -3 per DT 8 / 1,000 |
72 77 14 57 -3 26 243/257 +14 |
Land Use Compatibility
The project is consistent with the Commercial Pedestrian (C-P) zone of the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan, the existing and speculative uses within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center, and the uses adjacent to the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center. The nearest sensitive uses are the single-family residences located to the south of the project site. The development and operation of proposed restaurant with drive-thru service will not impact the residents to the south as they are approximately 250 feet apart and separated by an existing commercial building and a six (6) foot high block wall that runs along the entire southern boundary of the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center. As such, the project will not negatively affect the surrounding area. The project will be a benefit to the community and an improvement to the surrounding area.
Fiscal Analysis
Prior to completion of the project, the applicant will pay plan check, permit, and development impact fees to the City. Additionally, the value of the new commercial development will increase the value of the land, which will result in increased property tax collection from the County of San Bernardino, of which the City will receive a portion. Retail sales tax generated by the restaurant will also result in additional tax revenue distributed to the City. Furthermore, the project will generate approximately 15 to 20 jobs, increasing employment opportunities for City of Rialto residents.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The General Plan land use designation of the site is Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay. This designation requires the underlying Specific Plan to establish distinct land use designations within the Specific Plan itself. Page 25 of the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan indicates that the land use designation for the project site is Commercial Pedestrian (C-P). According to Table 3-1 (Permitted Uses) and Table 3-2 (General Permitted Uses) of the Foothill Boulevard Specific Plan, restaurants with drive-thru facilities, such as the project, are consistent with the C-P 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 3-1: Strengthen and diversify the economic base and employment opportunities, and maintain a positive business climate.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
California Environmental Quality Act
On April 19, 2017, the Development Review Committee approved Precise Plan of Design No. 2433 and adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration (Environmental Assessment Review No. 16-01) for the development of the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center, in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Initial Study prepared for Environmental Assessment Review No. 16-01 analyzed the construction and operation of a commercial center consisting of five (5) buildings totaling 57,068 square feet in size with an estimated total of 5,164 daily vehicle trips. On January 17, 2018, the Development Review Committee approved Precise Plan of Design No. 2018-0002, a revision to the design of the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center to instead include four (4) commercial buildings totaling 44,710 square feet and two (2) future development pads - Pad ‘E’ and Pad ‘F’. Pad ‘E’ subsequently developed into a 2,052 square foot coffee shop with drive-thru service (Starbucks) and the proposal for Pad ‘F’ consists of the development of a 2,364 square foot restaurant with drive-thru service (Arby’s). This brings the total floor area of all commercial buildings within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center to 49,126 square feet, far less than the 57,068 square feet analyzed as a part of Environmental Assessment Review No. 16-01. Furthermore, a total of 5,141 daily vehicle trips were estimated with the revised design of Cedarhill Plaza commercial center, which is also less than the number of daily vehicle trips estimated and analyzed as a part of Environmental Assessment Review No. 16-01. The ultimate buildout of the Cedarhill Plaza, including the proposal to develop a 2,364 square foot restaurant with drive-thru service on the final remaining pad (Pad ‘F’), is consistent with the analysis documented in Environmental Assessment Review No. 16-01, and no further environmental review is required for this project.
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, City Clerk’s Office, and Grace Vargas Senior Center, and mailed public hearing notices to all property owners within 300 feet of the project site, as required by State law.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Planning Division recommends that the Planning Commission:
- Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit F) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 2020-0007 to allow the establishment of vehicular drive-thru service in conjunction with a proposed 2,364 square foot fast-food restaurant building on 0.39 acres of land (Pad ‘F’) within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center located at the southeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Cedar Avenue, subject to the findings and conditions therein; and
-
- Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit G) to approve Precise Plan of Design No. 2020-0013 to allow the development of a 2,364 square foot fast-food restaurant building with drive-thru service on 0.39 acres of land (Pad ‘F’) within the Cedarhill Plaza commercial center located at the southeast corner of Foothill Boulevard and Cedar Avenue, subject to the findings and conditions therein.