Title:
Title
Applicant Appeal: Sacramento Self Storage and Tentative Map for Woodlake Development (P17-063) (Noticed 11/30/2018)
End
FileID
File ID: 2018-01623
Location
Location: 500 Leisure Lane, APN: 275-0260-070-0000, District 3
Recommendation:
Recommendation
Conduct a public hearing and upon conclusion, adopt: 1) a Resolution adopting the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) and Mitigation Monitoring Plan (MMP) for the Sacramento Self Storage and Tentative Map for Woodlake Development; and 2) a Resolution adopting findings of fact and conditions approving the Sacramento Self Storage project for a Tentative Map to subdivide approximately 14.47 acres into four parcels, a Conditional Use Permit to establish a mini-storage facility in the General Commercial and Labor Intensive Overlay (C-2-LI) zone, and Site Plan and Design Review for the construction of a 139,481 square foot mini-storage facility on approximately 2.52 acres in the General Commercial and Labor Intensive Overlay (C-2-LI) zone.
Contact: Garrett Norman, Associate Planner, (916) 808-7934; Teresa Haenggi, Senior Planner, (916) 808-7554; Community Development Department
Body
Presenter: Garrett Norman, Associate Planner, (916) 808-7934, Community Development Department
Attachments:
01-Description/Analysis
02-Background
03-Resolution Adopting Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) and Mitigation Monitoring Plan (MMP)
04-Exhibit A: Mitigation Monitoring Plan (MMP)
05-Resolution Adopting Project Entitlements
06-Exhibit A: Tentative Map
07-Exhibit B: Site Plans
08-Exhibit C: Landscape Plan
09-Exhibit D: Floor Plans
10-Exhibit E: Elevations & Renderings
11-Site Photos
12-Community Comments
13-Appeal Form
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The applicant is requesting planning entitlements to subdivide a vacant 14.47 acre parcel into four parcels and for the construction of a 139,481 square foot mini-storage facility on a 2.52 acre parcel. The requested entitlements include a Tentative Map to subdivide the land into four parcels; a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to allow the mini-storage use within the General Commercial (C-2) zone, and Site Plan and Design Review for construction of the mini-storage facility. The site is also part of the Labor Intensive Overlay (C-2-LI) zone; however, the Labor Intensive (LI) Overlay Zone no long applies specific use or development standards after adoption of the new Planning and Development Code in 2013. Per Chapter 17.320 of the Sacramento City Code, “Development in the Labor Intensive (LI) overlay zone is subject to the requirements of the underlying zone.”
Appeal: On October 2, 2018, the Applicant filed an appeal of the Planning and Design Commission’s decision to deny the subject project. At the September 27, 2018 hearing, the Commission rejected staff’s recommendation to approve the project and passed a motion (8 ayes, 1 no, and 3 absent) to deny the project. The Commission’s decision to deny the project can be categorized into two reasons: 1) Employment generation; and 2) Stormwater drainage.
1. Employment Generation: The Commission found the proposed mini-storage facility would disserve the redevelopment efforts of the area from becoming an employment generating hub.
a. A portion of the Commission’s discussion focused on the intent of the Labor Intensive (LI) overlay. As mentioned above, the Labor Intensive overlay has no regulatory bearing in today’s current City Code, even though the LI suffix remains on the zoning map. Planning staff researched the LI overlay that used to be in effect and found that a mini-storage facility was not on the list of prohibited uses. Therefore, if this application was submitted to the City at the time the LI overlay was in effect, the mini-storage use would not have been prohibited and would have followed a similar planning entitlement review process for a Conditional Use Permit, as being requested today.
b. Planning staff considered the community’s concern regarding employment generating uses in the area and found there have been a number of recent development approvals that stimulate job growth. Specifically, a new 32,000 square foot nursing facility is under construction southwest of the subject site (P14-038). Next to the nursing facility is a 100,000 square foot assisted living with memory care facility (P15-041). This facility contains approximately 113 patient beds and is currently under construction. Lastly, south of the above-mentioned projects, is a new 71,000 square foot behavioral health care hospital that is nearing construction completion (P13-011). Figure 2 in the Background Information section below illustrates the subject site in relation to the above mentioned projects and other nearby development.
c. Staff understands a mini-storage facility is not a high employment generating use, however, it does not preclude the build-out of the remaining 11 acres with uses that may generate or support employment. In fact, as part of the environmental review required by CEQA, future land use assumptions made by the applicant accounted for a 100-120 room hotel, a 150-170 multi-unit apartment complex, and 50,000± square feet of commercial retail. The applicant has further indicated recent interest from prospective buyers to develop a hotel and apartments for the elderly on the subject site.
2. Stormwater Drainage: Further Commission discussion was focused on the water feature that was integrated into the former Radisson Hotel that occupied this site. Commission discussion indicated that the water feature was a natural drainage feature and should have been further analyzed and possibly incorporated as part of the project proposal. Figure 1 in the Background Information section below shows the hotel and the water feature, which has recently been demolished.
a. The Department of Utilities (DOU) has reviewed this concern and noted that they have no record or indication that the hotel’s lake was a natural feature nor a detention/retention basin. Rather, DOU has stated that the lake was an aesthetic feature. A staff engineer from DOU attended the Planning and Design Commission hearing to answer questions and communicated this information to the Commission. DOU has no concern with future stormwater management in the redevelopment of this area.
b. Furthermore, this applicant and future developers of neighboring properties will need to comply with DOU’s Existing Development criteria and demonstrate that offsite property flooding will not be impacted to an unacceptable level from any of the proposed improvements. The project has been conditioned to require compliance with this and all other DOU requirements.
Included in the appeal form, the applicant provided a thorough response to the issues discussed at the Planning and Design Commission. The applicant’s appeal form can be found in Attachment 13.
Public/Neighborhood Outreach and Comments: As part of the application review process, the proposal was routed to Walk Sacramento, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, Preservation Sacramento, North Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, Del Paso Boulevard Partnership, Twin Rivers South Community Council, Woodlake Neighborhood Association, and Woodlake Neighbors Creating Transparency. The Woodlake Neighborhood Association provided a comment letter stating that the subject site could be better served with a higher employment generating use instead of the proposed mini-storage facility. Community comments for this project are included in Attachment 12.
Policy Considerations: The General Plan designation for the subject site is Suburban Center. Sacramento’s centers provide for the intensification, reuse and reinvestment, and revitalization of Sacramento’s uniquely identifiable centers that are defined by their common functional role, mix of uses, density/intensity, physical form and character, and/or environmental setting as places for commerce, employment, entertainment, culture, and living. The guiding General Plan policies within the Center designation ensure that development is consistent with adjacent neighborhoods through the siting of buildings, transitions in scale, and land use mix. The General Plan goals and policies below support the proposed project.
Goal LU 5.1: Centers. Promote the development throughout the city of distinct, well-designed mixed-use centers that are efficiently served by transit, provide higher-density, urban housing opportunities and serve as centers of civic, cultural, and economic life for Sacramento’s neighborhoods and the region.
• Policy LU 5.1.1: Diverse Centers. The City shall encourage development of local, citywide, and regional mixed-use centers that address different community needs and market sectors, and complement and are well integrated with the surrounding neighborhoods.
The project is consistent with the above goal and policy because the project diversifies the land uses within the area that is largely occupied with office and commercial uses by locating a self-storage facility on a portion of the overall vacant 14-acre site slated for redevelopment. Furthermore, careful consideration to the building’s placement and design has been scrutinized to ensure its location will be compatible with adjoining uses, such as the Quick Quack carwash facility immediately west of the site.
Goal LU 1.1: Growth and Change. Support sustainable growth and change through orderly and well-planned development that provides for the needs of existing and future residents and businesses, ensures the effective and equitable provision of public services, and makes efficient use of land and infrastructure.
• Policy LU 1.15: Infill Development. The City shall promote and provide incentives (e.g., focused infill planning, zoning/rezoning, revised regulations, provision of infrastructure) for infill development, reuse, and growth in existing urbanized areas to enhance community character, optimize City investments in infrastructure and community facilities, support increased transit use, promote pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly neighborhoods, increase housing diversity, ensure integrity of historic districts, and enhance retail viability.
The project maximizes existing public and private infrastructure, such as roadways, sewer, water, and electricity on the site by facilitating the redevelopment of the site through the parcelization of the vacant 14.47 acres into four separate parcels. This will help foster the sale of each parcel to prospective developers. Additionally, the applicant further induces infill development by proposing the self-storage facility on approximately 2.5 acres of the vacant 14-acre site.
Goal LU 2.7: City Form and Structure. Require excellence in the design of the city’s form and structure through development standards and clear design direction.
• Policy LU 2.7.2: Design Review. The City shall require design review that focuses on achieving appropriate form and function for new and reuse and reinvestment projects to promote creativity, innovation, and design quality.
City staff has diligently worked with the applicant team to provide a design that is compatible with the neighboring development in addition to providing a self-storage facility that creates architectural interest with the use of materials such as vertical and horizontal metal siding panels, stone veneer, variation in parapet heights, and strong window glazing at building entrances. Additional architectural embellishments, such as metal awnings, are provided to further break up the massing of the building.
The project site is within the North Sacramento Community Plan area; no community plan policies address the subject site.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations: The City of Sacramento prepared a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Sacramento Self Storage project (P17-063). In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the MND was circulated for a 30-day public review period which ended on August 20, 2018. The comment period was also advertised in a newspaper of general circulation and a notice of availability (NOA) was sent to regulatory agencies, neighborhood associations, and stakeholders in the project area.
Three written comments were received during the public review period:
• California Water Boards, August 10, 2018
• SMUD, August 17, 2018
• Ignacio Barragan, July 19, 2018
The comments and brief responses to the environmental issues raised in the comments have been posted on the Community Development Department website at the link below.
The Environmental Services Manager has determined that adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring Program are appropriate actions under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for the project, and the MND Comments and Responses, are available at the Community Development Department’s office at 300 Richards Boulevard, Third Floor, Sacramento CA 95811, and webpage located at the following link:
<https://www.cityofsacramento.org/Community-Development/Planning/Environmental/Impact-Reports>
200-Year Flood Protection: State Law (SB 5) and Planning and Development Code Chapter 17.810 require that the City must make specific findings prior to approving certain entitlements for projects within a flood hazard zone. The purpose is to ensure that new development will have protection from a 200-year flood event or will achieve that protection by 2025. The project site is within a flood hazard zone and is an area covered by SAFCA’s Improvements to the State Plan of Flood Control System, and specific findings related to the level of protection have been incorporated as part of this project. Even though the project site is within a flood hazard zone, the local flood management agency, SAFCA, has made adequate progress on the construction of a flood protection system that will ensure protection from a 200-year flood event or will achieve that protection by 2025. This is based on the SAFCA Urban level of flood protection plan, adequate progress baseline report, and adequate progress toward an urban level of flood protection engineer’s report that were accepted by City Council Resolution No. 2016-0226 on June 21, 2016 and the SAFCA 2018 Adequate Progress Annual Report accepted by City Council Resolution No. 2018-0445 on November 20, 2018.
Sustainability: None.
Commission/Committee Action: At the public hearing on September 27, 2018, the City Planning and Design Commission rejected staff’s recommendation to approve the project and passed a motion to deny the project. No public testimony was given for this project. Commission discussion is summarized in the Issue Detail section above and in the applicant’s appeal in Attachment 13.
Rationale for Recommendation: Staff recommends the City Council consider the information provided in this report and approve the requested planning entitlements based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions listed in attached Resolutions. The proposal complies with the goals and policies of the 2035 General Plan by facilitating the redevelopment of the entire 14.47-acre vacant site, in addition to constructing a new self-storage facility on a 2.5-acre portion of the site. Furthermore, the design of the project respects development in the area by being compatible in scale and architectural quality, while also diversifying to the land uses in the immediate area, thus creating a more resilient commercial center.
Financial Considerations: None.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): None.