AGENDA REPORT
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 09/16/2020
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
City Council consideration of Precise Plan 2020-0001, for the review of an apartment complex consisting of 15 units on 1.13 acres in the Multiple Family Residential zone located on the north side of West 8th Street, approximately 170 feet east of Sherman Avenue. (Applicant: Hannibal Petrossi of Petrossi & Associates, Inc.)
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission's action granting PP2020-0001, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval.
OR
b. Set the item for review at a subsequent meeting.
Body
ANALYSIS:
Precise Plan 2020-0001 is an application to review the development of 15 apartments on an in-fill parcel that is 1.13 acres located east of Sherman Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets. The site is a rectangular-shaped parcel surrounded by existing residential and commercial developments and has street frontage from both 7th and 8th Streets. The zoning of the project site is R-3 (Multiple Family Residential) and the General Plan designation is High Density Residential (HDR), which permits multiple-family units and a maximum density of 36 dwelling units per acre (du/ac). The density of the project is 13.27 du/ac.
Site Plan
The 15 apartments will be housed in two two-story buildings located on the project site. Building A located along the site’s west perimeter contains six units and Building B located along the east perimeter contains nine units. The space between the buildings is a 28-foot wide drive aisle that provides vehicular access to all the units’ garages. The site’s front yard is from 7th Street and has the required 25-foot setback. The rear yard faces 8th Street and has the required 10-foot setback. Driveway access is provided from both streets allowing ingress/egress to and from the site.
The project site also has a trash enclosure and guest parking lot near the northwest corner and a common outdoor recreation area near the northeast corner.
The project requires usable outdoor living space at a ratio of 200 square feet per unit, which equals 3,000 square feet. At least 50 percent of the total required space shall be provided onsite in a single common area for recreational purposes. Additionally, at least 25 percent of the total required space shall be provided in the form of a private balcony or patio contiguous to each unit. The below table demonstrates the project’s compliance with the open space requirement.
Table A
Outdoor Living Space
|
Use |
Minimum Requirement per CMC § 17.24.220 |
Provided |
|
Total outdoor living area |
3,000 sq. ft. |
5,427 sq. ft. |
|
Single common area |
1,500 sq. ft. |
3,069 sq. ft. |
|
Private patios |
50 sq. ft. per patio |
227 sq. ft. to 828 sq. ft. |
The single common area is proposed on the north portion of the site and includes a lawn area, tot lot, covered picnic table, and barbeque station.
Floor Plans
The apartments are two stories with an attached two-car garage located on the ground floor in addition to the main living area that includes the dining and kitchen area and powder room. Washer and dryer hookups are also provided within the garage. The second floor contains two bedrooms, a den/study area, two bathrooms, and storage space. The living area, exclusive of the garage, is approximately 1,335 square feet. The R-3 zone requires a minimum living area of 600 square feet.
Architecture
The buildings have Mediterranean architectural accents, and the walls have a stucco finish painted in a warm neutral color. A darker accent color and stone veneer material are proposed around the garage openings. Stone veneer is also applied around the lower portions of the buildings. The roof material is comprised of brown clay tiles. A roof is provided over the two-car garages as an accent to the buildings. Decorative ceramic accent tiles with foam molding trims are placed throughout the building’s facades.
The buildings are approximately 31 feet in height, which complies with the R-3 zone’s maximum building height limit of 40 feet. The buildings also include parapet walls to screen rooftop air conditioning units from public view.
Trash Enclosures
The project requires a trash enclosure of at least 90 square feet. The project proposes a 254 square-foot enclosure adjacent to the guest parking spaces. The enclosure has a veneer base with a stucco finish on the upper portion, which matches the architecture of the buildings. The enclosure is required to be designed to accommodate an organic waste bin, per CMC Chapter 8.20.
Landscaping
The project will consist of various tree species ranging in size from 24-inch to 36-inch box. Also proposed are various shrubs, vines, and groundcover to be planted within the front yard setback and in the common open space. Live turf is proposed for open lawn areas within the common open space, consistent with the City’s landscape ordinance, which only allows live turf in multi-family residential projects when used for recreational or functional purposes. Trees having a solid screen landscaping are also required along the north property line adjacent to the common open space to buffer the area from the adjacent commercial property.
Fences and Walls
The west perimeter will have a six-foot high vinyl fence between the project’s patios and the senior apartments to the west. The site’s east perimeter has an existing 18 to 24-inch wall, which the applicant proposes to maintain and top with a new four-foot high vinyl fence. The north perimeter of the site, which abuts a commercial development, keeps an existing combination block and wrought iron fence. The northeast corner has an existing wrought iron fence that the applicant will replace with a six-foot high block wall. The patios on the end-units will be enclosed by a six-foot high decorative block wall, as these areas would be directly visible from the public streets. All private patios will be separated by six-foot high vinyl fencing.
Parking and Access
Per the municipal code, multiple family residential developments are required to provide parking based on the following ratios:
• 1 bedroom unit - 1.5 covered spaces, plus 1 uncovered guest space/5 units
• 2 bedrooms unit - 2 covered spaces, plus 1 uncovered guest space/5 units
• 3 or more bedrooms unit - 2.5 covered spaces, plus 1 uncovered guest space/5 units
The 15 apartments are all two bedrooms; therefore, 30 covered parking spaces and 3 uncovered guest spaces are required. The project proposes two-car garage spaces for each apartment and seven uncovered guest parking spaces.
The project’s primary vehicular access into the site is provided from 7th Street via a 28-foot wide driveway located on the north end of the site. A secondary access point is located on the south end of the site and provides vehicular access from 8th Street. Both driveways allow for ingress and egress. The site has a centrally located drive-aisle that provides vehicular access to the garages. The drive aisle meets the Fire Department’s 28-foot width requirement for fire truck access and will serve as a fire lane. The drive aisle curbs will be painted red to prohibit parking within the fire lane.
Public Improvements
The applicant is required to construct the missing public improvements on 7th and 8th Streets adjacent to the site. On 7th Street, the improvements include the construction of curb and gutter and a six-foot wide sidewalk. On 8th Street, the improvements include curb and gutter and a 12-foot wide landscape parkway, which includes a 4-foot wide sidewalk. The applicant is also required to grind and overlay the north half of 8th Street adjacent to the site, plus 10 additional feet on the south half of 8th Street.
General Plan Consistency
The project is consistent with Housing Goal H-1 because it provides a balance of housing types within the City and corresponding affordability levels to meet demands for housing within all economic segments of the City. Additionally, the project is consistent with Land Use Policy 8.1 by allowing for an infill housing development that is compatible in density and scale with the existing and surrounding land uses. The project’s density is 13.27 du/ac which is within the density allowed by the General Plan for the HDR designation of not exceeding 36 du/ac.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
Not applicable.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
Not applicable.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid $7,530.00 in application processing fees for the Precise Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Per Section 15332 of the State Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 3.22 of the City’s Local CEQA Guidelines, a Notice of Exemption has been prepared for the project because the project qualifies as a Class 32 (Infill Development Projects) categorical exemption. The proposed multifamily residential development is consistent with the site’s HDR General Plan designation and R-3 zone. The site is within city limits, less than five acres, and substantially surrounded by urban uses. The site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare, or threatened species, and approval of the project would not result in significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air-quality, or water-quality. The site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of August 24, 2020, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Siqueland/Jones) and carried unanimously, that the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2559 granting PP2020-0001, based on the findings contained in the staff report and conditions of approval. The draft minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 4.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: ROGER BRADLEY, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: JACOB ELLIS, CITY MANAGER
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Locational and Zoning Map
2. Exhibit 2 - Site Plan for PP2020-0001
3. Exhibit 3 - Planning and Housing Commission Staff Report
4. Exhibit 4 - Draft Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of August 24, 2020.
APPLICANT INFORMATION
Hannibal Petrossi of Petrossi & Associates, Inc., 1300 Bristol Street North, Suite 270, Newport Beach CA 92660