REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 07/07/2021
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Precise Plan Modification 2020-0004 for the review of the demolition of an existing convenience store and the reconstruction of a 3,628 square foot convenience store and modification to the existing signage associated with an existing automobile service station located at 230 S. Lincoln Avenue in the C-3 (General Community Commercial) zone.
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Precise Plan Modification 2020-0004 (PPM2020-0004) is an application to rehabilitate an existing automobile service station that involves the demolition of an existing 2,056 square foot convenience store that will be replaced by a new 3,628 square foot convenience store. Signage associated with the existing service station is also being modified in addition to the on-site circulation.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Take no action, thereby affirming the Planning and Housing Commission’s action granting PPM2020-0004, 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
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The project site is 0.50 acres and located at 230 S. Lincoln Avenue in the C-3 (General Commercial) zone. The property includes an existing automobile service station with four double-sided fuel pumps, a 2,056 square foot single-story convenience store, a freestanding price sign located on the southeast corner of the property and an existing 55’-6” high freeway sign that faces State Route 91.
The owner and operator of the service station is proposing to demolish the existing convenience store and replace it with a new 3,628 square foot two-story building to accommodate a 7-Eleven convenience store with the store’s office located on the second floor. The existing fuel canopy and fuel pumps are to remain in place and are not affected by the rehabilitation. The existing pylon signs are also to remain in place with the sign cabinets being modified to accommodate space for the 7-Eleven name.
ANALYSIS:
Site Plan
The existing convenience store is located near the northwest corner of the project site and is angled away from the north and west property lines. The fuel canopy is located near Lincoln Avenue and in the front of the convenience store. The owner proposes to demolish the existing convenience store and reconstruct a new convenience store that will have a zero setback to the north and west property lines. The zero setback allows the building to create a solid perimeter condition along the property lines, especially along the west property line adjacent to the existing alley. The C-3 zone requires a front yard and street side yard setback of 10 feet and allows a zero setback for interior side yards and rear yard.
New parking spaces are proposed in front of the convenience store and along the property’s north and west property lines. A single loading space is also located near the north property line. New landscaping will be installed in the areas in front of the new parking spaces and along Lincoln Avenue and D Street. A new trash enclosure is proposed to the south of the convenience store with the opening facing the alley. The City’s waste service provider will access the trash enclosure from the alley without having to access the project site. The trash enclosure will also be fully enclosed with a perimeter block wall, metal gates, and a metal screen between the roof and side walls.
Architecture
The new convenience store will be two stories. The storefront is flanked by two columns, accent medallions, and decorative lighting. An aluminum awning is mounted above the entrance. The primary exterior building materials include stucco and stone veneer. The color palette is neutral.
The height of the building is 22 feet measured to the top of the first-floor parapet wall, and 29 feet high to the top of the second-floor parapet wall. The building complies with the 40-foot building height limit established by the C-3 zone.
The mechanical equipment for the convenience store will be placed on the building’s first floor roof behind a parapet wall and will not be visible from ground view. The Planning and Housing Commission added a condition of approval that the upper portion of the building’s façade have a varied roofline instead of a flat parapet roofline.
Access
The project site has two existing driveways on Lincoln Avenue, and two existing driveways on D Street. The two driveways on Lincoln Avenue are restricted to right-in and right-out turn movements. Left turn movements are restricted because of the existing southbound left-turn lanes on Lincoln Avenue in front of the project site. The City’s Traffic Engineer is requiring the easternmost driveway on D Street to be removed because of its proximity to the Lincoln Avenue and D Street intersection. Additionally, eliminating the easternmost driveway will improve the on-site circulation. The driveway to the west will remain and allows right and left turn movements.
No additional rights-of-way are required for Lincoln Avenue and D Street adjacent to the project site. However, the project will require the applicant to grind and overlay the west half of Lincoln Avenue adjacent to the site, plus 10 feet from the centerline on the east half of Lincoln Avenue. Additional requirements include grinding and overlay the north half of D Street adjacent to the site, plus 10 feet from the centerline on the south side of D Street. The existing driveways from the street are also required to be improved to the City’s current commercial driveway standards.
Parking
The City’s Parking Ordinance requires convenience stores to have one parking space for every 250 square feet of building area. Therefore, the new convenience store requires the site to have 14 parking spaces. The site provides the 14 parking spaces.
Signage
The property contains an existing 31’-6” high pylon sign on the southeast corner of the property. The pylon sign was constructed and permitted in and around 1991. The overall size of the existing sign is 175 square feet, which includes 25 square feet of gas price information. Gas price signage up to 25 square feet is exempt from the City’s allowed signage area per state law.
The applicant is proposing to remove the bottom two sign cabinets that currently advertise Food Mart and V-Power from the on-site pylon sign and add a new sign cabinet for the 7-Eleven. The sign will have a total sign area of 172 square feet, which includes the 25 square feet of signage for gasoline prices. The size of the sign is within the sign area originally approved, and the changes do not affect the height or structural components.
The property’s existing freeway pole sign facing State Route 91 is 55.5 feet high. The overall sign area is 461 square feet and currently advertises Shell and McDonalds. McDonalds is located on the adjacent property south of the project site. The sign was originally constructed in 1965 and its height was permitted by Variance 65-14, which allowed the sign to exceed the maximum height of 40 feet. The McDonalds sign cabinet was permitted by Conditional Use Permit 77-10, which allowed the signage to technically be advertised as an off-site sign. McDonalds also obtained approval with Variance 77-04, which allowed the sign area to be increased from 300 square feet to 461 square feet. To not exceed the overall sign area allowed by V77-04, the applicant is proposing to reduce the existing Shell sign cabinet to accommodate space for a new sign cabinet for 7-Eleven. Additionally, the existing McDonalds sign cabinet will be re-centered over the sign’s three existing support posts to provide a symmetrical appearance. The overall square footage for the freeway sign will be 438 square feet, which is within the 461 square foot sign area approved by V77-04.
The Planning and Housing Commission added a condition of approval to require the sign cabinets to be encased in a comprehensive manner rather than having the appearance of three separate sign cabinets.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The applicant paid the application processing fees of $5,408 to cover the cost of the Precise Plan Modification.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Per Section 15301 of the State Guideline 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 1 (Existing Facilities) categorical exemption. The project consists of replacing an existing 2,056 square foot convenience store with a new 3,628 square foot convenience store on property that is fully developed with a gas station, parking, and landscaping with adequate access from the adjacent streets. The proposed modifications to the property are not expected to result in any impacts to the environment.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of June 21, 2021, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Meza/Siqueland) and carried with Commissioner Woody voting “No” that the Planning and Housing Commission adopt Resolution No. 2570 granting PPM2020-0004, based on the findings contained in the staff report and the conditions of approval including the conditions added by the Commission. The added conditions of approval require the following:
a) A photometric analysis at the time of plan check to ensure the property has adequate exterior lighting for security purposes and that the applicant submit a security camera plan for the exterior of the property.
b) The second-floor office shall be limited to the convenience store operation.
c) The upper portion of the building shall have a varied roofline rather than a flat parapet roofline.
d) The signage cabinets on the freeway pole sign shall be encased in a comprehensive manner to provide a more uniform appearance.
e) The freeway sign poles shall be refinished and painted.
f) Security fencing shall be installed around the base of the freeway pole sign.
g) As shown in the staff report for the trash enclosure exhibit, the trash enclosure shall be fully enclosed, which includes the space between the roof and side walls. The gates shall also be designed with an automatic lock system.
The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 4.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Locational and zoning map
2. Exhibit 2 - Site plan for PPM2020-0004
3. Exhibit 3 - Planning and Housing Commission staff report
4. Exhibit 4 - Draft minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of June 21, 2021