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REQUEST FOR A USE PERMIT FOR A PROPOSED COMMERCIAL BUILDING AND PARKING LOT, FOR PROPERTIES LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF CALIFORNIA STREET BETWEEN CHESTNUT STREET AND MAPLE STREET (P15-0401)
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission adopt a resolution approving the request for a Use Permit to allow the construction of a proposed commercial building in the CO (Commercial, Office) zone and a proposed parking lot in the CO and RM (Residential, Medium Density) zones, for properties located on the west side of California Street, between Chestnut Street and Maple Street, in accordance with the Findings for Decision and Conditions of Approval detailed herein (P15-0401).
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Summary
The applicant, LDA Partners Designers and Architects, acting on behalf of the property owner, Jasbir S. Gill Family Limited Partnership, has submitted a Use Permit application to allow the construction of a proposed commercial building in the CO zone and a new parking lot in the RM and CO zones at the above-noted location. The proposed parking lot would be constructed to serve both an existing medical office and the proposed commercial building.
DISCUSSION
Background
The proposed project area consists of two individual sites. The first site, approximately 2.1 acres in size, is located on the west side of California Street, between Walnut Street and Maple Street, and is occupied by an existing 27,000-square foot, two-story medical office building and an existing parking lot. The second site, an approximately 1.1-acre vacant parcel, is located on the west side of California Street, between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street. The overall project site is zoned RM and CO and is bounded to the:
• north across Chestnut Street by a medical office building and residential uses zoned CO and RM;
• east across California Street by a hospital (St. Joseph’s Medical Center) zoned CO;
• south across Maple Street by medical office buildings and parking lots zoned RM, CO, and CG (Commercial, General); and
• west by single-family residences and a duplex zoned RM and across Wood Lane by single-family residences zoned RL (Residential, Low Density) (Attachment A - Location Map).
Project Description
The project site is proposed to be developed with a 6,925-square foot commercial building on a portion of an existing parking lot, adjacent to California Street, at 1617 North California Street. Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) Section 16.64.080.B.4 states that off-street parking for nonresidential uses must be located on the same parcel as the uses served, except that parking may be located on a parcel adjacent to, or within 500 feet of, the project site. The proposed 80-space parking lot would be constructed on the west side of California Street, between Walnut Street and Chestnut Street. It is located approximately 100 feet away from the proposed commercial building. The proposed commercial building is planned to be occupied by a coffee shop (Starbucks) in the northern 1,880-square foot portion of the building, with a drive-through lane on the south, east, and north sides of the building. The remaining 5,045 square feet of the building would be leased for future retail uses (Attachment B - Site and Floor Plans).
Architectural Review
The City’s Architectural Review Committee (ARC) has reviewed the project’s proposed elevations, renderings, and materials and found them to be substantially in compliance with applicable provisions of the City’s Design Review Guidelines (Attachment C - Elevations and Renderings).
Parking/Access
The existing 27,000-square foot medical office building at 1617 North California Street, which was built in 1973, was required to have 135 on-site parking spaces, in accordance with the previously-effective Zoning Code’s parking requirements (one space for each 200 square feet of gross floor area (GFA)). On-site parking for the proposed commercial building is based upon the current Development Code’s parking requirements. The 1,880-square foot coffee shop is required to have 19 parking spaces (one space per 100 square feet of GFA) and the remaining 5,045 square feet building is required to have 20 parking spaces (one space per 250 square feet of general retail GFA). Therefore, a minimum of 174 parking spaces is required for both the existing medical office building and proposed commercial building. The new parking lot, directly across Walnut Street from the proposed commercial building, will contain 80 spacest. The existing parking lot adjacent to the existing medical office and proposed commercial building will contain 104 spaces after the remaining parking area is re-striped. A total of 184 parking spaces will be provided to serve the existing medical office and proposed retail uses, resulting in a surplus of ten spaces. Access to the existing medical building and the proposed commercial building will be provided by existing driveways off of Walnut Street and Maple Street. Access to the new parking lot will be provided by a new driveway off of Walnut Street.
Masonry Wall Adjacent to Residential Use
The new parking lot is proposed to be developed on property that has both CO and RM zoning designations. The western portion of the parking lot is zoned RM and a majority of the site is vacant, with the exception of two existing single-family residences (415 and 417 East Walnut Street). SMC sections 16.64.080.F.6.b and 16.48.080, respectively, require parking areas that are adjacent to residential uses and zones to provide a 10-foot wide landscaped strip and an eight-foot tall masonry wall to reduce the impacts of the parking area on nearby residents. The applicant has indicated that the two residences were recently purchased by the property owner of the subject Use Permit and will be demolished within a year. The project, therefore, includes a request from the applicant for an exemption from the requirements to install the masonry wall and the landscaped strip.
Due to the fact that the two residences were built more than 50 years ago (estimated construction dates: 1931 and 1940), SMC Section 16.220.105 requires the applicant to submit an application to the Community Development Director requesting demolition of the structures. The application must be accompanied by information and documentation necessary to make a preliminary determination regarding the potential historic significance of the structures and whether they may be demolished. The recommended conditions of approval include a requirement to install both the masonry wall and the landscaped strip. As an alternative therequired masonry and a 10-foot wide landscaped strip wall would not be installed if both structures were authorized to be demolished, in accordance with the above-noted SMC Section.
In conclusion, development of the proposed commercial building and parking lot will be in compliance with applicable SMC development standards and the required findings for approval for the Use Permit can be made in the affirmative. As such, staff recommends that the Planning Commission approve the Use Permit application for the above-noted uses.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Should the Planning Commission approve the subject Use Permit, the project would be categorically exempt, per California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15303, Class 3, and Section 15311, Class 11, respectively, for the construction of a new commercial building and an accessory parking lot.
VOTES REQUIRED
A vote of a majority, 4 (four), of the total authorized membership of the Planning Commission is required for the Commission to act on this matter.
Attachment A - Location Map
Attachment B - Site and Floor Plans
Attachment C - Elevations and Renderings