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CONSIDERATION TO CERTIFY A MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION FOR A PREZONE AND ANNEXATION REQUEST TO CONSTRUCT A NEW PERSONAL STORAGE FACILITY AT 692 GRIDER WAY (APPLICATION NO. P21-0589)
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Adopt a Resolution certifying the Grider Personal Storage Project Mitigated Negative Declaration and associated Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); and
2. Adopt an ordinance for the Pre-zoning of APN 070-56-047, 070-57-013, 070-14-035, 070-14-010, 070-14-011, and 070-14-034 to Commercial, General (CG); and
3. Adopt a resolution authorizing the filing of an Annexation application with the San Joaquin Local Agency Formation Commission to incorporate one parcel (APN 070-56-047, 070-57-013, 070-14-035, 070-14-010, 070-14-011, and 070-14-034) totaling ±8.76-acres into the Stockton City Limit boundary and detachment from the Lincoln Rural Fire District.
It is further recommended that the City Manager be authorized to take appropriate and necessary actions to carry out the purpose and intent of the resolution.
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Summary
The Project Applicant (Strategic Land Planning) proposes developing a new ±100,850 square foot, 570-unit personal storage facility with a 1,200 square-foot caretaker residential unit at 692 Grider Way at the northwest corner of Grider Way and Lower Sacramento Road intersection. The project development site consists of four (4) vacant parcels (APN 070-56-047, 070-57-013, 070-14-035, and 070-14-010) and two (2) developed parcels (APN 070-14-011 and 070-14-034) totaling ±8.76-acres that are currently within the boundary of San Joaquin County. The proposed storage facility will include accompanying drive aisles, parking stalls, landscaping, pedestrian access, lighting, and utility services.
The Project is consistent with the property's General Plan Land Use Map designation of Commercial. The design is consistent with the development standards within Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) Title 16 (Development Code) and the City's Design Guidelines. To develop the Project, the City Council is asked to certify the Project’s Mitigated Negative Declaration, consider pre-zoning the proposed project site to Commercial, General and authorize an Annexation application with the San Joaquin Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo). The Annexation would include a detachment from the Lincoln Rural Fire District.
DISCUSSION
Background
The subject site consists of four (4) vacant parcels and two (2) developed parcels identified as Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) 070-56-047, 070-57-013, 070-14-035, 070-14-010, 070-14-011, and 070-14-034 located at 692 Grider Way, presently within the jurisdiction of the County of San Joaquin, but contiguous to Stockton City Limit boundaries (Attachment A - Location Map and Aerial Photo). The site is bounded to the following:
• North: The Windmill Park subdivision with existing single-family homes on land zoned as Residential, Low-Density (RL);
• West: The Windmill Park subdivision with existing single-family homes and the Podesta Ranch Elementary School. The houses are within the City limit and zoned as Residential, Low-Density (RL), while the school is zoned Public Facilities (PF);
• South: (across Grider/Whistler Way) existing businesses and undeveloped land currently in San Joaquin County; and
• East: (across Lower Sacramento Road) existing businesses and undeveloped land now in San Joaquin County.
A Zoning Map designation has not been assigned because the subject site sits outside the City Limits but is within the City's Sphere of Influence. The Applicant has proposed a Commercial, General (CG) zoning designation consistent with the nearby commercial properties within the City Limits along Eight Mile Road. The Zoning Map designations for properties adjacent to the City Limits and referenced above are identified in Attachment B - Zoning Map. The 2040 General Plan Land Use Map designates the subject site as Commercial (Attachment C - General Plan Land Use Map).
Project Description
The Applicant has requested an Annexation, Prezone, Administrative Use Permit, Design Review, and Mitigated Negative Declaration to construct a new ±100,850 square foot single story 570-unit personal storage facility with a two-story 1,200 square-foot caretaker residential unit located at 692 Grider Way (Attachment D - Project Plans).
To minimize impacts on the existing residential homes, the Applicant will construct an 8-foot-tall masonry wall between the facility and existing houses and a 6-foot masonry wall along all publicly visible rights-of-way. All storage will be kept indoors, as a condition of approval has been added to prohibit outdoor storage of material or equipment. The Applicant will be required to install new landscape planters, 15-gallon trees, shrubs, and ground cover along the Project boundary in addition to street frontage improvements with new landscaping, sidewalk, and bicycle lane striping.
The two-story office and caretaker unit have been oriented south towards Grider Way, while the single-story storage units are behind the main building and screening walls. The buildings will be constructed using a combination of materials (stucco, metal siding, wood), colors (brown, red, beige, and charcoal), as the main entrance and Emergency Vehicle Access gates will use metal mesh fencing to help break up the façade. The Architectural Review Committee and Site Plan Review Committee found the proposed design complies with all City standards and recommended approval.
The proposed facility will be open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm with direct access (right-in/right-out) from Grider Way. Should the parcels south of Grider Way annex and develop, additional access (left-in/left-out) may be granted upon review of traffic analysis prepared by the applicant. Overall, storm drain and sanitary sewer utility connections can be extended to the annexation area, with water service readily available and adequate to serve the property. Public Utility and Street Access Easements will be dedicated in accordance with City of Stockton Standards.
The proposed storage use is consistent with the existing General Plan designation and proposed pre-zoning of the site, and the necessary development approvals are within the range of probable development-related activities considered in the 2040 General Plan Environmental Impact Report (GPEIR) and outlined in the project’s Mitigated Negative Declaration.
ANALYSIS
To develop the storage facility Project, the City Council is asked to consider certifying a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) and approving a Prezone and Annexation request described in the analysis provided below.
Environmental Clearance
Per CEQA guidelines, it has been determined that the Project involves potential significant effects on the environment. Still, these effects could be reduced to a less-than-significant level with recommended mitigation measures. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to adopt the CEQA IS/MND was published in The Record on November 15, 2021. Since the review did not require State agency approval, the NOI provided notice of a 20-day public review/comment period on the draft CEQA IS/MND document. Public agencies were allowed to review the draft CEQA IS/MND with associate Mitigation Monitoring and Report Plan (MMRP) document. The review/comment period ended on December 6, 2021, with one comment received and responded to. The final CEQA IS/MND has been prepared to incorporate the comment (Exhibit 1 to the proposed Resolution).
The project design, with conditions, conforms to the City’s General Plan, Development Code, Citywide Design Guidelines, and State CEQA guidelines. Staff requests that the City Council adopt a resolution certifying the Final IS/MND document under CEQA for the Grider Way Storage Project.
Prezone
Because the Project site is presently located within the County of San Joaquin, Annexation must occur and be preceded by "Prezoning" to establish City zoning through a Zoning Map Amendment. The Project, therefore, includes a request to Prezone the site to the Commercial, General (CG) Zone (Attachment E - Prezone Map). The 2040 General Plan Land Use Map designates the project site as Commercial. Pursuant to Table 2-1 (General Plan Relationship to Development Code) of the General Plan, the CG Zone is compatible with Commercial's General Plan Land Use Map designation. As reflected in the Proposed Resolution, all necessary findings can be made to support the proposed Prezone action.
Upon approval of the Annexation by the LAFCo, the Zoning Map Amendment would become effective and applicable.
Annexation
As the project site is presently located within the jurisdiction of San Joaquin County, the Applicant has requested Annexation of the project site into the City of Stockton (Attachment F - Annexation Map). The project site is located within the City's Sphere of Influence and is designated Commercial by the General Plan Land Use Map.
Pursuant to SMC Section 16.212.050(C)(1), the City Council is the Review Authority for annexation requests upon recommendation from the Development Review Committee (DRC). On November 10, 2021, the DRC considered the Project's City Services Plan for the project site and forwarded an approval recommendation to the City Council (Attachment G - City Service Plan).
If approved by the City Council, the City Manager would be authorized to file an annexation application with the LAFCo.
Development Permits
The Director is the Review Authority for Administrative Use Permit and Design Review requests by Code. However, given that the Project’s physical development plans are integral to the environmental review and zoning aspects, the Director elevated the two recommendations to the Planning Commission for decision, as provided by SMC Sections 16.88.050(B)(5) and 16.136.020. On November 18, 2021, the Planning Commission approved the Administrative Use Permit and Design Review request subject to conditions of approval. This action is not effective until the City Council adopts the recommendations presently under review and LAFCo approves Annexation.
One of the Project’s conditions of approval (condition #16) involves consolidating the street name from Whistler Way and Grider Way to just Whistler Way. The condition allows the Applicant to consolidate the street name through the County or City, as the City regulates Street Name change by Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) Chapter 16.160. The City name change process involves a fee for staff time and public hearing notice charges. The request must be presented to the Planning Commission for recommendation and approval by the City Council.
Public Comments
On October 28, 2021, per SMC Section 16.88.025, the Applicant held a neighborhood meeting to present the development proposal and receive feedback (Attachment H - Community Meeting Info). Mailing notice was provided to property owners within 300 feet of the project site at least ten days in advance. City staff attended the meeting along with the Applicant and two members of the public. Questions were raised at the meeting; however, no formal comment on the Project has been submitted to staff in opposition or support.
Notice for the City Council public hearing for this request was published on March 10, 2022, in The Record, and mailed notice was sent to all property owners within a 300-foot radius at least ten days prior. As of the writing of this staff report, no written comments have been submitted.
Planning Commission
On January 17, 2022, the Stockton Planning Commission approved the proposed Project design. No written comments were submitted before the Planning Commission hearing. One person representing the Applicant provided comments in support of the project during the public hearing. The Planning Commission voted 7-0 to approve a Resolution 2022-01-27-0502-01 recommending the City Council certify the Mitigated Negative Declaration and adopt an Ordinance for the Pre-zoning of the Project site to Commercial, General (CG); and Resolution 2021-11-18-0502-02, approving Administrative Use Permit and Design Review, subject to conditions (Attachment I - Planning Commission Approved Resolutions). Construction of the retail building is contingent on City Council and LAFCo approval.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
All application fees were paid to cover staff time processing the requested actions. The proposed project will result in a positive effect on City revenues due to sales and property taxes. When building permits are obtained to construct the Project, Utility connection and Public Facilities Fees (PFF) will be generated and received in the Utility and PFF revenue accounts. In addition, plan check and permit fees will be generated based on the building construction valuation.
Attachment A - Location Map and Aerial Photo
Attachment B - Zoning Map
Attachment C - General Plan Land Use Map
Attachment D - Project Plans
Attachment E - Prezone Map
Attachment F - Annexation Map
Attachment G - City Services Plan
Attachment H - Community Meeting Info
Attachment I - Planning Commission Approved Resolutions