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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2STAFF REPORT Development Services Department July 26, 2011 TO: Arcadia Planning Commission FROM: Jim Kasama, Community Development Administrator By: Thomas Li, Associate Planner SUBJECT: Tentative Tract Map Application No. TTM 71653 for an eleven -unit, residential- condominium subdivision at 21 -29 Alta Street SUMMARY Tentative Tract Map Application No. TTM 71653 was submitted by Alta Street 2011, LLC, to consolidate the three properties located at 21, 25, and 29 Alta Street for an eleven -unit, residential- condominium subdivision. The proposed subdivision is consistent with the City's General Plan, Zoning, and Subdivision Code. Also, the Modification Committee approved Modification No. MC 11 -12, Oak Tree Applications TRH 11 -02 and THE 11 -11, and Architectural Design Review No. ADR 11 -07 based on the determination that the approval of this project would secure an appropriate improvement to the lot, and that the proposal is consistent with the City's Architectural Design Review Guidelines. Therefore, the Development Services Department is recommending approval of application no. TTM 71653, subject to the conditions as listed in this staff report. GENERAL INFORMATION APPLICANT: Alta Street 2011, LLC (Property Owner) LOCATION: 21 -29 Alta Street REQUEST: A Tentative Tract Map to consolidate three Tots for an eleven -unit residential condominium subdivision LOT AREA: 24,000 square feet (0.55 acre) FRONTAGE: Approximately 150 feet along Alta Street EXISTING LAND USE & ZONING: The subject properties are zoned R -3, High- Density Multiple - Family Residential with a maximum density of one unit per 1,450 square feet, and a minimum density of one unit per 2,200 square feet. 21 Alta Street is currently developed with an 840 square -foot single - family residence built in 1922; 25 Alta Street is developed with a 1,106 square -foot single - family residence built in 1929; and 29 Alta Street is developed with a 955 square -foot single - family residence built in 1951. SURROUNDING LAND USES & ZONING: North: Commercial retail and office buildings — zoned CBD. South: Single and multiple - family residences — zoned R -3 East: Multiple - family residences — zoned R -3 West: Multiple - family residences — zoned R -3 GENERAL PLAN DESIGNATION: High Density Residential (12 to 30 dwelling units per acre) PUBLIC HEARING NOTIFICATION Public hearing notices of Tentative Tract Map Application No. TTM 71653 were mailed on Thursday, July 14, 2011 to the property owners and tenants of those properties that are within 300 feet of the subject property (see attached radius map). Because the proposed project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) the public hearing notice was not published in a local newspaper. BACKGROUND INFORMATION On May 24, 2011, the Modification Committee conditionally approved Modification No. MC 11 -12, Oak Tree Applications TRH 11 -02 and THE 11 -11, and Architectural Design Review No. ADR 11 -07 for the subject condominium project. This approval was based on the Committee's determination that approval of the subject proposal would secure an appropriate improvement to the lot, and that it meets the City's Architectural Design Guidelines. A copy of the findings of these applications is attached to this staff report. PROPOSAL AND ANALYSIS There are three existing lots that comprise the subject site. Each lot is approximately 50 feet wide by 160 feet deep. The applicant is requesting a Tentative Tract Map to consolidate these three (3) Tots and subdivide the site for eleven (11) residential condominiums. The site is zoned R -3, High Density Multiple - Family Residential, and has a total land area of approximately 24,000 square feet. The R -3 zone has a maximum density of one (1) unit per 1,450 square feet of lot area, and a minimum density of one (1) unit per 2,200 square feet of lot area. Based on these density factors, a maximum of sixteen (16) units would be allowed on the subject site, and a minimum of ten (10) units is required. The applicant's proposal to develop eleven (11) condominium TTM 71653 21 -29 Alta Street July 26, 2011 — page 2 units is consistent with the density requirements. Therefore, staff has determined that the requested subdivision is consistent with the City's General Plan, Zoning, and Subdivision Regulations. In addition, the discharge of sewage from the project into the public sewer system will not violate any requirements prescribed by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board for this region. All City requirements shall be complied with to the satisfaction of the Building Official, Community Development Administrator, Fire Marshal, and Public Works Services Director. The proposed plans have been reviewed by these departments and some special conditions are deemed necessary in addition to the standard conditions of approval. These are listed as conditions 1 through 3 of this staff report. CEQA Pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) the Development Services Department has determined that the proposed project is an infill development project, and is therefore categorically exempt from further environmental review per Section 15332 of the CEQA guidelines. A Preliminary Exemption Assessment is attached. RECOMMENDATION The Development Services Department recommends approval of TTM 71653, subject to the following conditions: 1. A public fire hydrant shall be provided in the right -of -way within 10 feet of the center driveway. 2. The project shall be subject to the 2010 Green Building Standards Code. 3. The following shall be priorities for Best Management Practices (BMP) selection to comply with the required Standard Urban Stormwater Mitigation Plan (SUSMP): a. Infiltration systems (e.g., infiltration trenches /swales, grass filter strips, or porous pavement). b. Bio- Filtration /Bio- Retention Systems (e.g., Detention basins, bioswales, etc). c. Stormwater Capture and Re -use (e.g., cisterns and rain barrels). d. Mechanical /Hydrodynamic Units (e.g., fossil filters and catch basin inserts). e. Combination of any of the above. 4. All City code requirements shall be complied with to the satisfaction of the Fire Department, Public Works Services Department, and Development Services Department. TTM 71653 21 -29 Alta Street July 26, 2011 — page 3 5. The applicant shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City of Arcadia and its officers, employees, and agents from and against any claim, action, or proceeding against the City of Arcadia, its officers, employees or agents to attack, set aside, void, or annul any approval or condition of approval of the City of Arcadia concerning this project and /or land use decision, including but not limited to any approval or condition of approval of the City Council, Planning Commission, or City Staff, which action is brought within the time period provided for in Government Code Section 66499.37 or other provision of law applicable to this project or decision. The City shall promptly notify the applicant of any claim, action, or proceeding concerning the project and /or land use decision and the City shall cooperate fully in the defense of the matter. The City reserves the right, at its own option, to choose its own attorney to represent the City, its officers, employees, and agents in the defense of the matter. 6. Approval of TTM 71653 shall not take effect until the property owner(s) and applicant(s) and civil engineer have executed and filed the Acceptance Form available from the Development Services Department to indicate acceptance of the conditions of approval. PLANNING COMMISION ACTION Approval If the Planning Commission intends to approve this subdivision, the Commission should move to approve TTM 71653, subject to the following findings and actions: A.1. That the project and the provisions for its design and improvements are consistent with the Arcadia General Plan, and that the discharge of sewage from the project into the public sewer system will not violate any requirements prescribed by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board for this region. A.2. That this project is categorically exempt from CEQA per Section 15332. A.3. Authorize and direct the Development Services Director or designee to approve and execute, if necessary, a subdivision agreement for this project. A.4. Approve this project subject to the conditions of approval set forth in the staff report or as modified by the Planning Commission. Denial If the Planning Commission is to take action to deny this subdivision, the Commission should make specific findings based on the evidence presented and move to deny the project. The Planning Commission may wish to consider the following findings which must be expanded upon with specific reasons for denial: D.1. That the proposed map is not consistent with the applicable general and specific plans as specified in Section 66451 of the Subdivision Map Act. TTM 71653 21 -29 Alta Street July 26, 2011 — page 4 D.2. That the design or improvement of the proposed subdivision is not consistent with applicable general and specific plans. D.3. That the site is not physically suitable for the type of development. D.4. That the site is not physically suitable for the density of development. D.5. That the design of the subdivision or the proposed improvements is likely to cause substantial environmental damage. D.6. That the design of the subdivision or the types of improvements is likely to cause substantial environmental damage or substantially and avoidably injure fish or wildlife or their habitat. D.7. That the design of the subdivision or the type of improvements is likely to cause serious public health problems. D.8. That the requested subdivision injuriously affects the neighborhood wherein said lot is located. D.9. That the design of the subdivision or the type of improvements will conflict with easements, acquired by the public at large, for access through or use of property within the proposed subdivision. In this connection, the legislative body may approve a map if it finds that alternate easements for access or for use, will be provided and that these will be substantially equivalent to ones previously acquired by the public. This finding shall apply only to easements of record or to easements established by judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction and no authority is hereby granted to a legislative body to determine that the public at large has acquired easements for access through or use of property within the proposed subdivision. If any Planning Commissioner or other interested party has any questions or comments regarding this matter, prior to the July 26th public hearing, please contact Thomas Li, Associate Planner at (626) 574 -5447 or tliCa�ci.arcadia.ca.us. Approved: f Jim j4Esam'a CoIrrriiunity Development Administrator Attachments: Aerial Photograph with Zoning Information Tentative Tract Map No. 71653 Findings for MC 11 -12, TRH 11 -02, TR 11 -11, & ADR 11 -07 300 -foot Radius Map Photographs of the Site and Vicinity Preliminary Exemption Assessment TTM 71653 21 -29 Alta Street July 26, 2011 — page 5 5drteet oval -uo ow 'NW 0901-lu (slc) rut eDl�jj ;�1�imme. v Y31111 aavo IY3(siw, 3 �Yja ll NLil(ilUllll`nllW19W f 1`lil N 1YD M o In z rn v-I ZZ l- w �LL '_1 a0ao� In • V ~ I- W Z 0 �d �dNa0 ral °W ^2 LL m OLL E"{ pV pu w0 U o LL 00�°w UQ nZUO F-' 1- - aO w O U W W Oa • 5 iQa re O ao „aW Z eCOZF E-( _� Z Z �UOLL(n W i-0_ E- a i 13; �r 9001.6VO'VIOV3 V `1S V11V 6Z ONV '96 LZ Ng1V0011J3r03d e 1I 1 1 9 FOR CONDOMINIUM PURPOSES VICINITY MAP z O > w re Q 0 Z H �l[�F1I O 9c.'>° ~> O WwU LOW?: ciaww0?i: wl�a 4O 3(3 Zmm>Z00�(U4� �xwW03OO VUOOWW33 U"tmmmMZi HahnexJ 000OWWLLLL 0 Ulm K PREPARED BY: UTILITY SERVICES: \\\ L 4 \ \\ 3 / mrsh, /Ea3sr ���� �I 1 - ARCADIA MODIFICATION COMwu rTEE Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 7:45 a.m. Arcadia City Council Chambers Conference Room PUBLIC HEARING MC 11 -12, TRH 11 -02, THE 11 -11 & ADR 11 -07 Address: 21, 25 & 29 Alta Street Applicant: Jasen Grohs, Alta Street LLC Requests: The applicant requests approval for the following items to accommodate a new 11- unit multi - family residential project: 1. Remove two (2) healthy Coast Live Oak trees that are located in the center of the project in order to accommodate the new design; 2. Allow the new multi - family residences and proposed improvements to encroach within the drip line of three (3) Coast Live Oak trees; 3. Reduce the minimum distance between buildings (Buildings A & C and AR & CR) to 6' -0" in lieu of 10' -0" required (Sec. 9255.2.14); and 4. Architectural design review for a new 11 -unit Santa Barbara style multi - family residential project that will include a two -car garage for each unit and six (6) on- site guest parking spaces. BACKGROUND The subject site consists of three adjoining Tots located at 21 -29 Alta Street that have a combined square- footage of 23,997 feet, is zoned R -3, and has 5 existing oak trees. The lots were developed with single - family homes that were built in 1922, 1929, and 1951. Request No. 1 and 2 The proposed development will require the removal of two of the five oak trees. The two trees that the applicant proposes to remove are 14" and 18" Coast Live Oaks, which are located in the center of the project. The central location of two of the oaks makes their removal very difficult to avoid since the applicant must provide 11 units with parking to comply with the City's minimum density requirement (20 dwelling units per acre). Furthermore, the certified arborist who examined the trees determined that the trees are healthy, but of little value to the property due to their poor structure caused by inappropriate maintenance. The three of the five existing oaks on the property will be preserved, but will have development within their protected zone. Two of the trees (Tree No. 1 & 2 in the Arborist Report) are both Coast Live Oaks that are located near the property line on the northeast corner of the property. The footings of the wrought iron fence that is proposed to be built along the eastern property line will impact the trees. The third Coast Live Oak tree (Tree No. 5 in the Arborist Report) is located on the northwest corner of the property and will be impacted by the block wall that is proposed to be built along the western property line. The certified arborist for this project determined that the impact to these trees is tolerable provided the mitigation measures stated in the April 2011 arborist report are followed. Request No. 3 The applicant is requesting a modification to reduce the minimum distance from 10' -0" to 6' -0" between buildings A & C and AR & CR in order to create larger living rooms that are comparable to market standards. The original plans submitted to Planning Staff showed that the distance between buildings (A & C and AR & CR) complied with the minimum 10' interior setbacks. However, the applicant explained that in order to meet the interior setback requirement, the living room was drawn smaller than normal. Approval of this modification will result in a reduction in the side yard from 5' to 3' for each of the affected buildings. The reduced side yards will maintain their function of providing the necessary buffer between buildings and will still meet the minimum Building Code regulation for spacing between buildings, which is 6'- 0". The increased floor area that the modification will allow for will create a more functional floor plan for the new residences which is an appropriate improvement to the lot. Request No. 4 The applicant is proposing an 11 -unit multi - family project that will include a two -car garage for each unit and 6 guest parking spaces. The units will be distributed among 7 buildings, 2 of which have street frontages on Alta Street, 2 in the center of the lot, and 3 that front the alley to the north of the site. All of the units meet the minimum 100' private open space requirement, while the majority of them exceed the minimum requirement. The 11 units provided meet the city's minimum density requirement of one unit per 2,200 square -feet (20 dwelling units per acre). Six 36" -box Coast Live Oaks will be planted in the front yard of the property and 17 other trees will be planted throughout the site. The buildings reflect the Santa Barbara variant of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture through the use of arched windows, exposed dark beams, an earth -tone base color and a brown S -tile roof. The style of these units will blend well with a neighborhood that is characterized by a mix of older single -story ranch homes and newer two -story Mediterranean multi - family dwellings. It is Staff's opinion that the new development will be a fine addition to the neighborhood and is architecturally appropriate. FINDINGS Ms. Garcia asked Mr. Baldwin if the other homes in the area have tile roofs. Mr. Baldwin responded that the multi - family Mediterranean -style buildings in the area have tile roofs. Mr. Kruckeberg commented that the Arborist Report appeared to be accurate, particularly in regards to the poor condition of the Oak trees that are proposed to be removed. Furthermore he stated that the applicant showed good faith in trying to uphold the Oak Tree Preservation Ordinance as evidenced by the retention of the other three oaks on site. Mr. Kruckeberg asked the applicant, Mr. Grohs, and the project architect, Mr. Tong, how many units they would have proposed to build on this lot if the City did not have a minimum density requirement. Mr. Tong responded that they would have proposed 8 or 9 units which is more in line with market demands. Mr. Grohs explained that a project of this type usually would require subterranean parking, but this project is the exception due to the additional access the alley to the rear of the property provides. Mr. Kruckeberg stated that the remaining request that the Modification Committee may need to discuss further is the reduced setback between buildings. He reasoned that for a project like this to only have one real modification and meet the minimum density requirement is an accomplishment for the applicant. The other committee members agreed. Mr. Kruckeberg made a motion to approve, which was seconded by Mr. Parille. ACTION Approved 3 -0, with the following conditions: 1. The applicant must apply for a Tract Map to consolidate the 3 Tots into 1 parcel and subdivide the units prior to Building Services Plan Check. 2. Protective Fences shall be installed around the protected trees (with the exception of the two Oaks to be removed) before any demolition occurs. The fences shall be placed in the locations shown on the Site Plan included with the arborist report. 3. Prior to demolition the contractor and consulting arborist shall meet on site to make sure fences are properly placed and installed and to review the goals for the tree protection plan. 4. The fences shall be maintained throughout the project. No staging of materials or equipment or washing -out is to occur within the fenced protected zones. 5. All demolition, excavation or grading within the drip lines of the protected trees shall be done with hand tools and monitored by the consulting arborist. 6. If any injury whatsoever should occur to the oak trees, call the consulting arborist immediately. Timeliness is critical to being able to provide the best mitigation treatment for injuries. APPEAL PERIOD There is a five (5) working day appeal period for this application. The approval is not effective until Thursday, June 2, 2011 provided the Committee's action is not appealed. An appeal must be submitted in writing to the Community Development Division with the $540.00 appeal fee by 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1, 2011. EXPIRATION AND IMPLEMENTATION The approval granted by this application shall expire one year (June 2, 2012) from the effective date unless the project is completed or the approval is renewed. The actual project must be consistent with the approval granted by the Modification Committee. Any deviation from the Committee's action shall be subject to review and approval by the Community Development Administrator and may require a new application and another public hearing. If there are any questions, please call Nick Baldwin, Assistant Planner, at (626) 574 -5444 or by e -mail at nbaldwin anci.arcadia.ca.us. Approved by: i Lisa L. Floress Se or Planner PLANNING COMMISSIONER PRESENT: Pariile COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Garcia, Kruckeberg PLANNING SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE: Baldwin Soy w _> Z 9 L1.1 91.Q ZZ (I) 9Z Z 09 w > RA 1� � H - M - - -_ mu- .. T 9Z CITY OF ARCADIA 240 W. HUNTINGTON DRIVE ARCADIA, CA 91007 PRELIMINARY EXEMPTION ASSESSMENT (Certificate of Determination When Attached to Notice of Exemption) I. Name or description of project: TTM 71653 2. Project Location — Identify street address and cross streets or attach a map showing project site (preferably a USGS 15' or 7 1/2' topographical map identified by quadrangle name): 21 -29 Alta Street 3. Entity or person undertaking project: A. B. Other (Private) (1) Name Alta Street 2011, LLC (2) Address 119 E. St. Joseph St., Arcadia, CA 91006 4. Staff Determination: The Lead Agency's Staff, having undertaken and completed a preliminary review of this project in accordance with the Lead Agency's "Local Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)" has concluded that this project does not require further environmental assessment because: a. ❑ The proposed action does not constitute a project under CEQA. b. ❑ The project is a Ministerial Project. c. ❑ The project is an Emergency Project. d. ❑ The project constitutes a feasibility or planning study. The project is categorically exempt. e. ■ Applicable Exemption Class: 132 f. ❑ The project is statutorily exempt. Applicable Exemption: g. ❑ The project is otherwise exempt on the following basis: h. ❑ The project involves another public agency which constitutes the Lead Agency. Name of Lead Agency: Date: 6 -22 -11 Preliminary Exemption Assessment \2010 Staff: Thomas Li, Associate Planner FORM "A"