HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 09a - Multitenant Food Hall at 33-35 W. Huntington Drive
DATE: October 1, 2019
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Jason Kruckeberg, Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director
By: Tim Schwehr, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT: ORDINANCE NO. 2364 APPROVING DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
NO. DA 19-01, WITH A CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (“CEQA”), PERTAINING
TO THE CONVERSION OF 5,849 SQUARE FEET OF AN EXISTING
38,761 SQUARE FOOT, SELF-STORAGE BUILDING INTO A
MULTITENANT FOOD HALL WITH A 1,326 SQUARE FOOT
INCIDENTAL OUTDOOR DINING AND SEATING AREA AT 33–35 W.
HUNTINGTON DRIVE
Recommendation: Introduce
RESOLUTION NO. 7276 APPROVING MINOR USE PERMIT NO. MUP
18-06, ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN REVIEW NO. ADR. 18-19, AND
PLANNING COMMISSION ADMINISTRATIVE MODIFICATION NO. PC
AM 18-02, WITH A CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (“CEQA”), TO
CONVERT 5,849 SQUARE FEET OF AN EXISTING 38,761 SQUARE
FOOT, SELF-STORAGE BUILDING INTO A MULTITENANT FOOD HALL
WITH A 1,326 SQUARE FOOT INCIDENTAL OUTDOOR DINING AND
SEATING AREA AT 33–35 W. HUNTINGTON DRIVE
Recommendation: Adopt
SUMMARY
The Applicant, Mr. Peter Lee of Northeast Development Enterprises II LLC, is
requesting approval of a Development Agreement and entitlements for an adaptive
reuse project to convert 5,849 square feet of the existing 38,761 square foot self-
storage building at 33-35 W. Huntington Drive into a multi-tenant food hall space.
Additionally, the applicant proposes a new 1,326 square foot incidental outdoor dining
and seating area on the ground floor at the rear of the building. It is recommended that
the City Council introduce Ordinance No. 2364 and adopt Resolution No. 7276, and find
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
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that this project is a Categorical Exemption under CEQA, approving the proposed Food
Hall project, subject to the conditions listed in Resolution No. 7276.
BACKGROUND
The Property is a 20,040 square foot lot, zoned Central Business District (“CBD”), and is
developed with a 38,761 square foot, four-story building with a basement that was
constructed in 1949 - refer to Attachment No. 4 for an Aerial photo with Zoning
Information and Photos of the Subject Property. Each floor, including the basement
level, contains approximately 7,600 square feet of gross floor area. There is an existing
20-space surface parking lot at the north half of the lot. The building was originally
constructed as a commercial storage facility and has been in continuous operation as
commercial storage and/or self-storage since that time. The ground floor is split-level,
with the lower half fronting on Huntington Drive and consisting of two small commercial
office units. The upper half of the first floor is accessed from the rear parking lot and
consists of individual self-storage units, the self-storage leasing office, and an empty
storage area that was most recently used by Rusnak Mercedes-Benz for parts and
inventory storage. The basement level is currently vacant and was most recently
occupied by Rusnak for parts storage. Floors two through four consist of individual self-
storage units that are leased to the public. A front and rear photo of the building is
included below as Figure 1.
Figure 1: Subject Property – front and rear
The subject property was originally acquired by the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency in
2006 as part of a Land Assembly and Development Agreement. The Redevelopment
project involving this property never materialized, and the building has since been
managed as a self-storage facility through a contract with Braun Management
Company. Following the dissolution of Redevelopment in 2012, a long Range Property
Management Plan (“LRPMP”) was adopted by the City in January of 2013. The LRPMP
established that the property at 33-35 W. Huntington Drive be used to temporarily store
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
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parts for Rusnak on the basement and first floor until such time that their dealership
expansion project was complete. Floors two through four were approved to continue
operating as leasable self-storage units until Rusnak vacated the property. The Rusnak
development project was completed in July 2017, and their parts storage and inventory
operation relocated into their new development in August 2017. The LRPMP specifies
that the Successor Agency now move forward with the sale and dissolution of the
property at 33-35 W. Huntington Drive.
A Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for the Property was issued on June 7, 2017 to local
real estate developers, commercial brokers, and self-storage operators. The RFP
requested prospective buyers to submit a purchase price offer and a description of how
they intended to use the Property. Stated in the RFP was the Agency’s desire to
repurpose the ground floor of the building into a more active commercial use consistent
with the General Plan designation of the site and the vision for the Downtown Arcadia
commercial district. Five proposals were submitted in response to the RFP. Three of the
proposals were to continue the existing self-storage use on all levels, while leasing the
two small commercial units fronting Huntington Drive as either office or retail. One
submittal proposed to acquire and hold the Property with the long-term goal of
incorporating it into a future development project with other contiguous parcels on this
block. The final proposal was to repurpose the entire ground floor and the basement
and/or roof of the building to a multitenant food hall with residential lofts on floors two
through four.
The proposals were reviewed by staff, and then presented to the Successor Agency in a
study session on September 19, 2017. Following discussion, the Agency selected the
multitenant food hall as the preferred option, and directed staff to work with the
developer to refine the details of their proposal. On February 6, 2018, a revised
proposal from the Buyer was presented to the Successor Agency in study session. The
revised proposal included using floors two through four as self-storage instead of
converting them to residential lofts. Following review of the revised proposal, the
Successor Agency directed staff to prepare a Purchase and Sale Agreement.
On June 5, 2018, the Successor Agency formally approved the Purchase & Sale
Agreement with Northeast Development Enterprises II, LLC. The terms of the
Agreement included a purchase price of $3,250,000. Close of escrow conditions
included approval of development project entitlements and entering into a Development
Agreement to allow a portion of the building to be used as a multitenant food hall, and
the continued operation of self-storage use on the basement level and on floors 2
through 4. Following approval of the Purchase and Sale Agreement by the Successor
Agency, on June 19, 2018, the Oversight Board to the Successor Agency to the Arcadia
Redevelopment Agency reviewed and approved the Purchase and Sale Agreement.
The Purchase and Sale Agreement was signed and executed by the City and the Buyer
on October 16, 2018. Since that time, the City has agreed to two extensions of the initial
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
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180-day escrow period to allow additional time for the project entitlements. The current
close of escrow date is November 13, 2019.
On July 9, 2019, the proposed project was presented to the Planning Commission for
their comments and recommendations to be forwarded to the City Council. With one
commissioner absent, the Planning Commission was unable to reach a majority
decision on the recommendation. Two Commissioners were in favor of the project
provided the Applicant could identify additional off-site parking leasing options whereas
two of the Commissioners were opposed to the project due to parking concerns. In lieu
of a recommendation from the Planning Commission, their comments and those of the
public from this meeting are included as Attachment No. 9 to this report.
Following the July 9, 2019 Planning Commission meeting, the Applicant chose to
amend the proposal by eliminating the roof top level of the food hall, shrinking the
ground floor food hall area, and increasing the footprint of the self-storage use on the
ground floor. As a result, the total food hall area has now been reduced from 10,000
square feet to 5,849 square feet. The 1,326 square foot rear outdoor dining and seating
area remains unchanged. Based on the reduced size of the amended proposal, the
Applicant is requesting elimination of the originally proposed $200,000 in-lieu parking
fee from the Development Agreement. The updated design plans and a letter from Mr.
Lee explaining the changes to the project and the rationale for eliminating the $200,000
in-lieu fee are included with Attachment No. 5 to this report.
In addition to the above changes, based on questions and concerns raised at the
Planning Commission Meeting about how self-storage customer loading and unloading
will work once the food hall opens for business, one additional operating condition has
been added to the recommended conditions of approval for this project. The new
condition states that during the self-storage operating hours, portable signage shall be
used to label “self-storage loading/unloading only” for the two closest non-ADA parking
spaces to the building. In addition, the width of these two parking spaces shall be
increased on the final construction drawings if determined to be feasible by city staff
during detailed plan-check review of the project. At all other times, this signage shall be
removed to ensure that these spaces are actively used by food hall patrons when the
self-storage business is not in operation. This new condition will help to facilitate
adequate loading space for self-storage customers once the food hall begins operating,
while still maximizing the number of on-site parking spaces available to food hall
patrons during peak evening hours. This new condition is included in Resolution No.
7276 and has been added to the parking management plan prepared for this project
and included as Attachment No. 6.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
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ANALYSIS
The Applicant proposes to convert 5,849 square feet of the first floor of the Arcadia Self
Storage Building into a multitenant food hall. Within this space, the food hall will
accommodate up to eight vendors. The specific vendor mix, floor plan layouts, and
number of tenants may be adjusted at the food hall operator’s discretion based on
market demand, provided the overall use of the building remain a multitenant food hall
and does not exceed 5,849 square feet in total area. An additional 1,326 square foot
outdoor seating area is also proposed at the rear of the building. Including the outdoor
seating area, the proposed food hall floor plan shows eight sets of communal tables and
benches for seating plus the possibility for some additional interior stadium seating.
Figure 2: Proposed Floor Plan
The proposed operating hours of the food hall are 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM (Midnight),
Sunday through Thursday, and 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM, Friday & Saturday. Actual
operating hours will be based on the specific mix of tenants and customer demand, but
will not exceed the approved hours. The basement and floors two through four will
continue to be utilized for self-storage along with 1,682 square feet of self-storage on
the ground floor. The current self-storage business is open weekdays from 8:00 AM to
5:30 PM and weekends from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Applicant anticipates maintaining
similar operating hours for the self-storage business.
In order to approve the proposed adaptive reuse project, a Minor Use Permit,
Administrative Modification for reduced on-site parking, Architectural Design Review,
and a Development Agreement are required. An analysis of each entitlement is
provided below.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
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Minor Use Permit
A multitenant food hall is classified as small restaurant uses with alcoholic beverage
service and is allowed by right in the CBD zone on the Subject Property, because it is
located greater than 300 feet from the nearest residentially zoned property. A Minor Use
Permit is required for the food hall to have late night operating hours on Friday and
Saturday nights (later than Midnight) and for the incidental outdoor dining area to have
more than 12 seats.
The proposed food hall has been reviewed by all City departments and all department
comments and conditions have been incorporated into the project and recommended
conditions of approval. The proposed food hall will comply with all zoning, building and
safety, fire, L.A. County Health Department, Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, and
other requirements with the exception of providing the required number of on-site
parking spaces for which an Administrative Modification is requested.
A traffic study for the proposed project has prepared by Gibson Transportation
Consulting, Inc. and is included as Attachment No. 8. The study evaluated the current
condition of the surrounding intersections and streets and the estimated traffic impacts
from the proposed food hall project. Based on the analysis, it was determined that the
proposed project will not have any traffic impacts that warrant mitigation or further study.
Consistent with the required findings for approval of a Minor Use Permit, the proposed
food hall is consistent with and will help to achieve the goals and policies of the Arcadia
General Plan and the Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area. Specifically, these
include goals and policies related to:
• Encouraging redevelopment of underutilized properties with uses that better
complement the vision of the Downtown.
• Promoting pedestrian connectivity and a walkability in the area, creating a “park
once” system in Downtown Arcadia, and using shared parking public parking lots
and other creative approaches to parking.
• Adjusting development standards to ensure that parking and zoning regulations
enhance redevelopment opportunities and do not preclude project feasibility.
With approval of an Administrative Modification for reduced parking and the
corresponding parking measures and project conditions of approval, the proposal is
compatible with the existing and future land uses in the vicinity, and the project site can
accommodate the proposed food hall use with late night operating hours and 60 seat
incidental outdoor dining area. Based on the above analysis, the proposal is consistent
with the required findings for approval of a Minor Use Permit as outlined in the project
findings included as Attachment No. 1 to this report.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
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Administrative Modification (Parking)
There are currently 20 on-site parking spaces and the existing mix of land uses has a
parking requirement of 35 spaces based on the current parking standards of the Arcadia
Development Code. For parking purposes, the self-storage use is classified as
warehouse and/or general industrial, both of which require one parking space per 1,000
square feet of gross floor area for a total of 27 parking spaces required for the self-
storage area (including the 25% transit reduction). In practice, the current self-storage
use has a much lower parking demand peaking at a maximum usage of 3-to-4 parking
spaces based on Gibson Transportation Consulting’s parking study, observations of the
site, and the operation of other self-storage facilities operating in the City.
Existing Uses Size Code Req’d ¼-mile Metro Station Parking Req’d
Storage 36,647 sf 1 per 1,000 sf 25% reduction 27.49
Retail (vacant) 2,114 sf 1 per 200 sf 25% reduction 7.93
Total 35 spaces
Table 1: Parking Requirement of Existing Uses
Based on the proposed mix of uses, the Arcadia Municipal Code requires 54 parking
spaces for the project. The food hall is calculated using a “small restaurant” parking
ratio of one space per 200 square feet of gross floor area. The incidental outdoor dining
area (outdoor patio) requires one parking space per six seats, and a conservative
estimate is that at most the proposed communal bench seating could accommodate 60
patrons. By Code, the commercial uses also receive a 25% reduction in the number of
required parking spaces because of the site’s location within ¼-mile of the Arcadia
Metro Gold Line Station.
Proposed Uses Size Code Req’d ¼-mile Metro Station Parking Req’d
Storage 32,912 1 per 1,000 sf 25% reduction 24.68
Food Hall 5,849 sf 1 per 200 sf 25% reduction 21.93
Outdoor Patio 1,326sf
(60 seats)
1 per 6 seats 25% reduction 7.50
Total 54 spaces
Table 2: Parking Requirement of Proposed Uses
To bring the property into compliance with current ADA requirements and solid waste
disposal requirements, the Applicant proposes to add a van-accessible ADA parking
space and construct a new covered trash and recyclables enclosure at the north-end of
the parking lot. As part of this project, the Applicant is also proposing to eliminate the
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
Page 8 of 18
northern-most vehicular connection between the subject property and the adjacent
property to the west (Rod’s Grill) in order to maximize the number of on-site parking
spaces. There is an easement across the Rod’s Grill property near the south-end of the
parking lot requiring vehicular access to remain open to the subject property, but there
is no formal easement recorded on the subject property that requires vehicular access
or a vehicular connection to remain open at the north-end of these parking lots. The
Applicant’s reconfigured parking lot would increase the number of on-site parking from
20 spaces to 24 spaces.
Although the Applicant’s desire to maximize the number of on-site parking spaces is
appreciated, there is concern about the impact to vehicular circulation for the adjacent
business, Rod’s Grill, of closing off the northern vehicular connection as this would
create a dead-end condition in their parking lot with no easy way for vehicles to circulate
and exit the site. Therefore, as a condition of approval for this project, it is
recommended that the Applicant be required to revise their final on-site parking
configuration to maintain the current vehicular connection open with the adjacent Rod’s
Grill property and formalize this arrangement by recording an access easement at this
location. With this condition, the reconfigured on-site parking lot will be able to
accommodate 20 parking spaces.
To more accurately determine the actual parking needs of the proposed project, the City
contracted with Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc. to prepare a parking analysis for
the project. Gibson surveyed current parking conditions in the vicinity of the project site,
estimated anticipated parking needs of the proposed project, and recommended
measures to consider implementing to address any anticipated parking shortages on-
site. The Gibson analysis and recommendations memorandum is included as
Attachment No. 7 to the staff report.
Figure 3, included below, is from the original study analyzing a 10,000 square foot food
hall and shows the estimated peak hourly parking demand of the originally proposed
project. For a 10,000 square foot food hall, the peak daily demand was estimated to be
68 spaces on weekends and 59 spaces on weekdays. During weekday business hours
(prior to 5:00 PM) when public parking in the vicinity is most heavily used, parking
demand of the originally proposed project was anticipated to peak at 40 spaces.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
Page 9 of 18
Figure 3: Estimated peak parking demand of original proposal (10,000 sf plus outdoor patio and self-storage)
Figure 4: Estimated peak parking demand of amended proposal (5,849 sf plus outdoor patio and self-storage)
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
Page 10 of 18
Figure 4, provided above, shows the hourly parking demand estimate for the smaller
5,849 square foot food hall. The peak daily parking demand of the updated project is
estimated to be 43 spaces on weekends and 39 spaces on weekdays. For both
weekdays and weekends, the peak is projected to occur during evening hours when
there is currently ample public parking available in the vicinity of the site as detailed in
Attachment No. 6 Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan and Attachment No. 7
Parking Analysis Summary. During weekday business hours (prior to 5:00 PM) when
according to Gibson’s parking survey public parking in the vicinity is at or nearing full
occupancy, parking demand is only anticipated to peak at 27 spaces inclusive of all
employee and customer parking for both the food hall and self-storage businesses.
Therefore, an estimated shortage of only seven spaces is anticipated during the time-
period when surrounding public parking is not readily available.
To address any potential parking impacts from the proposed food hall, the Arcadia
Commons Parking Management Plan has been prepared for this project and is included
as Attachment No. 6 to the staff report. The Parking Management Plan includes parking
solutions and conditions of approval to be implemented concurrent with the opening of
the food hall, including the following items:
• The addition of new curbside parking spaces along Santa Clara Street between
Santa Anita Avenue and Huntington Drive. Currently this entire section of Santa
Clara Street is red curbed with no curbside parking. There is room for the City to
add a minimum of 25 to 30 new curbside parking spaces on this street.
• The addition of time-limits to the Morlan Place curbside parking spaces
(approximately 33 spaces). Currently, the majority of these spaces are utilized on
an all-day basis by employees of nearby businesses. Employees who need to
continue using public street parking would have the option to use the new
curbside parking on Santa Clara Street mentioned above.
• A requirement that the food hall operator lease a minimum of 10 off-site private
parking spaces at the adjacent Elks Lodge property, or another property within ¼-
mile of the subject site, for use by employees and operators of the food hall and
self-storage businesses.
• A requirement that all food hall and self-storage employees and operators park
off-site, and all on-site parking spaces be reserved for customer use only. The
food hall and self-storage operators shall direct all staff to park in the off-site
private parking lot required to be leased as a project condition of approval.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
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• A requirement that the food hall operator have private security on-site during peak
hours to monitor and assist with parking in the on-site parking lot, direct patrons to
public parking in the vicinity of the site, and help to monitor and ensure food hall
patrons are not parking on adjacent properties.
• A requirement that portable signage be used to identify and restrict use of the two
closest non-ADA parking spaces to the building for self-storage customer loading
and unloading only during the operating hours of the self-storage business.
• A $200,000 in lieu parking fee paid by the Applicant to the City for use towards
parking management, parking enforcement, and/or towards construction of a
future public parking resource in the Downtown Arcadia commercial district.
As part of a larger parking study and management plan for the Downtown Arcadia
commercial district, the City has already been considering the addition of new curbside
parking spaces onto Santa Clara Street, as well as potential time limits to curbside
parking on Morlan Place and other streets in Downtown Arcadia. The City Engineer has
reviewed all of the proposed measures in the Parking Management Plan and is in
agreement with implementing the proposed items as beneficial not only for this specific
project, but for the Downtown Arcadia commercial district as a whole. Where
appropriate, these items have also been included as recommended conditions of
approval and/or in the Development Agreement for this project.
Based on the above analysis, and the parking measures proposed to be implemented
as part of the Parking Management Plan, the proposed project is not anticipated to
result in any significant parking or other impacts. As such, the project is consistent with
the required finding for approval an Administrative Modification for reduced on-site
parking as securing an appropriate improvement of this parcel as detailed in the project
findings included as Attachment No. 1 to the staff report.
Architectural Design Review
The Applicant proposes exterior changes to the building consisting of new storefront
glass, a new incidental outdoor seating area, and changes to the exterior paint colors of
the building. These changes are depicted on the elevations and renderings included as
Attachment No. 5. The signage shown on the plans and renderings is only conceptual
and is subject to a separate design review application. The Applicant is also considering
adding a mural to the east and/or west side of the building, which would also be subject
to separate review at a later date. The proposed changes to the building will create a
unique and attractive appearance that is consistent with a modern food hall aesthetic,
the surrounding area, and the City’s Architectural Design Guidelines.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
Page 12 of 18
Figure 5: Proposed Exterior Facade
Development Agreement
A Development Agreement is included as part of the proposed project to memorialize
several items related to the Successor Agency’s sale of the building to the Applicant
based in part on the merits of their food hall proposal. Specifically, the Agreement
includes the following items:
• The Agreement requires that the Applicant open a minimum of 7,000 square feet
of the multitenant food hall, inclusive of the outdoor patio seating area, no later
than 30 months from close of escrow, or be subject to liquidated damages for
each day not in compliance with this requirement.
• The Agreement requires that once the food hall is open, the ground floor of the
building is to be continually operated as a multitenant food hall for a minimum
period of no less than 10 years from the date of initial opening. Continuous
operation is defined in the Agreement as open a minimum of four (4) days and
thirty (30) hours per week.
• The Agreement requires that the City add and maintain time-limits on Morlan
Place curbside parking of no greater than four (4) hours on weekdays from 9:00
AM to 6:00 PM. The specific time restrictions on Morlan Place will still be set by
the City and may be adjusted in the future at the City’s discretion provided they
do not exceed a maximum of four hours.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
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• The Agreement stipulates that the new property owner will pay a $200,000 in-lieu
parking fee to be used by the City for public parking enforcement and
management in the area, or towards construction of a future public parking
structure in the area.
The Applicant was selected by the Successor Agency as the preferred buyer for the
property based on the added value of the food hall. The Development Agreement
ensures that once the property sale transacts, the new owner will follow through with the
food hall proposal within a reasonable time-frame, and that once open the food hall will
remain in continuous operation for no less than 10 years. The time restrictions on
Morlan Place are requested by the Applicant and included in the Development
Agreement to ensure that these spaces are not used by employees, Gold Line riders, or
others on an all-day basis during weekday business hours.
The $200,000 in-lieu parking impact fee was an amount proposed by the Applicant as
part of the initial discussions with the Successor Agency in 2017 as a way to mitigate
potential public parking impacts resulting from the food hall project. The in-lieu fee was
included as part of the Development Agreement presented to before the Planning
Commission on July 9, 2019 and currently remains in the draft Development Agreement
included as Attachment No. 2. However, as noted earlier the Applicant is now
requesting that the in-lieu fee be eliminated from the Development Agreement based on
the reduced size of the food hall. If the City Council is of the opinion that the other
measures in the Parking Management Plan and conditions of approval are sufficient,
then removing the in-lieu fee from the Development Agreement would be an appropriate
action.
FINDINGS
As detailed in the Project Findings included as Attachment No. 1 to this report, with
inclusion of the conditions of approval and other measures in the Arcadia Commons
Parking Management Plan, the proposed food hall is consistent with the Arcadia
General Plan, Development Code, and Design Guidelines. With approval of an
Administrative Modification for reduced parking and the corresponding parking
measures and project conditions of project approval, the proposal is compatible with the
existing and future land uses in the vicinity, and the project site can accommodate the
proposed food hall use. Based on the above analysis, the proposal is consistent with
the required findings for approval of a Minor Use Permit, Administrative Modification,
Architectural Design Review, and Development Agreement.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
Page 14 of 18
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
If it is determined that the project would not result in any significant traffic, noise, air
quality, or water quality effects, and not involving the use of significant amounts of
hazardous substances where all necessary public services and facilities are available
and the surrounding area is not environmentally sensitive, then this project qualifies as
a Class 3 Categorical Exemption as a Conversion of Small Structure(s) per the
provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to Section
15303 of the CEQA Guidelines. Refer to Attachment No. 11 for the Preliminary
Exemption Assessment.
PUBLIC COMMENTS/NOTICE
In response to the Planning Commission public notice, the City received a public
records request for additional information on the project from Christopher Sutton,
attorney for Manny Romero, the owner of Rod’s Grill at 41 W. Huntington Drive. As
noted in the Background section of this report and in the minutes of the July 9, 2019
Planning Commission Meeting, there were several speakers at the Planning
Commission meeting that voiced comments of concern or opposition to this project
including by Mr. Sutton and Mr. Romero. These comments and the meeting minutes are
included as Attachment No. 9. Also included with Attachment No. 9 are comments on
this project submitted by Planning Commissioner Wilander who was absent from the
July 9, 2019 Meeting. Following the July 9, 2019 Planning Commission Meeting, one
additional public comment was submitted by a Mr. Johnny Tseng in support of the food
hall project and is included as Attachment No. 13 to this report.
Public hearing notices for this item were published in the Arcadia Weekly and mailed to
the owners of those properties that are located within 300 feet of the subject property on
September 19, 2019. In response to this notice, one public comment was submitted by
Mr. Christopher Sutton on behalf of his client Manny Romero opposing the project, and
is included with Attachment No. 13 to this report. Any additional public comments
received in response to the September 19, 2019 notice will be forwarded to the City
Council and entered into the public record at the October 1, 2019 Meeting.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7276 approving Minor
Use Permit No. MUP 18-06, Planning Commission Administrative Modification No. PC
AM 18-02, and Architectural Design Review No. ADR 18-19; and Introduce Ordinance
No. 2364 to approve Development Agreement No. DA 19-01 and find that this project is
categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), subject
to the following Conditions of Approval below.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
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1. The use approved is limited to a 5,849 square foot multitenant food hall on the
ground floor consisting of small restaurant uses/food vendors, the sale of beer,
wine, and alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption, late night operating
hours, and a 1,326 square foot outdoor seating area with seating for up to 60
patrons. The approved use shall be operated and maintained in a manner that is
consistent with the proposal and plans submitted and approved by Minor Use
Permit No. MUP 18-06. City Staff shall conduct periodic inspections, after which
the provisions of this Minor Use Permit, including the late night operating hours
and/or number of seats in the outdoor dining area, may be adjusted after due
notice to address any potential impacts it may have to the neighboring
properties/businesses. Any adjustments can be made by the Planning &
Community Development Administrator. The remainder of the building shall
continue to be used as self-storage.
2. The Food Hall operating hours shall not exceed Sunday—Thursday from 6:00
AM to 12:00 AM (midnight), and Friday & Saturday from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM.
3. The food hall operator shall be required to lease a minimum of 10 off-site private
parking spaces at the adjacent Elks Lodge property at 27 W. Huntington Drive, or
another property within ¼-mile of the subject site, for use by employees and
operators of the food hall and self-storage businesses.
4. During the self-storage business’ operating hours, portable signage shall be used
to label “self-storage loading/unloading only” for the two closest non-ADA parking
spaces to the building. This signage shall be removed or obscured from public
view during all hours that the self-storage business is closed. Additionally, the
width of these two parking spaces shall be increased on the final construction
drawings as determined to be feasible during plan-check review with the specific
width of these two spaces subject to approval of the Development Services
Department.
5. Prior to opening 50% or more of the food hall vendor spaces, the food hall
operator shall be required to begin providing security personnel to monitor
parking and security in the subject parking lot, outdoor dining area, and adjacent
private parking lots during specified evening and late night hours. Security
personnel shall initially be on-duty daily beginning at 5:00 PM and extending until
30 minutes after close of the food hall, and then adjusted at the discretion of the
Planning & Community Development Administrator, or designee, as determined
to be needed to adequately monitor and enforce parking and public safety.
6. The Applicant shall enter into a no-fee lease agreement to allow the City of
Arcadia to maintain its existing traffic-related mechanical equipment on the
rooftop of the building. This agreement shall be executed within 120 days of
approval of the proposed project.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
Page 16 of 18
7. Additional exterior lighting shall be added to the rear of the building and/or in the
rear parking lot to better illuminate the on-site parking during evening hours.
Details of the additional exterior lighting shall be submitted concurrently with
building permit plans for city review and permit issuance, and subject to city
design criteria, building and safety regulations, and other applicable
requirements.
8. Prior to issuance of the first building permit for the new food hall, the Applicant
shall grant a nonexclusive easement for vehicular access at the northwest corner
of the Subject Property for the benefit of the adjacent property to the west (Rod’s
Grill), consistent with the existing de facto vehicular connection. Such grant of
easement shall be subject to the approval of the City Attorney prior to
recordation. In the event the Applicant is prevented from granting or perfecting
the vehicular access easement, the Applicant shall nonetheless continue to
maintain the de facto vehicular connection at the northwest corner of the
property.
9. Prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy from the Building Division, the
Applicant/Property Owner shall upgrade the existing trash and recyclables
enclosure in compliance with Development Code Section 9103.01.130, subject to
review and approval by the Planning & Community Development Administrator,
or designee. The enclosure shall provide adequate room for a trash container, a
recycling container, and a 64-gallon organic recycling cart.
10. All City requirements regarding disabled access and facilities, occupancy limits,
building safety, health code compliance, emergency equipment, environmental
regulation compliance, and parking and site design shall be complied with by the
Property Owner/Applicant to the satisfaction of the Building Official, City
Engineer, Planning & Community Development Administrator, Fire Marshal, and
Public Works Services Director, or their respective designees, including but not
limited to those listed on the Public Works Services Department, Building
Division, and Fire Department review memorandums for this project and/or as
otherwise amended during plan-check review. The changes to the existing facility
are subject to building permits after having fully detailed plans submitted for plan
check review and approval by the aforementioned City officials.
11. Noncompliance with the plans, provisions and conditions of approval for DA 19-
01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, and/or ADR 18-19 shall be grounds for immediate
suspension or revocation of any approvals, which could result in the closing of
the food hall.
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
Page 17 of 18
12. The Applicant shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City of Arcadia and
its officials, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claim, action,
or proceeding against the City of Arcadia, its officials, officers, employees or
agents to attack, set aside, void, or annul any approval or conditional approval of
the City of Arcadia concerning this project and/or land use decision, including but
not limited to any approval or conditional 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 officials,
officers, employees, and agents in the defense of the matter.
13. Approval of MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, and ADR 18-19 shall not be of effect until
Development Agreement No. DA 19-01 has also been approved and fully
executed. Additionally, on or before 60 calendar days after City Council adoption
of Resolution No. 7276, the Applicant/Property Owner shall also execute and file
an Acceptance Form with the Development Services Department to indicate
awareness and acceptance of these project conditions of approval.
If any City Council Member or other interested party has any questions or comments
regarding this matter prior to the October 1, 2019 hearing, please contact Tim Schwehr,
Senior Management Analyst at (626) 574-5409 or at Tschwehr@ArcadiaCA.gov.
Attachment No. 1: Project Findings
Attachment No. 2: Ordinance No. 2364 & Development Agreement No. DA 19-01
(Development Agreement exhibits available at hyperlink below)
Attachment No. 3: Resolution No. 7276
Attachment No. 4: Zoning Aerial and Photos of Subject & Surrounding Properties
Attachment No. 5: Concept Design Plans & Project Update Summary
Attachment No. 6: Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan
Attachment No. 7: Parking Analysis Summary, Gibson Consultants (full parking
analysis available at hyperlink below)
Attachment No. 8: Traffic Analysis Summary, Gibson Consultants (full traffic analysis
available at hyperlink below)
Ordinance No. 2364 and Resolution No. 7276
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
October 1, 2019
Page 18 of 18
Attachment No. 9: July 9, 2019 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes & Staff Report
Attachment No. 10: Oversight Board Resolution
Attachment No. 11: Preliminary Exemption Assessment
Attachment No. 12: Public Works, Building, & Fire Requirement Memorandums
Attachment No. 13: Public Comments
Hyperlink to Development Agreement exhibits, Parking Analysis, & Traffic Analysis:
http://laserfiche.ci.arcadia.ca.us/weblink/Browse.aspx?startid=794791
FINDINGS
Minor Use Permit
Section 9107.09.050 of the Development Code requires that for a Minor Use Permit to be
granted, the City Council must first make all of the following findings:
1. The proposed use is consistent with the General Plan and any applicable
specific plan.
Facts to Support This Finding: The proposed food hall use with late night operating
hours and an incidental outdoor dining area with greater than 12 seats is consistent
with the Commercial Land Use Designation of the site, and the General Plan’s
Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area, including the following goals and policies:
Goal LU-10: A thriving Downtown, with healthy commercial areas supported by
high-quality, residential uses and supportive of the Metro Gold Line transit stati on.
Policy LU-10.2: Promote the Metro Gold Line Extension and establishment of
a transit station in Downtown Arcadia, and take full advantage of the
opportunities the Gold Line station will bring to Downtown and the City as a
whole.
Policy LU-10.4: Establish commercial uses that complement the vision of the
Downtown core with opportunities for more intense, quality development at key
intersections that are unique from the regional offerings at the regional mall.
Policy LU-10.10: Establish a “park once” system in Downtown with a collection
of shared surface and parking structures.
Policy LU-10.14: Create a high-quality pedestrian experience in Downtown
through the use of street trees, public art, street furniture, and public gathering
spaces. Using signage, art, and unique uses, entice and encourage people to
walk and explore the commercial core of Downtown.
Goal ED-2: Re-creation of Downtown as the social and symbolic “Heart of the City”.
Policy ED-2.3: Adjust parking standards for Downtown to allow for shared
parking arrangements, use of public parking lots and structures, and reduced
parking requirements.
Policy ED-3.2: Promote the commercial reuse of key vacant commercial
properties within the City through a program of active solicitation of prospective
users, particularly in those retail sectors for which the City is underserved and
currently experiencing leakage of sales tax dollars, and through the provision
of appropriate development incentives.
Goal ED-4: Continued revitalization of public infrastructure and private properties
within the redevelopment project area
Policy ED-4.7: Adjust development standards as needed to ensure that parking
and zoning regulations enhance redevelopment opportunities and do not
preclude project feasibility.
2. The proposed uses are allowed within the applicable zone, subject to the
granting of a Minor Use Permit, and complies with all other applicable
provisions of the Development Code and the Municipal Code.
Facts to Support This Finding: The site is zoned CBD, Central Business District.
Per Arcadia Development Code Section 9102.05.020, Table 2-10, the proposed food
hall (small restaurants) with alcoholic beverage service and located greater than 300
feet from any residentially zoned properties is permitted by-right. A Minor Use Permit
is required to approve the late night operating hours on Friday and Saturday nights
and the incidental outdoor dining area with more than 12 seats. The late night
operating hours and incidental outdoor dining area will comply with all applicable code
provisions and requirements. As a condition of approval, the food hall will be required
to have private security personnel monitor the rear parking lot and outdoor dining area
during evening and late night hours. With approval of the proposed Administrative
Modification for reduced on-site parking, the proposed uses comply with all applicable
provisions of the Development Code and the Arcadia Municipal Code.
3. The design, location, size, and operating characteristics of the proposed activity
will be compatible with the existing and future land uses in the vicinity.
Facts to Support This Finding: The Food Hall with late night operating hours and
an incidental outdoor seating area with more than 12 seats is a commercia l use
consistent with the CBD, Central Business District zoning of the property and is
consistent with the General Plan goals and policies for the Downtown Arcadia District.
All operating characteristics will be compatible with existing and future land use s in
the vicinity. As a condition of approval, the food hall will be required to have private
security personnel monitor the rear parking lot and outdoor dining area during evening
hours. A parking analysis and traffic analysis were conducted for the proje ct by Gibson
Transportation Consulting Inc. to evaluate the estimated parking and traffic demands
of the proposed uses and project. The traffic analysis finds no significant impacts
resulting from the project. With the parking measures included with this p roposal in
the Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan, there will be adequate parking
resources for the subject property and existing and future land uses in the vicinity.
4. The site is physically suitable in terms of:
a. Its design, location, shape, size, and operating characteristics of the
proposed use in order to accommodate the use, and all fences, landscaping,
loading, parking, spaces, walls, yards, and other features required to adjust
the use with the land and uses in the neighborhood;
Facts to Support This Finding: The proposed food hall use includes parking
measures to ensure adequate parking resources for the subject property and those
in the immediate vicinity, including the late night operating hours and incidental
outdoor dining area with greater than 12 seats. A parking analysis and traffic
analysis were conducted for the project by Gibson Transportation Consulting Inc.
to evaluate the estimated parking and traffic demand of the uses and project. The
traffic analysis finds no significant impacts resulting from the project. With the
parking measures included with this proposal in the Arcadia Commons Parking
Management Plan, there will be adequate parking resources for the subject
property and existing and future land uses in the vicinity. The sit e and existing
commercial building is physically suitable per design, location, shape, size, and
operating characteristics to accommodate the proposed adaptive reuse project.
b. Streets and highways adequate in width and pavement type to accommodate
public and emergency vehicle (e.g., fire and medical) access.
Facts to Support This Finding: This is a midblock property with frontages on
Huntington Drive to the south and Morlan Place to the north. Both streets are
designated and designed with the capacity to accommodate both public and
emergency vehicles. These streets are adequate in width and pavement type to
carry the traffic that could be generated by the amended commercial uses. A traffic
analysis was conducted for the project by Gibson Transportation Co nsulting Inc.
to evaluate the estimated traffic demand of the uses and project. The traffic
analysis finds no significant impacts resulting from the project.
c. Public protection services (e.g., fire protection, police protection, etc.).
Facts to Support This Finding: The subject property is currently developed with
a commercial building that complies with all safety requirements. The proposed
adaptive reuse project will require extensive interior tenant improvements as well
as minor façade improvements. The required construction and the operation of the
building will comply with all public safety requirements needed to convert a portion
of this building into a multitenant Food Hall. The City’s Fire and Police Departments
have reviewed the proposal, including the late night operating hours and incidental
outdoor dining area with greater than 12 seats, and have no objection to the project
as there are adequate services in place to handle the anticipated needs of this
project.
d. The provision of utilities (e.g., potable water, schools, solid waste collection
and disposal, storm drainage, wastewater collection, treatment, and
disposal, etc.).
Facts to Support This Finding: The subject property currently includes water,
solid waste collection and disposal, and other utilities. The proposed project will
update existing on-site infrastructure to accommodate food and beverage uses,
and will include the addition of a new covered trash and recycling enclosure at the
north-end of the parking lot. There are adequate utilities to service the new project
and no additional impact to utilities from the proposed amendment.
5. The measure of site suitability shall be required to ensure that the type, density,
and intensity of use being proposed will not adversely affect the pub lic
convenience, health, interest, safety, or general welfare, constitute a nuisance,
or be materially injurious to the improvements, persons, property, or uses in the
vicinity and zone in which the property is located.
Facts to Support This Finding: As a commercial use allowed in the CBD Zone, the
proposed food hall with late night operating hours and an incidental outdoor dining
area with greater than 12 seats is consistent with the character of the commercial
district. The size and operating characteristics of the food hall are complementary and
compatible with the uses and improvements in the vicinity. As a condition of approval,
the food hall will be required to provide private security personnel to monitor the
parking lot and outdoor dining area during evening hours. With the proposed parking
measures, the site is able to accommodate the food hall use without being injurious
to the improvements, persons, property, or uses in the vicinity and zone in which the
subject property is located. The proposal is also consistent with the General Plan
designation of the site and the goals and policies of the Downtown Arcadia General
Plan Land Use Focus Area. With the parking measures included with this proposal in
the Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan, there will be adequate parking
resources for the subject property and existing and future land uses in the vicinity.
Administrative Modification
The proposed Administrative Modification is to allow 20 on -site parking spaces in lieu of
54 spaces required by the Development Code. Approval of the proposed Modification is
required in order to facilitate adaptive reuse of the existing building into a multitenant food
hall. Section 9107.05.050(B) of the Development Code requires that for an Administrative
Modification to be granted, the City Council must first make at least one of the following
findings:
1. Promote uniformity of development;
2. Prevent an unreasonable hardship; or
3. Secure an appropriate improvement of a parcel
Facts to Support This Finding: Based on Gibson Transportation Consulting Inc.’s
parking analysis and recommendations, the Arcadia Commons Parking Management
Plan has been prepared for the project that addresses potential parking deficiencies and
impacts to the area. The Parking Manage ment Plan includes items that will increase the
efficient use of the on-site parking lot, increase the total number of public parking spaces
in the vicinity of the site, and with time-limits make use of the public parking spaces more
efficient, as well as other operational conditions of the proposed Food Hall use that
address potential impacts to surrounding properties and public right -of-ways. The
implementation of the specific measures in the Parking Management Plan are required
as part of the Development Agreement and/or in the project’s conditions of approval. Due
to the subject property’s location on Huntington Drive, one of the City’s main commercial
thoroughfares, and in the Downtown Arcadia commercial district, the proposed food hall
is a much more appropriate use of the site as opposed to continuation as a light industrial
use. Consistent with the City’s General Plan goals and policies for the Downtown Arcadia
commercial district, the proposed adaptive reuse project utilizes shared parking
strategies, public parking resources, and other measures outlined in the Parking
Management Plan to facilitate adaptive reuse of the existing building and parcel with a
more appropriate use for the site and the surrounding commercial district. Based on the
above, the proposed Administrative Modification will secure an appropriate improvement
of this parcel.
Architectural Design Review
The proposed exterior changes to the building consist of new storefront glass along the
Huntington Drive frontage and at the rear of the building, a new exterior patio at the rear
of the building, and cosmetic changes to the exterior walls of the building. Elevations and
renderings showing the proposed changes have been included with the project
applications. Section 9107.19.050(F) of the Development Code requires that the City
Council may approve an Architectural Design Review application, only if it first makes all
of the following findings that the proposed development will:
1. Be allowed within the subject zone;
2. Be in compliance with all of the applicable design review criteria identified in
the Development Code;
3. Be in keeping with the character of the neighborhood, in terms of the
structure(s) general appearance; and
4. Not be detrimental to the harmonious and orderly growth of the City.
Facts to Support This Finding: The proposed exterior changes to the building consist
of new storefront glass along the Huntington Drive frontage and at the rear of the building,
a new exterior patio at the rear of the building, and cosmetic changes to the exterior walls
of the building. Elevations and renderings showing the proposed changes have been
included with the project applications. The proposed project is allowed within the CBD
Zone. The proposed changes are in compliance with the design review criteria identified
in the City’s Architectural Design Guidelines and Development Code. The existing
storefront has been dormant and unproductive for many years, and the new design and
aesthetic will assist in making this a useful commercial space. The proposed design
changes are also in keeping with the character of the neighborhood, and will not be
detrimental to the harmonious and orderly growth of the City. The proposed design meets
the prerequisite findings for approval of Architectural Design Review No. ADR 18-19.
Development Agreement
Section 9107.11.030(E) of the Development Code requires that the City Council may
recommend approval of a Development Agreement to the City Council only if it first makes
all of the following findings:
1. The development agreement is in the best interests of the City.
Facts to Support This Finding: The proposed development agreement is needed
to ensure that following the sale of the subject property by the Successor Agency to
the Applicant, the ground floor of the existing self -storage building will be
transformed into a multitenant Food Hall per the Applicant’s proposed project. The
Applicant was chosen by the Successor Agency as the preferred buyer for this
property based in part on the positive benefits the Food Hall will bring to the area in
the form of increased customers, sales tax revenue, aesthetics, and overall vitality.
The development agreement also facilitates a $200,000 parking in-lieu fee paid by
the Applicant to the City to use towards public parking management and/or public
parking construction in the Downtown Arcadia commercial district . Finally, the
development agreement includes a provision that the City will add time-limits to the
Morlan Place curbside parking spaces, which is an item requested by the
Applicant/Buyer to provide assurance that Morlan Place public parking spaces will
not be used for all day parking by employees working in the area and/or Gold Line
riders. In summary, the development agreement allows for a unique destination
attraction in Downtown Arcadia that is beneficial to this commercial district and in
the best interests of the City as a whole.
2. The development agreement is consistent with the purpose, intent, goals,
policies, programs, and land use designations of the General Plan, any
applicable specific plan, this Development Code, and the Zoning Map.
Facts to support this Finding: The development agreement will allow for a food
hall project that meets the required findings for approval of a Minor Use Permit,
Administrative Modification, and Architectural Design application, per the
specifications of the Arcadia Development Code, and is an allowable use per the
CBD (Central Business District) Zoning of the project site. The development
agreement facilitates the adaptive reuse of the ground floor of an outdated light -
industrial storage building into a land use that is consistent and compatible with the
Commercial Land Use designation.
The Commercial designation is intended to permit a wide range of commercial uses
which serve both neighborhood and citywide markets. The designation allows a
broad array of commercial enterprises, including restaurants, durable goods sales,
food stores, lodging, professional offices, specialty shops, indoor and outdoor
recreational facilities, and entertainment uses. Adjacent to Downtown , the
Commercial designation is intended to encourage small-scale office and
neighborhood-serving commercial uses that complement development in the
Downtown Mixed Use areas.
The proposed project and development agreement will also further the specific
General Plan goals and policies of the Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area and
the Economic Development Element of the General Plan, including the following
items:
Goal LU-10: A thriving Downtown, with healthy commercial areas supported by
high-quality, residential uses and supportive of the Metro Gold Line transit station.
Policy LU-10.2: Promote the Metro Gold Line Extension and establishment of
a transit station in Downtown Arcadia, and take full advantage of the
opportunities the Gold Line station will bring to Downtown and the City as a
whole.
Policy LU-10.4: Establish commercial uses that complement the vision of the
Downtown core with opportunities for more intense, quality development at key
intersections that are unique from the regional offerings at the regional mall.
Policy LU-10.10: Establish a “park once” system in Downtown with a collection
of shared surface and parking structures.
Policy LU-10.14: Create a high-quality pedestrian experience in Downtown
through the use of street trees, public art, street furniture, and public gathering
spaces. Using signage, art, and unique uses, entice and encourage people to
walk and explore the commercial core of Downtown.
Goal ED-2: Re-creation of Downtown as the social and symbolic “Heart of the City”.
Policy ED-2.3: Adjust parking standards for Downtown to allow for shared
parking arrangements, use of public parking lots and structures, and reduced
parking requirements.
Policy ED-3.2: Promote the commercial reuse of key vacant commercial
properties within the City through a program of active solicitation of prospective
users, particularly in those retail sectors for which the City is underserved and
currently experiencing leakage of sales tax dollars, and through the provision
of appropriate development incentives.
Goal ED-4: Continued revitalization of public infrastructure and private properties
within the redevelopment project area
Policy ED-4.7: Adjust development standards as needed to ensure that parking
and zoning regulations enhance redevelopment opportunities and do not
preclude project feasibility.
3. The development agreement will promote the public convenience, health,
interest, safety, general welfare, and good land use practice.
Facts to support this Finding: The development agreement facilitates the adaptive
reuse of the ground floor of an outdated light -industrial storage building into a food
hall use that is more compatible and beneficial to the Downtown Arcadia commercial
district. The use will update the building to be in compliance with all applicable
health, safety, building, and other requirements. The development agreement will
facilitate the replacement of the current ground floor self -storage use and the vacant
commercial units fronting Huntington Drive with an active land use that is consistent
with the Land Use Designation of the site and General Plan goals and policies of the
Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area. By converting the ground floor of an
outdated light-industrial storage building into a food hall, not only is the use more
compatible and beneficial to the Downtown Arcadia commercial district, it also
promotes the public convenience, interest and general welfare, and is a good land
use practice in line with the City’s General Plan.
4. The project will be compatible with the uses authorized in, and the regulations
prescribed for, the zone in which the real property is located.
Facts to support this Finding: The project facilitated by the development
agreement is for a food hall (small restaurants) use with alcoholic beverage service
(which is allowed by right in the subject zone), late night operating hours, and an
incidental outdoor dining area with greater than 12 seats which is allowed in the CBD
Zone subject to approval of a Minor Use Permit. The existing self -storage use will
remain on floors 2 through 4 and the basement level as a continuation of an existing
legal-nonconforming use. With approval of the proposed Administrative Modification
for reduced on-site parking, the project complies with all regulations prescribed for
the subject property and zone.
5. The project will not adversely affect the orderly development of property or
the preservation of property values.
Facts to support this Finding: The project is anticipated to bring additional
customers and new businesses to the Downtown Arcadia commercial district. The
project is consistent with the shared parking strategies outlined in the Arcadia
General Plan for the Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area. Based on the peak
operating hours and parking demands identified by Gibson Transportation
Consultants for the Food Hall and self-storage uses, and with the parking measures
included in the Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan, including the addition
of new curbside parking spaces on Santa Clara Street and time limits on Morlan
Place, the project will not adversely impact development of other property or the
preservation of property values in the area.
6. The project will further important Citywide goals and policies that have been
officially recognized by the Council.
Facts to support this Finding: The proposed project will further a large number of
the goals and policies stated in the Arcadia General Plan, which was officially
recognized by the City Council through their adoption of the General Plan in
November of 2010. These goals and policies include the following items:
Goal LU-10: A thriving Downtown, with healthy commercial areas supported by
high-quality, residential uses and supportive of the Metro Gold Line transit station.
Policy LU-10.2: Promote the Metro Gold Line Extension and establishment of
a transit station in Downtown Arcadia, and take full advantage of the
opportunities the Gold Line station will bring to Downtown and the City as a
whole.
Policy LU-10.4: Establish commercial uses that complement the vision of the
Downtown core with opportunities for more intense, quality development at key
intersections that are unique from the regional offerings at the regional mall.
Policy LU-10.10: Establish a “park once” system in Downtown with a collection
of shared surface and parking structures.
Policy LU-10.14: Create a high-quality pedestrian experience in Downtown
through the use of street trees, public art, street furniture, and public gathering
spaces. Using signage, art, and unique uses, entice and encourage people to
walk and explore the commercial core of Downtown.
Goal ED-2: Re-creation of Downtown as the social and symbolic “Heart of the City”.
Policy ED-2.3: Adjust parking standards fo r Downtown to allow for shared
parking arrangements, use of public parking lots and structures, and reduced
parking requirements.
Policy ED-3.2: Promote the commercial reuse of key vacant commercial
properties within the City through a program of active solicitation of prospective
users, particularly in those retail sectors for which the City is underserved and
currently experiencing leakage of sales tax dollars, and through the provision
of appropriate development incentives.
Goal ED-4: Continued revitalization of public infrastructure and private properties
within the redevelopment project area
Policy ED-4.7: Adjust development standards as needed to ensure that parking
and zoning regulations enhance redevelopment opportunities and do not
preclude project feasibility.
7. The project will provide the City with important, tangible benefits beyond
those that may be required by the City through project conditions of approval.
Facts to support this Finding: The development agreement for this project
ensures that following the sale of the Successor Agency property, the Applicant will
implement in a timely manner (30 months) the conversion of the ground floor of the
building into a multitenant Food Hall and that the Food Hall will remain in continuous
operation for a minimum of ten (10) years with operating hours of at least four (4)
days and thirty (30) hours per week. The development agreement creates an
enforceable mechanism for compliance with these requirements as failure to meet
these minimums will be grounds for liquidated damages paid by the property owner
to the City. In addition, the development agreement facilitates the payment of a
$200,000 in lieu parking impact fee to be paid to the City. Finally, through the
development agreement the City agrees to add time -limits on Morlan Place of no
greater than four (4) continuous hours during weekday b usiness hours in order to
free up additional public parking spaces for use by customers of the nearby
businesses, including the proposed Food Hall, which is an item that the Applicant
has stated is needed to ensure project viability. The above items cannot be
effectively implemented through project conditions of approval, and the development
agreement therefore makes the project feasible and provides important, tangible
benefits to the City.
Based on the above, the proposed project will satisfy each prerequisite finding to
approve Development Agreement No. DA 19-01.
Overlays
Selected parcel highlighted
Parcel location within City of Arcadia
N/A
Property Owner(s):
Lot Area (sq ft):
Year Built:
Main Structure / Unit (sq. ft.):
CBD
Number of Units:
C 1.0
Property Characteristics
1949
38,761
0
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF ARCADIA CITY DON PENMAN
Site Address:33 W HUNTINGTON DR
Parcel Number: 5775-025-901
N/A
Zoning:
General Plan:
N/A
Downtown Overlay:
Downtown Parking Overlay:
Architectural Design Overlay:N/A
Yes
N/A
N/A
Residential Flex Overlay:
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Special Height Overlay:
Yes
Parking Overlay:
Racetrack Event Overlay:
This map is a user generated static output from an Internet mapping site and is for
reference only. Data layers that appear on this map may or may not be accurate, current,
or otherwise reliable.
Report generated 07-May-2019
Page 1 of 1
20,040
Subject property – Huntington Drive frontage
West of Subject Site – Rod’s Grill
East of Subject Site – Elks Lodge
South of Subject Site – Arcadia County Park
Subject Property – rear parking lot
North of Subject Site – Rusnak Service Center
Elks Lodge – rear parking lot
Rod’s Grill – rear parking lot
Existing parking lot connection with Rod’s Grill – north end
Existing parking lot connection with Rod’s Grill – south end
Subject Property –rear entrance and loading dock
Subject Property –front facade
Subject Property – east building wall
Subject Property – west building wall
Building Interior – Huntington Drive frontage
Building Interior – Self-storage office at rear of building
First floor self storage unit
Freight elevator
Basement level
Self storage units – floors 2 - 4
Roof level
Roof level – looking west
Roof level – looking east
Roof level – looking south
What is ‘ARCADIA COMMONS’?
Arcadia Commons will become one of the most active
food halls in San Gabriel Valley. It will be an energetic,
dynamic space packed with close to 7-10 different
boutique food vendors on the ground and potentially
roof floors. The gastronomic choices will be entirely
focused on local, creative options and range in variety
from around the world.
It will draw inspiration from successful food halls/ social
spaces around the US, from Los Angeles’ own Grand
Central Market, Anaheim’s Meat Packing District, San
Diego’s Quarteryard, Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal
Market, and Brooklyn’s Berg’n and DeKalb Market Hall.
There is also the possibility of adding a rooftop
gastropub/ small plates establishment (pending structural
investigation) whose views of the San Gabriel mountains
and Arcadia Park would make it an instant destination
spot in Arcadia.
The second, third, and fourth floors currently occupied by
storage will be remain and the basement will be
converted into additional self-storage.
The ultimate goal of the project is not only to make a
great eating destination but also a place for community
to socialize and bond amongst friends and family.
Arcadia Commons will be a festive locale for food, drink,
and good cheer.
The possibility of Arcadia Commons becoming a social
landmark is what will allow the project to truly contribute
to the City’s culture and revitalize the historic,
pedestrian-friendly district that is Downtown Arcadia.
Project examples, top to bottom:
Grand Central Market, Meat
Packing District, Grand Central
Market exterior
Project examples, top to bottom:
Beer garden – Astoria, NY,
Reading Terminal Market –
Philadelphia, PA, DeKalb Market
Hall, Brooklyn
Project concept Architecture
1.Emphasize the social aspect.
Increase public space via rear
patio underneath loading dock
canopy. Activate rooftop.
2.Increase the porosity of both the
front and rear entrances by
making them completely open
during business hours.
3.Work off the massiveness and
beauty of the existing building.
An effort will be made where
possible to bring out notable
features like the rear canopy, the
mushroom columns, and the
unfinished concrete surfaces.
Food
1.Keep tenants local and regional
2.Variety – food type, $ to $$$
plates, to ethnicity
3.Place emphasis on the ‘discovery’
part of the gastronomic
experience
4.Experiment with short term
tenants/ pop-up restaurants to a
small degree to continually
create buzz
Aerial view from north
Roof deck
Dining porch
FOOD TYPES
Successful food hall examples
What all of these projects have in common:
-communal seating areas
-small, local food vendors
-variety of food options
-adaptive re-use of historic industrial buildings
Berg’n – Brooklyn, NY with food vendors in background
Berg’n – Brooklyn, NY coffee stand
DeKalb Market Hall – Brooklyn, NY
Peter Lee – Project Manager
Peter is responsible for conceptual design, entitlements, financing, investor relations, and leasing, and marketing. He has over 9 years of
experience in real estate development + 8 years of architectural experience with stints abroad in Madrid, Spain and Seoul, Korea.
He most recently acted as asset manager for Diamond Development, a niche retail developer specializing in boutique Asian food tenants,
which holds a 500,000 sf retail/ land portfolio worth $300 million in Southern California. There he led all major leasing, financing,
entitlements, design/ construction, and operations. At Diamond Development, Peter completed over 20 landlord tenant improvements
as construction manager, led negotiations for leases with CVS, Trader Joe’s, Subway, and other regional retailers, and led entitlements
for 100,000 sf of retail and 500 residential units in Los Angeles and Irvine.
Prior to Diamond Development, he helped structure over $900 million in infrastructure deals in emerging markets during his time at
Samsung C+T in Seoul, Korea. He led due diligence, equity and debt financing for the bulk of PPP and energy projects in the company.
Peter started his real career investing in distressed debt with Total Companies in Los Angeles and shortly after co-founded Elemental
Development Group with David Chun in 2010 focusing on distressed residential opportunities in Highland Park.
He speaks fluent Spanish after his time as architect in charge for the Harvard LISE project in the Studio of Rafael Moneo, the 1996 Pritzker
Prize winner and designer of the Los Angeles Cathedral.
He was educated at University of Pennsylvania B.A., Harvard University M.Arch, and studied at University of Southern California’s
Masters of Real Estate Development program.
David Chun – Architect / Designer
David Chun, AIA, is responsible for design strategy, design development, construction documents, and construction management. David
established Los Angeles-based Chun Studio in 2003 after working on significant projects at the offices of Richard Meier & Partners (Getty
Center), Skidmore Owings & Merrill, San Francisco (San Francisco Civic Center high-rise, Stanford University Business School, Electronic
Arts Campus), and Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects and Marmol Radziner (custom single family residences).
Chun Studio’s portfolio includes a wide variety of building types from residential to retail, commercial properties to commun ity spaces.
The office is effective at synthesizing the complexities of budget, function, and the natural environment into coherent, aesthetically
stimulating, and emotionally rewarding architecture. He has completed scores of tenant improvements as architect in Los Angeles and
Orange Counties for both retail and restaurant businesses totaling over 300,000 sf.
David, in addition to his architectural work has been an active real estate developer since he co-founded Elemental Development Group
with Peter Lee closely after the 2008 financial crash to invest in residential properties in Highland Park. David has executed around 20
projects with Elemental, 100% of which were profitable.
David is currently developing ground up condos in West Adams area of Los Angeles.
He received his Master of Architecture at Harvard University and his Bachelor’s in Architecture and English Literature at University of
California, Berkeley.
David Chen – Broker / Agent
David began his career in commercial real estate in New York where he was the development project manager for the 443 Greenwich
Street project. He managed all phases of the $350 million dollar, 280,000 sq. ft. project which included a high end residenti al
community, a boutique hotel, and ground floor retail located in Manhattan.
Continuing to expand on his knowledge of real estate, David became a real estate advisor at Alvarez & Marsal in San Francisco. David
advised private equity real estate firms, REITs, real estate operating companies, developers, and multi -national corporations all over the
world. Transferring to the Los Angeles market in 2013, David became the Real Estate Manager for the west coast real estate operations
of Pure Barre, a national gym chain. There he targeted corporate expansion in the California, Oregon, and Washington markets.
Prior to franchising Sperry Commercial - Pasadena, David worked as the Commercial Real Estate Director for KW Commercial, MacVaugh
& Co. and Coldwell Banker George Realty, focusing on the San Gabriel Valley and Downtown LA where he grew up. He currently
managed listings consisting of over 400,000 square feet and numerous buyers and tenants at any one time. His current office consists of
6 commercial agents and it is still growing.
David graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a Minor in East Asian Languages & Cultures in 2003, and f rom the
University of Southern California with a Master of Business Administration and Master of Real Estate Development in 2011. He is also
fluent in Mandarin Chinese and teaches Commercial Real Estate course at Pasadena City College, the Arcadia Association of Rea ltors and
West San Gabriel Valley Association of Realtors.
David is currently on the Board of Directors for the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), Board of Director of C ertified
Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and Vice-Chairman of the Commercial Real Estate Committee at the Arcadia Association of
Realtors.
ARCADIA COMMONS PARKING MANAGEMENT PLAN
Project Summary
Arcadia Commons is a proposed 5,849 square foot food hall at 33 – 35 W. Huntington Drive. The
project consists of converting the majority of the ground floor of the existing Arcadia Self Storage
Building into a multitenant food hall. The project also includes a 1,3 26 square foot outdoor seating
area.
The project seeks to become one of the most active food halls in San Gabriel Valley with an energetic,
dynamic space packed with approximately eight different boutique food and beverage vendors. The
gastronomic choices are to be entirely focused on local, creative options and range in variety from
around the world. It is anticipated to draw inspiration from successful food halls/ social spaces around
the U.S., from Los Angeles’ own Grand Central Market, Anaheim’s Meat Packing District, San Diego’s
Quarteryard, Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, and Brooklyn’s Berg’n and DeKalb Market
Hall. The second, third, fourth floors and basement are proposed to remain as a self-storage facility.
The ultimate goal of the project is not only to make a great eating destination but also a place for
community to socialize and bond amongst friends and family. The Arcadia Commons will be a festive
locale for food, drink, and good cheer. The possibility of Arcadia Commons becoming a social
landmark is what will allow the project to truly contribute to the City’s culture and revitalize the
historic, pedestrian-friendly district that is Downtown Arcadia.
On-site and Required Parking
Based on the proposed mix of uses, the Arcadia Municipal Code requires 54 parking spaces for the
project. There is currently an existing 20-space on-site surface parking lot at the rear of the building.
After updating the parking lot with a new ADA parking space, trash and recyclables enclosure, and
pedestrian access pathway, the reconfigured project parking lot will be able to accommodate 20 to 24
parking spaces; 20 spaces if the existing defacto vehicular connection to adjacent parking lot remains
at north-end of the site, or 24 spaces if this connection is approved to be closed.
Proposed Uses Size Code Req’d ¼-mile Metro Station Parking Req’d
Storage 32,912 1 per 1,000 sf 25% reduction 24.68
Food Hall 5,849 sf 1 per 200 sf 25% reduction 21.93
Outdoor Patio 1,326sf (60
seats)
1 per 6 seats 25% reduction 7.50
Total 54 spaces
Parking Requirement of Proposed Uses
Based on the inherent limitations of the project site, it is not feasible to provide the additional parking
spaces required by the current Development Code requirements. Additionally, a parking analysis of
the project conducted by Gibson Transportation Consultants Inc. found that the actual parking needs
of the project based on the specific mix of uses is significantly less than what is required by the
Development Code. The chart below shows the estimated peak hourly parking needs of the combined
food hall and self-storage uses.
Estimated Peak Hourly Parking Demand of Proposed Uses
Existing Public Parking Availability
To determine existing public parking availability in the vicinity of the site, Gibson Transportation
Consulting Inc.’s recently completed Downtown Arcadia parking survey and study was used to
identify the amount of surrounding public parking and the current usage rate of these spaces.
According to the Gibson survey data, there are approximately 120 curbside public parking spaces
currently within a one-to-two block distance of the project site plus an additional 241 public parking
spaces in the city-owned parking lot adjacent to the post office. The figure below shows the location
and current time restrictions of these 361 public parking spaces.
Existing public parking within the vicinity of site and existing time-use restrictions
To evaluate the current usage of these 361 public parking spaces, Gibson utilized standard occupancy
criteria of 85-100% considered “effectively fully occupied”, 65-84% considered “well utilized”, and 0-
64% occupied as “underutilized”, Based on this criteria, during weekday evenings starting at 3:00 PM,
and all day on weekends, there is sufficient unutilized public parking in the area to accommodate the
additional demand on these spaces resulting from the proposed food hall. On weekdays from 9:00
AM to 3:00 PM, occupancy rates of these 361 public parking spaces are at or near the “effectively fully
occupied” level, and therefore may struggle to accommodate any significant increase in demand
unless additional parking measures are enacted. However, during this time-period parking demand
from the food hall is only anticipated to peak at 27 spaces, and therefore only seven additional parking
spaces are needed to be accommodated by public parking and/or private off-site parking leased by
the food hall operator. The parking survey’s usage results for each hour are shown below in Table Y
& Z.
THURSDAY TOTAL 8AM 9AM 10AM 11AM 12PM 1PM 2PM 3PM 4PM 5PM 6PM 7PM
Parking Lot 241 119 226 233 221 229 212 203 185 149 117 75 58
Curbside 120 46 73 84 81 74 67 74 81 76 40 50 44
Total Occupied [361] 165 299 317 302 303 279 277 266 225 157 125 102
% Occupied n/a 46% 83% 88% 84% 84% 77% 77% 74% 62% 43% 35% 28%
Table Y: Weekday Public Parking Occupancy
SATURDAY TOTAL 8AM 9AM 10AM 11AM 12PM 1PM 2PM 3PM 4PM 5PM 6PM 7PM
Parking Lot 241 107 152 166 182 194 187 152 122 96 93 85 62
Curbside 120 42 45 62 78 68 74 72 66 49 47 41 45
Total Occupied [361] 149 197 228 260 262 261 224 188 145 140 126 107
% Occupied n/a 41% 55% 63% 72% 73% 73% 62% 52% 40% 39% 35% 30%
Table Z: Weekend Public Parking Occupancy
Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan
In lieu of providing additional parking spaces on-site, the Arcadia Commons Parking Management
Plan is proposed for implementation concurrent with approval of the proposed food hall project. This
Parking Management Plan is based on the analysis and recommendations from Gibson Parking
Consultants, items included in the project’s Development Agreement (DA 19-01), as well as proposed
parking mitigation measures from the food hall operator. Recognizing the inherent limitations of the
project site, the goals and policies for Downtown Arcadia as listed in the Arcadia General Plan, and
the specifics of the proposed use, this plan states that Parking Management Action Items 1 – 8 on the
following page are to be implemented by the City and the Applicant prior to opening of the Food Hall.
As part of a larger parking study and parking management plan for the Downtown Arcadia
commercial district, the City is already considering the above noted items re garding adding new
curbside parking spaces onto Santa Clara Street and time-limits to Morlan Place and the city-owned
parking lot. The City Engineer has reviewed all of the proposed measures in the Food Hall Parking
Management Plan and is in agreement with implementing these items as they will be beneficial for
not only this specific project, but for the Downtown Arcadia commercial district as a whole.
Parking Management Plan Action Items
1. The City agrees to add new curbside parking spaces on Santa Clara Street between Santa Anita
Avenue and Huntington Drive. It is anticipated this will add a minimum of 25 to 30 new
curbside parking spaces. The precise number of curbside spaces is to be determined at a later
date based on the specifics of the Santa Clara Street reconfiguration.
2. The City agrees to add time-limits of 4 hours or less on the currently unrestricted curbside
parking spaces on Morlan Place during weekday business hours of 9 AM to 6 PM. The exact
time limits (e.g., 30 minute, 2-hour, 4-hour, etc.) will remain at the discretion of the City, but
not exceed 4 hours of continuous parking.
3. As a condition of approval for the Project, the Food Hall operator agrees to enter into and
maintain a lease for a minimum of 10 off-site parking spaces at the adjacent Elks Lodge
property at 27 W. Huntington Drive or another private property within 1/4 mile of the subject
property for use by food hall and self-storage employees and operators.
4. As a stipulation in the Project’s Development Agreement, the Food Hall Operator agrees to
pay a $200,000 in lieu parking fee to the City to be used towards parking management and
enforcement in Downtown Arcadia, and/or towards construction of a future public parking
resource in this commercial district.
5. In order to allow for the entire on-site parking lot to be utilized by patrons of the food hall and
self-storage facility, the Food Hall operator will require all self-storage staff and food hall staff
and operators to park off-site and reserve all of the on-site parking for customers only. All
staff and operators shall be directed to park in the private parking lot required to be leased by
the food hall operator, or a public parking location that is outside of the boundaries indicated
on the map included with this plan.
6. Prior to tenanting 50% or more of the Food Hall, the Food Hall operator agrees to provide
parking lot security personnel during all evening and late night operating hours. Security
personnel shall be on-duty beginning at 5PM daily or as otherwise determined by the City to
be necessary following initial Food Hall opening, in order to properly monitor parking and
security in the subject parking lot and adjacent private parking lots and properties.
7. If valet parking service will be provided for the Food Hall, the Food Hall Operator shall first
prepare and submit a valet service parking plan to the City for review and approval. The valet
service parking plan shall indicate the location of the off-site parking lot that will be utilized
as well as other operational details of the valet service.
8. During the self-storage business’ operating hours, portable signage shall be used to label “self-
storage loading/unloading only” for the two closest non-ADA parking spaces to the building.
At all other times, this signage shall be removed or obscured from view to ensure that these
spaces are used by food hall patrons when the self-storage business is not in operation.
MEMORANDUM
TO: Phil Wray and Tim Schwehr
City of Arcadia
FROM: Patrick A. Gibson, P.E., T.E., PTOE
Richard Gibson, LEED Green Associate
DATE: August 29, 2019
RE: Revised Parking Analysis for
Bekins Food Hall
Arcadia, California Ref: J1699
In consideration of the revised and refined site plan for the redevelopment (Revised Project)
of the existing Bekins Storage Facility (Bekins), Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc. (GTC)
was asked to revise the shared parking model contained in Parking Analysis for Bekins Food
Hall, Arcadia, California (GTC, April 24, 2019) (Parking Analysis) to detail the shared parking
demands and assess the adequacy of the parking supply for the Revised Project.
REVISED PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Revised Project proposes converting approximately 7,200 square feet (sf) of the existing
storage building into a variety of restaurant related uses, with the remaining portions of the
facility remaining as storage units. For the purposes of this analysis, it was assumed that the
Revised Project includes 32,912 sf of mini-warehouse storage facilities, 4,000 sf of fast casual
restaurant space (including an outdoor dining patio with 60 seats), 2,000 sf of bar/gastropub
uses, 1,200 sf of coffee shop area, and 20 to 24 on-site parking spaces.
CODE REQUIREMENTS
The Arcadia Municipal Code (Code) requires the following parking supply for the Project’s
proposed land uses:
Mini-Warehouse – one space per 1,000 sf
Restaurant, Small – one space per 200 sf
Restaurant, Outdoor Patio – one space per six seats
The Code also allows for reductions in the number of required parking spaces based on the
Project’s proximity to rail transit. Due to its location within 0.25 miles of the Gold Line station,
the Project qualifies for a 25% reduction in Code-required parking spaces.
Mr. Phil Wray and Mr. Tim Schwehr
August 29, 2019
Page 2
As shown in Table 1, the Project requires a total of 54 parking spaces per the Code. The Project’s
20 to 24 on-site spaces represent a deficit of 30 to 34 parking spaces from Code requirements.
SHARED PARKING MODEL
Code requirements for parking spaces are based on single-use, stand-alone developments and
tend to require more parking than needed in mixed-use developments, where a portion of the
parking supply may be shared among uses with different peak demand times. To determine the
appropriate quantity of parking that would satisfy the demands of the Revised Project, a shared
parking model was created that considers the peak times of each use within the development to
determine the overall peak parking demand.
The parking demand rates for the Revised Project were developed using a two-step process. The
first step was to identify the breakdown of land uses (i.e., customer and employee-generating land
uses) within the Revised Project. The second step involved calibrating the Shared Parking, 2nd
Edition (Urban Land Institute [ULI], and the International Council of Shopping Centers [ICSC],
2005) model to replicate the current conditions at Bekins
Model Development Methodology
Shared Parking, 2nd Edition defines national averages to be used for parking demand rates for
various land uses and it suggests ranges of assumptions to be used for transit and internal capture.
The recommended methodology, however, states that the best way to measure the demand at a
particular project is to use local data to modify the national averages so that they reflect local
conditions.
Four key data sets were utilized in the model calibration: Code parking rates, national parking
demand rates and hourly demand patterns found in Parking Generation, 4th Edition (Institute of
Transportation Engineers, 2010), the amount of proposed active floor area, and anecdotal and
observed parking demands of the existing mini-warehouse uses.
Base Parking Rates. The base rates for the restaurant, bar/gastropub, and coffee shop uses were
taken from the Code requirements for each land use type or from Parking Generation, 4th Edition if
Code rates were not applicable. The base rate for the mini-warehouse use is based on parking
surveys conducted at the existing mini-warehouse in December 2018 that showed a maximum
demand of three parking spaces on a weekday and one parking space on a weekend day.
Active Floor Area. The shared parking model utilizes floor area as the metric to generate parking
demand for each land use. As described above, the model was developed using the proposed floor
area data.
The following floor areas were considered for the Revised Project:
32,912 sf mini-warehouse
4,000 sf fast-casual restaurant space
o Includes a 1,326 sf outdoor patio with 60 seats
Mr. Phil Wray and Mr. Tim Schwehr
August 29, 2019
Page 3
2,000 sf of Bar/Gastropub
1,200 sf of Coffee Shop
Parking Demand Ratio. The parking demand ratio is utilized by the model to generate parking
demand estimates for the selected land uses. The base rates were developed through ULI/ICSC’s
extensive nationwide research efforts. The ULI/ICSC methodology requires that each land use be
assigned a specific parking ratio; that is, the parking ratio for each land use if that land use were
located in a free-standing development. While the base rate does represent the typical average
use, adjustments to the demand rates may be necessary to achieve calibration to local conditions.
Time of Day. Time of day is one of the key assumptions of the shared parking model. This factor
reveals the hourly parking pattern of the analyzed land uses; essentially, the peak demands are
indicated by this factor. ULI/ICSC’s research efforts have yielded a comprehensive data set of
time of day factors for multiple land uses. As the demand for each land use fluctuates over the
course of the day, the ability to implement shared parking emerges. The time of day patterns use
the national average patterns in order to provide a conservative scenario unless the operating
hours of a particular land use is known, in which case the hourly patterns will be adjusted based
on proposed hours of operation. For example, the coffee shops in the Revised Project will close
by 8:00 PM each day; therefore, the hourly pattern of the coffee shop was adjusted to reflect the
earlier closing time than national averages.
Weekday vs. Weekend. Each shared parking analysis measured the parking demand on a
weekday as well as on a weekend day (i.e., Saturday) because different land uses within a mixed-
use development have different weekday and weekend parking demand patterns.
Mode Split and Captive Market. Two factors that affect the overall parking demand at a particular
development are the number of visitors and employees that arrive by automobile and the number
of visitors that visit multiple venues within the development. The mode split accounts for the number
of visitors and employees that arrive by means other than the automobile (transit, walk, bicycle, taxi,
etc.) For this analysis, a mode split of 10% to 25% to account for the nearby Gold Line station was
assumed, along with a 5%-15% internal capture rate for restaurant and bar/gastropub patrons.
Seasonal Variation. Seasonal variations used in the model are derived from ULI/ICSC average
rates. The shared parking analysis summarized in this report projected parking demand over the
course of the year (i.e., each month), including the late December holiday season.
Automobile Occupancy. The Revised Project’s shared parking analysis used the national
averages for automobile occupancy, i.e., the typical number of passengers in each vehicle parking
at the site for all land uses. No changes were made to the ULI/ICSC average rates. The shared
parking model applies these assumptions/inputs and considers each land use separately in order
to identify the peak parking demands of each component and the overall Revised Project.
Shared Parking Model Results
Tables 2 and 3 and Charts 1A through 3B illustrate the results of the shared parking model for
future conditions with the Revised Project.
Mr. Phil Wray and Mr. Tim Schwehr
August 29, 2019
Page 4
As shown in Table 2 and Charts 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B, the parking model peak parking demand for
the Revised Project occurs at 9:00 PM on a December weekday (39 occupied spaces) and 9:00
PM on a December weekend (43 occupied spaces). The weekday mid-day peak parking demand
occurs at 12:00 PM (27 occupied spaces). Table 3 and Charts 3A and 3B provide an hourly
breakdown of parking demand for the Revised Project on weekdays and weekends.
The previous project generated a peak parking demand of 59 weekday parking spaces and 67
peak weekend parking spaces. Thus, the Revised Project represents a peak parking reduction of
approximately one-third from the previous project.
Based on the proposed on-site parking supply of 20 to 24 spaces, there would be parking deficits
of 15 to 19 spaces during a weekday evening, 19 to 23 spaces during a Saturday evening, and
three to seven spaces during a weekday mid-day.
PARKING MITIGATION EVALUATION
In order to identify mitigation measures to address the Revised Project’s parking deficit detailed
above, GTC evaluated several options for better utilizing or even increasing the local parking
supply. The following options, described in detail in the Parking Analysis, were the most likely to
have a positive effect on the Study Area parking conditions:
Private Off-Street Parking Options
Leasing Private Lots. One potential source of additional parking supply could be the leasing of
spaces at a nearby parking lot that is underutilized at the times when the Revised Project is heavily
utilized. If the leased lots are not within a close vicinity of the Revised Project, they could be
utilized for employee parking. During the evening, the available on-street parking supply, along
with the Revised Project lot, can accommodate the Revised Project’s parking demand and, thus,
leased lots would not be needed.
Elks Lodge Lot. The adjacent Elks Lodge lot is relatively underutilized before 4:00 PM, so a
leasing agreement could allow the Revised Project to use this lot to help accommodate its
breakfast and lunchtime demands. The Elks Lodge lot was fully occupied from 4:00 PM to 7:00
PM on a weekday and at 7:00 PM on a weekend day.
Valet Parking. The Revised Project could utilize valet parking to increase the effective on-site
parking supply by stack parking vehicles in the drive aisles of the Bekins lot or Elks Lodge lot.
Valets could also be utilized to park vehicles off-site in adjacent private parking lots that may be
too far from the Revised Project to be considered convenient for patrons.
Employee Off-Site Parking. Whenever feasible, Revised Project employees could be
encouraged to park off-site, either in the on-street public supply or in a privately leased parking
lot, in order to leave the on-site spaces for customers.
Mr. Phil Wray and Mr. Tim Schwehr
August 29, 2019
Page 5
Public Parking Utilization
One potential source of additional parking supply for the Revised Project is on-street and off-
street public parking spaces.
Santa Anita Avenue & Huntington Drive Lot. Just east of the Revised Project site, at the
northeast corner of Santa Anita Avenue & Huntington Drive, is a large public parking lot with
approximately 224 public parking spaces. Currently this lot is very well utilized from 9:00 AM to
3:00 PM on weekdays and does not have enough vacant spaces to accommodate Revised
Project overflow demand during the day on weekdays. After 3:00 PM on weekdays and all day on
weekends, however, this lot has at least 45 vacant parking spaces that could be utilized by Bekins
patrons. In addition, the recommendations for this lot detailed in Parking Study for Downtown
Arcadia, Arcadia, California (Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc., May 2019) (Downtown
Parking Study) could develop additional parking supply through parking lot restriping and/or
relocating employee parking to less centrally located areas. It’s possible this lot could provide
additional parking for Revised Project patrons in the future.
Santa Anita Avenue. Between St. Joseph Street and Huntington Drive, Santa Anita Avenue
provides approximately 40 parking spaces, mostly unrestricted. No parking is allowed on the west
side of Santa Anita Avenue between Santa Clara Street and Morlan Place and this section could
accommodate an additional seven vehicles if parking were allowed. According to the survey
results, these sections of Santa Anita Avenue are currently underutilized (less than 50% occupied)
and could provide at least 20 available parking spaces at all times of day.
Huntington Drive. The north side of Huntington Drive between Santa Anita Avenue and Santa
Clara Street provides 19 parking spaces with two-hour time restrictions. According to the parking
occupancy surveys, demand on this stretch of roadway never exceeds more than 11 vehicles,
resulting in a minimum of eight parking spaces available at all times. Peak demand after 4:00 PM
is only eight spaces, resulting in the availability of 11 parking spaces for other uses after 4:00 PM.
Morlan Place. Parking utilization surveys conducted as part of the Downtown Parking Study
indicated that the existing demand for the on-street parking spaces along Morlan Place was nearly
100% from 7:00 AM until 5:00 PM on weekdays and 70-80% from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM on
Saturday. The parking utilization surveys also indicated that the existing demand for the on-street
spaces decreased dramatically after 5:00 PM on weekdays and 4:00 PM on Saturday and that
the daytime utilization of these spaces was primarily driven by area employees, particularly from
the Mercedes-Benz dealership.
Parking on Morlan Place could be controlled by installing time limits on the existing curb spaces.
Currently, most of the curb spaces are being utilized for long-term employee parking, mainly by
Mercedes-Benz employees. In order to free up the Morlan Place parking spaces for patrons of
the local establishments, a time-limit of two hours from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM should be placed on
both sides of Morlan Place. This will prevent any long-term employee parking on Morlan Place
and free up the spaces for use by Revised Project patrons as well as patrons of the other local
businesses, allowing the businesses located south/east of Morlan Place better utilization of those
on-street parking spaces during daytime hours.
Santa Clara Street. Based on an assessment of the operating conditions and available roadway
capacity on Santa Clara Street, it appears that a substantial increase in curb parking could be
Mr. Phil Wray and Mr. Tim Schwehr
August 29, 2019
Page 6
achieved by reducing portions of the roadway from two travel lanes to one travel lane in order to
accommodate new on-street parking spaces. The potential reconfiguration of Santa Clara Street
could accommodate up to 48 new on-street parking spaces. Based on the current pattern of
daytime on-street parking utilization in the area, it is anticipated that these new on-street parking
spaces would be used by the Mercedes-Benz dealership employees that currently utilize the 45
on-street parking spaces on Morlan Place.
It is important to note that the lane configurations and associated traffic volumes at the
intersections of Santa Clara Street & Huntington Drive and Santa Clara Street & Santa Anita
Avenue would remain unchanged with this proposed reconfiguration. As such, this proposed
reconfiguration would not result in any secondary significant traffic impacts.
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDED OPTIONS
The Revised Project proposes to convert a portion of the existing Bekins mini-warehouse
building into restaurant/food hall uses and provide 20 to 24 parking spaces on-site.
The Code parking requirement for the Revised Project is 54 spaces.
A shared parking demand model prepared for the Revised Project projects a peak
weekday demand of 39 parking spaces during the evening and a peak weekend demand
of 43 parking spaces during the evening.
Given an on-site parking supply of 20 to 24 spaces, there would be parking deficit of 15 to
19 spaces on a weekday and 19 to 23 spaces on a weekend.
Adjacent available public parking is not adequate to accommodate the Revised Project
demands without changes to design or operation.
The public parking lot at the northeast corner of Santa Anita Avenue & Huntington Drive
could provide up to 45 parking spaces after 3:00 PM on weekdays and all day on
weekends.
By shifting long-term employee parking to Santa Clara Street and limiting Morlan Place to
short-term parking through time limits, sufficient parking supply could be provided to more
than meet the peak demands of the Revised Project.
The following options could help accommodate Revised Project parking demand:
o Reconfigure Santa Clara Street by removing two travel lanes along a portion of the
street and provide parking on both sides of the street, which will add 48 parking
spaces to the public inventory.
o Sign the Morlan Place parking spaces for two-hour parking from 10:00 AM to 6:00
PM seven days a week to encourage long-term employee parking to shift to Santa
Clara Street.
Mr. Phil Wray and Mr. Tim Schwehr
August 29, 2019
Page 7
o Restore parking to the west side of Santa Anita Avenue between Santa Clara
Street and Morlan Place, which would provide seven additional parking spaces,
and restrict the use of these spaces to two-hour parking between 10:00 AM and
6:00 PM on weekdays.
o Encourage Revised Project employees to park off-site either on public streets or
in a nearby leased private parking lot.
o Implement a valet parking plan for the Revised Project that either parks vehicles
off-site or stack parks vehicles in the on-site parking lot during peak times of the
week.
TABLE 1VEHICULAR CODE PARKING REQUIREMENTSLand Use Size Code Requirement [a]Parking RequiredCity of Arcadia Parking Code RequirementProjectMini-Warehouse 32,912 sf 1.00 sp / 1,000 sf 25% Transit Reduction 24.68 spacesRestaurant, Small 5,849 sf 1.00 sp / 200 sf 25% Transit Reduction 21.93 spacesRestaurant, Small - Outdoor Patio 60 seats 1.00 sp / 6 seats 25% Transit Reduction 7.50 spaces54 spacesNotessf: square feet[a] Source: Arcadia Municipal Code (City of Arcadia) Section 9103.07.060, Off-Street Parking for Non-Residential Uses Requirements.TOTAL PROJECT PARKING REQUIREMENT
TABLE 2SHARED PARKING DEMAND SUMMARYBEKINS FOOD HALLPEAK MONTH: DECEMBER -- PEAK PERIOD: 9 PM, WEEKENDProjected Parking Supply: 20 Stalls Weekday Weekend Weekday WeekendNon- Non- Peak Hr Peak Mo Estimated Peak Hr Peak Mo EstimatedBase Mode Captive Project Base Mode Captive Project Adj Adj Parking AdjAdj Parking Land Use Quantity Unit Rate Adj Ratio Rate Unit Rate Adj Ratio Rate Unit 9 PM December Demand 9 PM December DemandFast Casual Restaurant 4,000 sf GLA 4.00 0.90 0.95 3.42 /ksf GLA 4.00 0.90 0.95 3.42 /ksf GLA 0.60 1.00 8 0.90 1.00 12 Employee 1.00 0.90 1.00 0.90 /ksf GLA 1.00 0.90 1.00 0.90 /ksf GLA 0.80 1.00 3 1.00 1.00 4Bar/Gastropub 2,000 sf GLA 15.25 0.90 0.85 11.67 /ksf GLA 15.25 0.90 0.8511.67 /ksf GLA 1.00 1.00 24 1.00 1.00 24 Employee 1.25 1.00 1.00 1.25 /ksf GLA 1.25 1.00 1.00 1.25 /ksf GLA 1.00 1.00 3 1.00 1.00 3Mini-Warehouse 32,912 sf GLA 0.09 0.90 1.00 0.08 /ksf GLA 0.06 0.90 1.00 0.05 /ksf GLA 0.00 1.00 0 0.00 1.00 0 Employee 0.01 0.90 1.00 0.01 /ksf GLA 1.00 0.90 1.00 0.90 /ksf GLA 0.00 1.00 0 0.00 1.00 0Coffee Shop w/o Drive-Thru 1,200 sf GLA 15.00 0.90 1.00 13.50 /ksf GLA12.22 0.90 1.00 11.00 /ksf GLA 0.00 0.60 0 0.00 0.60 0 Employee 3.00 0.75 1.00 2.25 /ksf GLA 2.50 0.75 1.00 1.88 /ksf GLA 0.25 0.70 1 0.00 0.70 0ULI base data have been modified from default values.Customer 32 Customer 36Employee 7 Employee 7Reserved 0 Reserved 0Total 39 Total 43Shared Parking Reduction 51% 46%Project Data
TABLE 3PEAK MONTH SHARED PARKING SUMMARY FORBEKINS FOOD HALLDecemberWeekday Estimated Peak-Hour Parking DemandProjected Parking Supply: 20 StallsOverall Pk AM Peak Hr PM Peak Hr Eve Peak HrMonthly Adj.6 AM 7 AM 8 AM 9 AM 10 AM 11 AM 12 PM 1 PM 2 PM 3 PM 4 PM 5 PM 6 PM 7 PM 8 PM9 PM 10 PM 11 PM 12 AM9 PM 10 AM 5 PM 9 PMFast Casual Restaurant 100% 3 7 8 10 12 12 14 12 7 6 6 10 11 11 11 8 8 7 3 8 12 10 8 Employee 100% 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 3 4 3 3 Bar/Gastropub 100% - - - - - - - - - - - 6 8 12 18 24 24 24 24 24 - 6 24 Employee 100% - - - - - - - - - 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 - 2 3 Mini-Warehouse 100% - - 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 2 1 1 - - - - - - - - 1 1 - Employee 100% - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Coffee Shop w/o Drive-Thru 60% 6 7 10 6 6 4 4 3 2 2 4 5 4 3 2 - - - - - 6 5 - Employee 70% 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 - - - 1 2 2 1 Customer 9 14 19 17 19 18 21 18 12 10 11 22 23 26 31 32 32 31 27 32 19 22 32 Subtotal Demand by User TypeEmployee 3 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 5 5 4 7 6 7 7 Reserved - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - GRAND TOTAL DEMAND12 19 24 22 25 24 27 24 18 17 18 29 29 33 38 39 37 36 31 39 25 29 39 ULI base data have been modified from default values.39 25 29 39 Footnote(s):DecemberWeekend Estimated Peak-Hour Parking DemandOverall Pk AM Peak Hr PM Peak Hr Eve Peak HrMonthly Adj.6 AM 7 AM 8 AM 9 AM 10 AM 11 AM 12 PM 1 PM 2 PM 3 PM 4 PM 5 PM 6 PM 7 PM 8 PM9 PM 10 PM 11 PM 12 AM9 PM 11 AM 1 PM 9 PMFast Casual Restaurant 100% - - - - - 2 7 8 6 6 6 8 12 13 14 12 12 12 7 12 2 8 12 Employee 100% - 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 4 3 3 4 Bar/Gastropub 100% - - - - 2 4 5 6 7 8 8 5 6 12 18 24 24 24 24 24 4 6 24 Employee 100% - - - 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 Mini-Warehouse 100% - - - - 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 2 - Employee 100% - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Coffee Shop w/o Drive-Thru 60% - 8 7 6 5 5 3 3 2 2 4 4 3 2 - - - - - - 5 3 - Employee 70% 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - - - - 2 1 - Customer - 8 7 6 8 12 17 19 17 17 19 17 21 27 32 36 36 36 31 36 12 19 36 Subtotal Demand by User TypeEmployee 1 3 3 6 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 8 8 7 7 6 5 7 7 6 7 Reserved - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - GRAND TOTAL DEMAND1 11 10 12 15 19 23 25 23 23 25 24 28 35 40 43 43 42 36 43 19 25 43 ULI base data have been modified from default values.43 19 25 43
01020304050607080Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Late DecParking StallsMonthCHART 1AWEEKDAY MONTH-BY-MONTH ESTIMATED DEMANDParking Supply: 20 Stalls
01020304050607080Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Late DecParking StallsMonthCHART 1BWEEKDAY MONTH-BY-MONTH ESTIMATED DEMANDParking Supply: 24 Stalls
01020304050607080Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Late DecParking StallsMonthCHART 2AWEEKEND MONTH-BY-MONTH ESTIMATED DEMANDParking Supply: 20 Stalls
01020304050607080Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Late DecParking StallsMonthCHART 2BWEEKEND MONTH-BY-MONTH ESTIMATED DEMANDParking Supply: 24 Stalls
01020304050607080Parking StallsHourCHART 3APEAK MONTH DAILY PARKING DEMAND BY HOURWeekdayWeekendParking Supply: 20 Stalls
01020304050607080Parking StallsHourCHART 3BPEAK MONTH DAILY PARKING DEMAND BY HOURWeekdayWeekendParking Supply: 24 Stalls
MEMORANDUM
TO: Phil Wray and Tim Schwehr
City of Arcadia
FROM: Patrick A. Gibson, P.E., T.E., PTOE
Richard Gibson, LEED Green Associate
DATE: August 27, 2019
RE: Revised Traffic Analysis for
Bekins Food Hall
Arcadia, California Ref: J1699
In consideration of the revised and refined site plan for the redevelopment (Revised Project)
of the existing Bekins Storage Facility (Bekins), Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc. (GTC)
was asked to revise the trip generation estimates contained in Draft Traffic Impact Study for
the Bekins Food Hall Mixed-Use Development, Arcadia, California (GTC, March 2019) (Traffic
Study) to assess the Revised Project’s potential traffic impacts.
REVISED PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Revised Project proposes converting approximately 7,200 square feet (sf) of the existing
storage building into a variety of restaurant related uses, with the remaining portions of the
facility remaining as storage units. For the purposes of this analysis, it was assumed that the
Revised Project includes 32,886 sf of mini-warehouse storage facilities, 4,000 sf of fast casual
restaurant space (including an outdoor dining patio with 60 seats), 2,000 sf of bar/gastropub
uses, 1,200 sf of coffee shop area, and 21 to 24 on-site parking spaces.
REVISED PROJECT TRIP GENERATION
The number of trips expected to be generated by the Revised Project was estimated using
rates published in Trip Generation, 10th Edition (Institute of Transportation Engineers [ITE],
2017) compared to the Traffic Study trip generation estimates. The ITE trip generation rates
are based on surveys of similar land uses at sites around the country and are provided as
both daily rates and morning and afternoon peak hour rates. They calculate the number of
vehicle trips traveling to and from the Revised Project site based on the size of each land use
in the development.
Appropriate trip generation reductions to account for public transit usage, internal capture,
and pass-by trips were made in consultation with City staff. A 10% adjustment was made to
account for public transit usage/walk-ins. A pass-by reduction was also applied to the coffee
Mr. Phil Wray and Mr. Tim Schwehr
August 27, 2019
Page 2
shop (50%) and restaurant (20%) uses to account for Revised Project trips made as an
intermediate stop on the way from an origin to a primary trip destination without route diversion.
As shown in Table 1, after accounting for the adjustments above, the Revised Project is expected
to generate 563 trips on a typical weekday, including 45 morning peak hour trips (25 inbound
trips, 20 outbound trips) and 48 afternoon peak hour trips (30 inbound trips, 18 outbound trips).
The Revised Project will generate approximately 267 fewer daily trips, including 13 fewer in the
morning peak hour (eight fewer inbound trips, five fewer outbound trips) and 25 fewer in the
afternoon peak hour (11 fewer inbound trips, 14 fewer outbound trips) when compared to the
Traffic Study trip generation estimates.
PROJECT TRIP DISTRIBUTION
As the Revised Project generates fewer trips than the project analyzed in the Traffic Study, it can
be safely concluded that the Revised Project would have fewer impacts on study intersections and
would, therefore, like the previously proposed larger project, create no significant impacts. Based
on the level of service results and the significant impact criteria detailed in the Traffic Study, the
decrease in trips at each intersection would not result in a significant impact at any study intersection
or change the results of the traffic signal warrant analysis conducted for the two unsignalized study
intersections.
CONCLUSION
Based on the trip generation estimates detailed above, the Revised Project would result in the same
or fewer traffic impacts as the project analyzed in the Traffic Study and, therefore, no additional
analysis is required.
In Out Total In Out Total
Trip Generation Rates [a]
Warehousing 150 1.74 77% 23% 0.17 27% 73% 0.19
Mini-Warehouse 151 1.51 60% 40% 0.10 47% 53% 0.17
General Office Building 710 9.74 86% 14% 1.16 16% 84% 1.15
Supermarket 850 106.78 60% 40% 3.82 51% 49% 9.24
High-Turnover (Sit-Down) Restaurant 932 112.18 55% 45% 9.94 62% 38% 9.77
Coffee Shop w/o Drive-Thru 936 282.30 51% 49% 79.91 50% 50% 28.23
Drinking Place 925 113.60 - - - 66% 34% 11.36
Trip Generation Estimates
Proposed Project
Mini-Warehouse 151 31,230 sf 47 2 1 3 2 3 5
Transit/Walk Adjustment - 10% [b] (5)0000(1)(1)
Supermarket 850 5,000 sf 534 11 8 19 23 23 46
Transit/Walk Adjustment - 10% [b] (53) (1) (1) (2) (3) (2) (5)
Pass-By Adjustment - 40% [d] (192) (4) (3) (7) (8) (8) (16)
Restaurant 932 6,500 sf 729 36 29 65 40 24 64
Internal Capture - 5% [c] (36) (2) (1) (3) (2) (1) (3)
Transit/Walk Adjustment - 10% [b] (69) (3) (3) (6) (4) (2) (6)
Pass-By Adjustment - 20% [e] (125) (6) (5) (11) (7) (4) (11)
830 33 25 58 41 32 73
Revised Project
Restaurant 932 4,000 sf 449 22 18 40 24 15 39
Internal Capture - 5% [c] (22) (1) (1) (2) (1) (1) (2)
Transit/Walk Adjustment - 10% [b] (47) (2) (2) (4) (3) (2) (4)
Pass-By Adjustment - 20% [e] (104) (5) (4) (9) (6) (4) (9)
Mini-Warehouse 151 32,886 sf 50 2 1 3 3 3 6
Transit/Walk Adjustment - 10% [b] (5)0000(1)(1)
Coffee Shop w/o Drive-Thru 936 1,200 sf 339 49 47 96 17 17 34
Internal Capture - 10% [c](34) (5) (5) (10) (2) (2) (3)
Transit/Walk Adjustment - 10% [b](37) (5) (5) (10) (2) (2) (4)
Pass-By Adjustment - 50% [e](205) (30) (29) (59) (11) (11) (26)
Drinking Place 925 2,000 sf 227 - - - 15 8 23
Internal Capture - 10% [c](23) - - - (2) (1) (2)
Transit/Walk Adjustment - 10% [b] (25) - - - (2) (1) (3)
563 25 20 45 30 18 48
(267) (8) (5) (13) (11) (14) (25)
Notes:
sf = square feet.
[a] Trip generation rates are from Trip Generation, 10th Edition (Institute of Transportation Engineers, 2017).
[b] Transit/walk adjustment of up to 10% is allowed for developments adjacent to the Metro Gold Line Arcadia Station.
[c] Internal capture adjustments account for person trips made between different components of a mixed-use development without using a vehicle.
[d] Per City of Arcadia, pass-by adjustment of 40% is allowed for supermarket space.
[e] Per City of Arcadia, pass-by adjustment of 20% is allowed for restaurant space.
Total Existing Uses Trips
INCREASE/(DECREASE) IN PROJECT TRIPS
per 1,000 sf
per 1,000 sf
per 1,000 sf
per 1,000 sf
per 1,000 sf
per 1,000 sf
per 1,000 sf
Total Proposed Project Trips
TABLE 1
REVISED PROJECT TRIP GENERATION ESTIMATES
Land Use
ITE
Land
Use
Rate or Size Daily
Morning Peak Hour Afternoon Peak Hour
ARCADIA PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
TUESDAY, July 9, 2019
Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the Planning Commission regarding any item on this agenda will be made
available for public inspection in the City’s Planning Services Office located at 240 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, California,
during normal business hours.
CALL TO ORDER Chair Thompson called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm in the City Council Chamber
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL
PRESENT: Chair Thompson, Vice Chair Lewis, and Commissioners Chan, and Lin
ABSENT: Commissioner Wilander
It was moved by Vice Chair Lewis, seconded by Commissioner Chan to excuse Commissioner
Wilander from the meeting.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM STAFF REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS
Senior Planner Luis Torrico informed the Commission that there were two supplemental items: An email
from Commissioner Wilander regarding Agenda Item No. 2 (to be further addressed by Assistant City
Attorney, Mr.Maurer), and an arborist report that was not included in the agenda packet relating to
Agenda Item No. 1.
Assistant City Attorney Maurer stated that the Commission received an email from Commissioner
Wilander with her comments regarding Agenda Item No 2 since she was unable to attend the meeting.
The email was distributed to the Commission and now serves as a part of the administrative record. He
further clarified to the Commissioners that in the future, please provide your comments directly to Ms.
Flores, Planning & Community Development Administrator to avoid potential Brown Act violations.
PUBLIC COMMENTS (5 minute time limit per person)
There were none.
PUBLIC HEARING
1. Resolution No. 2034- Approving Multiple Family Architectural Design Review No. MFADR 18-
03, Tentative Tract Map No. TTM 18-04 (82355), Protected Healthy Tree Removal Permit No.
TRH 18-22, and Protected Tree Encroachment Permit No. TRE 19-20 with a Categorical
Exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for a six-unit multi-family
residential condominium development at 414 Fairview Avenue
Recommendation: Adopt Resolution No. 2034
Mr. Torrico introduced the item and presented the staff report.
Chair Thompson opened the public hearing and asked if the applicant would like to speak on the
item.
Applicant Tom Li spoke on the item.
3 6-11-19
Condition No. 31: The Owner/Applicant shall install motion sensor stair lights for safety purposes.
The plans submitted to Building Services for plan check shall indicate the location of said lights and
include a note that the lights will be motion sensor lights.
ROLL CALL
AYES: Thompson, Lewis, Chan, and Lin
NOS: None
ABSENT: Wilander
There is a ten day appeal period after the adoption of the Resolution. If adopted, appeals are to
be filed by 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 22, 2019.
2. Development Agreement No. DA 19-01, Minor Use Permit No. MUP 18-06, Architectural
Design Review No. ADR 18-19, and Planning Commission Administrative Modification No.
PC AM 18-02 with a Categorical Exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) to convert 10,000 square feet of the 38,761 square foot, self-storage building into a
multitenant food hall with an incidental outdoor dining area at 33–35 W. Huntington Drive
Recommendation: Forward a Recommendation to the City Council
Mr. Torrico introduced the item and turned it over to Senior Management Analyst Tim Schwehr to
present the staff report.
Chair Thompson opened the public hearing and asked if the applicant would like to speak on the
item.
Applicant Peter Lee spoke on the item.
Chair Thompson asked if there was anyone who would like to speak in favor of the item.
No one responded.
Chair Thompson asked if there was anyone that would like to speak in opposition to the item.
The following individuals spoke:
Christopher Sutton, Attorney Representing Property Owner Manuel Romero (Rod’s
Grill): They oppose the project. The project adversely affects Mr. Romero’s business and
creates a severe parking deficit. It should not move forward as proposed. An
environmental impact report should be completed and the Commission should not
recommend approval to the City Council. Mr. Sutton also raised concerns related to the
parking in-lieu payment as it relates to the Successor Agency sale of property.
Alan Hsiang, Rusnak Arcadia, 55 W. Huntington Drive: Parking is a major concern for
Rusnak. Allowing parking on Santa Clara would negatively affect their business and would
affect the street appeal for their display vehicles. If the project is to be approved, the
applicant should consider their own parking structure.
Olga Hassler, Arcadia Resident: She opposed the project. She stated concerns about
the project’s impact on the character of the neighborhood. There is no parking as is, and
this project will change the family-friendliness of the area and attract gang activity.
4 6-11-19
Manuel Romero, Property Owner, 41 W. Huntington Drive (Rod’s Grill): Parking is
already an issue in the area. His lot is full most of the day so the parking has become first
come, first served. He was concerned that food hall employees will park in his lot. Several
of his own employees have been cited for parking on Huntington Drive due to the parking
time limit. City has to take into account job creation not just business creation.
Gail Marshall, Arcadia Resident: There are too many projects approved in the City that
lack adequate parking. Landscaping is decreasing and hardscape is increasing in the City,
which contributes to warming. Metro contributes to the parking issues in the area and
Metro riders parking on street will hurt businesses. The parking issue will continue to
worsen and this will affect the parking lot near the Post Office as well.
MOTION- PUBLIC HEARING
It was moved by Commissioner Lin, seconded by Vice Chair Lewis to close the public hearing.
Without objection, the motion was approved.
DISCUSSION
Commissioner Lin stated that he loved the concept of the project however; he recommends denial due
to the parking deficit that the project creates. Reliance on street or off-site parking would not be feasible
and more parking issues would ensue. He recommended staff revisit interior parking at the site, possibly
at the basement level to lessen the parking deficit and lessen the impact of the neighboring businesses,
at the street, and on nearby lots such as the post office lot.
Chair Thompson was in favor of the project. The self-storage use results is a low impact parking
requirement for the site. The project location offers ideal walkability for the Le Meridien Hotel site. He
discussed the parking study and the estimate at peak hours is probably an accurate estimate. Rusnak
employees may be impacting parking in the area and he suggested they park on site or at the lot leased
by Rusnak at the Santa Anita Racetrack. There needs to be parking mitigation at peak hours, possibly
through the leasing of some parking spaces at the Elks Lodge or through adjustments to parking…on
Morlan Place or Santa Clara. Replacement parking could be done at a nearby lot but it would need to be
close to the subject property. The project meets the goals and polices of the General Plan. He indicated
he was inclined to recommend approval, conditionally, with parking mitigation during peak hours.
Vice Chair Lewis also was in favor of the project however she echoes her fellow commissioners
concerns with parking. As the Downtown continues to develop, the City needs to assess parking and
consider parking structures, possibly with paid parking. Projects such as this are a great first step for the
development and revitalization of the Downtown area. It would generate foot traffic and would be ideal
for those staying at the Le Meridien. Vice Chair Lewis stated that when looking at the Downtown area, it
requires one to develop an urban mentality rather than the suburban perspective that Arcadia is
accustomed to. Downtown areas may require parking further away than a person is accustomed to and
walking is common feature in urban environments. She agrees with Chair Thompson that there may be
opportunities to lease parking spaces during peak hours. There will be projects that present issues such
as this and that needs to be worked through to ensure The City is getting projects that will revitalize the
downtown; we do not want to lose good projects. Therefore, she stated that she was inclined to
recommend approval of the project.
Commissioner Chan also acknowledged the parking concern and was not in favor of the proposal with
the current parking deficit. He would be inclined to recommend approval if parking could be worked out
5 6-11-19
or if the neighboring businesses could agree upon an arrangement. Rusnak employees should be parking
offsite in locations such as the leased Santa Anita lot, and potentially be shuttled in. Parking at the Elks
Lodge would affect parking for their events. He recommended that the City Council meet with the
applicant and representatives for Rod’s Grill and Rusnak, and agree upon an equitable parking
arrangement. With that being said, the concept of the project is new and exciting. He suggested looking
at alternative parking arrangements such as working with Rod’s Grill on a fee arrangement to potentially
utilize their parking lot during evening hours, once Rod’s is closed. He worries about spillover parking
into the Rod’s Grill lot when parking at the subject lot is full and there is no way to monitor that. The
$200,000 sale price is relatively small compared to what this project is worth, and he would be in favor of
using the funds for parking, such as a parking structure. He is against parking time limits on Santa Anita
or Morlan Place. He is concerned that at breakfast hours, Rod’s, Denny’s, and the food hall would all
generate a parking need at the same time. He would be in favor if parking could be mediated. Additionally,
he recommended the applicant consider adding lighting and cameras in the walkway for safety.
MOTION
It was moved by Chair Thompson, seconded by Vice Chair Lewis to recommend approval of
Development Agreement No. DA 19-01, Minor Use Permit No. MUP 18-06, Architectural Design Review
No. ADR 18-19, and Planning Commission Administrative Modification No. PC AM 18-02 with a
Categorical Exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to convert 10,000 square
feet of the 38,761 square foot, self-storage building into a multitenant food hall with an incidental outdoor
dining area at 33–35 W. Huntington Drive with the addition of a condition of approval to read:
“Adequate offsite mitigation parking is secured for peak hour demand to be approved by the director of
Planning”
ROLL CALL
AYES: Chair Thompson and Vice Chair Lewis
NOS: Commissioners Chan and Lin
ABSENT: Commissioner Wilander
The motion failed on a 2-2 roll call vote.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Lin, seconded by Chan to recommend denial of Development Agreement
No. DA 19-01, Minor Use Permit No. MUP 18-06, Architectural Design Review No. ADR 18-19, and
Planning Commission Administrative Modification No. PC AM 18-02 with a Categorical Exemption under
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to convert 10,000 square feet of the 38,761 square foot,
self-storage building into a multitenant food hall with an incidental outdoor dining area at 33–35 W.
Huntington Drive.
ROLL CALL
AYES: Commissioners Chan and Lin
NOS: Chair Thompson and Vice Chair Lewis
ABSENT: Commissioner Wilander
The motion failed on a 2-2 roll call vote.
6 6-11-19
The Commission did not make a recommendation of either approval or denial of the item due to a split
2-2 vote, however; there was a consensus to pass along the Commission’s individual comments to the
City Council for their consideration at a future hearing.
CONSENT CALENDAR
All matters listed under the Consent Calendar are considered to be routine and can be acted on by one
roll call vote. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless members of the Commission,
staff, or the public request that specific items be removed from the Consent Calendar for separate
discussion and action.
3. Minutes of the June 11, 2019, Regular Meeting of the Planning Commission
Recommendation: Approve
.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Chan seconded by Chair Thompson to approve the June 11, 2019
Planning Commission Regular Meeting minutes
ROLL CALL
AYES: Chair Thompson, Vice Chair Lewis, and Commissioners Chan and Lin
NOS: None
ABSENT: Commissioner Wilander
MATTERS FROM CITY COUNCIL LIAISON
City Council Liaison Roger Chandler was not present.
MATTERS FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSONERS
Commissioner Lin recommended to Deputy Development Services Director/City Engineer Phil Wray to
install additional “one-way” signage along Huntington Drive, particularly by the Methodist Hospital
because he has seen cars driving the wrong way several times.
MATTERS FROM ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY
Assistant City Attorney Michael Maurer had nothing to report.
MATTERS FROM STAFF INCLUDING UPCOMING AGENDA ITEMS
Mr. Torrico reported that there is one item scheduled for the July 23, 2019 meeting: a Parcel Map for
condominiums. He also reminded the Commission that a Community Meeting regarding the Design
Guidelines Update would be held prior to the regular scheduled meeting on July 23 from 5-7 p.m. in the
City Council Chambers.
ADJOURNMENT
The Planning Commission adjourned this meeting at 9:08 p.m. to Tuesday, June 25, 2019 in the City
Council Chamber at 240 W. Huntington Dr., Arcadia.
From:Deborah
To:Marilynne Wilander
Cc:Jeramie Brogan; Lisa Flores; Brad Thompson; Kenneth Chan; Zi C. Lin
Subject:Re: 7-9-19 Planning Commission Regular Meeting Agenda Packet
Date:Thursday, July 4, 2019 10:09:24 AM
Marilynne,
Thank you for you comments & have a great & safe 4th.
Deborah
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 4, 2019, at 9:49 AM, Marilynne Wilander <marilynnewilander@gmail.com> wrote:
Fellow Commissions, Lisa, and Jeramie,
I have reviewed the agenda items....and wanted to share my comments and
concerns with an email since I will be in the Boston area and will NOT be
attending.
For the Fairview site, the conversion from single family to a six-unit residential
location makes sense. While I always regret the cutting down of protected trees,
for this site, there is really no practical alternative.
Re: the project on Colorado Blvd, I really like the idea of converting the storage
unit to multi-use, including retaining some of the storage unit, but adding a multi-
tenant food court. However, I have a few concerns. I agree with the
recommendation that access for parking for Rod's Grill NOT be impacted. To
limit their access would not be fair to Rod's Grill and their customers, especially
when the new use would be competition for Rod's Grill.
A major concern is the recommendation to change the requirements for the new
structure from 68 parking spaces, which is the recommended parking amount for
this use to 20 parking spaces. One of the stated goals is to promote pedestrian
connectivity and walkability. The recommendation for how to deal with the
reduction by 70% of the guidelines for parking is to add street parking to Santa
Clara, which certainly could provide some relief during the daytime for those who
would choose to walk, but not really all that helpful. It is also suggested that
customers could park in the large parking lot adjacent to the post office.
However, for a business that is open until midnight Sunday through Thursday,
and until 2 am on Friday and Saturday, parking 2 or more blocks away is not
practical in my opinion. I sincerely doubt that a majority of patrons will chose to
walk a couple of blocks late at night to get to their cars. The recommendation is to
add $200,000 to support parking services. Valet parking can be convenient, but
my experience with valet parking is that it is generally faster to get our own car
than to wait for the valet to run to the location and get the car.
I don't have any particular recommendation on how to gain more parking within
the existing project, but allowing for a reduction of approximately 70% less than
the recommended onsite parking does not seem wise.
Brad, Deborah, Ken, and Xi.....Thanks for the opportunity to share my concerns.
I trust that at the meeting you will do all you can to make sure that this project
makes sense.
Happy 4th of July....and I will see you at the extended July 23rd meeting.
Marilynne
On Wed, Jul 3, 2019 at 3:38 PM Jeramie Brogan <jbrogan@arcadiaca.gov>
wrote:
Dear Commissioners,
Below is the link to the July 9, 2019 Planning Commission Regular Meeting
Agenda Packet:
https://www.arcadiaca.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/16702/19
Item No. 2 is a very large file size so allow for an extra couple minutes for it to
upload. If you have any questions about any of the agenda items for this
meeting please contact Luis Torrico, Senior Planner at
ltorrico@ArcadiaCA.gov or you can contact me at any time. Lisa will be out of
the office until Thursday, July 11, 2019.
Also, just a reminder that City Hall will be closed July 4 and July 5, 2019.
Have a great holiday weekend,
<image003.jpg>Jeramie Brogan
Senior Administrative Assistant
Development Services Department | Planning
(626) 574-5423 |Jbrogan@ArcadiaCA.gov
DATE: July 9, 2019
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commission
FROM: Lisa Flores, Planning & Community Development Administrator
By: Tim Schwehr, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT: DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT NO. DA 19-01, MINOR USE PERMIT
NO. MUP 18-06, ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN REVIEW NO. ADR 18-19,
AND PLANNING COMMISSION ADMINISTRATIVE MODIFICATION NO.
PC AM 18-02 WITH A CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) TO CONVERT
10,000 SQUARE FEET OF THE 38,761 SQUARE FOOT, SELF-
STORAGE BUILDING INTO A MULTITENANT FOOD HALL WITH AN
INCIDENTAL OUTDOOR DINING AREA AT 33–35 W. HUNTINGTON
DRIVE
Recommendation: Forward a Recommendation to the City Council
SUMMARY
The Applicant, Mr. Peter Lee of Northeast Development Enterprises II LLC, is
requesting approval of a Development Agreement and entitlements for an adaptive
reuse project to convert 10,000 square feet of the existing 38,761 square foot self-
storage building at 33-35 W. Huntington Drive into a multi-tenant Food Hall space.
Additionally, the applicant proposes a new 1,326 square foot incidental outdoor dining
area on the ground floor at the rear of the building. It is recommended that the Planning
Commission convey their comments and forward a recommendation to the City Council
to approve this project with a Categorical Exemption under CEQA subject to the
conditions listed in this staff report.
BACKGROUND
The Property is a 20,040 square foot lot, zoned, Central Business District (CBD), and is
developed with a 38,761 square foot, four-story building with a basement that was
constructed in 1949 - refer to Attachment No. 1 for an Aerial photo with Zoning
Information and Photos of the Subject Property. Each floor, including the basement
level, contains approximately 7,600 squa re feet of gross floor area. There is an existing
20 space surface parking lot at the north half of the lot. The building was originally
constructed as a commercial storage facility and has been in continuous operation as
commercial storage and/or self-storage since that time. The ground floor is split-level
DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, & ADR 18-19
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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with the lower half fronting on Huntington Drive and consisting of two small commercial
office units. The upper half of the first floor is accessed from the rear parking lot and
consists of individual self-storage units, the self-storage leasing office, and an empty
storage area that was most recently used by Rusnak Mercedes-Benz for parts and
inventory storage. The basement level is currently vacant and was most recently
occupied by Rusnak for parts storage. Floors 2 through 4 consist of individual self-
storage units that are leased to the public. A front and rear photo of the building is
included below as Figure 1.
Figure 1: Subject Property – front and rear
The subject property was originally acquired by the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency in
2006 as part of a Land Assembly and Development Agreement. The Redevelopment
project involving this property never materialized, and the building has since been
managed as a self -storage facility through a contract with Braun Management
Company. Following the dissolution of Redevelopment in 2012, a long Range Property
Management Plan (“LRPMP”) was adopted by the City in January of 2013. The LRPMP
established that the property at 33-35 W. Huntington Drive be used to temporarily store
parts for Rusnak on the basement and first floor until such time that their dealership
expansion project was complete. Floors 2 through 4 were approved to continue
operating as leasable self-storage units until Rusnak vacated the property. The Rusnak
development project was completed in July 2017, and their parts storage and inventory
operation relocated into their new development in August 2017. The LRPMP specifies
that the Successor Agency now move forward with the sale and diss olution of the
property at 33-35 W. Huntington Drive.
A Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for the Property was issued on June 7, 2017 to local
real estate developers, commercial brokers, and self -storage operators. The RFP
requested prospective buyers to submit a purchase price offer and a description of how
they intended to use the Property. Stated in the RFP was the Agency’s desire to
repurpose the ground floor of the building into a more active commercial use consistent
with the General Plan designation of the site and the vision for the Downtown Arcadia
commercial district. Five proposals were submitted in response to the RFP. Three of the
DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, & ADR 18-19
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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proposals were to continue the existing self-storage use on all levels, while leasing the
two small commercial units fronting Huntington Drive as either office or retail. One
submittal proposed to acquire and hold the Property with the long -term goal of
incorporating it into a future development project with other contiguous parcels on this
block. The final proposal was to repurpose the entire ground floor and the basement
and/or roof of the building to a multi-tenant Food Hall with residential lofts on floors 2
through 4.
The proposals were reviewed by staff, and then presented to the Successor Agency in a
study session on September 19, 2017. Following discussion, the Agency selected the
multi-tenant Food Hall as the preferred option, and directed staff to work with the
developer to refine the details of their pro posal. On February 6, 2018, a revised
proposal from the Buyer was presented to the Successor Agency in study session. The
revised proposal included using floors 2 through 4 as self-storage instead of converting
them to residential lofts. Following review of the revised proposal, the Successor
Agency directed staff to prepare a Purchase and Sale Agreement.
Figure 2: Aerial of Subject Property
On June 5, 2018, the Successor Agency formally approved the Purchase & Sale
Agreement with Northeast Development Enterprises II, LLC. The terms of the
Agreement included a purchase price of $3,250,000. Close of escrow conditions
included approval of development project entitlements and entering into a Development
Agreement to allow 10,000 square feet of the building to be used as a multi-tenant Food
Hall, and the continued operation of self-storage use on the basement level and on
DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, & ADR 18-19
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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floors 2 through 4. Following approval of the Purchase and Sale Agreement by the
Successor Agency, on June 19, 2018, the Oversight Board to the Successor Agency to
the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency reviewed and approved the Purchase and Sale
Agreement. The Purchase and Sale Agreement was signed and executed by the City
and the Buyer on October 16, 2018. In April 2019, the initial 180-day escrow period was
extended four additional months to August 14, 2019.
PROPOSAL
The Applicant proposes to convert the majority of the first floor of the Arcadia Self
Storage Building (7,037 square feet) and a portion of the rooftop area (approximately
2,962 square feet) into a multitenant Food Hall. W ithin this space, the Food Hall will
accommodate up to 10 vendors. The ground floor is initially proposed to have a
coffee/breakfast zone in the front of the building along Huntington Drive with 1 -to-2
vendors; a lunch/dinner area in the center and back of the ground floor with 4-to-6 food
vendors and one alcohol-related vendor; and one beer hall/alcohol vendor occupying
the roof with a potential small kitchen or separate food vendor on the roof as well . The
specific vendor mix, floor plan layouts, and number of tenants may be adjusted at the
Food Hall operator’s discretion based on market demand, provided the overall use of
the building remain a multitenant Food Hall. Including the outdoor seating area at the
rear of the building, the proposed floor plan has 11 sets of communal tables and
benches for seating on the ground floor. The roof floor plan proposes seven sets of
communal tables and benches.
Figure 3: Proposed Ground Floor Plan
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33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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Figure 4: Proposed Roof Plan
The Food Hall is requesting approval of operating hours of 7:00 AM to 12:00 AM
(Midnight), Sunday through Thursday, and 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM, Friday & Saturday. In
the project conditions of approval, staff is recommending extending the allowable
morning operating hours to begin at 6:00 AM each day, rather than 7:00 AM, to ensure
that coffee vendors, bakery tenants, and/or breakfast vendors are viable options for the
Food Hall. Actual operating hours will be based on the specific mix of tenants and
customer demand, but will not exceed the approved hours. The basement and floors 2
through 4 will continue to be utilized for self-storage with a small leasing office proposed
near the rear of the building on the ground floor level. Currently, the existing self-storage
business is open weekdays from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM and weekends from 9:00 AM to
4:00 PM. The Applicant anticipates maintaining similar operating hours for the self -
storage business.
The proposed project requires approval of the following entitlements:
Minor Use Permit: A multitenant Food Hall (small restaurant uses) with alcoholic
beverage service is permitted by right in the CBD zone on a property that is more
than 300 feet from the nearest residential zoned property. However, the proposal
is subject to a Minor Use Permit for the proposed late night operating hours on
Fridays and Saturdays (i.e, between 12:00 midnight and 6:00 AM) and for the
proposed incidental outdoor dining area because it exceeds 12 seats.
Administrative Modification: To allow 20 parking spaces in lieu of 68 spaces
required for the proposed mix of uses.
Architectural Design Review: The Applicant proposes exterior changes to the
existing building consisting of a new storefront glass roll-up door system along
the Huntington Drive frontage and at the rear of the building, a new elevated
DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, & ADR 18-19
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
Page 6 of 27
outdoor patio at the rear of the building, and cosmetic changes to the exterior
walls and building façade.
Development Agreement: The proposal includes a Development Agreement with
the City for several items related to the Successor Agency’s sale of the building
and the Applicant’s Food Hall proposal.
CEQA Determination: The proposed project has been determined to be
categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15303 of the CEQA Guidelines. Refer
to Attachment No. 8 for the Preliminary Exemption Assessment.
ANALYSIS
The Applicant’s proposal is to purchase the property at 33-35 W. Huntington Drive and
convert the ground floor of the building and a portion of the roof into a multitenant Food
Hall. This project was initially reviewed by the Arcadia Successor Agency through an
RFP to sell the property and the Applicant was chosen as the preferred buyer based in
part on the desirability of the proposed Food Hall use and the unique benefits it would
bring to the Downtown Arcadia commercial district, including the following:
1. Will create a unique destination in Downtown Arcadia.
2. Will create a new activity node that connects the historic core of Downtown
Arcadia to the new Le Meridien hotel development and to Santa Anita Park.
3. Will help to enact the goals and policies listed in the Arcadia General Plan related
to revitalizing Downtown Arcadia.
4. Will bring new customers and additional foot traffic to the area with positive
exposure and potential new customers for other businesses in Downtown
Arcadia.
In order to approve the proposed adaptive reuse project, a Minor Use Permit,
Administrative Modification for reduced on-site parking, Architectural Design Review,
and a Development Agreement are required. An analysis of each entitlement is
provided below.
Minor Use Permit
A multitenant Food Hall is classified as small restaurant uses with alcoholic beverage
service and is allowed by right in the CBD zone on the Subject Property, because it is
located greater than 300 feet from the nearest residentially zoned property. A Minor Use
Permit is required for the Food Hall to have late night operating hours on Friday and
Saturday nights (later than 12 Midnight) and for the incidental outdoor dining area to
have more than 12 seats (60 seats proposed).
DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, & ADR 18-19
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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The proposed Food Hall has been reviewed by all City departments and all department
comments and conditions have been incorporated into the project and recommended
conditions of approval. The proposed Food Hall will comply with all zoning, building and
safety, fire, L.A. County Health Department, Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, and
other requirements with the exception of providing the required number of on-site
parking spaces for which an Administrative Modification is requested.
A traffic study for the proposed project has been prepared by Gibson Transportation
Consulting, Inc. and is included as Attachment No. 5. The study evaluated the current
condition of the surrounding intersections and streets and the estimated traffic impacts
from the proposed Food Hall project. Based on the analysis, it was determined that the
proposed project will not have any traffic impacts that warrant mitigation or further study .
A separate parking study was also prepared by Gibson Transportation Consulting Inc.
for this project, and is discussed in the Administrative Modification section of the
analysis.
Consistent with the required findings for approval of a Minor Use Permit, t he proposed
Food Hall is consistent with and will help to achieve a large number of the goals and
policies of the Arcadia General Plan and the Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area
specifically. These include goals and policies related to the following:
Encouraging redevelopment of underutilized p roperties with uses that better
complement the vision of the Downtown.
Promoting pedestrian connectivity and a walkability in the area; creating a
“park once” system in Downtown Arcadia and using shared parking public
parking lots and other creative approaches to parking.
Adjusting development standards to ensure that parking and zoning
regulations enhance redevelopment opportunities and do not preclude project
feasibility.
With approval of an Administrative Modification for reduced parking and the
corresponding parking measures and project conditions of approval, the proposal is
compatible with the existing and future land uses in the vicinity, and the project site can
accommodate the proposed Food Hall use with late night operating hours and 60 seat
incidental outdoor dining area. Based on the above analysis, the proposal is consistent
with the required findings for approval of a Minor Use Permit as outlined in the Findings
section of this staff report.
Administrative Modification (Parking)
There are currently 20 on-site parking spaces and the existing mix of land uses has a
parking requirement of 35 spaces per the parking standards of the Arcadia
Development Code. This includes the two units fronting Huntington Drive that were
formerly office spaces, but are now required to be used as retail or another allowable
DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, & ADR 18-19
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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use under the current Development Code. For parking purposes, the self-storage use is
classified as warehouse and/or general industrial use, both of which require 1 parking
space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area for a total of 28 parking spaces for the
self-storage area (including the 25% transit reduction). In practice however, the current
self-storage use has a much lower parking demand , peaking at a maximum usage of 3-
to-5 parking spaces at a time based on Gibson Transportation Consultants parking
study and staff’s observations of the lot.
Existing Uses Size Code Req’d Parking Req’d
Storage 36,647 sf 1 per 1,000 sf 36.65
Retail (vacant) 2,114 sf 1 per 200 sf 10.57
(Transit Reduction) ¼-mile Metro Station 25% reduction (-11.81)
Total 35 spaces
Table 1: Parking Requirement of Existing Uses
Based on the proposed mix of uses, the Arcadia Municipal Code requires 68 p arking
spaces for the project. The Food Hall is calculated using a “small restaurant” parking
ratio of 1 space per 200 square feet of gross floor area . The incidental outdoor dining
area (Outdoor Patio) requires 1 parking space per 6 seats, and a conservative estimate
is that at most the proposed communal bench seating could accommodate is 60
patrons.
Proposed Uses Size Code Req’d Parking Req’d
Storage 31,230 sf 1 per 1,000 sf 31.23
Food Hall 10,000 sf 1 per 200 sf 50
Outdoor Patio 1,326 sf (60 seats) 1 per 6 seats 10
(Transit Reduction) ¼-mile Metro Station 25% reduction (-22.81)
Total 68 spaces
Table 2: Parking Requirement of Proposed Uses
To bring the property into compliance with current ADA requirements and solid waste
requirements, the Applicant proposes to add a van-accessible ADA parking space and
construct a new covered trash and recyclables enclosure at the north-end of the parking
lot. As part of this project, the Applicant is also proposing to eliminate the northern most
vehicular connection between the subject property and the adjacent property to the west
(Rod’s Grill) in order to maximize the number of on -site parking spaces. There is an
easement across the Rod’s Grill property near the south-end of the parking lot requiring
vehicular access to remain open to the subject property, but there is no formal
easement recorded on the subject property that requires vehicular access or a vehicular
connection at the north-end of these parking lots. The reconfigured parking lot would
increase the number of on-site parking from 20 spaces to 23 spaces.
DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, & ADR 18-19
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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Although staff appreciates the Applicant’s desire to maximize the number of on-site
parking spaces, staff is concerned about the impact to vehicular circulation for the
adjacent business (Rod’s Grill) of closing off the northern vehicular connection as this
would create a dead-end condition in their parking lot with no easy way for vehicles to
circulate and exit the site. Therefore, as a condition of approval for this project, it is
recommended that the Applicant revise their on -site parking to keep the 20 existing on-
site parking spaces and maintain the current vehicular connection open with Rod’s Grill
property and formalize this arrangement by recording an a ccess easement at this
location.
In lieu of providing the additional parking spaces on-site to comply with current parking
standards, as part of the Food Hall the Applicant has proposed to implement the
following parking measures:
Valet parking on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays from 5:00 PM - Close.
A requirement in their tenant leases that all tenants and staff must park off-site.
Leasing of parking in the adjacent Elk’s Lodge property or another nearby private
parking lot for use by employees, valet, and potentially patrons.
A $200,000 in lieu fee paid to the City to be used for public parking management
in the area or construction of a future public parking resource.
To help the City better determine the actual anticipated parking needs of the proposed
project and potential parking solutions including those proposed by the Applicant, the
City contracted with Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc. to prepare a parking
analysis and recommendations memorandum for this project. As previously mentioned
in this report, the self-storage use parking requirement of over 25 spaces is in practice
significantly higher than the actual parking needs of this use. The Food Hall also is not a
typical restaurant use as it utilizes communal seating and smaller footprints for food
preparation and sales, and therefore has different parking needs than 10,000 square
feet of typical small restaurant spaces. As part of their analysis, Gibson surveyed
current parking conditions in the vicinity of the project site, estimated anticipated parking
needs of the proposed project, and recommended measures to consider implementing
to address any anticipated parking shortages on-site. The Gibson analysis and
recommendations memorandum is included as Attachment No. 4 to the staff report. The
most pertinent findings from the analysis are summarized as follows:
Gibson estimates a peak parking demand for the project of 59 parking spaces
occurring at 9:00 PM on weekdays, and 67 parking spaces occurring at 9:00 PM
and 10:00 PM on weekends.
During morning and lunchtime hours, Gibson estimates a peak parking demand of
40 spaces on weekdays and 36 spaces on weekends. The chart below shows the
estimated peak hourly parking demand for both weekdays and weekends.
DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, & ADR 18-19
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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Figure 5: Estimated peak parking based on 7,000sf restaurant, 3,000sf bar/gastropub, & 1,500sf coffee shop
Currently, there are approximately 120 curbside public parking spaces within a
one-to-two block distance of the project site and 224 public parking spaces in the
city-owned parking lot adjacent to the post office. The map below shows the
location and current time restrictions of these parking spaces.
Figure 6: Current Public Parking Restrictions
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33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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On weekday evenings starting at 5:00 PM, and all day on weekends, there is
currently adequate public parking in the vicinity of the site to accommodate the
additional parking needs of the Food Hall project.
On weekdays from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, public parking in the area is near full
occupancy and therefore may struggle to accommodate any extra demand for
public parking spaces created by the Food Hall unless other measures are also
implemented. More specifically, during this time-period, Gibson estimates the
proposed Food Hall and on-site self-storage business will have a peak parking
demand of approximately 40 to 45 spaces. With only 20 parking spaces on-site,
the Food Hall would therefore need to rely on public parking for an additional 20 to
25 spaces.
Gibson recommends consideration of a number of potential parking measures
concurrent with this project to create new public parking and/or free up additional
public parking, particularly during the weekday 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM time-period.
Using the parking strategies proposed by the Applicant, and the findings and
recommendations of the Gibson Parking Study, the Arcadia Commons Parking
Management Plan was prepared for this project and is included as Attachment No. 3 to
the staff report. The Parking Management Plan includes recommended items to
implement concurrent with opening of the Food Hall, including the following:
Add new curbside parking spaces along Santa Clara Street between Santa Anita
Avenue and Huntington Drive. Currently this entire section of Santa Clara Street
is red curbed with no curbside parking. There is room to add up to 48 new
curbside parking spaces on this street.
Add time-limits to all of the currently unrestricted Morlan Place curbside parking
spaces. These spaces are currently utilized predominately on an all-day basis by
employees of nearby businesses.
A requirement that the Food Hall operator lease off-site private parking at the
adjacent Elks Lodge property or another property in the vicinity of the subject
property for employee, valet use, and/or patron parking.
A $200,000 in lieu parking fee paid by the Applicant to the City for use towards
parking management, parking enforcement, and/or towards construction of a
future public parking resource in the Downtown Arcadia commercial district .
As part of a larger parking study and management plan for the Downtown Arcadia
commercial district, the City has already been considering the addition of new curbside
parking spaces onto Santa Clara Street, as well as potential time limits to curbside
parking on Morlan Place and other streets in Downtown Arcadia. The City Engineer has
reviewed all of the proposed measures in the Parking Management Plan and is in
agreement with implementing all of the proposed items as beneficial not only for this
DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, & ADR 18-19
33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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specific project, but also for the Downtown Arcadia commercial district as a whole. The
Applicant has reviewed and is in agreement with all of the recommended items in the
Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan. Where appropriate, these items have
also been included as recommended conditions of approval and/or in the Development
Agreement for this project.
Based on the above analysis, and the measures proposed to be implemented as part of
the Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan, the proposed project is not
anticipated to result in any significant parking impacts. As such, the project is consistent
with the required finding for approval an Administrative Modification for reduced on -site
parking as securing an appropriate improvement of this parcel as outlined in the
Findings section of this staff report.
Architectural Design Review
The Applicant proposes exterior changes to the building consisting of new storefront
glass, a new incidental outdoor seating area, changes exterior paint colors of the
building, and on the rooftop the addition of decorative patio fixtures, overhead lighting,
safety railing, potted landscaping, and other decorative elements. These changes are
depicted on the elevations and renderings included as Attachment No. 2. The signage
shown on the plans and renderings is only conceptual and is subject to a separate
design review application. The Applicant is also considering adding a mural to the east
and/or west side of the building, which would also be subject to separate review at a
later date. The proposed changes to the building will create a unique and attractive
appearance that is consistent with a modern food hall aesthetic, the surrounding area,
and the City’s Architectural Design Guidelines.
Figure 7: Proposed Exterior Facade
Development Agreement
A Development Agreement is included as part of the proposed project to memorialize
several items related to the Successor-Agency’s sale of the building to the Applicant
based in part on the merits of their Food Hall proposal. Specifically, the Agreement
includes the following items:
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33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
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The Agreement requires the new property owner to pay $200,000 to the City to
be used for future construction of public parking and/or public parking
enforcement and management in the area.
The Agreement requires that the Applicant open a minimum of 7,000 square feet
of the multitenant Food Hall no later than 30 months from close of escrow, or be
subject to liquidated damages for each day not in compliance with this
requirement.
The Agreement requires that once the Food Hall is open, the ground floor of the
building is to be continually operated as a multitenant Food Hall for a minimum
period of no less than 10 years from the date of initial opening. Continuous
operation is defined in the Agreement as open a minimum of four (4) days and
thirty (30) hours per week.
The Agreement requires that the City add and maintain time-limits on Morlan
Place curbside parking of no greater than four (4) hours on weekdays from 9:00
AM to 6:00 PM. The specific time restrictions on Morlan Place will still be set by
the City and may be adjusted in the future at the City’s discretion provided they
do not exceed a maximum of four hours.
The Applicant was selected by the Successor Agency as the preferred buyer for the
property based on the added value of the Food Hall. The Development Agreement
ensures that once the property sale transacts, the new owner will follow through with the
Food Hall proposal within a reasonable time-frame, and that once open the Food Hall
will remain in continuous operation for no less than 10 years. The Agreement only
requires that 7,000 square feet of Food Hall space open, rather than the full 10,000
square feet proposed, as there is a possibility that the roof level may be cost -prohibitive
to build out once a detailed structural analysis is completed and/or the miscellaneous
building and safety requirements are taken into account.
The $200,000 in-lieu parking impact fee was an amount proposed by the Applicant as
part of the initial discussions with the Successor Agency as a way to mitigate any
potential public parking impacts resulting from the Food Hall project. The in-lieu fee will
be deposited in a trust account and used by the City for additional parking enforcement
and parking management in the area, and/or towards construction of a future public
parking resource in Downtown Arcadia. The time restrictions on Morlan Place are
requested by the Applicant and included in the Development Agreement to ensure that
these spaces are not used by employees, Gold Line riders, or others on an all -day basis
during weekday business hours.
FINDINGS
The following are findings for each of the entitlements:
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July 9, 2019
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Minor Use Permit Findings
Section 9107.09.050 of the Development Code requires that the Planning Commission
may recommend approval a Minor Use Permit only if it first makes all of the following
findings:
1. The proposed use is consistent with the General Plan and any applicable
specific plan.
Facts to Support This Finding: The proposed Food Hall use with late night
operating hours and an incidental outdoor dining area with greater than 12 seats is
consistent with the Commercial Land Use Designation of the site, and the General
Plan’s Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area, including the following goals and
policies:
Goal LU-10: A thriving Downtown, with healthy commercial areas supported by
high-quality, residential uses and supportive of the Metro Gold Line transit station.
Policy LU-10.2: Promote the Metro Gold Line Extension and establishment of
a transit station in Downtown Arcadia, and take full advantage of the
opportunities the Gold Line station will bring to Downtown and th e City as a
whole.
Policy LU-10.4: Establish commercial uses that complement the vision of the
Downtown core with opportunities for more intense, quality development at
key intersections that are unique from the regional offerings at the regional
mall.
Policy LU-10.10: Establish a “park once” system in Downtown with a
collection of shared surface and parking structures.
Policy LU-10.14: Create a high-quality pedestrian experience in Downtown
through the use of street trees, public art, street furniture, and public
gathering spaces. Using signage, art, and unique uses, entice and encourage
people to walk and explore the commercial core of Downtown.
Goal ED-2: Re-creation of Downtown as the social and symbolic “Heart of the
City”.
Policy ED-2.3: Adjust parking standards for Downtown to allow for shared
parking arrangements, use of public parking lots and structures, and reduced
parking requirements.
Policy ED-3.2: Promote the commercial reuse of key vacant commercial
properties within the City through a program of active solicitation of
prospective users, particularly in those retail sectors for which the City is
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underserved and currently experiencing leakage of sales tax dollars, and
through the provision of appropriate development incentives.
Goal ED-4: Continued revitalization of public infrastructure and private properties
within the redevelopment project area
Policy ED-4.7: Adjust development standards as needed to ensure that
parking and zoning regulations enhance redevelopment opportunities and do
not preclude project feasibility.
2. The proposed uses are allowed within the applicable zone, subject to the
granting of a Minor Use Permit, and complies with all other applicable
provisions of the Development Code and the Municipal Code.
Facts to Support This Finding: The site is zoned CBD, Central Business District.
Per Arcadia Development Code Section 9102.05.020, Table 2-10, the proposed
Food Hall (small restaurants) with alcoholic beverage service and located greater
than 300 feet from any residentially zoned properties is permitted by-right. A Minor
Use Permit is required to approve the late night operating hours on Friday and
Saturday nights and the incidental outdoor dining area with more than 12 seats. The
late night operating hours and incidental outdoor dining area will comply with all
applicable code provisions and requirements. As a condition of approval, the Food
Hall will be required to have private security personnel monitor the rear parking lot
and outdoor dining area during evening and late night hours. With approval of the
proposed Administrative Modification for reduced on-site parking, the proposed uses
comply with all applicable provisions of the Development Code and the Arcadia
Municipal Code.
3. The design, location, size, and operating characteristics of the proposed
activity will be compatible with the existing and future land uses in the vicinity.
Facts to Support This Finding: The Food Hall with late night operating hours and
an incidental outdoor seating area with more than 12 seats is a commercial use
consistent with the CBD, Central Business District zoning of the property and is
consistent with the General Plan goals and policies for the Downtown Arcadia
District. All operating characteristics will be compatible with existing and fu ture land
uses in the vicinity. As a condition of approval, the Food Hall will be required to have
private security personnel monitor the rear parking lot and outdoor dining area
during evening hours. A parking analysis and traffic analysis were conducted fo r the
project by Gibson Transportation Consulting Inc. to evaluate the estimated parking
and traffic demands of the proposed uses and project. The traffic analysis finds no
significant impacts resulting from the project. With the parking measures included
with this proposal in the Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan, there will be
adequate parking resources for the subject property and existing and future land
uses in the vicinity.
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4. The site is physically suitable in terms of:
a. Its design, location, shape, size, and operating characteristics of the
proposed use in order to accommodate the use, and all fences,
landscaping, loading, parking, spaces, walls, yards, and other features
required to adjust the use with the land and uses in the neighborhood;
Facts to Support This Finding: The proposed Food Hall use includes parking
measures to ensure adequate parking resources for the subject property and
those in the immediate vicinity, including the late night operating hours and
incidental outdoor dining area with greater than 12 seats. A parking analysis and
traffic analysis were conducted for the project by Gibson Transportation
Consulting Inc. to evaluate the estimated parking and traffic demand of the uses
and project. The traffic analysis finds no significant impacts resulting from the
project. With the parking measures included with this proposal in the Arcadia
Commons Parking Management Plan, there will be adequate parking resources
for the subject property and existing and future land uses in the vicini ty. The site
and existing commercial building is physically suitable per design, location,
shape, size, and operating characteristics to accommodate the proposed
adaptive reuse project.
b. Streets and highways adequate in width and pavement type to
accommodate public and emergency vehicle (e.g., fire and medical) access.
Facts to Support This Finding: This is a midblock property with frontages on
Huntington Drive to the south and Morlan Place to the north. Both streets are
designated and designed with the capacity to accommodate both public and
emergency vehicles. These streets are adequate in width and pavement type to
carry the traffic that could be generated by the amended commercial uses. A
traffic analysis was conducted for the project by Gibson Transportation
Consulting Inc. to evaluate the estimated traffic demand of the uses and project.
The traffic analysis finds no significant impacts resulting from the project.
c. Public protection services (e.g., fire protection, police protection, etc.).
Facts to Support This Finding: The subject property is currently developed with
a commercial building that complies with all safety requirements. The proposed
adaptive reuse project will require extensive interior tenant improvements as well
as minor façade improvements. The required construction and the operation of
the building will comply with all public safety requirements needed to convert a
portion of this building into a multitenant Food Hall. The City’s Fire and Police
Departments have reviewed the proposal, including the late night operating hours
and incidental outdoor dining area with greater than 12 seats, and have no
objection to the project as there are adequate services in place to handle the
anticipated needs of this project.
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d. The provision of utilities (e.g., potable water, schools, solid waste
collection and disposal, storm drainage, wastewater collection, treatment,
and disposal, etc.).
Facts to Support This Finding: The subject property currently includes water,
solid waste collection and disposal, and other utilities. The proposed project will
update existing on-site infrastructure to accommodate food and beverage uses,
and will include the addition of a new covered trash and recycling enclosure at
the north-end of the parking lot. There are adequate utilities to service the new
project and no additional impact to utilities from the proposed amendment.
5. The measure of site suitability shall be required to ensure that the type,
density, and intensity of use being proposed will not adversely affect the
public convenience, health, interest, safety, or general welfare, constitute a
nuisance, or be materially injurious to the improvements, persons, property,
or uses in the vicinity and zone in which the property is located.
Facts to Support This Finding: As a commercial use allowed in the CBD Zone,
the proposed Food Hall with late night operating hours and an incidental outdoor
dining area with greater than 12 seats is consistent with the character of the
commercial district. The size and operating characteristics of the Food Hall are
complementary and compatible with the uses and improvements in the vicinity. As a
condition of approval, the Food Hall will be required to provide private security
personnel to monitor the parking lot and outdoor dining area during evening hours.
With the proposed parking measures, the site is able to accommodate the Food Hall
use without being injurious to the improvements, persons, property, or uses in the
vicinity and zone in which the subject property is located. The proposal is also
consistent with the General Plan designation of the site and the goals and policies of
the Downtown Arcadia General Plan Land Use Focus Area. With the parking
measures included with this proposal in the Arcadia Commons Parking Management
Plan, there will be adequate parking resources for the subject property and existing
and future land uses in the vicinity.
Administrative Modification Findings
The proposed Administrative Modification is to allow 20 on-site parking spaces in lieu of
68 spaces required by the Development Code. Approval of the proposed Modification is
required in order to facilitate adaptive reuse of the existing building into a multitenant
Food Hall. Section 9107.05.050(B) of the Development Code requires that the Planning
Commission may recommend approval of an Administrative Modification only if it first
makes at least one of the following findings:
1. Promote uniformity of development;
2. Prevent an unreasonable hardship; or
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3. Secure an appropriate improvement of a parcel
Based on its parking analysis and recommendations, the Arcadia Commons Parking
Management Plan has been prepared for the project that addresses potential parking
deficiencies and impacts to the area. The Parking Management Plan includes items that
will increase the efficient use of the on -site parking lot, increase the total number of
public parking spaces in the vicinity of the site , and with time-limits make use of the
public parking spaces more efficient, as well as other operational conditions of the
proposed Food Hall use that address potential impacts to surrounding properties and
public right-of-ways. The implementation of the specific measures in the Parking
Management Plan are required as part of the Development Agreement and/or in the
project’s conditions of approval. Due to the subject property’s location on Huntington
Drive, one of the City’s main commercial thoroughfares, and in the Downtown Arcadia
commercial district, the proposed Food Hall is a much more appropriate use of the site
as opposed to continuation as a light industrial use. Consistent with the City’s General
Plan goals and policies for the Downtown Arcadia commercial district, the proposed
adaptive reuse project utilizes shared parking strategies, public parking resources, and
other measures outlined in the Parking Management Plan to facilitate adaptive reuse of
the existing building and parcel with a more appropriate use for the site and the
surrounding commercial district. Based on the above, the proposed Administrative
Modification will secure an appropriate improvement of this parcel.
Architectural Design Review Findings
The proposed exterior changes to the building consist of new storefront glass along the
Huntington Drive frontage and at the rear of the building, a new exter ior patio at the rear
of the building, and cosmetic changes to the exterior walls of the building. Elevations
and renderings showing the proposed changes are included as Attachment No. 2.
Section 9107.19.050(F) of the Development Code requires that the Planning
Commission may recommend approval of a Design Review application, only if it first
makes all of the following findings that the proposed development will:
1. Be allowed within the subject zone;
2. Be in compliance with all of the applicable design review criteria identified
in the Development Code;
3. Be in keeping with the character of the neighborhood, in terms of the
structure(s) general appearance; and
4. Not be detrimental to the harmonious and orderly growth of the City.
The proposed exterior changes to the building consist of new storefront glass along the
Huntington Drive frontage and at the rear of the building, a new exterior patio at the rear
of the building, and cosmetic changes to the exterior walls of the building . Elevations
and renderings showing the proposed changes are included as Attachment No. 2. The
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July 9, 2019
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proposed project is allowed within the CBD Zone. The proposed changes are in
compliance with the design review criteria identified in the City’s Architectural Design
Guidelines and Development Code. The existing storefront has been dormant and
unproductive for many years, and the new design and aesthetic will assist in making this
a useful commercial space. The proposed design changes are also in keeping with the
character of the neighborhood, and will not be detrimental to the harmonious and
orderly growth of the City. The proposed design meets the prerequisite findings for
approval of Architectural Design Review No. ADR 18-19.
Development Agreement Findings
Section 9107.11.030(E) of the Development Code requires that the Planning
Commission may recommend approval of a Development Agreement to the City
Council only if it first makes all of the following findings:
1. The development agreement is in the best interests of the City;
Facts to Support This Finding: The proposed development agreement is
needed to ensure that following the sale of the subject property by the Successor
Agency to the Applicant, the ground floor of the existing self-storage building will
be transformed into a multitenant Food Hall per the Applicant’s proposed project.
The Applicant was chosen by the Successor Agency as the preferred buyer for this
property based in part on the positive benefits the Food Hall will bring to the area in
the form of increased customers, sales tax revenue, aesthetics, and overall vitality.
The development agreement also facilitates a $200,000 parking in -lieu fee paid by
the Applicant to the City to use towards public parking management and/or public
parking construction in the Downtown Arcadia commercial district. Finally, the
development agreement includes a provision that the City will add time -limits to the
Morlan Place curbside parking spaces, which is an item requested by the
Applicant/Buyer to provide assurance that Morlan Place public parking spaces will
not be used for all day parking by employees working in the area and/or Gold Line
riders. In summary, the development agreement allows for a unique destination
attraction in Downtown Arcadia that is beneficial to this commercial district and in
the best interests of the City as a whole.
2. The development agreement is consistent with the purpose, intent, goals,
policies, programs, and land use designations of the General Plan, any
applicable specific plan, this Development Code, and the Zoning Map;
Facts to support this Finding: The development agreement will allow for a Food
Hall project that meets the required findings for approval of a Minor Use Permit,
Administrative Modification, and Architectural Design application , per the
specifications of the Arcadia Development Code, and is an allowable use per the
CBD (Central Business District) Zoning of the project site. The development
agreement facilitates the adaptive reuse of the ground floor of an outdated light -
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July 9, 2019
Page 20 of 27
industrial storage building into a land use that is consistent and compatible with the
Commercial Land Use designation, as described below:
The Commercial designation is intended to permit a wide range of commercial
uses which serve both neighborhood and citywide markets. The designation
allows a broad array of commercial enterprises, including restaurants, durable
goods sales, food stores, lodging, professional offices, specialty shops, indoor
and outdoor recreational facilities, and entertainment uses.
Adjacent to Downtown, the Commercial designation is intended to encourage
small-scale office and neighborhood-serving commercial uses that complement
development in the Downtown Mixed Use areas. While the land use
designation provides the general parameters within which development mu st
take place, the Zoning Code or other land use regulatory document specifies
the type and intensity of uses that will be permitted in a given area. In the
Downtown area, for example, where properties are designated Commercial,
land use regulations might specify that restaurants and cafes are permitted, but
secondhand stores are not. The Zoning Code and other regulatory documents
also indicate permitted building height limits for specific properties
The proposed project and development agreement will also further the specific
General Plan goals and policies of the Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area
and the Economic Development Element of the General Plan, including the
following items:
Goal LU-10: A thriving Downtown, with healthy commercial areas supported by
high-quality, residential uses and supportive of the Metro Gold Line transit station.
Policy LU-10.2: Promote the Metro Gold Line Extension and establishment of
a transit station in Downtown Arcadia, and take full advantage of the
opportunities the Gold Line station will bring to Downtown and the City as a
whole.
Policy LU-10.4: Establish commercial uses that complement the vision of the
Downtown core with opportunities for more intense, quality development at
key intersections that are unique from the regional offerings at the regional
mall.
Policy LU-10.10: Establish a “park once” system in Downtown with a
collection of shared surface and parking structures.
Policy LU-10.14: Create a high-quality pedestrian experience in Downtown
through the use of street trees, public art, street furniture, and public
gathering spaces. Using signage, art, and unique uses, entice and encourage
people to walk and explore the commercial core of Downtown.
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July 9, 2019
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Goal ED-2: Re-creation of Downtown as the social and symbolic “Heart of the
City”.
Policy ED-2.3: Adjust parking standards for Downtown to allow for shared
parking arrangements, use of public parking lots and structures, and reduced
parking requirements.
Policy ED-3.2: Promote the commercial reuse of key vacant commercial
properties within the City through a program of active solicitation of
prospective users, particularly in those retail sectors for which the City is
underserved and currently experiencing leakage of sales tax dollars, and
through the provision of appropriate development incentives.
Goal ED-4: Continued revitalization of public infrastructure and private properties
within the redevelopment project area
Policy ED-4.7: Adjust development standards as needed to ensure that
parking and zoning regulations enhance redevelopment opportunities and do
not preclude project feasibility.
3. The development agreement will promote the public convenience, health,
interest, safety, general welfare, and good land use practice;
Facts to support this Finding: The development agreement facilitates the
adaptive reuse of the ground floor of an outdated light -industrial storage building
into a Food Hall use that is more compatible and beneficial to the Downtown
Arcadia commercial district. The use will update the building to be in compliance
with all applicable health, safety, building, and other requirements. The
development agreement will facilitate the replacement of the current ground floor
self-storage use and the vacant commercial units fronting Huntington Drive with a n
active land use that is consistent with the Land Use Designation of the site and
General Plan goals and policies of the Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area .
By converting the ground floor of an outdated light -industrial storage building into a
Food Hall, not only is the use more compatible and beneficial to the Downtow n
Arcadia commercial district, it also promotes the public convenience, interest and
general welfare, and is a good land use practice in li ne with the City’s General
Plan.
4. The project will be compatible with the uses authorized in, and the
regulations prescribed for, the zone in which the real property is located;
Facts to support this Finding: The project facilitated by the development
agreement is for a Food Hall (small restaurants) use with alcoholic beverage
service (which is allowed by right in the subject zone), late night operating hours,
and an incidental outdoor dining area with greater than 12 seats which is allowed
in the CBD Zone subject to approval of a Minor Use Permit. The existing self-
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July 9, 2019
Page 22 of 27
storage use will remain on floors 2 through 4 and the basement level as a
continuation of an existing legal-nonconforming use. With approval of the proposed
Administrative Modification for reduced on-site parking, the project complies with
all regulations prescribed for the subject property and zone.
5. The project will not adversely affect the orderly development of property or
the preservation of property values;
Facts to support this Finding: The project is anticipated to bring additional
customers and new businesses to the Downtown Arcadia commercial district. The
project is consistent with the shared parking strategies outlined in the Arcadia
General Plan for the Downtown Arcadia Land Use Focus Area. Based on the peak
operating hours and parking demands identified by Gibson Transportation
Consultants for the Food Hall and self-storage uses, and with the parking
measures included in the Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan, including
the addition of new curbside parking spaces on Santa Clara Street and time limits
on Morlan Place, the project will not adversely impact development of other
property or the preservation of property values in the area.
6. The project will further important Citywide goals and policies that have been
officially recognized by the Council; and
Facts to support this Finding: The proposed project will further a large number
of the goals and policies stated in the Arcadia General Plan, which was officially
recognized by the City Council through their adoption of the General Plan in
November of 2010. These goals and policies include the following items:
Goal LU-10: A thriving Downtown, with healthy commercial areas supported by
high-quality, residential uses and supportive of the Metro Gold Line transit station.
Policy LU-10.2: Promote the Metro Gold Line Extension and establishment of
a transit station in Downtown Arcadia, and take full advantage of the
opportunities the Gold Line station will bring to Downtown and the City as a
whole.
Policy LU-10.4: Establish commercial uses that complement the vision of the
Downtown core with opportunities for more intense, quality development at
key intersections that are unique from the regional offerings at the regional
mall.
Policy LU-10.10: Establish a “park once” system in Downto wn with a
collection of shared surface and parking structures.
Policy LU-10.14: Create a high-quality pedestrian experience in Downtown
through the use of street trees, public art, street furniture, and public
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33-35 W. Huntington Drive
July 9, 2019
Page 23 of 27
gathering spaces. Using signage, art, and unique uses, entice and encourage
people to walk and explore the commercial core of Downtown.
Goal ED-2: Re-creation of Downtown as the social and symbolic “Heart of the
City”.
Policy ED-2.3: Adjust parking standards for Downtown to allow for shared
parking arrangements, use of public parking lots and structures, and reduced
parking requirements.
Policy ED-3.2: Promote the commercial reuse of key vacant commercial
properties within the City through a program of active solicitation of
prospective users, particularly in those retail sectors for which the City is
underserved and currently experiencing leakage of sales tax dollars, and
through the provision of appropriate development incentives.
Goal ED-4: Continued revitalization of public infrastructure and private properties
within the redevelopment project area
Policy ED-4.7: Adjust development standards as needed to ensure that
parking and zoning regulations enhance redevelopment opportunities and do
not preclude project feasibility.
7. The project will provide the City with important, tangible benefits beyond
those that may be required by the City through project conditions of
approval.
Facts to support this Finding: The development agreement for this project
ensures that following the sale of the Successor Agency property, the Applicant will
implement in a timely manner (30 months) the conversion of the ground floor of the
building into a multitenant Food Hall and that the Food Hall will remain in
continuous operation for a minimum of ten (10) years with operating hours of at
least four (4) days and thirty (30) hours per week. The development agreement
creates an enforceable mechanism for compliance with these requirements as
failure to meet these minimums will be grounds for liquidated damages paid by the
property owner to the City. In addition, the development agreement facilitates the
payment of a $200,000 in lieu parking impact fee t o be paid to the City. Finally,
through the development agreement the City agrees to add time-limits on Morlan
Place of no greater than four (4) continuous hours during weekday business hours
in order to free up additional public parking spaces for use by customers of the
nearby businesses, including the proposed Food Hall, which is an item that the
Applicant has stated is needed to ensure project viability. The above items cannot
be effectively implemented through project conditions of approval, and the
development agreement therefore makes the project feasible and provides
important, tangible benefits to the City.
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Based on the above, the proposed project will satisfy each prerequisite finding to
approve Development Agreement No. DA 19-01.
Summary of Analysis Section & Findings
As detailed above, with inclusion of the Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan
as part of the project, the proposed Food Hall is consistent with the Arcadia General
Plan, Development Code, and Design Guidelines. With approval of an Administrative
Modification for reduced parking and the corresponding parking measures and project
conditions of project approval, the proposal is compatible with the existing and future
land uses in the vicinity, and the project site can accommodate the proposed Food Hall
use. Based on the above analysis, the proposal is consistent with the required findings
for approval of a Minor Use Permit, Administrative Modification, Architectural Design
Review, and Development Agreement as outlined above.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
If it is determined that the project would not result in any significant traffic, noise, air
quality, or water quality effects, and not involving the use of significant amounts of
hazardous substances where all necessary public services and facilities are available
and the surrounding area is not environmentally sensitive, then this project qualifies as
a Class 3 Categorical Exemption as a Conversion of Small Structure(s) per the
provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section
15303 of the CEQA Guidelines. Refer to Attachment No. 8 for the Preliminary
Exemption Assessment.
PUBLIC COMMENTS/NOTICE
Public hearing notices for this item were published in the Arcadia Weekly and mailed to
the owners of those properties that are located within 300 feet of the subject property on
June 27, 2019. In response to this notice, Staff received a public records request for
additional information on the project from Christopher Sutton, attorney for Manny
Romero, the owner of Rod’s Grill at 41 W. Huntington Drive. As of July 3, 2019 staff has
not received any further comments or correspondence from Mr. Sutton or Mr. Romero,
or other public comments on this project.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Planning Commission convey the Commission’s comments
to the City Council and recommend that the City Council approve Development
Agreement No. DA 19-01, Minor Use Permit No. MUP 18-06, Planning Commission
Administrative Modification No. PC AM 18-02, and Architectural Design Review No.
ADR 18-19 and find that the project is Categorically Exempt under the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), subject to the following conditions of approval
below.
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1. The use approved is limited to a 10,000 square foot multitenant Food Hall on the
ground floor and roof level consisting of small restaurant uses/food vendors, the
sale of alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption, late night operating hours,
and a 1,326 square foot outdoor seating area with seating for up to 60 patrons.
The approved use shall be operated and maintained in a manner that is
consistent with the proposal and plans submitted and approve d by Minor Use
Permit No. MUP 18-06. City Staff shall conduct periodic inspections, after which
the provisions of this Minor Use Permit, including the late night operating hours
and/or number of seats in the outdoor dining area, may be adjusted after due
notice to address any potential impacts it may have to the neighboring
properties/businesses. Any adjustments can be made by the Planning &
Community Development Administrator. The remainder of the building shall
continue to be used as self -storage.
2. The Food Hall operating hours shall not exceed Sunday—Thursday from 6:00
AM to 12:00 AM (midnight), and Friday & Saturday from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM.
3. All employees shall be required to park off-site in order to allow the entire on-site
parking lot to be utilized by patrons of the Food Hall and patrons of the self-
storage facility.
4. Prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for the project, the Food Hall
operator shall enter into a lease to use the lower parking level of the adjacent
Elks Lodge property at 27 W. Huntington Drive (approximately 10-12 parking
spaces) or an equivalent number of parking spaces at another private property
within a ½ mile vicinity of the subject property for use by employees, valet
service, and/or customers. The Food Hall operator shall be required to
continuously maintain this lease, or an equivalent one, as an operating condition
of the Food Hall.
5. Prior to opening 50% or more of the Food Hall vendor spaces, the Food Hall
operator shall be required to begin providing security personnel to monitor
parking and security in the subject parking lot, outdoor dining area, and adjacent
private parking lots during specified evening and late night hours. Security
personnel shall initially shall be on-duty daily beginning at 5:00 PM and extending
until 30 minutes after close of the Food Hall, and then adjusted at the discretion
of the Planning & Community Development Administrator, or designee, as
determined to be needed to adequately monitor and enforce parking and public
safety.
6. The Applicant shall enter into a no-fee lease agreement to allow the City of
Arcadia to maintain its existing traffic-related mechanical equipment on the
rooftop of the building. This agreement shall be executed within 120 days of
approval of the proposed project.
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7. Additional exterior lighting shall be added to the rear of the building and/or in the
rear parking lot to better illuminate the on-site parking during evening hours.
Details of the additional exterior lighting shall be submitted concurrently with
building permit plans for city review and permit issuance, and subject to city
design criteria, building and safety regulations, and other applicable requirements
8. The proposed on-site parking configuration shall be adjusted on the final building
plans to maintain the existing vehicular connection at the north end of the Subject
Property and the adjacent property at 41 W. Huntington Drive. The Food Hall
shall not fence or otherwise close off this connection unless written agreement is
obtained from the owner of the property at 41 W. Huntington Drive. Prior to
issuance of any building permits for the new Food Hall, a vehicular access
easement shall be recorded at the northwest corner of the Subject Property
consistent with the existing de facto vehicular connection.
9. Prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy f rom the Building Division, the
Applicant/Property Owner shall upgrade the existing trash and recyclables
enclosure in compliance with Development Code Section 9103.01.130, subject to
review and approval by the Planning & Community Development Administrator,
or designee. The enclosure shall provide adequate room for a trash container, a
recycling container, and a 64-gallon organic recycling cart.
10. All City requirements regarding disabled access and facilities, oc cupancy limits,
building safety, health code compliance, emergency equipment, environmental
regulation compliance, and parking and site design shall be complied with by the
property owner/applicant to the satisfaction of the Building Official, City Enginee r,
Planning & Community Development Administrator, Fire Marshal, and Public
Works Services Director, or their respective designees, including but not limited
to those listed on the Public Works Services Department, Building Division, and
Fire Department review memorandums for this project and/or as otherwise
amended during plan-check review. The changes to the existing facility are
subject to building permits after having fully detailed plans submitted for plan
check review and approval by the aforementioned City officials.
11. Noncompliance with the plans, provisions and conditions of approval for DA 19-
01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, and/or ADR 18-19 shall be grounds for immediate
suspension or revocation of any approvals, which could result in the closing of
the Food Hall.
12. The applicant shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City of Arcadia and
its officials, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claim, action,
or proceeding against the City of Arcadia, its officials, officers, employees or
agents to attack, set aside, void, or annul any approval or conditional approval of
the City of Arcadia concerning this project and/or land use decision, including but
not limited to any approval or conditional approval of the City Council, Planning
Commission, or City Staff, which action is brought within the time period provided
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July 9, 2019
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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 officials,
officers, employees, and agents in the defense of the matter.
13. Approval of DA 19-01, MUP 18-06, PC AM 18-02, and ADR 18-19 shall not be of
effect unless on or before 60 calendar days after City Council adoption of the
Resolution and/or Ordinance, the Applicant/Property Owner have executed and
filed with the Planning & Community Development Administrator , or designee, an
Acceptance Form available from the Development Services Department to
indicate awareness and acceptance of these conditions of approval.
If any Planning Commissioner or other interested party has any questions or comments
regarding this matter prior to the July 9, 2019 hearing, please contact Tim Schwehr,
Senior Management Analyst at (626) 574-5409 or at Tschwehr@ArcadiaCA.gov.
Approved:
Lisa L. Flores
Planning & Community Development Administrator
Attachment No. 1: Aerial Photo and Zoning Information and Photos of the Subject
Property and Surrounding Properties
Attachment No. 2: Concept Design Plans, Project Description & Project Team
Attachment No. 3: Arcadia Commons Parking Management Plan
Attachment No. 4: Parking Analysis – Gibson Consultants
Attachment No. 5: Traffic Analysis – Gibson Consultants
Attachment No. 6: Development Agreement No. DA 19-01
Attachment No. 7: Oversight Board Approval Resolution and Purchase & Sale
Agreement
Attachment No. 8: Preliminary Exemption Assessment
Attachment No. 9: Public Works, Building, & Fire Requirement Memorandums
Preliminary Exemption Assessment FORM “A”
PRELIMINARY EXEMPTION ASSESSMENT
1. Name or description of project: Development Agreement No. DA 19-01, Minor Use Permit No. MUP
18-06, Planning Commission Administrative Modification No. PC AM
18-02, & Architectural Design Review No. ADR 18-19 with a
Categorical Exemption under the California Quality Act ("CEQA")
Section 15303 for an adaptive reuse project to open a 5,849 square
foot multitenant food hall within the existing Arcadia Self Storage
Building with an additional 1,326 square foot incidental outdoor dining
and seating area.
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):
33-35 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia CA 91006
(between Morlan Place and Santa Anita Avenue)
3. Entity or person undertaking
project:
A.
B. Other (Private)
(1) Name Northeast Development Enterprises II, LLC
(2) Address 830 Bilton Way
San Gabriel, CA 91776
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.
e. The project is categorically exempt.
Applicable Exemption Class: 15303– Class 3 (Conversion of small structures)
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:
September 10, 2019 (update to 6-3-19
assessment - amended project)
Staff:
Tim Schwehr, Senior Management Analyst
DATE: January 14, 2019
TO: Tim Schwehr, Senior Management Analyst
FROM: Tiffany Lee, P.E., Associate Civil Engineer
SUBJECT: Plan Check Review Comments for 33-35 W. Huntington Dr., MUP 18-
06, ADR 18-19, AND PC AM 18-06
Water
A 16” welded steel water main on Huntington Dr. is available for water service
and connection to the existing water main shall be made by hot tapping method.
The Developer shall provide calculations prepared by a licensed Civil or
Mechanical Engineer to determine the maximum domestic demand and
maximum fire demand in order to verify the required water service size.
A Reduced Pressure Backflow Device shall be installed as meter services
protection for commercial uses
A separate water services and meters with Reduced Pressure Backflow Device
shall be installed for common area irrigation uses.
Fire protection requirements shall be as stipulated by the Arcadia Fire
Department and shall be conformed to Arcadia Standard Plan. All fire services
shall be isolated from domestic water services with approved back flow
prevention devices.
A Water Meter Clearance Application, filed with the Public Works Services
Department, shall be required prior to permit issuance.
New water service installations shall be by the Developer. Installation shall be
according to the specifications of the Public Works Services Department,
Engineering Division. Abandonment of existing water services, if necessary, shall
be by the Developer, according to Public Works Services Department,
Engineering Division specifications.
Sewer
The proposed project will be tied-in to the sewer main on Huntington Dr. which is
capable of meeting all anticipated demands of the improvements as described in
the information provided.
Developer shall utilize existing sewer lateral if possible.
No elevation available. If any drainage fixture elevation is lower than the
elevation of next upstream manhole cover (478.94’), an approved type of
backwater valve is required to be installed on the lateral behind the property line.
NPDES
Proposed project is subject to Industrial Waste requirements. Submit 2 sets of
plumbing plans. Grease Interceptor is required for restaurants.
Refuse
Please ensure that the enclosure has adequate room for trash bin, recycling bin
and organic recycling cart (64 gallons).
* * * BUILDING & SAFETY COMMENTS* * *
Application No: MUP 18-06, ADR 18-19, and PC AM 18-06
Case Planner: Tim Schwehr, Senior Management Analyst
Location: 33-35 Huntington Drive (APN: 5775-025-901)
Project: Alteration of an existing self-storage building to provide 15,000 square feet of multi-
tenant food hall space
Reviewed By: Kenneth Fields, CBO, CASp Date: 1/11/2019
SPECIFIC COMMENTS
1. Provide a minimum of one van accessible parking space as required by Table 11B-
208.2 located on the shortest accessible route of travel to an accessible entrance (as
near as practical to an accessible entrance). CBC§11B-208.2, §11B-208.3.1
2. At least one accessible route shall be provided within the site from accessible
parking spaces; public streets and sidewalks; and public transportation stops to the
accessible buildings or facilities entrances they serve. Where more than one route is
provided, all routes must be accessible. §11B-206.2.1
3. At least one accessible route shall connect accessible building or facility entrances
with all accessible spaces and elements within the building or facility. §11B -206.2.4
4. At least one accessible route shall connect each story in multi-story buildings and
facilities.
5. Detectable warnings (truncated domes) are required where a walk crosses or
adjoins a vehicular way. §11B-247.1.2.5
6. No fewer than two drinking fountains shall be provided. When provided, one drinking
fountain shall comply with 11B602.1 through 11B-602.6, 11B-602.8 and 11B-602.9
and one drinking fountain shall comply with 11B-602.7 and 11B602.9. §11B-211.2
7. The minimum number of restroom facilities shall be provided in accordance with
Table 422.1 of the California Plumbing Code based on occupant load. Accessibility
to the required toilet facilities shall not exceed one vertical story. §422.1, §422.4.1
8. The conversion of the self-storage building into a multi-tenant food hall changes the
occupancy group classification, and therefore the existing building must be made to
comply with the requirements of all applicable codes for the new occupancy
classification. Complete plans, calculations and other specifications shall be
submitted to Building Services for review, approval and subsequent permit issuance.
The plans, calculations and other specifications shall be prepared by an Architect or
Registered Civil/Structural Engineer licensed in the State of California who is
qualified to perform said work.
9. Guards shall be provided at the roof level where walking surfaces are located any
point within 36 inches horizontally to the edge of the open side. Guards shall be
adequate in strength and attachment in accordance with Section 1607.8. §1015.2
10. A grease interceptor shall be provided, and shall be sized in accordance with the
California Plumbing Code. §1014.1
GENERAL CONDITIONS
1. Shall comply with the latest adopted edition of the following codes as applicable:
a. California Building Code
b. California Electrical Code
c. California Mechanical Code
d. California Plumbing Code
e. California Energy Code
f. California Fire Code
g. California Green Building Standards Code
h. California Existing Building Code
i. Arcadia Municipal Code
PRIOR TO ISSUANCE OF BUILDING/CONSTRUCTION PERMITS
1. Plans shall be approved by City of Arcadia Building, Planning, and Fire Departments
as well as the Los Angeles County Health Department and any other applicable
agencies prior to the issuance of building permits for this project.
1
Tim Schwehr
Subject:FW: Food hall comments
From: Johnny Tseng <tseng99@hotmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 13, 2019 4:18 PM
To: DSD <DSD@arcadiaca.gov>
Subject: Food hall comments
Hello.. I read the following article
https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2019/07/10/food-hall-proposed-in-arcadia-but-planning-commission-
doesnt-know-what-to-make-of-it/
And I feel this would be be good for the city. There is declining auto sales which will mean less revenue. Horse
racing sustaining bad news and decline revenue. The mall also is going through changes. I think a food hall
destination would bring more tourist and tax dollars to Arcadia and make it become more of a destination
instead of losing dollars to cities like Pasadena and the like.
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone