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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCD 2017-0016; LEGOLAND HOTEL CALIFORNIA; Consistency Determination (CD)CITY OF CARLSBAD APPLICATION FORM FOR CONSISTENCY DETERMINATION APPLICATION CITY USE ONLY , ... 5Dr qb~t 't ~f C,l)I ? G-J{ be Project Number: CD'2.017 ~ 00 I~ ov,1 .. PROJECT NAME: LEGO RESTAURANT IMPROVEMENTS • I I Assessor's Par~el Number(s): 211-100-09-00 Description of proposal (add attachment if necessary): Please see attached. -·--·-· --·--·· ---- -----·~--., .. Would you like to orally present your proposal to your assigned staff planner/engineer? Yes 0 No □ Please 11st the staff members you have previously spoken to regarding this project. If none, please so state. Teri Delcamp _____ -·-·~··--------·---·-· ·-. --- OWNER NAME (Print): Merlin Magic Making -Keith Carr APPLICANT NAME (Print): LEGOLAND • Peter Ronchetti ... MAILING ADDRESS: One LEGOLAND Way MAILING ADDRESS: One LEGOLAND Drive CITY, STATE, ZIP: Winter Haven, FL, 33884 CITY, STATE, ZIP: Carlsbad, CA 92008 TELEPHONE: 863-318-5352 TELEPHONE: 760-918-5322 EMAIL ADDRESS: keith.carr@merlinentertainments.biz EMAIL ADDRESS: pet~r.ronchettl@legoland:com •owner's signature Indicates permission to conduct a preliminary review for a development proposal. IN THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING THIS APPLICATION IT MAY BE I CERTIFY THAT I AM THE LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NECESSARY FOR MEMBERS OF CITY STAFF TO INSPECT AND OWNER AND THAT ALL THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS TRUE ENTER THE PROPERTY THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS AND CORRECT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. APPLICATION. IMIE CONSENT TO ENTRY FOR THIS PURPOSE. I CERTIFY THAT I AM THE LEGAL OWNER AND THAT ALL THE ~~7 ··tt)··'--•-'· •• •• ABOVE INFORMATION IS TRUE AND CORRECT TO THE BEST OF 5;:__. .. · 6/5/2017 (,~ft+ l .. •. - : -, . ·._ .. DATE • IGNATURE ' DAE APPLICANrs REPRESENTATIVE (Print): Hofman Planning and Engineering -Eric Munoz -. ---- MAILING ADDRESS: 3152 Lionshead Ave CITY, STATE, ZIP~ Carl~bad, CA 92010 TELEPHONE: 760-692-4011 EMAIL ADDRESS: emunoz@hofmanplanning.com --·-· I CERTIFY THAT I AM THE LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE APPLICANT AND THAT ALL THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS TRUE AND CO~T TO JHE 6tt1 OF M! KNOWLEDGE. _.,..--,. • ~ U/Yl~ /_3 ~¼<Lb/9-~ ~ C.• ~~'VIE:·? U) SIGNATURE DATE ~ik .• •.-,. FEE REQUIRED/DATE FEE PAID: ,f7'3g_<m '-" I zz.f, , ,. ,JUN222017 ~~ ,. CITY OF CARLSBAD RECEIVED BY: PLANl\iH\iG Liiv'ISIOl\i .. P-16 Page 2 of2 Revised 09/14 Lego Restaurant Seating Enclosure -Project Description The proposed project aims to optimize the Restaurant experience for guests based on past performance and the opportunity identified to enclose existing outdoor/canopy-covered seating area. The project is depicted in a series of Existing and Proposed exhibits dated June 21, 2017, and are incorporated herein by reference, and contains the following components: • The existing outdoor seating area of approximately 4,236 square feet accommodates 200 seats, at the northeast seating area accommodates 70 seats at the southwest seating area.. A total of 270 existing outdoor seats occupy this area. The northeast seating area is proposed to be converted to indoor seating area for the 200 seats. The southeast seating area will not be affected. 70 seats will remain outdoors and thus no change in overall seating capacity is proposed. • The existing kitchen will be expanded by approximately 1,256 square feet. This will allow for overall operational efficiency regarding food preparation and delivery of food to tables. • Combining the kitchen expansion of 1,256 square feet plus the area of outdoor seating enclosure of 4,236 square feet results in new building coverage/square footage of 5,492 square feet. • Existing restauranVhotel building square footage is 59,168 square feet of which 10% is 5,916 square feet. The proposal for new square footage/coverage of 5,492 square feet is therefore within the 10% allowance of the Consistency Determination policy. • The proposed seating area enclosure is proposed via building elements that will match the existing building with regards to color, materials, and theme. The existing maximum building height is 50' 6" to the architectural tower and 40' 6" for the main building height. No proposed building height elements will exceed the heights of the existing restauranVhotel structure. (See Consistency Determination exhibits) • No changes to existing/approved setbacks are involved. • No impacts to existing/approved parking requirements or trip generation is involved since no change to the subject seating capacity (270) for the existing outdoor area is proposed. • No impacts to site drainage, project open space, or increased demand regarding city services, utilities or facilities is generated by the Restaurant Seating Enclosure project. RECE~VED JUN 2 2 2017 CITY OF CARLSBAD PLANNING DIVISION Operational Context: Legoland California operates an existing 3-meal Restaurant inside the Legoland Hotel. The Restaurant Seating Enclosure project will correct three operational deficiencies: 1. Normal queuing and guest flow: currently hotel guests must exit the hotel, queue for seating outdoors at an exterior host stand, and then return back inside the hotel. This results in poor guest satisfaction due to the exposure to weather. The proposed project will allow guests to queue at an indoor host stand. 2. Expand functional restaurant capacity: guests have been rejecting the outdoor seating area associated with the original project approval (and preferring to wait for indoor seats). In this manner, the demand for indoor seats has exceeded the supply. This project will expand functional restaurant seating capacity by re-introducing 200 of the currently existing/approved 270 outdoor seats as indoor seats. 3. Expand kitchen capacity: the proposed kitchen expansion will locate the kitchen area closer to the guests at indoor seating areas in addition to satisfying operational requirements and the opportunity to modernize the food preparation component of the Restaurant. LEGOLAND RESTAURANT SEATING ENCLOSURE June 21, 2017 See Project Description for detailed overview of project elements Consistency Determination Findings: RECEJ\/EiO JUN 2 2 2017 CITY OF CARLSBAD PLANNING DIVISION l. No project condition, feature, facility, or amenity is changed or deleted that had been considered essential to the project's design, quality, safety or function; the proposed seating enclosure project does not alter or eliminate any core elements of the existing restaurant use. The proposal to reduce outdoor seating from 270 (approved) to 70 outdoor seats is in response to the historic lack of guest use of the outdoor seating. The project will enclose 200 of the existing 270 for indoor restaurant seating; overall seating capacity (270) will be unchanged. The proposed revision will enclose a portion of the existing outdoor covered area, which is approximately 4,236 square feet in size. In this manner, no change or project deletion is proposed that negatively alters the approved/existing project's design, quality, safety, or function. 2. The request represents an upgrade in overall design features and/or materials and improves upon the compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood; the current outdoor seating area is partially covered with a canopy, and is mostly unutilized by Lego/and guests. The proposal to enclose 4,236 square feet of this area with structural building elements represents an upgrade compared to the existing canopy cover. In addition, the increased use of the converted indoor seating area will enhance compatibility and space-optimization of this portion of the Lego theme park and the existing restaurant/hotel complex. Given the absence of any residential neighborhood at the project location, and the opportunity to enhance the guest experience through the conversion of 200 outdoor seats to indoor seats, the project will further increase compatibility with the surrounding theme park. The enclosed seating will feature building colors, materials and theming to directly match the existing restaurant/hotel structure. 3. The proposed revision does not change the density (i.e. the addition of units) or boundary of the subject property; as a restaurant improvement project within the existing Lego/and theme park, there are no residential units existing, approved, or proposed. Thus there is no residential density component to the Lego Restaurant Seating Enclosure project. In addition, there is no proposed change or revision to any existing project or property boundaries. 4. The proposed revision does not involve the addition of a new land use not shown on the original permit (e.g. adding a commercial use to a residential project, replacing single family units with attached residential units, vice versa for each example, etc.); the proposed project does not alter the theme park land use onsite. The proposal to convert outdoor seating to indoor seating via the enclosure of existing outdoor seating (4,236 square feet), and the addition of kitchen space (1,256 square feet) in addition to floor plan optimization for the existing restaurant use does not involve the addition of new land uses as existing/approved via the governing Carlsbad Ranch Specific Plan. (See below in #6) S. The proposed revision does not rearrange the major land uses within the development (e.g. it does not exchange the locations of single family units with attached units); the proposed revisions modernize the restaurant use without representing a rearrangement of major land uses. All of the proposed improvements are consistent with current approvals and land use requirements for the site. 6. The proposed revision does not create changes of greater than ten percent (10%), provided that compliance will be maintained with applicable development standards of the Carlsbad Municipal Code as follows: (Please see Consistency Determination exhibits) Per individual lot or structure -yards, setbacks, coverage, or height: • Yards: no change • Setbacks: no change • Coverage: existing restaurant/hotel structure coverage is 59,168 square feet and with the proposed increase in new square footage/coverage of 5,492 square feet (1,256 square feet for kitchen expansion plus 4,236 square feet of enclosed area) ,the new proposed coverage is 64,660 square feet which represents an increase of 9.28%. • Height: The highest part of the existing building's architectural tower element is 50' - 5", with the main building height being 40' -611• The existing building also has a lower structural component with a roof height of 15 feet. The new proposed building will have a roof height to match this structure. Also proposed is an upper portion at 24 feet, which is below the existing building height. The area enclosing the existing outdoor seating area will match the existing structure which is 15 feet in height; with an additional 5feet for parapets walls, and 9 feet for architectural tower elements. Thus there is no net increase in building height proposed given the existing height of the main restaurant/hotel building. On an aggregate project basis -parking, open space, common area or landscaping: Since the existing/approved seating capacity is not being changed the project does not invoke more parking requirements, or generate more traffic trips. 200 of the approved/existing 270 seats is being converted from outdoor to indoor seats. • Parking: no change • Open space: no change • Common area: no change • Landscaping: a small area (791 square feet) is currently landscaped and will be partially used for the kitchen expansion; this represents a decrease of landscaping of 0.00013 % for the Lego theme park in order to modernize the restaurant and enclose the subject seating area. l, Given the above, the Restaurant Seating Enclosure project satisfies the criteria of the Consistency Determination policy with regards to various project elements and applicable development standards on the scale of the individual building, as well as the aggregate basis at the project/theme park level. 7. The proposed change will not result in any significant environmental impact, and/or require additional mitigation; since no new land uses are introduced into the site and no increases to project intensity is involved. There is no increase in traffic trip generation or parking demands and the minor kitchen expansion and building coverage increase is satisfied by the 10% allowance of the Consistency Determination policy. The proposed revisions will maintain ADA compliance. In addition, the proposed improvements do not create any inconsistency or new impacts relative to the environmental review process associated with the original project's approval. Therefore, the proposed improvements do not result in any significant environmental impacts or generate the need for new or additional mitigation measures. 8. The proposed change would not result in any health, safety or welfare impacts; by addressing various areas of guest experience improvement and modernization of the existing seating area, restaurant and kitchen components, the proposed revisions will not result in any health, safety or welfare impacts. 9. There were not any major issues or controversies associated with the original project which would be exacerbated with the proposed change; the proposed improvements will assist to improve the guest experience and operational aspects of the existing restaurant and thus will provide an updated, higher-quality, asset to the community and the Lego/and theme park. 10. The proposed change would not be readily discernible to the decision makers as being substantially different from the project as originally approved; given the proposal to formally enclose an existing unused seating area that is currently covered with a canopy via structural building elements that would match the existing restaurant/hotel's architectural colors, materials and theme, the proposed revision will create an immediate visual improvement to the immediate project site. However, given compliance and consistency with original project approvals, architectural theme, and applicable land use designations, the changes will be apparent in a positive manner, and within the context ot being able to make this finding for consistency.