HomeMy WebLinkAbout1973-11-27; Planning Commission; ; EIS 163 - SPECIAL STUDY AREA - EL CAMINO REAL NORTH OF ELM AVENUECITY OF CARLSBAD
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT FOR
NOVEMBER 2?, 1973
TO: PLANNING COMMISSION ' - '
REPORT ON: • SPECIAL STUDY AREA - EL CAMINO REAL NORTH OF ELM AVENUE
The present General Plan commitment for that area between Elm Ave.
and Vista Way easterly of El Camino Real is low density residential.
Around June, Staff began to get inquiries regarding the possibility, of
providing a neighborhood commercial facility in this area. The General
Plan shows a neighborhood commercial facility at the northwest corner of
the intersection of Chestnut Avenue and El Camino Real. However, terrain
and limited access do not make this property too feasible for development
commercially. In addition, closer proximity to Vista Way, Elm Avenue, and
Marron Road may be of benefit to the immediate potential access of a
neighborhood commercial facility since the major residential activity seems
to be located further north of the intersection of Chestnut and El Camino
Real. Finally, the location of a neighborhood commercial facility adjacent
to the existing regional facility was thought to be appropriate in terms
of concentrating the traffic activity rather than spreading the traffic,
along El Camino Real between Chestnut and Vista Way. The result of these
inquiries has been three requests for neighborhood commercial facility in
this area.
The adopted General Plan indicates a neighborhood shopping center
as follows:
"These centers are intended to serve the daily or frequent food
and convenience needs of families within their respective service areas
(usually one-half to one mile, but more in low-density, hilly areas). They
normally include a supermarket and small shops, such as a drug store, barber
and beauty shops, laundry and cleaning service, and a small hardware store.
The overall site area should be sufficient to provide for the supportable
commercial facilities as well as off-street parking at a ratio of not less
than four to one-total site area being approximately three to ten acres."
Two of the three requests exceed the area limitations for a
neighborhood facility. When a larger than neighborhood commercial facility
which falls into the category of a community shopping center is proposed,
which is what would result if all three or two of the projects were approved
as requested, staff must evaluate the projects on the basis of their impacts
on the total commercial allocation for the community. Based upon the
proximity of the regional shopping center, the downtown area and the previous
commitment of the General Plan for community shopping centers more centrally
located adjacent to existing and future populations, staff felt that the
area under consideration was not appropriate for a community shopping center.
In order to better evaluate staff's position and to more precisely
study the change of the General Plan commitment in this area, staff
requested that Lampman and Associates make some precise recommendations
regarding this area. Their response is attached. The questions asked to
be answered were as follows:
1. Is a land use change appropriate in this area?
2. If commercial is appropriate, how much and at what location?
To-aid the Planning Commission in evaluating the impact of shopping
centers, the following chart taken from the Community Builder's Handbook is
provided as a reference source.
Indicators for Types and Sizes in Shopping Centers*
v
Neighborhood Community Regional
Leading Tenant
(basis for defi- Supermarket or
nition) Drug Store
Average Gross**
Leasable Area
Ranges in GLA**
Usual Minimum
Site Area
Minimum
Support
50,000 sq. ft.
30-000-100,000
sq.ft.
4 acres
7,500 to 40,000
.people
Variety or Junior
Department
Store
150,000 sq.ft.
100,000-300,000
sq.ft.
10 acres
One or more full-
line Department
Stores
400,000 sq. ft.
300,000 to over
1,000,000 sq.ft.
30 acres
40,000 to 150,000 150,000 or more
people people
*The precise characteristics under these indicators do not hold rigidly. Often
elements change because of the treatment required to make necessary adaptations
or adjustments for the characteristics of the trade area, nature of competition,
and variations in site location.
**These figures represent indicators only for definition purposes. It is not
size, but tenant composition and the characteristics of the leading tenant
that define a shopping center type.
As learned in the operation aspects of shopping centers as they exist and as
reported in the study of income and expenses, The Dollars and Cents of Shopping
Centers: 1966, footnote 49» shopping centers range in size as follows:
Neighborhoods:
Communities:
Regionals:
11,700-130,000 sq. ft. GLA
61,000-370,000 sq. ft. GLA
192,000-1,300,000 sq.ft. GLA
— 2 —
CC: Copies to applicants of ZC-128, ZC-119, ZC-131, ZC-132