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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976-07-28; Planning Commission; ; SP 146B|CUP 122 - SANTA ANITA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONFCITY OF CARLSBAD PLANNING DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT July 28, 1976 TO: PLANNING COMMISSION FROM: PLANNING DEPARTMENT CASE NOS.: SP-146(B) CUP-122 APPLICANT: SANTA ANITA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Request: (1) Approval of a Conditional Use Permit for a McDonald's Drive-thru Restaurant, subject to Specific Plan approval. (2) Approval of an amendment to an existing Specific Plan to incorporate site plan modifications. RECOMMENDATION CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT It is recommended that CUP-122 be DENIED because of the follow- ing findings: (1) The site for the intended use is inadequate in size to accommodate the use because: (a) The site proposed can provide only 14 parking spaces directly adjacent the drive-thru restaurant, requiring the use of 20 parking spaces during peak hours located across a major traffic lane; (b) The site proposed cannot provide a drive-thru lane which functions efficiently with the adjacent main entrance to the shopping center. (2) The street system serving the proposed use is inadequate to properly handle all traffic generated by the proposed use because: (a) Traffic generated by the proposed use will compound the traffic congestion now experienced on El Camino Real; and (b) The traffic generated by the proposed uses when combined with traffic generated by the expansion of the Plaza Camino Real Center, the remainder of the Carlsbad Plaza Center, and the Center to be constructed on the south side of Marron Road, will create excessive congestion on El Camino Real in the future, despite improvements to the street system in the area. (3) The requested use is not in harmony with the City's General Plan because: (a) The increased traffic and parking congestion generated by the amendment conflicts with the Circulation Element guideline of coordinating "the distrubution, character and intensity of all land uses with the Land Use Element to preclude the increased levels of traffic which would be generated beyond the capacity of the existing or planned street system until such time as adequate facilities can be provided". (b) The increased traffic and parking congestion generated by the amendment conflicts with the Land Use Element Utility and Public Service Development guideline of en- suring "the capacity of major street linkage to provide for the needs of the proposed development without sub- stantially altering existing traffic patterns or over- loading the existing street system. . ." If the Planning Commission wishes to approve the Conditional Use Permit request either on the proposed site or elsewhere within the Shopping Center, it is recommended that the matter be returned to staff for further study. SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENT It is recommended that SP-146(B), as proposed by the applicant in Exhibit "A" dated June 22, 1976, be DENIED because of the follow- ing findings: (1) The requested amendment is detrimental to the existing Specific Plan because: (a) Inadequate parking adjacent the proposed drive-thru restaurant would cause increased congestion in other areas of the shopping center's main parking lot; and (b) The inadequate drive-thru land proposed would negative- ly affect circulation throughout the shopping center; and (c) The proposed common driveway with the Standard Station would add additional driveway entrances to El Camino Real creating additional congestion in an already highly congested area. (2) The street system serving the proposed use is inadequate to properly handle all traffic generated by the proposed use because: -2- (a) Traffic generated by the proposed use will compound the traffic congestion now experienced on El Camino Real; and (b) The traffic generated by the proposed uses when combined with traffic generated by the expansion of the Plaza Camino Real Center, the remainder of the Carlsbad Plaza Center, and the Center to be constructed on the south side of Marron Road, will create excessive congestion on El Camino Real in the future, despite improvements to the street system in the area. (3) The requested amendment does not conform to the City's adopted General Plan because: (a) The increased traffic and parking congestion generated by the amendment conflicts with the Circulation Element Guideline of coordinating "the distribution, character and intensity of all land uses with the Land Use Element to preclude the increased levels of traffic which would be generated beyond the capacity of the existing or planned street system until such time as adequate facili- ties can be provided". (b) The increased traffic and parking congestions generated by the amendment conflicts with the Land Use Element Utility and Public Service Development Guideline of ensuring "the capacity of major street linkage to provide for the needs of the proposed development without sub- stantially altering existing traffic patterns or overload- ing the existing street system. . ." It is further recommended that SP-146(B) be APPROVED, as proposed in Exhibit "B",, which incorporates site plan modifications, dated June 23, 1976, because of the following findings and subject to the following conditions: FINDINGS (1) The proposed Specific Plan Amendment is consistent with the Carlsbad General Plan because: (a) The proposed modifications implement the intent and development guidelines of the site's Intensive Regional Retail designation. (2) The proposed Specific Plan Amendment is consistent with the adopted Specific Plan because: (a) Utilization of the remainder of the shopping center, and efficient on-site and off-site circulation have been pre- served while further study of the northwest portion of the shopping center takes place; -3- (b) Further consideration of the proper design of the northwest portion of the shopping center will ensure that the total shopping center functions efficiently when completed. (3) The proposed amendment is consistent with the City of Carlsbad Environmental Protection Ordinance because: (a) An Environmental Impact Report for the Shopping Center project was previously certified by the City Counci1; (b) Neither the impacts of the proposed sign program nor the circumstances under which the program will be performed differ from those addressed in the EIR; (c) The project therefore complies with the Carlsbad Environmental Protection Ordinance through Prior Compliance (Section 19.04.153). CONDITIONS (1) Approval is granted for the land described in the application and attachments thereto, and as shown on the plot plan submitted labeled Exhibit "B", dated July 23, 1976. The location and development of all buildings, roadways, parking areas and other facilities shall conform to the plot plan labeled Exhibit "B" and to Council Ordinance 9419 except as indicated otherwise herein. (2) Prior to occupancy of any buildings other than Buildings C or 11, the applicant shall construct a barrier acceptable to the City Engineer blocking access from the shopping center to the Standard Service Station along line "A" as shown on the Plot Plan Exhibit "B", dated July 23, 1976. The appli- cant shall be responsible for maintaining said barrier until a permanenent plan for channelizing traffic through both easements and the Standard Station has been approved by the City Engineer. BACKGROUND REPORT Location and Description of Property: The Drive-thru Restaurant site is located in the northwest corner of the Carlsbad Shopping Center. The Shopping Center site has been graded, with a permanent Savings and Loan Building recently com- pleted. A temporary Bank of America is also present on the site. -4- Existing Zoning: Subject Property: C-2 North: L-C South: C-2-Q East: R-l-10 West: C-2 Existing Land Use: Subject Property: Vacant, 1 permanent and 1 temporary structure North: Buena Vista Creek and Highway 78 South: Vacant East: Vacant West: Plaza Camino Real Shopping Center Past History and Related Cases: A Specific Plan for a Shopping Center (SP-146) on the subject property was approved by the City Council on December 18, 1973 (City Council Resolution 3304). SP-146(A), approved by Council on March 4, 1975 (Ordinance 9419), separated the project into five phases. The Planning Director approved minor changes to the site plan on February 6, 1976, modifying building sites at the north end of the site. He subsequently approved minor deviations to allow a drive-thru bank. The Planning Commission approved building elevations for the Shopping Center on February 25, 1976 and June 23, 1976. Environmental Impact Information: The Planning Director had determined that the project had complied with the City's Environmental Protection Ordinance though Prior Compliance (Section 19.04.153). An Environmental Impact Report (Nos.219 and 220) was approved for the Shopping Center and certi- fied in connection with the original Specific Plan. General Plan Information: The project site is designated for Community Commercial Land Use. The proposed amendment is in conformance with this designation. As pointed out in the recommended findings, the present proposal does not conform with guidelines of the Land Use and Circulation Elements. Public Facilities: Water and sewer services are available from the City. Major Planning Consideration: Is a drive-thru restaurant appropriate for the site proposed? Has proper circulation through the driveway easements been assured? -5- DISCUSSION Amendment of the existing Specific Plan is required because of the modifications to the site plan. These modifications include both the drive-thru restaurant (CUP request) and the joint use of the Chevron station driveway. Staff feels that without detailed design of the driveways, their joint use would create an undesirable situation similar to the existing Texaco-Poinsettia Plaza situation. The drive-thru restaurant is undesirable for at least the follow- ing reasons: (1) Exit movements from the drive-thru to the main shopping center exit will be too difficult. A 20-foot inside turn- ing radius is necessary. Exit movements the other way will cross the proposed crosswalk. (2) The drive-thru eliminates parking, and the proposed 14 spaces in the vicinity of the restaurant will be heavily used. When all 14 spaces are filled, additional vehicles entering the parking area will have to turn around at a westerly "hammer- head" (not provided for in the proposal). Should a vehicle park in the turn-around area, it would be difficult to maneuver out of a full parking lot. The Commission may note that the two lots adjacent the Bank of America similarly have no turnarounds. Those lots differ from the one proposed for two reasons: (a) Bank parking is characterized by lower volume and less frequent turnover than fast-food restaurants; (b) The Bank parking lots were modified to make that drive-thru operate efficiently. In the case of McDonald's, an inefficient parking lot is proposed in addition to an inefficient drive-thru. (3) The small size of the site will cause customers to park in spaces in the adjacent parking area and corss a two-way traffic lane on a proposed painted crosswalk. During peak hour operations, approximately 20 of these "offsite" spaces will be filled. Stopped vehicles can back up from the cross- walk into that traffic lane's intersection with the main entrance. Furthermore, with three potential "offsite" parking lot lanes to use, most pedestrians will not cross at the painted crosswalk. (4) Some customers may discover the potential convenience of entering the existing service station from El Camino Real, parking along the curb and walking across the drive-thru to the building. This will cause further pedestrian-vehicle conf1ict. -6- (5) The drive-thru lane and rear of the proposed building face El Camino Real. Such an arrangement will force pedestrians from the Plaza and the movie theatres to cross the drive- thru lane to enter the building. The problem will be particu- larly noticeable during weekends and the summer months when young people attempt to reach the restaurant from the movies or shopping trips. (6) The City currently experiences traffic congestion on El Camino Real in the area of the shopping center. Traffic from McDonald's will further aggravate the situation, particularly during the lunch and dinner rushes. Signaliza- tion of the shopping center entrance and construction of Jefferson and Marron streets will relieve some of the existing congestion. However, the expansion of the Plaza Camino Real, completion of the Carlsbad Plaza and construc- tion of the shopping center proposed on the south side of Marron Road, will generate additional traffic congestion. Balancing future street system improvements and traffic generators, staff feels that traffic from any fast-food restaurant on the site proposed will create noticeable traffic congestion in excess of what would otherwise exist. Staff feels that if a drive-thru restaurant is desired on the shopping center site or in that general area, other sites would be more appropriate. If the Commission wishes to explore this alternative, it would be appropriate to return the matter to staff for such a study. AM:mdp (7/23/76) Attachments: Location Map Exhibit "A", Applicant's proposed Plot Plan, dated 6/22/76 Exhibit "B", Staff proposed Plot Plan, dated 7/23/76 -7-