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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRP 96-03; Unocal Gas Station & Car Wash; Redevelopment Permits (RP)STAFF REPORT APPLICATION COMPLETE DATE: January 10, 1996 Staff: Debbie Fountain Eric Munoz Clyde Wickam DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: April 17, 1996 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT' I. RP 86-7(A)/CDP 95-05 - UNOCAL GAS STATION AND CAR WASH - Request for an amendment to a Major Redevelopment Permit and issuance of a Coastal Development Permit to allow the demolition of work bays and mini-mart at the existing Unocal Station and the construction of a new express car wash at 880 Carisbad Village Drive on the northwest corner of Carisbad Village Drive and Harding Street in the Village Redevelopment Zone/Sub-Area 1. RECOMMENDATION That the Design Review Board ADOPT Design Review Board Resolution No. 248 recommending APPROVAL of RP 86-7(A) and ADOPT Design Review Board Resolution No. 249 recommending APPROVAL of CDP 95-05 to the Housing and Redevelopment Commission based on the findings and subject to the conditions contained therein. II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND The applicant is requesting approval of an amendment to a previously approved Major Redevelopment Permit/Conditional Use Permit and Issuance of a new Coastal Development Permit to replace the existing work bays and mini-mart at the existing Unocal Gas Station at 880 Carisbad Village Drive with a new express car wash which will operate from 6:00am to 8:00pm. In addition, the applicant is proposing to reorient* the canopies and modernize the fuel pumps. The proposed development consists of 1) a 1,004 square foot car wash which has a smaller footprint than the existing building on the site; 2) a 208 square foot car wash kiosk; 3) 1,900 square feet of canopy covers; and 4) three parking spaces. The existing gas pumps will be replaced with new multiple dispenser pumps with credit card readers. The canopies covers will be replaced and installed with a new orientation which will cause the vehicles to circulate east and west on the property rather than north and south as currently oriented. New landscaping will be added to the site; the landscaped areas will occupy approximately 13% of the site providing approximately 1746 square feet of landscaping. FlP fe6-7(a)/CDP 95-05 - Unocal Car Wash & Gas Station April 17, 1996 Page 2 The proposed new structure is designed with a concrete flat roof tile in shake/shingle style and medium grey color with a pitched roofline. The building will have a grey and white stucco finish with accent colors used to give visual interest. At the top of the roof, there will be glass skylights with metal frames painted in a medium grey to closely match the roof tiles. To add some additional visual interest to the car wash building, the applicant has proposed metal window/louver frames painted blue and dark grey ceramic tiles to accent the lower portion of the building. All accent trim will be painted medium grey. The canopies and kiosk will match the car wash building in basic design, color and materials. A total of three (3) parking spaces are proposed along the west side of the property to allow for use of the restroom as well as the air/water dispensers and the new vacuum unit. Staff has determined that the project meets existing standards and is consistent with the design guidelines within the new Village Master Plan and Design Manual. The site is currently dominated by asphalt coverage and has three driveways with minimum landscaping. All three driveways shall remain. However, the proposed project will close off access to the Alley directly from the site. The site will be enhanced with the new landscaping. The reorientation of the canopies and fuel pumps should improve circulation on the site. Customers for the car wash will enter the car wash building on the west side of the property and exit from the east. A pass-through area has been provided within the fuel pump area to allow customers to access the car wash directly from the east. 111. ANALYSIS 1. General Plan/Zoning Consistency: The proposed commercial development is consistent with the General Plan designation of "Village" and the zoning for the property which is V-R (Village Redevelopment). The property is located within Subarea 1 of the existing Village Design Manual which allows for all land uses permitted in C-2, C-1 or R-P zones. The permitted land uses include gas/service stations and car washes. Subarea 1 is proposed as a strong commercial center along the Carisbad Village Drive corridor. Also, the property is located in a Freeway Service Area. The proposed project is consistent with the goals and objectives for the subject area of the Village Redevelopment Area. 2. Development and Design Standards: All new development within the Village Redevelopment Area should improve general on-site circulation, meet design guidelines for the buildings and Improvements on the site, and utilize more landscaping. The following improvements to the site shall be made as part of the proposed project: RP 86-7(A)/CDP 95-05- Unocal Car Wash & Gas Station April 17, 1996 Page 3 a) The circulation on the site will be improved through the reorientation of the canopies and fuel pumps. b) The project will provide for 13% landscaping which will visually improve the site in a substantial manner. c) The proposed building, kiosk and canopy design are consistent with the guidelines set forth within the existing Village Design Manual (in effect at time of application) as well as the new Village Master Plan and Design Manual approved by the Housing and Redevelopment Commission and effective as of January 12, 1996. 3. Growth Management: The proposed project is located within Local Facilities Management Zone 1 in the northwest quadrant of the City. The project complies with the adopted performance standards for Zone 1 of the Local Facilities Management Plan. The impacts on public facilities created by the proposed project and compliance with the adopted performance standards are summarized below: Facility Impacts Compliance w/ Standard City Administration Facility N/A N/A Library N/A N/A Waste Water Treatment 3 EDUs Yes Parks N/A N/A Drainage N/A N/A Circulation 1,650 ADT Yes Fire Station #1 Yes Open Space N/A N/A Schools N/A N/A Sewer Collection System 3 EDUs Yes Water Distribution System 660 GPD Yes RP 86-7(A)/CDP 95-05 - Unocal Car Wash & Gas Station April 17, 1996 Page 4 4. Car Wash Findings: A car wash use is permitted subject to the following findings and conditions: 1. The site shall be designed to reduce the visual impacts of buildings and waiting cars on surrounding development and from public streets. The car wash building has been designed to be as consistent with the new guidelines for the Village Redevelopment Area as possible based on function of the land uses. The queuing area for the car wash has been screened by landscaping. Also, the landscaping for the site includes several trees which will soften building facades. As such, the building and car wash queuing areas have been designed to reduce visual impacts. 2. All structures shall be designed to be architecturally compatible with surrounding development. The area in which the proposed project is located includes a variety of architectural styles. The proposed structures on the site will have finishes, coloring, and landscaping which is consistent with the new Village Master Plan and Design Manual and also compatible with surrounding development 3. Noise Analysis may be required for the car wash. Based on the data submitted by the applicant, the self-service car wash will result in no increase in noise levels on the site. 4. A traffic study may be required for the proposed car wash. The street system serving the proposed project is adequate to properiy handle all traffic generated by the proposed project. 5. Adequate parking and circulation shall be provided onsite to accommodate the proposed use. Access to the site will be provided from Carisbad Village Drive and Harding Street. To improve circulation on the site, the canopies are being reoriented to run east to west and a pass through area has been created in the center of the canopy area to allow customers to easily access the car wash. The car wash can be accessed from Harding Street or Carisbad Village Drive. Adequate space has been provided for queuing. Adequate parking will be provided on site which meets the standards set forth by the Village Design Manual. Fi? S6-7(A)/CDP 95-05 - Unocal Car Wash & Gas Station April 17, 1996 Page 5 6. Waiting areas for cars are to be screened by a combination of landscaping, fencing and berming. Visual impacts from waiting cars at the entrance to the car wash will be reduced through the use of landscaped planters which include several trees. The landscaped areas will be on both sides of the driveway, or vehicle waiting areas, into the proposed car wash. These areas will Include various types of shrubs and flowering plants which will be visually appealing as well as provide a screen to the waiting cars. The project will be conditioned for the owner to maintain all of the landscaping in a healthy and thriving condition. In addition, the entrance to the car wash will be oriented to the west which faces an alley and the side of the adjacent bank building. 7. Aii signs shall compiy with an approved sign program. The signs for the project will be approved under separate permit However, the project will be conditioned to require the sign program to be consistent with the Village Design Manual in effect at the time of sign permit application. 8. Adequate means of eliminating grease and oils from drainage systems shail be provided. The project will be conditioned to comply with the City's requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. This condition will ensure that the best management practices are used to reduce surface pollutants to an acceptable level prior to discharge into the storm drain system. IV. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The Planning Director has determined that the project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per Class II, Section 15302 of the State CEQA Guidelines and will not have any adverse significant impact on the environment V. SUMMARY The proposed project is 1) consistent with the General Plan, the Village Redevelopment Plan and the Village Design Manual; 2) complies with the requirements for findings related to a car wash; 3) in conformance with the Zone 1 Local Facilities Management Plan; and 4) is exempt from environmental review under f. ' RP 86-7(A)/CDP 95-05 - Unocal Car Wash & Gas Station April 17, 1996 Page 6 the California Environmental Quality Act. Therefore, staff recommends approval of the amendment to RP 86-7(A) and the issuance of CDP 95-05 based on the findings and subject to the conditions found in the attached resolutions. VI. ATTACHMENTS 1. Design Review Board Resolution No. 248 2. Design Review Board Resolution No. 249 3. Location Map 4. Background Data Sheet 5. Disclosure Form 6. Reduced Rendering of Project Elevation/Design 7. Full Exhibits "A" - "E", dated April 17, 1996 :HMbNI c5 GRAND AVENUE UJ QJ DC h- CO z o CO a: LU Li. LL LJJ Office LU UJ DC h- CO O Q DC < I Arco Gas Station CARLSBAD VILLAGE DRIVE Project Site Church Parking W4- N > E CITY OF CARLSBAD I UNOCAL GAS STATION AND CAR WASH RP 86-7(A)/CDP 95-05 I ATTACHMENT 4 * BACKGROUND DATA SHEET CASE NO.: RP 86-07(A)/CDP 95-05 CASE NAME: UNOCAL Gas Station and Express Car Wash APPLICANT: Union Oil Companv of California REQUEST AND LOCATION: Replace existing work bavs and mini-mart with a new express car wash at 880 Carisbad Village Drive. LEC^L DESCRIPTION: Lots 29 through 32. Block 56. Town of Carisbad. in the Countv of San Diego. State of California, according to the map thereof No. 775 filed in the Office of the Countv Recorder of San Diego Countv February 15. 1985. APN: 203-354-16 Acres 032 Proposed No. of Lots/Units 0 GENERAL PLAN AND ZONING Land Use Designation: Village Density Allowed: N/A Density Proposed: N/A Existing Zoning: V-R Proposed Zoning: V-R Surrounding Zoning and Land Use: Zoning Land Use Site V-R Commercial Building. Retail/Service (Gas Station/Car Wash) North V-R Office Building South V-R Commercial Building. Church East V-R Commercial Building. Retail/Service (Gas Station/Mini-Mart) West V-R Commercial Building. Bank PUBLIC FACILITIES School District Carisbad Water District Carisbad Sewer District Carisbad Equivalent Dwelling Units (Sewer Capacity) _3 Public Facilities Fee Agreement, dated Mav 13. 1986 ATTACHMENT 5 Oitv of Catisbad Plannina Oepartment DISCLOSURE STATEMENT AP^UCAISTTS STATEMENT OF :;iSCLOSUflE OF CERTAIN OWNERSHIP INTERESTS ON ALL APPUCATIONS WHiCH WIU =EGU'Bc C.SCReriONARY ACTION CN THE PART OF THE CfTY COUNCIL OR ANY APPOINTED BOARD. COMMISSION OR CCMMfTTEE. Please Pnnt) The following information must be disclosed: \. Applicant Ust the names and addresses of all persons having a financial interest In the appiication. Charlotte Thatcher 34yo Sea crest urive FhiXip M. Pe<3qe,. Union Oil Companv of California 17700 Castleton Street, #500 City of Industry, CA 91748 Owner carlsbad. CA 92008 Robert H. Sonneman 52 El Sereno Court San Francisco, CA 94127 Ust the names and addresses of all persons having any ownership interest in the property involved. Charlotte Thatcher Robert H. Sonneman 3490 Sea Crest Drive Carlsbad, CA 92008- 52 El Sereno Court San Francisco, ca 9412 7 3. If any person identified pursuant to (1) or (2) abovt is a corporation or partnership, list the names anc addresses of ail individuals owning more than 10% of the shares in the corporation or owning any partnership interest in the partnership. None if any person identified pursuant to (1) or (2) above is a non-profit organization or a tnjst list the names anc addresses of any person serving as officer or director of the non-profit organization or as trustee or beneficiary of the trust FRMOOOIS a/90 C 2075 Las Palmas Orive • Carlsbad. California 92009-4859 • (619)438-1161 B/sc/osura Stafement (Over) Page 2 Have yoa had more than $250 worth of business transacted with any member of City staff, Boards, Commissions, Committees and Council within the past twelve months? Yes No Ifyes, please indicate person(s) Person ia dafif>ad aa: 'Any ind'rvMuai. firm, copartnarahip, }oint vantura, asaociation. aoclaJ ciub, fratarnal organtzatlon. corporation, aetata, truat. racaiva •yndicala. thia ar>d any other county, city and county, city municipaJity. diatrict or othar polltkal aubdMaion, or any othor group or oomt>ination acting aa unit' (NOTE: Attach addttional pages as nacassary.) Signature of Owner/date Print or type name of owner Signature of applicant/date Print or type name of applicant .^MOOOI 12/91 ATTACHMENT 6 APPLICATION COMPLETE DATE: January 10, 1996 Staff: Debbie Fountain Eric Munoz Clyde Wickam SUPPLEMENTAL STAFF REPORT DATE: April 17, 1996 TO: DESIGN REVIEW BOARD FROM: HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SUBJECT RP 86-7(AyCDP 95-05 • UNOCAL GAS STATION AND CAR WASH - Request for an amendment to a Redevelopment Permit and issuance of a Coastal Development Permit to allow the demolition of work bays and mini-mart at the existing Unocal Station and the construction of a new express car wash at 880 Carisbad Village Drive on the northwest corner of Carisbad Village Drive and Harding Street in the Village Redevelopment Zone/Sub-Area 1. To ensure that the Design Review Board has adequate information to make the findings necessary to approve the express car wash proposed by the Union Oil Company of California for construction at the existing Unocal Station on the northwest corner of Carisbad Village Drive and Harding Street, the following supplemental report has been prepared and distributed to the Board for consideration. Land Use The Village Design Manual is the document which regulates land uses for the Village Redevelopment Area. Currently, the Village Design Manual dated April 1988 is in effect for all properties located within the Village Redevelopment Area and also within the Coastal Zone. A new Village Master Plan and Design Manual was approved and became effective on January 12, 1996 for all properties in the Village Redevelopment Area which are outside the Coastal Zone; this new document will be effective throughout the Redevelopment Area in June or July, 1996. Until the new document becomes effective for properties in the Village which are also located in the Coastal Zone, the 1988 Village Design Manual is the regulating document. The 1988 Village Design Manual indicates that the subject property for the proposed express car wash and existing gas station is located in Land Use Subarea 1. The land uses allowed within this subarea are the same as those altowed within the C-1, C-2 Unocal - Supplemental Report April 17, 1996 Page 2 and R-P zones. Gas Service Stations are permitted uses within the C-1 zone (Chapter 21.26 of the Carisbad Municipal Code). The Gas Service Station was previously approved as a permitted use on the site. Although the canopies and fuel pumps are being reoriented for the gas service station, the use itself is not changing. Car washes are permitted by conditional use permit within the C-1 zone (Chapter 21.26 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code). For all properties within the Village Redevelopment Area, the redevelopment permit serves as the appropriate permit for conditional uses. A separate conditional use permit is not required. However, the DRB must make findings to ensure that the project is compatible with surrounding properties. These findings were outlined in the original report to the Design Review Board. The original Conditional Use Permit approved for the gas station by the Planning Commission, prior to 1981, was converted to a redevelopment permit by the Design Review Board on May 28, 1986. On May 28, 1986, the Board also approved an expansion of the work bay area on the site. At that time, the Board was required to make findings that the gas station complied with existing standards for service stations. The appropriate findings were made and the redevelopment permit was approved for a five year period. The service station did not process a request for an extension of the subject permit. Therefore, technically, the 1986 redevelopment permit has expired. However, because the station has remained in compliance with its conditions of approval and no complaints have been raised by surrounding property owners/neighbors regarding operations, the service station with work bays has been permitted to remain and staff recommends that the service station be allowed to remain without any additional time limits. A condition has been added to the approving resolution which will allow the service station to remain subject to its original conditions of approval as outlined within Design Review Board Resolution No. 72 (attached as an exhibit to this supplemental report). In the new Village Master Plan and Design Manual which will become effective in the Coastal Zone of the Village by July, 1996, the subject property is located within Land Use District 2; this district allows for gas stations, as a provisional use, and car washes, as an accessory use. The uses are consistent with the existing Village Design Manual as well as the new Village Master Plan and Design Manual. Therefore, staff is recommending approval of the new express car wash as well as continued operation of the existing service station. Unocal - Supplemental Report April 17, 1996 Page 3 11. DESIGN ISSUES Typically, the problem areas for car washes are 1) insufficient queuing areas; 2) poor internal circulation; 3) insufficient drying areas; and 4) excessive water use. Staff will address each of these issues, or problem areas, below. 1. Queuing Area. Adequate queuing area was a specific concern of the Engineering Department. The Engineering Standard for queuing areas is 5 car lengths or 100 feet. Union Oil redesigned their project several times to provide for the adequate queuing space which could be deemed acceptable to the Engineering Department. The final queuing area provided by Union Oil on the plans presented for approval complies with the Engineering Standard. 2. Internal Circulation. As indicated above, the project was redesigned several times as instructed by City Staff to ensure that the circulation related to the use of the car wash and the fueling pumps was acceptable. Although the circulation on the site is not ideal, it satisfies the concerns of staff and meets existing standards in that it allows for a "pass-through" area between the fuel pumps in order for vehicles to access the car wash regardless of whether or not they are also purchasing fuel on the site. In the resolution recommended for approval by staff, a condition has been placed on the project which requires "traffic flow within the property must be managed by the applicant in such a manner to minimize the impact on Harding Street and Carisbad Village Drive. 3. Drying Areas. The PROWASH EXPRESS CAR WASH proposed by the applicant features a 40' state-of-the-art soft cloth car wash with exterior only cleaning. An attendant will guide the customer into the car wash tunnel. Customers will remain in their cars as they travel through the tunnel on an automatic conveyor. A second attendant will quickly towel dry the car once it leaves the conveyor. The wash will take 2 to 3 minutes from start to finish and no drying area is required. 4. Excessive Water Use. The PROWASH EXPRESS SERVICE CAR WASH uses reclaimed water - 80% of the water used to wash and rinse the car is reclaimed. All the water used to wash and rinse the car is captured in the conveyor trench. From the trench, the water is drained to clarifier tanks where suspended solids settle to the bottom of the tanks as the water flows through them. Clear water is then transferred from the clarifier tanks, through filters, for reuse. Compared to the 75 gallons typically used in a driveway washing, only Unocal - Supplemental Report April 17, 1996 Page 4 13 gallons of fresh water is needed to wash each car. This facility will help to minimize residential driveway car washing and chemical inflow into the storm drain system. Within the resolution recommended for approval by the DRB, a condition has been proposed for the project which requires Union Oil to comply with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). This condition will require Union Oil to submit a comprehensive drainage plan for the entire site. This drainage plan, which must be approved by the City Engineer prior to building permit issuance, will require that the site is adequately draining into the City's sewer/storm drain system. Also, it will ensure that the best management practices are used to reduce surface pollutants to an acceptable level prior to discharge into the storm drain system. III. NOISE CONTROL A few property owners within the area surrounding the subject property for the UNOCAL Project have expressed concern regarding the noise to be generated from the proposed car wash. The following information was provided by UNOCAL regarding the noise levels for the car wash: 1. Most of the noise generated from car wash operations stems from the air dryer. A typical dryer produces 83 decibels at five (5) from the source. However, the decibel level quickly attenuate to ambient noise levels at thirty (30) feet. 2. To help minimize concerns, Unocal has placed the dryer as far back as possible from the exit end of the tunnel. 3. To further mitigate the noise, Unocal has oriented the air intake opening toward the interior back wall, which will be constructed with 8 inch masonry blocks. City Staff does not believe that a noise study is necessary for the project based on the information received from the applicant. However, if the Design Review Board chooses to do so, a noise study could be required as an additional condition of the project approval to ensure that the noise levels are within acceptable range. IV. TRAFFIC As indicated in the original staff report, a consen/ative estimate of the Average Daily Traffic (ADTs) for the proposed project is 1650 - 750 for the gas station and 900 for the car wash. Per Unocal, it is anticipated that the capacity of the car wash at maturity will be 200 vehicles daily. Engineering staff reviewed the traffic impacts to be created by the proposed project and determined that the impacts are in compliance with Unocal - Supplemental Report April 17, 1996 Page 5 adopted performance standards. The public streets are adequate to accommodate the impacts created by the proposed project. Therefore, staff has raised no issues related to traffic impacts. However, a couple of property owners near the proposed project have expressed concerns about additional traffic to the area. V. PARKING ANALYSIS Under the existing Village Design Manual, the on-site parking requirements are set according to Chapter 21.44 of the Carisbad Municipal Code. Within the Code, there are no parking requirements for gas stations or car washes. However, Unocal has proposed to provide three (3) parking spaces, a handicap and two regular spaces, on the site of the new car wash and existing gas station. These spaces will be available to employee(s) of the station/car wash as well as for use of the restroom, the air and water units and/or the vacuum unit. VI. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW As previously noted in the original staff report, the project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A correction needs to be made, however, to the section of CEQA cited for the exemption. The project is exempt per Class 11, Section 15303(c) of the State CEQA Guidelines and will not have any adverse significant impact on the environment. Staff had previously cited Section 15302 rather than 15303(c). The resolution recommended for approval has been revised to reflect this correction. VII. EXHIBITS 1. Revised Design Review Board Resolution No. 248 2. Revised Design Review Board Resolution No. 249 3. Design Review Board Resolution No. 72, dated May 28, 1986.