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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-02-14; City Council; 9857; Rancho La Costa Plaza Vistar Financial, Inc.CIT- OF CARLSBAD - AGEND” BILL AB# 9857 MTG. 2/ 14/89 DEPT.CM TITLE: REQUEST BY VISTAR FINANCIAL RECOMMENDED ACTION: Consider testimony given by a representative from Vistar Financial Inc. and take appropriate action. ITEM EXPLANATION: Vistar Financial Inc. is the owner of a 5.2 acre commercial development identified as SDP 86-3 Ranch0 La Costa Plaza. The property is located at the southeast corner of La Costa Avenue and Ranch0 Santa Fe Road. Representatives of Vistar Financial Inc. have been working with City staff to attempt to develop this project. Based upon the City's Growth Management requirements and the need to finance Ranch0 Santa Fe Road, the project has been put on hold until a complete financing plan is approved. The applicant has requested to have this item placed on the City Council Agenda for consideration. Attached as Exhibit 1 is a letter which outlines the request being made. FISCAL IMPACT: None pending the outcome of the City Council's action. EXHIBITS: 1. Letter from Mark L. Kral, Vistar Financial, Inc., dated January 24, 1989. Mr. Rau Pact& City tinager City of Carlsbad 1200 Elm Ave. Carlsbad, Ca. 92008 EXHIBIT 1 l-24-89 Hand Delivered RE: Request to be Placed on the City Council’s February Agenda Dear Mr. Pachett: I am writing this letter requesting the above at the suggestion of Mr. Phil Carter and Mr. Marty Drenyak. However, we are hopeful that once the following information is reviewed you will deter- mine that a public hearing is not necessary and that our development may proceed accordingly. Qistar Financial Inc. is the owner of a 5.2 acre commercial development, approved 8!8? and identified 8s SDP 86-3. The project is located at the southeast corner of La Costa Ave and Rancho Santa Fe Rd. and at this time we are in plan check, approaching the permit stage and according to Mr. Carter’s 11-29-88 letter [a copy is attached for your review] we msu not go forward until a comprehensive financing plan for circulation facilities [ie Ranch0 Santa Fe Rd.]is approved. We have met with Mr. Carter and Mr. Orenyak on 12- 5- 88 and 1 Z- 22- 88 in an effort to clarify some inconsistencies, understand the City’s objective and determine if there is some intermediate arrangement that may be attainable. Apparently the old concept where each zone provided its own finance plan has been replaced by the 1 - 1 II-89 proposal to create a Mello-Roos CFD debt program designed to offer more uniform assessments. The magnitude of the assessment/acre of developed commercial is estimated at 1.43% based on $80D,000 value and the overall timing to form the first districts and initiate bond sales is estimated to take place by 7/89. We have been requested by Mr. Carter and Mr. Orenyak to wait until the CF D is in place. Unfortunately, we have been struggling for over a year to process the 8t87 approval and obtain the permits necessary for construction and occupancy. As we explained to Mr. Carter and Mr. Orenyak further delay is a hardship that will force our project in Bankruptcy. This type of Catastrophic negative consequence may be avoidable provided you concur with the following items. It appears that the central issue is financing the improvement of Rancho Santa Fe Rd. north of our development. Previously this task was the function of the property owners located in zone 1 1 and according to Nancy Rollman 3/88 this finance plan WBS scheduled to be adopted no later than 9f88. Mr. Carter indicated that the plan submitted by the zone 1 1 landowners was rejected and subse- quent? y replaced by the Mello- Roos CFD. it is antici pated that the landowners along Rancho Santa Fe Rd. will dedicate their portions and pay for their roadway improvements in addition to paying the assessment indicated above. it was indicated at the l- 1 O-89 City Council meeting that the present fee structure {traffic impact fees, public facilities fee, etc.] will be replaced by the assessments associated with the CFD. Our position regarding the financing is quite simple. Qistar is prepared to pay all the fees under the current structure and any additional amount due via the eventual assessment created bu the CFD with credit due for those fees replaced by the assessment. Based on our preliminary figures the present fee structure exceeds the anticipated CFls assessment so no shortfall would be expected. Also the timing of the CFD program is anticipated to be substantial? y ahead of our projects con- struction and occupancy. The CFL? program is expected to be in place by 7189 and our projects occupancy is not expected until 11189. This 4 month lag period more than accomodates the CFD finance plan’s timing. This paralell vs sequential approach would greatly enhance the viability of our project and from our perspective it appears that City’s objectives are met and in other ways exceeded. For example, it is our understanding that the several thousand residents in that quadrant of the City are forced to travel north, south and west for retail services. This adds substantially to the average daily t ri ps along La Costa Ave. and Rancho Santa Fe Road. Our traffic consultant indicates that our widening Rancho Santa Fe Rd. and La Costa Ave plus the upgrades at this key intersection will substantially improve both pedestrian and traffic safety immediately. Furthermore we have been contacted by the representative homeowner groups in the area and they have expressed their need for retail services more proximate to their homes. Since our commercial development will not include any major food or drug operation we do not anticipate drawing any traffic north of the site. We view are project as an infill activity designed specifically to Serve the needs of the community residents. This project has been determined to be consistent with the City’s General Plan, the La Costa Master Plan, the Growth Management Ordinance and providing the above timing and financing approach is acceptable it will also comply with the LFMP for zone 1 1 without amending the plan. At this time the 3 facility deficiencies identified in the zone 1 1 plan have been mitigated and the language of the plan clearly provides that projects not requiring final maps [ie subdivisions] may proceed with development. According to Mr. Carter this language in the regulatory document for zone 11 is a mistake, however the consulting firms who were hired to draft the plan have indicated that the language was not a mistake and that in fact it was anticipated that retail service would be necessary and integral to residential growth in this 2one. Once you’ve had an opportunity to review this letter I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with youanddiscuss yourfindingsaccordingly. ancereiy, u Mark L Kral Director of Asset Management Yiistar Financial Inc. cc General Partner Corporate Counsel ALL RECEIVED Jo: Carl sbad City Counci 1 Members RE: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY--REQUEST FOR PERMIT RANCH0 LA COSTA PLAZA AGENDA iTEM 2- 14-89 V&tar Financial inc. is a small investment company that owns approximately five commercial acres located at the SEC of La Costa Ave and Ranch0 Santa Fe Rd. The project is known as Ranch0 La Costa PLaza. The project was approved for development 8/87 and at this time it is prevented from obtaining the desired permits due to the longstanding Council promise to restrict all development along Ranch0 Santa Fe Rd. until the proposed roadway is under construction. Ranch0 La Costa Plaza provides the type of benefits that are truly central to the Council’s promise and if the project is not allowed to go forward: 1 It will prevent the type of roadway and intersection improvements that will advance or promote traffic and pedestrian safety for both the La Costa Area residents and the non-resident users of Ranch0 Santa Fe Rd. 2 It also will preclude the La Costa resldents from easier access to needed goods and services. 3 that by restricting the permit process our project’s financing is so adversely affected that we may be forced into Chapter 1 1 proceedings As background our project Ranch0 La Costa Plaza was approved for development 8/87 some 18 months ago. The project is in its second plan check and should be eligible for permits March 1989. It has already been determined that 1 the project is consistent with the City’s General Plan, the Growth Management Ordinance, and the La Costa Master Plan 2 the project does not impact the circulation performance standards set forth in the zone 1 1 plan and provides a needed infill function for the area. 3 the 3 facility deficiencies identified in the Zone plan have been fully mitigated 4 the zone1 1 plan provides for new developments not requiring final maps to proceed, however Until recently we were unaware of the Council’s promise made to the area residents some 3 years ago that provided for no development to occur along Ranch0 Santa Fe Rd until the proposed roadway was under construction. From my discussions it appears that the purpose of the Council’s promise was to insure that the Circulation elements consistent with traffic adequacy and pedestrian safety were not further impacted by new development. It is our position that for Ranch0 La Costa Plaza provides circulation elements consistent with traffic adequacy and pedestrian safety and actually support the Council’s promise to the area residents. Weston Pringle and Associates, Traffic and Transportation Engineers recently completed a study of the circulation impacts Ranch0 La Costa Plaza will have on traffic generation & roadway adequacy. As you know Weston Pringle and Associates prepared the original traffic study for Zone’s 1 1 & 12 which included our Approved Development: 1 His traffic generation analysis included Trip evaluation for our project including the service station. 1 t appears that recent studies-to paraphrase Mr. Pringle’s report... have recognized that some land uses serve traffic already on the road system...under the concept of INTERCEPT TRIPS vs generating new trips. The specific policies Mr. Pringle used shows that 100% of all service station trips are INTERCEPT TRIPS...this applies to Fast Food operations @ 95% and 50% for other retail goods and services...according to his analysis our project will generally serve traffic that is on the road system and will not attract customers from outside the immediate area. On balance Mr. Pringle’s traffic generation analysis concludes that Ranch0 La Costa Plaza’s impact upon the area street system wtll be less than had been assumed fn the prevlous Zone Studies...and may preclude out of area trips by local residents which will directly influence traffic flows and totals. 2 Regarding the adequacy of the roadway the Weston Pringle study concludes that developing Ranch0 La Costa Plaza would result in the improvement of Ranch0 Santa Fe Rd and La Costa Ave. including the intersection well ahead of the 1995 deadline identified in the Zone 1 1 and 12 studies This earlier development of the roadways will definately have a beneficial effect upon the traffic conditions in the area. This will be accomplished by A widening Ranch0 Santa Fe Rd an additional 18 feet along 600 feet of frontage and adding another left turn lane to reduce stacking I3 widening La Costa Ave an additional 12 feet along 560 feet of frontage and also adding anothern turn lane C upgrading the traffic signalization at this key intersection D adding an improved median design and roadway striping E adding 5 new street lights along with over 1 100 linear feet of new curbs & sidewalks should substantially improve pedestrian safety around these roadways as well as enhance northbound traffic’s ability to better handle this portion of Ranch0 Santa Fe Rd. IN CONCLUSION IT APPEARS THAT RANCH0 LA COSTA PLAZA WILL DELIVER ON BALANCE MORE BENEFlTS...TO THE AREA AN9 ITS RESIDENTS IF IT IS ALLOWED TO PROCEED. ON THE BASIS THAT THE RANCH0 LA COSTA PLAZA DEVELOPMENT PROVIDES THE TYPE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROADWAY ADEQUACY IMPACTS... SUPPORTED BY THE WESTON PRlNGLE AND ASSOClATES STUDY AND CONSIDERED TO BE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE TO THE CITY COUNCIL... 1 RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT WE RECEIVE YOUR CONSENT AND BE ALLOWED TO PROCEED WITH PERMITS ACCORDINGLY. - . ! \,y jgj’$ _ * ._-.. - . ~ ‘.&) * ! . ,.., i+&Al Weston Pringle & Associates _ . . . _-I TRAFFIC & ‘RANSPOK’l’A’l’lON ENGINEERING February 10, 1989 Mr. Mark Kral Vistar Financial, Inc. 13456 Washington Blvd. Marina De1 Rey, CA 90292 Dear Mr. Kral: This letter sunmarizes our review of traffic factors related to your proposed development of the southeasterly corner of Ranch0 Santa Fe Road and La Costa Avenue in the City of Carlsbad. The review was based upon information provided by you, previous studies and standard reference material. PROJECTED DESCRIPTION The development is known as Ranch0 La Costa Plaza and is commercial in nature. A total of 43,856 square feet (SF) of building area is indicated on the site plan. This includes two free standing buildings of which Building E (3,000 SF) is designed to accommodate a fast food - drive through operation. A service station is also located on the corner of Ranch0 Santa Fe Road and La Costa Avenue which will have six pumps and 2,700 SF of building. While this service station is not a part of the project permit, it has been considered in this review. TRIP GENERATION The trip generation rates published by SANDAG in their "San Diego Traffic Generators" have been utilized by the City of Carlsbad as a standard for previous studies. These rates were uti'lized in the Zones 11 and 12 Growth Management PTans which included this site. Table 1 lists the trip 265 I l&t Chapman AVCI~CK b 0 Suik 1 IO . I’uIler~on. Caliiornir\ 92K51 l (71-1) 871-29351 -2- generation rates applicable to the proposed uses. By combining these rates with land use qualities , estimates of daily and peak hour project trip generation were obtained and are also listed in Table 2. Review of Table 2 indicates an estimated 4,500 daily trip ends with 185 occurring during the AM peak hour and 410 during the PM peak hour. DISCUSSION The Facilities Plan for Zones 11 and 12 included the subject property. Based upon the available data, that report estimated 3,280 daily trip ends for this site with 100 occurring during the AM peak hour and 330 during the PM peak hour. On this basis, the project would appear to result in an increase 1,220 daily trip ends, an 85 AM peak hour trip increase and a 75 PM peak hour trip increase. The type of commercial proposed must also be considered in this comparison. Recent studies and policies have recognized that some land uses serve traffic already on the road system or intercept trips rather than generate new trips. The City of San Diego has adopted specific policies in this area which assume that al? service station trips are intercepted, 95 percent of fast food trips and 50 percent of neighborhood shopping center. A study by our firm of our service stations with mini-marts indicated that 90 percent of trips were intercepted trips. This application could reduce daily trip generation as indicated in Table 3. The adjusted totals are 900 daily trip ends with 35 occurring during the AM peak hour and 90 during the PM peak hour. The above. discussiori‘~indicates~ that the impact upon -the area street system will be Tess. than has .been assumed-in the previous Zone studies due to the.type of use;- Service stations, fast food and small.- retail uses generally serve traffic that is on the road system and do not attract customers from outside the inmnediate area. A- project of this type can also reduce some area wide travel by providing goods and services in proximity to residences and other uses. Ranch0 Santa Fe Road adjacent to the site is not fully improved under present conditions. With this development, the northbound approach to La Costa Avenue would be widened to the full ultimate width as indicated in the Facilities Plan for Zones 11 and 12. In addition, La Costa Avenue . . -3- LAND USE DESCRIPTOR Table 1 TRIP GENERATION RATES Ranch0 La Costa Plaza TRIP ENDS PER DESCRIPTOR Daily AM In AM Out PM In PM Out Retail 1,000 SF 40 0.7 0.5 1.8 1.8 Fast Food-Drive Thru 1,000 SF 700 16.8 11.2 28.0 28.0 Service Station Pump 130 3.9 3.9 7.8 7.8 Source: “Trip Generation Rates for the San Diego Region", SANDAG, July, 1988. Table 2 TRIP GENERATION TRIP ENDS LAND USE QUANTITY Daily AM In AM Out PM In PM Out Retail 40,865 SF 1,600 30 20 75 75 Fast Food-Drive Thru 3,000 SF 2,100 50 35 85 85 Service Station 6 Pumps 800 25 25 45 45 TOTALS 4,500 105 80 205 205 -4- Table 3 TRIP GENERATION ADJUSTMENTS Ranch0 La Costa Plaza PERCENT ADJUSTED TRIP GENERATION IAND USE NEW TRIPS Daily AM In AM Out PM In PM Out Retail 50 800 15 10 40 40 Fast Food-Drive Thru 5 100 5 5 5 5 Service Station 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 900 20 15 45 45 -5- easterly of Ranch0 Santa Fe Road will be improved. .These 'improvements are a part of the ultimate improvements required to accommodate buildout traffic demands. It is noted that these improvements were not required until 1995 by the Zones 11 and 12 plan. In other words, the project would result in circulation improvements being constructed earlier than envisioned in the Zone 11 and 12 plan. SUMMARY The traffic factors related to the proposed Ranch0 La Costa Plaza have been reviewed along with general impacts upon traffic circulation. While the trip generation totals are slightly higher than indicated in the Zone 11 and 12 analyses, actual area traffic increases are minimal due to the project serving trips already on the road system. Service statipns, fast .I'. .food .and sma1.l retail uses do not: attract. tri,ps, into the. area <and .can- . actual'ly -.:educe: ,-traffic, >..'by '-servi.ng : ~~0cal-peSfde?ts... -The.-.project -,would also result ,j,n the.partia? .imp.rovoments of. the; Ranch0 Santa Fe Road/La .:. Costa Avenue prior to .-the time ,prev!ously i.dontified in the Zone 11 and .12 studies. Gn$he.basis, of. these con.siderations,*the project. would have a benefici.al effect upon traffic conditions in the'area; * * * * * We trust that these comments will be of assistance to you and the City of Carlsbad. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact us. Respectfully submitted, WESTON PRINGLE & ASSOCIATES Weston S. Pringle, P.E. Registered Professional Engineer State of California Numbers Cl6828 & TR565 WSP:hld #890180 -.. . SO CAL DEVELOPMENT, INC. ~~~ PROPERTY MANAGEMENT DIVISION 915 Camino De1 Mar, Suite 200 De1 Mar, California 92014 (619) 481-5572 February 13, 1989 City Council City of Carlsbad 1200 Elm St. Carlsbad, CA 92008 RE: Development of Ranch0 La Costa Plaza @ Ranch0 Santa Fe. Rd. and La Costa Ave. Dear City Council Members, We are the Property Management company operating the Park La Costa Apartments and Stagecoach Park Apartments. We want to submit this letter of support for the development of the above named convenience shopping center. It will greatly enhance the corner of Ranch0 Santa Fe Rd. and La Costa Ave. and it will provide shopping’convenience for the residents in the area. We request that you vote in favor of allowing the development to proceed as planned. Respectfully, , /$&?feFU George . Hahn Property Director