HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRE 2019-0029; 7-ELEVEN #41128-850 TAMARACK; Admin Decision LetterDecember 31, 2019
Steven Pollock
Kimley Horn
401 B Street
San Diego, CA 92101
SUBJECT: PRE 2019-0029 (DEV2019-0226) -7-ELEVEN #41128-850 TAMARACK
APN: 204-292-23-00 {City ofCarlsbad
Thank you for submitting a preliminary review for an approximately 3,000-square-foot mini-mart/gas
station project proposed at 850 Tamarack Avenue. The project site, an approximately 0.88-acre lot,
currently is developed with a structure that was previously occupied by a restaurant use.
In response to your application, the Planning Division has prepared this comment letter. Please note that
the purpose of a preliminary review is to provide you with direction and comments on the overall concept
of your project. This preliminary review does not represent an in-depth analysis of your project. It is
intended to give you feedback on critical issues based upon the information provided in your submittal.
This review is based upon the plans, policies, and standards in effect as of the date of this review. Please
be aware that at the time of a formal application submittal, new plans, policies, and standards may be
in effect and additional issues of concern may be raised through a more specific and detailed review.
Planning:
General
1.General Plan and zoning designations for the property are as follows:
a.General Plan: Visitor Commercial (VC).
b.Zoning: Commercial Tourist {C-T).
c.The property is located within the Commercial/Visitor-Serving Overlay Zone {CVSO), and
therefore is subject to the provisions contained in Carlsbad Municipal Code {CMC) Chapter
21.208.
d.The property is located within the boundaries of the Coastal Zone and is subject to the Mello
II Segment of the Local Coastal Program. The Coastal land use designation (VC) and zone (C-T)
are the same as the general plan and zoning above.
2.The project requires the following permits:
Community & Economic Development
Planning Division I 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008-7314 I 760-602-4600 I 760-602-8560 f I www.carlsbadca.gov
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a.Conditional Use Permit (CUP). Gas stations are permitted with the approval of a CUP in the C-T
Zone. However, please note comment 3 below.
b. Coastal Development Permit (CDP). The property is located within the Deferred Certification area
of the Coastal Zone, which means the City of Carlsbad does not have Coastal Development Permit
issuing authority for this property. If the CUP is approved, the applicant will need to submit for a
Coastal Development Permit with the California Coastal Commission. The city will review the
plans for compliance with the requirements of the city's coastal regulations and Local Coastal
Program and the C-T zone.
3.The proposed gas station/mini-mart does not meet the use separation standards of the CVSO as
described in bullet 4.a below. Therefore, staff cannot support the project as proposed at the subject
location. However, if a revised project is proposed at a different location within the CVSO and C-T
zoning the following items below apply. Please note that a convenience store of 2,500 square feet or
less (without a gas station) is permitted in the C-T zone without a CUP and is not subject to the CVSO
standards.
4.The project shall comply with the development standards of the C-T zoning designation and any
applicable standards of the CVSO, including but not limited to the following:
a.CVSO Gas Stations/Mini-Marts Use Separation Standards. CMC Section 21.208.100.H.1:
i.Location. New gas stations or gas stations/mini-marts shall only be permitted at
intersections where at least one of the streets is classified as a prime, major or secondary
arterial in the General Plan. A maximum of two stations may be allowed at each such
intersection. Where a T-intersection is involved, a maximum of one station may be
allowed. The proposed site may not adjoin any residential property. The project does not
meet the lot location standard because: 1) the property is not located at a prime, major
or secondary arterial street intersection. The property fronts Tamarack Avenue, which
is a neighborhood connector (collector) street; and 2) the property adjoins a residential
property (i.e. APN 204-292-22-00), which is zoned RD-M.
ii.Lot Dimensions.
1.The minimum lot size, or the minimum area exclusively designated for this use in a
mixed-use project, shall be fifteen thousand square feet. The lot is approximately
38,000 square feet and meets the minimum size.
2.Street frontage along the nonarterial roadway shall be a minimum 150 feet. The
project does not meet the lot dimension street frontage standard of 150 feet
because the lot frontage along Tamarack Avenue is only 111.43 feet.
iii.Design Criteria. On corner lots, no access shall be made with the prime or major arterial
roadway; no driveway access shall be allowed within one hundred feet of a prime or major
arterial roadway intersection and may be limited to a right in, right out only access; and,
fuel delivery circulation design shall be accommodated onsite on a case-by-case, site-by
site basis. Tamarack Avenue is identified as a neighborhood connector street. Therefore,
this design criteria standard does not apply.
b.Height: Building heights in the C-T zone shall not exceed a height of 35 feet, except for allowed
height protrusions as allowed in CMC Section 21.46.020. The proposed 24-foot-tall building with
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a 35-foot-tall tower element complies with this height limitation. The CVSO does not specify a
height limit but requires any proposed rooftop equipment or other structural features to be
screened from public view.
c.Setbacks: The C-T zone does not specify setback limitations on the placement of the building or
fueling canopy for this property. However, the CVSO, CMC Section 21.208.110, specifies the
following:
i.New commercial/visitor-serving buildings shall maintain a minimum public street setback
of thirty feet. All setback areas shall be exclusive of parking spaces, parking overhang,
circulation aisles and trash enclosures. Improvements in this area shall be limited to
landscaping, access driveway(s), signage, lighting fixtures, screen walls and pedestrian
walkways or sidewalks. For parcels eight acres or less in size, the back ten feet of the
required setback may be used as circulation aisles or parking spaces provided there is
adequate use of landscaping and screen walls.
ii.The minimum building setback from any freeway right-of-way shall be thirty feet of which
the back twenty feet may accommodate circulation aisles, trash and/or recycling
enclosures, and/or parking spaces.
iii.All development proposals subject to this chapter shall provide decorative paving in the
primary approach driveway to the project for an area of at least nine hundred square feet
(thirty by thirty foot area) covering, at a minimum, the width of the driveway. The
decorative paving shall be depicted on landscape plans and shall be located adjacent to,
but not on, city right-of-way adjacent to the project entrance.
iv.Side and rear setbacks not subject to the thirty-foot public street setback shall be assessed
as part of the discretionary review of the conditional use permit application, however, a
minimum setback of ten feet entirely landscaped shall be required.
d.Parking: The parking requirements for gas station/mini-marts in the CVSO are one space/three
hundred square feet of gross floor area plus three additional employee parking spaces.
e.Signs: The CVSO has sign standards that supersede the standards of the Sign Ordinance CMC
Chapter 21.41. Please review the CVSO, CMC Section 21.208.100.B, for specific limitations on
signage. Please note signage is reviewed as part of the CUP process.
f.Architectural Style: The CVSO permits Village or Spanish/Mediterranean architectural style. An
alternative architectural style may be considered with a CUP application if supported by the
City. City staff is not supportive of the proposed contemporary architectural style as it appears
to be a corporate standardized building form and style, which does not comply with the purpose
and intent of the CVSO, CMC Section 21.208.010.D. Given most properties in the surrounding
CVSO are either of Village or Spanish/Mediterranean architectural style staff recommends one
of those architectural styles be utilized. In particular, a Village architectural style, similar to the
architecture of the Starbucks development across the street, is recommended by staff at this
location. Village architecture style is characterized by pitched roofs, use of traditional materials
such as wood, stucco, brick or stone, traditional windows and doors with lites, and variations in
building wall plane and roof form to reduce perceived mass.
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g.Building Materials/Color: The CVSO specifies that building materials and colors are part of the
discretionary review process. The use of illuminated awnings is not allowed. Metal awnings or
canopies are not allowed. High quality simulated building materials such as imitation brick, stone,
marble or wood may be approved. The primary colors of blue, red, yellow and green shall not be
dominant building colors. The use of colors shall be balanced and in the context of the proposed
architectural style.
h.Landscape: Please be aware that additional landscaping requirements exist for properties located
within the CVSO as discussed in CMC Section 21.208.l00(G). In addition to the requirements of
the CVSO, the project will also need to comply with the City of Carlsbad's Landscape Manual. The
Landscape Manual is available for review on the City of Carlsbad website at:
http://www.carlsbadca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?Blob1D=24086
5.Trash: Please contact Waste Management for approval of trash location(s) and operations.
6.CEQA Technical Studies: The following technical studies will need to be included with a formal
submittal. Additional studies may be identified once the project is submitted and reviewed for
compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA):
a.Cultural and Paleontological Resource Analysis: The existing building at this site may be
historically/architecturally significant. Please submit a Cultural and Paleontological
Resource Analysis study prepared by the appropriate registered professional with the
formal application (e.g. historian or architectural historian for historic resources portion
of study). Please refer to the City of Carlsbad Tribal, Cultural, and Paleontological
Resources Guidelines for further information. The Guidelines are available for review on
the City of Carlsbad website at:
http://www.carlsbadca.gov/civicax/fi1ebank/blobdload.aspx?Blob1D=34010
b.Preliminary Geotechnical Report: A formal submittal of this project will need to include
a preliminary geotechnical report.
c.Traffic Study: A traffic study will be required as discussed in the Land Development
Engineering comments below.
d.Noise Report: The project must comply with the city's Noise Guidelines Manual. A noise
report shall be submitted showing that the project complies with the 55 decibel maximum
for interior noise. The Noise Guidelines Manual can be reviewed online by visiting the
City of Carlsbad Planning Division website at:
http://www.carlsbadca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?Blob1D=24094
7.Development Project Public Involvement Policy: Please be advised that you are required to send a
public notice to the surrounding property owners (600-foot radius) within 30 days of submittal of the
development application pursuant to City Council Policy No. 84 and Form P-21. In addition, CUP
PRE 2019-0029 {DEV2019-0226)- 7-ELEVEN #41128-850 TAMARACK
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applications require enhanced stakeholder outreach. The policy and form may be referenced online
at:
City Council Policy No. 84:
http://www.carlsbadca.gov/civicax/fi1ebank/blobdload.aspx?Blob1D=35578.
Form P-21:
https:ljwww.carlsbadca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?Blob1D=24117
In addition, please be aware that the project's location within the CVSO is subject to special project
site notification requirements. Please review CMC Section 21.208.090 to become familiar with these
special noticing requirements.
8.Climate Action Plan: Requirements related to the city's Climate Action Plan (CAP) will likely impact
development requirements of this project. A formal application submittal will need to include a
completed CAP Checklist (Form P-30) to determine what requirements will apply to the project. CAP
requirements are related to energy efficiency, photovoltaic, electric vehicle charging, water heating
and traffic demand management requirements, as set forth in the California Green Building Standards
Code, and in Carlsbad Municipal Code Chapters 18.21, 18.30 and 18.51 which is available on the city's
website at the following address:
http:ljwww.qcode.us/codes/carlsbad/view.php?topic=18&fr-ames=on
9.This preliminary review does not constitute a complete review of the proposed project and additional
items of concern may be identified upon formal project application submittal. Please refer to the
Development Permits P-2 checklist for all of the necessary required items prior to formal submittal,
which is available on the city's website at the following address:
https://www.carlsbadca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?Blob1D=24116
All necessary application forms, submittal requirements, and fee information are available at the Planning
counter located in the Faraday Building at 1635 Faraday Avenue or online at
http://www.carlsbadca.gov/services/depts/planning/default.asp. You may also access the General Plan
Land Use Element and the Zoning Ordinance online at the website address shown; select Department
Listing; select Planning Home Page. Please review all information carefully before submitting.
Land Development Engineering:
1.Complete a Stormwater Standards Questionnaire. This questionnaire will guide you and the City in
determining what type of reports and storm water mitigation must be completed to satisfy state and
City storm water quality requirements. The questionnaire can be printed from the following website
link:
http:ljwww.carlsbadca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?Blob1D=22711
Preliminary analysis suggests that the project is a Priority Development Project and is therefore
subject to designing and installing numerically sized water quality basins via a Storm Water Quality
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Management Plan (SWQMP) per Chapter 5 of the Carlsbad BMP Design Manual in addition to
installing site design and source control BMPs per Chapter 4 of the Carlsbad BMP Design Manual. Plot
proposed BMPs, including required water quality basin(s), on the site plan. The project appears to be
exempt from flow control (Chapter 6 Hydromodification) requirements per the Hydromodification
Exemption Analysis for Select Carlsbad Watersheds by Chang Consultants dated September 17, 2015.
2.Plot all easements that appear on the title report. If a joint access easement or agreement is not
currently in place with the westerly abutting property owner for shared driveway access, record such
an easement/agreement with your development permits.
3.The current maximum driveway width permitted for a commercial lot is 40 feet. Please revise the
width accordingly from the 70 feet existing today and shown on the plan. This reduction will help
alleviate driver confusion on where to enter and exit the driveway. Terminating the raised median
between the two properties further north would also improve circulation between the driveway and
two properties the driveway serves.
4.Remove the driveway entrance to Carol Place. Through lots are not permitted unless vehicular access
rights are relinquished to one of the abutting streets per Section 20.16.0lO(G) of the Carlsbad
Municipal Code. In this case, access form Tamarack would be permitted and access to Carol place will
be relinquished.
5.Submit a preliminary grading plan with your application for discretionary permits. Show existing and
proposed topography and total grading quantities of cut, fill, import, export and remedial grading in
cubic yards. Submit a preliminary soils study with the preliminary grading plan. A separate
construction grading permit will be required subsequent to discretionary approval. Third party review
of the soils report will be required during plan check of the construction grading plans.
·6. Plot the Caltrans boundary in the street right-of-way. Contact Caltrans early in the process to
determine any requirements they may have. Also, upgrading the pedestrian ramp that fronts the
property may be needed if it does not comply with current ADA requirements. Have a CASp person
determine if upgrades are needed for ADA compliance along the property frontage.
7.Assess the total Average Daily Trips (ADT) the project expects to generate based on the SAN DAG Brief
Guide of Vehicular Traffic Generation Rates for the Sand Diego Region. A gas station with a food mart
would generate 160 ADT per vehicle fueling station. A traffic study will be required but the tier level
of the study will depend on the total project ADT. Refer to the city's Transportation Impact Analysis
Guidelines for specific criteria
http://www.carlsbadca.gov/civicax/fi1ebank/blobdload.aspx?Blob1D=22758. In addition, a Traffic
Demand Management (TDM) Plan would be required if more than 110 employee ADT is proposed
based on Table 2-2 of the City of Carlsbad Transportation Demand Management Handbook, dated
August 21, 2019.
8.Refer to the red lined site plan enclosed.
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1.Fire sprinklers are not required as proposed structure is less than 5,000 square feet.
If you would like to schedule a meeting to discuss this letter with the commenting departments, please
contact Cliff Jones at the number below. You may also contact each department individually as follows:
•Planning Division: Cliff Jones, Senior Planner, at (760) 602-4613.
•Land Development Engineering: David Rick, Project Engineer, at (760) 602-2781
•Fire Department: Randy Metz, Fire Inspections, at (760) 602-4661
Sincerely, �lt
DON NEU, AICP
City Planner
DN:CJ:mf
c: Gerico's Partnership, 2858 Carlsbad Boulevard, Carlsbad CA 92008
David Rick, Project Engineer
Fire Prevention
HPRM/File Copy
Data Entry
Attachments: LDE Redlines
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