Title
PLN180387 - SHEN YUAN ET AL
Public hearing to consider a Combined Development Permit to allow the construction of an approximately 10,000 square foot two-story office building on Lot 3 in the Laguna Seca Office Park, including the removal of up to 11 oak trees.
Project Location: 24480 Citation Court, Monterey, Greater Monterey Peninsula Area Plan
Proposed CEQA Action: Consider an Addendum to the previously certified FEIR for the Seca Office Park FEIR (File No. 80-109, Resolution No. PC-3734) with reference to the previously considered Addendum for development of Lot 5.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Planning Commission adopt a Resolution to:
1. Consider an Addendum for Lot 3 together with the Laguna Seca Office Park Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) pursuant to §15164 of the CEQA Guidelines; and
2. Approve a Combined Development Permit consisting of:
a) A General Development Plan that establishes:
i. Uses allowed including up to 12 professional office spaces and Water systems facilities serving four or fewer connections; and
ii. Hours of operation, seven days a week from 7 AM to 7 PM
iii. 28 parking spaces for the office use;
b) An Administrative Permit and Design Approval to allow construction of a 10,011 square foot two-story office building; and
c) A Use Permit to allow the removal of up to eleven (11) Oak trees.
The attached draft resolution includes findings and evidence for consideration (Exhibit C).
Staff recommends approval subject to twenty-four (24) Conditions of Approval.
PROJECT INFORMATION:
Agent: Aaron Tollefson, Architect
Property Owner: SHEN YUAN ET AL
APN: 173-121-003-000
Parcel Size: 1.59 acres
Zoning: “VO/B-6-UR-D-S” (Visitor Serving/Professional and Office Zoning District with overlays for Urban Reserve, Building Site, Design Control, and Site Plan Review)
Plan Area: Greater Monterey Peninsula Area Plan
Flagged and Staked: yes
SUMMARY
An application for construction of a two-story (approximately 10,000 square feet) commercial building on Lot 3 within the Laguna Seca Office Park was submitted by Aaron Tollefson on behalf of the property owners. Lot 3 is one of nineteen professional serving lots approved in 1983 as part of the Laguan Seca Office Park subdivision. In order to accommodate the proposed office development, eleven Oak trees are the least amount necessary for removal and will be replaced at a 1:1 ratio with 5-gallon or larger container trees.
The site is zoned “VO/B-6-D-S-UR” [Visitor Serving/Professional and Office Serving in the Urban Reserve Zoning District with overlays for Building Site, Design Control, and Site Plan Review]. The General Development Plan proposed for this lot (Exhibit C) allows up to 12 professional office spaces for lease, small water system facilities serving 4 or fewer connections, and changes in use that don’t change the nature or intensity of the use. Other uses allowed within the VO zoning district are listed in the General Development Plan as uses allowed with subsequent planning review and entitlements consistent with the VO zoning district limitations. Modifications to the parking standards are also proposed. A total of 28 parking spaces will be provided for the proposed office space uses which is approximately 17 spaces fewer than required. In this case, staff has determined that the reduced parking spaces are appropriate to preserve trees and other natural features at the site. Dedicated carpool parking areas are required to be provided encouraging employee carpooling and public transit use. Any excess passenger cars using the site would be required to park on the street.
The site is subject to the Design Control (“D”) district zoning overlay district which provides for consideration of location, size, configuration, materials, and colors to ensure visual integrity of the public viewshed and to protect neighborhood character. An Administrative Permit is requested as required for development in the “S” district for those areas of the County where development, by reason of its location has the potential to adversely affect or be adversely affected by natural resources or site constraints. The new Office Building will sit on a 1.593 acre parcel and involve the construction of an 10,011 square foot office building shell. The project has been sited and designed to conform to topographic features of the site, consistent with the surrounding development and tree removal is minimized to the extent feasible given the circumstances applicable to this development.
In addition, the project site is in the Urban Reserve (“UR”) district which identifies areas that should be annexed and developed in a phased manner as part of an incorporated city (i.e. City of Monterey). The development was referred to the City of Monterey for comment. City staff expressed concern about tree removal and replacement. With assurance that trees would be replaced at a 1:1 ratio, City staff had no further comments or concerns.
CEQA
An Addendum to the certified Laguna Seca Office Park FEIR (File No. 80-109, Resolution No. PC-3734) has been prepared for this project on Lot 3. The Addendum describes changes in circumstances and conditions that had occurred subsequent to approval of the office park (1983) including groundwater, traffic, and greenhouse gases. The proposed project has been found to be in keeping with the groundwater adjudication for the Seaside groundwater basin and overall traffic anticipated within the subdivision. Since the EIR was certified, the seaside groundwater basin was adjudicated and a basin wide solution was adopted. The adjudication allocates no more than 5 acre feet per year (AFY) to any person or entity from the Bishop Unit that serves this Office Park. The proposed project would not exceed 5 AFY, in keeping with the adjudication. Traffic from the office park was mitigated by the original developer based on estimated traffic demand of up to 81,780 Average Daily Traffic on State Route 68. Mitigation for traffic impacts included installation of improvements at York Road and Highway 68 and payment of regional traffic mitigation fees. Those mitigations have already been completed. Traffic impacts are in keeping with original assumptions. The EIR projected traffic based on 260,000 square feet of professional office buildings on the 19 office park lots. To date 174,283 square feet of office buildings have been approved. This project would increase that amount to 184,294 square feet and when combined with the proposed development on Lot 2 (11,206 square feet) would total 195,554 square feet which is well under the 260,000 square feet analyzed and mitigated for. Therefore, there are no new significant impacts due to implementation or operation of the proposed project.
Staff finds the project, as proposed and conditioned, is in conformance with applicable County land use and zoning regulations.
DISCUSSION
See Exhibit B for a detailed discussion.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The following agencies have reviewed the project, have comments, and/or have recommended conditions:
Bureau of Environmental Health
RMA-Public Works
Water Resources Agency
RMA-Environmental Services
Monterey County Regional Fire Protection District
City of Monterey
Monterey County Sheriff Department
LUAC: The Greater Monterey Peninsula LUAC voted 4-0 in favor of recommending the project for approval. The meeting took place on 5 December 2018.
Comments are summarized as follows:
1. The maximum building occupancy should not exceed the number of parking spaces provided. The GDP had proposed 10 occupants per each office (up to 12 separate office units), and 25 parking spaces. This would have made the building occupancy total 60-120. The architect changed the building occupancy as limited to 40 total with an increase in parking spaces from 25 to 28. Increasing the parking spaces beyond 28 spaces would require additional grading and tree removal. As is, limited parking would encourage employees to carpool (4 stalls dedicated to carpool vehicles) or use public transit service or another form of transportation. Overflow parking is available on the street.
2. Provide 32 parking spaces. The applicant eliminated as much parking lot landscaping as possible to accommodate three additional parking stalls for an increase from 25 to 28 spaces. More than 28 spaces would require additional tree removal.
3. Maintenance of the open space onsite should be memorialized in the final approved resolution. Condition No. 8 has been added to the project requiring ongoing maintenance of the open space onsite as part of the Landscape Plan.
Prepared by: Jaime Scott Guthrie, Associate Planner, ext. 6414
Reviewed by: Craig Spencer, Interim Planning Services Manager
Approved by: John M. Dugan, AICP, Deputy Director of RMA Land Use and Community Development
The following attachments are on file with the RMA:
Exhibit A - Project Data Sheet
Exhibit B - Discussion
Exhibit C - Draft Resolution, including:
• Conditions of Approval
• Site Plans, Elevations
• General Development Plan
Exhibit D - Vicinity Map
Exhibit E - CEQA Documents, including:
• Laguna Seca Office Park FEIR (File No. 80-109, Resolution No. PC-3734)
• Addendum to EIR for planning file PLN180387 (Lot 3)
Exhibit F - Reports, including:
• Geotechnical Report, LandSet Engineers, Inc. (LIB150358)
• Tree Resource Assessment, Ono (LIB180387)
• Biological Assessment, Regan (LIB120260)
Exhibit G - Minutes - Greater Monterey Peninsula LUAC, 5 December 2018
cc: Front Counter Copy; Brandon Swanson, Interim RMA Chief of Planning, Aaron Tollefson, Agent; Shen et al, Applicants; M R Wolfe & Associates (John Farrow); The Open Monterey Project (Molly Erickson); LandWatch (Executive Director); Project File PLN180387.