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CC - PUBLIC HEARING ITEM: Introduction of an Ordinance Approving a Zoning Code Map Amendment to Change the Zoning on a Portion of 11039 Washington Boulevard from Residential Medium Density Multiple (RMD) to Commercial General (CG) to Facilitate Construction of Three Additional Vehicle Repair Bays at an Existing Remote Customer Auto Repair Facility (Project).
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Meeting Date: August 8, 2022
Contact Person/Dept.: Jose Mendivil, Current Planning/CDD
Erika Ramirez, Current Planning/CDD
Phone Number: 310-253-5757, 310-253-5727
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [X] No [] Date: June 8, 2022
Commission Name: Planning Commission
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (08/03/2022); (Posted) City Website (07/18/2022); (Mailed) Property owners and occupants within a 500-foot radius (07/18/2022); (Sign Posted) at Project Site (07/18/2022); (Publication) Culver City News (07/21/2022).
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director, (07/21/2022)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council introduce an ordinance approving Zoning Code Map Amendment, P2021-0043-ZCMA, to change the zoning on a portion of 11039 Washington Boulevard from Residential Medium Density Multiple (RMD) to Commercial General (CG) to facilitate construction of three additional vehicle repair bays at an existing remote customer auto repair facility.
PROCEDURES
1. The Mayor seeks a motion to receive and file the affidavit of publication and posting of the public hearing notice.
2. The Mayor calls on staff for a brief staff report and City Council poses questions to staff as desired.
3. The Mayor seeks a motion to declare the public hearing open and the City Council receives public comment.
4. The Mayor seeks a motion to close the public hearing after all testimony has been presented.
5. The City Council discusses the matter and arrives at its decision.
BACKGROUND
The Project applicant operates the Volvo and Mazda auto dealerships (Culver City Volvo Cars and Culver City Mazda) located at 11201 Washington Boulevard and 11215 Washington Boulevard respectively. Dealership offices and three customer auto repair bays are located at 11039 Washington Boulevard (the “Project Site”) which is approximately 0.25 miles from Culver City Volvo Cars and Culver City Mazda. The customer auto repair at the Project Site is remote and does not have direct customer access. Customers leave and pick up their vehicles at one of the dealership locations and auto repair technicians drive the cars between the dealership and the Project Site auto repair facilities.
The Project applicant submitted a development application for a Conditional Use Permit to add three vehicle bays for a total of six vehicle auto repair bays and for an Administrative Use Permit to allow tandem and vehicle aisle stacked parking at the Project Site. The applicant also requested a Zoning Code Map Amendment.
On June 8, 2022, the Planning Commission approved Conditional Use Permit and Administrative Use Permit, P2021-0043-CUP, -AUP and recommended the City Council approve Zoning Code Map Amendment, P2021-0043-ZCMA to facilitate the expansion of an existing auto repair facility at 11039 Washington Boulevard. There were no appeals of the Planning Commission decision; therefore, the decisions on the CUP and AUP are final.
The only action before the City Council is consideration of the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve the requested Zoning Code Map Amendment. The Zoning Code Map Amendment is required to change the rear 45-foot portion of the Project Site from Residential Medium Density Multiple (RMD) to Commercial General (CG) to move this Project forward to construction. The June 8, 2022 Planning Commission resolution, staff report and minutes provide background discussion and information on the Project (Attachment Nos 3 -6).
DISCUSSION
Zoning Map Amendment
The Project Site is comprised of two lots. The front or Washington Boulevard facing lot has a Commercial General (CG) Zone and General Corridor General Plan Land Use designation. The rear 45-foot-wide lot is designated with RMD Zoning and a General Corridor General Plan Land Use designation. The General Corridor Land Use designation indicates that the appropriate zoning for the rear is CG. The Map Amendment changing this section of the Site to the CG zone will make the Project completely compliant with the General Plan and its historic commercial land use:
• The RMD Zoning designation existed since at least the 1950s.
• The General Corridor land use designation existed since 2000.
• A parking and outside storage land use has operated on the rear portion of the Site since at least 1956.
• The rear portion has never been used for residential purposes.
The Project proposes that the rear portion will continue its parking use serving the rest the site, as it has been used for decades. A Zoning Map Amendment is required for this Project as the current residential zoning is not consistent with the land use and with the commercial General Plan designation. Figure 1 below illustrates the site, the two lots, and the conflicting zoning in the rear.
The CUP for the Project that was adopted by the Planning Commission is conditioned on the approval by the City Council of the Zoning Code Map Amendment. A CUP is a discretionary action that requires consistency findings as stated in Findings A and B of the Planning Commission resolution (Attachment No. 3):
A. The proposed use is allowed within the subject zoning district with the approval of a Conditional Use Permit and complies with all other applicable provisions of this Title and the CCMC.
B. The proposed use is consistent with the General Plan and any applicable Specific Plan.
Parking facilities and parking serving a non-residential, commercial use are not allowed in the RMD Zone. The above findings can only be made with the caveat that the rear portion of the Project Site be rezoned to CG like the rest of the site. Conversely, a residential use cannot be allowed in the RMD portion of the Site because the General Corridor designation calls for residential uses to be incorporated into mixed use projects as opposed to stand alone uses. The correct CG Zoning allows residential uses only as a part of mixed-use projects.
Changing the zoning designation will not impact the City’s ability to provide the density of housing anticipated in the Housing Element. The Project Site is not identified in the Housing Element’s Adequate Sites list as being suitable for housing and the change in zoning from RMD to CG will not reduce the allowed residential density on the Project Site.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
As part of the Project review process, a community meeting was held January 21, 2020 at the Project Site at 7 PM. One person attended the meeting and had no questions. This person expressed support for the Project after the Project architect provided a presentation. There are no meeting summary notes as there were no questions and answers section of the meeting other than the presentation.
Comments Received During Public Comment Period
A public notice was mailed to all property owners and occupants within a 500-foot radius extended to end of City block on July 18, 2022 advising the public hearing was scheduled for the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of August 8, 2022. As of the writing of this report, comments have not been submitted to the City.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
Pursuant to the CEQA Guidelines, initial review of the project by staff established there are no potentially significant adverse impacts upon the environment, and the project has been determined to be Categorically Exempt pursuant to CEQA Section 15301, Class 1 - Existing Facilities, because the proposed project involves changing a portion of the Project Site’s Zoning to make it consistent with the General Plan designation thereby facilitating a 2,167 square foot addition to an existing auto repair facility to accommodate additional vehicle repair space which is under 2,500 square feet threshold for additions and also under the 10,000 square foot total area threshold for an urbanized area. The Categorical Exemption was adopted by the Planning Commission on June 8, 2022, which determined that the Project will not have a significant adverse impact on the environment as noted above. Zoning Code Map Amendment P2021-0043-ZCMA is within the scope of the adopted Categorical Exemption and the circumstances under which the Categorial Exemption was prepared have not significantly changed, and no new significant information has been found that would impact the Categorical Exemption. Therefore, no additional environmental analysis is required.
CONCLUSION/SUMMARY
The Project findings for Zoning Code Map Amendment, P2021-0043-ZCMA are made as outlined in the City Council Ordinance in Attachment No. 1. Further, based on staff’s review and analysis of the proposed preliminary development plans, the Project’s compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, prior use of the Site, and consistency with the Site’s General Plan Land Use designation, the Zone change can be approved.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact from this project to the City.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2022-08-08_ATT-1. Proposed Ordinance
2. 2022-04-27_ATT-2. Vicinity Map
3. 2022-08-08_ATT-3. Planning Commission Resolution No. 2022- P006 & Exhibits A, B, C
4. 2022-08-08_ATT-4. June 8, 2022 Planning Commission Staff Report (without attachments)
5. 2022-08-08_ATT-5. June 8, 2022 Planning Commission Minutes
6. 2022-04-27_ATT-6. Preliminary Development Plans dated April 4, 2022
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
Introduce an Ordinance approving Zoning Code Map Amendment P2021-0043-ZCMA, to change the zoning on a portion of 11039 Washington Boulevard from Residential Medium Density Multiple (RMD) to Commercial General (CG) to facilitate construction of three additional vehicle repair bays at an existing remote customer auto repair facility.