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Home My WebLink AboutCC 9 S.F. LAND IMPROV 10-5-83DATE: October 5, 1983 CONSENT C~T,~NDAR NO. 9 10-5-83 Inter-Corn FROM: $ USJ ECT: Honorable Mayor & City Council Members Community Development Department Request to Affirm Planning Commission Action Requiring a Specific Plan for Development of Santa Fe Land Improvement Co. Industrial Prooertv OISCUSSION The Santa Fe Land Improvement Co. owns approximately 50 acres of vacant industrial land in the vicinity of Red Hill Avenue and Edinger Avenue. This industrial area, zoned and subdivided years ago, has been developed on a sporadic basis without serious consideration given to ultimate development design and compatibility among adjoining land uses. As properties are either sold or leased to different land users, different concepts of parking area and landscape designs evolve. Compounded by inconsistent signing and only partial development of individual parcels, an opportunity is passing to ensure compatible and consistent development throughout the industrial area. Recently, Santa Fe Land Improvement Co. submitted a proposal to construct a large speculative industrial building on part of a parcel at the intersection of Valencia Avenue and Del Amo Avenue. An unfinished parking lot and remaining dirt area typify the need to solidify more specific property development standards. The Irvine Company Industrial Complex within the City is governed by more restrictive development standards in the PC-Planned Community Zone. Similar development criteria applied to Santa Fe property would not necessarily be more restrictive but simply re-establish development standards. Staff believes a specific plan detailing Santa Fe Land's basic design concept, while not committing them to exact land uses, would be appropriate at this time. Santa Fe will provide input to a consulting planner who will produce the necessary documents. The remaining areas outside Santa Fe Land's property, which are also a vital link in the development of the area, will ultimately be included by department staff in the final plan. Potentially, commercial uses may result on vacant properties at the Red Hill/Edinger intersection. The Planning Commission reviewed staff's request as presented in the attached report. The Commission recommends to Council by unanimous consent that such a specific plan be immediately initiated. Santa Fe Land Improvement Company will bear the costs for plan preparation concerning their property, while City staff will prepare necessary additional information for peripheral vacant properties. Santa Fe Land Improvement Company Specific Plan October 5, 1983 Page Z R£COI~EHDATIO# Affirm the Planning Commission action by requiring a specific plan for development of all properties bounded by Red Hill Avenue, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail lines, the 55 Freeway and Valencia Avenue. Director of Community Development DDL:jh Attachment: Planning Commission Staff Report - September 26, 1983 Report to the Planning Commission STAFF CONCERNS NO. 2 SEPTEI~ER ~6,. 1~ SUBJECT: Santa Fe Land Improvement Company Specific Plan BACKGROUND On August 19, 1983 site plans and elevations were submitted for a preliminary staff review by the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company. The proposed project is a research and development building of 78,000 square feet at the northeasterly corner of Valencia and Del Amo. The property is zoned Industrial (M) which is a part of 55 acres of undeveloped property owned by the Sant~ Fe Land Improvement Company. After completion of the review, it came to the attention of staff that as of this date no plans or environmental studies have been prepared for these 55 acres. In the past, owners of large industrial properties in the City have been approved for development either under a master plan or specific plan to assure that the areas would be developed in an orderly manner (examples: Irvine Company Planned Community Regulations, Signal Landmark on Red Hill). -At present, our M District does not require use permits for large developments, only parking and site plan approval by the Planning Commission with no benefit of a public hearing. DISCUSSION State Law authorizes cities with complete general plans to prepare and adopt specific plans (Government Code Sections 65450 et. seq.). These plans have developed as a bridge between the local general plan and individual development proposals. Whether written by the developer or by the local government, they contain both planning policies and regulations. They often combine zoning regulations, capital improvement programs, detailed development standards, and other regulatory schemes into one document which can be tailored to meet the needs of the specific area. Local planning agencies may designate areas within their jurisdiction as ones for which a specific plan is "necessary or convenient" (Government Code Section 65451). Some communities use their general plans or municipal codes to identify these areas, often undeveloped or transitional areas where greater detail will eventually be necessary to implement the general plan. Some communitities require that all underdeveloped areas above a certain acreage have a specific plan. (Tustin has six (6) specific plans on file.) A specific plan contains the regulations, conditions, programs, and legislation necessary to implement each of the nine mandated elements of the general plan. It offers a unique opportunity to combine zoning regulations, capital improvement programs, detailed site development standards, and other regulatory schemes into one document tailored to the needs of the particular area. In this Corn munity Development Department Santa Fe Land Improvemei,. Co. Specific Plan September 26, 1983 Page 2 case, it ~ould be the industrial area south of Edinger Avenue as shown on the attached map. A developer's uncertainty about ~hether a project will be approved is also lessened, since a local legislative body must set its priorities for appropriate land uses when the specific plan is designed. Because the location and size of capital facilities and public improvements have already been decided, a developer knows from the outset how to design a project to take the greatest advantage of the area. As with general plans, the planning comlssion must hold a public hearing before they can recommend to the legislative body on the adoption of the proposed specific plan. The adoption or amendment of a specific plan constitutes a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), therefore EIR's are usually required because of the detailed development patterns and complex potential effects associated with a specific plan. A specific plan and an on a specific plan overlap extensively therefore they must address many of the same concerns and the process for preparing them is nearly identical. For this same reason, environmental assessment must be an integral part of preparing or revising a plan. It is important to understand how to finance specific plans, since preparation may be costly. Recent amendments to the specific plan laws and CEQA laws allow cities to charge developers who are seeking government approvals. In this particular case, staff recommends that a consultant be retained to prepare the necessary documents subject to mutual satisfaction of both the City and land owners. In the process of retaining a consultant, the landowner would enter into a contract with the city to reimburse the consultant upon completion of the documents. SUMMARY Local planning agencies have the power to designate areas within their jurisdiction as ones for which a specific plan is necessary to assure orderly development. Staff is concerned about the orderly development of the remaining 55 acres owned by the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company located in the City's industrial area. Since no policies, standards or environmental studies have been prepared for this area, and the property owner is considering development in the near future, it would be appropriate at this time to initiate preparation of a specific plan for the above-mentioned area. RECOIig4ENDATZON Concur with staff's recommendation that a specific plan of development be required for development of remaining vacant land owned by the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company. MAC :ih Attachments: Map