Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RES 23-10 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 1 of 12 RESOLUTION NO. 23-10 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUSTIN UPHOLDING THE PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION BY DENYING CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT (CUP) NO. 2022-0009, A REQUEST TO OPERATE AN OUT-PATIENT TREATMENT AND COUNSELING CENTER FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER UTILIZING MEDICATED-ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT) IN COMBINATION WITH COUNSELING AND BEHAVIORAL THERAPIES AT 535 E. FIRST STREET, SECOND FLOOR The City Council does hereby resolve as follows: I. The City Council finds and determines as follows: A. That a proper application was submitted for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to allow the establishment of an out-patient treatment and counseling center (Comprehensive Treatment Center or CTC) for opioid use disorder utilizing medicated-assisted treatment (MAT) in combination with counseling and therapies at 535 E. First Street, Second Floor, on behalf of Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc., a subsidiary of California Treatment Services, LLC and Brian Spalding, the authorized agent at the time of filing. B. That the project site is located within Development Area (DA-3) of the DCCSP and has a DCCSP General Plan land use designation where the proposed use is permitted with the issuance of a CUP pursuant to DCCSP Table 3.1. C. That on April 12, 2022, pursuant to Tustin City Code (TCC) Section 9298b and DCCSP Section 6.1.7, the Community Development Director issued a land use determination that determined that a proposed Comprehensive Treatment Center/Clinic (CTC) that would treat opioid abuse disorders through outpatient and opioid maintenance treatment care, using the medically assisted treatment (MAT) method, which is a treatment reliant upon medication and behavioral therapy, is similar to the medical land use category that includes clinics for out-patients only, including medical clinics, healthcare centers, and urgent care, which is allowed in the DCCSP - DA-3 zone with the approval of a CUP. D. That pursuant to TCC Section 9291c and DCCSP Section 6.1.4, the Planning Commission is authorized to make determinations on application requests for CUPs and shall hold a public hearing, take public input, and shall determine whether or not the establishment, maintenance or operation of the use applied for, will, under the circumstances of the particular case, be detrimental to the health, safety, morals, comfort and general welfare of the persons residing or working in the neighborhood of such proposed use, or whether it will be injurious or detrimental to property and improvements in the neighborhood or the general welfare of the City. DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 2 of 12 E. That the public hearing for CUP 2022-0009 was initially noticed as a public hearing before the Planning Commission for August 23, 2022. On August 15, 2022, the applicant submitted a request to continue the public hearing for at least thirty (30) days and on August 23, 2022, the Planning Commission opened the public hearing, heard public input, and continued the public hearing to September 27, 2022. F. That on September 20, 2022, staff received a request for a disability-related reasonable modification to the City of Tustin’s policies, practices, and/or procedures to allow the applicant to establish the proposed CTC pursuant to Section 35.130(b)(7)(i) of Title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations. G. That on September 27, 2022, the Planning Commission opened the public hearing, heard public input and continued the public hearing to a date uncertain. H. On October 21, 2022, the City denied the request for Disability-related Reasonable Modification/Accommodation of the City’s policies, practices, and/or procedures (RA) for the proposed project and determined that a modification of the City’s policies, practices, and/or procedures is not necessary to accommodate the proposed project and that the CUP process provides a pathway for a fair hearing, and it would be improper to assume that the City process will ultimately yield an outcome that violates the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). I. That on October 28, 2022, the applicant filed an appeal of the City’s denial of the Request for Disability-related RA. J. That on January 10, 2023, the Planning Commission considered the appeal request and determined that a modification of the City’s policies, practices, and/or procedures is not necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability and therefore approval of a CUP is required for the proposed project. K. That a public hearing was duly called and held for said application on January 10, 2023, by the Planning Commission. L. That on January 10, 2023, the Planning Commission adopted Resolution No. 4456 denying a request for CUP 2022-0009 to establish an outpatient treatment and counseling center for opioid use disorder utilizing medicated- assisted treatment (MAT) in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies at 535 E. First Street, Second Floor. M. That pursuant to TCC Section 9294b, any decision of the Planning Commission may be appealed to the City Council by any person and that the DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 3 of 12 appeal hearing shall be de novo and the City Council shall approve, approve with conditions, disapprove the project, or remand the matter to the Planning Commission with direction from the City Council. N. That on January 19, 2023, the appellant filed an appeal of the Planning Commission's adoption of Resolution No. 4456 denying the project. The written appeal states that: (1) the decision of the Planning Commission denying the project should be reversed and that the Conditional Use Permit No. 2022-0009 be approved, pending revision of the proposed Conditions of Approval; (2) City staff has been unwilling to meet the applicant or property owner in order to discuss the proposed use, most notably regarding the conditions of approval prior to only making them available less than six (6) days prior to the Planning Commission hearing date, thereby blocking any input; (3) after the motion by the Planning Commission to deny the proposed use, the Planning Commission Chair did not follow proper procedures in allowing any discussion on motion on the floor, and instead, pushed ahead to vote on the motion; (4) the information presented to the Planning Commission by staff was done so without their clear understanding of the facts; (5) the City Attorney's office promised to provide public records as they become available, but failed to do so; and (6) there has been a gross violation of proper procedure. O. That a public hearing was duly called and held on the appeal of the Planning Commission's adoption of Resolution No. 4456 denying the project on March 7, 2023, by the City Council. P. That pursuant to TCC 9291c, DCCSP Section 6.1.4, and 9294b, the City Council shall determine whether or not the establishment, maintenance or operation of the use applied for will, under the circumstances of the particular case, be detrimental to the health, safety, morals, comfort and general welfare of the persons residing or working in the neighborhood of such proposed use, or whether it will be injurious or detrimental to property and improvements in the neighborhood or the general welfare of the City. Q. That pursuant to TCC 9291c and DCCSP Section 6.1.4, and 9294b, the City Council has determined that based on the review of the operator’s past performance at its Santa Ana CTC location, it is reasonable to conclude that the operator is not able to prevent or effectively mitigate nuisances. Because the operational characteristics of the proposed CTC would more or less mirror the approach taken in the City of Santa Ana by the same applicant, it is also reasonable to conclude that if the requested CUP is approved, the establishment, operation and maintenance of the proposed project by the same operator, would result in similar nuisance conditions and impacts that would be detrimental to the health, safety, morals, comfort, and general welfare of the persons residing or working in the neighborhood DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 4 of 12 of the proposed use, injurious or detrimental to the property pursuant to the following: 1. An analysis of the Santa Ana Police Department “calls for service” logs for the Santa Ana CTC location for the following time period: January 1, 2020 through June 1, 2022 (29-month period) demonstrates that there is a high demand for police services at the Santa Ana CTC location. In total, 164 calls for service were received during the twenty-nine (29) month period. Table 1 identifies the type of police calls for service which include: patrol checks, narcotic activities, disturbances, pedestrian checks and calls to assist the fire department. Other police calls for service generated at the site include, but were not limited to, trespassing, stolen vehicle, domestic violence, battery, and person with a deadly weapon. Table 1 below generally summarizes the data: 2. Figures 1 through 5, shown summarize the police calls for service, year by year for 2020, 2021 and January 2022 through June 1, 2022, spanning the twenty-nine (29) month period. These graphs confirm a pattern of repeated crime activity associated with the facility as operated by the applicant in the City of Santa Ana, which has similar operational characteristics to those proposed for the project site. Table 1 Santa Ana Comprehensive Treatment Center 2101 E. 1st. Street, Santa Ana, CA (1/1/20-6/1/2022) Type of Police Service No. Calls for Service Patrol check 27 Narcotic activity 25 Disturbance-transient 17 Pedestrian check 17 Assisting fire department 10 Other 68 TOTAL 164 DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 5 of 12 Figure 1 – Police Calls for Service (1/1/20-12/31/2020) - 2101 E. 1st St., Santa Ana Figure 2 – Police Calls for Service (1/1/21-12/31/2021) - 2101 E. 1st St., Santa Ana DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 6 of 12 Figure 3 – Police Calls for Service (1/1/22-6/1/2022) - 2101 E. 1st St., Santa Ana Figure 4 – Police Calls for Service by Type - 2101 E. 1st St., Santa Ana Figure 4 shows the 164 police calls for service arranged by type and the volume of requests for Police calls for service for the twenty-nine (29) month period described in Table 1. In total, there are thirty-nine (39) different types of calls for police services at the Santa Ana location totaling 164 in a twenty-nine (29) month period. DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 7 of 12 Figure 5 – Police Calls for Service Within/Outside Operating Hours 2101 E. 1st St., Santa Ana Figure 5 demonstrates calls for service within and outside operating hours which clearly demonstrate the applicant’s lack of control of activities occurring at the property. Figure 6 – Police Calls for Service Comparison with Other Clinics Figure 6 demonstrates that the location in Santa Ana generates over eighty-two (82) percent more calls for police services than any of the three (3) health care clinics in Tustin. A comparison of the data also shows that three (3) Tustin locations combined had less than fifty (50) percent of the calls for services than those associated DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 8 of 12 with the Santa Ana location, during the same time period 3. Incompatibility with adjacent Residential and Other Sensitive Uses. a. Hours of Operation: The proposed hours of operation and characteristics are incompatible with the adjacent residential uses and other sensitive uses. The proposed use is adjacent to and within 300 feet of residential uses. The early hours of operation starting at 5:00 a.m. (patients may arrive prior to opening) combined with 100-300 patients rotating through the facility at short four (4) to six (6) minute intervals in a condensed three (3) hour window of peak operations will create noise, pedestrian and vehicular activities that are uncharacteristic and incompatible with the adjacent residential uses. b. Safety and Potential Nuisances: The applicant proposes to treat upwards of 140 to 300 patients Monday through Saturday during a compressed schedule with only one (1) security guard to monitor the interior and exterior of the facility. As can be seen by criminal activities shown on the records obtained from the Santa Ana site, the operator appears to not have complete control of activities occurring at their property both during and after business hours. Since the same operator will occupy and operate at the Tustin site with comparable operating characteristics, similar nuisances such as loitering, narcotic activities, trespassing, and other disturbances requiring police assistance will occur at the proposed project site. These nuisances and disturbances would impact not only the safety of residential uses and CTC patients but also surrounding businesses. c. Curbside Dosing: The proposed CTC includes “curbside dosing” in the parking lot. The applicant has not indicated in their proposal any details to manage traffic/circulation, staging, or queueing related to curbside dosing, nor the number of curbside dosing expected at the site. The curbside dosing proposed to take place in the parking lot is inconsistent with TCC 9271(ff) which requires all uses be conducted within a completely enclosed building except those that are specifically permitted and effectively screened from view, via CUP process. There are exceptions for off-street parking, loading area, outdoor storage when screened in the industrial areas, approved DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 9 of 12 temporary uses, or outdoor dining in conjunction with an eating establishment. d. Impacts to Schools: The proposed use is located within an approximate one (1) mile walking distance to various educational uses listed in Table 2. A total of 3,762 students attend schools within an approximately 1.1-miles radius of the project site. Many of the streets within the area are used by students walking to and from school. The weekday proposed hours of operation are from 5:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The police calls for service, as shown on Table 1 and Figures 1 through 5, indicate that of the incidents, fifty-four (54) percent or eighty-nine (89) of the total 164 incidents occurred within the business hours of operation of 5:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. These incident hours coincide with the schools’ start and end times and children could be exposed to crime and unsafe conditions such as narcotic activities, disturbances, indecent exposures, theft and robbery. As such, the proposed use would be incompatible with the nearby sensitive educational uses as listed in Table 2. Table 2 Number of Students within Approximately One (1) Mile to Proposed CTC at 535 E. First St., Tustin School Name Number of Students Location Walking Distance to Project Site School Start School Out Columbus Tustin Middle School 694 17952 Beneta Way 0.8 miles Gate Open: 7:40 a.m. Start: 8:00 a.m. 12:43 p.m. or 2:42 p.m. Helen Estock Elementary School 464 14741 N. B Street 0.7 miles 8:00 a.m. Between 1:09 p.m. – 2:23 p.m. Barbara Benson Elementary School 310 12712 Elizabeth Way 1.1 miles 8:10 a.m. Between 1:05 p.m. to 2:35 p.m. Tustin High School 2,294 1171 El Camino Real 0.9 miles 7:28 a.m. 3:20 p.m TOTAL STUDENTS: 3,762 4. Incompatibility with other Businesses. The proposed use would be incompatible with the nearby existing businesses and would negatively affect the economic viability of the existing and future businesses in the immediate area. The proposal lacks a security plan to mitigate loitering and secondary criminal activity for the over two (2)-acre site as demonstrated at their current site DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 10 of 12 in Santa Ana. Further, the early hours of operation starting at 5:00 a.m. combined with 100-300 patients rotating through the facility at short four (4) to six (6) minute intervals in a condensed three (3) hour window of peak operations and curbside dosing, would create operational conditions that commercial businesses do not typically encounter or expect. The proposed CTC includes “curbside dosing” in the parking lot. Curbside dosing is a business operation that would take place outside of a building, however, TCC requires business activities to take place solely inside a building per TCC 9271(ff) and therefore curbside dosing is not allowed. Allowances for outside activities fall under temporary celebratory activities that take place with such health fairs and special product sales for on-site businesses. Additionally, because specific information about the frequency and location of curbside dosing on the project site was not provided, the activity’s potential impacts on vehicle queuing, parking and pedestrian access are unknown. 5. Police Calls for Service. Negative impacts to the neighborhood can be anticipated as evidenced by the police calls for service data received relative to a similar use operated by the applicant in Santa Ana just one-mile away (refer to Table 1, Figures 1 through 5). The data shows that nuisance incidents and criminal conduct have actually accompanied this applicant’s operation of the proposed use. In light of the proposal to conduct the operation in the same manner that has drawn nuisance and criminal conduct to the facility’s existing location, it is anticipated that the proposed relocated operation would produce a significant increase in calls for service to the Tustin Police Department as compared to other health care facilities in Tustin. The increase in calls for service would divert police resources from the rest of the Tustin community. Furthermore, the applicant would utilize only one (1) security guard to patrol the interior and exterior of the over two (2)-acre site. This is the same approach to security used at the Santa Ana site. However, the proposed site is three (3) times larger than the Santa Ana site and is located on the second story of the building, which means the CTC’s sole security guard would be spread thinner, making incident prevention and rapid response more difficult. R. Based on the review of the operator’s past performance at its Santa Ana CTC location, the operator appears unable to prevent or effectively mitigate nuisances associated with the project as operated. Because the operational characteristics of the proposed project would more or less mirror the approach taken in Santa Ana by the applicant, it is reasonable to conclude DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 11 of 12 that if the requested CUP is approved, the proposed relocated project operated by the same operator in Tustin, would result in similar nuisance conditions and impacts that would be detrimental to the health, safety, morals, comfort, and general welfare of the persons residing or working in the neighborhood of the proposed use, injurious or detrimental to the property and improvements in the neighborhood and to the general welfare of the City. S. This project is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15301 (Class 1) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and of the California Code of Regulations (Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act). II. The City Council hereby denies a request for a CUP 2022-0009 to establish an outpatient treatment and counseling center for opioid use disorder utilizing medicated-assisted treatment (MAT) in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies at 535 E. First Street, Second Floor. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Tustin, at a regular meeting on the 7th day of March, 2023. LETITIA CLARK, Mayor Pro Tem __________________________ ERICA N. YASUDA, City Clerk DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5 __________________ Resolution 23-10 Page 12 of 12 STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF ORANGE ) CITY OF TUSTIN ) I, Erica N. Yasuda, City Clerk and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council of the City of Tustin, California, do hereby certify that the whole number of the members of the City Council of the City of Tustin is 5; and that the above and foregoing Resolution No. 23-10 was duly passed, and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 7th day of March, 2023, by the following vote: COUNCILMEMBER AYES: Clark, Gallagher, Schnell (3) COUNCILMEMBER NOES: (0) COUNCILMEMBER ABSTAINED: Lumbard (1) COUNCILMEMBER ABSENT: Gomez (1) ____________________ ERICA N. YASUDA, City Clerk DocuSign Envelope ID: 5B27854A-AE96-4B5D-813B-3E2987B706B5