TO: HONORABLE CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING
COMMISSION
FROM: Carl Stiehl, City Planner
PREPARED BY: Roderick Salazar, Assistant Planner
SUBJECT:
title
Revised Development Plan-2023-00063, Revised Conditional Use Permit-2024-00022 for an expansion of the existing Carmax site
end
RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Adopt the environmental determination of an Addendum to the adopted 2015 Mitigated Negative Declaration pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines (CEQA) (see Attachment D to Resolution) ; and
Adopt a Resolution entitled “A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MURRIETA APPROVING REVISED DEVELOPMENT PLAN (DP-2023-00063) AND REVISED CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT (CUP-2023-00022), FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, EXPANSION, AND OPERATION OF ADDITIONAL VEHICLE STAGING AREAS AND ADDITIONAL CARRIER TRUCK STALLS TO AN EXISTING AUTO SALES FACILITY, WITH A GUARD STRUCTURE, LIGHTING, LANDSCAPING, AND ASSOCIATED IMPROVEMENTS ON PROPERTIES LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF MADISON AVENUE NORTHERLY OF GUAVA STREET (APNs: 910-490-016, 910-490-013, 910-490-002, 910-490-001)”, based on the Findings and subject to the Conditions of Approval in Exhibits A, B, Statement of Operations in Exhibit C, and Addendum in Exhibit D (Attachment 1).
body
ENVIRONMENTAL
The Project has been evaluated pursuant to the CEQA and it has been determined that an Addendum (Attachment 1 Exhibit D) to the previously approved Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) accommodates the minor additions and/or changes for the Project (CEQA Guidelines Section 15164).
The original MND was adopted on July 21, 2015, State Clearing House #2015061002. A Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) was also adopted as a condition of the Project. An Addendum is appropriate for this expansion Project because there will not be significant effects not previously discussed in the prior analysis and the significant effects previously examined will not be more severe. Pursuant to CEQA, an Addendum is not required to be circulated for public review but will be included as an exhibit to the adopted MND.
PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
None for the current project. Past actions for the original approval of the Carmax facility relevant to the current Project are noted below.
On July 8, 2015, the Murrieta Planning Commission adopted Resolution 2015-9, recommending to the City Council: Certification of the MND, Approval of General Plan Amendment 2015-531, Approval of the CUP-2015-533, Approval of DP-2015-532, and Approval of Parcel Map 2015-534 (PM 36943).
On July 21, 2015, the Murrieta City Council adopted Resolution 2015-3415, certifying an MND, and Resolution 2025-3418 for GPA-2015-531, CUP-2015-533, DP-2015-532, and Parcel Map 36943 (TPM-2015-534) on a 45.65 acre site located approximately 900 feet south of Murrieta Hot Springs Road, between Madison Avenue and Interstate 15, Murrieta, CA.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Project proposes to expand the existing Carmax car dealership by adding extra truck carrier stalls on the western portion of the current site and developing 4.62 acres on three parcels along Madison Avenue for the staging of vehicles. A Revised Development Plan and Revised Conditional Use Permit are required for the expansion of outdoor storage for an existing car dealership. Access to the facility is provided by Madison Avenue. The majority of typically required street improvements are already in place on Madison Avenue and modifications to the right of way are required for this project. A pedestrian amenity bench along the public sidewalk will be provided on the portion of the Project that is within the Transient Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay in order to augment pedestrian connectivity.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
|
Application Type: |
Revised Development Plan 2023-00063 (DP-2023-00063) and Revised Conditional Use Permit 2023-00022 (CUP-2023-00022) |
|
Applicant: |
CarMax Auto Superstores, Inc. |
|
Property Owner: |
Hemacinto Commonwealth Opportunity Fund, LP, a California limited partnership, as to Parcels A, B, and C Carmax Auto Superstores, Inc., a Virginia Corporation, as to Parcels D and D1 |
|
Site Area: |
4.62 acres |
|
Project Location: |
East of Madison Avenue, north of Guava Street, west of existing CarMax site, south of Murrieta Hot Springs Road approximately 900 feet. APN: 9110-490-016, 910-490-013, 910-490-002, 910-490-001 |
|
Site General Plan/Zoning: |
Commercial (C) |
|
Adjacent Zoning/Land Use: |
Community Commercial (CC) |
|
North: |
Community Commercial (CC) |
|
South: |
Community Commercial (CC) |
|
East: |
Community Commercial (CC) |
|
West: |
Community Commercial (CC) |
The Project proposes to expand the existing automobile sales facilities related to car carrier parking stalls and expand the vehicle inventory staging capacity. The Project would remove part of the existing wall that encloses the current truck carrier stall area and landscape median on the fronting access road to the west to add seven new truck carrier stalls. A new larger, paved vehicle staging area would be developed with three vacant parcels that are adjacent to the west of the existing Carmax facility yard with perimeter block walls, perimeter landscaping, entry gates, and a 228 square foot guard structure (See Attachment 3-Project Plans for more information).
The expansion parcels along the frontage of Madison Avenue are currently vacant and have the following existing improvements along their frontage: curb, gutter, and driveway. Two access points are currently provided from Madison Avenue. The proposed additional staging areas will operate within the car dealership's existing approved hours of operation.
BACKGROUND
In 2015, CarMax Auto Superstore proposed to establish a regional car marketing facility within the City, located just south of Murrieta Hot Springs Road, east of Madison Avenue. The proposed site in Murrieta serves as a central location to CarMax’s Southern California market for both sales and quality certification of vehicles. The current site consists of a car dealership and associated uses, a retail service facility, a wholesale auction facility, a non-public car wash, a private fuel dispensing unit, vehicle staging areas, parking lots, security gates, and access drives. Refer to the original Staff Report in Attachment 4 for more information and details on the original project.
ANALYSIS
Zoning / General Plan Consistency:
The Project site is located within three vacant lots that are zoned CC. The CC zone is applied to areas appropriate to serve the community's daily shopping needs, including destination centers, supermarkets, and smaller, single-lot commercial activities. The Project will expand the existing Carmax facility with additional vehicle staging areas and truck carrier stalls.
The Project conforms to the General Plan and is consistent with the Commercial General Plan Land Use designation, as the CC zone is a commercial zoning district that implements the general plan's commercial land use goals.
The Project implements various land use goals and policies, including General Plan Goal LU-1, which looks to provide a complementary balance of land uses throughout the community that meets the needs of existing residents and businesses as well as anticipated growth and achieves the community’s vision. The Project is consistent with objectives ED-4.1 and ED-4.3 by encouraging retail development projects that can realistically satisfy community-wide and regionally based demand for goods and services and supporting a concentration of retail centers in functional nodes at freeway intersection locations to maximize exposure and convenient access within the regional trade area environment. The expansion of the facility provides additional capacity for the ever-growing demand for vehicles in the region. This Project would achieve various goals within the Circulation Element, including ensuring efficient and safe access for emergency vehicles by providing minimum drive aisle widths throughout the Project for emergency vehicles (CIR-2.14).
Traffic Circulation / Access & Egress:
The Project site is accessible from two existing driveways on Madison Avenue. The Project does not propose to change access to the site, and new internal drive aisles will be constructed to meet the appropriate Fire and Development Codes access widths and maintain adequate circulation in the site. A Traffic Analysis provided for the Project was reviewed by the City’s Traffic Engineer, which showed that the expansion Project would not generate 100 or more peak-hour vehicle trips. Therefore, no further traffic study for the Project was required. The 100 peak-hour trip threshold is the designated traffic threshold a new project would need to generate before a full traffic analysis is required. The threshold is incorporated into the latest version of the City’s Traffic Impact Analysis Preparation Guidelines which was last amended in 2021. The threshold is a common best practice approach in traffic engineering.
Parking:
Parking for the existing Carmax dealership will not be impacted or increased due to the expansion. The expansion results in an increase of the vehicle staging areas and outdoor storage for existing and new inventory to prepare for future sales. These expansions do not trigger the need for additional general parking for the site.
Landscape / Walls:
The proposed conceptual landscaping plans comply with the requirements of the Development Code. Based on the proposed plans, the expansion area will contain 21 percent landscaping. The landscaping will be along Madison Avenue and around the perimeter of the expansion area to assist in the screening of the block walls. The Project also complies with Development Code Section 16.34.070.H6, which requires a minimum 15-foot wide landscape strip along the public street frontage of Madison Avenue. The 6’ and 7’-6” walls around the perimeter of the expansion area also comply with Development Code Section 16.08.030.5 by using split-face masonry, colors that complement the existing buildings, and various wall height design changes along Madison Avenue with pilasters. Part of the expansion Project is within the TOD Overlay District which requires pedestrian related improvements for connectivity to the other mix of uses in the area. The Project will incorporate a public bench for pedestrian use along the frontage of Madison Avenue as a pedestrian amenity.
Stormwater / Drainage:
There is a storm drain system that exists to serve for the Project. The Property naturally drains to the south, but the site grade is an elevated pad, and the flow is directed off the pad from the high point. The drainage plan follows the requirements of the Riverside County Hydrology Manual. The property is located in the Santa Margarita Watershed. Peak flow and hydromodification will be mitigated by the bio-retention basins that are proposed around the site. Runoff from the site flows to basins throughout the site. When the flow reaches the appropriate depth within the basins, it will flow into the inlets and into the local storm drain system. There are no offsite flows proposed per the Drainage Report provided. A Preliminary Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) has been prepared, and further details can be found in that report (Attachment 6).
Given the analysis, the proposed Project meets the requirements of the City of Murrieta, Riverside County Flood Control, and California standards and guidelines related to stormwater and drainage. Construction of the proposed expansion Project is not anticipated to impact the area's hydrology.
Revised Conditional Use Permit
A Revised CUP is required for the expansion of the existing car dealership consistent with the CC zone per Table 16.10-1 and Section 16.44.180 of the Development Code. Car dealerships are establishments that specialize in the sale of one or more lines of new automobiles (including used vehicles) and in the servicing of that line. Dealerships are regional in nature and can have a market radius well in excess of 20 or 30 miles. The major portion of a car dealership site is typically used for outdoor storage and display of vehicles and a relatively minor portion is used for structures and customer parking. Therefore, the expansion of the use, for staging additional vehicles, requires the approval of a Revised CUP.
The Project has been designed consistent with the standards of the CC zone, the applicable standards of the Development Code as noted above and the applicable requirements for this use type. Conditions of Approval (Attachment 1, Exhibit B) have been prepared, and provided they are fully complied with, the construction and operation of the Project is anticipated to comply with the standards and regulations required. Therefore, findings supporting the Project are based on operational requirements included in the Project, such as requirements for fire access drive aisles to be kept clear of any vehicles or other obstructions at all times, and all landscaping being maintained in a healthy living condition for the life of the permit may be made to support the CUP. See Attachment 1 for the Resolution including the findings and Exhibit B for the CUP Conditions of Approval.
Revised Development Plan
A Revised Development Plan is required for the modification of an existing approved project. Development Plan (DP) applications are intended to protect the integrity and character of the residential, commercial, and industrial areas of the City, through the application of the standards within the Development Code. Required standards include the uses shall be operated in compliance with the City’s Noise standards in the Development Code (Chapter 16.30) at all times and all exterior lighting shall comply with the Mt. Palomar Lighting Standards, as defined in Development Code Section 16.18.110. The configuration, design, location, and impact of the proposed use have been reviewed by staff, comparing the use to applicable standards and regulations for a Revised DP as noted above. Therefore, the findings may be made to support the Revised DP.
Given the information above, the findings for the Revised DP are also included in the Project Resolution. See Attachment 1 for the Resolution including the findings and Exhibit A for the Revised DP Conditions of Approval.
NOTICING
The Project was noticed in compliance with Chapter 16.76 of the Development Code. The City posted a sign on the property, mailed notices to property owners within a 300-foot radius, and advertised in the newspaper a minimum of 10 days prior to the hearing.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution
Exhibit A - Conditions of Approval (DP)
Exhibit B - Conditions of Approval (CUP)
Exhibit C - Project Narrative
Exhibit D - Addendum to 2015 Mitigated Negative Declaration
2. Vicinity Map
3. Project Plans
4. Original Staff Report (July 8, 2015) - Report only
5. Resolutions 2015-532 and 2015-533 approving original project
6. WQMP
7. Notice of Determination