CITY OF VACAVILLE PLANNING COMMISSION Agenda Item No. G.2 STAFF REPORT August 5, 2008 Staff Contact: Fred Buderi (707) 449-5307 TITLE: REQUEST: RECOMMENDED ACTION: OPPORTUNITY HOUSE EMERGENCY SHELTER RELOCATION PROJECT - SPECIAL STANDARDS OVERLAY ZONE TO INITIATE A ZONE CHANGE FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 267 BENNETT HILL COURT TO ADOPT A SPECIAL STANDARDS OVERLAY ZONING TO ALLOW RELOCATION OF THE OPPORTUNITY HOUSE EMERGENCY HOMELESS SHELTER TO THE SITE TO INITATE THE ZONING MAP AMENDMENT APPLICATION INFORMATION APPLICATION(S): Change) Initiate Zoning Map Amendment (Zone FILE NO.: 08-088 APPLICANT / PROPERTY OWNER: Vacaville Redevelopment Agency PROPERTY INFORMATION LOCATION: 267 Bennett Hill Court ASSESSOR S PARCEL NUMBER: 0129-271-120 & 130 SITE AREA: 0.30 acres GENERAL PLAN DESIGNATION: High Density Residential ZONE: RH High Density Residential CURRENT LAND USE: Eight-unit apartment project ADJACENT ZONING & USE: North: RH apartment residential South: RH apartment residential East: RH apartment residential West: RH apartment residential UTILITIES: All utilities are available.
PROJECT SUMMARY LOT AREA: 13,200 square feet BUILDING FLOOR AREA: 6,580 square feet % SITE COVERAGE: 25% BUILDING SETBACKS: Front: Existing: 15 feet Required: 20 feet Sides: Existing: 13 feet (north) & 10 feet (south) Required: 10 feet Rear: Existing: 60 feet Required: 20 feet BUILDING HEIGHT: Maximum Permitted: 40-0 BUILDING MATERIALS: PARKING: ACCESS: Exterior: Stucco & wood trim Roofing: Flat roof / tar & gravel Provided: Rear parking area; undetermined number of spaces. Required: Subject to Zone Change & PD / CUP Vehicular access to the site is a driveway off of Bennett Hill Court. The project has an easement for shared access through the adjacent parcels both to the north and to the south. The easement to the north has been blocked by a fence. PROJECT DESCRIPTION This project involves a request to initiate a zoning change for the parcel at 267 Bennett Hill Court. Land Use & Development Code Section 14.09.071.040 provides for the Planning Commission to initiate an amendment to the zoning map. In this case, the initiation of the zone change request would be consistent with the Redevelopment Agency Board s action to evaluate this site as a potential relocation site for the Opportunity House homeless shelter from its current location on Catherine Street in downtown. The zone change would involve initiating a Special Standards Overlay zone district for the purpose of adding social service facilities as a conditionally permitted use within the current buildings on this site. The current zoning for the property is RH, High Density Residential, and the site is developed with an 8-unit apartment complex. The Special Standards Overlay zone would be added in order to allow a social service facility, specifically the emergency homeless shelter use, to locate within the RH zone at that site. Standards for parking, site development, and other characteristics specific to this
type of use would be established for the zoning overlay. If the zoning overlay is adopted, then the Redevelopment Agency staff would work with the service-providing agencies to develop remodeling plans for the building and submit an application for conditional use permit with specific plans for how the site would be developed and operated. The Agency anticipates a building remodel that would create approximately ten (10) bedrooms capable of housing four persons each on the ground floor. This remodel would require substantial interior modifications to the building to create these rooms out of the space that is currently built as four separate apartment units. The project would include construction of a new community room at one end of the building to serve as a combined kitchen, dining hall, and living room for use by residents. There would be offices to house administrators in the ground floor, and space in the common room would also be used as a meeting space or classroom type space where training in various subjects would be available at times to residents of the center. The upstairs units would be retained as four (4) two bedroom apartment units for use as affordable rental housing or for transitional housing. The conceptual operating rules for the project are also attached to this report (please see Attachment C). The specific operating characteristics of the center would be subject to review under a Conditional Use Permit application once the zone change has been initiated. Background: On May 27, 2008, the Redevelopment Agency Board authorized the purchase of the subject property. The purpose of this property acquisition was to provide for a new site for the emergency homeless shelter located on Catherine Street or as other affordable housing. In their action, the Agency Board determined that the purchase would provide a site for either the homeless shelter or as additional affordable housing stock maintained by the Agency. The Agency has in the past acquired a number of apartment buildings in this neighborhood for maintenance of the City s affordable housing stock. The Redevelopment Agency acquisition of the site is now complete and the Agency wishes to pursue the potential of relocating the Opportunity House emergency homeless shelter to this site. The existing facility is located on Catherine Street in the downtown area. The use has outgrown the existing facility and the proposed new site offers a number of advantages to the operators and to the Redevelopment Agency, such as a larger facility with increased capacity, a larger site with more potential amenities such as outdoor play space or training space within the building, and improved access to other affordable housing, and to an elementary school and other social services. On June 11, the Agency held a community meeting to discuss the potential for the homeless shelter use to locate at this site. Nearby residents asked questions about the potential impact of the use on the area, the reasoning for why this location should be selected as a homeless shelter location and about the operating characteristics of the use. The notes from this meeting are attached as Attachment E. In order to allow the shelter use in the RH zone, the Agency wishes to have the City adopt a Special Standards Overlay zone to provide for the use, since the RH zone currently does not allow social services as either a permitted or a conditional use.
ANALYSIS The City and Agency have coordinated the preparation of a request to initiate the zone change on the site. Initiation of the zone change request would allow for the analysis of the proposal to take place. The initiation action would also provide any other guidance that the Planning Commission would like the staff to be aware of or to include in the analysis and would provide an opportunity for the public to advise the City of any issues that should be addressed in the review. The zone change request and the associated environmental review would be returned at a future hearing to the Planning Commission for a recommendation and then would be forwarded to the City Council for a decision. The general issues associated with the request are discussed below. Special Standards Overlay: Overlay zones are established according to the purpose and procedures of Chapter 14.09.103 of the Land Use & Development Code. The purpose of an overlay district is: An overlay district is established in order to provide a means to address special or unique needs or characteristics of a particular area or site, to encourage a mix of uses, or to limit or expand the uses allowed in the underlying zoning district due to the special characteristics of the site. Alternative uses may be allowed or additional or different standards may be applied through an overlay district without eliminating the underlying zoning district. The provisions of the underlying zoning district remain in effect but are not applicable to uses allowed through the overlay district unless specifically stated. (14.09.103.010) The Redevelopment Agency staff has discussed with the Planning Division the potential alternative uses that could be placed on the site and would like to proceed with an analysis of the emergency homeless shelter use as the most desirable use. The Planning Division believes that the use of the Special Standards Overlay zone would be the best approach to considering the merits of adding this use to the zoning for the area. The Special Standards zone allows for the application of special development standards to a specific property or properties. The zone is not intended to provide for a reduction in the current standards for the zoning district. The standards may address site and building design criteria, public improvements, traffic and circulation, and conditional and permitted uses. For this project, the special standards overlay would allow for social services to be proposed as a conditional use permit on the site and would establish parking, setback and site development standards that would be specifically appropriate to the type of use. Specific issues warranting consideration include: - The shelter is considered by the Agency and operators to not require the same number of parking spaces as a standard apartment project. The recommended parking standard would be included in the zoning standards. - Standards for outdoor open space and recreation space may be different based on the different number of residents that may be present on the site. - Operating characteristics for including employees of the shelter on the site and for the types of services offered at the location would be appropriate items of consideration in the zoning standards.
These standards would be based on the type of use and the known operating characteristics of the use and would be presented as part of the provisions for the proposed overlay zone to be reviewed by the Planning Commission. The Commission may add any other issues relevant to the zoning analysis as part of their review for initiating the zone change. The alternative land use regulatory procedure would be to amend the RH zone district standards to allow Social Service Facilities within the zone district subject to a conditional use permit. However, this action would potentially allow Social Service Facilities in any RH zoned area. Instead, in this case, and given the Redevelopment Agency s ownership of multi-family units in the area, this one specific location may be a logical choice for the proposed use. Thus, in this situation, the Special Standards Overlay Zone appears more appropriate for analysis since it will allow the Planning Commission and City Council to consider the specific merits of the use for this one location, without requiring consideration of the effect on all other properties within the RH zoning district. Conditional Use Permit & Lot Line Adjustment: The project would involve application for a Conditional Use Permit, assuming that the Special Standards Overlay zone is the recommended approach. A Conditional Use Permit provides the preferred method for reviewing the specific design and operating characteristics of the final development plan for the use. The Redevelopment Agency anticipates working with social service providers to develop a set of plans for the actual remodel of the complex to serve the needs of the shelter use. This application could be processed concurrently with the zoning change request that goes to Planning Commission for review and to City Council for final action, or it could be processed separately after the zoning change has been considered. In either case, the applicants could not implement a Conditional Use Permit for the use unless the zoning is changed to allow this type of use to occur on the site. The project will also involve a parcel merger for the property. The site is currently comprised of two separate parcels and will be combined into one parcel. A parcel merger may be processed separately from the other actions associated with the project and is typically subject to review and action by the Community Development Director. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The purchase of the site by the Redevelopment Agency was determined to be exempt from environmental review. The proposed zone change to allow a Special Standards Overlay zone for development of a social service facility in the Residential High Density zone district has been determined to be subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). City staff will conduct the Initial Study and determine the correct environmental document for the project. The Planning Commission will be asked to make a recommendation on the environmental determination at the same hearing at which the proposed zone change ordinance is reviewed for a recommendation. RECOMMENDATION That the Planning Commission initiate the zoning map amendment for the Special Standards Overlay zone for the property at 267 Bennett Hill Court and direct staff to return with the analysis of the proposed zone change and the appropriate environmental review.
ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A Location Maps Attachment B City Council Staff Report, May 27, 2008 Attachment C Proposed Emergency Homeless Shelter Application & Description Attachment D Conceptual Floor Plan Attachment E - Meeting Notes Redevelopment Agency Neighborhood Meeting