PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Ursula Luna- Reynosa, Community Development Director
BY: Ricky Ramos, Senior Planner
SUBJECT:
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT NO. 17-001 (MAGNOLIA TANK FARM)
REQUEST:
To introduce the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the proposed general plan, zoning map, zoning text, local coastal program amendments, and development agreement to allow mixed use with commercial visitor, residential, and open space uses at the 29-acre Magnolia Tank Farm site.
LOCATION:
21845 Magnolia St., 92646 (west side at Banning Ave.)
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APPLICANT/
PROPERTY
OWNER: James O’Malley, SLF-HB Magnolia, LLC, 2 Park Plaza, #700, Irvine, CA 92614
STATEMENT OF ISSUE
To introduce the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the proposed general plan, zoning map, zoning text, local coastal program amendments, and development agreement to allow mixed use with commercial visitor, residential, and open space uses at the 29-acre Magnolia Tank Farm site.
PROJECT PROPOSAL:
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) No. 17-001: To analyze the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed project.
The EIR analyzed two development options at an equal level of consideration in the EIR: The first option (Proposed Pproject) is a mixed-use development comprised of a 211,000 square-foot lodge/guesthouse accommodations with a maximum of 215 rooms, including 175 guest rooms and family/group overnight accommodations with 40 rooms; 19,000 square feet of ancillary and visitor-serving retail and dining; up to 250 for sale, residential units (at under 15 dwelling units/acre); 2.8 acres of Coastal Conservation area to provide a buffer for the adjacent wetlands; and 2.8 acres of park.
The second option (Alternative 1) consists of the redevelopment of the project site with up to 250 for sale, residential units (at 11 dwelling units/acre), parks, and open space. Alternative 1 does not include the lodge/guesthouse and visitor-serving retail and dining. All other project components would remain the same.
CEQA:
The draft EIR was made available to the public, public agencies, Planning Commission and City Council for review at the start of the 90-day public comment period on Dec. 17, 2018. The Final Draft EIR, including the Response to Comments and all text changes as a result of the public comment period will be posted on the City’s website prior to the public hearing on the EIR and the link will be forwarded to the Planning Commission and City Council.
The required CEQA procedure that was followed is outlined below:
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October 19, 2017 to November 20, 2017 |
Notice of Preparation was filed with the State Clearinghouse and available for public review and comment for 30 days. |
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November 7, 2017 |
A Public Scoping Meeting was held to solicit comments related to issue areas to be studied in the EIR. |
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December 17, 2018 to March 18, 2019 |
Notice of Completion was filed with the State Clearinghouse and draft EIR was available for public review and comment for 90 days. |
The draft EIR discusses potential adverse impacts in the areas described below. The direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the project are addressed, as are the impacts of project alternatives. The draft EIR must be adopted and certified by the Planning Commission and City Council prior to any action on the project.
Scope of EIR Analysis
The draft EIR studied the following topics pursuant to CEQA guidelines with the exception of Agriculture and Forestry Resources and Mineral Resources:
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• Aesthetics |
• Land Use and Planning |
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• Air Quality |
• Noise |
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• Biological Resources |
• Population and Housing |
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• Cultural Resources |
• Public Services |
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• Geology and Soils |
• Recreation |
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• Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
• Transportation and Traffic |
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• Hazards and Hazardous Materials |
• Tribal Cultural Resources |
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• Hydrology and Water Quality |
Utilities and Services Systems |
Environmental topics and CEQA Checklist questions/thresholds with no potential significant impacts were discussed in Section 2.0 of the EIR and were scoped out from further detailed analysis in the EIR.
Project Impacts
The draft EIR concluded that the environmental impacts as a result of project implementation would result in less than significant impacts or potentially significant impacts that could be reduced to a less than significant level with incorporation of mitigation measures based on CEQA thresholds of significance for the following areas:
§ Aesthetics
§ Air Quality
§ Biological Resources
§ Cultural Resources
§ Geology and Soils
§ Hazards and Hazardous Materials
§ Hydrology and Water Quality
§ Land Use and Planning
§ Population and Housing
§ Public Services
§ Recreation
§ Tribal Cultural Resources
§ Utilities and Service Systems
The EIR determined that implementation of the proposed project would result in significant and unavoidable impacts in the following areas:
§ Greenhouse Gas Emissions
§ Noise (pile driving annoyance during construction)
§ Transportation and Traffic (City of Newport Beach and Caltrans intersections mitigable but City of Huntington Beach does not have authority to implement)
Approval of the Proposed Project would require adoption of a Statement of Overriding Considerations finding that the economic and social benefits of the proposed project outweigh its significant and unavoidable impacts.
Alternatives
The EIR also presents alternatives to the proposed project that could avoid or reduce the severity of impacts described in the topics above, as required by CEQA. Two other alternatives were evaluated in the EIR and described below:
§ Alternative 2A - This alternative assumes no project or development. The “No Project” alternative is a requirement of CEQA.
§ Alternative 2B - This alternative assumes development of an assisted living facility pursuant to the existing General Plan and zoning designations on the site.
Overall, when considering the alternatives relative to each other and the proposed project, Alternative 1 (250 residential units; no lodge/guesthouse or retail) is the environmentally superior alternative.
PLANNING ISSUES:
⁻ Is the EIR adequate and complete in that it has identified all significant environmental effects of the project?
⁻ Have all significant environmental impacts which can feasibly be mitigated or avoided been mitigated or avoided by the incorporation of Project Design Features, standard regulatory requirements, and mitigation measures?
⁻ Was the EIR prepared in compliance with the CEQA Guidelines?
PUBLIC HEARING DATE:
The tentative Planning Commission schedule for the project is as follows:
§ Study Session on the Specific Plan and Development Agreement - August 27, 2019
§ Public Hearing - September 10, 2019
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft EIR No. 17-001 (Not attached but available at
<http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/government/departments/planning/major/>