PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Ursula Luna-Reynosa, Community Development Director
BY: Joanna Cortez, Associate Planner
SUBJECT:
title
ENTITLEMENT PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 18-002 (THE HEBREW ACADEMY CAMPUS REMODEL)
REQUEST:
To permit a campus remodel and install four prefabricated modular buildings (approximately 9,990 sq. ft.) to create seven classrooms; repurpose existing buildings to create two new classrooms; add 1,550 sq. ft. to an existing multi-purpose room; expand an existing parking lot on the north side of the campus (27 parking spaces); and construct a new faculty parking lot on the south side of the campus (34 parking spaces).
LOCATION:
14401 Willow Lane, 92647 (east of Willow Lane at the terminus of Maple Avenue)
body
APPLICANT:
David Street, Westland Real Estate Group, 520 Willow Street, Long Beach, CA 90806
PROPERTY
OWNER:
Alevy Family Academy Property, 520 West Willow Street, Long Beach, CA 90806
BUSINESS
OWNER:
The Hebrew Academy, 14401 Willow Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
1. Is the project proposal consistent with the City of Huntington Beach’s adopted land use regulations (i.e. General Plan, Zoning Map and Zoning Code including any specific plans and overlay districts where applicable)?
2. Does the project proposal satisfy all the findings required for approving a Conditional Use Permit?
3. Has the appropriate level of environmental analysis been determined?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
That the Planning Commission take the following actions:
A) Find the proposed project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15314, Class 14.
B) Approve Entitlement Plan Amendment No. 18-002 with suggested findings and conditions of approval (Attachment No. 1).
end
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
A) Don’t make the suggested findings which will result on a mandatory denial per Section 241.10(c) of the Zoning Code.
B) Continue Entitlement Plan Amendment No. 18-002 and direct staff accordingly.
PROJECT PROPOSAL:
Background:
The Hebrew Academy is an existing private school facility (junior kindergarten through high school) that operates from a closed public school site (Clara Cook Elementary). The school is located on an approximately 10-acre site near the northern boundary of the City and borders the City of Westminster. The campus is currently comprised of 13 buildings (including small modular buildings) with 62 full-time and part-time faculty/staff members according to the school’s current website.
The Hebrew Academy was established in 1977 and has been reviewed and analyzed under previous entitlements:
• Conditional Use Permit No. 77-019: To establish the Hebrew Academy.
• Conditional Use Permit No. 88-029: To increase student enrollment (maximum 400 students) and replace modular buildings.
• Conditional Use Permit No. 94-007: To construct a Junior Olympic swimming pool, wading pool, and 2,836 sq. ft. shower/locker facility.
• Conditional Use Permit No. 98-090: To construct a kindergarten classroom building, consolidate six trailers to create an administration building, expand an existing parking lot, and redesign student drop-off area.
Proposed Project:
The applicant proposes an overall campus remodel to create new classrooms, install prefabricated modular buildings and expand an existing multi-purpose room. The new classrooms will allow the school to participate in modern trends in education such as computer rooms, media labs, STEM rooms, Art rooms, Music rooms, SAT instruction and other specialty areas. The expanded multi-purpose room will allow more space for various school events. A new eight ft. high wrought iron fence is proposed around the perimeter (approximately 1,845 linear ft.) to match the newer fencing along the front property line.
In addition, the applicant is proposing to expand the northerly parking lot of the campus to add 27 parking spaces and construct a new 34 space parking lot on the south side of the campus to serve as faculty parking. The campus currently has a total of 76 striped parking spaces. With the expansion and new faculty parking lot, on-site parking will be increased to 137 spaces (the existing 76 space parking lot plus the additional 27 new spaces and the additional 34 space faculty parking lot) and also allow more vehicles to queue onsite for daily student pick up and drop off. All provisions of previously approved student drop-off plans will remain in full force and effect. Student enrollment will not increase with the proposed request (Attachment No. 3).
ISSUES AND ANALYSIS:
Subject Property And Surrounding General Plan Designations, Zoning And Land Uses:
|
LOCATION |
GENERAL PLAN |
ZONING |
LAND USE |
|
Subject Property: |
PS (RL) (Public Semipublic (Residential Low Density)) |
PS (Public Semipublic) |
Private School |
|
South and West of Subject Property: |
RL (Residential Low Density) |
RL (Residential Low Density) |
Single Family Residential |
|
North of Subject Property: |
City of Westminster |
City of Westminster |
Single Family Residential |
|
East of Subject Property: |
City of Westminster |
City of Westminster |
Multi-Family Residential and Industrial Building |
General Plan Conformance:
The General Plan Land Use Map designation on the subject property is currently PS (RL) (Public Semipublic with underlying Residential Low Density). The request is consistent with this designation and the goals and policies of the City’s General Plan as follows:
Land Use Element
Goal LU-1: New commercial, industrial, and residential development is coordinated to ensure that the land use pattern is consistent with the overall goals and needs of the community.
Policy LU-1(D): Ensure that new development projects are of compatible proportion, scale, and character to complement adjoining uses.
Goal LU-6: Neighborhood school sites adapt over time to meet the changing needs of the community.
The project will revitalize and modernize an existing school with improvements consistent with the General Plan land use of PS (RL). The proposed project will add nine classrooms in new buildings that are compatible in the proportion, scale, and character of the remaining school buildings and adjoining residential uses in that the new buildings are similar or less than the height of the surrounding residential uses and will maintain similar setbacks. The one-story school buildings are consistent with height requirements and complement the adjacent uses. The new modular buildings and repurposed buildings will house classrooms and labs for various grade levels. The proposed improvements will allow the expansion of a private school facility, thereby enhancing the educational opportunities available to the youth of the community without affecting surrounding residential development.
Circulation Element
Goal CIRC-1c: Through ongoing evaluation of jurisdiction, efficient transportation management provides the highest level of safety, service, and resources.
Policy CIRC-1c(G): Limit driveway access points, require driveways to be wide enough to accommodate traffic flow from and to arterial roadways, and establish mechanisms to consolidate driveways where feasible and necessary to minimize impacts to the smooth, efficient, and controlled flow of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.
The expansion of the northern parking lot will allow more onsite parking for the school’s needs and will not add any new driveways. The addition of the new faculty parking lot on the southern portion of the campus in addition to the 27-space expansion of the existing parking lot will reduce traffic flow along the local streets because 61 more cars will park onsite and improve the traffic experience for the school and the neighborhood.
Zoning Compliance:
The proposed project complies with the base zoning district and other applicable provisions in Titles 20-25 of the Huntington Beach Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance (HBZSO) including setbacks, building height, floor area ratio, landscape, and parking. Parking for educational use is calculated based on the number of classrooms, which is increasing. The proposed parking lot improvements will create sufficient parking to accommodate the increased number of classrooms, as demonstrated in the table below.
|
USE |
PARKING RATIO |
NUMBER OF CLASSROOMS |
REQUIRED PARKING |
|
Preschool |
One space per classroom plus one per staff member/ classroom |
6 plus 10 staff members |
16 |
|
K-8th |
1.5 per classroom |
24 |
36 |
|
High School |
7 per classroom |
7 |
49 |
|
TOTAL |
|
37 |
101 REQUIRED |
|
Parking proposed |
|
|
137 PROPOSED |
Urban Design Guidelines Conformance:
The project complies with the City’s Urban Design Guidelines. The one-story school buildings are consistent with height requirements and complement the adjacent uses. Additionally, the design of the new classroom buildings will incorporate existing architectural elements such as streamline metal roofs, stucco façade with brick veneer accents, and decorative wood trellises which will complement the existing buildings. The northern classroom buildings will be oriented in a manner that will create a courtyard with new landscape for the students. The multi-purpose room addition will incorporate architectural elements such as clerestory windows, varying rooflines, brick façade with stucco accents, and new storefront windows and doors to match the existing building. A new eight ft. high wrought iron fence is proposed around the perimeter to match the newer fencing along the front property line.
Environmental Status:
The proposed project will not have any significant effect on the environment and is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15314, Class 14 - Minor Additions to Schools of the CEQA Guidelines as the project is located at an existing school and involves the expansion of a parking lot and two new buildings that will not increase original student capacity by more than 25% or 10 classrooms.
Coastal Status:
Not Applicable
Design Review Board:
The Design Review Board reviewed the design, colors, and materials of the project on December 12, 2019. They recommended approval to the Planning Commission with the condition that the paint color for the new buildings, addition area, and trellis should match and complement the existing buildings and the colors should be noted on the elevation plans (Attachment No. 4). The applicant has provided the color samples and staff has conditioned that the paint color and details shall be noted on the elevations.
Subdivision Committee:
Not Applicable
Other Departments Concerns and Requirements:
The Departments of Community Development, Public Works, Police and Fire have reviewed the project and identified a list of code requirements (Attachment No. 6) applicable to the project.
Public Notification:
Legal notice was published in the Huntington Beach Wave on January 16, 2020, and notices were sent to property owners of record and tenants within a 500 ft. radius of the subject property, individuals/organizations requesting notification (Planning Division’s Notification Matrix), applicant, and interested parties. As of January 21, 2020, staff has not received any inquiries about the project.
Application Processing Dates:
|
DATE OF COMPLETE APPLICATION: |
MANDATORY PROCESSING DATE(S): |
|
November 27, 2019 |
January 28, 2020 |
SUMMARY:
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission take the following actions:
A) Find the proposed project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15314, Class 14.
B) Approve Entitlement Plan Amendment No.18-002 with suggested findings and conditions of approval (Attachment No. 1).
This recommendation is based on the following:
• Complies with the General Plan and the base zoning district and other applicable provisions in Titles 20-25 of the HBZSO including setbacks, building height, floor area ratio, landscape, and parking;
• Compatible with the existing surrounding commercial uses in proportion, scale, and character and includes a design with various architectural elements such as streamline metal roofs, stucco façade with brick veneer accents, and decorative wood trellises;
• Student count will not increase; and
• New parking spaces will allow 61 more cars to park onsite.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Suggested Findings and Conditions of Approval
2. Plans received and dated October 8, 2019, the Campus Classroom Map received and dated January 7, 2020, the title page received and dated January 17, 2020, and the new building and fence rendering received and dated January 16, 2020
3. Narratives received and dated June 15, 2018 and received and dated October 21, 2019
4. Design Review Board Notice of Action dated December 13, 2019
5. Vicinity Map
6. Code Requirements