Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Special Orders of the Day
SUBJECT:
Title
PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION NO. 20-008 OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA APPROVING CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT NO. 1019-17 TO RENOVATE AN EXISTING CARGO CONTAINER STORAGE FACILITY LOCATED WITHIN THE ORGANIC REFUSE LANDFILL OVERLAY ZONE ON A 13.97-ACRE PARCEL AT 22632 SOUTH ALAMEDA STREET (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
On December 10, 2019, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing and unanimously approved Site Plan and Design Review No. 1703-18 and recommended approval of Conditional Use Permit No. 1019-17 to the City Council as required by Carson Municipal Code Section 9141.12 (Uses Permitted on Organic Refuse Landfill Sites) for renovation of an existing cargo container storage facility. The site is a former landfill located in a heavy industrial area, surrounded on all sides by industrial uses including the Alameda Corridor. From 2004 until 2016, Off-Dock USA occupied the site as a cargo container storage yard approved for 542 container spaces. Off-Dock often stacked containers higher than three high as permitted by the Carson Municipal Code and was involved in several code violations.
In 2016, Mobile Mini, Inc. moved to the site and reduced the total number of container spaces to 500. A maximum of 1,500 containers can be stored on the site when stacked three high as permitted by the Carson Municipal Code. Founded in 1983, Mobile Mini is a leading provider of portable storage and specialty containment solutions in the United States. Mobile Mini provides short and long term rental and purchasing options for storage and security needs.
Mobile Mini proposes renovations to the site including installation of three (3) new modular offices on permanent foundations to be used by sales, customer service, and management staff; a new maintenance canopy to be used as a storage container repair facility; new landscaping, fencing, and new paving for truck loading and unloading container inventory; and, improvements to the sidewalk, curb, and gutter. Once all renovations are complete, it is estimated that the total truck generation will be an average of 60 trips per day. This trip generation estimate was reviewed and approved by the City Traffic Engineer. The corresponding number of containers moved on a daily basis will be approximately 20 per day.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. OPEN the public hearing, TAKE public testimony, CLOSE the public hearing.
2. ADOPT Resolution No. 20-008, entitled “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA APPROVING CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT NO. 1019-17, TO RENOVATE AN EXISTING CARGO CONTAINER STORAGE FACILITY LOCATED WITHIN THE ORGANIC REFUSE LANDFILL OVERLAY ZONE ON A 13.97-ACRE PARCEL AT 22632 SOUTH ALAMEDA STREET”
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE such other action as the City Council deems appropriate, consistent with the requirements of the law.
IV. BACKGROUND
History
On November 6, 2017, the City Council approved Resolution No. 18-116, an exception to the application of Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 18-1805U, a moratorium on the establishment, expansion, or modification of truck yards, logistics facilities, hazardous materials or waste facilities, container storage, and container parking for 12 months to allow the filing and processing of plans and permits necessary to operate a container storage yard.
Organic Refuse Landfill Overlay Zone
Carson Municipal Code Section 9141.12 (Uses Permitted on Organic Refuse Landfill Sites) requires Planning Commission and City Council approval of a CUP for occupiable buildings and structures in the ORL Overlay Zone. Every CUP for a use located in the ORL Overlay Zone shall be subject to special conditions above and beyond conditions established by way of Carson Municipal Code Section 9172.21 (Conditional Use Permit). The ORL Overlay Zone has been created to provide for the public health, safety and general welfare by regulating uses of organic refuse landfill sites and ensuring that proper mitigation measures are taken to eliminate or minimize hazards to persons and property and environmental risks associated with such sites including, but not limited to toxicity, fire, explosion and subsidence.
The applicant is required to prepare and submit a report pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Building Code, prepared by a licensed civil engineer. The report is required to provide and include plans for a protective system or systems designated to eliminate or mitigate the potential hazards and environmental risks associated with the proposed use. After reviewing the report, the Building Official will evaluate any risks and hazards associated with the site and proposed use and may grant approval only if he finds that the report and plans adequately provide for protection against such associated risks and hazards. The Building Official’s approval will be submitted to the City Council for final approval, which will be at the discretion of the City Council.
Access
Three existing driveways along Alameda Street will provide access to the site. Tow trucks with empty trailers will access the site through the southerly driveways and passenger vehicles will access the site through the northerly driveway. Sliding gates are opened by the first employee of the day and remain open till the end of the day, preventing any traffic build up on Alameda. Regional access to the site from freeways will require no driving on residential streets by utilizing Alameda Street, Sepulveda Boulevard, and Wilmington Avenue, which are all truck routes.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department and the City’s Traffic Engineer have reviewed and approved project vehicular access and site circulation. Any new gates will require Fire Department safety/access apparatus approval.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), an Initial Study (IS) was conducted in 2004 for a previously-approved 542 cargo container facility at the project site, and a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) was adopted pursuant thereto by the Carson Redevelopment Agency on May 3, 2005. Pursuant to mitigation measures identified in the MND, some technical studies have been updated, including the Geotechnical Report and Air Quality Study, and the studies have concluded the proposed project will not have any new significant impacts.
Pursuant to CEQA Section 15162, there are no substantial changes proposed in the project that would require major revisions of the previous MND due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously-identified significant effects. The project will be conditioned to comply with all mitigation measures identified in the MND (Section XV of the Conditions of Approval attached as Exhibit B to the proposed resolution attached as Exhibit 1). The IS/MND and studies are on file with the City of Carson Planning Division.
Public Notice
Notice of public hearing is required to be posted on the project site by January 2, 2020. Notices were mailed to property owners and occupants within a 750’ radius by January 2, 2020. The agenda was posted at City Hall 72 hours prior to the City Council meeting.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
The applicant/property owner shall be responsible for payment of one-time interim development impact fee at the rate of $807.56 per container space. Based on the proposed 500 truck spaces, the developer will be responsible for development impact fees in the amount of $403,780.00. No building permits shall be issued prior to the full payment of the IDIF Amount. On December 5, 2017 the applicant provided a $50,000 deposit in connection with the exception request from the moratorium. The City will apply the deposit towards the IDIF.
The City adopted Community Facilities District (CFD) 2018-01 to finance the ongoing costs of services for the project. The base year CFD fee has been established based on the number of truck trips generated per year. Calculated CFD for this site up to June 2020 will be $12,592.50, which is equivalent to $921.85 per acre.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Site Plan (pg. 5)
2. Landscape Plan (pg. 6)
3. Proposed City Council Resolution No. 20-008 ( pgs. 7- 54 )
4. Planning Commission Resolution No. 19-2679 ( pgs. 55 -72 )
5. Excerpt from Planning Commission Draft Minutes dated December 10, 2019
(pgs. 73-74)
6. Planning Commission Staff Report dated December 10, 2019 ( pgs.75-81 )
Prepared by: Saied Naaseh, Community Development Director/ Leila Carver, Planner