On March 15, 2018, the Planning Commission recommended adoption of a Negative Declaration and approval of General Plan Amendment No. GPA-001-2018 and Planned Unit Development No. PUD-008-2018 to City Council by a 6-0 vote.  The Planning Commission also approved Site Plan No. SP-048-2018 to repurpose an existing 8-story, unfinished, steel structure into a 394-unit affordable senior housing project with 12,938 square feet of commercial retail space. The Site Plan includes changes to the massing of the building and an increase in developable site area to 5.09 acres from 3.09 acres. The developer requested a density bonus of 35% under the State Density Bonus allowance and three concessions: a reduction in unit size from minimum requirements; a reduction in the required overall open space; and an increase in the number of allowable compact spaces.

The Project site (prior Galleria) is located on the south side of Garden Grove Boulevard, west of Brookhurst Street. The Ramada Plaza Hotel is adjacent to the west of the project site and the “Festival Plaza” a two-story commercial center is to the east. The Brookhurst Triangle is across Garden Grove Boulevard to the north and construction on the first phase of residential units is almost complete. The parking lot for the Boys & Girls Club abuts the site to the south.  Both the project site and the Boys & Girls Club site are owned by the Emlen W. Hoag Foundation. The site with the existing steel structure is comprised of a single lot, 10080 Garden Grove Boulevard (APN 098-070-72).

The original project was approved in 2005 and was an ambitious, groundbreaking, mixed use concept spearheaded by the then President of the Hoag Foundation, Sheldon Singer. At the time, the site contained the vacant buildings from a prior car dealership that closed in 2004. The Hoag Foundation intended the redevelopment of the site to be a major contributor to its long term economic viability. The proposed 8-story mixed-use building included two double-height levels of retail shopping mall and 66 residential units above. Four floors of parking garage were at the rear of the commercial shopping mall.  The 5th floor was entirely used for parking. Above the parking level, on each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th floors were 22 residential condominiums for a total of 66 units. The 6th Floor included the large, open space courtyard for the residences. The original Galleria was the first mixed-use proposal in the City of Garden Grove.

To accommodate this first mixed-use project, the General Plan Land Use designation was changed from Heavy Commercial (HC) to Mixed Use (MU). The Mixed Use designation was implemented by approving a Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning designation for the property (PUD-107-05). In 2008, the General Plan 2030 was adopted and continued the trend toward mixed-use development by changing Garden Grove Boulevard from a commercial designation to several mixed-use designations. The subject property was included in the Residential/Commercial Mixed Use 1 Land Use designation (R/CMU1), which allows for projects with residential densities up to 42 dwelling units per acre (du/acre) mixed with a commercial component of 0.5 FAR.  The zoning code was amended in 2011 to implement the new General Plan and the site was included in the GGMU1 with a residential density of 42 du/acre and more intense development standards for taller, more urban, mixed-use projects. The Galleria site, along with the Brookhurst Triangle site, created a node of higher density residential and commercial uses with standards to encourage vibrant, urban-scale districts near key intersections.

The Galleria site has remained the same for many years; a stark steel structure with no further construction. Construction on the project began in 2007. Building permit records show there was a slab installed in 2007. Grading continued through 2008 and a rough plumbing permit was pulled in 2009. The site was graded, foundations were built, and the steel structure was erected. Construction on the Galleria site ceased. In March 2010, the developer sent a letter to the City advising that work on the project had stopped due to the economic climate and funding problems. After that, the project and property were tied up in litigation between the developer, the property owner, and the bank financing the development.

In September 2016, the current developer, AMG & Associates, met with City staff to discuss a revised proposal for the site, an affordable senior housing project with approximately 400 units called the Garden Brook Senior Village. To reach the desired density, the proposal includes an expansion of the overall site to include a 2-acre portion to the south of the Galleria site. These 2 acres are on a larger 6.92-acre parcel that is also owned by the Emlen W. Hoag Foundation and includes the Garden Grove Boys & Girls Club (GGBGC), Kiwanisland, and a baseball playing field. The Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove’s Main Branch located at 9860 Larson Avenue was originally built in 1956 through the support of the Emlen W. Hoag Foundation. The two acres include the parking lot and the GGBGC buildings and will be tied to the Project site through a “Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions for the Transfer of Development Rights”.  The parking lot and GGBGC buildings will remain on the site.

GENERAL PLAN. A General Plan Amendment is required to change the General Plan Land Use designation from Residential/Commercial Mixed Use 1 (RCMU1) and Parks and Open Space (OS) to Community Residential to increase the residential density from 42 dwelling units per acre to 60 dwelling units per acre. The Community Residential Land Use designation is expressly for senior housing, convalescent homes, congregate housing and institutional quarters and allows the highest density in the General Plan. This designation has been applied to other sites such as 12761 Garden Grove Boulevard and 12232 Chapman Avenue, the Chapman Care Center nursing home. The Community Residential Land Use designation is only implemented by approving a Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning to the property.

PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT. A Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a zoning designation that establishes development standards and uses specific to a particular project.  The Garden Grove Municipal Code, Title 9, does not include a zone that implements the Community Residential General Plan designation, and therefore, a Planned Unit Development zoning designation is required. Planned Unit Development No. PUD-008-2018 is necessary to allow for a unique mix of uses on the project site and implement the proposed affordable senior housing development.

PUD-008-2018 must define a set of uses specific to this project and the properties involved. These uses include the new affordable senior housing, the boulevard retail commercial uses, and the Boys & Girls Club uses that will remain on the 2-acre site to the south.  The PUD will provide base zones and specific uses that are permitted on the properties with the understanding that all such uses or expansion of uses shall meet the applicable development standards from Title 9.

The following uses allowed under the Community Residential Land Use designation shall be allowed by PUD-008-2018 on the 10080 Garden Grove Boulevard parcel (APN 098-070-72):

·         Senior Housing

·         Convalescent Hospitals

·         Congregate Housing

·         Institutional Quarters

These uses translate to the following activities in Title 9, Section 9.16.020.030 Uses Permitted:

·         Multi-Family Residential

·         Community Care Facility, Residential

·         Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE)

·         Skilled Nursing Facility

The commercial uses shall be retail sales and services for neighborhoods and the larger community and shall be allowed on the 10080 Garden Grove Boulevard (APN 098-070-72) property. The following base districts for the commercial uses are:

·         C-1, Neighborhood Commercial

·         O-P, Office Professional

The Boys & Girls Club uses are those found in the Open Space zone and include “Public and Semi Public” Educational Institutions and Public Recreational Facilities. The following base district for the 9860 Larson Avenue site (a portion of APN 098-070-73) is:

·         O-S, Open Space

 ·         Title 9, Section 9.16.030.050 Open Space Zone further defines open space uses.

Landscaping, pedestrian plazas along Garden Grove Boulevard, architectural detailing, outdoor dining and similar features shall meet the requirements of the following base district:

·         GGMU1, Garden Grove Mixed Use 1

In the event that a use is proposed that is not listed, an interpretation of use may be made by the Zoning Administrator or the Planning Commission.

It is recommended that the City Council:

• Conduct a Public Hearing;

• Adopt the Subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration;

• Adopt the attached Resolution approving General Plan Amendment No. GPA-001-2018;

• Introduce and conduct first reading of the attached ordinance approving Planned Unit Development No. PUD-008-2018; 

• Approve the attached Density Bonus Housing Agreement, between the City and AMG & Associates, LLC; and

• Authorize the City Manager to execute the Density Bonus Housing Agreement, and to approve modifications as necessary.

By:  Erin Webb, Sr. Planner