The subject 1.8-acre lot is currently improved with a 33,200 square foot intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled, which currently operates with 59 beds and is planned to operate on-site through May 2019.  The facility was originally developed to accommodate 147 patients.  However, due to state licensing constraints, the facility is now limited to 59 beds.  The existing 33,200 square foot single-story structure is surrounded by asphalt parking areas with two (2) driveways providing vehicular access from 11th Street.

The existing surrounding uses include:  two-story apartment buildings to the north; a two-story apartment building to the east of the site’s northern portion, and a single-family residence to the east of the site’s southern portion; two-story townhomes across 11th Street to the south; and a vacant site, which was recently approved by the City to develop a three-story apartment building, to the west.

The applicant, Melia Homes, has requested the City take various land use actions necessary for it to develop a residential townhome project with 31 dwelling units and associated site improvements on the subject site.  On February 7, 2019, the Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider Planned Unit Development No. PUD-010-2019, Site Plan No. SP-063-2019, Variance No. V-022-2019 and Tentative Tract Map No. TT-18169-2019 for approval of the 31-unit residential townhome project and associated site improvements.  There were no speakers from the public who came forward to speak in favor of or in opposition to the project.  By a vote of 5-0 (with 1 commissioner absent), the Planning Commission adopted Resolutions (5945-19 and 5946-19) to approve SP-063-2019, V-022-2019 and TT-18169-2019, and to recommend that the City Council adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the project, and to approve PUD-010-2019.  The approvals of SP-063-2019, V-022-2019 and TT-18169-2019, along with the related Conditions of Approval, are contingent upon City Council’s adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the project and approval of Planned Unit Development No. PUD-010-2019 to amend the City’s official Zoning Map to change the zoning of the project site to residential Planned Unit Development zoning (PUD-010-2019) with R-3 (Multiple-Family Residential) base zoning.

Project Summary:

The General Plan Land Use designation for the subject property is Medium Density Residential, which allows for up to 32 dwelling units per acre.  The subject property is currently zoned R-3, which allows for the development of multiple-family dwellings for up to 24 dwelling units per acre.  The proposed Project will consist of 17.2 dwelling units per acre, which is well below the density allowed by the General Plan and the R-3 zone. 

The building elevations are designed to look like contemporary multi-family homes.  Each unit’s front building elevation incorporates projecting and recessed building masses, along with varied rooflines in order articulate the building’s facade. The buildings’ architectural detailing includes a variety of elements including wood trellises, wood timber columns, iron railings, tile roofing, foam corbel detailing, and varied window shapes.  

The Project provides a total of 9,453 square feet of recreation area dispersed among active, passive, and private recreation areas.  The active recreation area is centrally located and provides a tot lot, various seating areas, and landscaping.  The Project will also provide passive recreation areas, which are connected to the active recreation area, with additional seating areas, walkways, and landscaping.  Each dwelling unit will provide a private patio, at ground level, while Plan A and Plan C floor plans provide 2nd floor decks for additional private recreation area.  The project provides a total of 92 parking spaces, which meets the parking requirements of the Municipal Code.  The breakdown of parking spaces includes 62 garaged parking spaces and 30 unassigned open guest parking spaces.  

As part of the Initial Study report prepared for the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Project, a technical memo was prepared by Translutions, a licensed traffic engineering firm, to determine the potential impacts relating to trip generation (the expected number of vehicle trips originating in or destined for a particular traffic analysis zone) and parking demand (the projected parking demand for the site).  Based on the trip generation and project parking demand analyses conducted, Translutions concluded that the proposed Project is unlikely to have any significant impacts on nearby traffic circulation and that the number of parking spaces provided would be adequate to meet the parking demand for the Project.  A traffic study would typically be required by the City if the trip generation for a project was projected to increase by more than 50 trips during peak times.  The trip generation rates in the report were based on the nationally referenced rates from the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ (ITE) Trip Generation (10th Edition) – commonly referred to as the “ITE Manual”.  The analyses of the report found that the projected new trip generation, resulting from the proposed residential project (197 daily trips), would actually be less (by -23 trips) than the current trip generation of the existing intermediate care facility (220 daily trips).  The City’s Traffic Engineering Division reviewed the report and concurred with the report’s findings.

Planned Unit Development No. PUD-010-2019:

The applicant is requesting approval of Planned Unit Development No. PUD-010-2019 to establish a precise plan in order to facilitate and permit the development of the site with the proposed residential townhome project.  A Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a precise plan, adopted by City Council ordinance that provides the means for the regulation of buildings, structures and uses of land in order to facilitate the implementation of the General Plan. The PUD zoning designation establishes development standards and uses that are specific to a particular project provided that the quality of the project achieved through the PUD zoning is greater than could be achieved with traditional zoning.  The specific development standards applicable to a PUD are those set forth in the ordinance. Where a PUD is silent regarding operating conditions, maintenance or other standards regulating a particular use, the Land Use Code standards applicable to the base zone (in this case, R-3) apply.

Through the residential PUD, and the flexibility in site design it accommodates, the proposed Project provides a greater quality development by utilizing certain modifications to traditional strict zoning standards, which include: a reduced separation between habitable portions of buildings in front-to-front orientations; a reduced separation between habitable portions of buildings to open guest parking stalls; encroachment of private open patios in the front yard setback; and allowing an additional powder room for a residential unit.  Such minor deviations have been previously approved for other similar residential projects in the City. 

Planned Unit Development No. PUD-010-2019 would permit development of the property in accordance with the approved Site Plan and Tentative Tract Map for the project and would accommodate the development of 31 two- and three-story residential townhome units as part of a multiple-family residential development that will be compatible with the existing neighborhood, which is comprised primarily of multiple-family residential developments.

Environmental Review:

In conjunction with the proposed Project, the City (through an environmental consultant) has prepared an Initial Study report and Mitigated Negative Declaration (“IS/MND”) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) analyzing the potential environmental impacts of the proposed residential townhome project.  In accordance with CEQA Guidelines, the City made the IS/MND available for public review and comment prior to the meeting.   The IS/MND concludes that the proposed Project will have no, or a less than significant, impact on all relevant environmental factors, provided specified mitigation measures are incorporated, as per the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (“MMRP”).  The mitigation measures are included within the MMRP.  The applicant will be required to coordinate with an environmental consultant to implement the mitigation measures in the MMRP, as identified in the Mitigated Negative Declaration, and shall provide updates about the implementation process to the Community and Economic Development Department until completion of the project.  The Planning Commission has adopted a Resolution recommending that the Garden Grove City Council adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration and an associated Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Project.

None.

It is recommended that the City Council:

• Conduct a Public Hearing;

• Adopt the attached Resolution adopting a Mitigated Negative Declaration and an associated Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Project; and

• Introduce and conduct the first reading of the attached Ordinance approving Planned Unit Development No. PUD-010-2019 to amend the City’s official Zoning Map to change the zoning of the project site to residential Planned Unit Development zoning (PUD-010-2019) with R-3 (Multiple-Family Residential) base zoning.