Agenda Packet_2024-04-02 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

2101 and 2109 E Santa Clara Avenue April 2, 2024 Page 5 surrounding properties in the area. The rest of the now-commercial shopping center remained undeveloped until 1972. Today, the two subject properties are legal non- conforming, as they do not meet most of the development standards for the underlying zone and were constructed prior to 1960. Based on permit and title records, both 2101 and 2109 E. Santa Clara Avenue were owned by the Newcomb family until they were sold to SRP Stater Bros, LLC in February 2021. In April 2022, Development Project (DP) Review application (No. 2022-06) was submitted for review and consideration by the City’s Development Review Committee (DRC). The applicant revised the project following the first community meeting in late April 2022, and subsequently resubmitted the DP application in December 2022. Thereafter, several site plan changes and project submittals were made to the City following the second community meeting in February 2023. In March 2023, the property owners submitted a voluntary lot merger application (No. 2023-02) to consolidate 2101 and 2109 E. Santa Clara Avenue into a single legal lot. The lot merger application was executed and recorded in June 2023. Before the DP application could be deemed complete, the project underwent several months of environmental review which concluded in late December 2023. Subsequently, the DP application was deemed complete on December 13, 2023, and the required entitlement applications were submitted January 8, 2024. Project Analysis The subject site is zoned General Agricultural (A1). The allowable land uses and development standards pertaining to the A1 zoning district would render the project infeasible, as eating establishments are prohibited by the A1 zoning district. Approval of an amendment application to change the zoning district to Arterial Commercial (C5) is required for the project. The proposed zone change intends to align the subject site with the existing shopping center development to the north and east, and intends to align with the commercial corridor along Tustin Avenue, which is largely zoned C5. Moreover, the proposed C5 zoning district designation is also consistent with the new General Commercial (GC) General Plan Land Use Element designation for the site that resulted from the April 2022 General Plan Update. This land use designation encourages developments that provide highly visible and accessible shopping opportunities along arterial corridors and supports the development and continued operation of recreational, cultural, entertainment, employment, and educational opportunities near established residential neighborhoods. The proposed project has been designed as a single-story McDonald’s building with a maximum height of 23 feet to the top of the parapet. In designing the proposed development, consideration was given to scale, massing, and architecture of the project to ensure that it complements the existing buildings within the surrounding development. General Plan Consistency