BACKGROUND
This Council Communication provides a summary evaluation of the project and a summary of the November 10, 2022 Planning Commission hearing.
Background/Project Description
The project site is located on the existing 49-acre Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center Campus (“Medical Center Campus”) at 1600 Eureka Road (APN 048-012-001-000), in the Northeast Roseville Specific Plan (NERSP) (see Attachment 1 – Vicinity Map). The site is bordered by Lead Hill Boulevard on the north, Douglas Boulevard on the south, Eureka Road on the east, and Rocky Ridge Drive on the west. The site has a General Plan land use designation of Business Professional (BP) and a zoning designation of Planned Development for Medical Campus (PD 470). Surrounding uses include a mix of commercial and office uses. The property is currently developed with seven buildings totaling 1,441,750 square feet that comprise the Medical Center Campus, along with 3,077 surface and garage parking spaces and associated lighting and landscaping.
Development of the Medical Center Campus was originally approved in 1992 through the City’s Use Permit process, which included a 270,000-square-foot hospital and 108,000-square-foot medical office building (MOB 1) that were constructed in 1995. Subsequently in 2004, the City Council approved a Major Project Permit (MPP) Stage 1 and MPP Stage 2 to allow an expansion of the Medical Center Campus (“2004 Expansion Project”) consisting of over 700,000 square feet of medical uses (file #MPP 02-02 & #MPP 02-03). As part of the 2004 Expansion Project, an Environmental Impact Report (SCH #2003062014) was prepared to evaluate the environmental impacts of the project. The expansion was proposed to be constructed in three phases. The first two phases ran concurrently, with construction from 2004 through 2009. The third phase was tentatively scheduled to run from 2010 through 2012, but ultimately was never constructed. The third phase included a five-story, 155,000 square-foot Surgery and Intensive Care Unit Facility located along the north elevation of the existing main hospital building, a three-level, approximately 400-space parking garage located in the northeast corner of the Medical Center Campus, and a helicopter landing pad. A detailed project description and phasing plan of the 2004 expansion is provided in the Planning Commission staff report (see Attachment 2).
The requested entitlements will facilitate a new expansion of the Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center located at 1600 Eureka Road. The project includes a request for a Specific Plan Amendment (text only) to the Northeast Roseville Specific Plan (NERSP) to modify the minimum setback requirements and an Amendment to the Development Agreement by and between the City of Roseville and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals to address the increased use intensity and vested entitlements.
Associated with this request was a MPP Stage 1 Modification and MPP Stage 2, which were approved by the Planning Commission on November 10, 2022, to allow construction of an approximate 278,000-square-foot, six-story inpatient bed tower building on the site of the previously approved Surgery and Intensive Care Tower; a new 800 stall four-level parking garage with rooftop parking on the site of the previously approved parking garage (at the northeast corner of Lead Hill Boulevard and Eureka Road); relocation of the northwest corner loop road; new main hospital entrance and drop off area; expansion of the existing Emergency Department to add 36 new treatment bays; and a new generator yard and internal upgrades to the existing Central Utility Plant. Further discussion and exhibits for these entitlements are included in the Planning Commission staff report, included as Attachments 2-5.
Summary Evaluation
The NERSP includes a Medical Campus (MC) component applicable to the project site. The intent of the MC land use is to provide a setting for medical hospitals and health care related uses. The MC component includes a list of design standards, including minimum setback requirements. From the ultimate back of curb of any adjacent existing or planned public roadway, a minimum 50-foot setback is required for buildings of two stories and less in height, and any parking, paved or enclosed areas; and a minimum 100-foot setback is required for any building of three stories or more in height. The project proposes a four-level parking garage at the northeast corner of Eureka Road and Lead Hill Boulevard, which would require a 100-foot setback from the adjacent roadways. The applicant proposes to amend the NERSP to modify the setback requirement from 100 feet to 50 feet for the new parking garage. The setback requirements will also be modified to specify that ancillary right-turn lanes, bus turn-outs, and standard tapers are included in the required setback. This is consistent with other Specific Plans in the City. The NERSP change pages are included as Exhibit A.
The proposed parking garage has a total of four levels with rooftop parking and an overall height of approximately 58 feet. The parking garage will be setback approximately 50 feet from Eureka Road to the east and approximately 130 feet south of Lead Hill Boulevard. As required by the NERSP, a visual impact analysis was prepared to evaluate the visual impacts of the proposed development on the surrounding area (see Attachment 6). The visual impact analysis includes three-dimensional renderings of the project as seen from the different view sheds in the area.
The tallest portions of the structure are the elevator towers, which are located on the western facing elevation internal to the site and away from the frontage. While the overall height of the structure is approximately 58 feet, the height of the structure is approximately 50 feet along the roadways. Visual impacts of the structure will be minimized by the existing mature landscaping along the roadway frontages. The height of the structure is in scale with the existing buildings on the site and will not significantly alter the existing visual character of the site. Furthermore, existing topography in the area is sloping and includes parcels with higher elevations to the northeast. As a result, the apparent height of the parking garage will not be as great when viewed in context to the existing buildings to the northeast. Therefore, based on the foregoing, staff supports the proposed SPA to allow a 50-foot setback for the parking garage.
The project includes a first amendment of the Development Agreement (DA) by and between the City of Roseville and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. The DA Amendment is included as Exhibit B. Development Agreements are binding contracts that set the terms, rules, conditions, regulations, entitlements, responsibilities, and other provisions relating to the development of the covered properties. The DA Amendment will revise the relevant sections of the original DA to address the increased use intensity and vested entitlements proposed with the project. Items that are not addressed in the amendment are subject to the terms of the original DA. In summary, City staff has found the proposed DA Amendment is consistent with the General Plan, NERSP, and the Zoning Ordinance. The DA Amendment is in conformance with the public health, safety, and welfare, and will not adversely affect the orderly development of the property or the preservation of property values.
Summary of Planning Commission Meeting
The project was heard by the City's Planning Commission on November 10, 2022. The applicant’s representative addressed the Commission, spoke in favor of the project, and requested approval by the Commission. No public testimony was received at the hearing. After deliberating on the item, the Planning Commission certified the Final SEIR; adopted the Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations; adopted the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; approved the MPP Stage 1 Modification and MPP Stage 2; and recommended the City Council approve the Specific Plan Amendment with a vote of 4 aye, 0 nay, 2 absent, 1 recused.
Public Outreach
The proposed project was distributed to all internal and external agencies and departments who have requested such notice, and all comments or recommended conditions of approval have been incorporated into the project, as appropriate. Early notification of the project was posted on the Roseville Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (RCONA)’s website and on the City’s Projects of Interest website.
On June 28, 2022 the applicant held a public informational meeting at the Maidu Community Center. Notice of this meeting was posted on the RCONA website, the project website, and mailed to all property owners within 300 feet of the project. The purpose of the informational meeting was to provide the public with an opportunity to ask questions about the project, the process, and the environmental review of the project. In attendance were applicant representatives and City staff. Approximately seven members of the public attended, primarily from the Maidu Neighborhood Association, and asked questions about the project. None of the attendees expressed opposition.
Notices of both the Planning Commission hearing and the City Council hearing were published in the Roseville Press Tribune and on the RCONA website, and mailed to all property owners and residents within a 300 foot radius of the project site. As of the writing of this report, staff has not received any public comments regarding the project.