BACKGROUND
This Council Communication provides a summary evaluation of the project and a summary of the September 28, 2023 Planning Commission hearing. A more detailed background and evaluation is provided in the Planning Commission staff report, included as Attachment 2.
Background/Project Description
The 5.67-acre project site is an L-shaped property which has frontage on both Rocky Ridge Drive and Eureka Road and is addressed as 1513 Eureka Road and 1411 Rocky Ridge Drive (see Attachment 1 – Vicinity Map). The site is within the Northeast Roseville Specific Plan (NERSP), which was adopted in April 1987 (Resolution #87-52). The property is currently vacant and has a land use designation of Community Commercial/Business Professional (CC/BP) and a zoning designation of Community Commercial/Special Area–Northeast Roseville Specific Plan (CC/SA-NE). Several electric transmission lines cross the northeastern side of the property. These lines are owned and operated by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the Western Area Power Authority (WAPA) and Roseville Electric. Surrounding uses include a gas station on the southeastern corner of Rocky Ridge Drive and Eureka Road, a walled and gated parking lot and Rosemeade apartments to the northeast, and a medical office building and commercial development to the south (e.g. California Backyard and Century Theaters).
The subject property is a portion of NERSP large-lot Parcel 8, where a multi-use development plan was approved in 1995. The project site is the only undeveloped portion of Parcel 8. The approval of Parcel 8 included a General Plan Amendment, Specific Plan Amendment, Rezone, and Development Agreement to change the land uses and add the Parcel 8 Design Guidelines to the Specific Plan. The Design Guidelines address site development, appropriate land uses, landscaping, architectural design, siting, and a variety of other design components.
The proposed project is a text-only Specific Plan Amendment (SPA) to amend the list of permitted uses in the NERSP Parcel 8 Design Guidelines. The list of permitted uses will be amended to allow automotive sales on Parcel 8 with approval of a Conditional Use Permit. This is consistent with what the Zoning Ordinance allows for the CC zone district. The request will facilitate the development of a 97,604-square-foot Mercedes Benz Sprinter van sales and service facility that will consist of enclosed service and detail bays and on-site vehicle parts storage.
Associated with this request was a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and Design Review Permit (DRP) which the Planning Commission approved at their September 28, 2023 meeting. The CUP approved the use and the DRP approved the proposed building and site design, but the approval of these entitlements are contingent upon the approval of the proposed SPA. Further discussion and exhibits for these entitlements are included in the Planning Commission staff report (see Attachment 2).
Summary Evaluation
The NERSP Parcel 8 Design Guidelines were adopted in order to establish a cohesive set of development criteria to govern all future development on Parcel 8. These Design Guidelines supplement the NERSP and include a list of permitted uses on Parcel 8. The existing uses adjacent to the project site include gasoline sales, commercial parking, and retail uses, which are all listed as permitted uses on Parcel 8. The General Plan also identifies these as anticipated uses for parcels designated as Community Commercial (CC). The proposed van sales and service facility is classified as an automotive sales use, which is defined by the Zoning Ordinance as including “the sale, retail or wholesale, of automobiles, light trucks, boats, recreational vehicles, etc. together with associated enclosed repair services and parts sales, but excluding body repair and painting” (Section 19.08.090.C(4) of the Zoning Ordinance). While the Parcel 8 Design Guidelines allow auto-related uses such as gasoline sales and auto parts retail, automotive sales is not listed as a permitted use. The Zoning Ordinance permits automotive sales in the CC zone district subject to approval of a CUP. In addition, the General Plan identifies automotive sales to be a primary use for the CC land use. The proposed Specific Plan Amendment would amend the existing list of permitted uses in the NERSP Parcel 8 Design Guidelines to allow automotive sales with approval of a CUP, consistent with the Zoning Ordinance. The CUP process allows staff the ability to impose conditions to ensure compatibility with surrounding uses. The redlines to the NERSP Parcel 8 Design Guidelines are included as Exhibit B. Based on the analysis provided in the staff report, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve the proposed SPA.
Summary of Planning Commission Meeting
The project was heard by the City's Planning Commission on September 28, 2023. The applicant addressed the Commission, spoke in favor of the project, and requested the Commission approve staff’s recommendation. No public testimony was received at the hearing. A Commissioner noted the presence of other automotive sales and auto oriented uses along the Eureka corridor and indicated that the proposed Sprinter dealership would be a good addition to the corridor. After deliberating on the item, the Planning Commission approved the Initial Study/Negative Declaration, approved the Conditional Use Permit and Design Review Permit, and recommended the City Council approve the Specific Plan Amendment with a vote of 6 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent.
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 the City’s Projects of Interest website. 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 the notices were mailed to all property owners within 300 feet of the site. Subsequent to the publication of the Planning Commission notice, staff received a phone call and email from a representative of the Granite Bay Dermatology and Laser Center, located to the south of the site at 1535 Eureka Road. The email indicated they did not support automotive sales on the property and the use would be better suited within the Automall. The email is included in staff’s memorandum to the Planning Commission, which is included as Attachment 3 to the Council Communication. As evaluated in the Planning Commission staff report, the proposed use is compatible with the surrounding development and is consistent with the CC land use designation. As of the writing of this report, staff has not received any additional public comments regarding the project.