HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.1 PLPA 2009-00041 Valley Christian Center SDR
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STAFF REPORT
PLANNING COMMISSION
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DATE: May 11, 2010
TO: Planning Commission
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING - PLPA 2009-00041 Valiey Christian Center Site
Development Review (Adjudicatory Action)
Report prepared by Erica Fraser, Senior Planner
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Applicant, Valley Christian Center, has requested approval of a Site Development Review
to allow the construction of a 15,700 square foot sanctuary, 60 foot tall cross and related
improvements located at 7500 Inspiration Drive.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission: 1) Receive Staff presentation; 2) Open the
public hearing; 3) Take testimony from the Applicant and the public; 4) Close the public hearing
and deliberate; and 5) Adopt a Resolution approving a Site Development Review for the Valley
Christian Center sanctuary and a 60 foot tall cross located at 7500 Inspiration Drive. Submitted By i ed By
Senior Planner Planning Manager
COPIES TO: File
Property Owner 1
ITEM NO.: ~
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G:IPA#120091PA 09-041 VCC SanctuarylPC StaN Report 5 11.10.doc
DESCRIPTION:
Project Location
The Valley Christian Center is located at 7500 Inspiration Drive. The Valley Christian Center is
comprised of several buildings which support the church and school that operate on the site.
The school includes grades Kindergarten through High School as well as a daycare. The
following map shows all of the buildings on the site as well as some of the surrounding uses.
Figure 1: Valley Christian Center (Existing Site)
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Project History
A Conditional Use Permit to allow the construction of the Valley Christian Center was approved
by Alameda County on January 25, 1978 (prior to the incorporation of the City of Dublin in
1982).
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On July 18, 1983, the Planning Commission approved a Site Development Review to construct
ciassrooms and related parking.
On March 5, 1984, the Planning Commission approved a Site Development Review for the
construction of a second parking lot, a sports field, administration building, maintenance building
and the relocation of the Family Center building.
On July 21, 1986, the Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use PermiUSite
Development Review to allow the construction of a 2,850 square foot addition to the existing
sanctuary.
On August 1, 1986, the Planning Commission approved a Site Development Review to allow the
construction of an expansion to the school facility.
On March 7, 1988, the Planning Commission approved a Site Development Review to construct
a 31,766 square foot Family Center consisting of a gymnasium, locker rooms and class rooms.
On April 17, 1996, the Planning Commission approved a Site Development Review to allow for
an expansion of the existing playfield.
On August 11, 1998, the Planning Commission approved a Site Development Review to allow
two temporary modular classroom buildings to be located on the site.
On April 22, 2003, the Planning Commission approved a Site Development Review to allow the
construction of a temporary administration building.
On May 20, 2003, the City Council certified an Environmental Impact Report (SCH 2002012070)
for the Master Plan (Stage 1/Stage 2 Development Plan) for the Valley Christian Center.
On June 3, 2003, the City Council approved a Planned Development Rezone with a Stage
1/Stage 2 Development Plan for the Valley Christian Center which established a Master Plan for
the phased construction of buildings and improvements on the property including a 90,000
square foot sanctuary building.
Existing Facilities
The following improvements/structures are currently located on the Valley Christian Center site
• 14,400 square foot Sanctuary/Fellowship Hall Building (which includes pre-school/day
care uses);
• 10,000 square foot pre-school building;
• 52,500 square foot Elementary School building;
• 8,800 square foot Junior High building;
• 32,600 square foot High School building;
• 5,000 square foot temporary Administration building;
• Two modular classrooms;
• Surface parking;
• Two sports field areas; and
• Asphalt play area which also accommodates overflow parking when necessary.
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Master Plan Facilities
As previously discussed, a Master Plan was approved by the City Council for future expansion
of the Valley Christian Center which includes the following:
• New 90,000 square foot sanctuary building;
• New 45,000 square foot Junior/Senior High School Administration Building;
• New 15,000 square foot Recreation Building;
• New 30,000 square foot Senior Center/Adult Day Care Building;
• New 6,000 square foot chapel;
• The existing sanctuary will be remodeled to accommodate seminar rooms, fellowship hall
and church administration;
• The existing daycare center will be expanded by 1,000 square feet;
• Minor expansion in staff and Junior/Senior High students;
• Removal of modular buildings; and
• Increase in parking area.
Project Description
The Applicant is requesting approval of a Site Development Review to construct a 15,700
square foot sanctuary building. The sanctuary building includes the sanctuary, lobby, kitchen,
meeting/family room, storage and support rooms. The existing sanctuary will remain on site and
will be used for church meetings and other services. The new sanctuary will be used for worship
services as well as other minor church and school related activities. The 15,700 square foot
sanctuary is significantly smaller than the 90,000 square foot sanctuary planned for in the Valley
Christian Center Master Plan.
The Applicant is also requesting approval of a new 60 foot tall cross that will be located near the
west side of the sanctuary. The existing 52 foot cross located on top of the existing sanctuary
will be removed.
ANALYSIS:
Site Layout
The new sanctuary will be located between the existing sanctuary and the parking lot. Access to
the site can be taken via one of the three driveways on Inspiration Drive. New walkways and
steps will provide access from an internal driveway to the sanctuary building.
A new courtyard with paving and landscaping will be constructed between the existing and the
proposed sanctuary. No change is proposed to the existing parking lot or surrounding areas.
Architecture
The proposed sanctuary has a modern architectural style. The design includes a large expanse
of glass at the lobby area, sloping roof and solid walls finished with cement plaster materials.
The varying roof heights and forms of the building break up the overall massing of the building.
Vertical elements are provided on all elevations for interest. The proposed colors and materials
can be found on the color and material palette included in the Project Plans (Exhibit A of
Attachment 1).
The main entrance to the sanctuary is located on the west elevation. This elevation features a
sloping roof with a large expanse of glass where the lobby is. The elevation also features a steel
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structure to support a roll-down sunshade as well as vertical elements on the building for
interest.
The east elevation faces Inspiration Drive. Due to the height of the property and the location of
the structure with respect to Inspiration Drive, this elevation will not be visible from the street.
On this elevation, the sloping roof with extensive glass can be seen. A second building form is
also visible (constructed out of cement plaster materials) which will be painted with an accent
color and will have score marks on the wall for interest.
The north elevation will be visible from the Valley Christian Parking lot. On this elevation, the
terra cotta roof materials located on the sloped roof will be visible. Additionally, the wall details
are repeated on this elevation and the extensive glazing at the lobby area is also visible.
The top of the sloped roof can be seen from the south elevation. Additionally, this elevation
features varying roof heights and forms and the vertical elements present on the front elevation
are also visible from this elevation.
The maximum height of the structure is 36 feet 9 inches above grade. The Planned
Development Zoning District allows the sanctuary to be up to 50 feet in height (or up to 75 feet if
a visual assessment is prepared). A Visual Assessment was required for construction of the
sanctuary in the Master Plan to evaluate the visual impacts of the project. A Visual Assessment
was prepared which shows the sanctuary as well as the new cross (Attachment 2). As shown in
the attached Visual Assessment (Attachment 2), the proposed sanctuary will not be readily
visible from various points throughout the City. In fact, the new sanctuary will be less visible than
the current sanctuary is today.
The Site Development Review also includes a request to construct a new 60 foot tall steel cross
that will be painted white. The cross will be located in the new courtyard and near the northwest
corner of the new sanctuary (please refer to the site plan on Sheet A1.1 in Exhibit A to
Attachment 1). A cross is currently located on top of the existing sanctuary which is
approximately 52 feet in height. The Applicant is proposing to remove the existing cross and
construct a new 60 foot tall cross near the proposed sanctuary (Sheet A3.1 of Exhibit A to
Attachment 1).
As shown in the attached Visual Assessment (Attachment 2), which studies the visual impact of
the sanctuary and cross from several vantage points, the new sanctuary and cross will not
significantly alter the existing visual character of the site.
The sanctuary and cross are below the maximum height allowed for the site which is 75 feet.
The proposed cross is consistent and the intent of this Planned Development and the existing
cross which was identified in the Master Plan.
Landscaping
A new courtyard will be provided in front of the new sanctuary. The courtyard will feature
attractive hardscape and plant materials.
New landscaping will be provided around the proposed sanctuary. Planters will be located
directly adjacent to the building on the north and south sides of the building. These planters will
be planted with shrubs, groundcover and trees on the north side (which is visible from their
parking lot) and shrubs (Lavender) on the south side). The slope located at the rear of the
building (the east side) will be planted with Live Oak trees, Fortnight Lilies, daisies and
groundcover.
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Parking
The Planned Development Zoning District does not contain parking standards for the site,
therefore, the parking requirements for the Valley Christian Center can be found in the Zoning
Ordinance. Parking requirements for the sanctuary can be found in Section 8.76.080.C of the
Zoning Ordinance.
The following table illustrates the number of parking stalls that are required to support the
proposed building and other uses on the site.
Table 1: Required Parking
Use Parking Total Area Required Number of
Requirement Parkin Stalls
Existing Sanctuary 1 per 3 fixed seats or 390 Seats 130
14,400 sq. ft. 1 per 50 sq. ft. of non-
fixed seatin area
Daycare (Preschool) 1 for every 5 Children 100 Children and 13 33
plus one per employees
em lo ee
Elementary and 2 per Classroom 28 Classrooms 56
Middle School
High School 2 per Classroom and 15 Classrooms and 142.5
1 for eve 4 students 450 Students
~Total Stalls Re uired~ 487
The Study used a sanctuary of 90,000 square feet, the current sanctuary is 14,400 square feet
and the proposed is 15,700 square feet. As shown on the above Table, a total of 125 parking
stalls are required by the Zoning Ordinance for the new sanctuary. The Zoning Ordinance does
not require parking to be provided for the storage and support rooms (non-seating areas) for a
place of worship.
There are 537 parking stalls on site. Parking demand was reviewed in the 2002 Environmental
Impact Report (EIR). In the EIR, the Traffic Engineer determined that peak parking demand
would occur during worship services (with the construction of a 90,000 square foot sanctuary).
Worship services occur on Sundays when the school and day care are closed.
Because each of the uses operate at different times, the proposed number of parking stalls will
be adequate to support the new sanctuary as well as the expansion of the site in the future.
Based on the existing configuration of the site, the peak parking demand occurs on Sunday. If
both the existing sanctuary and the proposed sanctuary operate at the same time, a total of 255
parking spaces will be required which will result in a surplus of 282 parking spaces.
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CONSISTENCY WITH THE GENERAL PLAN AND ZONING ORDINANCE:
The construction of the sanctuary is consistent with the General Plan land use designation of
Public/Semi-Public which allows community serving uses to be constructed on the site. The
proposed sanctuary is 15,700 square feet in size and is smaller than what was envisioned in the
Stage 2 Development Plan for the site which allowed a sanctuary that was up to 90,000 square
feet in size. The proposed sanctuary will allow for the expansion of the Valley Christian Center
which has operated on the site since 1978. The proposed sanctuary, new cross and related
improvements are consistent with the Valley Christian Master Plan and the Planned
Development Zoning District in which the project is located.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
A Public Notice was mailed to all property owners and occupants within 500 feet of all of the
parcels that comprise the Valley Christian Center. A Public Notice was also published in the
Valley Times and posted at several locations throughout the City. Additionally, prior to the
Planning Commission meeting, the Applicant met with several of the Homeowners' Associations
in the area to discuss their project. To date, the City has received no objections from
surrounding property owners regarding the Project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City Council certified an Environment Impact Report (Resolution No. 92-03) for the Valley
Christian Center Master Plan on May 20, 2003 (SCH 2002012070). The proposed sanctuary
structure and uses are within the scope of the project that was described and analyzed in this
Environmental Impact Report (EIR). At 15,700 sq.ft., the proposed sanctuary is smaller than the
90,000 square foot sanctuary expansion that was studied in the EIR. Similarly, the 36'9" height
does not exceed the 3 stories described in the EIR and the proposed uses are within the
sanctuary, fellowship and administrative uses assumed in the EIR. The proposed cross is
consistent with the use of the site (as a church) and is lower than the height limit established by
the Planned Development and studied in the EIR. There are no substantial changes in the
project or circumstances, and no new information that would require subsequent or
supplemental review under CEQA section 21166. The certified EIR adequately describes the
potential impacts of the project and no further environmental review is required. Future
expansion is possible within the kind and maximum amount of development analyzed in the EIR
and approved through the Master Plan; however, any future expansion would require City review
for compliance with the EIR and Master Plan.
ATTACHMENTS: 1) Resolution approving a Site Development Review for
the Valley Christian Center sanctuary and a 60 foot tall
cross located at 7500 Inspiration Drive with the Project
Plans included as Exhibit A.
2) Visual Assessment.
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GENERAL INFORMATION:
PROPERTY OWNER: Valley Christian Center
7500 Inspiration Drive
Dublin, CA 94568
APPLICANT: Emerald Valley Land
4115 Blackhawk Plaza Circle #100
Danville, CA 94506
LOCATION: 7500 Inspiration Drive
GENERAL PLAN
LAND USE DESIGNATION: Public/Semi-Public Facility
ZONING: PD (Planned Development)
SURROUNDING USES:
Location Zoning General Plan Land Use Current Use of
Pro e
Site PD (Planned Public/Semi-Public Facility Valley Christian
Development) Center (Church,
Schooland
Da care
North PD (Planned Open Space and Low-Density Vacant and Single
Develo ment Sin le Famil Famil Homes
South None Dublin Boulevard and I-580 Roads
East R-1 (Single Family Single Family Residential Single Family
Residential Homes
West PD (Planned Open Space and Medium/High Vacant and
Development Densit Residential Attached Homes
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