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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.1 PLPA-2010-00012 Natural Health Care CenterOF Dp?lr? 82 04GIFOR??? DATE: TO: September 28, 2010 Planning Commission SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING - PLPA 2010-00012 Natural Health Care Center Conditional Use Permit Report prepared by Jamie Rojo, Assistant Planner EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Applicant has requested approval of a Conditional Use Permit for the operation of a Massage Establishment and a Parking Reduction for Shared Parking at 7151 Amador Plaza Road. Natural Health Care Center is an established and currently operating business within the City of Dublin and is proposing to expand their services to also include massage therapy. The expansion of the use will result in a parking deficiency of 7 spaces based on the current tenant mix. Therefore, a parking reduction of 7 spaces is being requested in accordance with Chapter 8.76 (Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations). 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 Conditional Use Permit for the operation of a Massage Establishment and for a Parking Reduction for Shared Parking at 7151 Amador Plaza Road. Su1b, d sila er COPIES TO: Applicant/Property Owner File GAPAM2010TI-PA-2010-00012 Natural Health Center Massage CUP\NaturalHealthPCStaff Report.doc STAFF REPORT PLANNING COMMISSION R ewed By Planning Manager ITEM NO.: ?. 1 Page 1 of 7 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Background The project site is located mid-block along Amador Plaza Road to the north of Dublin Boulevard and to the south of Amador Valley Boulevard, within an existing 19,228 square-foot commercial building located at 7151 Amador Plaza Road within Amador Shopping Center. The property is zoned PD, Planned Development (PA 02-005) and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Retail/Office. Access to the project site is provided by two driveways on Amador Plaza Road (see Figure 1). Natural Health Care Center is an established and currently operating business within the City of Dublin and offers acupuncture, cupping, acupressure, foot reflexology and hand therapy services and is seeking to expand their services to include massage therapy. The Downtown Core Specific Plan serves as the Development Plan for the area. The Downtown Core Specific Plan sets forth the permitted, conditional and temporary uses allowed within the Plan Area for new construction and development and refers back to the former Zoning District for the continued use of existing buildings. Natural Health Care Center would be occupying an existing building. Therefore we refer back to the former Zoning District for the permitted, conditional and temporary uses. The former Zoning District designation is C-2, General Commercial. Within the C-2 Zoning District, Massage Establishments are permitted with the approval of a Conditional Use Permit by the Planning Commission. The City of Dublin Zoning Ordinance contains parking requirements by use type. A total of 78 spaces are required based on the existing and proposed tenant mix and the proposed expansion of Natural Health Care Center results in a deficit of 7 spaces. The Zoning Ordinance allows for a Parking Reduction for Shared parking. The Applicant, Niya Xie, on behalf of Natural Health Care Center, has submitted an application for a Conditional Use Permit to operate a Massage Establishment within a 1,923± sq aura-foot tenant space and for a parking reduction for shared parking in the existing Amador Shopping Center. Other tenants within the building currently include retail, restaurant, and personal service uses. ANALYSIS: The Conditional Use Permit process allows the City to place Conditions of Approval on the Project to ensure that the operation of the proposed use is compatible with the surrounding uses. The proposed Project has been reviewed for issues related to operating characteristics, parking, and project design. Conditions of Approval have been proposed where appropriate to ensure compatibility (Attachment 2). 2of7 Figure 1. Aerial Map Operating Characteristics The Applicant is proposing to operate a Massage Establishment in a 1,923± square-foot tenant space. The tenant space will consist of five massage rooms each varying in size from 65 square feet up to 90 square feet. Other rooms within the tenant space include a therapeutic area, reception area, an open treatment area, two restrooms and a staff room (See Sheet CP-2 of Attachment 2). The main entrance and existing parking is located to the south side of the building. No exterior modifications are proposed. The Massage Establishment would operate from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. seven days per week. Conditions of Approval related to the operation of Natural Health Care Center are included in the attached Resolution (Attachment 2). Massage Establishment and Massage Services Permit The Massage Establishments and Massage Services section of the Dublin Municipal Code (Chapter 4.20) further regulates massage establishments. This chapter sets out provisions to ensure the health and safety of customers and employees including employee licensing requirements, appropriate clothing, cleanliness of the facility, separate men's and women's restrooms, inspections, etc. In accordance with this Chapter of the Dublin Municipal Code, the Applicant is required to obtain a permit from Dublin Police Services to ensure that the facility operates in conformance with the provisions of this Chapter. This Project has been reviewed in accordance with the provision of the Dublin Municipal Code and conditions of approval have been applied to the Project to ensure compliance. Parking Reduction for Shared Parking The City of Dublin Zoning Ordinance contains parking requirements by Use Type (Section 8.76.080). A Massage Establishment is required to provide two spaces per massage station, plus one space per 250 square feet of office. Currently, Natural Health Center is required to provide four parking spaces for the existing office and personal service uses. The proposed Massage Establishment is required to provide ten parking spaces. Therefore, a total of fourteen spaces are required for Natural Health Care Center as shown below in Table 1. Table 1. Zoning Ordinance Parkin Requirements Parkin Requirement Number of Spaces 2 spaces per massage station 5 stations 10 1 space per 250 square feet of office 818 s.f. 3 1 per 300 square feet of personal service 388 s.f. 1 Total Required for Natural Health Care Center 14 As previously mentioned, Chapter 8.76 of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance sets forth the parking requirements for each use type. Not including Natural Health Care Center, a total of 64 spaces are required for the existing tenants as shown in Table 2. As noted earlier, a total of fourteen parking spaces are required for Natural Health Care Center in which ten of those fourteen spaces are required for the proposed Massage Establishment as shown above in Table 1. Therefore, a total of 78 spaces (64+14) are required to meet the parking demands of the existing tenants and the proposed Massage Establishment as shown in Table 2 on the following page. 3 of 7 T?hla 9 7nninn Ordinanr_e Parkina Reauirements Tenant Name Use Square Parking Requirement Spaces Feet Required Azteca Eating and Drinking 1200 1/100 sq. ft. 9 Taqueria Establishment Togo's Eating and Drinking 2069 1/300 sq. ft. 15 Establishment Famous Nails Personal Service 1400 1/300 sq. ft. 5 Elegant Door & General Retail 2800 1/300 sq. ft. 9 Window Cigarette Store General Retail 1559 1/300 sq. ft. 5 Custom Retail Appliances 8200 1/400 sq. ft. 21 Fireplace & Patio Subtotal 64 Spaces Natural Health Massage Establishment & 2 spaces per massage 14 Care Center Personal Service station, 1/250 sq. ft. of office, 1/300 sq. ft. of personal service Total 78 Spaces A total of 71 parking spaces are available on-site for the tenants at the Amador Shopping Center. As noted above, a total of 78 spaces are required to meet the parking requirements of the existing tenants and the proposed Massage Establishment resulting in a deficit of seven parking spaces (78-71=7 parking spaces) to meet the parking requirements for existing tenants and the proposed Massage Establishment. Section 8.76.0505 of the Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations allows for a Parking Reduction for Shared Parking if a report by a registered traffic engineer can demonstrate that the requirements below can be met: 1. The Conditional Use Permit findings can be made; 2. A sufficient number of spaces are provided to meet the greatest parking demands of the participating use types and to ensure that there will not be a parking deficiency; 3. Satisfactory evidence is provided that the use types, by their natures and operating times, will not conflict with each other; 4. Overflow parking will not adversely affect any adjacent use; and 5. Additional documents, covenants, deed restrictions, or other agreements as may be deemed necessary by the Zoning Administrator are executed to assure that the required parking spaces provided are maintained and that uses with similar hours and parking requirements as those uses sharing the parking facilities remain for the life of the documents, covenants, deed restrictions, or other agreements. 4of7 In order to determine whether it is appropriate to allow a reduction in off-street parking, a parking study was conducted by the City's Traffic Engineer (Attachment 3). The parking study was conducted on Monday, July 26, 2010 during peak shopping center hours at 1:30 p.m. and at 5:30 p.m. During these times, as indicated in the memo provided by the City's Traffic Engineer, the parking lot was identified to be greatly underutilized, with more than 70 percent of the parking stalls unoccupied. Based on the parking study, the City's Traffic Engineer determined that there is sufficient parking available to accommodate the increase in parking demand associated with the proposed massage services at the Natural Health Care Center (Attachment 3). CONSISTENCY WITH THE GENERAL PLAN, SPECIFIC PLAN AND ZONING ORDINANCE: The project site is designated Retail/Office in the General Plan and Commercial A in the Downtown Core Specific Plan and is located in a PD, Planned Development Zoning District (PA 02-005) with an underlying zoning designation of C-2, General Commercial. The C-2 Zoning District allows for the establishment of a Massage Establishment as a conditional use and is consistent with the Retail/Office land use designation of the General Plan. With the approval of a Parking Reduction for Shared Parking, the Project meets the requirements of the Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations contained within the Dublin Zoning Ordinance. A parking study was prepared by a qualified traffic consultant affirming that a reduction in parking for shared parking at Amador Shopping Center is appropriate based on the number of unoccupied parking stalls during peak shopping center hours. Conditions of Approval have been applied to the Project to ensure on-going compatibility between Natural Health Care Center and the surrounding retail commercial and office uses. REVIEW BY APPLICABLE DEPARTMENT AND AGENCIES: The Building Division, Fire Prevention Bureau, Public Works Department, Dublin Police Services and Dublin San Ramon Services District reviewed the Project and provided Conditions of Approval where appropriate to ensure that the Project is established in compliance with all local Ordinances and Regulations including Building Code requirements. Conditions of Approval from these departments and agencies have been included in the attached Resolution (Attachment 2). NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: In accordance with State law, a Public Notice was mailed to all property owners and occupants within 300 feet of the proposed Project. A Public Notice was also published in the Valley Times and posted at several locations throughout the City. To date, the City has not received comments or objections from surrounding property owners or tenants regarding the current proposal. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Staff is recommending that the Project be found Categorically Exempt from CEQA in accordance with Section 15301 (Existing Facilities). 5 of 7 ATTACHMENTS: 1) Written Statement dated received April 14, 2010. 2) Resolution Approving a Conditional Use Permit for the operation of a Massage Establishment and for a Parking Reduction for Shared Parking at 7151 Amador Plaza Road with the Project Plans dated received May 19, 2010 included as Exhibit A. 3) Public Works Memorandum dated July 27, 2010. 6 of 7 GENERAL INFORMATION: APPLICANT: PROPERTY OWNER: LOCATION: ASSESSORS PARCEL NUMBER: GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATION: SPECIFIC PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATION: ZONING: SURROUNDING USES: Niya Xie Lydia Karpenko 7151 Amador Plaza Road 941-0305-032 Retail/Office Downtown Core, Commercial A Planned Development (PA 02-005) LOCATION ZONING GENERAL PLAN LAND USE CURRENT USE OF PROPERTY North Planned Development PD Retail/Office Retail South PD Retail/Office Vacant East PD Retail/Office Veterinary Office West PD Retail/Office Retail 7 of 7