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Home My WebLink About8.1 PCSR Guns, Fishing, and Other Stuff MUP //( 1 19 ��• 82 STAFF REPORT 41>>/ PLANNING COMMISSION ro� DATE: February 11, 2014 TO: Planning Commission SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING: PLPA-2013-00063 Guns, Fishing, and Other Stuff Minor Use Permit Report prepared by Seth Adams, Assistant Planner EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: • The Applicant rkin requirement for is requesting approval of a Minor Use Permit to establish a parking re q an indoor shooting range which is classified in the Zoning Ordinance as an Indoor Recreational Facility. An indoor shooting range is a permitted use; however, a parking standard for the use is not specifically listed in Chapter 8.76 (Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations) of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance. The establishment of a parking standard is through a Minor Use Permit. 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 Minor Use Permit to establish a parking requirement for an indoor shooting range (Indoor Recreational Facility) at 6705 Amador Plaza Road. f 1 Submitted By I R wed By Assistant Planner Assistant Community Development Director COPIES TO: Applicant File ITEM NO.: �• Page 1 of 6 G:IPA#120131PLPA-2013-00063 Indoor Shooting Range Parking MUPIPC 2.11.141PCSR Guns Fishing 2 11 14.docx DESCRIPTION: Figure 1: Vicinity Map The project site is located at 6705 , , "•,,,. '..". - .°!"Y'' 07. Amador Plaza Road. The site \` ' ' ` --- has a General Plan land use Safeway . _ :X : ,,. ":`. -.• •designation of Downtown Dublin •;; .. Transit-Oriented District, and is -1 - ; , h:' located within the Downtown - 1 ' t Hwy Wit. Dublin Specific Plan Area and Zoning District. The project site is V'. approximately 4 acres in size and iii,, 'is part of the larger Enea Plaza 5 ,. "` ' c,k' •,. ::. s Y V shopping center which comprises g w `" _.i. three additional and separate *� , `' parcels to the west and southwest e...A of the project site. The project site contains three a , 1 + '-a v,a, r , ';ma '.. y- existing buildings: an ,•� �' , .� 1a1a�` . `'' rj,.,-., 1 approximately 16,000 square foot • .•- .-' •• building occupied by Bank of ' r -s '' -�` �'` �` �� America and Thomasville _:,. - ,4,:. _ ► - • ,'- `" - s '• Furniture; an approximately 2,000 "- square foot building occupied by ,,,,,'-jr'. . , t k Rigatoni's restaurant; and an '' ,• Wyk -approximately 28,000 square foot - building that is presently vacant but will be occupied by the Applicant's retail business, Guns Fishing and Other Stuff. Surrounding land uses include the Safeway grocery store to the north on the opposite side of Dublin Boulevard, retail stores to the west including Big 5 Sporting Goods, the Chrysler auto dealership to the south, and Highway 680 to the east. Access to the project site is provided by existing driveways on Amador Plaza Road and Dublin Boulevard. The project site is depicted in Figure 1. The Applicant proposes to operate an indoor shooting range within an existing vacant 28,000 square foot building whose primary use will be as a retail store selling sporting goods such as firearms and hunting and fishing equipment (Attachment 1). The shooting range will occupy approximately 5,300 square feet of the building interior and consist of 12 firing points (Attachment 2). Customers will enter the shooting range through a door located on the south elevation of the building. The door will lead into a lobby area that is separated from the retail sales floor, and the range will be operated by two employees dedicated to that function. The Dublin Zoning Ordinance classifies indoor shooting ranges as Indoor Recreational Facilities. Indoor Recreational Facilities are permitted in the Downtown Dublin Zoning District, subject to approval of a Zoning Clearance if they can meet adopted development standards, or a Minor Use Permit to deviate from the development standards. The development standards include a requirement that the use meet the parking requirement without any adjustments, reductions or variances. Chapter 8.76 (Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations) of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance sets forth the parking requirements by Use Type; however, it does not have a parking requirement for an indoor shooting range. In such cases, the parking requirement is established through a Minor Use Permit. Accordingly, the Applicant is requesting approval of a Minor Use Permit to establish the parking requirement for the indoor shooting range. 2 of 6 The Zoning Ordinance designates the Community Development Director as the decision-maker on Minor Use Permit applications (Section 8.102.070)., The Zoning Ordinance allows the Community Development Director to refer applications to the Planning Commission for a decision at a Public Hearing. In accordance with State law, a public notice was mailed on December 11, 2013 to all property owners and occupants within 300-feet of the project site to notify them that the Community Development Director was considering an application to establish a parking requirement for an indoor shooting range and that the 10 day public comment period was commencing. During the 10 day public comment period the City received several comments from Dublin residents and/or property owners (Attachment 3). The comment letter received from Mr. Robert Enea focused on the proposed parking requirement for the indoor shooting range.The rest of the comments were written either in opposition to, or in support of the use itself. However, as noted earlier, the use of an indoor shooting range is considered to be an Indoor Recreational Facility and Indoor Recreational Facilities are a permitted use in the Downtown Dublin Zoning District with approval of a Zoning Clearance or Minor Use Permit. The subject of this application is not the use. This purpose of this application is to establish a parking standard for the use. The decision to approve or deny this application is based solely on the merits of the proposed parking standard and not whether the use itself should be allowed. Due to the comment letter on the proposed parking requirement, and due to the clear public interest in the project, this Minor Use Permit is being referred to the Planning Commission for a decision in accordance with Section 8.102.070 of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance. ANALYSIS: Minor Use Permit to Establish a Parking Requirement The Applicant is proposing to operate an indoor shooting range inside of a retail sporting goods store. Retail uses are permitted by-right within the Downtown Dublin Zoning District and Indoor Recreational Facilities are permitted subject to approval of a Zoning Clearance if they can meet adopted development standards or a Minor Use Permit to deviate from those standards. Since one of the development standards is that the use meets the parking requirement without any adjustments, reductions or variances, and the Zoning Ordinance does not contain a parking requirement for an indoor shooting range, the City must first establish the parking requirement. In terms of published data on parking for indoor shooting ranges, the City's Senior Civil Engineer (Traffic) found very limited information; however, the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Range Source Book contains all of the guidelines recommended by the NRA for constructing and operating shooting ranges. The Range Source Book recommends 1.5 parking spaces for each firing point at a shooting range. In order to gain additional data the City's Senior Civil Engineer (Traffic) reached out to the Institute of Traffic Engineers online members forum, and in response received similar parking ratio recommendations from other traffic engineers that have indoor shooting ranges in the jurisdictions in which they work. The proposed indoor shooting range will have 12 firing points and would therefore require 18 parking spaces using a standard of 1.5 parking spaces per firing point. As previously noted, the shooting range will be operated by two employees at all times, therefore the City's Senior Civil Engineer (Traffic) recommends that parking spaces be required for those two employees, thus bringing the total recommended parking requirement for the indoor shooting range to 20 parking spaces (Attachment 4). 3 of 6 Next Steps An Indoor Recreational Facility is permitted in the Downtown Dublin Zoning District subject to approval of a Zoning Clearance if it meets the development standards. Once the parking standard has been established Staff will confirm if there is enough parking on-site to support the use. If they can meet the parking requirement the Applicant can apply for a Zoning Clearance to establish the use. Pursuant to Section 8.70.040.A of the Zoning Ordinance, the Zoning Clearance would be approved ministerially and without discretionary review or a public hearing if the use meets all of the adopted development standards. With the proposed parking standard of twenty spaces, there is adequate parking on the subject parcel to support the proposed use. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), together with the State Guidelines and City Environmental Regulations require that certain projects be reviewed for environmental impacts and when applicable, environmental documents prepared. Staff recommends that the proposed parking requirement be found exempt from CEQA per CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that the adoption of a parking requirement will not have a significant effect on the environment. The adoption of the proposed parking requirement does not, in itself, allow the construction of any building or structure, but it sets forth the required parking that shall be provided if and when the Indoor Recreational Facility (indoor shooting range) is established. This parking requirement of itself, therefore, has no potential for resulting in significant physical change in the environment, directly or ultimately. CONSISTENCY WITH THE GENERAL PLAN AND ZONING ORDINANCE: The Project site has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Downtown Dublin — Transit- Oriented District which allows a range of residential, commercial, and mixed uses consistent with the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan. The Project is consistent with the Downtown Dublin Zoning District in that Indoor Recreational Uses are permitted in the Downtown Dublin Zoning District with the approval of a Zoning Clearance or Minor Use Permit. REVIEW BY APPLICABLE DEPARTMENT AND AGENCIES: The project consists solely of the establishment of a parking requirement for an indoor shooting range. Accordingly, the Public Works Department has 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. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: In accordance with State law, a Public Notice was mailed on December 11, 2013 to all property owners and occupants within 300-feet of the proposed project to notify them that the Community Development Director was considering an application to establish a parking requirement for an Indoor Recreational Facility (indoor shooting range). During the ten day public comment period, the City received several comments from Dublin residents and/or property owners. Due to the comments received and the clear public interest in the project, the Minor Use Permit was referred to the Planning Commission for a decision in accordance with Section 8.102.070 of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance. A Public Notice for the Planning Commission hearing was mailed to all property owners and occupants within 300-feet of the proposed project. A notice was also published in the Valley Times, posted at several locations throughout the City, and provided to 4 of 6 those people that previously provided comments on this application. A copy of this Staff Report was provided to the Applicant and posted to the City's website. ATTACHMENTS: 1) Applicant's Written Statement 2) Project Floor Plan 3) Copies of public comments received 4) Parking Assessment Memorandum for Guns, Fishing and Other Stuff, Inc. Minor Use Permit, dated November 27, 2013 5) Resolution approving a Minor Use Permit to establish a parking requirement for an indoor shooting range (Indoor Recreational Facility) at 6705 Amador Plaza Road. 5 of 6 GENERAL INFORMATION: APPLICANTS: William and Travis Morgan, Guns, Fishing & Other Stuff, Inc., 1297 Butcher Rd., Vacaville, CA 95687 PROPERTY OWNER: Geri Goodell, St. Michael's Investments, LP, 31190 Calle Cayuga, Cathedral City, CA 92234 LOCATION: 6705 Amador Plaza Road ASSESSORS PARCEL NUMBERS: 941-1500-038-03 GENERAL PLAN DESIGNATION: Downtown Dublin Transit-Oriented District SPECIFIC PLAN DESIGNATION: Downtown Dublin Specific Plan, Transit-Oriented District ZONING: Downtown Dublin Zoning District (DDZD) SURROUNDING USES: LOCATION ZONING GENERAL PLAN CURRENT USE OF LAND USE PROPERTY North DDZD Downtown Dublin Retail Retail District South DDZD Downtown Dublin Auto dealership Transit-Oriented District West DDZD Downtown Dublin Retail Transit-Oriented District East N/A N/A Highway 680 6 of 6