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CONTEXT 617 South Brand Blvd. Page 2 of 5 Land Use Element: South Brand Boulevard Specific Plan - Restricted Commercial with a Planned Development Overlay Zone: South Brand Boulevard Specific Plan - "CSIDD" (Commercial Specialty Zone with a Design Development Overlay) Existing Site Characteristics: The site is located on the northwest corner of Brand Boulevard and Maple Street, and encompasses essentially three lots, which have been tied with a recently recorded "Covenant & Agreement". The southerly half of the project site is currently being used for off-site storage of vehicles by the Mercedes Benz dealership and will be used as on-site parking for the proposed vehicle rental use. The northerly half of the site features eight on-site parking spaces and a vacant commercial building, which was most recently occupied by a tavern. The entire site will be used for the proposed vehicle rental, leasing and sales use and the parking lot brought up to Code. Circulation Element: Brand Boulevard is classified as a major arterial in the City's General Plan Circulation Element. Surrounding Zones and Uses: Zoning North CSIDD - Commercial Specialty with a Design Development Overlay South CSIDD East CNCS - Commercial Auto/Commercial Specialty West CS/DD Project Site CSIDD South Brand Boulevard Specific Plan (SBBSP) DESIGN <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> OVERLAY ZONE ("00") Existing Uses Commercial (hair salon) & multi-family dwelling units Mixed use building (retail on ground floor, residential above) Auto dealership (Mercedes Benz parking structure under construction) Surface parking lot (Mercedes Benz inventory) Vacant building (previously tavern); surface parking lot According to SBBSP Section 14, the purpose of the Design Development Overlay ("DD") zone is "to provide a method by which assembled parcels can be developed in a comprehensive and coordinated manner" (pg. 247). The DD zone encourages creativity, flexibility and diversity in the design of projects, while requiring high quality, well designed development proposals. The zone also establishes "a procedure for review in order to achieve maximum land use compatibility thereby protecting existing residential areas and promoting commercial objectives", hence the Design Development review by Environmental Planning Board. According to SBBSP Sec. 1404 (Criteria for Approval), the Environmental and Planning Board, in reviewing development proposals submitted in accordance with this section, shall consider, review and be guided by the following criteria: a. The proposed project shall exemplify quality design in all of its elements and, in general, contribute to the City and the immediately surrounding neighborhood as a place of high aesthetic and environmental standards, individuality, economic health and land use compatibility. The proposed re-use/remodel of the existing, vacant building with the up-grade of the adjacent parking lot exemplifies a quality, unified design and will contribute to the surrounding area. The
617 South Brand Blvd, Page 3 of5 on-site improvements include the demolition of an illegal wood patio, the landscaping and restriping of the parking lot, the repainting of the exterior of the building and the remodel of the interior, the construction of a car wash bay, and the re-roofing of the built-up roof. As such, theproposal takes a vacant commercial building and a parking lot currently used for vehicle storage and combines the two parcels into a unified development with a viable use, complementary to the adjacent auto-related businesses, b. The proposed use, and the character of buildings, structures, and other improvements shall be of such character as not to cause the nature of the local environment to materially depreciate in appearance, usability or value. The proposed car rental and leasing use, not to mention the actual on-site physical improvements associated with the project, are not anticipated to cause the surrounding area to materially depreciate in appearance, usability or value. On the contrary, the project will enhance and compliment the existing neighborhood, comprised of a variety of auto-related and general retail/service uses and a mix of building types, The project site, with its approximately 5,600 sq,ft. building and adjacent parking lot, is located in the South Brand Boulevard Specific Plan (SBBSP) area and is zoned Commercial Specialty ("CS") with a Design Development Overlay ("DO"), The purpose of the CS zone is to provide areas of specialized, concentrated commercial development of a nature complementary to the mixed commercial zones in the specific plan area, Despite the fact that auto dealerships and vehicle sales, leasing and rental businesses are found all along South Brand Boulevard, car rental, leasing and sales are not currently listed as permitted uses in the CS zone. The CS zoning applies to the west side of Brand Boulevard for one-half block north and one-half block south of Maple Street; all other neighboring properties along Brand Boulevard in the immediate area are zoned Commercial Auto/Office ("CAlO") or Commercial Auto/Commercial Specialty ("CAlCS") (see Exhibit 2), Unlike the CS zone, the CAlO and CAICS zones focus on auto-related uses and permit the rental, leasing and sales of vehicles, c. The proposed building or structure and uses thereof shall be compatible with developments of land in the general area. Consideration of scale, height, bulk, materials, cohesiveness, community, traffic sight distance, the desirability of preserving a sense of open space, and the need for privacy are deemed to be important considerations of compatibility. The project is compatible with neighboring developments in terms of scale, height, mass, materials, cohesiveness, community, traffic sight distance, preservation of a sense of open space and need for privacy. The remodel of the existing one-story building will not change the low scale and restrained massing of the existing building; the majority of the building has an overall height of 14'- 6" and an additional two foot cornice pop-up for the proposed wall sign to mark the main entrance is proposed. This overall roof height is similar to or less than the surrounding 1-, 2- and 3-story commercial developments along Brand Boulevard, The main entrance and office area of the Lshaped building are recessed from the front property line and are buffered from Brand Boulevard by additional parking, thereby further reducing the building's impact on the street. All building elevations will be repainted, with cornice details and pilasters painted in an accent color, resulting in a unified look throughout. Meanwhile, the parking lot will be enhanced by required shade trees and perimeter landscaping planters; these enhancements will not obstruct the corner visibility of the project site or the traffic sight lines, With the remodel of the existing building and the parking lot upgrade, the project will preserve the site's sense of openness and not present an appearance of an over-built or over-concentrated development. Furthermore, given that the building is oriented towards Brand Boulevard, and except for an existing emergency access door and window, there are no other openings along the westerly or northerly building elevations, the directly adjacent properties have their privacy needs met. Therefore, the project appears to be compatible with developments in the general area, d. The proposed development shall be in conformity with applicable regulations and standards, and other ordinances, insofar as the location and appearance of the buildings and structures are involved. The project conforms with the applicable standards of the SSBSP, including the Commercial Specialty ("CS") zone and Design Development overlay, following approval of Use Variance Case No, PVAR 2010-029, The South Brand Boulevard Specific Plan states that CS areas are intended
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