The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2004/02/25 - Agenda Packet (2)FEBRUARY 25, 2004 PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP AGENDA INDEX ITEM NO. ITEM TITLE PAGES A enda 2 A Pre A lication Review DRC2003-01203 3 - 5 • THE CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP AGENDA RnrrcHo (~UCnMONGA February 25, 2004 - 7:00 PM Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center Rains Room 10500 Civic Center Drive Rancho Cucamonga, California I. CALL TO ORDER Roil Call Chairman Macias Vice Chairman McNiel _ Com Fletcher _ Com McPhail _ Com Stewart II. NEW BUSINESS A PRE-APPLICATION REVIEW DRC2003-01203 - ZAREMBA LAND DEVELOPMENT CO - A review of conceptual development plans for a mixed-use protect consisting of 360 apartments, 20,000 square feet of retail, three restaurant pads, 15,000 square feet for a furniture store, and 4 acres of storage bwldings, on 22 3 gross acres of land in the Industrial Park District (Subarea 12), located at the northwest corner of 4th Street and Buffalo Avenue - APN 0229-263-49 thru 53 III. PUBLIC COMMENTS This ~s the time and place for the general public to address the commission Items to be discussed here are those that do not already appear on this agenda IV. ADJOURNMENT The Planning Comm~ss~on has adopted Admm~strative Regulations that set an 11 00 p m adjournment time If items go beyond that time, they shall be heard only wdh the consent of fhe Commission 1, Gad Sanchez, Plannmg Commission Secretary of the City of Rancho Cucamonga, or my designee, hereby cerhfy that a true, accurate copy of the foregoing agenda was posted o February 19, 2004, at least 72 hours pnor fo the meeting perGovernment Code Section 54964 2 at 10500 Civic Center Dnve, Rancho Cucamonga a.~,c/ * Meeting will occur immediately following regular Planning Commission meeting Vicinity Map r Planning Commission Workshop February 24, 2004 * Meeting Location Rancho Cucamonga City Hall 10500 Civic Center Dnve Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 N City of Rancho Cucamonga February 23, 2004 ZAREMBA GROUP CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA Mr Richard Macias, Chairman FEB 2 3 2UU4 Planning Commission City of Rancho Cucamonga RECENED -PLANNING 10500 Crv~c Center Dnve Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 RE: MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT JUSTIFICATION STATEMENT Dear Mr Macias Zaremba Residential Group is pleased to subnut for your review an application to develop amixed-use protect entitled "Waterford Village" that, as currently proposed, wdl feature luxury apartments, 20,000 square feet of supporting retail shops, three exciting new restaurants and a furniture store on approximately 14 acres on 4a' Street between Buffalo Avenue and Richmond Place The protect is ideally suited for this location for a number of reasons, as outlined below • The restaurants and furniture store will be located directly across 4a' Street from existing restaurants and similar retail uses, creating a synergy that will benefit local residents • 220 parking spaces will be provided for the restaurant and retail portion of this development and this parking will be completely separate from the residential component • The 360 apartments, 90 percent of w}nch will be 1- and 2-bedroom units (with the remaining 10 percent being 3-bedroom), will help to address the cntical need for additional housing in both Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernardino County • Ten percent of the 360 apartments, or 36 units, will be set aside as qualified affordable housing opportunities for moderate- and low-income mdw~duals and families City part~c~pat~on m this effort would also be welcomed as it relates to the staff and comm~ss~on members' desire to get credit for these units m meeting its affordable housing mandate • The importance of these affordable units ~s lughl~ghted by a study released today by the Cahforina Budget Project that includes the following staUShcs for 2002 o Low-income renters (those with annual household incomes under $20,000) outnumbered low-cost rental units (those renting for less than $500/month) by a ratio of 1 4 to 1 m the Inland Empire, o Only 14 percent of the building pernuts issued to San Bernardino County were for multifamily housing, as compared to 26 percent statewide, and o Over the eight years pnor to 2002, the Inland Empire lost nearly 1,800 affordable housing units as landlords converted subsidized units to market rents Znarntr~~, GROUP, [.i.c 14600 Ui.i iao~ i Avi nun C~~ vi,i nND, Oeio 44107 (216) 221-6600 I ar (2 L6) 227-0105 em ul Solutions@ea~embagroup coin U LV LLO PN LNI OI IICrS • AI LAMA • CHICAGO • LOS ANC ELh S• ORLANDO Mr Richard Macias, Chairman Planning Commission City of Rancho Cucamonga February 23, 2004 Page Two • The price of existing single-family homes in Rancho Cucamonga sold m the last two months of 2003 averaged $349,763 and the average cost of a new home m the city has climbed over $375,000 As home prices continue to escalate, the need for quality apartments will also increase Despite an average annual household income of more than $78,000 m Rancho Cucamonga, many potential first-time homebuyers m the city need to live m apartments while they amass the resources necessary to qualify for a mortgage with an appropriate down payment • Further, with research showing that more than 50% of ex~stmg homeowners in southern Cahforiva could not afford to purchase the home they live m at current values, and as new home prices continue to rise, the city's need and public demand for "incubator" or "gap" housing will also continue to escalate among those fatruhes and young professionals wanting to Iroe, work and shop in Rancho Cucamonga • All Waterford Village units will be fully appointed and include a new washer/dryer, refrigerator, microwave, stove, dishwasher, tiled kitchen, granite countertops and Berber carpet Further, residents will enjoy an outstanding amenity package featuring a full gymnasium, operating kitchen m the clubhouse, pool, a 25-30 seat movie theater, and parking structures that will enable residents to park on the same level as their residence • The project's design, which wraps the apartment units around the parlung structures and other internal amemt~es, eliminates negatroe impacts such as traffic and automobile headlights, nose and other distractions that might otherwise effect pedestrians, restaurant v~s~tors and others within the project's v~cimty • Further, attention to the orientation of the apartments and the use of state of the art building materials and design concepts essentially el~mmate any potential noise impacts on residents from truck traffic on any of the surrounding streets • The design of the project, which includes atree-hoed pedestrian paseo leading from the residences to the retail shops and restaurants, creates a pedestnan- friendly urban oasis and is consistent with efforts to bring new residential opportunities into tradrt~onally retail-dominated areas • Upscale residential projects of a similar nature and with similar neighboring uses, such as The Charter and Metropolitan apartment complexes located m the heart of the City of Irvine's business/manufacturing district, have proven very successful A market research assessment of this project will be completed well prior to Plarwng Commission consideration to fully analyze and demonstrate the need for and marketability ofth~s mixed-use development • Directly behind the apartment property is a four-acre parcel that is proposed to be the site of aself-storage facility This use, consistent with zoning and not visible to those traveling on 4`s Street, will also serve as a buffer between the apartments and the industrial buildings directly north of the project site The City of Rancho Cucamonga today boasts a population of more than 137,000 residents (per CA Dept of Finance E-5 Reports), an increase of 10,000 since just three years ago This amazing escalation, combined with a s~mdar growth trend throughout most of the Inland Empire and the fact that new housing construction continues to lag Mr Richard Macias, Chairman Planning Commission City of Rancho Cucamonga February 23, 2004 Page Three behind population growth, further highlights the need for tust this type of protect Indicative of this need is Toscana, a recently completed 521-unit apartment complex at Milliken Avenue and 6's Street, and Fairfield Residential's 496-unit apartment complex located west ofMilhken on 4~' Street No s~gmficant infrastructure improvements are necessary m order to accommodate this proposed development, nor are any s~gmficant adverse environmental rmpacts anticipated from either the construction or eventual uses In fact, with existing uses generating nearly 8,000 dady vehicle trips on Buffalo Avenue between 4a' and 6's Streets (per an October 24, 2002 report issued by the City's Traffic Section), and with an expectation that the number of vehicle trips generated by this project will be typical of that assoaated vnth sinular mixed-use protects (especially those located wulun close proxuruty to shopping, restaurants, bus Imes and other amenities, as ~s the case here), a strong argument may be made that this use will be less traffic-intensive than another protect pernutted under the current zoning for the property In concluswn, this proposed protect wdl be an asset to the community, producing a higher quality of life, enhanced public services, and an aesthetically pleasing architecture and land use design, benefiting not only the future residents and business owners but also the City of Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernardino County We are confident that upon its completion your Comm~ss~on, along with the Mayor and Council members and city staff, will be able to include Waterford Village as one of the many protects other Inland Empire cities cite when encouraging developers m there communities to "meet the Rancho Cucamonga standard " Sincerely, J ~ Senior Vice President Zaremba Residential Group