City of Costa Mesa

CITY OF COSTA MESA P.O. BOX 1200 77 FAIR DRIVE CALIFORNIA 92628-1200 Development Services Department July 22, 2020 John E. Clement Man Cave Properties LLC 4685 MacArthur Court, Suite 375 Newport Beach, CA 92660 RE: DEVELOPMENT REVIEW 20-03 AND LOT LINE ADJUSTMENT 20-03 TO MERGE APNS 424-361-20 AND 424-361-21 FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A 3-UNIT, 7,266 SQ. FT. INDUSTRIAL BUILDING 1775, 1777, AND 1781 MONROVIA AVENUE Dear Mr. Clement: The Development Review for the above-referenced project has been completed. The Development Review, as described in the attached project description, has been approved, based on the findings and subject to the conditions of approval and code requirements (attached). The decision will become final at 5 PM on July 29, 2020, unless appealed by an affected party (including filing of the necessary application and payment of the appropriate fee) or is called up for review by a member of the Planning Commission or City Council. Any appeal must be filed within seven days of the above approval date by 5 PM, pursuant to Costa Mesa Municipal Code Sections 2-305(2) and 2-307. If you have any questions regarding this letter, please feel free to contact the project planner, Michelle Halligan, at 714.754.5608, or at [email protected]. Sincerely, BARRY C. CURTIS, AICP Director of Economic and Development Services Attachments: Staff Report & Approved Conceptual Plans cc: Marco Fernandez Engineering mafarchitects Fire Marshal 4337 Whitewood Ave. Building Division Long Beach, CA 90808 DR-20-03 July 22, 2020 Adjacent Property Owners Karen Sadony/Current Owner James Lewis/Current Owner 1771 Monrovia Ave. 1785 Monrovia Ave. Costa Mesa, CA 92627 Costa Mesa, CA 92627 Michael Howarth/Current Owner Thomas Carson/Current Owner 514 Via Lido Nord 921 W. 18th Street Newport Beach, CA 92663 Costa Mesa, CA 92627 DR-20-03 July 22, 2020 PROJECT DESCRIPTION Location The subject properties are located at 1775, 1777, and 1781 Monrovia Avenue, two midblock parcels between West 18th Street and Sunset Drive. Both parcels were developed for residential use prior to the City’s incorporation. Two single family homes, addressed as 1777 and 1781 Monrovia Avenue, were constructed on one parcel in 1948. One single family home was constructed on the other parcel in 1949. All three legal, nonconforming residential structures and accessory structures were demolished in early 2020 in accordance with permit number BC20-00040. Both parcels are zoned MG (General Industrial) and located within the Mesa West Bluff Urban Plan area. All adjacent properties, including those across Monrovia Avenue, are zoned MG and within the Mesa West Bluff Urban Plan. The proposed project would not utilize any of the provisions of the Mesa West Bluff Urban Plan. Although the area is zoned for industrial use, some legal nonconforming low density residential uses remain. The site is bounded by a legal non-conforming residential use to the south and industrial uses to the north, west, and southwest. To the east across Monrovia Avenue is an industrial park with a mixture of industrial and commercial tenants. Proposed Project The applicant requests approval of a development review and lot line adjustment to merge two lots for the construction of one industrial building containing three tenant spaces as well as a parking lot with 31 stalls. Pursuant to Costa Mesa Municipal Code (CMMC) Section 13-28(f)(3), the construction of the new 7,266-square-foot industrial building in the MG zone requires a development review (DR). The site is 24,300 square feet (0.56-acre) in area and the proposed single-story building is 7,266 square feet in area; resulting in a 0.30 Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The development is designed to allow occupants to customize their specific interiors through tenant improvements (with building permits), which could include a mezzanine space. The maximum FAR for light industry, low traffic uses is 0.35. Any tenant improvement mezzanine square footage is subject to the maximum FAR. As conditioned, the City would prepare a Land Use Restriction limiting uses to those that are low traffic generating, as determined by the Transportation Division. The applicant would file the Land Use Restriction with the County of Orange. ANALYSIS Proposed Lot Line Adjustment The applicant proposes to align the lot lines for the parcels on the subject properties as shown on the attached exhibits. Assessor Parcel Number (APN) 424-361-20 is a 6,750 square foot lot and APN 424-361-21 is a 17,550-square-foot lot. The proposed project would combine two lots totaling 24,300 net square feet for the site area. As conditioned, DR-20-03 July 22, 2020 the applicant would record the lot line adjustment with the County of Orange. No land dedication is required. Proposed Development The applicant requests approval of a DR to construct a 7,267-square-foot light industrial building including three tenant spaces. The subject properties were previously developed with residential uses which the applicant demolished in early 2020. The development, as proposed, would bring the property into conformance with the MG (General Industrial) zoning and Light Industrial General Plan land use designation. The proposed building façade would primarily consist of brick veneer (grouted concrete masonry) broken up by painted metal decking panels for visual interest. Other features include pedestrian-scale glass windows and doors, metal canopies above pedestrian doors and low windows, brick veneer trim in an accent color, a cornice at the roofline, and high windows with and without metal louvers. The tenant spaces are proposed as shell spaces and the interiors of the three spaces would be improved to suit future tenants at a later date, but as proposed and conditioned, the building will have fully automatic fire sprinklers regardless of tenancy. Each of the tenant spaces is accessible by a walk in door and a roll-up door. Two roll- up doors are proposed on the south side of the property and one roll-up door is proposed on the west side. The roll-up doors and parking lot are not designed to facilitate drive-in deliveries. As conditioned, vehicles may not enter the structure without prior approval from the Economic and Development Services Director. The CMMC industrial parking ratio is three spaces per 1,000 square feet. The project generates a need for a minimum of 22 parking stalls. The proposed project would provide 31 parking spaces including two accessible stalls. The proposed parking lot, including two accessible parking stalls, would be accessed from a new curb cut off of Monrovia Avenue. A portion of the parking lot would be located behind the building on the west side of the property with the potential to be gated for additional security. As conditioned, the operators will be required to keep gates open during business hours; both vehicle gates would have a Knox box emergency access system. An accessible path of travel would connect the three primary building entrances to the public sidewalk along Monrovia Avenue. Similar to other industrial spaces in the neighborhood, much of the front of the property would feature an 8-foot-tall wrought iron sliding vehicle gate with concrete masonry pilasters. The gate and wrought iron fence are proposed outside of the front ten-foot setback area. With the added condition that the gates remain open during business hours, no vehicle stacking will occur at the site entrance. There would also be a 4-foot-wide pedestrian gate facilitating an accessible path of travel. The building frontage along Monrovia Avenue would be enhanced with irrigated landscaping. The proposed landscape plan features a variety of drought tolerant grasses, shrubs, trees, decomposed granite, and boulders of various sizes. DR-20-03 July 22, 2020 Landscaping with fountain grass and three trees is proposed along the southern property line shared with an existing residence. Lower profile landscaping as well as one tree is proposed along the western property line adjacent to an industrial structure. ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION The project is categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 (Class 3) for new construction not exceeding 10,000 square feet in urban areas with adequate public services and facilities, not located on environmentally sensitive properties nor involving the storage of significant amounts of hazardous substances. The proposed project would result in the construction of a new 7,267-square-foot industrial building. The project is consistent with the applicable General Plan designation and all applicable general plan policies as well as with the zoning designation and applicable zoning regulations. CONFORMANCE WITH THE CITY OF COSTA MESA GENERAL PLAN The Costa Mesa General Plan establishes the long range planning and policy direction that guides change and preserves the qualities that define the community. The 2015- 2035 General Plan sets forth the vision for Costa Mesa‐ for the next two decades. This vision focuses on protecting and enhancing Costa Mesa’s diverse residential neighborhoods, accommodating an array of businesses that both serve local needs and attract regional and international spending, and continuing to provide cultural, educational, social, and recreational amenities that contribute to the quality of life in the community. Over the long term, General Plan implementation will ensure that development decisions and improvements to public and private infrastructure are consistent with the goals, objectives, and policies contained in this Plan. The proposed project is consistent with the site’s General Plan Land Use designation of General Industrial. It is also consistent with the following General Plan policies: Policy LU-5.6: Promote development of revenue-generating land uses to help defray the costs of high quality public services.

Load more