Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: November 8, 2023
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: David Moe, Interim Community Development Director Subject: Addendum to the Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) No. 2014-08, General Plan Amendment (GPA) 2019-1, Airport North Specific Plan Amendment, and Change of Zone (CZ) No. 335
BACKGROUND
The City Council approved Tentative Tract (TT) No. 5812, on June 22, 2011, to subdivide
46.88 acres into 25 lots for future industrial development. Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (SCH # 2010081043) was certified for TT-5812, which analyzed the development of 525,000 square feet of light industrial uses and 175,000 square feet of office uses. At the time of the approval of TT-5812, the 46.88-acre site was designated as Industrial (Research and Development) under the City’s General Plan Land Use Element and Airport North Specific Plan and was zoned Limited Manufacturing (LM).
Pre-2016 General Plan Pre-2016 Zoning
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On September 28, 2016, the City Council approved General Plan Amendment (GPA 2014-2), to change the Land Use Element designation from Research and Development (R&D) to General Commercial, a corresponding amendment to the Airport North Specific Plan, a Change of Zone (CZ-322) from LM to Commercial Planned Development (CPD), and a Subsequent Final EIR No. 2014-8 (SEIR SCH #2010081043). The approval covered 26.1 acres of the 46.88-acre property for future development of up to 268,500 square feet of commercial uses. Approximately 198,767 square feet of industrial and/or office space may be developed within the remaining industrial portion of the site.
Existing Land Use and Zoning
As required by the Conditions of Approval for GPA 2014-2, the City and Springville, LLC entered into an agreement on September 30, 2016, (Agreement No. 2016-56) to establish a procedure, including time frames with respect to the filing of an application, consideration, and if approved, development of a Regional Destination Retail Use on the commercial designated site. The agreement established procedures whereby the project site would revert to the land use that existed prior to GPA 2014-2 if a Regional Destination Retail Use was not approved within a specific timeframe. The agreement required the owner to submit a proposed Regional Destination Retailer within one year or by September 30, 2017. On March 3, 2017, the First Amendment to Agreement 2016-56 was executed to extend the timeframe for the owner to submit the proposed Regional Destination Retailer within five years of the amendment.
GPA 2019-1 was referred for further study on January 23, 2019, by the City Council, upon the request of the applicant Robert Goetsch, with property owner authorization. This GPA intended to redesignate the 46.88 acres of land from 26.1 acres General Commercial,
16.49 acres Industrial, and 4.29 acres for internal circulation to 39.59 acres Industrial and
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3 acres General Commercial and retain the 4.29 acres for internal circulation for the
46.88-acre property.
In August 2019, Robert Goetsch was no longer pursuing the project and subsequently, Dennis Hardgrave of Development Planning Services was retained by the property owner to continue processing the GPA.
At the Triennial Review on February 9, 2022, the applicant requested to terminate the agreement as there had been no interest from a Regional Destination Retailer in developing the property and to return the property to its original Industrial (R&D) designation that existed prior to GPA 2014-2. The City Council authorized the revision to the 2019 referral and directed staff to work with the owner to prepare a mutual written consent to terminate Agreement 2016-56 and the First Amendment 2016-56A (Attachment 1).
On October 3, 2023, staff presented the proposal to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission adopted four resolutions to recommend that the City Council approve the Addendum to the Final SEIR No. 2014-08, GPA 2019-1, the associated Amendment to the Airport North Specific Plan, and CZ-335.
DISCUSSION
Parcel Area and Characteristics
The 338-acre Airport North Specific Plan area was originally approved by the City Council in 1986, and subsequently amended multiple times, the last being in 2016 by Resolution 2016-116. The project area is topographically flat and currently vacant.
The properties to the east of the site are developed with the Camarillo Town Center and Camarillo Town Center West developments. The Camarillo Town Center is developed with approximately 370,000 square feet of commercial uses anchored by a Target store.
The Camarillo Town Center West development site is anchored by a Home Depot store.
Both developments are designated for commercial uses by the General Plan and zoned CPD. Between the Home Depot and the project site, there is currently vacant land zoned CPD, with a proposed Costco warehouse and fuel station planned for a portion of the site.
The properties to the west of the site are currently designated for Industrial Development in the General Plan and the Airport North Specific Plan and are zoned LM. The area abutting the project site to the east is currently improved with the extension of Springville Drive, which was constructed along with the U.S. Highway 101/Ventura Freeway/Springville Drive interchange.
The area to the immediate south, across Ventura Boulevard, is designated for R&D in the General Plan and the Airport North Specific Plan. To the south of this area are the Camarillo Hills Drain and the Camarillo Airport.
To the north of the U.S. Highway 101/Ventura Freeway is the Springville Specific Plan area where Lennar Homes is currently under construction.
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COMMUNITY GOALS AND GENERAL PLAN REVIEW
The proposed GPA 2019-1 should be compared with both the Community Goals and the Goals of the General Plan. The following section provides the project’s comparison to those goals and policies:
Community Goals
1. Community Character. The reversion of the General Plan and Airport North Specific Plan will return the land use to the configuration that existed prior to the approval of GPA 2014-2 and will be subject to development regulations and design standards of the Specific Plan that are intended to meet the City’s goal of preserving community character.
2. Housing. The General Plan designation and Specific Plan designate the area for Industrial and Office uses. The proposed amendment will not affect the goals of the Housing Element of the General Plan.
3. Library. The project will not be in conflict with the goals of the library.
4. Safety Emergency Services. SEIR 2014-8 identifies the mitigation measures necessary to maintain the desired level of service for police and fire.
5. Walkable. The proposed amendment will not alter the adopted development standards intended to ensure a safe pedestrian traffic system within the Specific Plan and adjoining areas.
6. Ventura Boulevard. The proposed amendment will not affect the Community Goals for Ventura Boulevard (Camarillo Old Town).
7. Transportation. The proposed amendment will not alter the existing nor planned transit and transportation routes as adopted in the City’s Transportation Element or the Airport North Specific Plan. The Airport North Specific Plan includes a circulation pattern that will complete a connection between existing developed areas of the community and the project area.
8. Commercial/Industrial. The proposed project entails a reversion to the land use designations of the Airport North Specific Plan and the City of Camarillo General Plan to all Industrial (R&D).
9. Parks and Recreation. The General Plan and adopted Specific Plan do not include a designation for a park site.
10. Airport. The adopted Airport North Specific Plan includes specific development criteria intended to preserve the integrity of the Camarillo Airport. Properties adjacent to Camarillo Airport are also subject to an airport avigation easement. This easement supports an imaginary 7:1 slope extending 350 feet northward from the northern airport boundary and is more restrictive than the transitional surface required by Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR Part 77). A small southerly portion of the area is located within the avigation easement and is subject to its requirements. The proposed General Plan Amendment 2019-1 and corresponding Airport North Specific Plan amendment, CZ-335, and a draft of the Addendum to RIC (Springville), LLC
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Final SEIR 2014-8 were presented to the Airport Land Use Committee (ALUC) at their regular meeting on September 8, 2023, where it was determined that the proposed project meets noise and safety compatibility standards, existing protections within the Airport North Specific Plan which require compatibility with airport operations, and the proposed project is consistent with the Airport Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
11. Schools. The City’s General Plan and Airport Specific Plan are designated for Industrial and Office and, therefore, do not include a designation for a school site.
12. Landscaping. The adopted Airport North Specific Plan and current Landscape Design Guidelines and Standards include specific development standards for landscaping throughout the project area.
13. Agricultural Land. Although the Airport North Specific Plan areas do contain farmland classified as prime and unique, according to the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program of the California Resources Agency, the current request to revert the Specific Plan will not result in the conversion of prime or unique farmland or farmland of statewide importance. Impacts from future development were discussed in previous Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs), including the EIRs for the Airport North Specific Plan and the Springville Interchange. At the time, the conversion of agricultural uses were reviewed and determined to be an acceptable loss. These properties within the Airport North Specific Plan area are not under a Williamson Act Contract.
14. Public Participation. The proposed amendments to the General Plan and Specific Plan are subject to public hearings to provide input in the decision making process.
15. Clean Air. SEIR 2014-8 identifies short-term and long-term air quality impacts of the project. It identifies the available measures to help reduce long-term impacts in accordance with Air Pollution Control District Guidelines.
16. Residential Growth. The proposed amendment to the General Plan and Airport North Specific Plan will return the land use to the original configuration that existed prior to the approval of GPA 2014-2.
General Plan Goals
Staff has reviewed the City’s General Plan Element goals and has provided analysis as to how the proposed project is consistent with the goals for each General Plan Element as follows:
Land Use Element
The proposed land use change to the adopted Airport North Specific Plan will be consistent with the City’s Land Use Element of the General Plan, as amended. The proposed land use revision to the Specific Plan will meet the stated objective of promoting industrial parks concepts, visual improvement of industrial areas, and the use of the Heritage Zone policy in the Community Design Element.
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Circulation Element
The proposed revision to the Land Use Element of the General Plan and the Airport North Specific Plan are consistent with the objectives of the Circulation Element of the General Plan by providing adequate capacity that has accounted for current and future needs, maintains compatibility with the Camarillo Airport, and promotes safe and efficient movement of goods. The proposed revision to the Airport North Specific Plan and General Plan involving a change in land use patterns from Commercial to Industrial will not result in an increase to the traffic levels, street design, and layout, or emergency access identified and discussed in the SEIR and the original EIR for the Specific Plan and the Springville Interchange EIR.
Housing Element
The proposed modification to the Airport North Specific Plan and General Plan designation does not include any new residential development within the project area.
The 2021-2029 Housing Element of the General Plan identifies sufficient areas throughout Camarillo that will allow for the development of housing units to meet the requirements of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, 6th Cycle.
Recreation Element
The Recreation Element does not identify a park site within the project area. The proposed revision to the General Plan and Airport North Specific Plan would not introduce any new park sites. The proposed revision to the Specific Plan will not increase the use of existing neighborhood and regional parks or other recreational facilities, nor does the proposal require the construction or expansion of any recreational facilities.
Community Design Element
The proposed modification will provide for additional industrial uses, subject to development regulations and design standards of the Specific Plan intended to meet the City’s Community Design Element. Future development will be required to comply with the general placement of buildings, as set forth in the Airport North Specific Plan to provide for setbacks to allow for viewshed and view access. Future projects will also have to comply with the City’s requirement to incorporate appropriate architectural styles, on- site landscaping, and other features to provide a complement to the area. The project site is within the Heritage Zone, which requires architectural design through the design review process.
Noise Element
The project location between the Airport and U.S. Highway 101 results in Contour Noise Equivalency Levels ranging from 60 dBA to 75 dBA. Per Figure 2 of the Noise Element, this level of noise is most suited to industrial uses and conditionally suited for commercial and professional office uses. The proposed amendment to industrial land use is therefore consistent with the Noise Element of the General Plan.
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CURB
The project is within the Camarillo Urban Restriction Boundary. While the project site is currently vacant, undeveloped land, since its annexation into the City, it has always been designated for industrial and/or commercial uses therefore the project is consistent with the CURB Element of the General Plan.
Safety Element
The proposed modification will continue to be subject to the development requirements of the Camarillo Airport, and future projects will be reviewed as required in relation to hazardous materials handling, flooding, fires, and geological/seismic concerns.
Additionally, the properties are covered by existing emergency services and are therefore consistent with the Safety Element of the General Plan.
Open Space and Conservation Element
The 46.88-acre project site is not classified as prime agricultural land, is not subject to the Williamson Act, and has no natural resources. The proposed reversion to the previous industrial land use and zoning is consistent with the Open Space and Conservation Element of the General Plan.
CHANGE OF ZONE REVIEW
Government Code Section 65860 requires that zoning be consistent with the General Plan. A change of zone is therefore required as a companion to the General Plan Amendment in order to maintain consistency. The proposed zoning is LM, an industrial use that allows administrative, R&D, or executive offices of a business or industrial establishment and is consistent with the General Plan and Specific Plan designation as R&D.
STAFF REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION
The proposed amendment to the General Plan Land Use Element and the Airport North Specific Plan and corresponding Change of Zone will revert the land use and zoning to the designations and zoning that existed prior to 2016 and eliminate any Commercial Land Use designation further west along the U.S. Highway 101/Ventura Freeway. In 2018, the City Council adopted the Economic Development Strategic Plan with high- priority initiatives that include positioning Camarillo as a place for technology-oriented entrepreneurial development. The proposed amendments align with this initiative by creating land use and zoning that will provide space for the development of R&D Businesses.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no budget impact as a result of this action.
CEQA DETERMINATIONS
GPA 2014-2 associated Airport North Specific Plan Amendment, and CZ-322 were considered under SEIR No. 2014-8, which was adopted on September 28, 2016, by the RIC (Springville), LLC
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Camarillo City Council in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the City’s environmental guidelines (SEIR SCH #2010081043).
An Addendum to Final SEIR 2014-8 has been prepared by Rincon in compliance with CEQA and evaluates the potential impacts associated with the land use changes proposed for the current project. The addendum concludes that substantial changes are not proposed nor have substantial changes occurred that will require major revisions to the adopted Final SEIR. The proposed project will result in no new impacts or require mitigation of substantial importance that will generate new, more severe impacts or require new mitigation measures compared to those identified in the adopted Final SEIR.
Therefore, the analyses conducted, the conclusions reached, and the mitigation measures adopted in the Final SEIR remain valid.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Find that SEIR 2014-8 was previously approved and no further CEQA review is required pursuant to CEQA Guideline 15162; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute and have recorded a Termination of Agreement 2016-56 and First Amended Agreement 2016-56A regarding General Plan Amendment and Zone Change by and between the City of Camarillo and Springville, LLC (Attachment 1); and
3. Adopt a resolution approving an Addendum to the Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) No. 2014-8; and
4. Adopt a resolution approving a General Plan Amendment GPA 2019-1, to change the Land Use Element designation from General Commercial to Industrial (R&D) for 26.1 acres; and
5. Adopt a resolution approving an amendment to the Airport North Specific Plan, to change the Land Use designation from General Commercial to Industrial (R&D) for
26.1 acres; and
6. Introduce an ordinance approving a Change of Zone of an approximately 26-acre site located South of the U.S. 101 freeway, West of Springville Drive, North of the Camarillo Airport, and just East of West Ventura Boulevard from Commercial Planned Development (CPD) to Limited Manufacturing (LM), further described as Change of Zone CA-335.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Termination of Agreement 2016-56 and First Amended Agreement 2016-56A
2. Resolution for Addendum to SEIR 2014-8
3. Resolution for General Plan Amendment 2019-1
4. Resolution for an Amendment to the Airport North Specific Plan
5. Ordinance for Change of Zone 335
6. Location Map
7. Public Hearing Notice