Community Development Department
–
Planning Division
1600 First Street + P.O. Box 660
Napa, CA 94559
-
0660
(707) 257
-
9530
________________________________________________________________________________
PLANNING
COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
March 21, 2024
AGENDA ITEM 7.A File No. PL2
3 -
01 42
ELM HOUSE INN
USE PERMIT
&
DESIGN REVIEW
PERMIT
I.
GENERAL INFORMATION
PROJECT
SUMMARY:
A
pplication
for
a
Use Permit
to
create
four hotel guest rooms at
2337 Second Street to be operated as part of the existing Elm House Inn at 800 California Boulevard and 2294 Third Street, for a total of 26 hotel guest rooms, with shared parking
and reduced
parking;
and a Design Review
Permit
for associated exterior and
site improvements
, located at 2337 Second Street, 800 California
Boulevard, and 2294 Third Street.
LOCATION OF
PROPERT
IES
:
2337 Second
St
.
, 800 California Blvd.,
229
4 Third St.
APN
:
0 0
4 -
493
-
002
, 004
-
493
-
001, 004
-
493
-
013
GENERAL PLAN:
Hospitality Commercial
ZONING:
Traditional Residential Infill
(RT 4) &
Tourist Commercial
(
CT
)
APPLICANT:
Elm House Inn
, LLC
800 California Boulevard
Napa, CA 94559
Email: [email protected]
AUTHORIZED
AGENT
:
Scott Klingb
ei
l
(Agent)
KG Planning Partners
P.O. Box
6033
Napa
, CA
9455
9 Phone: (
707)
2 27
-
2362
PROPERTY
OWNER:
Vikas Patel
(Owner)
Elm House Inn
, LLC
800 California Boulevard
Napa, CA
9455
9 Phone:
N/A
STAFF
PLANNER:
Angela Alvarez
-
Cendejas,
Assistant
Planner
Phone: (707) 257
-
95 30
ext.
9369
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2337 Second St (UP) (DR)
2 ATTACHMENTS
ATCH 1
–
Resolution
ATCH 2
–
Project
Plan
s
ATCH 3
–
Project Description
ATCH 4
–
Historic Analysis
ATCH
5 –
Public Comment(s)
II.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission forward a recommendation to the City Council to adopt a resolution approving (i) a Use Permit to create four hotel guest rooms at 2337 Second Street to be operated as part of
the existing Elm House Inn at 800 California
Boulevard and 2294 Third Street, for a total of 26 hotel guest rooms, with shared parking and reduced parking, and (ii) a Design Review Permit for associated exterior and S
ite
improvements, located at 2337 Second Street, 800 California Boulevard,
and 2294 Third
Street, and determining that the actions by the resolution are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
III.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Applicant,
Elm House Inn LLC
,
request
ed
a
Use Permit
authorizing a
four (4)
guest
room
expansion of the existing Elm House Inn
at 2337 Second Street
, shared
parking
facilities
,
and
modification
s
to
the on
-
site parking requirements
,
and a
Design Review
Permit
for
exterior changes
to the
existing commercial
structure at 2337 Second Street
,
as shown on
Figure 1, Location Map
.
If approved, the total
number of
guest rooms would
increase from
22 to 26.
FIGURE 1
Location Map
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3 Although the primary hotel structure is located on the parcel along California Boulevard, the
rooms would be added
by converting
the structure along Second Street
, which was
previously used as an office
.
As shown in
Attachment 2, Project Plans,
work to the structure
would include
the
replacement of the front and rear entry doors, a 50
-
square
-
foot addition, and
a
reconfiguration of
the floor plan.
The proposed modifications are
further described
below.
Pursuant to
Napa Municipal Code (“
NMC
”)
Section
17.62.050, an application for a Design
Review Permit is required for all hotels or modifications to hotels. Design Review Permits for hotels
specifically require
review and approval by the City Council.
Pursuant to NMC
Section
17.10.020,
h
otels are allowed
in the
CT,
Tourist Commercial
Zone
, subject to
the approval of a Use Permit, which must be reviewed by the
City
Council
.
In addition,
a Use Permit is required pursuant to NMC
Section
17.54.040 to
modify
the on
-
site parking requirement
and
pursuant to
Section
17.54.080 to allow shared
parking
facilities
.
Although the request is adding to the room count of an existing hotel, it is a new application.
I
V
.
SITE
CONTEXT
AND HISTORY
The
0. 16
-
acre
S
ite is located a
long
the
south
side of
Second Street
, adjacent to the
existing
Elm House
Inn
.
Surrounding uses include
lodging
,
single
-
family
homes,
commercial office
s
,
and
cannabis
dispensaries.
The Elm House Inn is near the First Street and California Boulevard roundabouts. As a result of recent traffic infrastructure projects, portions of the Site have been dedicated as City right
-
of
-
way
.
The existing
approximately
1,2
06 -
square
-
foot
building
was
originally
a
residen
tial unit
until
it was
converted to
commercial
office space
in 1979 (Use Permit 903, approved by
the
Planning Commission on February 7, 1979).
The building is on the
City’s
2016 Historic
Resources Inventory and is designated as a Listed Resource
with contributing status to the
West Napa potential district
.
However, t
he proposed changes
to the structure
described
below
would
not require a Certificate of Appropriateness, pursuant to
NMC
Section
1 5.52.070
, since the exterior work proposed
would consist of “ordinary maintenance and
repair” which requires a staff level
Historic Clearance at the time of building permit
submittal
.
The City Council originally approved the Elm House Inn
in March of 1985. There have been
expansions of
the Elm House Inn
since the original approval,
which are
further described
below:
•
March 12, 1985:
City Council approve
d
a
r
ezoning of the subject property from the
R
-
5 to C
-
L district (CC Ordinance No. 2951), and a
Use Permit
and Final
Architectural
Review
(CC
Reso
lution
No.
85 -
79 )
,
authorizing
a 2
-
story, 18
-
unit motel
building
to be located on Ornduff Street (present
-
day
800
California Blvd.)
.
•
May 19, 1987:
Correspondence from Robert Orr, the project contractor, state d
that
one (1)
of the eighteen (18)
approved
guest rooms has been designated as common
space, resulting in
a total of seventeen (17) guest rooms.
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2337 Second St (UP) (DR)
4 •
January 18, 2000:
City Council approve
d
a
re
zoning of the subject property from
RM
-
12 to CV
(CC Ordinance No. O
-
2001), a
General Plan Amendment (CC
Reso
lution
No.
R2000
-
12 )
redesignating
the
property
from TRI
-
144
, Traditional
Residential
to MU
-
487, Mixed Use,
and
a
Use Permit
and Final Architectural Review
(CC Resolution
No
. R2000
-
13)
, authorizing
a
five (5)
room expansion
for the Elm
House Inn within
an existing building
, ‘The Annex’,
at 2294 Third Street, resulting in
a total of
twenty
-
two (22) guest room
s.
Currently, the Elm House Inn
operation
consists of
two
(2)
buildings
, including
the primary
Elm House Inn
building at 800 California Boulevard, and
T
he Annex building at 2294 Third
Street.
The primary building at 800 California Boulevard has
seventeen (
17 )
guest rooms
,
and
The
Annex building at 2294 Third Street has
five (
5 )
guest rooms and
one (
1 )
dwelling
unit
,
which is the manager’s quarters
, for a total
of
twenty
-
two (
22 )
guest rooms
.
V
.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The
A
pplicant
proposes
exterior
modifications to
the existing commercial office building at
2337 Second Street in conjunction with a request to convert the structure
into four (4) guest
rooms, which w
ould
operate as
guest
rooms
for
the Elm House Inn.
Site
improvements,
such as parking lot reconfiguration
and shared parking facilities,
were also requested.
The
following
section
provides
a detailed summary of key project components identified from Attachment 2, Project Plan
s
,
and Attachment 3, Project Descrip
tion.
A.
Hotel Expansion
The
A
pplicant has proposed
a conversion of
the existing commercial office
building
at 2337
Second Street to four (4) guest rooms
.
The
four (4)
proposed
guest rooms would be
located
on
a separate parcel from the Elm House Inn
but w
ould
be operated
jointly
as a single hotel
,
resulting in a total of twenty
-
six (26) guest
rooms.
No modifications
or
expansions to
the
number of rooms
in
the
primary
Elm House Inn
or The Annex
building
properties are being
requested.
The
ten (10) employees currently working at the
Elm House Inn would remain.
B.
Site Modifications
An
existing
shed structure
at
the
south
west
area of the
P
ro
ject
S
ite
, and behind the primary
Elm House Inn structure,
would be demolished.
According to the Historic Assessment
provided by the Applicant, and included as
Attachment
4 ,
the
demolition of the
accessory
structure
would not negatively impact the
historic
integrity of the primary structure at 2337
Second Street
. The historic analysis indicate
d
that
the
accessory structure was constructed
later
than the primary home and was not found to be
historic
.
The Applicant would install a
concrete walkway
leading
from
the proposed
wheelchair lift
,
deck, and
stairs
to create an accessible
path
way
leading
to
the
n
orth
p
arking lot
and the
adjoining
Elm House Inn
properties.
The
existing fence at the
s
outh of the
S
ite
would be
removed to provide acce
ss
between the subject parcel and
the
common area
s
for the
Elm
House Inn.
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5 C.
Parking
Pursuant to NMC
Section
17.54.040, the parking requirement for hotels
and motels
outside
of the Downtown area is 1 space per sleeping room
,
plus 1 space per manager
,
plus 1
space for every two (2) employees.
Based on this parking requirement, the Project would
be required to provide
32 vehicle spaces. However,
t
he
existing
on
-
site
parking is
considered non
-
conforming
as it does not provide sufficient parking
.
Pursuant to NMC
Section
17.54.180, the enlargement of any existing structure or use
that
would increase the number of parking spaces
by more than ten percent (10%) shall require
improvements to the parking layout, loading, and circulation .
Table 1,
Parking
Calculations,
describes
the existing and proposed parking requirements for the overall
s
ite
based on
NMC Section 17.54.
040
.
As shown, the
overall
s
ite is under
-
parked by
approximately 9 vehicle spaces, and if
the expansion is
approved, the Project would b
e
under
-
parked by 10 vehicle spaces.
TABLE
1 Parking Calculations
Rooms
Employees
Manager(s)
Required
Spaces
Spaces
Provided
# of
Spaces
Under
-
parked
Existing
22 10
1 28
19 -
9 Proposed
26 10
1 32
22 -
10 Two parking lots serve the Elm House Inn, including the south parking lot accessed from Third Street
and the
n
orth
p
arking lot accessed from
California Boulevard
.
The proposed
re
-
striping would be limited to the
n
orth
p
arking
lot. No changes would be made to the
s
outh
p
arking lot
.
The existing
n
orth
p
arking lot contains six (6) standard parking spaces.
The existing
driveway serving 2337 Second Street would be demolished, and the curb cut would be removed.
This former driveway area would be used for additional parking spaces
to serve
the
n
orth
p
arking lot and the overall Elm House Inn
.
The re
-
striping of the
north
parking lot
would result in four (4) standard parking spaces, four (4) compact spaces, and one (1) accessible space for a total of nine (9) parking spaces , as shown in
Attac
hment
2, Project
Plans.
If approved, the Project
w
ould
result in
a total of
twenty
-
two (22) on
-
site parking spaces
, or
an increase of three (3) total spaces
.
As proposed,
the
S
ite would be
ten (
10 )
spaces below
the typical required parking per the NMC
.
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6 However, p
ursuant to NMC
Section
17.54. 040, the parking standards may be modified with
a Use Permit
to
provide adequate and well
-
designed parking.
Additionally,
NMC
Section
17.54.080
requires a Use Permit to establish shared parking
facilities
.
The Applicant has
thereby requested a Use Permit to
modify the
parking
standards
to allow for the deficit in
parking of approximately 10 spaces
for the overall
s
it
e
and
to
allow
for
shared parking
so
that the south and north
parking
lots collectively serve the use
.
I
t is worth noting that while
the request would
result in fewer parking spaces, the nature of travel to and from hotels has
changed with the utilization of rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft, as well as reliance on private transportation.
D.
Structure Modifications
Proposed modifications
t
o the structure
at 2337 Second Street
include the replacement of
the front and rear entry doors, a 50
-
square
-
foot addition, and a reconfiguration of the floor
plan
to c
onvert existing office space to
the four (4) guest rooms being requested
.
Character
-
defining historic features such as the wooden windows and wood
siding would
remain and
be
repaired as needed.
The primary
and rear
entrance
doors
would be
removed and replaced with more historically appropriate wooden door
s.
All
the
existing
awnings above the windows would remain,
a
lthough
the fabric would be replaced.
The
proposed changes to the historic structure are considered Minor Alterations as defined in NMC
Section
15.52.020 and would be processed with a Historic Clearance
at the Staff leve
l
.
A wheelchair lift would be constructed at the
s
outhwest corner
of the structure
for
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access
. The wheelchair lift would provide direct
access to the
proposed
accessible guest suite
, which is one (1) of four (4)
proposed
guest
rooms
. The lift and associated mechanical equipment
would be screened from
public
view
by
a
portion of the existing fence, which would be relocated further back towards the south
area of the
S
ite
to accommodate the
proposed
parking spaces in the
n
ort
h
p
arking lot.
The existing deck at the rear of the building would be demolished and replaced with a new wooden deck and stairs. The entrance to the stairs would be relocated from the rear of the building
entrance
to the
w
est area of the property
to
connect with the proposed concrete
walkway
, providing
access
to
the Elm House Inn
’
s common areas and
the
n
orth
p
arking
lot
.
A 50
-
square
-
foot addition would be constructed along the
s
outheast corner wall of the
existing building
to accommodate an en
-
suite restroom in one
(1)
of the
four
(4)
proposed
guest rooms. The roofline
for the small addition
at the rear of the structure
would
be an
extension of
the existing roofline
,
and the siding
for the addition
would match the existing
siding pattern.
The
building
addition would be subservient to the overall structure and would not disproportionately change the mass or
appearance of the
structure. The new addition
would align with the existing walls and would maintain the existing setbacks to adjacent residential properties.
The building façade's appearance will largely remain the same, except for the proposed door replacement. The minimal changes to the building’s appearance and location on the property
would
help
maintain the existing pattern of
residential
development on Second Street while allowing the structure to be repurposed.
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7 V
I
.
ANALYSIS
A.
General Plan
The property
at 2337 Second Street
is designated as Hospitality Commercial by the Napa
2040 General Plan
,
which provides for commercial retail and service uses oriented towards tourists and other visitors to the community, including lodging, restaurants, and other services.
As proposed, the Project would be consistent with the following goals and policies identified in the Napa 2040 General Plan:
•
Goal LUCD
-
4:
Promote flexibility in parking and other development requirements, especially in areas targeted for higher
-
density, mixed
-
use, and pedestrian
-
oriented
development, such as in Downtown and along corridors.
•
Policy ED 6
-
1:
Continue to support tourism and the development of visitor -
serving
components to the City’s economy as a valuable source of jobs, tax revenues, and cultural amenities.
•
Goal HCR
-
6:
Encourage retention of historic structures in their original use or conversion back to their original use where feasible and support sensitive, adaptive reuse.
•
Goal HCR
-
1:
Preserve and enhance Napa’s historic resources. Encourage rehabilitation
, adaptive reuse, and
sensitive, context
-
compatible infill design.
B.
Zoning
The property at 2337 Second Street is within the RT
-
4, Traditional Residential Infill Zoning
District,
which
provides
low
-
density detached and attached single family homes, group residential,
live/work, and
other compatible uses such as day care
.
The
RT
-
4 zone district
is
inconsistent
with
the Hospitality Commercial land use designation
as described below
.
Pursuant to the Interim Zoning Ordinance (O2023
-
04), in cases where the existing zoning
district is inconsistent with the General Plan designation, the Community Development Director shall
preliminarily
determine the “Best Fit” Zoning District. On January 4, 2024, the Community Development Director
made a preliminary
determin
ation
that the “Best
Fit” zoning district for the subject property at 2337 Second Street is
CT, Tourist
Commercial. Given that no appeals were received by the Applicant in response to t he
“Best Fit” Zoning Determination, the Permit application was
processed under the
regulations for CT, Tourist Commercial.
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8 Under the Interim Zoning Ordinance, the City Council, as the decision -
maker, makes the
final determination regarding whether the CT, Tourist Commercial District is the “Best Fit” Zoning District and must make the following findings: ( i
)
The Project will further the goals,
objectives and
policies of the General Plan and not obstruct their
attainment; and
(ii)
The
Project substantially conforms to the Zoning
Ordinance requirements of the “Best Fit”
Zoning
District (
which in this case, is
CT, Tourist Commerci
al).
Per NMC
Section
17.10.020,
hotels and motels
are allowed in the
CT,
Tourist Commercial
zone
subject to the City Council’s approval of a Use Permit.
C.
Use Permit
Pursuant to
NMC
Section
17. 10.020, the CT Zone District allows
for hotels and motels
subject to a Use Permit approved by
the
City Council.
To approve a Use Permit, the City
Council is required to make the findings
identified in NMC 17.60.070.
Those findings are
provided in the “Findings” section, along with
the
Staff’s analysis of each finding.
D.
Design Review
Permit
Pursuant to
NMC Section
17.62.050,
an application for a Design Review permit is
required for all hotels.
To approve a Design Review Permit, the City Council is required to make the findings prescribed in NMC
Section
17.62.080.
Those findings are provided
in the “Findings” section, along with the
Staff's
analysis of each finding.
VII.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission
recommend that the City Council
determine
that the Project is exempt from the requirements of
CEQA
pursuant to CEQA
Guidelines Section 15301 (Categorical Exemptions; Class 1), which exempts minor alterations to existing private structures
and
Section 15303 (Categorical Exemptions;
Class 3), which exempts construction and conversion of existing small structures from one use to another
.
The exceptions to categorical exemptions identified in Section 15300.2 of the CEQA Guidelines are inapplicable because the Site is in an urbanized area with no environmentally sensitive habitats or species of concern on the property, there has been no succ
essive effort to intensify land uses in the area, no unusual circumstances exist that would pose a reasonable possibility of having a significant effect on the environment, and the Project as conditioned does not create a substantial adverse change to the historic resource involved. Based on this analysis, no significant environmental effects would result from the Project, and the use of categorical exemptions is appropriate.
VIII.
REQUIRED
FINDINGS
Approval of the
Use Permit and
Design Review Permit
for the Project is subject to the
required findings established in NMC Section
s 17.
60.070
,
17.62. 0
8 0
, and
Section
4(I
)
of
O2023
-
04, the Interim Zoning Ordinance
.
T
hese findings
and criteria
are provided in the
Draft Resolution
attached to this Staff Report (see
Attachment 1
)
, as well as below
.
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9 A.
D
esign Review
The City Council’s approval
of th
is
Project is subject to the required findings in NMC
Section 17.62.080
relating to Design Review Permits. These findings are provided below and relate to
the Project's consistency
with the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and
applicable
Guidelines.
Staff determined that the proposed Project would comply with these findings, subject to
the conditions of approval provided in
Attachment 1
.
1. The
P
roject design is in accord with the General Plan and any applicable specific plan design policies.
The proposed design is consistent with the Hospitality Commercial General Plan Designation of the Napa 2040 General Plan, which provides for the development of visitor
-
serving uses such as hotels. The Hospitality Commercial Designation allows for a maximum
FAR of 1.5, and this Project provides a FAR of approximately 0.18, which is under the maximum FAR. There are no specific plan design policies applicable to this Project.
2. The
P
roject design is consistent with applicable design review guidelines adopted by the City Council.
The City Council has not adopted any design review guidelines that would pertain to
th
e Project.
3. The
D
esign
R
eview
P
ermit is in accord with the provisions of
Title 17 of the NMC
and will not be detrimental or injurious to property or improvements in the vicinity of the development site, or to the public health, safety, or general welfare.
The Design Review Permit is consistent with NMC Title 17 (Zoning Ordinance). The proposed design and layout have been designed consistent with the property development standards within NMC Section 17.10.030, except where
the Applicant
has requested a Use Permit to authorize shared parking facilities and
reduced parking
,
which is allowed under NMC Section 17.54.040
.
Given the constrained site and its
built environment, the Applicant has
increased
the overall parking in the most efficient
manner so that it me
ets the intent of the parking requirements and provides the greatest amount of parking
given the site constraints.
As conditioned, the proposed
Project would not result in any significant impacts. The hotel and its tourist -
oriented
uses have been appropriately conditioned to minimize any potential impacts to the surrounding neighborhood and, therefore, would not result
in adverse impacts to
adjacent properties or to the general health, safety, and welfare of the community.
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2337 Second St (UP) (DR)
10 B.
Use Permit
The City Council’s approval of this
P
roject is subject to the required findings in NMC
Section 17.60.070 relating to Use Permits. These findings are provided below and relate to
the
P
roject's consistency
with the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and applicable Guidelines.
Staff determined that the proposed Project would comply with these findings, subject to the conditions of approval provided in
Attachment 1.
1. The proposed use is in accord with the General Plan, applicable specific plans, the objectives of the zoning ordinance
,
and the purposes of the district and
overlay district in which the site is located
.
The Project would align with the Hospitality Commercial land use designation of the Napa 2040 General Plan and the
Tourist
Commercial (CT) Zoning District. Both the
General Plan designation and Zoning District provide for the development of visitor -
serving uses, such as hotels. The Project, including the requested modifications to the parking requirements, would be consistent
with the goals and policies outlined in the
Napa 2040 General Plan.
In addition, although the site is historic, the exterior modifica
tions, as proposed, would
only require a staff level Historic Clearance at the
time of building permit submittal, and therefore, would not interfere with the integrity of the historic status.
More specifically, Goal LUCD
-
4 promotes flexibility in parking and other development requirements, especially in areas targeted for higher
-
density, mixed
-
use, and
pedestrian
-
oriented development, such as in Downtown and along corridors.
T
h
e
Project would provide improvements to the existing circulation of the S
ite, creating
additional on
-
site parking in conjunction with the request for additional
guest
rooms.
The Site’s proximity to California Boulevard, a City Corridor, has resulted in portions of the prop
erty being dedicated as City right
-
of
-
way
to be developed for
traffic
infrastructure
improvements
.
Policy ED 6
-
1 seeks to continue to support tourism and the development of visitor -
serving components to the City’s economy as a valuable source of jobs, tax revenues, and cultural amenities. The Project would provide additional guest
rooms
that
would
be operated
under the
Elm House Inn, furthering the expansion and operations of an existing hotel.
Goal HCR
-
6 seeks to encourage the retention of historic structures in their original use where feasible and support sensitive, adaptive reuse. The proposal would allow the Applicant to preserve a vacant historic structure that is on the City’s Historic Res
ources Inventory by allowing them to convert underutilized office space to guest
rooms.
The structure was converted to office space following the approval of a Use Permit
. Therefore,
the
conversion of the structure to four (4) guest rooms would not
remove
or
alter
an existing residential unit from the City’s housing stock.
PL
2 3
-
0 142
2337 Second St (UP) (DR)
11 Goal HCR
-
1 seeks to preserve and enhance Napa’s historic resources, and to encourage adaptive reuse and context
-
compatible infill design. The small addition to
the rear of the structure would be aligned with the existing walls, thereby maintaining
the
existing
distance to adjacent residential
properties,
and blending in with the pattern
of residential development on Second Street
.
Changes to the exterior of the structure
would be sensitive to its historic features and would not significantly impact the hist oric
integrity of the structure.
2. The proposed use, together with the conditions applicable thereto, will not be detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare
or materially injurious to
properties or improvements in the vicinity
or to the general welfare of the city.
The Project application has been circulated to relevant departments and agencies, and their comments and special conditions have been incorporated to ensure the Project will not pose a nuisance to the community. As conditioned, the Project will not cause n
egative impacts to the neighborhood nor result in impacts that would be detrimental to public health, safety, or welfare.
3. The proposed use complies with each of the applicable provisions of the zoning ordinance.
Hotels, requests to modify the parking standards for a specific use, and the request to create shared parking
facilities
may be established by a Use Permit in the Tourist
Commercial (CT) Zoning District. With City Council approval of a Use Permit as conditioned, the proposed use will be in compliance with the provisions of Chapters
17.10, 17.54, and 17.60 of the Zoning Ordin
ance.
4. The proposed use complies with any other applicable findings required under other chapters of this title for this specific use.
There are no other applicable findings under other chapters of this title for the proposed use.
C.
Interim Zoning Ordinance (O2023
-
04)
Pursuant to
O2023
-
04 , The
City Council’s approval of this Project is subject to the required findings established in
Section 4(I) of O2023
-
04 relating to Permit Applications.
These findings are provided below and relate to
the Project's consistency
with the General
Plan
and Zoning Ordinance.
Staff determined that the proposed Project would comply with these findings, subject to
t
he conditions of approval provided in
Attachment 1.
1. The Project will further the goals, objectives, and policies of the General Plan and not obstruct their attainment.
T
he Hospitality Commercial land use designation of the Napa 2040 General provide s
for the development of visitor
-
serving uses, such as hotels.
The proposed Project
seeks to
further
advance
the intent of this designation by adding four (4) additional rooms to a
n existing
visitor serving
use.
As conditioned, the Project will further the
goals, objectives, and policies of the General Plan and not obstruct their attainment.
PL
2 3
-
0 142
2337 Second St (UP) (DR)
12 2.
The Project substantially conforms to the Zoning Ordinance requirements of the applicable Zoning District determined in accordance with this section 4.I of this Ordinance.
According to the Zoning Code Consistency Table, provided as Exhibit B of the Interim Zoning Ordinance, the CT, Tourist Commercial District, is the only corresponding zoning district to the Hospitality Commercial General Plan designation.
If approved,
the use would be consistent with the CT Zone District in that it provides an expansion to an existing visitor
-
serving use
.
Further, the use would occur in an existing
structure
that would meet or exceed applicable zone district standards, such as setback, heig ht,
floor area ratio, etc.
The Project substantially conforms to the Zoning Ordinance requirements of the applicable Zoning District determined in accordance with section
4.I of this Ordinance.
IX
.
PUBLIC NOTICE
N
otice that
this
application was received was provided by
the City
on
January 5, 2024
,
and n
otice of the
scheduled
public hearing was provided
on
March
8 , 20
2 4
,
by
the
US
Postal Service to all property owners within a 500
-
foot radius of the subject property.
Notice of the public hearing was also published in the Napa Valley Register on
March
9 ,
2024
,
and provided to people previously requesting notice on the matter while
notice was
provided
to the newspaper for publication.
X.
PUBLIC COMMENT
As of the publication of this Report,
one (1)
item of public comment has been received and
has been included as
Attachment
5 , Public Comment
(s)
.
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Hope Goldie
Sent:
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 4:10 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Subject:
Re: Questions about PL23-0142 (2337 2nd Street) = would like designated parking to be required
Follow Up Flag:
Follow up
Flag Status:
Completed
Categories:
Unverified Contact
[EXTERNAL]
Thank you!!!
Very helpful
Cheers
From:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas <[email protected]>
Sent:
Thursday, January 11, 2024 4:53 PM
To:
Hope Goldie
Subject:
RE: Questions about PL23-0142 (2337 2nd Street) = would like designated parking to be required
Good afternoon, Hope,
Thank you for reaching out with questions regarding this project! The applicant is proposing to convert the existing building at 2337 Second Street from office space to four guest rooms. They plan on locating the parking on the adjacent parcel at 800 California Blvd., and plan on adding four parking spaces—one per proposed room. I have attached their proposed site plan, which shows these proposed parking spaces and site modifications.
Although the property is zoned as residential, the Napa 2040 General Plan (which was adopted in October 2022) re- designated the property to be Hospitality Commercial. In response to the new General Plan, the City of Napa adopted the Interim Zoning Ordinance, allowing City staff to make a formal decision to process projects under standards set in the Tourist Commercial (CT) zone rather than residential due to the new general plan designation. I have attached a memo that details this decision by staff.
Regarding waste management on-site, our Materials Diversion Division of the Public Works Department will be reviewing the project and providing their comments regarding waste management services for this property. We have not received their comments quite yet.
This project will be going to the Planning Commission, so there will be an opportunity to share your concerns with the Commissioners at that time. It is tentatively scheduled for March 21 st
, 2024, but that is subject to change. We will send
notifications advertising the public hearings for this project in advance of the meeting.
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2 In the meantime, we will share this comment with the applicant, and you are free to e-mail staff regarding your concerns or comments. You may also contact the project applicant to share your concerns using the contact information provided on the project notice.
Please let me know if you have any questions and have a lovely rest of your day!
Best,
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Assistant Planner
Planning Division
Community Development Department, City of Napa
1600 First Street, Napa, CA 94559
Direct
: 707-257-9639 |
Main
: 707-257-9530
E:
[email protected]
From:
Hope Goldie
Sent:
Thursday, January 11, 2024 9:52 AM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas <[email protected]>
Subject:
Questions about PL23-0142 (2337 2nd Street) = would like designated parking to be required
[EXTERNAL]
Hi Angela,
I live across the street from the proposed project (at 2334 2 nd
Street).
I am concerned about parking for the proposed expansion of hotel - where is the intended location? On the street? It is already very congested.
I object if that is the plan.
Is there a way to note the objection or push for designated parking to be required?
Also - garbage. There are about 8 garbage cans in front of the property several days a week. Will that increase? I think the traffic circle project limited the space for a dumpster for the hotel - but is not great to look at now.
Would dislike if became more (with more guests).
Is there a way to require a non-visible dumpster?
Generally - with the exception of #2337, is a residential neighborhood (young families). I understand that hospitality is permitted = but would like the City to be protective of the residents.
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3 Already dislike the urbanization of the area from the traffic circles and extra lighting. Would love to limit expansion and keep as residential as possible.
Thanks!
Hope Goldie
1 Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
From:
Amanda Fong Morris
Sent:
Monday, March 4, 2024 2:34 PM
To:
Angela Alvarez-Cendejas
Cc:
Planning Department
Subject:
#PL23-0142/Elm House Inn/2337 2nd Street, Napa CA 94559 [EXTERNAL]
Hi Angela and the Planning Department,
Thank you so much for returning my phone call on 2/22 regarding the construction plans for the neighboring property (2337 2nd Street) to mine (2333 2nd Street). As I mentioned in the call, I just wanted clarification on the plans per the project/permit for the Elm House Inn.
Per my notes I recall these points in our discussion:
2337 2nd Street will be converted to 4 guest rooms for Elm House Inn. The building was previously zoned for residential, then office usage, and now for hotel usage.
The back fence separating the hot tub/spa area of Elm House Inn from the backyard of 2337 2nd Street will be removed, opening up the Elm House Inn properties.
Currently the use of the spa area is not permitted past 9 PM per the permit. o
We've noted several occasions when guest usage is past 9 pm. What are our options if the activity is extremely disruptive?
Currently no plans to address the shared fence are included in this project.
Currently no plans for construction around a common seating area for the yard of 2337 2nd Street are in the project plan.
As a follow-up, I just wanted to understand if plans do change, will I receive notification of any changes prior to the work starting? We heard some construction sounds from inside 2337 2nd Street before we received the initial project notice in the mail, so we wanted to understand how the timing of work/notification to impacted parties should operate. What type of changes warrant a notification?
Also I have some follow-up project-specific questions:
When the back fence of 2337 2nd Street is removed, the existing pool/spa space and the yard opens up to guest usage.
o
Are there known plans for how the space will be used by guests? o
Will the usage be limited by hour of operation by permit or just around operating hours set by the hotel? Will the same spa hours apply to the yard usage? o
What does the zoning permit currently allow? Are there regulations around usage for the space?
o
Will be we notified in advance of any changes or activities or even just a courtesy message?
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2
In the past, the tree in the backyard of 2337 2nd Street was being trimmed and excess debris, including a very large branch, fell in our yard --
that could have caused
injury. No one notified us in advance, and we would have really appreciated it. Our reside
ntial neighbors give us advance notice when they clean gutters/perform activities that could impact us and we'd appreciate
a similar heads up if possible so
we can plan accordingly.
What is the planned or target completion date for construction for 2337 2nd Street?
What is the planned or target date for the fence being removed?
Are there permitted days/ operating hours for construction?
Lastly, I had questions regarding permitted rules around fences in case we wanted to update fencing on our home
--
including the shared fence with 2337 2nd Street.
What is the maximum height for a fence? Can we augment it with hedges or plants to raise the height while staying within regulation? I’ve seen some houses in the neighborhood that do this with hedges.
Thanks,
Mandy Morris