PREPARED BY:
BDG Architects27258 Vía Industria #ATemecula, CA. 92590 UNITE Pacific, Inc.993-C South Santa Fe AvePMB #130Vista, CA. 92083 RECON Environmental, Inc.1927 Fifth AvenueSan Diego, CA. 92101 Linscott, Law, Greenspan,Engineers4542 Ruffner Street, Suite 100San Diego, CA. 92111 Partner Engineering and Science, Inc.1761 East Garry AvenueSanta Ana, CA. 92705 2 DEVELOPMENT IS BEING PROCESSED BY:
UNITE Pacific, Inc.
993-C South Santa Fe Ave
PMB #130
Vista, CA. 92083
3 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Montiel Road Commercial office Building Specific Plan
PAGE NO.I. INTRODUCTIONA. PLANNING OBJECTIVES 6B. LOCATION 6FIGURE 1: REGIONAL AND SITE LOCATION 7C.AREA CHARACTER 8FIGURE 2: REGULATORY SETTING 9D.PLANNING BACKGROUND 10 II. DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL/IMPLEMENTATION 11E. PERMIT PROCESSING 11F. DEVELOPMENT PLAN 11FIGURE 3: CONCEPTUAL SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN 12C. CIRCULATION & PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION 13D. PARKING 14FIGURE 4: PARKING ANALYSIS 15III. DESIGN GUIDELINES AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS 16A. DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS 16-17B. ARCHITECTURE 17-18FIGURE 5: CONCEPTUAL EAST AND WEST ELEVATION 19FIGURE 6: CONCEPTUAL NORTH AND SOUTH ELEVATION 20FIGURE 7: CONCEPTUAL 1ST FLOOR PLAN 21FIGURE 8: CONCEPTUAL 2ND FLOOR PLAN 22FIGURE 9: ROOF PLAN 23C. OUTDOOR AREAS/ LANDSCAPE DESIGN 24-26FIGURE 10: CONCEPTUAL LANDSCAPE PLAN 27D. SIGN STANDARDS 28E. PUBLIC FACILITIES/ UTILITIES & FINANCING 28-29IV. IMPLEMENTATIONA. REVIEW PROCESS 30B. SPECIFIC PLAN 30C. SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN 30D. SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENTS 30-31 V. SPECIFIC PLAN CONSISTENCY WITH GENERAL PLAN 32A. GENERAL PLAN GOALS 32-33 FIGURES PAGE NO.
FIGURE 1: REGIONAL AND SITE LOCATION 7FIGURE 2: REGULATORY SETTING 9FIGURE 3: CONCEPTUAL SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN 12FIGURE 4: PARKING ANALYSIS 15FIGURE 5: CONCEPTUAL EAST AND WEST ELEVATION 19FIGURE 6: CONCEPTUAL NORTH AND SOUTH ELEVATION 20FIGURE 7: CONCEPTUAL 1ST FLOOR PLAN 21FIGURE 8: CONCEPTUAL 2ND FLOOR PLAN 22FIGURE 9: ROOF PLAN 23FIGURE 10: CONCEPTUAL LANDSCAPE PLAN 27 5 I. INTRODUCTION
A. PLANNING OBJECTIVESThe Planning Objectives of this Specific Plan titled Montiel Road Commercial OfficeBuilding Specific Plan are to construct a commercial office building at 2355 - 2375Montiel Road to provide a high-quality office/commercial space in keeping with theCity’s General Plan; provide a café for use by the tenants in the building, surroundingfacilities and the general public. Provide additional parking above the minimum requiredby the San Marcos Zoning Code in order to attract tenants desiring a large amount ofparking and easy access to State Highway 78 and Interstate 15. The location isstrategic and extremely visible from State Highway 78 with easy access due to itsproximity of 0.5 miles from the Nordahl interchange. It also has access to the eastthrough surface streets to the City of Escondido. The higher parking ratio is also toaddress the inadequate weekend parking at the North Coast Church. The office buildingwill not rely on parking from the North Coast Church facility immediately adjacent and tothe east of the site, although there will be an access agreement between this site andthe adjacent property owners. The project will be developed in a single phase with partof the newly constructed parking lot available on the weekends for church use.
B. LOCATIONThe project site located at 2355-2375 Montiel Road Project comprises approximately2.5914 Acres and is located within the Richland Neighborhood of the City of SanMarcos. More specifically, it is located 0.5 miles east of the intersection of Montiel Roadand Nordahl Road in the City of San Marcos, in north San Diego County. (Figure 1Regional and Site Location). The site is zoned, and General Plan designated asSpecific Plan (Commercial). 6 7
C. AREA CHARACTERThe project site comprises of two parcels, APN’s 228-370-20-00 and 228- 370-39-00.The site is currently improved with two older single-family homes that have not beenwell maintained. The existing landscaping, including some large trees and fencing havealso been poorly maintained. Access to the site is through two driveways off MontielRoad. There is no current signage on this property as both houses are single familyresidences. The site slopes downward from Montiel to the boundary with Highway 78right of way. The proposed grading operation will reduce the slope that currently exists;however, the final project grading will still slope down from Montiel to Highway 78.
Surrounding Properties are zoned and designated as follows:
1. Northeast: Properties located to the northeast, across Montiel Road are zonedSFR (R-1-10) and General Plan designated “low density residential” (2.1-4.0du/ac). The residential neighborhood is developed with single-family dwellings.Montiel Park, a public park within the City of San Marcos is located to the northwest of the subject site.
2. Southeast: Property to the southeast is in the City of Escondido and is zonedcommercial/office. This site is developed with a commercial/office building thathouses several tenants including North Coast Church, Construction Testing andEngineering as well as other tenants within an office format. There are 216parking spaces serving this property.
3. Northwest: Property to the northwest, which is within the City of San Marcos, iszoned Commercial (C) and is improved with a motorcycle/off road vehicle salesand maintenance facility.
4. Southwest: State Route 76 (SR 78) is a six-lane freeway located to thesouthwest of the subject parcel. 8 R-1 Single Family ResidentialC CommercialC-I Commercial IndustrialPP Public Park Figure 2 - Regulatory Setting
9 D. PLANNING BACKGROUNDThe 2012 General Plan designated this site as Specific Plan Commercial. Thisproposed project satisfies this requirement by processing a Specific Plan that willimplement a commercial use along with a Site Development Plan.
The Specific Plan (Commercial) proposed office uses are permitted by right in the City’sZoning Code. The project site will fully comply with both the City’s 2012 General Planand the Commercial (C) zone in Chapter 20.220 of the San Marcos Municipal Code.Where the standards of the Specific Plan differ from the standards described for theCommercial (C) zone in Chapter 20.220 of the San Marcos Municipal Code, the SpecificPlan shall prevail. 10 II. DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL AND IMPLEMENTATIONPROCESS
Consistent with the City’s Zoning Ordinance and procedures, including the GeneralPlan, this document and related graphics are prepared as an integral part of the SpecificPlan requirements.
The primary objectives of this Specific Plan are to:
● Implement the goals and policies of the General Plan● Describe the land uses allowed on the project site.● Establish design guidelines and standards for development of the project site● Establish implementation measures for the processing, approval and amendmentof the Specific Plan and related permits.
A. PERMIT PROCESSINGImplementation of the Specific Plan will require approval of a Site Development Planfrom the San Marcos City Council. Other public agencies may also require approvalsand permits (Vallecitos Water District) which will also be accomplished by the SpecificPlan.
B. DEVELOPMENT PLANThe Specific Plan will regulate the construction and operation of a 32,969-square foottwo-story commercial office building with 171 parking spaces. There will be an at-gradedriveway connecting the project site and the property immediately adjacent to thesoutheast to accommodate a future access agreement between the project site andadjacent site. The adjacent site is in the City of Escondido and is developed with acommercial/office building that houses several tenants, including North Coast Church,Construction Testing and Engineering and other tenants. 11 Figure 3 – Conceptual Site Development Plan
12 Circulation
Access to the site will be taken from Montiel Road which is currently an unclassified2-lane public road on an existing 66-foot right-of-way. Montiel Road will be improvedalong the frontage of the project site to include undergrounding of overhead utilities,widening of the street on the south side to City of San Marcos standards and a 5-footwide pedestrian sidewalk.
1. Vehicular circulation- will be accomplished by enteringand exiting the site viatwo driveways from Montiel Road. An additional at-grade connection will accessthe property to the east and entering the project site through a joint access pointprovided between the project site and the adjacent property to the east, both ofwhich will have a shared parking agreement. This joint access point will alsoprovide for shared parking on both properties while reducing the amount of traffichaving to use Montiel Road, including emergency and delivery vehicles.
2. Pedestrian Circulation- will be accomplished througha newly installed publicpedestrian 5’ wide sidewalk along the south side of Montiel Road which will berequired as a part of this Specific Plan and Site Development Plan.Configuration/continuation of the sidewalk shall match the adjacent property tothe east and shall be one of the site accessible paths of travel to the public rightof way. An accessible path of travel from the project site to the publicright-of-way is provided as part of the Specific Plan. There will also be anapproved accessible path of travel between the project property and the adjacentproperty to the southeast to allow pedestrian travel between the two sites in asafe and easily recognizable manner.
Public Transportation
Transit services are provided to the project area via the Breeze Bus route 353 and BusRoute 305. Route 353 provides bus service between Nordahl Marketplace andEscondido Transit Center, with a stop within the study along Auto park Way. The Routeoperates hourly between the hours of 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM every day. Route 305provides bus service between the Vista Transit Center and the Escondido TransitCenter, with a stop within the study area along Nordahl Road. The route operates hourlybetween the hours of 4:00 AM and 12 midnight, Monday through Friday, and betweenthe hours of 5:00 AM and 11:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday. 13 Parking
Provided in excess to the parking required in the San Marcos Municipal Code (SMMCCh. 20.340). There is a total of 171 parking spaces on site which exceeds the coderequirement of 146 spaces for a 32,696-square foot commercial office building and caféthat will be used by the tenants in the building and surrounding facilities as well as thegeneral public. The purpose of the excess parking stalls are to increase the lease-abilityof the building by creating a competitive advantage against other buildings of similartype, located in more desirable locations.
The intention of the developer is to utilize the northern portion of the parking closest toMontiel as early as possible to alleviate parking pressure from the surroundingneighborhoods on Sunday mornings.
Parking stall size shall comply with the City of San Marcos minimum standards. Parkingstalls shall be 9’ x 18’ spaces for a minimum space of 162 square feet. A minimum of24’ width shall be required for the driveway aisles. One loading space shall be providedfor the building and shall have a minimum size of 12’ x 60’.
Two (2) Level 1 electric vehicle charging stations will be fully installed as part of theinitial construction. A total of six (6) electric vehicle parking spaces will be provided for,but not required.
There will be 9 spaces in a Rack – Model MBR400-9-S Series (or equal) bicycle rack forbicycle parking. 14 TOTAL EXCESS PARKING STALLS 25 STALLS Figure 4 - Parking Analysis
15 III. DESIGN GUIDELINES AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
The following guidelines and development standards are provided to ensure highstandards of development are in keeping with the City’s Specific Plan goals.
Development standards, architecture, landscaping, signage and lighting design criteriawill provide continuity throughout the Specific Plan and will ensure that the project is anasset to the overall community. The Office and café land use in the Specific Plan arepermitted by right in the Commercial (C) Zone in Chapter 20.220 – Commercial Zonesof the San Marcos Municipal Code. Where the standards of the Specific Plan differfrom the standards described for the Commercial (C) Zone, the Specific Plan shallprevail.
A. DEVELOPMENT STANDARDSAllowed Land Use
All permitted uses in the commercial and office professional zone will be considered forinclusion in the Specific Plan: IncludingCommercialOffice Building and a café’ open tothe public.
Thesite must accommodate the associated parking requirementsfor any approved use.
Minimum Lot Size
Site Summary 2.5914 ac Gross (112,881.4 sf)
Building Height
The building height is 35’-6” to the highest point of the parapet and 38’-6” to the top ofequipment screen. Architectural features shall be limited to 20% of the roof area andmay include mechanical screen enclosure, Fire Department roof access and accessstairs enclosures.
Exterior Minimum Setbacks
Front Yard (Montiel Rd) …………………………….10 feet from front property lineState Route 78 PL …………………………………. 15 feet from rear property lineInterior PL, Building ..............................................10 feet from western property line& eastern road easementParking along Montiel Rd …………………………. 10 feet from front property lineBuilding Separation………………………………....10 feet Floor Area Ratio …………………………………….15,775 / 112,881 = 14%
16 The rear yard setback from SR 78 right-of-way has been established similar to thesetbacks in the existing centers to the west and east so the structures along the freewayfrontage are set back from the freeway right of way at essentially the same distance.This is proposed so no structure is obscured by another structure located closer to thefreeway. This development standard shall ensure equal visibility from the freeway for allsites within this Specific Planning Area.
Driveways, Driveway Width and Locations
Two driveways will provide access between the parking lot and Montiel Road. Theproject will have two (2) driveways with widths of 26’ and 24’ respectively.
B. ARCHITECTUREIntroduction
The project development proposes an office building consisting of a combination ofprefinished metal panels, plaster and glazing. The architectural style for the project isclean, simple strong geometric shapes and symmetry. It will incorporate design qualitiesthat fit well into the City of San Marcos, producing a project the community will embraceand guests will admire. Architectural characteristics include:
1. Building forms proportionate to commercial scale development.
2. Low maintenance ‘green’ and durable building materials.
3. Integration of landscape elements within architectural elements.
Building From and Mass
BUILDING FLOOR AREA
FIRST FLOOR AREA 15,755 SF
SECOND FLOOR AREA 17,214 SF
TOTAL: 32,969 SF
17 Roof Forms
The roof is flat. Mechanical equipment shall be screened/enclosed from view of nearbyproperties by an architectural mechanical equipment screen as required by Citystandards.
Elevation Treatment
Elevation treatments include a combination of prefinished metal panels, plaster andglazing that will enhance the neighborhood. The building will use sustainable featuressuch as; Programmable thermostats and improved insulation, Low emittance glazing,LED lighting and daylight harvesting to ensure a high quality of development.
Focal Elements
The site will be attractive, with primary focal elements consisting of an architecturallyenhanced structure framing the entrance with accent plant material for a strong sense ofarrival, a decorative pedestrian concrete accent piece and free-standing planters tofurther enhance and define the space.
Lighting
1. Entrances to buildings shall be lighted and void of any large shrubbery orobstructions to aid in public safety
2. All exterior lighting shall be adequately controlled and shielded to prevent glareand undesirable illumination to adjacent properties or streets.
3. On-site lights shall provide a safe, functional and aesthetic design. Enoughlighting shall be provided to ensure a safe environment while at the same timenot cause areas of intense light or glare.
4. Light fixtures and poles shall be designed and placed in a manner consistent andcompatible with the overall site and building design. They shall not exceed 25’ inheight.
5. All exterior lighting shall be architecturally shielded and shall be of LED or analternative lighting type as approved by the City of San Marcos.
6. Lighting for pedestrian walkways shall be low profile and have a human scale. 18 Figure 5 - Conceptual East and West Elevation
19 Figure 6 - Conceptual North and South Elevation
20 Figure 7 - Conceptual 1st Floor Plan
21 Figure 8 - Conceptual 2nd Floor Plan
22 Figure 9 – Roof Plan
23 C. OUTDOOR AREAS/ LANDSCAPE DESIGNOutdoor Areas
The outdoor areas are critical to the establishment of a consistent design theme that iswelcoming and inviting.
The main entry into the building will create a strong sense of arrival through the use ofaccent plant material framing the lobby, a decorative pedestrian concrete accent piece,and free-standing planters to further define the space.
Trash enclosure shall be architecturally compatible with the building. It will be located onthe west side of the parking lot and concealed by a structure that will be architecturallycompatible with the building.
The outdoor dining area will be furnished with regionally appropriate outdoor furnitureconsisting of eight to twelve small cafe tables and accompanying chairs arranged in atypical cafe / coffee house style. Colors will be neutral to the building and be chosen toexpress a high quality establishment consistent to the architecture and finishes of thebuilding.
Landscape Concept
The overall landscape concept is to enhance and soften the building while alsocomplying with water conservation requirements. The landscape design is intended toprovide an aesthetically pleasing environment, while considering the efficient andresponsible use of water resources by the businesses. The landscape design shallcomply with the Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. The plant palette will bereviewed by the City, it is also included in the Specific Plan. The landscaping will serveto enhance the building and surrounding area, provide points of interest and a sense ofarrival, create shade within the parking lot area, be a low water use palette, and reducethe need for excessive maintenance. See Figure 10 on the list of exhibits. The sitecurrently has thirty-eight trees and other poorly maintained landscaping. The existingtrees will be replaced on a 1=1 ratio and 1 tree will be required per 5 parking spaces onthe Site Development Plan (SDP).
Landscaping
In addition to landscaping provided in the setback areas, an additional 10% of the sitewill be landscaped. Landscaping shall conform to the guidelines established in thisSpecific Plan and consists of, but not limited to, the recommended plants listed includedin the Specific Plan. Final Landscape design, including plant species, will be reviewedand approved by the Planning Division prior to issuance of grading permit. 24 Plant Description - SizeBotanical Name - Common Name (Wucols) Trees
1. STREET TREES - MONTIEL RD 24” BOX
a) Ficus Rubiginosa-Rusty Fig (M)
2. PARKING AREA TREES 24” BOX
a) Arbutus ‘Marina’-Marina Strawberry Tree (M)b) Gleditsia Tricanthos-Honey Locust (L)c) Koelreuteria Bipinnata-Chinese Plame Tree (L)d) Lagerstroemia ‘Tuscarora’-Tuscarora Crape Myrile (M)e) Rhus Lancea-African Sumac (L)
3. SMALL ACCENT PARKING ISLAND TREES 24” BOX
a) Arbutus ‘Marina’-Marina Strawberry Tree (M)b) Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’-Forest Pansy Redbud (M)c) Lagerstroemia ‘Tuscarora’-Tuscarora Crape Myrile (M)
4. PERIMETER THEME TREES 15 Gallon - 24” BOX
a) Melaleuca Quinquenervia-Paperback Tree (M)b) Pinus Canariensis- Canary Island Pine (L)c) Tristania Conferta-Brisbane Box (M)
5. ENTRY THEME TREES 8’ BTH
a) Washingtonia Robusta-Mexican Fan Palm (L)
25 Plant Description - SizeBotanical Name - Common Name (Wucols) Shrubs and Groundcovers
1. SCREENING SHRUBS 5 Gallon
a) Callistemon Citrinus-Crimson Bottlebrush (L)b) Westringia Fruticosa-Coastal Rosemary(L)c) Salvia ‘Winnifred Gilman’-Winnifred Gilman Blue Sage (L)d) Dodonea Viscosa-Hop Bush(L)
2. MASSING SHRUBS 1- 5 Gallon
a) Callistemon ‘Little John’-Dwarf Callistemon (L)b) Dietes Bicolor-Fortnight Lily (L)c) Pennisetum Rubrum- Purple Fountain Grass (L)d) Rosmarinus ‘Roman Beauty’-Roman Beauty Rosemary (L)e) Salvia ‘Hot Lips’-Hot Lips Sage (L)f) Tagetes Lemonii-Mexican Marigold (L)
3. SMALL ACCENT SHRUBS 1- 5 Gallon.
a) Buxus ‘Uptight’-Uptight Boxwood (M)b) Dianella ‘Little Rev’-Little Rev Flax Lily (M)c) Nandina ‘Lemon Lime’-Lemon Lime Heavenly Bamboo (L)d) Rosa ‘Flower Carpet’-Flower Carpet rose (M)e) Trachelospermum Jasminoides- Star Jasmine (M)
4. GROUNDCOVERS - FLATS @ 12” O.C
a) Baccharis ‘Pigeon Point’-Dwarf Coyote Bush (L)b) Lantana ‘New Gold’-New Gold Lantana (L)c) Rosmarinus ‘Prostratus’-Prostrate Rosemary (L)
5. BASIN GROUNDCOVERS - PLUGS - 1 Gallon @ 12” O.C
a) Carex Spissa-San Diego Sedge (L)b) Muhlenbergia Rigens-Deer Grass (L) 26 Figure 10 – Conceptual Landscape Plan
27 D. SIGN STANDARDSThere will be two (2) monument signs and two (2) building identification signs servingthe property. One monument sign is existing and located in the South-West Corner ofthe parcel (near the I78 Freeway), partially within the landscape easement. The secondmonument (new) will be positioned on the North side of the parcel near Montiel Road.One of the building signs will be visible from the driveway entrance, and the other will bevisible from the Highway 78. Final sign locations and design will be approved by the Citythrough a comprehensive sign program. A comprehensive sign program shall besubmitted to the City for review and approval prior to issuance of any building permit.
All signs shall be of consistent design and materials throughout the project and shall bedesigned to blend with size, scale and architecture of the building. Prohibited signsinclude roof signs, signs extending above the roofline, and flashing or animated signs.
E. PUBLIC FACILITIES / UTILITIES & FINANCINGAll public facilities will be financed privately with exception to those utilities/servicesincluded in Community Facility District.
Gas and Electric Services- will be provided by SanDiego Gas and Electric. Naturalgas service will be provided through an existing gas line which abuts the site to thenortheast along Montiel Road.Electric Servicewillbe accessed from Montiel Roadand will be undergrounded along the frontage of Montiel Road as a part of the SpecificPlan Water and Sewer services- will be provided by VallecitosWater District (VWD). VWDhas a 10” water main adjacent to and north of the property along Montiel Road. A waterand sewer study prepared by VWD determined that an adequate water storage, watertreatment/disposal, and land outfall capacities exist at this time. While the property iswithin the boundaries of the VWD, for water service it will have to annex into VWD’ssewer district in order to take advantage of the sewer service provided by VWD. Anyinstallation of upgrades to the existing sewer improvements within the Specific Planand/or payments of fees towards upgrades may be required for the Specific Plan asdetermined by VWD.
Cable Television- is not anticipated to be utilized,but satellite TV, and internet, isanticipated to be used in the commercial building and all equipment will be shielded onthe roof behind the mechanical screening and out of sight from side elevations.
Fire Protection- This property is in a High Fire Hazardarea as identified in the City ofSan Marcos General Plan and by its design, construction standards and landscapingwill mitigate any Fire related hazards. Fire Protection will be provided by the SanMarcos Fire Protection District and the City of San Marcos Fire Department. Service is 28 provided throughout the City through four fire stations with the closest fire station beinglocated at 404 Woodland Parkway (within a 2.5-mile distance from the site).
The San Marcos Fire Protection District also has a mutual aid agreement within theEscondido Fire Department, which, in case of need, may provide emergency services tothe site.
The Fire District will require fire hydrants at 300 feet spacing, sprinklers internal to thebuilding and a fire standpipe. The Specific Plan will be required to comply with allapplicable City Fire Code requirements (SMCC Chapter 17.64). In addition, the propertywill be required to be annexed into the City’s Community Facilities District, CFD2001-01; Fire/Paramedic.
Police Services- will be provided by the County ofSan Diego Sheriff’s Department andthe property will be required to be annexed into the City’s Community Facilities District,CFD 98-01; Police.
Solid Waste- will be provided by the local franchisewaste hauler-EDCO (EscondidoDisposal Company).
Operation and maintenance of public improvements & private facilities- will beprivately financed except for those included in the Community Facility Districts.
Parks, Recreational Services and open space- is providedby the City of San Marcos.The closest park is Montiel Park which is less than 500 Feet away from the project site. 29 IV. IMPLEMENTATION
A. REVIEW PROCESSThis chapter establishes the development review process for the project. The scope ofthe project includes environmental review in conformance with CEQA, approval of theSpecific Plan and approval of a Site Development Plan. A Comprehensive SignProgram shall be reviewed and approved by the City after project approval.
B. SPECIFIC PLANThe Specific Plan consists of a conceptual site plan and this text. A description of theproject’s consistency with the San Marcos General Plan, permitted land uses, sitedevelopment standards with special site-specific design criteria and measures requiredto implement the project are provided in this Specific Plan.
C. SITE DEVELOPMENT PLANIn accordance with this Specific Plan the project will require approval of a SiteDevelopment Plan (SDP), obtain approval from the Vallecitos Water District, and obtainappropriate grading and building permits from the City of San Marcos. A lotline/boundary adjustment to create a single legal lot will also be required prior toissuance of a grading permit. The Conceptual Site Plan in Figure 4 on the list of exhibitsreflects a single lot after the boundary adjustment.
D. SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENTSApproval of this Specific Plan signifies acceptance by the City of San Marcos of ageneral framework and specific development standards for the project. It is anticipatedthat certain modifications to the Specific Plan text and exhibits may be necessary duringthe life of the project. Any modifications to the Specific Plan shall occur in accordancewith the amendment process described in this section. These amendments, should theyoccur, are divided into two categories: Administrative Amendments which allow forminor changes to the Specific Plan and may be approved by the Planning DivisionManager, and major changes which are considered Formal Amendments and are to bereviewed for approval by the Planning Commission and City Council.
Administrative Amendments
Upon determination by the Planning Division Manager, certain minor modifications tothe Specific Plan and/or graphics may not require formal amendments (i.e. throughpublic hearing) to the Specific Plan as approved. The Planning Division Manager hasthe authority to approve modifications to the Specific Plan as follows:
30 1. Realignment or modifications of internal streets, driveways, or parking areasserving the project, lot lines, easement locations, building footprint areas, andgrading adjustments, if also approved by the City Engineer.
2. Minor modifications to the Specific Plan may be allowed providing such futureamendments shall not permit a new use or group of uses not shown in theapproved Specific Plan Amendment.
3. Modifications to design criteria such as paving treatments, architectural detailsand related criteria.
4. Landscape treatments and areas; fencing, lighting, and entry treatments,provided the modifications are in substantial conformance with the purpose andintent of the specified design criteria
5. Additional environment review shall not be required for administrativeamendments to the Specific Plan Amendment provided such changes aredetermined to be in accordance with the overall intent of the Specific Plan and donot represent new significant environmental effects.
Formal Amendments
Specific Plan modifications, which do not meet the criteria of an AdministrativeAmendment, noted in this chapter shall require a major Amendment of the SpecificPlan. These amendments shall be processed pursuant to Chapter 20.530 of the SanMarcos Zoning Ordinance. The Planning Commission and City Council shall review allmajor Amendments for approval.
The Specific Plan text and exhibits represent an integrated, well-balanced plan fordevelopment, which has been reviewed in great detail by the City’s staff, PlanningCommission and City Council. Any request for a major Amendment to the Specific Planshall require serious consideration as it relates to the intent of the original Specific Plan.Therefore, it shall be the responsibility of the amendment’s applicant to demonstratethat:
1. The proposed amendment meets the goals and agreements of the San MarcosGeneral Plan and the Richland Neighborhood Plan.
2. Any impacts to the Specific Plan resulting from the amendment can besatisfactorily addressed.
It shall also be the applicant’s responsibility to update any Specific Plan studies and/orprovide additional studies as determined by the Planning Division Manager. 31 V. SPECIFIC PLAN CONSISTENCY WITH THE SAN MARCOSGENERAL PLAN A. GENERAL PLAN GOALSThe following are stated goals of the General Plan with which the project is consistent.
Goal LU-1 Achieve a balanced distribution and compatible mix of land usesto meet the present and future needs of all residents and thebusiness community.
ImplementationThe development of the subject property will occur on anundeveloped property planned and zoned as a Specific Plan Area(SPA) for commercial/office uses and will implement the generalplan in this area.
Goal LU-2 Promote development standards and land use patterns thatencourage long-term environmental sustainability ImplementationThe building use being proposed will be consistent with thecommercial/office center to the west and east and the othercommercial centers along Montiel Road. The project will providelong-term employment opportunities for the area.
Goal LU-3 Develop land use patterns that are compatible with and support avariety of mobility opportunities and choices.
ImplementationThe project is near other commercial/office centers and in an areawith available and proposed public transportation facilities. Anaccessible path of travel from the project site interior to the publicright of way is provided as part of the proposed Specific Plan.Employees have transit service available at the intersection ofAvenida Ricardo/Nordahl Road and Center Drive which is 0.7miles to the west as well as a light rail, Sprinter station at theintersection of Nordahl Road and Mission Road which is 1 milefrom the project site. 32 Goal LU-6 Maintain a supportive business climate and a healthy, sustainableeconomy to retain and attract high quality businesses and createadditional employment opportunities.
ImplementationThe project, during the site construction will provide temporaryconstruction jobs and permanent jobs for the commercial officeoperation as well as contribute a significant amount of propertytaxes to the City of San Marcos.
Goal LU-8 Ensure that existing and future development is adequatelyserviced by infrastructure and public services.
ImplementationThe project is near SR 78 and is redeveloping a site that iscontiguous to other commercial/office development. It willcontribute to existing infrastructure by making infrastructureimprovements to support future growth. 33