RESOLUTION NO. 2024-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA
MARIA, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING PLANNED DEVELOPMENT
PERMIT PD2022-0001 FOR HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, LOCATED
AT THE 2000 BLOCK OF ROEMER COURT
WHEREAS, the applicant, Lotus Management, Inc. has applied for a Planned Development Permit (PD2022-0001) to construct a 4-story, 93 room hotel on a 2.13-acre site, herein referred to as the Project; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Santa Maria held a public meeting on January 17, 2024, to review the Planned Development Permit; and
WHEREAS, on January 17, 2024, with a 5-0 vote, the Planning Commission made its recommendation by motion that the City Council approve the proposed Planned Development permit as conditioned; and
WHEREAS, a duly noticed public hearing was held on the Planned Development Permit by the Santa Maria City Council on March 5, 2024; and WHEREAS, the Santa Maria City Council made no modification of the proposed Planned Development Permit which had been previously considered by the Planning Commission; and
WHEREAS, the City Council considered and relied on the Planning Commission’s recommendations to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring Program for the Project, in making its decision on the proposed project; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Santa Maria has reviewed the Holiday Inn Express Planned Development Permit project in accordance with the application submitted and hereby makes the required findings in accordance with Section 12-35.203 of the Municipal Code, including the following:
A. That the project meets the vision, intent, and requirements of the General Pl an.
The purpose of the C ommunity Commercial General Plan Land Use designation as described on page LU -18 of the City’s General Plan Land Use section is “ to include the majority of retail uses outside the central core, particularly along the lineal developm ent corridors which have emerged. The majority of these uses would be geared to the area -wide market.” The project meets the vision, intent, and requirements of the General Plan because it would be located within a designation meant to provide more flexibility in regard to the types of commercial uses that could be developed at the site including a proposed hotel.
B. That the site for the proposed use is adequate in size and topography to accommodate the use, and all yards, spaces, walls and fences, parking, loading and landscaping are adequate to properly adapt such use with the land and uses in the vicinity because the project is designed to comply with the City of Santa Maria Municipal Code standards for the PD/ C-2 zone, including but not limited to parking, landscaping, setbacks, building height and vehicular access. The site is adequately sized to accommodate the proposed commercial use, and the construction of the hotel would adapt with the land and uses in the vicinity which includes a similar land use p attern of hotel development as well as some less intensive industrial development.
C. That the site for the proposed use relates to streets and highways adequate in width and pavement type to carry the quality and kind of traffic generated by the proposed use because the proposed construction of the project would not lead to inadequate street and highway conditions. A traffic and circulation study was prepared by Associated Transportation Engineers (ATE) in 202 1 for the General Plan Amendment and Zone Change associated with this project. The City of Santa Maria General Plan Circulation Element states that a Level of Service (LOS) D or better is acceptable for roadway and intersection operations. The traffic study determined that the existing area intersection s operate within acceptable LOS ranges. The same determination was also made for the existing plus project conditions and cumulative project conditions with no change s to the LOS at the area intersections requiring mitigation to meet the City’s acceptable LOS requirements.
The City received a second traffic analysis (Orosz Engineering Group, June 2023) for a non-related project located on Preisker Lane approximately ¼ mile to the east of the project site, which also analyzed the Broadway/Roemer intersection. Based on the results of that analysis, the City requested and received a Traffic Signal Warrant Analysis (Orosz Engineering Group, October 2023) to provide further analysis for the Broadway/Roemer intersection. The City Public Works Department has determined based on all of the traffic analysis that a signal is not warranted at the Broadway/Roemer intersection . However, the Holiday Inn Express project is required to pay traffic mitigation fees through the conditions of this permit.
The project meets the screening criteria to screen out VMT impacts because the project would generate fewer than 110 daily trips (per CEQA) for employee trips. Trip generation estimates were calculated for the conceptual plan using rates presented in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation manual for hotel employees. The plan for the hotel is to utilize 12 employees to operate the hotel and would result in approximately 24 average daily trips. According to the Study, “Hotel developments are unique in that the majority of trips are generated by hotel guests from outside the community coming to visit the area for work and leisure purposes.
These work and leisure trips would occur without the development of the hotel since the destination (Santa Maria) is the trip attractor, not the hotel. The hotel is in effect capturing those work and leisure trips by providing lodging for travelers. This type of land use is not specifically identified in the State or Caltrans guidelines which address per capita home base ( residential) and employee work base (office) trips”.
Furthermore, the City completed equivalent local-serving retail site estimates. The hotel proposal would be the approximate equivalent of a 20,590 square -foot shopping center which falls within the local -retail screening criteria of less than 50,000 square-feet per City Environmental Procedures.
D. That the proposed use will have no adverse effect upon abutting property as the construction of the hotel development and the establishment of the commercial use would be self -sustained by providing adequate on -site parking in an area of the City that has established commercial development of a similar scale. No land use conflicts would be established as identified in the City’s General Plan Land Use Element (Goal L.U-.7) because the project site is either the same Land Use designation as proposed by the project or is designated for adjacent to development and zoning that is of less intensive industrial type and not heavy industrial.
E. That the establishment, ma intenance and/or conducting of the use for which the planned development review is sought will not, under the circumstances of the particular case, be detrimental to the health, safety, morals, or welfare of persons residing or working in the neighborhood of such use and will not, under the circumstances of the particular case, be detrimental to the public welfare, injurious to property or improvements in the neighborhood; nor shall the use be inconsistent with the character of the neighborhood or contrary to its orderly development because the construction of the commercial project and the establishment of such use would adapt with the land and uses in the vicinity. The project would provide adequate space for setbacks, parking , and landscaping to ensure no nuisances would be created by the establishment of the project. The conditions of approval and development standards required for this project alleviate any potentially adverse impacts that could result from the proposed use. Therefore, the project would be compatible with the adjoining land uses and would not be more obnoxious or detrimental to the health of the public than any of the uses established at the project area, or any of the uses listed in the PD/C-2 section of the Municipal Code.
F. That the con ditions stated in the decision are necessary to protect the public health, safety, and general welfare.
G. The proposed modification(s) are otherwise consistent with the General Plan, Municipal Code, and applicable Specific Plans . No modifications to develop ment standards per Section 12-35.202 of the Municipal Code are proposed.
H. The project includes superior design elements that mitigate or compensate for any potential impact of the proposed modification(s) on the surrounding area . The project is consistent with all applicable development standards in the Municipal Code and no modifications to development standards per Section 12-35.202 of the Municipal Code are proposed.
I. The proposed modification(s) are essential to the design of the project. The project is consistent with all applicable development standards in the Municipal Code and no modifications to development standards per Section 12-35.202 of the Municipal Code are proposed.
J. The proposed modification(s) have been minimized to the maximum extent possible consistent with Subsections (a) through (c) of Section 12 -35.203 of the Municipal Code. The project is consistent with all applicable development standards in the Municipal Code and no modifications to development standards per Section 12-35.202 of the Municipal Code are proposed.
K. That the environmental impacts of the project are adequately reviewed in the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Holiday Inn Express General Plan Land Use and Zone Amendment (GPZ2022 -0001) and there is no substantial evidence in the record that the project, as mitigated, may have a significant effect on the environment. There is no substantial evidence in the whole record before the Planning Commission supporting a fair argument that the project as described in the MND will produce the conditions as provided in Section 15073.5 of the CEQA Guidelines under which a Negative Declaration must be recirculated for public review. No further environmental review is required.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS H EREBY RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Santa Maria, California, as follows:
1. The above recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein by reference.
2. The City Council approves the Planned Development Permit (Exhibit G of the City Council staff report dated March 5, 2024, incorporated herein by reference) for Holiday Inn Express , located at the 2000 Block of Roemer Court.
3. The Chief Deputy City Clerk is hereby authorized to make m inor changes herein to address clerical errors, so long as substantial conformance of the intent of this document is maintained. In doing so, the Chief Deputy City Clerk shall consult with the City Manager and City Attorney concerning any changes deemed necessary.
PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Santa Maria, California, held this 5th day of March 2024.
ATTEST:
Chief City Clerk
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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City Attorney
APPROVED AS TO CONTENT:
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Department Director
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Interim City Manager