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PC RES 2001-024P.C. RESOLUTION NO. 2001-24 A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVE, WITH CONDITIONS, TENTATIVE TRACT MAP N0. 52666 AND GRADING PERMIT NO. 2282 IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ADOPTION OF A MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT NO. 708, TO ALLOW THE LAND DIVISION OF A 3 92 ACRE LOT INTO THIRTEEN (13) RESIDENTIAL LOTS WITHIN THE CITY'S DESIGNATED RS -4 ZONING DISTRICT. FURTHERMORE, THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL REQUIRE 16,000 CUBIC YARDS OF ASSOCIATED GRADING ON PROPERTY LOCATED AT 3200 PALOS VERDES DRIVE WEST WHEREAS, on January 28, 1999, applications for Tentative Tract Map No 52666, Grading Permit No 2282 and Environmental Assessment No 708 were submitted to the Planning Department on behalf of the property owner, 3200 Palos Verde Drive West LLC , to allow the division of a 3 92 acre lot into thirteen (13) residential lots within the City's designated RS -4 zoning district; and, WHEREAS, Staff completed an initial review of the applications and plans submitted to the Planning Department and determined that additional information was needed in order to continue processing the request. Furthermore, the applicant was informed of some potential Staff concerns pertaining to views, noise, lighting, circulation, and aesthetics, thus recommending that an environmental consultant prepare the necessary environmental documents to determine the project's impact on the surrounding environment. Subsequently, Staff deemed the subject applications incomplete on February 22, 1999, and, WHEREAS, on April 18, 2001 the augmented project applications and revised plans, were reviewed by Staff and deemed complete for processing pursuant to the Permit Streamlining Act; and, WHEREAS, pursuant to the provision of the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code Section 21000 et.seq ("CEQA"), the State's CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulation, Title 14, Section 15000 et.seq , the City's Local CEQA Guidelines, and Government Code Section 65962 5(F) (Hazardous Waste and Substances Statement), the City of Rancho Palos Verdes prepared an Initial Study and determined that, by incorporating mitigation measures into the Negative Declaration, there is no substantial evidence that the approval of Tentative Tract Map No 52666 and Grading Permit No 2282 would result in a significant adverse effect on the environment. Accordingly, a Draft P C Resolution No 2001-24 Page 1 of 5 Mitigated Negative Declaration was prepared and circulated for public review for twenty (20) days between May 26, 2001 and June 15, 2001, and notice of that fact was given in the manner required by law; and, WHEREAS, after issuing notices pursuant to the requirements of the Rancho Palos Verdes Development Code and the State CEQA Guidelines, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing on June 26, 2001 at which time all interested parties were given the opportunity to be heard and present evidence; and, WHEREAS, at the June 26th meeting, the Commission directed Staff to further investigate design alternatives that address concerns pertaining to density and view impacts with the applicant and the surrounding neighbors. A unanimous motion to table action on the proposed tract map and Mitigated Negative Declaration was passed by the Commission, and, WHEREAS, on July 12, 2001 Staff met with the applicant and surrounding neighbors to address the concerns identified at the June 26th Planning Commission meeting. At that time revised plans were presented to Staff as well as the neighbors, who collectively addressed the concerns pertaining to density and potential view impacts, and, WHEREAS, after issuing a new notice pursuant to the requirements of the Rancho Palos Verdes Development Code, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing on August 14, 2001, at which time all interested parties were given the opportunity to be heard and present evidence; and, WHEREAS, at its August 14, 2001 meting, after hearing public testimony, the Planning Commission adopted P.C. Resolution No 2001-23 making certain findings related to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act and recommend that the City Council adopt a Mitigation Monitoring Program and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the proposed project. NOW, THEREFORE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES DOES HEREBY FIND, DETERMINE, AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS Section 1: The subject applications would permit the division of a 3.92 acre lot into thirteen (13) residential lots. The proposed lots will maintain a minimum lot area of 10,000 square feet and a minimum contiguous lot area of 3,300 square feet, as required by the City's Development Code and Subdivision Ordinance for lots located within the designated RS -4 (Single -Family Residential) zoning district. As proposed, nine (9) of the lots will maintain access off Palos Verdes Drive West via a new publicly dedicated street, and the remaining four (4) lots will be accessed off Via Victoria, an existing public street. The subject property is currently improved with an existing single-family residence and P.C. Resolution No. 2001-24 Page 2 of 5 detached garage that will be demolished prior to the recordation of the final tract map Furthermore, the proposed subdivision requires 16,000 cubic yards of associated grading, consisting of 6,000 cubic yards of cut and 9,000 cubic yards of fill, of which 3,000 cubic yards will be imported onto the site. The Planning Commission finds that the proposed project is permitted within the RS -4 zoning district, and would not result in significant adverse environmental impacts In making this finding, the Planning Commission considered the project's mitigation measures that address the issues of Aesthetics, Air Quality, Cultural Resources, Geology, Noise, Traffic/Circulation, Utilities, and Water Quality. Section 2: That the creation of thirteen (13) single-family residential lots is consistent with the type of land use and density identified in the City's General Plan, Residential / 2-4 Dwelling Units per Acre, and, as conditioned, is consistent with the City's Development Code for projects within the RS -4 zoning district, and will not significantly impact the required land use. Section 3: That the creation of thirteen (13) single-family residential lots is designed to comply with the minimum 10,000 square foot lot area requirement and the minimum 3,300 square foot contiguous lot area requirement for newly created lots in the City's RS -4 zoning district, and that the newly created lots comply with the minimum lot width and depth standards required for the RS -4 zoning district Section 4: That the division and development of the property will not unreasonably interfere with the free and complete exercise of the public entity and/or public utility rights-of-way and/or easements within the tract; and that the dedications required by local ordinance are shown on the Tentative Tract Map and/or are set forth in the attached conditions of approval. Section 5: That the subject use, as conditioned, mitigates or reduces significant adverse effects to adjacent properties or the permitted uses thereof and will create a project that will be sensitive and harmonious with the surrounding area Section 6: The project will not result in significant adverse affects to topography; destruction, covering, or modification of unique geologic or physical features; impacts to archeological or paleontological resources; or expose persons to seismic ground failure, landslides, or other known hazards, affect any plant or animal species or result in the removal of any sensitive Plant Life or Animal Life. Although on-site grading is proposed, a Geotechnical Report addressing the scope of the project grading has been conceptually approved by the City's Geotechnical Engineer in the Planning Stage, further reports will be required to be reviewed and approved by the City's Building Official and the City's Geotechnical Consultant prior to issuance of grading or building permits Furthermore, the Geotechnical Report shall provide the developer with applicable conditions for which the project shall be constructed, along with other conditions P C Resolution No 2001-24 Page 3 of 5 that the City's Building Official and City's Geotechnical Consultant find necessary to ensure the project is constructed in a manner that does not jeopardize the public's health, safety and welfare. As such, conditions will ensure that the proposed project will not cause any significant geological impacts Section 7: That the grading is not excessive beyond that necessary for the primary residential use since the earthwork is necessary to mitigate the issues of view impairment from within the tract as well as outside the tract, to create development that is harmonious with the surrounding neighborhoods, and, in part, is necessary to improve access and drainage on the site Section 8: That the grading and/or construction does not significantly adversely affect the visual relationships with, nor the views from, neighboring sites since the grading will create building pads that allow view corridors of the ocean laterally over the lots and future residences. The manufactured 2 1 transitional slopes will be vegetated in a manner that protects the slopes from erosion and slippage, while minimizing the visual effects of the proposed earth movement Section 9: That the proposed grading does not significantly alter the natural contours since the site was previously disturbed at the time the existing residence on the subject property was developed and the surrounding residential tracts were developed. The proposed earth movement is designed in a manner to resemble the site's existing contours by integrating the man-made features, consisting of transitional slopes, into the building pads that gradually ascend from the western property line to the eastern property line. Section 10: That the proposed public street is designed to resemble the existing contours of the site, originating off Palos Verdes Drive West and terminating at a cul-de-sac near the upper portion of the subject property. The proposed street will commence at a slope of approximately 7% for the first 180 feet and will reach a maximum gradient of 15%. The proposed street requires improvements that will be reviewed and approved by the City's Public Works Director, the City's Building Official and the Los Angeles County Fire Department prior to issuance of grading permits. Section 11: Pursuant to the City's Development Code, new residential construction shall be developed in a manner that is consistent with the surrounding neighborhood, as it pertains to size, mass and bulk, architectural style and front yard setbacks, in order to preserve the character of established neighborhoods. As such, conditions will require that the design of the future residences be reviewed under the City's "Neighborhood Compatibility" analysis through a Site Plan Review application, unless otherwise noted Section 12: The applicant has consulted the lists prepared pursuant to Section 65962 5 of the Government Code and has submitted a signed statement P.C. Resolution No. 2001-24 Page 4 of 5 indicating whether the project and any alternatives are located on a site which is included on any such list, and has specified any such list. The Lead Agency has consulted the lists compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code, and has certified that the development project and any alternatives proposed in this application are not included in these lists of known Hazardous Waste and Substances Sites as compiled by the California Environmental Protection Agency. Section 13: For the foregoing reasons and based on its independent review and evaluation of the information and findings contained in the Initial Study, Staff Reports, minutes, and records of the proceedings, the Planning Commission has determined that the project as conditioned and mitigated will not result in a significant adverse impact on the environment Therefore, the Planning Commission hereby recommends that the City Council approve, with conditions, Tentative Tract Map No. 52666 and Grading Permit No 2282, in association with certain environmental findings for Environmental Assessment No. 708 to allow the land division of a 3 92 acre lot into thirteen (13) residential lots at a minimum lot area of 10,000 square feet within the RS -4 zoning district and to allow 16,000 cubic yards of associated grading on property located at 3200 Palos Verdes Drive West • APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 14 th day of • 2001, • the following • AYES: Chairman Lyon, Vice -Chairman Clark, Commissioners Cartwright, Paulson, Mueller, Long, and Vannorsdall NOES: None ABSTENTION: None ABSENT: None JPel Rdjas, AICP Rirecto uilding $ of Planni g, aNW2bde EnforcYQnt, and, Secretary to the Planning Commission Z'1 - Frank Lyore' Chairman P.C. 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