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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC11-05 Special Use Permit First Student City of Riverside Staff Analysis Report Case Number PC11-05, Special Use Permit General Information Applicant: First Student Bus Service Location: 6700 Highway 9 Requested Action: To consider a Special Use Permit (SUP) to allow outdoor storage Zoning: I- Industrial Existing Land Use: Mid America Power Systems & Services office and warehouse storage. Proposed Land Use: Outdoor storage for the parking of school buses. Procedure: In accordance with Section 400.580 of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), a special use permit is required for outdoor storage. Therefore, the procedure for a special use permit is a public hearing before the Planning Commission and the Board of Aldermen after notification has been given in a paper of general circulation at least 15 days before the hearing date and property owners within 185’ of the subject property have been notified of such hearing. These requirements have been fulfilled on this application. Project Description The applicant, First Student, has applied for a Special Use Permit pursuant to Chapter 400.580 of the Riverside Municipal Code to allow outdoor storage of school buses . The applicant provides transportation for schools in the Park Hill School District. Analysis The UDO provides specific criteria for outdoor storage (Section 400.580) and the review of special use permits. Following are the relevant criteria. 1. Special Use Permit: Outdoor storage shall only be permitted after approval of a special use permit. 2. Screening: Outdoor storage shall be in a fenced open yard adequately screened. The outdoor storage is proposed to be located in a fenced in area north of Highway 9. The fence is chain link and at this time the applicant has not proposed any type of screening. 3.Location: Outdoor storage shall be located in either a side or rear yard. This property is unique because its orientation along the highway makes it difficult to distinguish the different yards. Considering access is obtained from the east and a building is located near this point, staff identifies the east side as the front yard. The applicant is proposing parking buses along the west side of the property, which would be the rear yard. The buses will face Highway 9. The applicant is not proposing to use the building. 4.Appearance: Outdoor storage shall have a neat and orderly appearance. Code enforcement will regularly monitor the outdoor storage to ensure a neat and orderly appearance. 12 Page of 5.Setback: All setback requirements (front - 25 feet, side - 15 feet, rear - 20 feet) shall be observed. The application complies with all setbacks. 6.Height: The height of materials shall not exceed the height limitation (45 feet) of the zoning district. The application complies with this regulation. 7.Parking Surfaces.Off-street parking and loading areas shall be hard surfaced. The proposed area of storage is on an existing gravel parking surface. Staff feels that this is a temporary use for this facility and does not recommend requiring the applicant to pave the parking. This will increase the amount of impervious surface and impact drainage in this area. If at some time this becomes a permanent use or the property redevelops staff will work with the property owner to create an appropriate plan that will address stormwater management. 8. Consistence with the Comprehensive Master Plan. A goal identified in the Comprehensive Master Plan is improving the appearance of the City. The site was formally used as storage for a trucking facility so the change to storage of buses is not a significant difference in terms visual impact. Further, the site is located in an industrial setting and because passing traffic is traveling along Highway 9 it will be moving at a faster rate of speed.Based on these items, staff believes the proposal does not detract from the overall appearance of the community. Recommendation Staff recommends approval of the Special Use Permit to allow outdoor storage. 22 Page of