The Applicant, Rob Camire, submitted a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application requesting to establish a recreational vehicle and boat storage facility at 285 North Berry Street, in the C-M (Commercial Industrial) zone. The Applicant is also requesting approval for an eight-foot tall privacy fence along the perimeter of the property.
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BACKGROUND
The project site is approximately 2.1 acres, and is presently developed as a paved parking lot without any buildings or structures. The project site is located on the east side of North Berry Street, north of Imperial Highway. The project site is surrounded by industrial uses to the north and west, an office business park to the east, and commercial uses to the south. The CUP is a retro-active request since the Applicant occupied the site without the issuance of a CUP. Code Enforcement became aware that RV’s and boats were being stored on the site, and informed the Applicant that this use would require a CUP.
During the Code Enforcement field visit, it was observed some improvements were made without obtaining a building permit, including but not limited to, restriping and the installation of a perimeter fence. The Applicant subsequently submitted this CUP application on September 1st, 2020. As stated in Condition J of the attached Draft Resolution, all on site improvements will require review and approval by the Fire Department, Engineering Division, Building and Safety and Planning Division.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Per the Applicant’s business operating plan, a maximum of 82 recreational vehicles and boats could be stored on-site, in addition to a single visitor parking stall. The size of the parking stall will vary, with widths of 10’ to 14’, and lengths of 20’ to 55’. The hours of operation would be Sunday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 pm. The proposed storage facility would operate as self-service with no on-site employees. Customers would gain access to the facility using an electronic keypad and gate located at the northeast corner of the site. In an effort to secure the site, the Applicant is proposing to install 24-hour surveillance cameras and 14 new solar powered lights within the facility. The new solar powered lights adhere to the existing light poles at the site, and would provide visibility and security for the property. Additional on-site improvements include restriping the parking lot to accommodate recreational vehicles, including those ranging in size from eight-and-a-half feet (8’-6”) wide by 20’ to 55’ in length, and installation of a new eight-foot tall privacy fence located along North Berry Street and shared property lines.
Per §20.240.069 of the Brea Zoning Code, the maximum fence height at the project site is seven-feet. However, an eight-foot tall fence may be permitted through an Administrative Remedy subject to review and approval by the Director of Community Development (Director). Since the CUP requires the review of the Planning Commission, the Director is deferring its review of the eight-foot tall fence to the Planning Commission so it may consider this project in its entirety.
DISCUSSION
The proposed storage facility would serve as a secure and accessible storage location for recreational vehicle and boat owners in Brea and North Orange County. The project site does not contain any buildings or structures, and is of sufficient size to operate as a storage facility.
ZONING ANALYSIS
Pursuant to §20.408.030(3), uses in the C-M zone for which no provision is made or which provide a combination of uses not otherwise provided for nor prohibited, are permitted subject to approval of a CUP. The project site meets all applicable development standards for properties in the C-M zone, as shown in the Table 1 below.
TABLE 1 - CONFORMANCE TABLE
| Development Standards |
Required |
Proposed |
| Minimum Width |
100’ |
310’ and 297’ |
| Minimum Depth |
150’ |
307’ and 282’ |
| Front Yard Setback & Landscape Buffer Requirement |
20’ setback, and 10’ closest to the street shall be landscaped. |
21’ setback, and 17’ closest to the street is landscaped. |
The on-site parking stalls provide an adequate turning radius of 45 degrees, and there is an existing 35-foot wide by 45-foot length driveway that provides sufficient ingress and egress from North Berry Street. As conditioned in the attached draft resolution, an on-site sign would be posted to restrict vehicles to a right turn exit only onto North Berry Street. As proposed, vehicles would be stored outdoors. To obscure the storage facility from public view and adjacent uses, the Applicant is proposing an eight-foot tall Priva-Max fence around the project site. In addition, all the mature landscaping existing along North Berry Street would remain to further enhance the streetscape view. Figure 1 below shows an aerial of the project site and highlights the entrance/exit and landscape buffer.
Based on the proposed business operation and on-site improvements, the approval of the CUP is not anticipated to result in any negative impacts to adjacent properties. As proposed, the vehicle storage facility can be accommodated based on the design, physical layout of the property, and conditions of approval in the draft resolution.
A condition of approval (Condition C) has been added to control the time limits of this interim use. This condition limits the use to a five-year term from the effective date of approval. If the Applicant wishes to extend the lease of the site, the Community Development Director would have the ability extend the term of the CUP annually, not to exceed five consecutive extensions, for a total of ten years from the date of approval.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons discussed above, as well as the information attached to this report, the proposed project conforms with all the requirements of the General Plan with all applicable requirements of state law, and the provisions of the City of Brea codes. Moreover, the proposed project is not anticipated have an adverse effect on the public, health, safety, or general welfare. Therefore, staff recommends approval of the proposed project. |
This project has been assessed in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines, and the environmental regulations of the City. Upon review, the proposed project qualifies for a Class 1 Categorical Exemption (Existing Facilities) in accordance with the requirements of Section 15301 of the state CEQA guidelines. This exemption is applicable to the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use.
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