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Report regarding an application for a Use Permit for an Indoor Sports and Recreation use at 239 Utah Avenue. (Christy Usher, Contract Planner and Sailesh Mehra, Planning Manager)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission approve Use Permit (UP19-0002) and make a determination that the project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), per Class 1, Section 15301(a), based on the attached Draft Findings and subject to the attached Draft Conditions of Approval.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The applicant, Redwood Soccer Alliance (“Soccer Alliance”), proposes to operate an indoor sports and recreation use for youth located at 239 Utah Avenue in the Mixed Industrial (MI) zoning district. The proposed use is an indoor soccer facility also known as “Futsal”. Futsal is an indoor version of soccer played on a smaller field with 5-8 players per team. The Redwood Soccer Alliance will offer instruction to children ages 8-14 in how to play the game.
The existing commercial building located at 239 Utah Avenue includes a mixture of existing office and warehouse space. An existing office tenant occupies 3,219 square feet of the existing 23,662 square foot commercial building. The Soccer Alliance will occupy the remaining 20,443 square feet of the existing commercial building. The project site is surrounded by commercial buildings and warehouse uses. The site is bounded by Utah Avenue to the south.
The existing office tenant includes 3-6 employees that often work off-site. The hours of operation for the existing office space tenant are weekday, Monday - Friday 6am-3pm. The hours of the office tenant do not overlap with the proposed use which will operate only in the evenings during the week and on the weekends.
Proposed Use
As previously mentioned, the Soccer Alliance is proposing to offer futsal or indoor soccer instruction to youth ages 8-14 years old. According to the applicant’s statement, there would be a maximum of one to two futsal teams with 5-8 players per team on site. Total players in the facility at one time will be an average of 5-16 players. There will be one to three coaches on-site.
The applicant proposes no daytime hours and no daytime camps or instruction during school breaks. Additionally, there will be no special events, tournaments, or games on site.
The hours of operation for the Soccer Alliance will be Monday-Friday evening 5pm-9pm and on the weekends, including Saturday and Sunday from 10am-6pm. These hours of operation are compatible with and outside the primary operating hours for the surrounding businesses and existing office space located inside the commercial building.
In summary, the proposed hours of operation for the Redwood Soccer Alliance are:
Monday - Friday: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM,
Saturday - Sunday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
The surrounding businesses in the project vicinity are generally open during peak business hours, from approximately 7:30am-5:00pm on weekdays, and closed on weekends.
The hours of operation of the tenant that occupies the office space within the same building as the propose use are Monday to Friday from 6am-3pm.
As mentioned above the hours of operation for the Soccer Alliance will not overlap with the existing office space tenant nor do they overlap with surrounding business in the project vicinity.
No exterior modifications are proposed for the existing building. Signage will be applied for under separate permits. Existing parking lot landscaping is to remain. The existing loading docks are to remain. The existing parking lot is proposed to be re-striped (see more discussion under Parking below).
The Soccer Alliance will occupy 20,443 square feet of the existing warehouse building. As indicated on the project plans, two futsal playing areas are proposed. These two areas will each measure approximately 55 feet x 90 feet of athletic surface or interlocking tile (See Attachment 4, Manufacture Brochure). No fixed seating and no removable seating are proposed.
The Soccer Alliance may utilize the same main entrance for the building that is utilized by the existing office space which means the existing office space will be accessible and available to the Soccer Alliance and vice versa. There is an arrangement that joint access of the main entry, restrooms, and circulation spaces are permitted by occupants. The property owner has submitted and signed a statement acknowledging and confirming this arrangement (Attachment 5, Property Owner Statement). The applicant has been working closely with the City’s Building Division to ensure all building and safety code requirements including, but not limited to, ingress and egress, will be satisfied.
ZONING CONSISTENCY
Use Permit
The property is located within the Mixed Industrial (MI) Zoning District. Per South San Francisco Municipal Code (SSFMC) Section 20.110.002 (Employment Districts Land Use Regulations), Indoor Sports and Recreation uses are permitted in the MI zoning district subject to the approval of a use permit. Given that the futsal instruction would take place outside of normal business hours for the surrounding uses and that class sizes would be limited, staff believes that the proposed use would be a complementary use to the existing business operations in the area and would not negatively impact the existing commercial uses in terms of noise, traffic, and parking. By offering sports recreation and instruction for youth, the Soccer Alliance would provide a recreational and fitness opportunity for children of South San Francisco residents, visitors, and employees.
Parking
Per Section 20.330.004 of the Zoning Ordinance, recreation uses without a specified parking requirement are to be determined by the Chief Planner. Factors considered in this determination include required parking based on the most similar comparable use, the particular characteristics of the proposed use, and any other relevant data regarding parking demand.
Consistent with and based on past use permit applications, practices, and experience, staff determined the parking requirements for the proposed indoor soccer facility to be the following: one space per two students and one space for each instructor, coach, or employee. This parking ratio has been applied to several recreation uses over the last few years and has not resulted in parking complaints or code enforcement cases.
Based on these parking requirements, the Soccer Alliance would require three parking spaces for their three employees/coaches and eight parking spaces for “players.” This calculation is based on a maximum enrollment of 16 team players total in the facility at one time, for a total of 11 parking spaces.
The existing 3,219 square feet of office space would be parked per Section 20.330.004 of the Zoning Ordinance at one space per 300 square feet for a total of 11 spaces required for the office tenant on-site at 239 Utah Avenue.
In summary, the total required parking is 22 spaces for the building, and the total proposed on-site parking would be 25 spaces. Of the 25 spaces provided, two are accessible parking spaces and the remaining 23 parking spaces are standard size parking spaces. Therefore, the project exceeds the City’s minimum parking requirements by three spaces.
The existing parking lot is proposed to be restriped. Currently the existing lot contains 28 parking spaces which will be slightly reconfigured to accommodate 25 parking spaces, including the required accessible parking. Existing parking lot landscaping would remain.
Since the proposed use serves youth that are too young to drive, parental drop-off and carpooling are anticipated to decrease the demand for on-site parking.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The proposed Indoor and Sports Recreation use at 239 Utah Avenue is located within the Mixed Industrial (MI) Land Use designation of the City’s General Plan. This designation is intended to provide and protect industrial lands for a wide range of manufacturing, industrial processing, general service, warehousing, storage and distribution, and service commercial uses. Industries producing substantial amounts of hazardous waste or odor and other pollutants are not permitted. Unrelated retail and service commercial uses that could be more appropriately located elsewhere in the City would not be permitted, except for offices, subject to appropriate standards. Small restaurants and convenience stores would be allowed as ancillary uses, subject to appropriate standards. The proposed indoor soccer use is consistent with the General Plan Mixed Industrial (MI) designation, as it supports commercial use and a recreational opportunity for children.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed project has been determined to be categorically exempt from environmental review under the provisions of CEQA, Class 1, Section 15301 (a), minor alterations to existing facilities.
CONCLUSION
The proposed Indoor Sports and Recreation Use will provide an amenity and new business for youth, residents, employees, and visitors to the City of South San Francisco. Conditions of approval are included to ensure that the proposed use is compatible with the neighboring uses. Therefore, staff recommends that the Planning Commission take the following action:
Approve the entitlements request for Project P19-0017 (including Use Permit UP19-0002), based on the attached draft Findings and subject to the attached draft Conditions of Approval and make a determination that the Project is categorically exempt from CEQA.
Attachments
1. Draft Findings and Conditions of Approval
2. The Applicant’s Project Narrative
3. Project Plans
4. Manufacture Brochure of the proposed athletic surface areas
5. Property Owner Statement of Joint Access