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PLN15-0104 - 2900 Main St. - Applicant: Ajooni Rentals, LLC. Applicant seeks the approval of a Use Permit to operate a car rental business at 2900 Main Street. Cars will be stored in both and outdoor area and inside an existing storage building. Cars will be transported to and from storage areas to the existing office building on-site for delivery to the customer and after the customer returns the car. The project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301.
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CITY OF ALAMEDA
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE USE PERMIT
ITEM NO: 3-B
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION: PLN15-0104 - 2900 Main St. - Applicant: Ajooni Rentals, LLC. Applicant seeks the approval of a Use Permit to operate a car rental business at 2900 Main Street. Cars will be stored in both and outdoor area and inside an existing storage building. Cars will be transported to and from storage areas to the existing office building on-site for delivery to the customer and after the customer returns the car. The project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301.
GENERAL PLAN: General Industry
ZONING: M-2, General Industrial (Manufacturing)
ENVIRONMENTAL
DETERMINATION: Categorically exempt from State CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301 - Existing Facilities.
PROJECT PLANNER: David Sablan, Planner I
PUBLIC NOTICE: A public notice was mailed to property owners and residents within 300 feet of the project site, published in local newspapers and posted in public areas near the subject property.
RECOMMENDATION: Find that the project will not cause significant adverse impacts to the environment, and is Categorically Exempt under State CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301. Approve Administrative Use Permit application PLN15-0104 with conditions based on the findings contained in this report.
EXHIBIT: 1. Site Plan
PROPOSAL:
The proposal is for an administrative use permit to allow the operation of car rental facility at 2900 Main Street. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday between 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m, and closed on Sundays. The proposed car rental facility will operate at two locations on the project site. The rental cars will be stored at a location with three adjacent storage areas; an existing covered garage that can accommodate up to eleven (11) vehicles, an existing fenced in outdoor storage area that can accommodate up to fourteen (14) vehicles, and five (5) parking stalls assigned by the landlord to the applicant. Administrative and customer relation activities will take place in the applicant's tenant space in an existing office building on site. Rental cars will be driven by the car rental facility's staff from the storage areas to a parking stall in front of the tenant's office space to be transferred to the customer. Customer returns will be in a parking stall assigned by the landlord to the applicant, with adequate directional signage in the parking lot to direct customers. After hour returns will be possible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The customer will be informed in writing the appropriate location to return a vehicle, and will be charged extra fee's if they do not comply.
FINDINGS:
1. The location of the proposed use is compatible with other land uses in the general neighborhood area, and the project design and size is architecturally, aesthetically, and operationally harmonious with the community and surrounding development.
The existing property at 2900 Main Street is located in a neighborhood where the adjacent uses include industrial and residential uses. The existing sites in the neighboring are zoned as M-2, which permits a variety of industrial and commercial uses. Currently, the site contains manufacturing uses with associated commercial vehicle traffic with no reported impacts on the nearby residential neighborhoods. The proposed use, conducted in compliance with all conditions which approval is made contingent, will not intensify the existing manufacturing activities and associated commercial vehicle traffic. Therefore, the proposed use is compatible with the existing uses in the neighborhood area.
2. The proposed use will be served by adequate transportation and service facilities including pedestrian, bicycle and transit facilities.
The site is currently developed and does not require additional off-street parking facilities. The project site is within a half mile walk of AC Transit bus route 31. As a car rental facility the proposed use will generate very little demand for parking from customers, and any parking necessary will be short term, limited to pickup and drop-off of vehicles. The site has adequate space to accommodate parking and vehicle circulation for a car rental facility.
3. The proposed use, if it complies with all conditions upon which approval is made contingent, will not adversely affect other property in the vicinity and will not have substantial deleterious effects on existing business districts or the local economy.
The applicant plans to operate Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and closed on Sundays. There will be reserved parking spaces inside the project site for transfer of vehicles between the applicant and customers. There will be a condition of approval that prohibits parking or idling rental cars in drive aisles, which ensure there will not be an adverse impact on the vehicular circulation and avoid conflicts between vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the parking lot. The project will not include any auto repair and maintenance operations, nor any car washing on site. The proposed use, conducted in compliance with all conditions upon which approval is made contingent, will not adversely affect property in the vicinity.
4. The proposed use relates favorably to the General Plan.
The proposed site is located within an area designated by the General Plan as General Industrial, which permits a variety of industrial and service uses. The proposed use is consistent with the designation.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT CONDITIONS:
1. Compliance with Conditions: The applicant/property owner shall ensure compliance with all of the following conditions. Failure to comply with any condition may result in construction being stopped, issuance of citation, and/or modification or revocation of the Permit.
2. Plans: The layout of the tenant space shall be in substantial compliance with the floor plan prepared by Manu Singh, received on April 13, 2015 and on file in the office of the City of Alameda Community Development Department, except as modified by the following conditions.
3. Compliance with City Ordinances. The approved use is subject to, and shall comply with, all applicable City Ordinances and laws and regulations of other governmental agencies.
4. Hours of Operation: Any change in business hours to operate between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. shall require the applicant request and receive an amendment to this use permit.
5. Fencing: Applicant shall maintain fencing around the storage areas.
6. Inventory: Applicant shall not store more than 30 vehicles on-site concurrently.
7. Maintenance and Repair Work: No maintenance or repair of vehicles or equipment may be performed on the site or on adjacent public streets.
8. Storage of Inoperable Vehicles and Parts Prohibited: There shall be no auto repair activity or storage of inoperable vehicles or parts on the site.
9. Washing of Vehicles: No washing of vehicles or equipment is permitted on the site. All rental cars are required to use an off-site car wash facility.
10. Location of Transfer of Vehicles between Applicant and Customer. All transfers of the vehicles between the applicant and customer shall take place in a properly marked parking stall. Cars shall not be left parked or idling in drive aisles at any time.
11. Directional Signage: The applicant shall install directional signage, to direct customers returning vehicles to the appropriate parking stalls, to the satisfaction of the Planning Director. The maximum allowed size of the directional signs is nine (9) square feet, and directional signs shall not feature any logos or advertising.
12. Written Vehicle Return Directions: The applicant will provide written directions with the proper procedure and location for returning vehicles both during and after regular business hours.
13. Site Maintenance: The site shall be maintained and operated in a clean, neat and orderly manner. It shall be applicant's responsibility to keep the site and adjacent street frontages clear of debris and illegal dumping.
14. Waste Receptacles: There shall be proper receptacles available onsite to customers for emptying and cleaning vehicles after use.
15. Noise: No amplified music or sound shall be permitted onsite. All activities conducted onsite shall comply with the City of Alameda's Noise Ordinance.
16. Lighting: Any new temporary exterior lighting fixtures shall require separate City approval. New lighting shall be low intensity, directed downward and shielded to minimize offsite glare.
17. Revocation: The Zoning Administrator, Planning Board and/or City Council shall have the authority to modify or revoke this entitlement upon finding that the maintenance or operation of the proposed establishment violates any of these conditions or is detrimental to persons residing or working in the neighborhood, to property and improvements in the neighborhood or to the general welfare of the City. Odors noise and exterior lighting shall be controlled so as to prevent verified complaints from the surrounding neighborhood. This shall include noise created by employees working on the premises before or after patrons arrive.
18. Vesting: The Use Permit shall expire two (2) years after the date of approval or by May 5, 2017 unless authorized use of the property has commenced. The applicant may apply for a time extension, not to exceed two (2) years. An extension request will be subject to approval by the Zoning Administrator and must be filed prior to the date of expiration.
19. Indemnification: The Applicant shall defend (with counsel reasonably acceptable to the City), indemnify, and hold harmless the City of Alameda, the Alameda City Planning Board and their respective agents, officers, and employees from any claim, action, or proceeding (including legal costs and attorney's fees) against the City of Alameda, Alameda City Planning Board, and their respective agents, officers, or employees to attack, set aside, void or annul, an approval by the City of Alameda, the Community Development Department, Alameda City Planning Board, the City of or City Council related to this project. The City shall promptly notify the Applicant of any claim, action, or proceeding and the City shall cooperate in such defense. The City may elect, in its sole discretion, to participate in the defense of said claim, action, or proceeding. No judicial proceedings subject to review pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.5 may be prosecuted more than ninety (90) days following the date of this decision plus extensions authorized by California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.6
DECISION:
Environmental Determination:
The Zoning Administrator has determined that this project does not involve a significant expansion of an existing use and will not have a significant effect on the environment. This project is a class 1 Categorical Exemption and no additional environmental review is necessary pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(a) - operation, permitting, or leasing of existing private structures involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that which exists.
Use Permit
The Zoning Administrator approves the Use Permit with conditions.
The decision of the Zoning Administrator shall be final unless appealed to the Planning Board, in writing and within ten (10) days of the decision.
Approved by: Date: ___
Zoning Administrator