SR 05:244 - Laserfiche WebLink

Some of the residents indicated that they would consider supporting a new driveway if it was as an access for emergency vehicles only, but not for uses associated with St. Clare's activities. The residents indicated they were not opposed to the expansion in concept. Based on the comments from the neighborhood meeting, the applicant revised the site plan. The revised plan eliminated the interior courtyard and grouped the buildings together. The applicant also indicated that the new driveway on National Park Road was necessary to meet Fire Department requirements; however, it would only be used as an Emergency Vehicle Access (EVA). To ensure this, a gate would be installed to prevent access by other than emergency vehicles. Second Neighborhood Meeting: The revised plan was intended to address the residents' concerns of the December meeting, and a follow-up neighborhood meeting was hosted by staff on January 18, 2005 to present the revised proposal. A similar number of residents attended the meeting. They stated: · They could not support the master expansion plan if access is provided from National Park Road, even if it is an EVA ·They did not want the northern portion of the parcel used for parking They reiterated concerns of possible preschool expansion · They suggested linear building form rather than the clustered design, with a building occupying the northern portion of the site instead of a parking lot. In response to these comments, the applicant prepared another revision to the plan. This proposal completely eliminated the proposed driveway, including the EVA, which was a major concern of the neighbors. In its place, an on-site hammerhead turnaround, acceptable to the Fire Department, was shown. However, the building location remained the same, with a clustered building footprint and a parking lot located at the northern portion of the site. Since the driveway was eliminated and the building layout remained the same as it was when shown to the residems on January 18, 2005, staff did not feel it was necessary to host a third meeting to have the residents comment further on the proposal prior to the Planning Commission hearing. On April 29, 2005, notices of the Planning Commission hearing on the subject matter were sent to residents within a 1,000-foot radius of the subject site and to all residents in the Valley Trails neighborhood. General Plan The site is designed as Medium Density Residential on the General Plan. Churches and other institutional uses are allowed in residential areas pursuant to the Land Use Element provided they meet all requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. In addition, the Land Use Element section of the General Plan includes the following policies/programs which are relevant to the proposed project: SR:05:154 Page 5