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Home My WebLink About03/24/1992, 2A - STUDY SESSION - CORPORATION YARD MASTER PLAN 111111111111111110111 llry^lyl►11111111 III MEETING DATE: ltltll I II I° c� o San �JIS os�spo - 2-L;- - 9 2 COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT ITEM NUMBER: 44 FROM: Arnold B. Jonas, Community Development Director .- PREPARED BY: Glen Matteson,Associate Planner SUBJECT: Study session - corporation yard master plan CAO RECOMMENDATION Confirm the direction provided by the enclosed sketch plan, so staff can complete environmental review and prepare a master plan suitable for adoption. DISCUSSION Situation The Council has asked staff to prepare a master plan for the City property roughly bounded by Highway 101, Prado Road, San Luis Obispo Creek, and Los Osos Valley Road. This site accommodates the ECOSLO recycling center, and the city' s corporation yard (parks, streets, water and sewer) , transit bus maintenance, and wastewater treatment plant. Recently proposed additions include expanded wastewater treatment facilities, relocated bus parking, a fire training facility, recycling street-paving material, and composting tree trimmings and sewage sludge. Until the last few years, most of this property was a pasture for the "sewer farm. " It is on the main southern entry to the City. Recent proposals have raised issues of competing uses for the limited space, and appearance of the site. Staff is presenting a sketch plan which identifies issues and suggests solutions. Council is asked to confirm the approaches and indicate the level of detail desired before staff does more work. Previous plans The City has not adopted a "master plan" for the whole property, though development of the corporation yard was seen as a phased project. The City has received several planning reports concerning parts of this site: - 1977 S.U.A. Consultant's "Corporation Yard Master Plan, " which assessed space needs through 1995 and recommended a site plan and phasing program for eight acres in the site's northwest corner, which has generally been followed in developing the corporation yard. - 1980 Ross Levin MacIntyre "Supplemental Data for Corporation Yard Master Planning, " which updated the 1977 assessment and compared the Prado Road site with an alternative on the ��++►�►rulf�llllllflllh► ��Ill city of San LuIs OBISpo MIMI COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Gudel property (owned by the City at that time, since sold and developed as the Zaca Lane commercial subdivision. ) 1988 West + Doubledee "City Facilities Master Plan, " which further updated space needs and recommended revising the corporation yard development plan to accommodate additional storage and employee space. i Within the last 18 months, the Council has received an EIR and Supplement, and staff reports, for the wastewater treatment plant j upgrade. Other agency plans Caltrans does not have a plan for Highway 101 expansion or landscaping in this area. Caltrans has said that an additional lane in each direction can be accommodated within the present right-of-way. Also, Caltrans has prepared landscape guidelines which say, in agreement with City thinking, that additional landscaping is warranted, that it should help screen foreground features without obstructing long-range views, and that it should emphasize native and drought-tolerant plants. It suggests that any major tree planting occur outside the right-of-way, to avoid pipelines. Caltrans may help pay for planting, though this is not a high statewide priority. City and Caltrans staff have been discussing use of reclaimed effluent for landscape irrigation. The Area Coordinating Council does not have a plan for this area, but it has been working with Cal Poly on a study of the Highway 101 corridor throughout the County. That study classifies this area as having relatively low visual significance. Preliminary comments from study authors include a desire to maintain generous open space setbacks along the west (Dalidio) side of the highway, and to avoid intense building colors along the east (City) side. Issues and suggestions An overall site plan accompanies this report. The drawing shows the major existing facilities and the most recent plans for proposed facilities. It also notes issues and options considered by staff, keyed to the following numbers: 1. Landscape screening along Highway 101 Questions: What should planting here accomplish, and how? Comments: Existing planting has been criticized as being inadequate (bus yard) or as being too much like a tall hedge (corporation yard) . The drought and the December 1991 freeze have stunted or killed some of the bus yard planting, ��►�►►��►1111111p° ��hl city of San _41S osIspo MWOMilme COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT which will be replaced. Objective: Planting along the highway should screen City facilities while allowing distant views of the hills. Proposal: See attached sketch A. Planting should consist of intermittent tall trees, dense medium-height shrubs with a variable distance from the roadway (to avoid the "hedge" feeling) , and low ground cover. In some places, there may be gaps in the shrubs, with interior planting to screen facilities. The highway frontage on any area planned for future City activities should be planted as soon as possible after the drought, so landscaping can be well established by the time any facilities are installed. Along the ponds and any area reserved for permanent open space, the shrub mass would be absent or at least not continuous. Provide planting within the site as an employee/visitor amenity. Interior planting can also help screen facilities that would otherwise be visible through any necessary gaps in the property-line planting. Planting would be funded as part of the budget for proposed facilities along the highway. Note: The height and setback of facilities will determine if it is possible to screen them without obstructing views of the hills. Any feature more than about 12 feet tall above the natural ground surface and within 100 feet of the roadway will block the hills; any feature more than about 25 feet tall and within 200 feet (such as the bus maintenance building) will also block the hills. 2 . Open space vs. City facilities Questions: How much of the remaining open space should be permanently kept open, and how much should be reserved for expansion of City facilities? Comments: The wastewater EIR concluded that the somewhat enlarged treatment plant site would have sufficient space for facilities needed to meet the demands of build-out of the adopted general plan, including further treatment for effluent re-use. No other City functions are proposed to expand into the area that is now open. However, the City may take on functions that are not now foreseen, or it may want to expand some facilities at this location, rather than have to seek a new consolidated or secondary location. Composting tree trimmings with sludge at this site would allow the beneficial combination of sludge (moisture and nitrogen) with plant material (dry matter and carbon) , minimize trucking of the sludge, and allow any leachate drainage to be treated with incoming sewage. A-3 ��h�1►�►►►��►IIIIIIIII�° ��III city of san L..is oBIspo RNMOMMMMMCOUNCIL AGENDA REPORT The remaining open land would also be a desirable area for cropland (possibly flower or seed growing) or grazed pasture, to receive land application of dried sludge. Applying sludge to this area would minimize energy consumption, air pollution, noise, and road damage compared with other possible sites for use of the sludge. Objective: Maintain flexibility in accommodating future space needs of City facilities at the present, City-owned location, while keeping as much of the remaining open area as possible open as long as possible. Proposal: A. Reserve about three acres immediately south of the new wastewater treatment facilities for future City facilities, with a generous open space setback. Likely uses for this area would be the City' s own recycling operations: road-base storage pending reuse, and composting of wood chips and sewage sludge. These activities were recently proposed for the area just north of the bus facility; some road base is stored there, and some tree- trimming chips are stored within the developed, screened areas labelled "corp. yard" on the site plan. B. Keep and enhance the existing five acres of effluent ponds as wetland habitat. C. Keep the remaining 11 acres between the ponds and the four-acre "future facilities area" as open space. A possible use is a marsh/forest that would: (1) Allow outflow from the ponds, to avoid concentrating minerals and nutrients in them, while avoiding outflow to the creek; (2) Allow some additional groundwater recharge; (3) Be a location for "offsite" mitigation of wetlands loss in other locations. Another possible use is land application of sludge. D. Reserve a little more than one acre between the corporation yard and the bus facility for corporation yard expansion. Potential uses for this area are vehicle parking and storage of equipment, such as gabion baskets and street barricades, or bulk material in low mounds or bins, with stored items not exceeding six feet tall. 44- 0��11�H►►Villllllll� lllllll city of San L..AIs oeIspo COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT 3 . Prado Road interchange space needs Question: How can an interchange of Highway 101 with Prado Road be accommodated while providing adequate space for city facilities and landscape screening? Comments: Construction of an interchange is several years away. Studies for the Circulation Element update show that an interchange can be built with minor exceptions to Caltrans standards and with minimal take of City property. However, some landscaping and parking next to the existing Prado Road off-ramp would be displaced. The draft Circulation Element suggests making Prado Road a four-lane street. Staff has discussed making it six lanes from Highway 101 to South Higuera, if it becomes an arterial connecting Highway 227, the Margarita expansion area, South Higuera, Highway 101, and the Dalidio expansion area and Madonna Road. Additional right-of-way may be required. Objective: Maintain the amount of landscaping and parking with any development of an interchange. Proposal: No specific proposal for City property or interchange design at this time. Previous widening of Prado Road has been along the south i side. If a six-lane width is favored, the City should adopt j a plan line, showing additional setback along the north side. 4 . ECOSLO/Fire Department site Questions: Can the city property accommodate both ECOSLO recycling and Fire Department training; if so, how much and in what form? Comments: The ECOSLO operation occupies about 1. 3 acres, and handles primarily newsprint and beverage containers. It has been criticized as unsightly and as interfering with City functions. However, it does provide a service which the City itself has not provided. The Fire Department has shared this part of the property with ECOSLO, to practice rescues from trenches and vehicles; the arrangement has been awkward. The Fire Department wants to develop a training facility on the area occupied by ECOSLO. The new training tower would be three or four stories tall. The Fire Department needs a site with easy access to the rest of the City, in case crews are called to emergencies during training sessions. g$4 Se ��n��►r+i�lililllllllli° lllllll city Of san i.^.s OBISPO COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT ECOSLO and the Fire Department have designed a layout (attached Sketch B) that would accommodate both uses. Objectives: Provide spaces for a fire training facility and for ECOSLO materials recycling, with a layout that minimizes appearance problems and access interference. Proposal: ECOSLO recycling and Fire Department training would use different parts of the area, as shown in the attached Sketch B. ECOSLO would continue to be a tenant, at least for the next several years. Litter control would be improved. Frontage improvements and landscape screening would be extended from the access road to the east side of the sludge beds. There would be no materials donations at the entry. (This approach is reflected in the proposed ECOSLO lease extension, set for Council action March 17 . ) i 5. Public access trail Questions: Should a trail be developed along the west side of the creek? When? How should it relate to the creek and to City facilities? Comments: The general plan Parks and Recreation Element calls for an off-street trail in this area. The wastewater upgrade design anticipates using the existing service road (which has minimal traffic) along the creek. as part of a hiking/bicycling trail. Connections at the ends are difficult: the City does not own them, and the southern one would require a new bridge or use of a an existing culvert. Public access should respect the sensitive creek and pond environment, and the need for security of City operations. Objective: Provide a creek-side trail that would eventually link central San Luis Obispo with Avila Beach. Proposal: For now, stake out the trail alignment through this City property, where it does not coincide with the service road, providing proper separation from sensitive wetland areas and security for City operations (sketch C) . 6. Views from residential neighbors Question: How will the City's facilities look from the east side of the creek? Comments: The wastewater EIR concluded that enhancing and maintaining the existing riparian trees (mostly willows) along the creek would provide adequate screening. Since 1A-6 ��N��►u�illllllfll► ��llll city of san "AIs OBIspo COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT many of them lose their leaves in the winter, the screening effect is reduced then. Evergreen trees generally do not occur naturally along major streams in our area, though oak trees and bay trees often follow hillside ravines. Any trees along the creek are likely to block distant views of the morros, but they will also reduce wind exposure. Objective: Screen City facilities from surrounding properties. i Proposal: Maintain and enhance native trees in and near the creek channel; introduce some riparian evergreens that are native, but which appear not to occur naturally along this i part of the creek, such as California live oak or California ! bay laurel. i CONCURRENCES This sketch plan was developed by representatives of Public Works, Utilities, Fire, Transit, Planning, and Administration. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION The sketch plan has not been reviewed by the Planning Commission. Planning Commission consideration of the draft master plan will be scheduled after Council gives initial direction, and before the Council considers approval. FISCAL IMPACTS There will be no significant fiscal impacts from giving staff direction at this stage. Implementing an approved master plan will entail costs such as the following, which would be approved by the Council when it considers separate project plans: - Landscaping along Highway 101, about $120, 000 (includes all planting and irrigation along areas 2A and 2D on sketch plan, but not area along wastetwater expansion, which has already been funded) . - Creek trail, roughly $50, 000 (preliminary budget estimate, excluding any changes to existing wastewater service road or bridge construction) ; - Prado Road frontage improvements and landscaping upgrade, about $20, 000. No substantial revenues or cost savings are expected to result from features of the sketch plan. A9- V ! / 'ul _'; J 1 Q T r - ILI � LL d K n d' SKETCH B (PART 1) P R A D O R O A D oursloe DROP eon Coe GATE (TO BE REMOVED) O J O, U W Z Z O G W O J R 3 � o y Q W a NEW FENCE:. ._:.:. LL w Q L u► F LU Z r O a 0 w 0 rxr i cz U 3 LUZ ��J O W Z CL . ................. ......... ....... .... .. to y !; :: ......:.:.::.....__.::::.:':..._ t•-- - � � 3 i�I Q m I 5 ! .;. :.e:.......................:...t:.:::.:y.:. V t `: y El <� _ Q ::;frp � y :M�i <::R::c:;,�".'+k'+��1'. Y:ja$j�:�+?�>i�i`'f:y{: N O R T H 0 25 50 80' 176' ALL NOTED MEASUREMENTS ARE AN-APPROXMATIoN J*4 - � SKETCH B (PART 2) ECOSLO YARD DETAIL AREA = 23,450 S9. FT. P R A D O R D . ENTER : . . DAY / NIGHT :. .. DROP SITE x :°::.::.:::::: EMPLOYEE: SIGN ..PARKIN F1 I W :..:.;.:..:: :V W v A GLASS PEi' CARDBOARD:..... ....... STORAGE STOQAG[ STORAGE S GN .STORAGE SHO r----------------� ■ I I W N I BALER _iSOQ71N0 CARDBOARD z I AREA PEToI`LERj PROCESSING OFFICE' I I r' K ING I RL ------ N�s�-■I �-■I SIGN 176' F D T R A I N I N G G R O U N D S� o 10 m 40 -fid IL Id Ul 7 CL ��►n►►iivilllllllli°j�Il�Ill City Of San Lacs OBispO COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS No significant, unavoidable environmental impacts are foreseen. However, activities such as composting or land application of sludge will raise issues of air and water quality. Staff will prepare an initial study, and the Council must make an environmental determination, before approving a master plan. (If a master plan is not approved, environmental studies will be needed for individual project plans. ) RECOMMENDATION Review this report and the enclosed sketch plan. Confirm or revise the proposed features, so staff can complete environmental review and prepare a master plan suitable for adoption. i gmD:GYMP-CAR.wP i i i