AgdaPkt 2014-07-28 Closed, Special and Joint SA

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8.B. - Page 8 Staff Recommendation to the Planning Commission Staff initially recommended certification of the Final EIR and approval of the Use Permit for up to 180 students and 20 employees to the Planning Commission. Staff evaluated the Project's feasibility and code compliance against specific metrics and relevant planning policies (see also Attachment 12), including: • General Plan land use designation • General Plan policies • Zoning district requirements • Use Permit findings • Environmental review (CEQA) • Community input General Plan policies and Zoning district requirements encourage schools in residential neighborhoods, and though the Final EIR found that there would be a significant unavoidable noise impact resulting from the sound of children playing outdoors, staff found that the benefits of the Project are consistent with General Plan policies and Zoning district requirements that encourage schools in residential neighborhoods. The Final EIR did not identify significant unavoidable traffic impacts, though staff recognizes that additional traffic would result from approval of this application, and acknowledges the neighborhood concerns regarding traffic and safety and the concentration of school in one particular area of the City. Absent specific criteria or requirements that explicitly identify a cap on student enrollments (or the number of schools) permitted within a defined geographic area, the City must analyze these proposals on a case by case and neighborhood by neighborhood basis. This is the exact reason why schools are only conditionally allowed in residential areas. The Municipal Code realizes that schools operate in an inherently different manner than residential uses, and therefore must be analyzed and scrutinized more carefully to determine if a particular project will be compatible with the surrounding area. A more thorough analysis of staff's recommendation can be found in the attached Planning Commission staff report. Additionally, if the Council opts to overturn the Planning Commission decision, and approve the school use, the attached alternative resolution spells out the exact finding that need to be made. Environmental Review /Concerns by Neighbors A Draft EIR (Attachment 4) and the Final EIR (Attachment 5) have been prepared for the Project. The Draft EIR identified significant unavoidable noise impacts related to the Project's outdoor activities, specifically related to noise generated from children playing outdoors and its impact on adjacent residential properties. The Draft EIR did not identify significant traffic impacts related to the Project, though staff acknowledges that neighborhood traffic concerns resulting from the expansion of Roosevelt School continue to be an issue. During the application review process for the Project, Roosevelt School expanded its grade levels from kindergarten through 5 grade to transitional