AgdaPkt 2007-08-13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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REPORT 7A Page 1 To the Honorable Mayor and City Council From the City Manager August 13, 2007 SUBJECT Appeal of the Planning Commission's Certification of an Environmental Impact Report and the Zoning Administrator's approval of Use Permits for the Costco Wholesale Project RECOMMENDATION 1. Review the appeal letter from the Redwood Village Neighborhood Association and staff responses to the concerns cited in the appeal letter (Attachments #1 and #2). 2. Uphold the Planning Commission's certification of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the Costco Wholesale project. 3. Uphold the Zoning Administrator's approval of a Use Permit for a 160,000 square foot retail warehouse with a tire center on the north side of the buifding. Consider the EIR Addendum in taking this action. 4. Uphold the Zoning Administrator's approval of a Use Permit for a gas station with 12 vehicle fueling positions. Consider the EIR Addendum in taking this action. BACKGROUND Costco Wholesale is proposing to redevelop their site with a new expanded retail warehouse store and a gas station. Their application was received in spring 2005 and is described in detail in the June 19, 2007 Planning Commission! Zoning Administrator staff report, previously provided under separate cover. The staff report includes project plans and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), among other items, as attachments. As described in that report. there has been a significant level of community interest in this project, predominately by the nearby residents of the Redwood Village Neighborhood and owners of local gas stations. Over the course of the last two years, the City has considered the community's input in overseeing the preparation of environmental review documents as well as additional studies of the proposed project. As a result of this process and community input, Costco's preferred development plan has evolved and is described and evaluated in the E1R as the "Expanded Warehouse and Relocated Gas Station Alternative" in the Alternatives chapter of the EIR. This alternative includes demolition of the existing 121,000 square foot retail warehouse; construction of a new 160,000 square foot retail warehouse with a tire center on the north side of the building (Middlefield Road side); and a gas station toward the rear of the site with 16 vehicle fueling positions. The Draft and Final EIRs for this project were previously provided to the City Council under separate cover, as were the Economic and Fiscal Impact Studies prepared for the project. The Appendices to the Draft EIR, which include technical studies, were provided through the City Clerk's office. Planning Commission and Zoning Administrator Actions In Redwood City, the Planning Commission is responsible for reviewing and acting on California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documents and the Zoning Administrator has authority to grant or deny Use Permits. When a project includes both of these