PCRES 2007-007PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION 2007-007
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA, RECOMMENDING TO
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA QUINTA,
CALIFORNIA, THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION
CERTIFYING AN ADDENDUM TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT REPORT (EIR NO. 41), AND SUBSEQUENT CEQA
COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTS, FOR LA QUINTA COVE GOLF
CLUB REVISED SPECIFIC PLAN 121-E (1975), AS
AMENDED, PREPARED FOR SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT
2006-865
CASE: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 2006-573
ADDENDUM TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
AND SUBSEQUENT CEQA COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTS
FOR
LA QUINTA RESORT SIGNATURE POOL PROJECT
APPLICANT: CNL DESERT RESORT, LLP
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of La Quinta, California,
did, on the 13th day of February, 2007, hold a duly -noticed Public Hearing to consider
the request of CNL Desert Resort, LLP ("CNL") regarding an Addendum to the
Environmental Impact Report for Revised Specific Plan 121-E, as revised and amended,
(EIR No. 41) (the "Addendum") and Site Development Permit No. 2006-865 (the
"SDP");
WHEREAS, the Addendum complies with the requirements of the
California Environmental Quality Act and "The Rules to Implement the California
Environmental Quality Act of 1970" (as amended, Resolution 83-68 adopted by the
City Council); and
WHEREAS, upon hearing and considering the EIR, the subsequent
environmental compliance documents, the Addendum and all testimony and
arguments, if any, of all interested persons desiring to be heard, the Planning
Commission did find the facts, findings, and reasons to justify certifying the
Addendum set forth in the attached resolution.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Planning Commission of the
City of La Quinta, California, as follows:
1. That the above recitations and those contained in the attached Resolution
(Exhibit "A") are true and constitute the findings of the Planning Commission in
this case.
p\reports\2007\2-13-07\sdp 2006-865\sdp 2006-865 ea res.doc
Planning Commission Resolution 2007-007
Environmental Assessment 2006-573
CNL Desert Resort LLP
Adopted: February 13, 2007
2. That it does hereby recommend to the City Council that the City Council adopt
the attached Resolution certify the Addendum for the reasons set forth in this
Resolution, the attached Resolution, and as stated in the Addendum text on file
in the City Clerk's Department.
3. That the Planning Commission has reviewed the Addendum, the EIR, and the
subsequent CEQA compliance documents, and had determined that the
Addendum reflects the independent judgment of the City.
PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the La
Quinta Planning Commission held on this 131" day of February, 2007, by the following
vote, to wit:
AYES: Commissioners Alderson, Barrows, Engle, and Chairman Quill
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: Commissioner Daniels
City of La Quinta, California
ATTEST:
a
DO LA . EVANS
Community Development Director
City of La Quinta, California
Planning Commission Resolution 2007-007
Addendum to Environmental Impact Report
CNL Desert Resort, LLP
Adopted: February 13, 2007
Attachment
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA, CERTIFYING AN ADDENDUM TO
THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR NO. 41), AND
SUBSEQUENT CEQA COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTS, FOR LA
QUINTA COVE GOLF CLUB REVISED SPECIFIC PLAN 121-E
(1975), AS AMENDED, PREPARED FOR SITE
DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 2006-865
CASE:
ADDENDUM TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND
SUBSEQUENT CEQA COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTS FOR
LA QUINTA RESORT SIGNATURE POOL PROJECT
APPLICANT:
CNL DESERT RESORT, LLP
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of La Quinta, California, did,
on the 13th day of February, 2007, hold a duly -noticed Public Hearing to consider the
request of CNL Desert Resort, LLP ("CNL") regarding an Addendum to the
Environmental Impact Report for Revised Specific Plan 121-E, as revised and
amended, (EIR No. 41) (the "Addendum") and Site Development Permit No. 2006-865
(the "SDP"), and did approve the applications by adopting Planning Commission
Resolutions 2007— and 2007-
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of La Quinta, California ("City"), did, on
the 20th day of February, 2007, hold a duly -noticed Public Hearing to consider the
request of CNL regarding the Addendum and the SDP, which contemplates the
redevelopment of approximately 7.4 acres within the La Quinta Resort's 62-acre
parcel, and the construction of a "Signature Pool" complex on that redeveloped 7.4
acre parcel;
WHEREAS, the Addendum complies with the requirements of the California
Environmental Quality Act and "The Rules to Implement the California Environmental
Quality Act of 1970" (as amended, Resolution 83-68 adopted by the City Council);
and
WHEREAS, upon hearing and considering the EIR, the subsequent CEQA compliance
documents, the Addendum and all testimony and arguments, if any, of all interested
persons desiring to be heard, the City Council did find the following facts, findings,
and reasons to justify certifying the Addendum:
Planning Commission Resolution 2007-007
Addendum to Environmental Impact Report
CNL Desert Resort, LLP
Adopted: February 13, 2007
Attachment
1. applications for the SDP (the "Application" or "Proposed Project"), with respect
to a portion of Revised Specific Plan 121-E, as amended, constitute further
discretionary approvals needed to implement the Revised Specific Plan, as
amended. The application reflects necessary entitlements to proceed with the
redevelopment of approximately 7.4 acres, located within the La Quinta
Resort's 62-acre parcel; both of which are situated within the Revised Specific
Plan 121-E, as amended. Specifically, the "Signature Pool" contemplated by
the Proposed Project will provide several water -related and pool -featured
amenities, including an arrival plaza; a children's outdoor play area; a "lazy
river" that proceeds in a circular loop; a formal outdoor pool with terraces;
private pool -side cabanas; a game room with a first aid center; outdoor dining
terraces; a splashdown pool for slides; a wave pool; a chaise lounge deck; and
secure gate entry points. The Proposed Project will be limited to a specific
portion of the La Quinta Resort's 62-acre parcel, which presently contains
existing recreational facilities, including an outdoor swimming pool and tennis
courts. Specifically, the area to be affected by the Proposed Project presently
contains up to ten existing tennis courts, the existing tennis stadium (center
court), an existing restroom building and an existing outdoor swimming pool.
The Proposed Project will not be open to the general public and is not intended
to function as a theme park or public water slide park. Additionally, the
Proposed Project site is situated such that it is not visible to the general public
or from any adjacent public roadways.
2. On or about May 6, 1975, the Board of Supervisors for the County of Riverside
certified the adequacy and completeness of Environmental Impact Report No.
41 (the "EIR") and approved and adopted Specific Plan 121-E. In October of
1982, the City Council certified Environmental Assessment No. 15145 and a
Negative Declaration in connection with its consideration and approval of the
Revised Specific Plan 121-E to reflect modifications to Specific Plan 121-E,
refinements of the development concepts therein and a change of zone.
On or about September 20, 1988, the City Council certified Environmental
Assessment No. 88-095 and a Negative Declaration in connection with its
consideration and approval of Amendment No. 1 to Revised Specific Plan 121-
E, which Amendment implemented Change of Zone No. 88-031, Tentative
Parcel Map No. 23749 and Plot Plan No. 88-393.
On or about November 21, 1989, the City Council certified Environmental
Assessment No. 89-141 and a Negative Declaration in connection with its
consideration and approval of Amendment No. 2 to Revised Specific Plan 121-
E, which Amendment implemented Plot Plan No. 89-421 .
Planning Commission Resolution 2007-007
Addendum to Environmental Impact Report
CNL Desert Resort, LLP
Adopted: February 13, 2007
Attachment
On or about July 5, 1995, the City Council certified Environmental Assessment
No. 95-304 and a Mitigated Negative Declaration in connection with its
consideration and approval of Amendment No. 3 to Revised Specific Plan 121-
E, which Amendment implemented Plot Plan No. 95-555.
On or about September 16, 1997, the City Council certified Environmental
Assessment No. 97-340 and a Mitigated Negative Declaration in connection
with its consideration and approval of Amendment No. 4 to Revised Specific
Plan 121-E, which Amendment implemented General Plan Amendment No. 97-
054; Change of Zone No. 97-083; Tentative Tract Map No. 28545; Site
Development Permit Nos. 97-607 and 97-608; and Certificate of
Appropriateness No. 97-003.
On or about June 19, 2001, the City Council certified an Addendum to EIR No.
41 in connection with its consideration and approval of Amendment No. 5 to
Revised Specific Plan 121-E, which Amendment implemented Tentative Tract
Map No. 30125; General Plan Amendment No. 2001-078; Change of Zone No.
2001-101; and Site Development Permit No. 2001-703.
The Revised Specific Plan 121-E, as amended by Amendments 1, 2, 3, 4 and
5, is referred to herein as the "Prior Project." The Proposed Project is
consistent with the Prior Project.
3. The Proposed Project does not contemplate or propose substantial changes in
the Prior Project, which will or would require major revisions of the Prior Project
EIR and subsequent CEQA compliance documents approved by the City, due to
the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial
increase in the severity of significant effects previously identified in the Prior
Project EIR and subsequent CEQA compliance documents referenced above.
Rather, the Proposed Project concerns a change in, and construction related to,
the current recreational uses within a specific area of the La Quinta Resort,
which specific area is currently used and is approved for commercial and
recreational purposes.
4. No Substantial changes will occur with respect to the circumstances under
which the Prior Project will be undertaken, as modified by the Proposed Project
described herein, which will or would require major revisions of the Prior Project
EIR and subsequent CEQA compliance documents approved by the City, due to
the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial
increase in the severity of the significant effects previously identified in the
Prior Project EIR and subsequent CEQA compliance documents approved by the
City.
Planning Commission Resolution 2007-007
Addendum to Environmental Impact Report
CNL Desert Resort, LLP
Adopted: February 13, 2007
Attachment
5. No new information of substantial importance which was not known, and could
not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence, at the time the
Prior Project EIR and subsequent CEQA compliance documents were
certified/approved as complete, has become available which shows any of the
following:
(A) The Prior Project will have one or more significant effects not discussed
in the Prior Project EIR and subsequent CEQA compliance documents;
(B) Significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe
than shown in the Prior Project EIR and subsequent CEQA compliance
documents;
(C) Mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible
would in fact be feasible, and would substantially reduce one or more
significant effects of the Prior Project and/or Proposed Project, but the
City declines to adopt the mitigation measures or alternatives; or
(D) Mitigation measures or alternatives which are considerably different from
those analyzed in the Prior Project EIR and subsequent CEQA compliance
documents would substantially reduce one or more significant effects on
the environment, but the City declines to adopt the mitigation measures
or alternative.
6. Based upon these findings and the Addendum/Initial Study, the City Council
has determined that no Subsequent EIR or Supplemental EIR is required or
appropriate under Public Resources Code section 21166, and that an
Addendum is sufficient to make the Prior Project EIR and subsequent CEQA
compliance documents apply to the Proposed Project.
7. The Addendum/Initial Study, which was prepared to evaluate whether the
Proposed Project would cause any new or potentially more severe significant
adverse effects on the environment, specifically analyzed, in addition to several
other potential impacts, potential impacts related to cultural resources, traffic,
air quality, noise and aesthetics. The analysis and conclusions for many of
these specific potential impacts were based on, and relied upon, expert reports
that are attached to the Addendum as Appendices A — E and which, together
with the Addendum, provide the substantial evidence upon which the City
Council's findings provided herein are based. Based upon the facts and
analysis contained in the Addendum/Initial Study, the City Council finds that
the Proposed Project will not have, when compared to the Prior Project EIR and
subsequent CEQA compliance documents referenced above, any new or more
Planning Commission Resolution 2007-007
Addendum to Environmental Impact Report
CNL Desert Resort, LLP
Adopted: February 13, 2007
Attachment
severe adverse environmental impacts, in the defined Study Area, including,
without limitation, no new or more severe significant adverse impacts related to
cultural resources, traffic, air quality, noise or aesthetics. The City Council
makes the following more specific findings:
(A) The Addendum/Initial Study specifically analyzed the Proposed Project's
potential effects on cultural resources, based upon the Historic
Resources Evaluation prepared by Architectural Resources Group, which
is attached to the Addendum as Appendix A and incorporated therein.
Based upon the facts and analysis contained in the Addendum/Initial
Study and its Appendix A, the City Council finds that the Proposed
Project will not have any new or more severe significant impacts on
cultural resources. Moreover, and in the alternative, the City Council
finds that any temporary construction fence and/or proposed safety wall
surrounding the Morgan House is categorically exempt from CEQA based
upon the following CEQA Guidelines: 15301 (Class 1-Existing Facility,
including subsection (f) (safety device)); 15303 (Class 3-Small Structure,
including subsection (e) (fences)); 15311 (Class 1 1-Accessory
Structures) and 15331 (Class 31-Historical Resource Protection
Measure).
(B) The Addendum/Initial Study specifically analyzed the Proposed Project's
potential impacts on traffic and circulation, based upon a Traffic Impact
Analysis prepared by Endo Engineering, which is attached to the
Addendum as Appendix B and incorporated therein. Based upon the
facts and analysis contained in the Addendum/Initial Study and its
Appendix B, the City Council finds that the Proposed Project will not
have any new or more severe significant traffic or circulation impacts,
either on public roads or the internal circulation system at the Proposed
Project site.
(C) The Addendum/Initial Study specifically analyzed the Proposed Project's
potential impacts on air quality, based upon an Air Quality Modeling and
Analysis prepared by Impact Sciences, which is attached to the
Addendum as Appendix C, and incorporated therein. Based upon the
facts and analysis contained in the Addendum/Initial Study and its
Appendix C, the City Council finds that the Proposed Project will not
have any new or more severe significant impacts on air quality.
(D) The Addendum/Initial Study specifically analyzed the Proposed Project's
potential impacts related to noise, based upon the Operational Acoustics
Study prepared by Veneklasen & Associates, which is attached to the
Planning Commission Resolution 2007-007
Addendum to Environmental Impact Report
CNL Desert Resort, LLP
Adopted: February 13, 2007
Attachment
Addendum as Appendix D, and incorporated therein. Based upon the
facts and analysis contained in the Addendum/Initial Study and its
Appendix D, the City Council finds that the Proposed Project will not have any
new or more severe significant impacts related to noise.
8. The Proposed Project does not have the potential to degrade the quality of the
environment, substantially reduce the habitat of a fish or wildlife population to
drop below self sustaining levels, threaten to eliminate a plant or animal
community, reduce the number or restrict the range of rare or endangered
plants or animals or eliminate important examples of the major periods of
California history or prehistory.
9. The Proposed Project does not have the potential to achieve short-term
environmental goals, to the disadvantage of long-term environmental goals, as
no new or more severe significant adverse effects on the environment have
been identified by the Addendum/Initial Study.
10. The Proposed Project will not result in any new or more severe significant
impacts which are individually limited, but cumulatively considerable, when
viewed in connection with planned or proposed development in the immediate
vicinity.
11. The Proposed Project will not have environmental effects that will adversely
affect the human population, either directly or indirectly, in that no new or
more severe significant impacts have been identified which would affect human
health or public services.
12. These factual findings are based upon the previously certified EIR, all
subsequently approved CEQA compliance documentation for the Prior Project,
the Addendum/Initial Study and all documents referred in or attached to it --
including, without limitation the Historic Resources Evaluation; the Traffic
Impact Analysis; the Air Quality Modeling and Analysis; the Operational
Acoustics Study; and the Recommendations for Protective Fence at the Morgan
House -- the submissions of the applicant; the records and files of the City's
Community Development Department related to the Proposed Project; and any
and all other documents referred to or relied upon by the Prior Project's Revised
Specific Plan, as amended.
13. The City Council has considered the Addendum to the Prior Project EIR and the
subsequent CEQA compliance documents approved by the City, and the
Addendum reflects the independent judgment of the City.
Planning Commission Resolution 2007-007
Addendum to Environmental Impact Report
CNL Desert Resort, LLP
Adopted: February 13, 2007
Attachment
14. The City has on the basis of substantial evidence, rebutted the presumption of
adverse effect set forth in 14 California Code Regulations section 753.5(d).
15. The location and custodian of the City's records relating to the Proposed
Project is the Community Development Department located at 78-495 Calle
Tampico, La Quinta, California.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of La
Quinta, California, as follows:
1. That the above recitations are true and correct and constitute the findings of
the City Council for this Addendum.
2. That it does hereby certify the Addendum for the reasons set forth in this
Resolution and as stated in the Addendum text on file in the City Clerk's
Department.
3. That the City Council has reviewed the Addendum, the EIR, and the subsequent
CEQA compliance documents, and had determined that the Addendum reflects
the independent judgment of the City.
4. That the Community Development Director is directed to file a Notice of
Determination with the County Clerk regarding this action.
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the La Quinta City
Council held on this 20th day of February, 2007, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Don Adolph, Mayor
City of La Quinta, California
Planning Commission Resolution 2007-007
Addendum to Environmental Impact Report
CNL Desert Resort, LLP
Adopted: February 13, 2007
Attachment
ATTEST:
\/a�nnirn Mnnfcrinn E,`�A(' ('i+v (`IcrL
City of La Quinta; California
(City Seal)
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
M. Katherine Jenson
City Attorney
City of La Quinta, California