31A - VARIANCE - 1760 E EDINGER AVE

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VA No. 2015 -06 September 28, 2015 Page 4 To analyze whether the existing parking on the site could accommodate the use, and therefore substantiate the variance request, the applicant hired the traffic engineering firm of Linscott Law & Greenspan to provide an alternative parking standard for the health club, and to prepare a shared parking analysis of the site, and study the impacts on other commercial centers that share similar multiple land uses. Using procedures developed by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) for shared parking, hourly demand profiles for a typical non - holiday week were applied for the four relevant land uses (retail, family restaurant, fast -food restaurant and fitness center), For this study a ratio of 5.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet was used to account for the unique trip making and parking characteristics of the health club based on actual field studies of other health club operations. Note that while the sample health clubs varied in overall building size, the ratio of "physical activity" space to "ancillary" (lockers, lobby, hallways, etc.) space was similar to the proposed Planet Fitness, with range of 60 to 68 percent of "physical activity' space per fitness center. Based on further analysis, PacifiCenter's overall peak requirement, assuming full occupancy and completion of the proposed Planet Fitness project, is at 6:00 p.m. during the weekday with a forecast of 775 parking spaces. On the weekend, the peak parking requirements for PacifiCenter will occur at 5:00 p.m. when a parking demand of 775 spaces is forecasted (Exhibit 9). The parking study took into the account the restriping and the four displaced parking spaces included in the site remodel when calculating the potential surplus parking for the center. Thus, based on the shared supply of 856 parking spaces, a surplus of 81 spaces would result during weekday and weekend peak hours. Since 2000, the City has considered similar request for parking variance for health clubs in five different locations in Santa Ana: Bally Total Fitness (now LA Fitness) at 3701 South Plaza Drive, LA Fitness at 1501 North Tustin Avenue, Gold's Gym at 1945 East Seventeenth Street, Planet Fitness at 2725 North Bristol Street, and 24 Hour Fitness at 2800 North Main Street. Parking variances at these locations were approved with reduction in parking of approximately 30, 31, 51, 50 and 20 percent respectively. In analyzing the variance request staff must be able to show that findings can be made that support the criteria listed above. The project site has a special circumstance related to its size, shape and location. The proposed use will be located within a built -out commercial center on Edinger Avenue that is a major transportation corridor and surrounded by commercial, office and light industrial uses. Due to its location, there is no feasible option to providing additional parking the Santa Ana Municipal Code requires for a health club. The number of on -site parking spaces will be sufficient as identified in the parking analysis for the project, which has determined that a surplus of parking will be provided for the project given the dynamic of shared parking on -site. As a result, the parking variance will allow the applicant the ability to use the property in a manner that is consistent with similar surrounding commercial community serving uses. 31A-6