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Time Set 11.
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| Planning Commission |
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| Information |
| SUBJECT |
9:15 a.m.
ZF #2013-0018: Request for a Use Permit to authorize overnight camping and food service provisions in association with the SkyDance SkyDiving operations, a 2.4-acre leaseholder at the Yolo County Airport located at 24390 Aviation Avenue (APN: 040-190-006). PreStar, doing business as SkyDance SkyDiving, operates an aviation facility primarily engaged in skydiving activities. Existing activities include parachute packing and repair, a skydiving school, airplane parking and fueling, food service, training, skydiving observation, picnicking, and incidental event camping. A Categorical Exemption has been prepared for this project. Owner/Applicant: Yolo County/PreStar, Inc. (S. Cormier) |
| SUMMARY |
| FILE # 2013-0018 |
APPLICANT:
PreStar, Inc.
Ray Ferrell, President
24390 Aviation Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
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OWNER:
Yolo County
625 Court Street
Woodland, CA 95695 |
LOCATION: 24390 Aviation Avenue, Parcels #6 and 7 (portion of APN: 040-190-006) (Attachment B)
GENERAL PLAN: Public and Quasi Public
ZONING: Airport Zone (AV)
SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT: District 5 (Chamberlain)
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SOILS: Hillgate loam (HdA), moderately deep, 0 to 2% slopes (Class IV); Myers clay (Ms) (Class II)
FLOOD ZONE: AE (area of determined base flood elevation within the 100-year flood plain) and X (area outside the 100-year flood plain)
FIRE SEVERITY ZONE: Moderate |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: Categorical Exemption |
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| RECOMMENDED ACTION |
That the Planning Commission:
1. Hold a public hearing and receive comments;
2. Review the Use Permit and provide direction to staff on recommended changes, edits, and/or additions;
3. Recommend that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Determine that a Categorical Exemption (Attachment C) is the appropriate level of environmental documentation in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and CEQA Guidelines;
b. Adopt the Findings (Attachment D); and
c. Approve the Use Permit, subject to the Conditions of Approval (Attachment E).
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| REASONS FOR RECOMMENDED ACTIONS |
The proposed project would authorize an existing use at the PreStar facility, operating as SkyDance SkyDiving, a leaseholder since 1989 at the Yolo County Airport. The proposed Use Permit includes conditions to accommodate incidental camping and food service activities during weekend skydiving-related events.
The proposed use would provide additional visitor services for an existing use at the County Airport, by allowing customers of PreStar to camp during limited special events, and/or stay in RVs at the site during other times of the year. As such, staff believes that the use supports several General Plan goals and policies including:
Goal CI-9:
Support and protect airports to provide goods transportation, tourism and related economic activities.
Policy CI-9.4:
Support appropriate visitor services at the County Airport.
Policy ED-1.12:
Seek productive expansion and re-use of existing County assets, including the Yolo County Airport, old military facilities and the County Landfill.
Policy ED-4.10:
Focus commercial and passenger aviation uses at the Yolo County Airport and Watts-Woodland Airport, including airport maintenance and facilities to serve visitors and support such activities.
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| BACKGROUND |
PreStar, Inc., doing business as SkyDance SkyDiving, began operating at the Yolo County Airport under Lease Agreement No. 89-151 when it purchased an existing parachute company in operation since the 1960s. PreStar is a fixed-base operator at the Airport and listed in the inventory of the Airport Master Plan Final Report (May 1998). PreStar operates an aviation activity that is primarily engaged in skydiving. The SkyDance SkyDiving facility occupies approximately 2.4 acres at the County Airport (Parcels #6 and 7), which includes several buildings that house parachute packing and repair, a skydiving school, shop and office space, airplane parking and fueling, a restroom/shower facility, and food service. The open space areas are used for parking, training, skydiving observation, picnicking, and weekend overnight camping in association with skydiving events (see attached site plan - Attachment A).
In 2009, the Board of Supervisors approved Agreement No. 09-141, First Amendment to Agreement No. 89-151, which amended certain sections of the agreement to extend the option to lease for an additional 20-year term (until 2029), and included minor changes to rental rates, termination, and insurance requirements. The Agreement will be revised to amend Section 3 (Uses Permitted) to allow for overnight camping and food service facilities under certain conditions contained in the attached Use Permit (Attachment E).
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| PROJECT DESCRIPTION |
The project is a request for an amendment to PreStar’s lease agreement, which includes a Use Permit, to authorize camping and food service activities in association with skydiving events at the County Airport. Camping and food service would be regulated under a set of conditions in the Use Permit and amended to the lease agreement. All RV and tent camping would be self-contained and temporary, not to exceed 7 days. No RV hook ups and no new permanent camping-related facilities/services would be provided.
The leaseholder’s existing facility currently accommodates camping and food service, so no new designated camping areas or permanent structures will be constructed. Campers would have 24-hour access to existing potable water. Up to 100 campers are proposed to camp up to six times per year in association with organized skydiving events; additionally, up to 12 recreational vehicles are proposed to stay overnight during non-event weekends to accommodate multiple jumps. Conditions in the Use Permit are proposed to address designated camping areas, quiet hours, campfires, and food service, among other things. Portable facilities will be brought to the site as needed, in accordance with Environmental Health standards. |
| ANALYSIS |
Yolo County Code Section 8-2.2103(d) permits recreational uses as a conditional use in the Airport (AV) Zone. Thus, a Use Permit has been prepared which would be amended to PreStar’s existing lease agreement. As stated above, the Use Permit contains a set of conditions that will regulate the incidental use of camping and food service associated with skydiving activities. Tent camping would be restricted to the turf area as shown in the proposed site plan (Attachment A), and RV camping would be allowed in the leaseholder’s parking area, as well as in the public parking lot on the other side of Aviation Avenue. No hook ups will be provided. The Use Permit also proposes to regulate food service activities in accordance with Environmental Health standards. Conditions requiring compliance with the West Plainfield Fire Department with respect to open fires and maintaining access to the fire hydrant are also included in the Use Permit (Attachment E).
The Yolo County Airport Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) (October, 1999) provides land use compatibility guidelines to assist in determining which uses may be compatible within a particular planning boundary (or safety zone) established around the airport for height, noise, and safety. Airport safety restriction areas are established to minimize the number of people exposed to aircraft hazards. PreStar’s facilities lie within the overflight zone, but outside the airport’s clear and approach/departure zones.
As shown in Attachment F (Existing Airport Facilities), PreStar was an existing facility at the County Airport prior to adoption of the 1998 revised Airport Master Plan and 1999 updated CLUP. No new facilities or structures will be constructed to authorize overnight camping and food service, and thus no height conflicts will be introduced to the area. Regarding noise, most of PreStar’s existing facilities are outside the noise contour established at the County Airport, particularly, the areas identified for camping. Camps, campgrounds, and RV Parks have been identified as compatible recreational uses as long as they occur outside the noise contour. Similarly, camps, campgrounds, and RV Parks are considered compatible uses within the overflight zone. The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), the appointed Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) for the Yolo County Airport, has determined that the proposed use is allowed within the CLUP for the County Airport, and therefore has deemed the project compatible with the plan (Attachment G).
COMMENTS FROM OTHER AGENCIES
A Request for Comments was circulated for the proposed project from April 19, 2013, to May 3, 2013. The project was reviewed by the County Development Review Committee on April 24, 2013. In addition, the project was reviewed at the May 2, 2013, West Plainfield Citizens Advisory Committee. A summary of agency comments is included in Attachment G. At the time that this staff report was prepared, two comment letters had been received, which are in opposition to the proposal (see Attachment G).
APPEALS
Any person who is dissatisfied with the decisions of this Planning Commission may appeal to the Board of Supervisors by filing with the Clerk of the Board within fifteen days from the date of the action. A written notice of appeal specifying the grounds and an appeal fee immediately payable to the Clerk of the Board must be submitted at the time of filing. The Board of Supervisors may sustain, modify, or overrule this decision.
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