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Project Title: |
Land Use Permit for establishing a U-Haul Retail Business |
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County File(s): |
Land Use Permit CDLP24-02007 |
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Applicant/Owners: |
U-Haul (Applicant)/AMERCO Real Estate Company and U-Haul Tax Department |
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Zoning/General Plan: |
L-I Light Industrial District / LI Light Industry |
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Site Address/Location: |
4658 Evora Road in the Bay Point area of unincorporated Contra Costa County (Assessor Parcel Numbers: 099-160-026. 099-160-027) |
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California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Status: |
Categorical Exemption - CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(a) |
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Project Planner: |
Nai Saephan, Planner I (925) 655-2874 |
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nai.saephan@dcd.cccounty.us |
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Staff Recommendation: |
Approve (See Section II for Full Recommendation) |
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I. PROJECT SUMMARY
The applicant requests approval of a Land Use Permit to establish a new, 5,709 square-foot U-Haul retail business within an existing U-Haul warehouse.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Department of Conservation and Development, Community Development Division (CDD) staff recommends that the Zoning Administrator:
A. Find that the project is categorically exempt from CEQA under Section 15301(a) of the CEQA Guidelines.
B. APPROVE the Land Use Permit CDLP24-02007, for establishing a U-Haul retail business within the existing U-Haul warehouse, based on the attached findings and subject to the attached conditions of approval.
C. DIRECT staff to file a Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk.
III. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. General Plan: LI Light Industry.
B. Zoning: L-I Light Industrial District.
C. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): Categorical Exemption - CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(a), Existing Facilities. Class 1 exemption for interior and exterior alterations to an existing facility.
D. Previous Applications:
1. 13-85-CO: This General Plan Amendment application was to change the General Plan land use designation of a 78-acre site that includes the project site from Open Space (OS) to Light Industry (LI) to accommodate a newspaper printing facility. The application was approved by the Board of Supervisors in 1988.
2. RZ2773: This Rezone application, processed concurrently with 13-85-CO, was to rezone the 78-acre site from General Agricultural (A-2) to Light Industrial (L-I). The application was approved by the Board in 1988.
3. TP01-0038: This Tree Permit application was to remove 18 pepper trees on Assessor’s Parcels 099-160-021 and 099-160-022. The application was approved by the Zoning Administrator on August 16, 2001.
4. LL01-0001: This Lot Line Adjustment application was to reconfigure Assessor’s Parcels 099-150-010, 099-160-019, 099-160-021, 099-160-022, and 099-160-023. The application was approved by the Zoning Administrator on August 28, 2001. The two parcels that comprise the project site, Assessor’s Parcels 099-160-026 and 099-160-027, were portions of Assessor’s Parcels 099-160-021 and 099-160-022, and were a result of this Lot Line Adjustment.
5. LP01-2108: This Land Use Permit application was to allow a one-story 98,404 square-foot Frito Lay distribution center on the project site. The application was approved by the Zoning Administrator on March 24, 2003.
6. CDLP16-02031: This Land Use Permit application was to allow a 98,460 square-foot warehouse building on the project site. The application was approved by the Board of Supervisors on April 27, 2021.
IV. SITE/ AREA DESCRIPTION
The 15.42-acre project site is comprised of two adjoining Assessor’s parcels located 890 feet northwest of the western terminus of Evora Road, which is 1,500 feet southwest of the intersection of Willow Pass Road and Evora Road. The site is relatively flat, and is essentially a level terrace sited above a portion of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station to the west and below the Willow Pass Business Park to the east. The Willow Pass Business Park is adjacent to the site. Hilly, deed-restricted open space land surrounds the site on the north and east. A vacant, terraced portion of the Willow Pass Business Park is located to the south, as is Highway 4.
The Willow Pass Business Park is characterized by its cluster of eight buildings facing Highway 4 to the south that include commercial office spaces, retail spaces and one building that is used as a place for worship. Retail commercial buildings are located east of the cluster of business park buildings, including a drive-through restaurant building, a gas station with a car wash, and a general retail building that includes restaurants and a food mart. A private storage warehouse-museum is located along Evora Road just west of the gas station. Landscaping in the Business Park is relatively sparse, and therefore, the buildings in the Business Park are visible in northward views from Highway 4.
A portion of the former, decommissioned Concord Naval Weapons Station is located to the west of the project site. The former Naval Weapons Station is currently a major reuse project of the City of Concord. The site is separated from the bulk of the Naval Weapons Station property to the south by Highway 4. A portion of the 48-mile Contra Costa Canal also lies south and west of the project site.
V. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The proposed project is establishing a new, 5,709 square-foot U-Haul retail business within the existing 98,430 square-foot U-Haul warehouse near the southeastern corner of the building, as shown on the project plans in Attachment C. The retail business would function as a customer service office for U-Haul truck rentals and for sale of retail items such as boxes and moving supplies to customers. No signs are included in the proposed project.
VI. AGENCY COMMENTS
An Agency Comment Request packet was sent on February 14, 2024 to a number of public agencies, including the Building Inspection Division, the Environmental Health Division of the Contra Costa Health, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, the Delta Diablo Sanitary District, the City of Concord, the Bay Point Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), and Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District. Subsequently, an updated Agency Comment Request packet was sent on November 18, 2025 to the Bay Point MAC. Agency comments received by staff are included in Attachment D. Following are summaries of the agency comments received.
A. Contra Costa County Fire Protection District: The Fire Protection District returned the Agency Comment Request form on February 22, 2024, with no comments.
B. Bay Point Municipal Advisory Council: The staff liaison to the Bay Point MAC submitted an email on January 9, 2026, from the MAC chair who stated that there were no concerns with the proposed project.
VII. STAFF ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
A. General Plan Consistency: The project site is within the LI Light Industry designation in the General Plan Land Use Element, which allows warehousing and storage, and ancillary or supportive retail and office uses. The existing U-Haul warehouse provides personal storage solutions using U-Haul’s U-Box storage containers that are kept inside the warehouse facility. The establishment of a U-Haul retail business would support the U-Box operation and provide a customer service office for U-Haul truck rentals and for sale of retail items such as boxes and moving supplies. The additional uses are allowed under the LI General Plan designation for the project site.
The site is located in the Bay Point area of unincorporated County and is surrounded by existing, similar office and commercial development. Therefore, the vital infrastructure and services needed for the site already exist. The project will add jobs to the U-Haul operations on the site to staff the customer service office. This is consistent with Guiding Principle #3 of the Bay Point Community Profile in the General Plan Stronger Communities Element, which states that “Bay Point residents need more local, high-quality jobs from a more diverse business base.”
Based on the nature and location of the project there is no evidence in the record to suggest that the project would be inconsistent with other sections of the General Plan.
B. Zoning Compliance: The project site is located within a L-I Light Industrial District. Warehouse space is generally considered to be storage, and therefore, warehousing is considered to be a commercial land use, which is allowed in the L-I District with a land use permit pursuant to County Code Section 84-58.404(1). Accordingly, the existing U-Haul warehouse was established pursuant to Land Use Permit CDLP16-02031, which was approved on April 27, 2021 by the Board of Supervisors.
Retail businesses are also allowed in the L-I District with a land use permit pursuant to County Code Section 84-58.404(1). Thus, this land use permit application is to establish a customer service office to complement the U-Haul personal storage operation and to add U-Haul truck rentals and the sale of moving/shipping materials (e.g., boxes). The retail business use will occupy 5,709 square feet within the existing 98,430 square-foot U-Haul warehouse near the southeastern corner of the building, which will be approximately 6% of the gross floor area of the building. As proposed, the project will not alter the existing building footprint of the warehouse and will not change the nature of the neighborhood or adversely affect the zoning district. Further, the project is consistent with the applicable development standards of the L-I District, including the minimum lot area, height, and setbacks.
C. Parking Requirements: The proposed project is subject to the requirements of the Off-Street Parking Ordinance, County Code Chapter 82-16. Pursuant to Code Section 82-16.406, 19 parking spaces are required for the 5,709 square-foot U-Haul retail business and 93 parking spaces are required for the remaining 92,721 square feet of the warehouse building, for a total of 112 required spaces. As shown on the site plan in Attachment C, 119 standard parking spaces are provided on the project site, along with 5 accessible parking spaces, 12 EV charging station spaces, and 12 Clean Air/vanpool/EV spaces, for a total of 148 parking spaces.
Pursuant to Code Section 82-16.412. 2 long-term and 2 short-term bicycle stalls are required for the retail business space and 7 long-term and 5 short-term bicycle stalls are required for the remainder of the building, for a total of 9 long-term and 7 short-term required bicycle stalls. A Condition of Approval of the project requires the provision of 9 long-term and 7 short-term bicycle stalls. Thus, as conditioned the project meets the code requirements for bicycle parking.
IX. CONCLUSION
The proposed project involves establishing a new, 5,709 square-foot U-Haul retail business within the existing 98,430 square-foot U-Haul warehouse. This represents approximately 6% of the gross building area to be used for a retail business operation. As such, the overall project will have minimal impact on the operations of the U-Haul warehouse and, as conditioned, will be an appropriate use of the project site. Staff recommends that the Zoning Administrator approve Land Use Permit CDLP24-02007, 02007, for establishing a U-Haul retail business within the existing U-Haul warehouse, based on the attached findings and subject to the attached conditions of approval.