Agenda Item Wording:
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General Plan Amendment and Change of Zone – A Public Hearing and First Reading of Ordinance Nos. 2025-10 and 2025-11 pertaining to the following actions related properties located at the Derrel’s Mini Storage project site located at 1700 East Goshen Avenue (APN: 098-050-038) and the Housing Authority of Tulare County site located on the northwest corner of East Goshen Avenue and North Lovers Lane (APN(s): 098-050-013, 098-050-060, 098-050-062, and 098-050-061):
1. Adoption of Initial Study / Negative Declaration No. 2024-25 (Resolution No. 2025-70 required)
2. General Plan Amendment No. 2024-02: A request by Derrel’s Mini Storage to change the land use designation on APN: 098-050-038 from High Density Residential (RHD) to Commercial Service (CS) for a 9.42-acre parcel, and the change of land use designation on APN(s): 098-050-013, 098-050-060, 098-050-061, and 098-050-062 from Low Density Residential to High Density Residential for parcels measuring a total of 11.89-acres (Resolution No. 2025-69 required).
3. Change of Zone No. 2024-03: A request by Derrel’s Mini Storage to change the zoning designation on APN: 098-050-038 from Multi-family Residential (R-M-3) to Service Commercial (C-S) for a 9.42-acre parcel, and the change of zoning on APN(s): 098-050-013, 098-050-060, 098-050-061, and 098-050-062 from R-1-5 (Single-Family Residential 5,000 sq. ft. minimum site area) to Multi-family Residential (R-M-3) for parcels measuring a total of 11.89-acres (Ordinance No. 2025-10 required).
4. Conditional Zoning Agreement No. 2024-04: A request by Derrel’s Mini Storage to establish conditions for a storage facility on APN: 098-050-038; and, for the Housing Authority of Tulare County to establish conditions for a multi-family development of at least 238 dwelling units on APN(s): 098-050-013, 098-050-060, 098-050-061, and 098-050-062 (Ordinance No. 2025-11 required).
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Prepared by:
Josh Dan, Senior Planner, (559) 713-4003, josh.dan@visalia.city
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, (559) 713-4025, paul.bernal@visalia.city
Department Recommendation:
The Planning Commission recommends that the City Council take the following actions, consistent with the staff recommendation made to Planning Commission on September July 14, 2025:
1. Adopt Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration No. 2024-25 prepared for the following related entitlements stated below.
2. Approve General Plan Amendment No. 2024-02 per Resolution No. 2025-69.
3. Introduce the first reading of Ordinance No. 2025-10 for Change of Zone No. 2024-03.
4. Introduce the first reading of Ordinance No. 2025-11 for Conditional Zoning Agreement No. 2024-04.
If approved by the City Council, staff will bring back the second reading of Ordinance Nos. 2025-10 and 2025-11 at the next City Council meeting.
The recommendation to land use and zoning designations for both sites will facilitate the removal of an auto dismantling and towing storage yard development and permit the development of a 55-building mini-storage facility, built in two phases, measuring a total of 210,035 square feet of mini-storage building area located at 1700 East Goshen Avenue, which is an expansion of the existing mini-storage facility. In order to facilitate the mini-storage expansion, four parcels measuring 11.89 acres and owned by the Housing Authority of Tulare County will be included in the request to help offset the loss of residential capacity by rezoning their site from R-1-5 to R-M-3, which meets the needs of the Housing Authority property based on their desire to develop their site with a higher unit count. The Housing Authority site is located on the northwest corner of East Goshen Avenue and North Lovers Lane, about 0.75 miles east of the mini-storage expansion project along Goshen Avenue.
The proposed project is consistent with California Government Code Sec. 66300 - Housing Crissi Act of 2019, Government Code Sec. 65863 – No Net Loss Law, the City’s Land Use Element of the General Plan, Housing Element, and Zoning Ordinance. Specifically, the entitlements will allow for an alternative land use plan on an underdeveloped infill location in the northeast quadrant of the city that will still provide for a low-intensity land use based on limiting the development of the Derrel’s Mini Storage future expansion site to only a private mini-storage facility, no other C-S uses would be permitted, and future multi-family residential dwelling units for the Housing Authority site based on a required unit count as specified in the Conditional Zoning Agreement. Additionally, the land uses will provide a suitable buffer between the existing service commercial land uses, major streets and state highway, and existing and future residential neighborhoods.
Summary:
The Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on July 14, 2025, to consider the proposal by Derrel’s Mini Storage requesting the general plan amendment, change of zone, conditional zoning agreement, and variance for building setbacks for the project site which is described in further detail below. At the meeting, the Planning Commission approved the variance for setbacks, based on the findings in the staff report, and recommended approval of the land use entitlements to the City Council.
The proposal improves a challenged, long-standing automobile dismantling and tow storage facility site. If all entitlements are approved, the contiguous sites will be connected via internal drive aisles, which will require the removal of some mini-storage spaces to provide an internal point of connection. In addition, the expansion will also have an additional vehicular access point from East Goshen Avenue.
In order to facilitate the mini-storage expansion, four parcels measuring 11.89 acres and owned by the Housing Authority of Tulare County will be included in the request to help offset the loss of residential capacity by rezoning their site from R-1-5 to R-M-3 in compliance with Senate Bill 330, also known as the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, which restricts counties and cities in California from taking actions that would reduce housing capacity, including changing land use designations or zoning to a less intensive use.
Planning Commission Public Hearing:
The Planning Commission conducted a hearing on July 14, 2025, to consider the general plan amendment, change of zone, conditional zoning agreement, and variance for building setbacks for the project site. The only public comment provided was by the applicant’s representative. The Planning Commission was unanimous in their approval of the variance for setbacks based on the findings in the staff report and resolution, and unanimous in their recommendation of approval to the City Council for the general plan amendment, change of zone, and conditional zoning agreement based on the analysis provided in the Planning Commission staff report and resolution findings (see Attachment 5).
Background Discussion:
General Plan Amendment (GPA) No. 2024-02:
General Plan Amendment No. 2024-02 encompasses the request to change Project Area No. 1 land use designation from High Density Residential (RHD) to Service Commercial for 9.42-acres and to change Project Area No. 2 from Low Density Residential (LDR) to High Density Residential (HDR) for 11.89-acres (refer to land use map attached as Exhibit “E”).
To offset the loss of High Density Residential, the applicant with consent from the Housing Authority includes the Housing Authority parcels (11.89 acres) as part of the land use designation change. Analysis regarding the change in land use which will not result in reducing housing development capacity is discussed in the “Consistency with State Law” sections below.
Change of Zone (COZ) No. 2024-03:
To be consistent with the proposed land use designation changes, Change of Zone No. 2024-03 requests to change the zoning designations of the two project areas. Project Area No. 1 will change from R-M-3 (Multi-Family Residential, 1,200 square feet minimum site area) to C-S (Service Commercial). The C-S zoning designation, if approved, will facilitate the expansion of the Derrel’s Mini Storage site to the east. Please note that under the C-S zoning designation, mini-storage facilities are a “permitted” use (see the Site Plan in Exhibit “A”).
Project Area No. 2, owned by the Housing Authority of Tulare County, is zoned R-1-5 (Single-family Residential, 5,000 square foot minimum lot size) and will be rezoned to R-M-3 (Multi-Family Residential, 1,200 square feet minimum site area). The Housing Authority is agreeable and supportive of these entitlement requests as provided in their letter (see Exhibit “B”). Please note the Housing Authority is not seeking to develop their site at this time. Future development of their site will be subject to the City’s development review process which may also include discretionary review by the Planning Commission.
Conditional Zoning Agreement (CZA) No. 2024-04:
A CZA is also required for this request. The CZA provides a mechanism which enables the City to “lock in” proposed conditions for a site by way of Ordinance, subject to City Council approval. While conditions can be applied to a Conditional Use Permit, any such conditions can become nullified if a CUP lapses or becomes void. Conditions applied through a CZA remain with the site in perpetuity.
Based on the applicant’s request, the ability for the City to maintain its housing development capacity, and the opportunity to have an auto dismantling/tow storage site redeveloped, staff concludes that compatibility with the surrounding residential areas can be secured through the application of a CZA which includes the following conditions:
1. That the site located at APN: 098-050-038 shall only be developed in accordance with a mini-storage facility as depicted per the site plan provided in Exhibit “A”, and that no other “permitted” and/or “conditionally permitted” uses in the C-S zone, as identified in Chapter 17.25.030 Uses in the Commercial, Mixed Use, Office, and Industrial Zones, shall be allowed on this site.
2. That the four Housing Authority of Tulare County parcels (APN(s): 098-050-013, 098-050-060, 098-050-062, and 098-050-061) shall be developed as one cohesive residential development plan that requires a minimum residential unit count of 238 units.
3. That the applicant be required to implement and abide by the guidelines of the Soils Management Plan (SMP) provided by Salem Engineering Group for the site located at APN: 098-050-038 which is the future expansion area for the Darrel’s Mini Storage facility.
If approved, the CZA will be recorded against all properties associated with this project and may only be amended and/or modified subject to approval by the City Council. Any proposed change to an approved CZA will require a public hearing before the Planning Commission with their recommendation forwarded onto the City Council.
Variance No. 2024-03:
Variance No. 2024-03 was a request by Derrel’s Mini Storage to place a storage building on the north property line of APN: 098-050-038. This is required as the required building setback for structures abutting residential is 15-feet in the C-S (Service Commercial) zone. Staff supported the request as the storage building’s exterior walls will serve as a perimeter wall along this shared property line, similar to other storage facilities within the City of Visalia.
General Plan Consistency:
Consistency with State Law: Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (Government Code Sec. 66300)
Senate Bill 330, otherwise known as the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, mandates that jurisdictions shall not adopt an entitlement that changes general plan land use designations of parcels to a less intensive use with regards to the site’s residential development capacity, below what was in effect on January 1, 2018 (Government Code Section 66300(b)(1)).
The request by the applicant includes the encumbrance of the CZA which seeks to transfer the residential capacity of the 9.42-acre site by rezoning the Housing Authority sites, which are a combined acreage of 11.89 acres, from R-1-5 to R-M-3, and mandating that a minimum 238 dwelling units be developed to not lose the residential unit development potential. The proposed mini-storage site measures 9.42 acres and if developed per the R-M-3 standards, could yield a minimum potential density of 141 units (i.e.: 9.42-acre site multiplied by 15-units/acre). The collective acreage of the Housing Authority sites, which equal 11.89 acres, could yield a potential density of 60 units at the current R-1-5 development pattern (i.e.: 11.89-acre site multiplied by 5-units/acre). The 60-unit figure is also the RHNA allocation for assigned for the Housing Authority parcels.
If the Housing Authority site were developed at the R-M-3 minimum density (i.e., 15 units per acre) the site would need to be developed to a minimum of 178 units. When the 60-unit RHNA allocation is added to the 178-unit minimum, the total comes to 238-units.
The CZA includes a condition that requires the Housing Authority site to develop with a minimum unit count of 238 units which equates to 20 dwelling units per acre, which within the permitted density range of the High Density Residential land use designation at 15 to 35 units per acre. This would be consistent, if all entitlements are approved, with the City’s General Plan, Housing Element, and Government Code Sec. 66300 (i.e., Senate Bill 330) as the analysis provided above demonstrates that residential density capacity is still retained within Visalia’s General Plan.
Consistency with State Law: “No Net Loss Law” (Government Code Sec. 65863)
The purpose of the “No Net Loss Law” is to ensure that a jurisdiction continues to maintain adequate sites to accommodate its remaining unmet regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) by each income category at all times throughout the entire Housing Element planning period. Similar to the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 explained above, a jurisdiction cannot take action to reduce a parcel’s residential density without finding that the jurisdiction has other remaining sites that can accommodate its remaining unmet RHNA.
This project proposes to change approximately 9.42 acres of High Density Residential land designation to Service Commercial designation as described in the section above. The 9.42-acre High Density Residential site has not been assigned units affiliated with Visalia’s RHNA or site inventory, but the Housing Authority parcels have been assigned to the City’s RHNA with 60 units. The CZA, as conditioned, will require the Housing Authority parcels to be developed with a minimum 238 units, which exceeds the RHNA numbers assigned to these parcels and the development potential of the future mini-storage site.
General Plan Land Use and Zoning Compatibility
Staff concludes the proposed Service Commercial designation, in conjunction with the proposed CZA No. 2024-04 limiting the allowed use of the Service Commercial designation to only a mini-storage facility, are consistent with the existing urban development pattern and planned land uses of the surrounding area, which include low and medium density residential developments along the Goshen and Douglas Avenue corridors, and retail and service commercial uses along the Ben Maddox Way corridor.
Additionally, the same holds true for the Housing Authority site’s “up-zoning” from R-1-5 (Single-Family Residential) zoning and Residential Low Density land use designation to R-M-3 (Multi-Family Residential) zoning and Residential High Density land use designation. Conditional Zoning Agreement No. 2024-04 requires that the Housing Authority site only be permitted to be developed as a cohesive multi-family development with a minimum 238 dwelling units. The change to the Housing Authority sites would be consistent with the existing urban development pattern and planned land uses of the surrounding area, which include medium and high-density residential developments along the Lovers Lane corridor. Properties adjacent and/or near the Housing Authority parcels are vacant with both single-family and multi-family zoning, with R-M-3 zoning designations located within ½ mile to the north and south. The request to designate the Housing Authority site is appropriate as higher density multi-family developments are typically found at neighborhood centers and/or along major corridors (i.e.: North Lovers Lane). Any further request to change the land use or lessen the density on the property will require amending the CZA through the public hearing process, subject to City Council approval.
The proposed expansion of the Darrel’s Mini Storage site on the existing automobile dismantling / tow storage parcel is within an area that is developing new commercial and residential uses (within 450 feet). The change in the underlying Land Use designation to C-S allows mini-storage uses, and the proposed use can be suitably integrated into the development pattern of the surrounding area. This includes vehicular access, parking, on-site circulation and thematic landscaping and architectural elements. Furthermore, the mini-storage facility expansion will operate within typical business hours, providing automated access gate controls already in use at the existing facility.
The Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation manual identifies self-storage facilities on the lower end of vehicle trip generation. Self-storage facilities tend to produce less vehicle trips than other commercial uses (i.e., fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, etc.) that may otherwise be permitted and/or conditionally permitted on this site.
Staff finds the proposed land use designations of Service Commercial and Residential High Density, subject to the conditions contained with the CZA, and the land use/zoning changes as proposed by the project, to be consistent with the existing surrounding land uses and meeting the intent of the General Plan.
Access, Circulation, and Cain Street Alignment
Goshen Avenue is a minor arterial roadway that will be subject to improvements along the project’s frontage. Improvements include sidewalk, a city standard drive approach, parkway landscaping with street trees and streetlight, and undergrounding of existing overhead utilities, as detailed in Traffic and Development Engineering’s Site Plan Review (SRP) comments.
The mini-storage facility’s primary vehicular access is currently from North Ben Maddox Way; however, the proposed expansion will provide future access to Goshen Avenue via internal drive aisle connecting the two sites.
The General Plan Circulation Element shows the alignment of Cain Street running predominately through the neighboring easternly parcel and slightly encroaching onto the subject site to align with Cain Street which exists north of Douglas Avenue. This alignment is depicted as the blue dashed line in Exhibit “A” Circulation Element Exhibit. Review of the development through SPR gave staff the ability to analyze the road classification, alignment, and reality of achieving such alignment.
This future Cain Street alignment could only be achieved through the removal of existing muti-family residential apartments to the north. In an effort to avoid this, GPA No. 2024-02 includes an amendment to the Cain Street alignment to circumvent the multi-family residential apartments as shown by the yellow dashed line in Exhibit “A” Circulation Element Exhibit.
Fiscal Impact: None
Prior Council Action: None.
Other:
The Planning Commission conducted a hearing on July 14, 2025, to consider the change of zone, general plan amendment, conditional zoning agreement, and variance for building setbacks for the project site. The Planning Commission approved the variance for setbacks, based on the findings in the report and resolution, and recommended approval to the City Council the general plan amendment, change of zone, and conditional zoning agreement request.
Alternatives:
The City Council may, in lieu of the recommended motion specified above, consider any of the following alternatives:
1. Deny the General Plan Amendment, Change of Zone, and Conditional Zoning Agreement; or
2. Refer the matter back to Planning Commission; or,
3. Continue the matter to a future City Council hearing.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
1. I move to approve Resolution No. 2025-70, to certify Initial Study / Negative Declaration No. 2024-25.
2. I move to approve Resolution No. 2025-69, approving General Plan Amendment No. 2024-02.
3. I move to introduce for the first reading Ordinance No. 2025-10, approving Change of Zone No. 2024-03.
4. I move to introduce for the first reading Ordinance No. 2025-11, approving Conditional Zoning Agreement No. 2024-04.
Environmental Assessment Status:
An Initial Study and Negative Declaration were prepared for the proposed project. Initial Study and Negative Declaration No. 2024-45 disclosed that environmental impacts are determined to be not significant. Staff concludes that Initial Study and Negative Declaration No. 2024-45 adequately analyzes and addresses the proposed project and reduces environmental impacts to a less than significant level.
CEQA Review:
An Initial Study and Negative Declaration were prepared for the proposed project. Initial Study and Negative Declaration No. 2024-45 disclosed that environmental impacts are determined to be not significant. Salem Engineering Group conducted both a Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessment which found that soil and soil vapor at the project site did not pose a potential risk to human health or the environment. No engineering controls (i.e. VOC vapor barrier) are required to protect current or future building occupants. However, only “out of an abundance of caution”, recommendation was proposed by SALEM for preparation of a Soil Management Plan (SMP) which should be distributed to construction personnel prior to conducting grading or excavation activities. The SMP will establish protocols for handling, sampling, storage, and disposal of any suspected hydrocarbon-affected soils generated during construction activities. The SMP is not required in order to avoid a significant impact and is therefore not a mitigation measure, though the applicant may voluntarily choose to proceed with its preparation. Staff concludes that Initial Study and Negative Declaration No. 2024-45 adequately analyzes and addresses the proposed project and reduces environmental impacts to a less than significant level.
Deadline for Action: 9/15/2025
Attachments:
1. City Council Resolution No. 2025-70 – Initial Study Negative Declaration No. 2024-45
2. City Council Resolution No. 2025-69 – General Plan Amendment No. 2024-02
3. City Council Ordinance No. 2025-10 – Change of Zone No. 2024-03
4. City Council Ordinance No. 2025-11 – Conditional Zoning Agreement No. 2024-04
5. Attachment 1 – Planning Commission Staff Report – July 14, 2025
• Initial Study Negative Declaration No. 2024-45 provided
6. Exhibit “A” – Site Plan
7. Exhibit “B” – Housing Authority of Tulare County Letter