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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCUP 10-274 CV Bridge Foundation 74836 Technology Dr Ste 104 CITY OF PALM DESERT DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF REPORT REQUEST: AUTHORIZE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORTO REDUCE THE TRUST DEPOSIT FEE OF$2,915 TO$1,500 FOR THE PROCESSING OF A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT (CUP) FOR A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION TO OPERATE A BRIDGE CARD PLAYING FACILITY LOCATED AT 74-836 TECHNOLOGY DRIVE, SUITE 104 SUBMITTED BY: Missy Grisa, Assistant Planner DATE: September 9, 2010 CONTENTS: Applicant Letter and Attachments (6 pages) Recommendation That the City Council by Minute Motion authorize the reduction of the processing deposit for CUP 10-274 to $1,500 for a non-profit organization bridge card playing facility in a Planned Community Development zone. Executive Summary Approval of this request would allow the applicant,Coachella Valley Bridge Foundation,care of Judith McClintic, to reduce fees for a Conditional Use Permit for the review of a bridge card playing facility located within a Planned Community Development zone.City staff does not have the authority to change the processing Trust Deposit fee of $2,915. Such a reduction in the required deposit has to be granted by the City Council. In the event that the cost of processing exceeds the $1,500 deposit, the applicant would increase the deposit amount to cover actual costs. Analvsis Processing of any type of CUP requires a deposit in the amount of $2,915. For complex cases, the full amount of the deposit is used. For simpler cases, total costs may only be $1,000 to $1,500, and the unused portion of the deposit is returned to the applicant when entitlement activity is complete. An application and full fee of$2,915 has been submitted and paid, and staff has begun the review process necessary for this CUP. The applicant is a 501 c(3) non-profit organization and is concerned with their budget and this amount of money becomes a hardship while attempting to start up a new business. The applicant has all the proper paperwork in place for a full submittal including a letter from Hampton Inn allowing them to use their daytime parking spaces. As many as 80 bridge players may use the proposed facility at one time. Staff Report Fee Reduction CUP 10-274 Page 2 of 2 September 9, 2010 Recommendation Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the reduction of fees for application CUP 10-274 from $2,915 to $1,500 to reduce the hardship placed on the Coachella Valley Bridge Foundation. Fiscal Analvsis No fiscal impact is associated with this request. Staff estimates that the processing of this particular CUP should cost between $500 and $1,500. If the resulting processing time should exceed the $1,500, the applicant would incur the additional charges. Submitted by: Department Head: Mi y Grisa Lauri Aylaian Assistant Planner Director of Community Development Appr val: �=.JG�,,���� CITYCOUNCiLA N APPROVED W� DENtLU J n . Wohlmuth RECEIVED OTHER ity anager '�, MEET G DA - AYES: - � NOES: � ABSENT: ABSTAIN: � VERIFIED BY: ' Original on File with City Cle 's Oftice G:\Planning\Missy Grisa\CUPV4-836 Technology Drive,Suite 104\Council Staff Report.doc Aug 28 10 06:26a Beverly 760-318-4266 p.1 �.,�j� ����� � �-�` "' . ;� .. . '.,� 'Lr�ML!�IT'y�E4�'LGF. �� Rs�r '��'f'OP PAI,.�E ti T L'EPA,R?:y�E�ti2' COACNELLA YALLEY �n�'��� BRIDGE fbllNDAiEON August 27, 201 Q Attention: Laurie Laylaian. City of Palm Desert Planning ]12.e: Request for Ci�y Council Consideration of Waiver or IZeduction of Coatditio�al Use Permit Requirement and/or Fee Dear Ms. Laylaian: Thank you for taking time to speak to rne on Friday and suggesting �hat I request an audience before the City Council on September 8, 2010. The Coachella Valley Bridge I'oundation, (CVBF) has been warking with Mark Moran and Stan Ford, County Parks and Recreation, for over a year to find suitabie space to bring a dedicated bridge facility to the Coachelta Valley. We remain hopeful that an appropriate location can be identified and secured through them. We have on our own, however, �dentified a suitable interim facility at 74-836 �'echnotogy Drive, suite 104, that meets our budgetary constraints and offers a solution to our narking needs. Our proposed agreement with this Iandlord is on a month-to-month basis. The CVBF wants to make the City of Palm I�esert our permanent home. �ased on data from the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), JPalm Desert is home to the hi�hest concentration of bridge players in the Coachella Valley at 36%; the second highest is Rancho Mirage at 17%. Companv �escription The CVBF is a public tax-exeinpt, charitable corporation, established under the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) in March 2Q09. The purpose of this organization is to provide a community resource to promote and support the game of dupl'zcate bridge in the Coachella Vailey through a dedicated facility, teaching programs, workshops and individual instruction. Aug 1t� 1U UEi:16a 13everly 760-318-4266 p.2 The CVBF is currently doing business as the Duncan Bridge Center (DBC). The center w�ll provide the venue needed to accomplish the following objectives: �. to introduce and expose the youth of the Coache�la Valley to a mentally engaging and recreational pursuit. kZ.esearch has found a link between bridge and improved test scores in children (E�ibit A); 2. to offer an enjoyable and beneficial activity to its growing retiree population. A study by physician researchers showed as much as a 75% lowered risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other dementia-related conditions in seniors who played bridge (Exhibit B}. 3. to hold duplicate bridge games, thus reinforcing the lessons and to provide a revenue stream to help supporl ongoing classes. History of��eration DBC is a startup company, conducting business since July 14, 2010 in the city of Rancho Mirage, one evening a week, in a donated room. This is a temporary location, and vviil be soon outgrown. During our first seven weeks of operation, DBC has averaged attendance of 32 people (8 tabies of bridge). Planned lHours of Operation at Technology Drive The anticipated hours of operation and the attendees are variable due to seasonality and other scheduled bridge activities in the valley. High season (January to April) may increase attendance by 20%, while other valley bridge activities would cause the center to suspend �ames and elasses enti.rely during those events (approximately two weeks/year). Activi /Number in Attendance 8:00 to 11:00 am 1:00 to 4:00 nn 6:00 to 9:00 m Monday None Game/80 Game/3 2 Tuesda Class/16 Game/SO None Wednesda Game/28 Game/80 Game/32 Thursda Class 16 Game/80 Class/16 Friday None Game/80 None Saturda Game/28 Game/80 None Sunda None Game/8� I`�1one Aug 28 10 06:27a Beverly 760-318-4266 p.3 Parkin� Our parking needs are approximately one space for 66% of the attendees. DBC recognizes that it needs a higher density of parking than other reta.il/commerciai tenants. DBC wants to be a good neighbor to its surrounding co-tenants and neighbors. It has, therefore, come to an agreement with the adjacent Hampton Inn. The Hampton Inn will allow use of its rear parking lot to the patrons of DBC. (See Exhibit C, agreement dated A�ugust 20, ZO10.) Plea The fees required by the City would put a hardship on the CVBF. We have appro�cimately $35,000 in funds. Some of the expenditures for our startup costs include: first/iast month rent $6000; tables a.nd chairs $6000; liability insuranee $3500; flooring $3000; computers, photocopier, prin.ter and fax $2000; specialty items to run the games (duplicate boards, playing cards, duplzcating machine, scoring machines) $8000; and utility costs. Any consid.eration the City can give to a waiver of the Conditional Use Permit would fast-track our goal of doing business by September 1.5, 2010. If this is not possible, a waiver or reduction of the fee of$29l 5 would be greatly appreciated and would well-serve the cornmunity of Paixn Desert. We currently have only two neighbors wzthin a 3 QO foot radius, Starbu.cks and Cook Liquor Store. They are both eager to have the consuz�ner traffic that DBC would bring to the development. Very truly, ��� / ��-�-�,/ �� � � Sz���� Beverly��rtin Advzsor to the Coachella Va11ey Sridge Foundation �.: , ._. ._ ..._.._..__,._. ----_.-----......_. 760 318 4266 (home) S 18 652 8629 (cell) Cc: Cindy Finnerty, Mayor City of Palm Desert Aug 28 10 06:27a Beverly 760-318-4266 p•4 � !r�>(�}(r�t��������;i�Sh��} . i�'� ". ;/ /�-�: � { y' s j tlfiil��trl��tif�ir �tf F P / at �.,l�t�fi�r�yl� � �'I�'f d� > >� ��l�1r��f���11 ��. i �n � �� r/�l i� : � s <,� i � t�ia � �'��'�� ' � 5j`y � ��� J � ,� �: � Y� a., z ,:: � �� �' � r �' p � ;N; � ��.� 1 ��' �z Researcher finds link bet�oreen bridge : ��� �. � { � � and imp�+oved test scores in chi�dren. � � ''' �� �� �� Do children who play bridge perform better on standardized tests than their non- ���, � , " playing wuntezparts? Dr. Christopher Shaw, a iesearcher from Carlinville IL; recenfly , �'�t&� ; completed a study that shows the answer to that question is a definite "yes:' r �„ ,-.�4 �a��'r ' Man brid e 1 ers have lon believed that teaching Idds bridge improves their �> � x4g� :� , 's¢�'x ,', ; ezitical thinking skills, but the evideuce that it helped with school performance has �y,��y ':.� � , ,'�;�f� beea largely anecdotal. Sitaw decided to take a mare serious look at the impact that d i,.i�4' . : � Y3;..2 ,�; "�,x ;;. � bridge Izas on test performauce by school-age childre� In a 2005 study, Shaw examined six groups of fifth graders from the.Carlinville Public Schools who were similar in acadernic ability. One group learned to play bridge as part af its math instruction, but the other five did aot. AII of the students took the Iowa Test of Sasic Skills (ITSB} in Sep�. 2001 (before bridge instr�ction began} and then again in May 2403 (sixth grade) and in May 2004 (seventh grade). The 15 stadents who learned to play bridge as fifth graders were mixed with the other stvdents in the sixth and seventt� grades. Performance on the ITSB increases as students get older: sixth graders, as a group, outperform fifth graders, for example. Educators and parents pay great attention to the improvement of scares from year to year. What Shaw discovered, hawever, was that the students who Iearned ta play bridge had a greater average increase in their ITSB scores tban their non-playing classmates. The following table compazes the average standard score (SS) gain of t�ie bridge and non-bridge groups: ��'�.gg 86 Non-bridge 15 Bridge % Sulbjeet firea Av SS Gaia� Av SS Ga6n �aerease Readiug 33.87 44.87 20.66 Language 45.�4 51.07 13.39 ��� 41.48 51.53 24.22 Science 37.52 52.27 39.31 Social Stuc3ies 36.77 45.i3 22.74 Why would learning to p2ay bridge have such an e$'ect? Shaw believes the answer lies with inferential reasoning, a cognitive s1dl.I necessary to play the game. "Bridge is a game that develops inferential reasoning skiIls, which are very ciifficutt to teach elementary students. These skilIs apgear to be used in all five subject areas in middle school:' wth the help of system analyst Tercy Levan, who obtained a three-year grant from the ACBL Educational Foun- dation, Shaw e�anded his study to three sequential classes of fifth graders (2001 2003) taught by the same instructor. The 2001 group was taught bridge, but che 2002 group was not.The 2003 group was also taught the game_ Shaw examined each group's results on the ITSB over a tt�ree-year periad. The first two tests were g'rven 20 months apart; 32 months elapsed between the first and last test Shaw compared the results in this table: 20-Month A.verage Test Score Gaims ye� Reading Math Sociat Studies Language Science 2001 (Bridge} 21_47 2S 20 2 t.99 18.03 40_27 Z002 (Non-bridge) 17.43 24.26 14.31 30.52 29.79 2003 (Bridge) 28.50 34.95 24.17 32_11 24.67 32-Ndontl�Average Test Score Gains 2001 (Bridge) 4-0.87 51.53 30.49 22_72 52_57 2Q02 (Nan-bridge) 2337 36.42 25.15 30.05 36.05 2003 (Bridge) 39.72 45.67 32.Sd 3'7.1? 45.11 The 200i bridge students liad higher test scores than the 2002 students at the end of 2Q months and 32 months in four of the five subject areas. The language gain was less than the 2002 non-bridge students. Tke 2003 bridge siudents out-gained the 2002 ciass in four of the five subject areas after 24 months (scaence scozes were lower than the 2002 group), but exceeded:the 2002 group in all areas after 32 months. � Bridge Bulletin Aug 'LtS 1U U6:Zt�a l�everly /bU-:S1t5-4Lbb p.b __ << . , -,.)� . ,. `T'�.� W�.Sh11z o�. �Post � June 19, 2d03,Thursday, Final Editian A SECTIOPV; Pg.A01 l�iind Ga�nes I1�ay Trump Aizhea�er's Study Cites Effects of Bradge, C`iiess Shankar Vedantam, Washington Post StaffWr�ter Playing chess,bridge or a musical The benefits of such activitzes-- instrument significantly lowers the�risk of widely availabEe and anexpensive—a�pear developing Atzheimec's disease or ot�er to bene5t those at all levels of educaxion and forms of dementia,according to the most IQ. camprehensive study to exarnine the The fiading comes as researchers benefits of challenging intellectual activity race t,o find ways to slow or Frevent among the elderIy. disarders such as Alztzeimer's disease,which SenioYs who regularly engaged in afflicts 4 mi4lion Americans.As the large pastimes thai stre�ched their minds—sorry, number of pe:aple in the baby baom watching TV doesn't count—lawered their generation age,dementia-related disease is risk of developing.Alzheimer's disease and expected to ris�,and reducing its toll could other dementias by as much as 75 percent, have enormous ramifications_ compared with.those who diddt exercise Equally intriguing from a scientific tLeir minds,researchers said.yesterday. shandgoint is the idea#hat criental activity The report bolsters a growing body such as playing bridge can alter the of evic3ence that exeroising the mind through molecutar march af a neurologicaI process. board games,social activities and education "How can the molecular offers gowerfui �rotectiou a�ainsf inental determinism of Atzheime�'s disease be deterioration and disease_ trumped hy etderly people's card-playing7" "I see a 1ot of elderly patients—a 1ot aslsed 3oseph Coyle,a professor of come with memory comp�ain4s," said Joe psychiatPy and neuroscience at Harvard Verghese,a neuralogist at the Albert Medical Schaot,in an analysis of Verghese's Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, study.Both papers are being published who led the study team."They have sa- today in the New Englaad Journal of called senior maments--they go in a room Medieine. and forget why they are ttnere.One thing I "The apgarent conflict is between advise is for them to inccease their biolagy and gsychology,"Coyte said in an participaLion in cognitively stimulating interview.But neuroscientists are finding activities." that in many ways the fsrain is"plastic"— Some mental activity appears to be thoughts and experiences change neurat better than none,said Verghese.And the stntcture and chemistry_ more hours seniors spent doing challenging "Using the mind actually causes tasks,the�nore protection they�ained rewirin�of the brain,spmuRing new against brain declirne.The day may not be synapses—it may even cause the generation far off,he said,when doctors recommend a of new ueurons," Coyle said. "So game of chess and ths daily crossword along psychoiogy trumps biology." with physical exereise and a healthy diet. Aug 'LtS 1U UEi:�tia tieverly /EiU-:�1�-4"lEiFi p.t� ��� COaCHfLLA VALIEY BRtDCsE F4l1NDA7tOH August 2a, 2010 Sejat Bhakta Manager, I-Iampton Inn 74-900 Gerald Ford Drive Palm Desert, CA 92211 Re: Host Hotei for Duncan Bridge Center Dear Ms. Bhakta: Thank you for taking time to speak with me this morning. I would like to confirm our understanding and agzeement. The Coachella Valley Bridge Foundation, dba Duncan Bridge Center(DBC), is interested in procuring a lease at the University Plaza, Suites 104 and 105. Because DBC has higl�zer pazking needs tt�an retail business, you have agreed to allow Dl3C patrons to park in the rear of your facility. It is understood that your parking needs are greater during the overnight hours, while the DBCs need for parking is during rnid- day. . In exchange, DBC will prom.ote lhe Hampton Inn as its Host Hotel, includin�a link on. its website. In addition, the DBC will provide your�ests with camplimentaxy entrance to bridge games held at the DBC during their stay at tl�e Hampton Inn.. Please visit our website for further informatiort about us at ,,. � .�; . 1: look forward to receiving your confrmation of this agreement. Sincerely, t�����- ��J(C����v ` Beverly A�artin Advisor to the Coacliella Valley Bridge Foundation Agreed: �;" ; � Date: �'�� 2�'-<� By: Sejat Bh , 1Vlanager, Hampton Inn, Palm Desert Catifamia