Vantage Point FAQs

What was the approval process for this project?

• In 2016, the property owner began discussing with City staff a revised land use/zoning for the property.  
• A more traditional industrial project was proposed that would include manufacturing and/or warehouse and distribution. This would require a Specific Plan Amendment to change the land use from Industrial Park (IP) to Light Industrial (LI) since the IP zone does not allow these uses. 
  • The IP zoning allows for an office/ R&D campus.
  • The LI zoning allows for a more traditional industrial project. 
  • This zone change is considered a “downzoning” as it does not allow for the higher level of traffic generating uses that are allowed in the IP zone.
• The Development Review for the project, including the building design, site plan, and landscape plan, was approved on October 12, 2018 by Development Services staff pursuant to the Specific Plan, contingent on ultimate City Council approval of the required Specific Plan amendment. The Specific Plan establishes a staff level approval process for development within the Poway Business Park.
• The Specific Plan amendment changing the site’s land use designation as required for this project was approved by the City Council at a public hearing on November 7, 2018.  

Was the design of the building approved as part of this zone change?

• The Development Review was completed prior to the City Council’s approval of the Specific Plan amendment – and expressly contingent upon receiving such City Council approval. By doing this, the City Council and public would know precisely what was being approved, rather than approving a Specific Plan amendment with less detail concerning the future development. 
• Staff’s presentation of the zone change item to City Council included multiple photo simulations of the proposed development.

Why did the building go up so quickly?

• While construction appears to have gone up quickly, site work and foundation construction started months ago. Walls of the building were pre-built, then raised into place (a process known as a “tilt up.”) 
• Most of the walls were erected on Saturday, September 21, to meet development goals of the developer.

What will the building look like when competed?    

• While under construction the walls are grey concrete. This is a temporary appearance.
• When complete, the buildings will have a two-toned tan and grey color with blue accents. 
• Additional trees will be planted to screen much of the building. The landscape plan has been enhanced to include larger, broader and taller canopy trees within the parking areas and on the slope below the building pad. 

Does this building comply with the South Poway Specific Plan?

• The project complies with all regulations of the Specific Plan
• The project complies with the Specific Plan’s height regulations, which allows up to 45 feet in height for industrial buildings, if the building is not located along a perimeter, downhill slope.  
• The project site is not adjacent to a perimeter downhill slope as both Kirkham Way and a graded, flat parcel are located to the south and Scripps Poway Parkway is adjacent to the site on the north.  Planned development is located to the east of the property. 
• A small percentage (11 percent) of this building rises to 49 feet high to screen roof-top mechanical equipment, as required by the Specific Plan. The remainder of the building is between 38 and 42 feet high, which falls below the designated height limit.
• Building inspectors are on site regularly to ensure all construction is consistent with approved plans and specification.

Are Hilltop or Ridgeline projects subject to additional review? 

• The Poway Business park is within the hillside/ridgeline area as approved by the City Council in in 1985. In 1985, with the approval of the environmental impact report (EIR) for the Poway Business Park, impacts to the hillsides and ridgelines were disclosed and evaluated pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
• The requirement for City Council approval of projects in the hillside/ridgeline areas was rescinded in 1985, although the Specific Plan never required Development Reviews to be approved by City Council. 

Was Habitat impacted by the construction of this project?

• The 1985 EIR for the Poway Business Park assessed all impacts to habitat and required appropriate mitigation. 
• Since the pad was graded in 2010, the construction of the buildings did not impact any habitat.  

Was the community notified of this project?

• The City Council’s November 7, 2018 consideration of the Specific Plan Amendment for the property zone change was publicly noticed in the Poway News Chieftain and mailed to property owners and occupants located within 500 feet of the project site.
• The City did not receive any opposition to the project in writing, and there was no public comment in opposition to the project at either the November 7, 2018 City Council meeting or the second reading of the ordinance approving the Specific Plan amendment at the City Council’s December 4, 2018 meeting. 

Why doesn’t this project require approval under Proposition FF?

• Proposition FF clearly states that within the South Poway Specific Plan a vote is only required to increase residential density. The project is an industrial project and there is no residential density involved.