General Plan Amendment and Rezone Application No. PLN2023-0124 – Aspiranet

General Plan Amendment and Rezone Application No. PLN2023-0124 – Aspiranet

Request to amend the General Plan and zoning designation of a 10.56± acre parcel from Agriculture and Planned Development (P-D) (305) to a new Planned Development, to allow for the reorganization and expansion of the Excell Center residential treatment facility for boys ages 12-18. The existing facility is currently licensed as a Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) as well as a Medical Mental Health Provider site by the State of California. The existing facility currently provides behavioral health services, life training skills, and development for male youths ages 12-18. There is also a private school on-site, Stanislaus Academy, which serves male youth ages 9-18 years old, who provides education to youths living both on and off-site. The current facility is permitted to have up to 34 youths on-site as part of the residential programs (as permitted under Staff Approval Application No. 97-04 – Excell Center) and up to 60 students in the academic program (provided the classrooms meet all applicable standards per a letter from the County Planning Director dated October 21, 1997). The facility’s current State License permits a maximum of 16 youths in the residential program and 13 youths in the academic school program on-site for a total of 29 youths participating in programs on-site. Under this request, Stanislaus Academy will continue to operate on-site; no modifications are proposed to the existing use of the school and no increase in the number of students is proposed under this request. Below is a summary of the services proposed with this request along with their associated State licensing type. Residential Care Facilities (non-psychiatric services) to be licensed under the California Department of Social Services (CDSS): • Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) for youths living on-site for up to eight months, to take place in the existing Varsity House, Brown Cottage, Smith Cottage, and Dean’s House on-site (Building Nos. E2-E5 on the site plan). Total licensed capacity for youths in the STRTP will be reduced from the current number of 16 to 11 youths. • 72 hour emergency respite and transitional care to take place within the proposed emergency respite and receiving center building under this request (Building No. 4 on the site plan). Licensed capacity: up to six youths. Psychiatric health facility, crisis residential and crisis stabilization services to be licensed under the California Department of Health Care Service (DHCS) and Stanislaus County Behavioral Health Services (BHRS) and located within the proposed Children’s Crisis Residential and Psychiatric Health Facility on-site (Building No. 6 on the site plan): • Psychiatric health facility to provide a locked facility for immediate response to safety concerns for youth to prevent hospitalization and offer transition within thirty days. Licensed capacity: up to six youths. • Children’s crisis residential to provide an immediate response for ten days or less leading to stabilization and transition to less restrictive services inclusive of residential care, foster care, or reunification. Licensed capacity: up to six youths. • Crisis stabilization unit to provide short term crisis intervention and assessment for no longer than 24 hours. Licensed capacity: up to two youths. If approved, under this request, the facility will be licensed to care for up to 31 youths (boys 12-18) with the services and programs listed above in addition to the existing school facility on-site which remains below the previously approved maximum of 34 youths on-site under Staff Approval Application No. 97-04 – Excell Center. The current project site is improved with a 2,850 square-foot office (to be converted into a visitation center), four group homes totaling 16,324± square feet, a 5,418± square-foot private school building, and the following structures which are proposed to be demolished under this request: a 2,400± square-foot gymnasium, 3,100± square-foot maintenance shop, 650± square-foot pool cabana, and 4,320± square-foot modular administration building. The applicant proposes to construct a 10-foot-tall concrete block wall around the perimeter of the site on the north, west and south sides of the parcel, and on the east side of the property at a 40-foot setback from the front property line. The project proposes the construction of 40,410± square feet of additional building space for youth. The following buildings will be within the enclosed area of the wall: a 15,700± square-foot psychiatric, crisis care and stabilization facility; a 5,000± square-foot receiving center for emergency respite and transitional shelter care; a 2,975± square-foot intake and administrative services building; a 10,157± multi-purpose building serving as a recreational center and kitchen; a 3,520± square-foot maintenance building; and a 160± square-foot golf cart shed. A 2,898± square-foot wellness center and outpatient services building will be constructed outside of the enclosed area at the front of the parcel. In addition to the proposed buildings, the applicant proposes to renovate an existing dwelling that is currently used as an office at the front of the parcel to become a visitation center for families to visit youth on-site in a household setting. The applicant proposes to develop three new parking lots and restripe an existing parking lot for a total of 135 parking stalls on-site, demolish two existing swimming pools and replace them with one lap pool, and install landscaping throughout the site to provide outdoor quiet areas for the youth. Additional lighting is proposed throughout the site and will be shielded to prevent sky glow and light trespass onto adjacent parcels. The applicant has proposed an alternative agricultural buffer consisting of conifer trees around the perimeter of the project site in addition to the 10-foot-tall cement block wall. The facility was previously approved by the Board of Supervisors on September 19, 2006 for a total of 22,000± square feet of new building space and up to a total of 62 youths on-site under Rezone (REZ) PLN2006-05 – Excell Center, which amended the zoning of the site to P-D (305); however, the development schedule for the entitlement was not met and subsequently expired. Accordingly, a new application is required to permit the current expansion request. Currently, the facility has two to three mini-van trips Monday-Friday to transport the youth enrolled in the academic program on-site, and 16-18 mini-van trips per-day Monday-Friday for youth in the residential program. Total existing min-van trip numbers for all students is 18-21 roundtrips per-day Monday-Friday. As part of the applicant’s request, the applicant anticipates a total of six to nine mini-van trips for the academic program and 25-35 mini-van trips for the residential program per-day Monday-Friday for a total of 31-44 roundtrips for the facility’s students per-day, Monday – Friday under this request. Current operating hours for the facility are 24 hours a day for seven days a week consisting of three shifts: 3:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. The existing staff numbers for the Excell Center consist of seven part-time and 71 full-time employees. Total existing vehicle trips for employees per-day are 78 roundtrips (existing employees driving to and from the site). Under this request, the applicant proposes an overall increase of eight part-time employees and 19 full-time employees for a maximum total of 105 employees. The anticipated increase in vehicle trips for new employees per-day is 27 roundtrips (27 employees traveling to and from the site), for a total (existing plus proposed) of 105 roundtrips anticipated for employees per-day under this request. The existing number of visitors (non-students or clients) on-site consists of nine monthly visitors for the academic program and three to four monthly visitors for the licensed programs for a total of 12-13 monthly visitors on-site for all existing activities. No increase in the number of visitors for the academic program is expected; however, the applicant anticipates the number of monthly visitors for the licensed programs to increase by seven which will bring the total number of visitors coming to the site at 19-20 monthly for all licensed programs and the school on-site under this request. The facility is located within the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) adopted Sphere of Influence of the City of Turlock and has access to Youngstown Road, a County-maintained Road. The facility is currently served by private well and septic systems.

Turlock

Merced, Stanislaus

Citywide, Countywide

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Education, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, North Central Region 2 (CDFW), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 10 (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Sacramento Region 5 (RWQCB), Central Valley Flood Protection Board, Department of General Services (DGS), Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights

Other (Expansion of a Residential Treatment Facility )

General Plan Amendment, Rezone

N/A