REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
File #: 2015-7756
Location: 803 W El Camino Real (APN: 165-01-029, 042, and 043)
Zoning: C-2 / ECR (Highway Business / El Camino Real Precise Plan)
Proposed Project: Related applications on a 2.59-acre site:
SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT for a mixed use development on a 2.97 acre site with 49 residential units (40 apartments + 8 attached single family homes + 1 detached single family home), approximately 5,662 square feet of commercial space, and expansion of the adjacent Grand Hotel (51 rooms)
VESTING TENTATIVE MAP to subdivide the 3 existing lots into 11 separate lots. A condominium map is requested for lot #11.
Applicant / Owner: De Anza Properties (applicant) / Pastoria El Camino Partnership (owner)
Environmental Review: Mitigated Negative Declaration
Project Planner: Ryan Kuchenig, (408) 730-7431, rkuchenig@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
General Plan: Commercial General Business
Existing Site Conditions: Fast Food Restaurant, Shopping Center, & Seasonal Retail Use
Surrounding Land Uses
North: Single Family Residential across W. Olive Ave
South: Shopping Center across W. El Camino Real
East: Public Facility - Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
West: Grand Hotel
Issues: Visual & Setbacks
Staff Recommendation: Make the Findings Required by CEQA and Approve the Special Development Permit and Tentative Maps with conditions.
BACKGROUND
Description of Proposed Project
The proposed project consists of the demolition of an approximately 23,000 square foot, one and two-story multi-tenant retail and office building and a 3,000 square foot fast food restaurant building and construct a four-story mixed use retail/office and residential building consisting of 40 apartment units and approximately 5,600 square feet of commercial space. The project also consists of constructing nine single family homes (four attached “duets” and one detached unit) and a hotel annex building (51 rooms) which is associated with the existing adjacent Grand Hotel at 865 W. El Camino Real. The project includes a ground-level podium parking garage and associated site improvements. A Tentative Map application is also proposed to subdivide the lots into separate ownership lots including individual future condominium lots for the 40 residential apartment units within the mixed use building.
The project site is not located within a designed node as described in the El Camino Real Precise Plan. The “Downtown Node” is located just east of the site across S. Pastoria Avenue and Hollenbeck Avenue. Properties located in the node are considered more appropriate for mixed commercial and residential use opportunities; however, the project site is also considered appropriately situated for consideration for this type of redevelopment as it is situated along three street frontages. With the proposed hotel and retail uses, the project meets the El Camino Real Precise Plan guideline that mixed use projects provide 25% floor area ratio (FAR)-square footage of commercial uses compared to land square footage, Review of the proposed project was accomplished with the Precise Plan for El Camino Real and the Mixed-use Toolkit design guidelines. The Sunnyvale El Camino Real Corridor Plan, which will replace the existing Precise Plan, is in the process of preparation and is expected to be considered in adopted at the end of the year or beginning of 2017.
See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area for notices and Attachment 2 for the Data Table of the project.
Previous Actions on the Site
The existing multi-tenant shopping center maintains access off W. El Camino Real and N. Pastoria Avenue and was developed in 1988. The fast food restaurant (Jack in the Box) at 813 W. El Camino Real was constructed in 1972. Seasonal pumpkin and Christmas tree sales have occurred on the vacant 0.54 acre corner parcel (803 W. El Camino Real) for the past 15 years. The vacant parcel has also been previously used as a temporary storage yard for vehicles for local auto dealers. Prior to the existing development, the site was historically used as agricultural land as well as a gas station.
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan Goals and Policies: The following are key goals and policies from the Land Use and Transportation Chapter of the General Plan which pertain to the proposed project:
Policy LT-4.1: Protect the integrity of the City’s neighborhoods; whether residential, industrial or commercial.
Action Statement LT-4.1a Limit the intrusion of incompatible uses and inappropriate development into city neighborhoods.
Action Statement LT-4.1c Use density to transition between land use, and to buffer between sensitive uses and less compatible uses.
Policy LT-4.2: Require new development to be compatible with the neighborhood, adjacent land uses, and the transportation system.
Policy LT-5.9: Appropriate accommodations for motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians shall be determined for City streets to increase the use of bicycles for transportation and to enhance the safety and efficiency of the overall street network for bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicles.
Policy LT-5.10: All modes of transportation shall have safe access to City streets.
Policy HE-1.1: Encourage diversity in the type, size, price and tenure of residential development in Sunnyvale, including single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, mixed-use housing, transit oriented development and live-work housing.
Policy HE-4.2: Continue to direct new residential development into specific plan areas, near transit, and close to employment and activity centers.
Applicable Design Guidelines: The City’s Mixed-use Toolkit and Design Guidelines provide recommendations for site layout, architecture, and design. These guidelines are referenced in the discussion and analysis below.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Mitigated Negative Declaration has been prepared in compliance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions and City guidelines (see Attachment 7). An Initial Study determined that construction of the proposed project has the potential to result in significant effects related to noise, biological resources, historic and cultural resources, air quality, and hazardous materials. Implementing mitigation measures will reduce these impacts to less than significant. Mitigation includes the use of specifically sound rated windows and doors to achieve reduced indoor noise levels for residential uses. Per mitigation, if construction commencement occurs during nesting/breeding season, a preconstruction survey is required to be provided by a qualified biologist. Further mitigation is required to reduce air quality impacts during construction. Due to the history of the site as a gas station and for agricultural uses, a soil gas sampling program is to be developed as well as further soil sampling in accordance with the Site Mitigation Program, approved by the Regional Water Quality Control Board be performed prior to construction. In addition, an environmental professional shall be retained to check for asbestos-containing materials and/or lead-based paint during demolition. The project did not require a traffic impact analysis, as the project did not generate 100 peak hour trips (AM or PM), based on the net change in new uses over the combination of existing commercial uses. The recommended CEQA findings are included in Attachment 3. Mitigation Measures have been incorporated as Conditions of Approval (see Attachment 4).
DISCUSSION
Special Development Permit
A Special Development Permit (SDP) is required for projects within the El Camino Real (ECR) Combining Zoning District for use, site and architectural review. An SDP also allows for consideration of deviations from specific dimensional development standards (siting, bulk, and parking) in exchange for superior design, environmental preservation or public benefit. The findings necessary to grant an SDP and deviations are discussed in Attachment 3. The SDP considers preliminary landscaping and stormwater management plans.
The project is requesting the following deviations from Sunnyvale Municipal Code standards:
• Lot Coverage of 54% where 35% is allowed
• 13’6” setback for upper stories where 15’ is required along S. Pastoria Avenue
• 120 parking spaces where 124 are required for hotel use (six additional valet/tandem parking proposed for a total of 126)
Use: The proposed project includes the complete demolition of the existing commercial buildings and the following new construction;
• A four-story mixed use building fronting El Camino Real and Pastoria Avenue consisting of 40 apartment units and approximately 5,600 square feet of commercial/office area);
• The project density averages 18.3 dwelling units per acre. The unit mix for the apartments includes 37 three-bedroom units and 3 two-bedroom units;
• A 51 guest room four-story hotel annex building on the west portion of the site facing El Camino Real to be a part of the adjacent to the existing Grand Hotel (guest room total would be expanded to a total of 155 rooms); and,
• Eight two-story single-family duet homes and one detached single family home fronting on Olive Avenue, all four-bedroom units.
A fitness room for residents is provided on the second level of the apartment structure. Common open space areas are provided in courtyards on the ground and second floors. Private open space for each unit is also provided through balconies. A larger 35 foot wide open space area with a pedestrian path is situated between the hotel annex building and the mixed use building. Each of the single-family homes would maintain front and private rear yards.
Vesting Tentative Map
The project includes a Vesting Tentative Map application for the subdivision of the existing lots into separate ownership lots for the single family dwellings and condominium (air space) lots for the 40 dwelling units of the mixed use building. A new lot with the hotel building would be created and then merged with the adjacent hotel parcel to the west. This lot merger is required to occur prior to construction of the project and final map recordation, per Conditions of Approval. The remaining site area would be subdivided into 10 lots. The lot size of the single-family properties would range in area from approximately 3,700 to 4,000 square feet with one lot at the corner at approximately 7,400 square feet.
A Vesting Tentative Map vests the developer’s right to build the project for the life of the map and secures the approved project against future Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) amendments that might otherwise affect the project. The Vesting Tentative Map is valid only in conjunction with the approved site plan and conditions of approval. The Tentative Map conditions of approval are listed in Attachment 4. The Final Map is approved by the Director of Public Works and must be in substantial conformance to the Vesting Tentative Map.
Development Standards
Site Layout
The 2.97 acre site project site is located at the corner of W. El Camino Real and S. Pastoria Avenue, which also wraps around to W. Olive Avenue. The four-story mixed use building is located at the corner of El Camino Real and N. Pastoria Avenue. The separate four-story hotel building, containing 51 guest rooms (expansion of the neighboring site) is located at the west portion of the site along El Camino Real. Nine single family homes are positioned facing W. Olive Avenue at the north end of the site. The mixed use building contains approximately 5,662 square feet of commercial space on the first floor at the corner of El Camino Real and Pastoria Avenue. A total of 40 residential apartments units are located within the second through fourth floors. Each of the units has 300 cubic feet of lockable storage space consistent with Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) requirement within a small basement area beneath the parking garage. A fitness & community room for the residential condos is provided at a centralized location on the first floor above the parking podium structure.
An existing driveway off N. Pastoria Avenue would be removed and replaced in roughly the same location. This driveway would be restricted to only right-in and right-out turning movement, as noted on the plans, and required per Condition of Approval EP-28. Three existing driveways off W. El Camino Real which provide access to the three original lots would be removed and replaced with one two-way driveway. This driveway off El Camino Real would allow ingress and egress access through the ground level parking garage under the mixed-use building.
The existing driveway that serves the hotel property on the Grand Hotel site would also serve the hotel expansion new building. The first floor of the proposed hotel building will be utilized entirely as parking for the expanded hotel. More discussion of parking is included in the “Parking” section of the staff report.
The eight attached single-family homes range from approximately 2,800 to 2,900 square feet, including area for a two car garage (four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms). The detached single-family home would be approximately 3,500 square feet (including a two-car garage) and contain four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Private back yard areas with shared fences are provided between the units. An approximately eight-foot tall masonry wall would separate the single-family uses from the mixed use and expanded hotel sites.
Setbacks
The property meets most setback requirements for the C-2/ECR zoning district. Since the property faces three public streets, the development is subject to three front yard requirements.
Mixed-use building: The main mixed-use building, described as the “podium building” in the provided plans, maintains a 15’ setback as required from the El Camino Real frontage. The property line is measured at back of sidewalk. An increased setback is provided to the commercial space at the corner (approximately 26’ along El Camino Real and 15’6” to 23’ along S. Pastoria Avenue). The upper three stories along the El Camino Real frontage range from 17’ to 28’ from property line. The applicant is requesting a deviation for the upper stories along S. Pastoria Avenue. For the 2nd through 4th stories, at certain locations a 13’6” setback is provided where 15’ is required. At the rear, the mixed-use building maintains a 13’ setback from the property lines of the new single-family properties for a majority of the building, with the exception of a small 10-foot projection to accommodate a stairway. Increased setback is provided for portions of the upper stories of the building.
New hotel building: The new hotel building would maintain a 22’4” setback from the front property line off El Camino Real. There is a 12’6” setback to the rear property line and 20’ setback to the new west property line. No modifications to the existing hotel building to the west are proposed. As stated previously, the expanded hotel building is planned to be merged with the neighboring hotel site. As a result, the property line will be relocated and a 15’ setback will result along the west property line adjacent to the podium building.
Single-family homes: The single-family homes range from 15’ to 16’ 7” (first and second-story) from the front property line which meets the minimum 15’ setback requirement for the C-2/ECR zoning district. For context, the existing adjacent two-story Grand Hotel buildings that are located closest to W. Olive Avenue to the west are approximately 12’ from the Olive Avenue property line. The corner unit would maintain a 15’ setback from S. Pastoria. Each of units is no closer than 10’ from the rear property line.
Architecture:
Mixed-use building: The architecture of the mixed-use building can be described as modern in form with angled and projecting features throughout. Staff has worked with the applicant extensively to break up the facade vertically and horizontally within the upper floors to provide more overall architectural interest and to reduce visual bulk and mass from the street.
The corner portion of the mixed-use building, which is set back slightly further from the rest of the facade, includes several distinct materials, including a mix of colored stone material at the base which extends up at certain locations up the façade. Multiple shades of brown stucco are utilized for the façade at this location. Projecting areas of the building also include wood siding material. Aluminum canopies cover the storefront windows and doors of the commercial space and are also located at different floor levels, including as a building cap at the corner. Bronze aluminum window framing is also utilized throughout. The retail level of the building is approximately 16’6” high with doors that extend 12’ 6”. Windows that wrap at the corner are approximately 10’ tall.
Along the building façade facing El Camino Real the stucco and wood siding are painted a tan and olive color. To shield the appearance of the parking level from El Camino Real, storefront windows are positioned along the entire length of the building. Recessed portions of the building include a gray stone material while projecting portions are composed of lighter painted color of stucco. Copper color metal roofing is utilized over windows along the third and fourth floors along the façade. Enhanced window trim treatment in this area also breaks up the façade. For balconies, glass railing is utilized on the street side elevations while horizontal metal railing is used on the back sides of the building.
New hotel building: The new hotel building is designed with a similar architectural style as the existing Grand Hotel. The predominant materials include beige and white stucco façade material. A thick rounded cornice provides as a cap for the entire building. Decorative columns are utilized at the base near openings and the front elevations. To further match the existing building, stone tiles are utilized along the base on each side of the building. A decorative railing is placed in front of each of the windows along three sides of the building. A trellis with vines helps break up the rear side of the building. The rear portion of the building (north side) does not include windows to mitigate possible privacy impacts to the residential neighborhood. Subsequent to the Planning Commission study session, further treatment of the building facade has been incorporated including the addition of a colonnade along the El Camino Real increased use of the stone tile along each elevation and additional decorative railing. To add further interest to the new building, staff is further requiring Condition of Approval PS-1a requires additional arched design elements to be incorporated at building openings as well as a similar architectural element complementary to the artwork located on the main hotel building facing El Camino Real.
Single-family homes: The modern design of single-family homes would differ in architectural style as the older predominantly ranch style of homes found elsewhere in the neighborhood; however, similar building material (combination of wood and stucco) is utilized. The homes vary slightly in color with shades of beige, brown and green. The two-story homes are similar in scale to the neighborhood and help buffer the appearance of the larger mixed use building.
Building Height/Stories
The proposed mixed use building at the corner would be four stories tall with a maximum height of 53’ 6” from the street curb elevation along El Camino Real & N. Pastoria Ave. The building parapet extends up to approximately 60 feet for a portion of the building. A majority of the building is approximately 49’ 6” tall. The hotel buildings along W. El Camino Real reach a peak of approximately 51’ with a majority of the building peaking at 46’. The two-story single-family homes along W. Olive Avenue range from 26’ to 28’ tall, as measured from the top of the adjoining curb. Although the proposed mixed-use and hotel buildings shade buildings within the same development area, the mixed-use building has been set back as much as possible from the single-family residential units on site. Adequate space is provided for future installation of solar panels. As required, shading on neighboring development is not exceeded.
Parking
Mixed-use building: A total of 106 spaces are provided for commercial and residential uses within the mixed use building. The surface parking lot accessed off N. Pastoria Avenue includes 17 parking spaces, with an additional 89 spaces within the podium-type garage. The surface parking would be reserved for commercial uses during business hours. Based on the amount of floor area devoted to commercial retail uses, a minimum of 23 parking spaces are required. Of the 89 spaces within the garage, a minimum six spaces are required to be made available for commercial uses. The applicant has indicated that these six spaces will be utilized by employees of the commercial uses. A total of 80 spaces are required for residential uses based on the bedroom composition of the units. With 23 spaces needed for commercial uses and 80 for residential uses (103 - total), minimum standards are exceeded by three spaces. Per Condition of Approval BP-25, a Parking Management Plan is required to be submitted, to manage employee and customer parking as well as for the residential private and guest parking for the mixed use building.
New hotel building: The combined hotel site provides a total of 126 spaces where 124 spaces are required for the combined hotel use (including the existing Grand Hotel). Of these spaces, a total of 32 spaces are included on the ground level of the proposed hotel building. Six of these spaces are proposed as valet/tandem parking. Municipal Code requirements currently permit tandem parking for only multi-family residential uses; therefore, the combined hotel site is deficient by four spaces. A separate Parking Management Plan is required to be approved to manage on-site parking for the hotel use prior to construction of the project (Condition of Approval BP-26).
Single family homes: Eight units are attached as duets and share a driveway off W. Olive Avenue, and the detached single family home located towards the corner maintains its own driveway. Each of these attached homes provides two-car garages and two uncovered spaces within the driveway.
Bicycle parking: Bicycle spaces are provided as required for residential and commercial uses. Bicycle racks are located in a visible location at the front of the commercial area along S. Pastoria Avenue. Bicycle lockers are located in the parking structure. Bicycle parking for the hotel site will be upgraded to meet standards with racks and lockers in front of the main hotel building, as required per Conditions of Approval.
Landscaping and Tree Preservation:
Landscaping is proposed throughout the site including perimeter landscaping and through the middle of the site. A 35 foot wide landscaped area between the mixed use building and the new hotel building includes a tree-lined pedestrian promenade that stretches from the El Camino Real public sidewalk to another pathway that runs along the back of the of the site behind the single family homes. This walkway provides as an alternate access to the public sidewalk through the site. A gate is currently planned to be located near the El Camino Real entrance between the two buildings. This gate is designed as wrought-iron style to allow visibility from the street into the wider landscaped area of the site. Per Conditions of Approval, the gate is required to remain unlocked to allow for public access during daytime hours (8 a.m. to 9 p.m.).
Buffer landscaping in the form of trees and groundcover is positioned in front of each building along El Camino Real and adjacent to a new wider 12-foot sidewalk. Beyond the widened public sidewalk the corner of El Camino Real and Pastoria has a larger decorative paved area that may be utilized for outdoor seating area for commercial uses; additional seating is planned behind the building, adjacent to the surface parking lot. The majority of the public sidewalk width along S. Pastoria Avenue will also be increased to 10 feet and a new sidewalk along W. Olive Avenue will be 6 feet wide. Sidewalk widths may vary to accommodate existing trees.
The project meets landscaping requirements with approximately 31,345 s.f. (36%) of landscaping where a minimum of 18,351 s.f. (20%) is required for the C-2 zoning district. The residential units in the mixed-use building of the project were evaluated utilizing R-3 zoning standards, based on the proposed density. Based on these standards, the project would meet both landscaping and usable open space per unit for the residential units. Each of the apartment units provides balconies for private usable open space, while the single-family homes maintain front yards and private rear yards.
A total of 73 trees existing trees are located on the project site. An arborist report notes the potential removal of 61 of these trees. Many of the trees proposed for removal are located within the interior of the site where the proposed buildings and site improvements are planned. Staff has worked with the applicant to modify earlier plans and to retain additional redwood trees along the W. Olive Avenue street frontage, and specifically retain the four larger redwoods located at the corner of S. Pastoria and W. Olive Avenue. A modified sidewalk design and relocated stormwater treatment area allows for these redwoods to be preserved. Staff has included Conditions of Approval BP-16e requiring that such trees are protected during construction and remain on-site. The latest plan would preserve 16 redwood trees along W. Olive Avenue, including the larger trees at the corner at S. Pastoria Avenue. A total of 14 redwoods along Olive Avenue would be removed. Many of these trees chosen for removal were the less healthy trees. As stated in Condition of Approval BP-16f, staff suggests the applicant further refine the plan to minimize the number of trees to be removed, especially along Olive Avenue.
Those trees defined as “protected” in size that are to be removed are required to be replaced with a minimum of 104 24-inch box size trees according to current City policies. The current plans indicate that approximately 104 24-inch box and 24 36-inch box trees are to be added to the site. Additional street trees will be added to site, as required per Conditions of Approval.
Green Building Requirements
The proposed project has provided a preliminary checklist indicating that the project would meet LEED Silver design intent as required for commercial projects. Additionally, a minimum of 80 Build It Green points are required for new multi-family residential construction. With 110 points or greater, the project may increase building height, lot coverage, or density. A GreenPoint Rated checklist was prepared by the applicant with 110 points targeted. The applicant proposes to utilize the incentive to allow for the increased building height (up to 5’) for the podium building from the maximum building height of 55’. As stated previously in the report, most of this building does not exceed this standard; however, a portion of the building peaks at 60’.
Easements and Utilities
A 15’ pedestrian realm easement is provided along the El Camino Real frontage. This easement includes a widened sidewalk and landscaped area with street trees. Additional street dedication (5’ to 11’) is required along El Camino Real and N. Pastoria Avenue as shown in the provided plans. A five foot future bike lane easement is also provided along N. Pastoria Avenue.
To accommodate the preservation of five large redwood trees at the corner of W. El Camino Real and S. Pastoria Avenue, a modified sidewalk design has been incorporated into the latest plans.
Trash and Recycling Access
For the residential portion of the main building, solid waste and recycling service is provided through chutes on each floor that dispose into a central trash room within the parking garage. For commercial uses, a separate trash enclosure is centralized on the site between the parking lot and podium structure. A truck turnaround is positioned near the driveway entrance off N. Pastoria Avenue. This area will be composed of a turf block surface and prohibited from being utilized as parking as designed in the plans and specified in Condition of Approval BP-36. Consistent with single-family homes within in the neighborhood along W. Olive Avenue, individual trash/recycling pick-up service will be provided for the single-family homes.
A new trash enclosure is planned to be provided on the neighboring hotel site to serve the existing and the associated new hotel building. A separate Miscellaneous Plan Permit for the new enclosure and associated off-site modifications to the parking lot is required subject to the review and approval, prior to building permits for this project.
Below Market Rate Housing
At this time, nine ownership units (single family homes) are proposed. The project will comply with the City’s 12.5% below market rate (BMR) requirement, by providing one BMR unit within the development and a fee will be paid for the remaining fractional difference (0.13). Condition of Approval GC-8 also includes BMR requirements for the potential future conversion of the 49 apartment units to ownership housing.
Art in Private Development
The City’s Municipal Code requires that all new development on sites over two acres in size to include public artwork. The artwork will be considered by the City’s Arts Commission for approval at a later date. The applicant has indicated that artwork likely will be located in a highly visible location along W. El Camino Real and S. Pastoria Avenue.
Mixed-use Toolkit Guidelines
The project was reviewed in accordance to the recently adopted mixed-use guidelines as shown in Attachment 3.
Fiscal Impact
No fiscal impacts other than normal fees (such as Park Dedication In-lieu, sewer and water connections, building permits) and taxes are expected. The project will also be required to pay school impact fees as required by the school districts. As noted above, a decrease in net peak hour trips results when using criteria to determine if a TIA is required; however, the project is subject to a Transportation Impact Fee, due to the adopted use categories for determining whether an impact fee is required. The project is subject to a $54,211.53 fee based on the proposed development. As stated in Conditions of Approval BP-8, the Park In-Lieu fee is estimated at $1,844,156.16. These amounts may change depending on the fees in place at the time of payment. The project is also subject to a school impact fee at time of building permit. The project was deemed complete prior to the adoption of the Housing Mitigation fee; therefore, this fee is not required.
Public Contact
As of the date of staff report preparation, staff has received six written comment letters from the public. These comments are included in Attachment 7. Nearby residents note concerns with possible increased traffic from the new development and the loss of significant size trees at the site. As stated in the report, the proposed project did not necessitate a traffic impact analysis based on peak hour trip generation. Staff has worked with the applicant to preserve as many healthy redwood trees as possible along the northern property boundary through redesign of the site from earlier layout concepts and through variation of the public sidewalk along the street frontage. To minimize impacts of construction on surrounding residential uses a construction management plan is required prior to demolition activities, per Condition of Approval BP-43. This plan will include notification to the surrounding residents and business in the surrounding area, a designated disturbance coordinator, and a traffic circulation plan.
Notice of Public Hearing, Staff Report and Agenda:
- Published in the Sun newspaper
- Posted on the site
- 1008 notices mailed to property owners and residents adjacent to the project site
- Posted on the City of Sunnyvale's Web site
- Provided at the Reference Section of the City of Sunnyvale's Public Library
- Agenda posted on the City's official notice bulletin board
Outreach Meeting
The applicant conducted an early outreach meeting on December 16, 2014 at the Grand Hotel. At that time, the project was at an early conceptual stage, prior to submittal of plans to the City. The intent of the meeting was for the developer to gather input from the community before an application was submitted to the City. Another outreach meeting was held on November 5th, 2015 at Washington Park. In addition to City staff, approximately 25 members of the public attended. At this meeting, the applicant made a presentation on the proposed project and answered questions from those in attendance. Several nearby residents noted concerns with the traffic, pedestrian safety, and the density of the project. Additional concerns regarding the potential loss of significant size trees were noted. The meeting notification radius is depicted in Attachment 1, which includes all properties located a minimum of 1000 feet from the edge of the site.
Planning Commission Study Session
A Planning Commission study session was held regarding the project on December 14, 2015. Each of commissioners provided comments regarding the design of each of the building types. Primarily, concerns were noted regarding the hotel extension building. Minor enhancements have been made to the project design of the hotel building as described earlier in the report. Staff is requiring an additional enhancement to the building’s El Camino Real facing façade to incorporate arched elements and a signature medallion complementing the one on the main hotel building.
Additional comments include concerns with the ingress/egress from S. Pastoria Avenue. Public Works Transportation Division staff considered the latest plan to be satisfactory for access to and from the site. Earlier plans have been modified to increase queuing space on-site and reduce conflicts from traffic along S. Pastoria Avenue. Ingress/egress is also restricted right-in and out access at this location. The back-up area adjacent to single family uses will be composed of turf block and is intended to be used infrequently for access for recycling and solid waste vehicles. Parking in this area will be restricted.
Several commissioners noted a preference to preserve as many redwoods as possible. As stated earlier in the report, the latest plans reflect further efforts to preserve as many redwoods as possible on the site. Relocation of stormwater treatment area and alternative sidewalk dimensions at the street corner has been incorporated. Additional questions were raised related to the intersection and bus stop location. The latest plans reflect the expected area and location needed for VTA bus stop improvements.
Alternatives
1. Make the findings required by CEQA in Attachment 3, adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration, and approve the Special Development Permit and Vesting Tentative Map subject to recommended conditions of approval in Attachment #4.
2. Make the findings required by CEQA in Attachment 3, adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration, and approve the Special Development Permit and Vesting Tentative Map subject to modified conditions of approval.
3. Make the findings required by CEQA in Attachment 3, adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration, and deny the Special Development Permit and Tentative Map and provide direction to staff and applicant on where changes should be made.
4. Do not adopt the Negative Declaration and direct staff as to where additional environmental analysis is required.
STAFF Recommendation
Recommendation
Staff recommends Alternative 1: Make the findings required by CEQA in Attachment 3, adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration, and approve the Special Development Permit and Vesting Tentative Map subject to recommended conditions of approval in Attachment #4.
Staff recommends approval of the project and the requested deviations, as conditioned, as the project utilizes exceptional site and architectural design and provides for an appropriate scale development along a major corridor that includes desirable commercial uses and additional housing opportunities.
Prepared by: Ryan Kuchenig, Senior Planner
Approved by: Andrew Miner, Planning Officer
ATTACHMENTS
1. Site, Vicinity and Public Notice Mailing Map
2. Project Data Table
3. Recommended CEQA, Special Development Permit, & Tentative Map Findings
4. Recommended Conditions of Approval
5. Proposed Site and Architectural Plans
6. Project Description Submitted by the Applicant
7. Letters from the Public
8. Mitigated Negative Declaration