HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-07-2012 ac PH1 ricci ph1CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION AGENDA REPORT
ITEM #2
BY :Brian Leveille, Associate Planner
MEETING DATE :February 13, 201 2
FROM : Pam Ricci, Senior Planner ,
FILE NUMBER :ARC 50-09
PROJECT ADDRESS : 1340 Taft Stree t
SUBJECT : Conceptual review of development plans for a mixed use project with seve n
residential units and 3,900 square feet of commercial space .
SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION
Continue the item to a date uncertain with direction on any needed revisions to the site plan ,
building design and floor plans, and parking configuration to address issues raised in the staff
report.
BACKGROUND
Situatio n
The applicant has submitted plans for a proposed mixed use project with seven residential unit s
and 3,900 square feet of commercial space at the northwest corner of Taft Street and Kentucky
Avenue . The subject property is zoned Neighborhood-Commercial (C-N).
The project has been scheduled for a conceptual review before the ARC to allow for a discussio n
of alternatives to the current project design that could provide for a more functional parking and
site plan that is also responsive to neighborhood compatibility concerns . This meeting is an
opportunity for the applicant to get direct feedback from the ARC on the specific design issue s
that staff has identified in this staff report and to look at alternative design solutions . The project
will return to the ARC for final review at a later date after project plans are revised .
Previous Review
Previously, the applicant submitted plans for a larger mixed use project with basement leve l
parking, 5,100 square feet of lower floor commercial space, and 20 residential units on th e
second through fourth floors . This previously proposed project would have required fina l
approval by the City Council for a Planned Development (PD) Overlay Rezoning and Affordabl e
Housing Incentives . The entitlements would have been necessary to allow exceptions to
development standards in the C-N zone including height, density, parking requirements, and lo t
coverage. On March 10, 2010, the Planning Commission continued review of the project for th e
applicant to respond to general direction provided during the meeting concerning massing ,
parking access, traffic, and building design (March 10, 2010, PC Minutes, Attachment 4).
On September 8, 2010, the Planning Commission reviewed revised plans with 3,000 square fee t
of commercial space and 16 residential units . Following public input and discussion, the
ARC 50-09 (1340 Taft Street)0
ICON at SLO
Page 2
Planning Commission made a motion to recommend the Council deny the project based o n
concerns the project was incompatible with the neighborhood (September 8, 2010, PC Minutes ,
Attachment 5).
On November 21, 2011, the applicant submitted the currently proposed plans which are intende d
to comply with development standards of the Neighborhood-Commercial (C-N) zone . The
applicant is no longer pursuing the Planned Development Overlay entitlement which require d
final City Council approval . Only architectural review approval is required for the currentl y
proposed project before construction plans could be filed .
Data Summary
Address :1340 Taft Stree t
Applicant :Bran Fields, Icon at SLO, LL C
Representative :Jay Blotter, Architec t
Zoning :Neighborhood-Commercial (C-N )
General Plan :Neighborhood Commercial
Environmental Status :Categorically exempt under Class 32, In-Fill Development Projects ,
Section 15332 of the CEQA Guideline s
Site Descriptio n
The project site is currentl y
developed with gas statio n
improvements that have not bee n
in use since the station wa s
closed in 2005 . The project site
is adjacent to Neighborhood -
Commercial (C-N) serving use s
including a 7-Eleven an d
laundromat to the west, and othe r
food and retail uses to the sout h
of the project site . Medium -
Density Residential (R-2 )
development is located across a n
alleyway to the north and acros s
Kentucky Avenue to the east .
The site is within .60 miles o f
Cal Poly University, and the California Street/US Hwy 101 on/off ramp is to the southeast of the
project site (Figure 1 above, and Vicinity Map, Attachment 1).
Project Description
The proposed project includes the demolition of the vacant service station building, gas statio n
canopy, and hardscape site improvements . The proposed project would also demolish th e
existing approximately 6-foot high CMU wall along the alley right-of-way and a portion of the
ARC 50-09 (1340 Taft StreO
ICON at SLO
Page 3
wall along the west property line . The proposed project also includes removal of vehicle acces s
driveways along Taft Street and Kentucky Avenue .
Proposed new construction includes seven residential units and 3,900 square feet of commercia l
floor space . The residential unit configuration consists of six market rate two-bedroom units an d
one affordable two-bedroom dwelling unit . The market rate units are three levels with parkin g
under the buildings, and are 1,680 square feet in size (Plan sheets A1 .1-A2 .4). The market rate
residential units also include three roof terraces shared between two units . The affordable unit i s
700 square feet and located above the commercial space at the corner of Taft Street an d
Kentucky Avenue . Proposed parking for the residential units consists of subgrade lift units with a
capacity of two vehicles .
There are two commercial buildings proposed with a total of 3,900 square feet of commercia l
space (Plan sheet A2 .1). Two amenity spaces for the residential units totaling 1,669 square fee t
are located on the second floor above the commercial spaces . These spaces could be utilized fo r
a variety of resident support services such as an exercise room or study lounge .
The project is in substantial compliance with property development standards of the C-N zone
(see Table 1, below), but requires modifications to comply with density and parkin g
requirements . The applicant will have to modify the project design to fully comply with densit y
requirements and the project could be modified or exceptions could be requested to fully mee t
requirements for parking (see parking and unit layout discussion in the evaluation discussio n
below).
Table 1 : C-N Property Development Standards .
STANDARD'REQUIRED PROVIDED 2
Max Coverage 75%52 %
Taft Street setback 15 feet 15 fee t
Kentucky Avenue setback 10 feet 10 fee t
Alley setback (other yard)10 feet 10 fee t
West property line (other yard)5 .5' & 7 .5' (2°d floor)5 .5 feet & 9 feet
Buildin
hei ht 35 feet max .35 feet
Residential parkin . spaces.Apaee-nia Lut rate
1
affordable
12 spaces in lifts under tit s
1 cues
ace on grad e
Commercial parkuig spaces 13
.
1 3
Density (i 2 density units pe r
acre):
a 09
350/n density bortus .for 1
ievcl aI i .dabie unit
7 density Milts
(x8 7
Notes :
1.City Zoning Regulation s
2.Applicant's project plans submitted November 2011 .
EVALUATION
The current proposal in teens of its overall scale and building design addresses some of th e
criticisms noted with the review of previous development plans in 2010 . However, the unit floo r
ARC 50-09 (1340 Taft Street)•
ICON at SL O
Page 4
plans, parking proposal, and site access raise new significant issues that warrant discussion by th e
ARC .
The following paragraphs highlight a few key elements of the site and building design of th e
project that the ARC should discuss and provide direction to staff and the applicant teams on .
1.Site Plannin g
The proposed project eliminates the curren t
driveways on Taft Street and Kentucky Avenue wit h
proposed access to serve both commercial an d
residential parking from the Kentucky alley .
Typically, alleys are only used for adjacen t
residential units which have parking access off th e
alley. The additional vehicle trips that would b e
generated by the project could create impacts t o
adjacent residential units which share the alley .
Potential impacts to neighboring properties could b e
reduced by having some or all of the access to site
parking via adjacent streets . This would be similar t o
the previously proposed access for the 2010 versio n
of the project, except that potentially only on e
driveway approach would be needed (Figure 2 ,
right).
•ARC Discussion Point :The Commissio n
should discuss whether the project access to site
parking should be modified to reduce potential impacts to adjacent residential units whic h
share the alley (Recommendation #1).
2.Building Design
The building design for the two-bedroom residential units includes stacked parking with lift s
below grade (sheet A2 .1), a first floor living/dining room and kitchen (sheet A2 .2), second floo r
2nd floor den/study and bedroom,and a third floor bedroom with a large roof terrace which i s
shared by two adjacent units .
Staffs concern of the overall size and bulk of the market rate two-bedroom dwellings an d
associated potential number of residents which could be accommodated in this unit configuratio n
is exacerbated by the proposed parking . The project incorporates lift technology which uses les s
Figure 2. Previously submitted plans wit h
access from Kentucky Avenue .
ARC 50-09 .0340 Taft St"
ICON at SLO
Page 5
site space, but also raises concerns with the functionality and amount of parking to accommodat e
the demand associated with the proposed units as currently designed .The associated parking
issues are discussed in detail in the following section of this report .
The project site is in close proximity to Cal Poly so there is a high likelihood the units will b e
occupied by students which typically results in higher density of residents and greater potentia l
for the "den/study" to be converted into an additional bedroom . Along with the recommendatio n
in the above site planning discussion, the applicant should consider revising the market rate uni t
designs to reduce the size and bulk of the units and create a floor plan configuration that is no t
easily convertible into additional bedrooms . These revisions would help to ensure the project
remains in conformance with density requirements of the Zoning Code and General Plan an d
minimize compatibility conflicts with the surrounding neighborhood in regards to parkin g
demand and residential density .
•ARC Discussion Point :The Commission should discuss the unit sizes and floor plan
layouts of the two-bedroom market rate units and provide direction on the noted concern s
with size and bulk (Recommendation #2).
3 .Zoning Regulations - Parkin g
Staff questions the functionality of the parking proposal at this site . The lift spaces for the
residents are accessed by a driveway off the alley through the commercial surface spaces .
Residents enter a fairly constricted area before entering the access to the lifts. If both lift spaces
are occupied, then a resident would need to do a three-point turn in order to exit the area . This
design raises the concern that the surface spaces directly off the alley will be used by resident s
first because they are more convenient and may not serve the commercial component of th e
project that they are intended for .
an eet A9 .1
Attachment 6, lift specifications – see footnotes). The propos - + i systems would preclude a
range of vehicles from being able to use the residential parking.
In previous pr',>,_.
has heard extensi a tes imonyrom surrounding neighbors on the difficulty of parking in the are a
The applicant is proposing lifts to provide parking for the residential units . There is a parking
requirement for two parking spaces for the two-bedroom residential units .
ARC 50-09 (1340 Taft Street)O
ICON at SLO ,
Page 6
with a significant percentage of students residing in the area .
M e.ae .S LiA,g R+wm
Yi!a1.W.
Oeor ,
Figure 3 . Cross sectio n
•ARC Discussion Point :The Commission should discuss the appropriateness of the lift
parking within this project and provide direction on parking alternatives (Recommendatio n
#3).
4 .Architectural Elements - Community Design Guideline s
The following paragraphs evaluate the proposed project for consistency with applicabl e
Community Design Guidelines . Guidelines are in italics followed by a staff's response .
5.4 C.I.Facade and roof articulation .A structure with three or more attached unit s
should incorporate significant wall and roof articulation to reduce apparent scale .
Changes in wall planes and roof heights, and the inclusion of elements such as balconies ,
porches, arcades, dormers, and cross gables can avoid the barracks-like quality of lon g
flat walls and roofs. Secondary hipped or gabled roofs covering the entire mass of a
building are preferable to mansard roofs or segments of pitched roof applied at th e
structure's edge .
Staff's Analysis :The bedroom on the third floor steps back from the front wall plane alon g
Kentucky Avenue and the project incorporates offsets with changes in wall planes which help t o
reduce the. apparent scale of the buildings .
5 .3 .E . Exterior Finish Materials
The thoughtful selection of building materials can enhance desired neighborhood qualities suc h
as compatibility, continuity,and harmony . The design of infill residential structures shoul d
incorporate an appropriate mixture of the predominant materials found in the neighborhood .
Common materials in San Luis Obispo are smooth, troweled, or sand-finished stucco, wood ,
horizontal clapboard siding, shingles, brick, and stone .
ARC 50-09 (1340 Taft St"
ICON at SLO
Page 7
5.3.F . Exterior Color s
Colors for infzll residential structures should consider the colors of existing houses in th e
neighborhood, to maintain compatibility .
Figure 4. Perspective view toward corner of Taft Street &Kentucky Avenue.
Staff's Analysis :The project architecture is compatible with adjacent commercial structure s
along Taft Street and should make a suitable transition to adjacent residential dwellings . Th e
project uses horizontal siding material, metal roof awnings, corrugated metal, and smooth plaste r
(see Figure 4, above). The exterior colors and materials proposed for the project appea r
complementary to surrounding development and are consistent with materials commonly used i n
San Luis Obispo .
ARC Discussion Point :The Commission should discuss if there are any needed modification s
to the architectural design, materials, and colors in the project which the ARC would like to se e
when plans return for final review .
SUMMARY
The proposed project could afford an excellent opportunity to redevelop the vacant gas statio n
with a mixed use project consistent with General Plan objectives in the Neighborhoo d
Commercial (C-N) zone . The project also offers components of sustainability and is consisten t
with City policy to provide infill development which makes use of existing City infrastructure .
Staff recommendations for revisions are intended to ensure the proposed project can provid e
these beneficial features while at the same time minimizing potential impacts to the existin g
residential neighborhood .
RECOMMENDATIO N
Continue the project to a date uncertain with the following directional items to be addressed i n
revised plans submitted for final architectural review :
tiliP')wc If{,i)j.ir)ilyc!'fi"illll
OARC 50-09 (1340 Taft Street)0
ICON at SLO
Page 8
ctm .t'.oxqz
J o u).3.4el prk i
.)ttv'i '
G.:\CD-PLAN\BLeveill\ARC \ARC 50-09 (ICON, 1340 Taft Street)\ARC 50-09 (ICON, conceptual review) 2,13,12 .docx