HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3 - ARCH-0077-2019 (487 Leff) Agenda Report
PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA REPORT
SUBJECT: Conceptual review of a new two-story office development for the Housing Authority Headquarters consisting of 13,113 square feet and associated site improvements. The project includes an amendment to the Planned Development Precise Plan to address street yard setback reductions and parking lot orientation. PROJECT ADDRESS: 487 Leff Street BY: Kyle Bell, Associate Planner Phone Number: (805) 781-7524 E-mail: kbell@slocity.org FILE NUMBER: ARCH-0077-2019 FROM: Xzandrea Fowler, Deputy Director
RECOMMENDATION
Provide direction to the applicant on items to be addressed in plans submitted for final review.
SITE DATA
SUMMARY
The applicant has submitted plans for conceptual review for the subject site located at 487 Leff Street.
The project will include demolishing the existing 5,444 square foot offices, redevelopment of the site,
and development of a new, two-story, 13,114-square foot office building. The project proposes an
amendment to the Planned Development Precise Plan (see Section 2.0) to address requests for a 30
percent parking reduction, and reconfiguration of street parking, providing 17 parking spaces on-site
where 44 parking spaces would normally be required, (Attachment 1, Project Narrative).
The subject property is located in the Medium-Density Residential (R-2-PD) zone with a Planned
Development Overlay (Attachment 3, Ordinance No. 506 (1970 Series)). The Planned Development
Overlay included a Planned Development Precise Plan (Development Plan) that was approved by the
City Council which included the 20 residential units and the existing office development (Attachment
4, Council Resolution No. 2249 (1971 Series)).
Applicant SLO Housing Authority
Representative Pam Ricci, RRM Design Group
Zoning R-2-PD (Medium Density
Residential with Planned
Development Overlay)
General Plan Medium Density Residential
Site Area ~16,712 square feet
Environmental
Status
Final plans for the proposed
project will require further
environmental analysis.
Meeting Date: April 10, 2019
Item Number: 3
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ARCH-0077-2019 (Conceptual)
487 Leff Street
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1.0 COMMISSION’S PURVIEW
The purpose of conceptual review before the Planning Commission is to offer feedback to the
applicant and staff as to whether the project’s conceptual site layout and building design is headed in
the right direction before plans are further refined; to specifically discuss concerns and questions
related to land use consistency; and to identify the appropriate application submittal process. The
Commission’s purview is to review the project in terms of its consistency with the General Plan,
Zoning Regulations, and applicable City development standards and guidelines.
2.0 BACKGROUND
The PD Overlay included development of 20 affordable residential units located at 468 Leff Street,
and the Housing Authority offices located at 487 Leff Street. The existing Development Plan
authorized a street setback reduction for the office development from 20 feet to 10 feet, and a parking
reduction to provide 40 parking spaces where 55 parking spaces would have normally been required
(Attachment 4, Sheet A1, Existing Site Plan).
The applicant proposes to amend the Development Plan to provide for a larger office development
with a reduced setback for vehicle parking within the street yard along Leff Street, and a new vehicle
parking reduction (Attachment 4, Sheet A2, Proposed Site Plan). Zoning Regulations Section
17.48.090 (Amendments to Final Development Plans) stipulates that amendments to final
development plans may be approved by the Planning Commission when limited to changes in the size
and position of buildings, landscape treatment, or the like.
3.0 DISCUSSION
The conceptual review application is not intended to provide the necessary materials (supplemental
studies) needed to provide a detailed environmental review or analysis of the project. Staff has
identified a set of specific discussion items for Commission’s consideration. The following discussion
items highlight the key concerns that the Commission should discuss and provide direction to the
applicant and staff:
1. Site Layout and Building Design: The proposed project provides an office development within
the residential zone. The project will be reviewed for consistency with Community Design
Guidelines Chapter 3.4 (Guidelines for Specific Commercial and Industrial Uses) for Office
development projects. Office structures differ from other commercial buildings in that their
Figure 1: Project Rendering as seen from High Street.
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ARCH-0077-2019 (Conceptual)
487 Leff Street
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intensity of use is lower while building scale is typically larger, without careful attention in design
to building form and mass, and street level features, these structures can impair the pedestrian
orientation of a streetscape.
Discussion Item #1: The Commission should discuss whether the conceptual site layout and
building design is compatible with adjacent uses. Specifically, the Commission should discuss
and provide direction to the applicant, staff, and the Architectural Review Commission regarding
the building orientation along the street frontages, parking within the street yard setback, and
building designs adjacent to existing residential developments.
2. Parking Requirements. The existing Development Plan, which was approved in the 1970s
included a 27 percent parking reduction to allow for 40 parking spaces for the residential units,
where 55 were normally required. In total the project provided 47 parking spaces for all proposed
uses at the time of development (37 spaces at 468 Leff Street and 10 spaces at 487 Leff Street).
Since the 1970s, parking requirements have changed for low-income residential units, and the
parking requirement under the standards that are in place today would require only 21 spaces for
the 20 units. See the table below for a breakdown of the parking requirements from the original
approval compared to the parking requirements under the proposed project.
Table 1: Comparative Parking Requirements
Original Parking
Requirement
Parking
Spaces
Proposed Parking
Requirement
Parking
Spaces
Residential (20 units) 55 Residential (20 units) 21
Office (2,000 sq. ft.) 7 Office (13,114 sq. ft.) 44
Parking Reduction (27%) -15 Parking Reduction (29%) -19
Total: 47 Total: 46
The applicant is requesting a parking reduction similar to the original project; however, the
reduction would be for the office uses rather than the residential units. The proposed project would
provide 29 parking spaces at 468 Leff Street and 17 spaces at 487 Leff Street, with a total of 46
parking spaces for the overall development, where 65 spaces would normally be required.
Discussion Item #2: The Commission should discuss whether the parking reduction is consistent
with the original Development Plan. The Commission may provide comments, suggestions, or
questions regarding the submittal of a parking study for features or programs to be included or
addressed, such as: excess bicycle parking or motorcycle parking, shower facilities, and other
programmatic opportunities or incentives.
3. Street Parking Re-configuration. The proposed project includes reconfiguration of street access
and parking along Leff Street and Beach Street, providing an additional 5 public parking spaces
along the street frontages. The applicant has been working with the City’s Transportation and
Engineering Divisions related to the public improvements; however, a more detailed review of
the changes will occur upon submittal of the Major Development Review application.
Discussion Item #3: The Commission may provide comments, suggestions, or questions related
to the reconfiguration of Leff Street and the orientation of public and private parking for the
applicant and staff to address upon submittal of the Major Development Review application.
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ARCH-0077-2019 (Conceptual)
487 Leff Street
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4.0 NEXT STEPS
Pending direction from the Commission, the applicant will apply for the appropriate entitlement
applications which are anticipated to include: Final Development Plan Amendment, and Development
Review (Major). After the entitlement applications have been deemed complete, the project will be
reviewed by Architectural Review Commission (ARC) to evaluate consistency with the City’s
Community Design Guidelines, with a recommendation to the Planning Commission for final review.
5.0 PROJECT STATISTICS
Site Details Proposed1 Required2
Setbacks
Front Yard (Leff St.)
Corner Street Yard (High St.)
Corner Street Yard (Beach St.)
30 feet
10 feet
10 feet
20 feet
10 feet
10 feet
Height of Structures Not Available 35
Max Building Coverage (footprint) 44% 60%
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) 0.78 No requirement
Density Units 29 DU3 16.79 DU
Vehicle Parking 17 spaces 44 spaces
1 Project Plans (Attachment 2)
22019 Zoning Regulations
3Approved through Council Resolution No. 2249 (1971 Series)
6.0 OTHER DEPARTMENT COMMENTS
A pre-application meeting was held on September 6, 2018, and comments from other City
Departments including Engineering, Transportation, Utilities, Fire, and Building have been provided
to the applicant team outlining the necessity of the supplemental studies and materials requested in
conjunction with the entitlement application submittal.
7.0 ATTACHMENTS
1. Project Narrative
2. Ordinance No. 506 (1970 Series)
3. Council Resolution No. 2249 (1971 Series)
4. Project Plans
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HASLO Headquarters Expansion
City of San Luis Obispo Planning Commission – Conceptual Review
February 19, 2019
Applicant: Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo (HASLO)
Representative: RRM Design Group
Main Address: 487 Leff Street
Existing Zoning: R-2-PD, Medium-Density Residential Planned Development; PD included
both sites described below.
Planned Development: PD approved 12-7-70; follow-up Precise Plan approved 11-15-71.
Existing Site Description:
Offices
Address: 487 Leff Street
APN: 003-623-001
Site Area: 16,642 square feet (0.38-acre)
Existing Development:
•5,444 square-foot offices in two buildings, one is two-stories
•Architectural character has elements of the Central Coast’s public housing vernacular of the
60’s and 70’s
•18 parking spaces required by code; 10 on-site automobile parking spaces provided
•11 bicycle spaces
•Employees use High and Beach on-street parking; clients use Leff Street on-street parking
Attachment 1
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HASLO Conceptual Summary
Page 2
Affordable Housing (Apartments)
Addresses: 456-492 Leff Street
APN: 003-622-016
Site Area: 1.02 acres
Existing Development:
• 20 apartments (accounting for 2 units to be added); 20 spaces required
• 37 parking spaces originally; now 24 spaces (basketball court & play area added)
• 4 extra parking spaces
Proposed Development (487 Leff)
• Rebuild two apartments across the street to replace two apartments converted to office space
in the past at site
• Demolish existing development
• Rebuild new, two-story office building with 13,114 square feet of floor area.
• Provide 17 on-site parking spaces, with one van-accessible ADA space.
Office Parking
Location Floor Area Parking Ratio Parking Requirement
First Floor 7,353 square feet
Second Floor 5,761 square feet
Total 13,114 square feet 1 space/300 sq.ft. 43.7 or 44 spaces
Parking Reduction
Parking for the proposed office building will need certain available City Zoning Ordinance reductions and
includes a request for off-site parking. The premise of the parking proposal is that it will meet HASLO’s
needs since the office expansion does not result in a major change in the number of employees but
rather provides more offices, meeting rooms, and other facilities for the existing staff. In addition,
HASLO will have on-site management and oversight of how its employees use the available parking
avoiding problems with the surrounding neighborhood.
• 30% parking reduction
44 x .30 = 13.2; 44-13.2 = 30.8 spaces or 31 spaces
• 20 additional bike spaces allow for a reduction in the number of auto space by 4
31-4 = 27 spaces
• Four Off-Site Spaces
27-4 = 23 spaces
With four off-site parking spaces across street, 30% parking reduction, & extra bike spaces, project
parking of 17 spaces is 6 spaces short of requirement of 23 spaces.
Attachment 1
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HASLO Conceptual Summary
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For the remaining parking deficit of 6 spaces, HASLO would prepare a Transportation Demand
Management Plan (TDMP) and pursue Planning Commission approval per 17.72.050 of the Zoning
Regulations. The TDMP would further define what programs would be implemented to minimize the
need for onsite parking and prevent cars from spilling over onto the neighborhood streets.
To provide documentation on existing parking demand generated by HASLO with its current offices, City
of San Luis Obispo Transportation Division staff have conducted surveys and will complete a parking
demand study. As previously noted, part of HASLO’s case for a parking reduction is that the new office
space will help them to operate more efficiently and have common office functions like break areas and
meeting rooms rather than significantly add new employees that increase parking demand.
Attachment 1
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Attachment 2
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Attachment 2
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Attachment 3
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