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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-10-05MINUTES October 5, 2006 CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO REGULAR PLANNING COMMISSION TAPE 1 CALL TO ORDER /PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 7:31 p.m. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Commissioner Giusti, Commissioner Prouty, Commissioner Romero, Commissioner Sim, Commissioner Teglia, Vice Chairperson Honan and Chairperson Zemke ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: CHAIR COMMENTS None Planning Division Susy Kalkin, Chief Planner Mike Lappen, Senior Planner Chadrick Smalley, Associate Planner Bertha Aguilar, Admin. Asst. II Peter Spoerl, Assistant City Attorney Sam Bautista, Senior Civil Engineer Lieutenant Jim Thane AGENDA REVIEW City Attorney: Engineering Division Police Department: City Manager Chairperson Zemke congratulated Susy Kalkin for her appointment as the Planning Division's Chief Planner. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS No Changes None Jackie Williams submitted a copy of a letter addressed to City Engineer Razavi on September 23, 2006 regarding the Serra Vista school site. She requested a reply to the questions stated in the letter, as to the owner of Juniperro Serra Boulevard, ingress and egress, who is the decision maker and what procedures will be followed to make such a decision. She requested that the files for Juniperro Serra be made available for her to view. She noted that there is a subcommittee meeting with the School District in the near future and would like a response to her questions prior to this meeting. Chief Planner Kalkin and Assistant City Attorney Spoerl noted that they would work with City Engineer Razavi and prepare a response for Ms. Williams. CONSENT CALENDAR 1. Edna's Ichiban (Ben Ramos)/applicant American National Ins. Co./owner 2234 8~ 2236 Westborough Blvd. P02-0001: UPM05-0005 (Continue to November 2, 2006) None Modification of a Use Permit allowing an expansion of the dining area of an existing restaurant at 2234-A and 2236 Westborough Boulevard, in the Retail Commercial (C-1) Zone District, in accordance with SSFMC Chapters 20.22 and 20.81. 2. Diana Barnard/applicant KSW PROPERTIES/owner Planning Commission Meeting of October 5, 2006 1333-1361 Lowrie Ave (015-115-290 ~& 015-115-460) P05-0139: UP05-0027, DR06-0027, VAR05-0002 8~ TDM05-0005 (Continue to October 19, 2006) Use Permit allowing re-establishment of warehouse and distribution uses generating in excess of 100 average daily vehicle trips, outdoor overnight truck storage and 24 hour operation and Design Review of landscaping upgrades; Cultural Arts Contribution allowing 16,590 square feet of on-site landscaping in-lieu of providing a minimum landscaping of 26,236 square feet; Variance allowing 95 parking spaces instead of the minimum requirement of 125 parking spaces and Transportation Demand Management Plan in association with a Variance reducing parking requirements located at 1331, 1341-1349 Lowrie Avenue in the Planned Industrial Zone District in accordance with SSFMC Chapters 20.30, 20.81, 20.84, 20.85, 20.101, & 20.120. 3. Alexandria Real Estate Equities/applicant Richard Elmo Haskins/owner Southeast corner of East Jamie Court and Haskins Way P02-0042: UPM06-0003, DA05-0001 & Addendum to certified Mitigated Negative Declaration MND02- 0042 (Continue to October 19, 2006) Use Permit Modification, Modified TDM Plan and Design Review of minor changes to an approved two building office/R8~D complex on a 6.13-acre site at the southeast corner of East Jamie Court and Haskins Way, adjacent to the San Francisco Bay. The approved project consists of two buildings totaling 133,000 sq. ft.: one two-story structure over a parking level (57,700 sq. ft.) and one three-story structure (75,300 sq. ft.), with a parking ratio of 2.8 spaces per 1,000 square feet. The revised project consists of two three-story buildings of the same layout and design of the original plan, but totaling 162,000 sq. ft. (29,000 sq. ft. increase) over a depressed parking level extending beneath both buildings, and providing a parking ratio of 2.8 spaces per 1,000 square feet, in the Planned Industrial (P-I) Zoning District in accordance with SSFMC Chapters 20.32, 20.74, 20.85, 20.91 and 20.120. Modification to approved Development Agreement. Motion Prouty /Second Giusti to approve the Consent Calendar. With regards to item #3 Commissioner Romero questioned if the project has been approved for construction. Acting Chief Planner Kalkin noted that the work which is underway is consistent with the existing Use Permit. The proposal is to modify that permit. Approved by unanimous voice vote. PUBLIC HEARING 4. First Baptist Church of SSF/applicant First Baptist Church of SSF/owner 600 Grand Avenue P06-0022: UP06-0007, DR06-0019 8- VAR06-0001 (Continued from September 7, 2006) Use Permit, Design Review and Variance to allow relocation of a playground for a private school, including a 4.5 foot tall fence and outdoor play structure, which encroaches into both the public right-of-way and the minimum required 15 foot front setback on a site located at 600 Grand Avenue in the R-3-L Multi-Family Residential Zone District in accordance with SSFMC Chapters 20.20, 20.73, 20.82 8~ 20.85. Public Hearing opened. 5:\M~wute5\~un,gl,%Zed M%v~ute5\2006\10-05-06 RPC.dOC page 2 o-f ~ Planning Commission Meeting of October 5, 2006 Associate Planner Smalley gave a PowerPoint presentation and presented the staff report. Commissioner Teglia asked why staff was recommending a 1.9 foot buffer on the side. Associate Planner Smalley noted that this satisfies the Police Department's safety concerns and the applicant's requirements of play space per child. Chairperson Zemke asked what type of landscaping will be proposed between the fence and the sidewalk. Associate Planner Smalley noted that staff will have to work with the applicant in selecting plant materials such as shrubs or vines. Commissioner Giusti noted that the playground across the street is run down and asked if there were upgrades planned for that. Associate Planner Smalley noted that they will need to meet City standards when they upgrade it. Commissioner Prouty questioned if the garden area is to remain or be removed. Associate Planner Smalley noted that staff recommends converting this area to playground space and it is up to the applicant if they want to keep it landscaped. George Corey, representing First Baptist Church, noted that staff included the walkway as part of the measurements for the playground and they therefore are incorrect. He pointed out that by removing the garden from the front the City is removing one of the best gardens on the street. He added that under staff's plan the playground is being moved closer to the intersection, will not be secure, and he believes that the applicant's plan is the best for the area. He pointed out that the many of the homes on Grand are encroaching into the easement and distributed photographs of some of the properties that are encroaching. He noted that the playground / parking lot will continue its current use. Public Hearing closed. Commissioner Romero questioned if they were planning on cleaning up the parking lot area. Associate Planner Smalley noted that a Condition of Approval has been added that the playground area cannot be converted to parking spaces. Commissioner Teglia noted that the lot has been reconfigured in the past and asked if the applicant can improve the aesthetics of the lot. Pastor Smith noted that at the moment they have not reconfigured the parking lot but are looking at doing so in the near future. He pointed out that plans have been prepared for the site and are under review by the church, but that funding the project was a concern. Commissioner Prouty asked if there was a way of stealthing or landscaping the parking lot because it is not aesthetically pleasing in its current state. Associate Planner Smalley noted that something can be done that could be cost effective for the church. Mr. Corey noted that the Church is willing to do this. Commissioner Sim noted that a site surveyor needs to make sure that the dimensions and square footage is exact because there could be potential ramifications. Commissioner Teglia stated that he is in support of staff's recommendation. He suggested that the fence design be of stucco and pilaster rather than a picket fence. Chairperson Zemke noted that a steal guardrail may not be pleasing to the eye. Commissioner Sim noted that the fence could return for review to the Design Review Board or to the Commission. Motion Teglia /Second Prouty to approve P06-0022: UP06-0007 &DR06-0019 with staffs recommendation as the approved approach and an additional condition that the fence design be reviewed by the Design Review Board and the Planning Commission. Approved by unanimous voice vote. 5. Genentech Master Plan EIR Genentech,/Owner Lisa Sullivan/Applicant 1 DNA Way P05-0141: MP05-0001 & EIR05-0004 s:~MCwutes\~twaLLzed rnCwutes~oo6\io-os-o6 izpc.doc Page s of ~ Planning Commission Meeting of October 5, 2006 Senior Planner Lappen noted that there will be a Public Hearing on the Genentech Master EIR followed by a Study session on the Genentech Master Plan focused on TDM Program and infrastructure improvements. a. Public Hearing to receive comments on the Genentech Master Plan Environmental Impact Report. (Continued from October 5, 2006) Public Hearing opened. Kim Avila, EIP Consultants, gave an overview of the CEQA process and added that the Master EIR is different because it looks at a project made up of smaller projects that will occur in phases. She pointed out that they looked at water supply, utilities and traffic sections. She noted that there were impacts that could not be mitigated. Traffic was one of those impacts because the City cannot make changes to Highway 101 without the participation and approval by Caltrain and CalTrans. Commissioner Teglia questioned if an additional flyover from Oyster Point to southbound 101 was considered in the MEIR. Ms. Avila noted that this was not a considered alternative. Commissioner Prouty and Chairperson Zemke concurred that traffic is an issue in the East of 101 area. Chief Planner Kalkin noted that staff can look at how a new flyover relates to the project at hand and mitigating the impacts. She added that the engineering division would be looking at updating the entire East of 101 Area Plan and this could be reviewed then. Jackie Williams noted that the ferry site has been moved to another area. She questioned if Genentech is participating with the WTA (Water Transit Authority) with regards to the location of the ferry terminal. Chief Planner Kalkin noted that the City is aware that WTA is considering alternative locations and decisions have not been made as to the location of the Ferry terminal at this time. Public Hearing closed. Commissioner Teglia asked if additional public amenities should be studied more in the document. Senior Planner Lappen noted that the consultant will be asked to look at how the open space in the Genentech campus complies with the General Plan. Senior Planner Lappen noted that the Final MEIR will incorporate all the comments that were made at the meeting and letters that were mailed to the Planning Division. b. Genentech Master Plan Study Session Senior Planner Lappen noted that this study session is going to cover traffic, TDM Program, shuttles service and crosswalks. Lisa Sullivan, Director of Strategic Facilities Planning, noted that they currently have 50% of Genentech employees living on the Peninsula. She proceeded with a presentation on road infrastructure and plans for traffic reduction by educating their employees on alternatives. Circa/ation Comments; Commissioner Zemke was concerned with the alternate access to the site via South Airport Boulevard and increasing traffic to this area. Senior Planner Lappen noted that the traffic consultant looked at the local impacts on the streets which is analyzed in the EIR, and could return with an answer to the Commission. Commissioner Prouty noted that the roads need to be widened and stop signs need to be increased. He added that the all the impacts need to be minimized. Commissioner Prouty asked if there will be an entrance that reflects the style of Genentech rather than having it look like someone just stumbled onto the campus. Ms. Sullivan replied affirmatively. Transaortation Demand Management Program comments: Elizabeth Hughes, Hoyt Company, gave a review of the Draft Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan. She noted that the TDM Plan is not only meeting but exceeding the City's requirement. They are adding G-Ride, s:\M%wutes\~%waltzed M%wutes\zoo6~o-os-o~ izPC.doc gage ~ of ~ Planning Commission Meeting of October 5, 2006 the Genen-bus, and are going to promote van and car pools. Genen bas vrogram comments; Vice Chairperson Honan asked when and where the Genen-bus is used. Ms. Hughes noted that they are commuter peak morning and evening buses that carry 55 or more employees. She added that three provide service from Market and Mission in San Francisco and two from Vacaville that provide pickup along I-80. Commissioner Romero questioned the effectiveness of the buses. Ms. Hughes noted that there has been an overwhelming response and the Vacaville commuter program has added another bus. Commissioner Romero questioned how many cars were taken off the road. Ms. Hughes noted that she would have to get these numbers for the Commission at a later date. Commissioner Prouty asked for an explanation of what "commuter choice" means. Ms. Hughes noted that the Commuter Choice Program is a Federal program that allows employees to use pretax income to pay for transit and vanpool costs. Vice Chairperson Honan asked for a clarification on the process used to implement the Genen-bus. Ms. Hughes noted that they look for a density of employees that live within a 1 mile radius, identifying work schedules and family lifestyles. Vice Chairperson Honan asked if the Genen-buses have been considered to stop at park and ride locations. Ms. Hughes noted that this has been explored and is currently being done with the Vacaville Genen- buses that stop along the I-80 corridor. Vice Chairperson Honan asked if this was considered for the Peninsula. Ms. Hughes noted that there was aGenen-bus from the Half Moon Bay area due to the road closure. Vice Chairperson Honan questioned if a Genen-bus was considered for commuters from San Jose. Ms. Hughes noted that the program is new and that it is being marketed. She added that they do not want to duplicate services and want to promote public transportation from that area. Commissioner Teglia asked what the percentage for alternative mode use is currently. Ms. Hughes noted that it is 21%-23%. Commissioner Prouty questioned how the participation is being counted. Ms. Hughes pointed out that the transit ridership is easier to get because there is a ridership count on all the shuttles. She stated that the most recent number of shuttle commuters was 900. Commissioner Prouty questioned how this would be monitored. Chief Planner Kalkin noted that the annual surveys are prepared by a consultant. Senior Planner Lappen noted that as part of the annual report Genentech will be required to include the annual survey for the TDM Program. Ms. Hughes noted that the G-ride program requires that employees keep track of their information and are audited internally. Bike /ocker comments Vice Chairperson Honan asked if the number of bike locker users were being tracked. Ms. Hughes noted that all the bike locker users have their information on file and a list could be generated showing where they live. She added that bike riders normally live within a 5-10 mile range. She pointed out that there are 100 bike lockers that are already assigned to employees, with 30 employees on the waiting list. Commissioner Teglia noted that some employees can take the bus, Caltrain and BART with their bike and ride to work. He asked what is being done to respond to the demand for more bike lockers and if Genentech was waiting for the Alliance to supply these lockers. Ms. Hughes pointed out that the Alliance provides a subsidy for employers to add more lockers and are working with them to identify the location for the lockers. Te%ommuting comments Commissioner Prouty asked if there was a big or small percentage of telecommuters in the area. Ms. Hughes noted that the biotech industry does not lend itself to telecommuting but as a corporate employer Genentech's office component lends itself to telecommuting on various days. Parkin4 Management Program comments: Ms. Sullivan noted that they will compensate employees for taking alternative modes of transportation. Commissioner Teglia asked when Genentech expects to meet the 30% alternative mode usage. Ms. Sullivan replied s:\MCwutes~~Lv~.alCzedM~wutes~2oo~~io-os-o6x.PC.doc pAgesof ~ Planning Commission Meeting of October 5, 2006 that they expect to do so in 24 months. She proceeded to explain Genentech's parking management program. Commissioner Prouty asked if there would be special parking spaces for carpoolers on campus. Ms. Sullivan stated that this is including in the plan and the spaces near the building would be reserved. She noted that they should be at a parking ratio of 1.75. and further noted that the parking ratio will increase as the campus grows. She explained that they are looking at the TDM Plan as an opportunity to lower the ratio by increasing the percentage of alternative mode usage and they would include these numbers in their annual report to the Commission. Commissioner Teglia noted that lab space does not need a lot of parking and stated that the ratio should have an increase automatically included with the approval of a new building. Senior Planner Lappen pointed out that the original Master Plan did include this. He noted that Genentech still has a lower parking required for office use than Britannia and other R&D companies. Commissioner Teglia suggested that with a 100% office building the parking requirement should automatically increase. Commissioner Sim noted that this way the use and density is isolated to the particular type of building that is being generated. Senior Planner Lappen noted that the annual report will require that the parking be reviewed at that time also. Commissioner Prouty wanted the Master Plan to reflect that any change in use will increase the parking ratio according to the future use of the building. Senior Planner Lappen replied that the zoning regulations require Genentech to restore the buildings to the pre-existing conditions of warehouse buildings. He pointed out that if a building reverts to another use they will have to adhere to the parking standards of that particular use. Commissioner Romero also felt that the parking ratio needs to be increased to at least 1.85. He stated that the surface parking areas in the campus seem to be over utilized which causes the Bay Trail parking spots to be used by Genentech employees. He questioned when street parking was allowed on DNA Way. Senior Planner Lappen replied that this was a temporary parking solution for Genentech approved by the City's Traffic Advisory Committee (TAC) about 4 years ago. Ms. Sullivan added that the additional parking was put in until the mid-campus parking structure went up. Commissioner Romero noted that there is more foot traffic and pedestrian areas need to be clearly designated rather than having Genentech employees try to cross the street without having a conflict with the traffic on DNA Way. He also requested specific data on the turnouts for shuttle buses, parking plan for surface parking, and available spaces for Bay Trail access. Ms. Sullivan stated that they will return with more information at a later meeting. Commissioner Prouty asked if the street parking would be eliminated to allow traffic to flow better. Ms. Sullivan noted that the on street parking spaces are not needed to meet the parking requirements and they are trying to see if it is best to keep the parking spaces to slow down the traffic to improve pedestrian safety. Commissioner Prouty suggested eliminating the temporary on street parking and working with staff to create pedestrian crosswalks to ensure the safety of those crossing the street. Commissioner Teglia asked that the EIR include site lines to and from Wind Harp Park. Senior Planner Lappen noted that it will be included in the Master EIR. There being no further comments, the study session was concluded. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS • Tandem Parking Chief Planner Kalkin suggested forming a subcommittee to identify the Commission's issues on Tandem Parking. Commissioner Teglia preferred staff to analyze where and under what circumstances tandem parking was allowed. Vice Chairperson Honan and Commissioner Prouty concurred. • Costco aueuino Chief Planner Kalkin informed the Commission that Fire Marshall Niswonger is looking into the Costco queuing problems on the exit line and will report back to the Commission at a later time. S:\M%wutes\~CwalCzed Mi.vi,ute5\2006\10-05-D6 R'PC.dOG Page 6 of ~ Planning Commission Meeting of October 5, 2006 • Assistant City Attorney Spoerl congratulated Susy Kalkin on her appointment to the Planning Division's Chief Planner. ITEMS FROM STAFF None ITEMS FROM COMMISSION None Chairperson Zemke asked that staff look at canceling the second meeting in November. Commissioner Sim asked what the Council's decision was on the Kaiser appeal. Chief Planner Kalkin noted that the item was continued to allow the applicant to work on their presentation. Commissioner Romero noted that there is more dumping on the Callan property on Juniperro Serra. Chief Planner Kalkin noted that Code Enforcement would take a look at this. ITEMS FROM THE PUBLIC None AD]OURNMENT 10:03 P.M. Motion Prouty /Second Honan to adjourn the meeting. Approved by unanimous voice vote. r ~~"G`i~~P~Cuy~t, Susy Kalkin William Zemke, Chairper n Secretary o the Planning Commission Planning Commission City of South San Francisco City of South San Francisco SK/bla s:\M%wutes\~iwAl~zed MCwutes~2oo6\io-os-o6 R.PC.doc page ~ of ~