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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-06-19MINUTES June Y9, 2008 CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO REGULAR PLANNING COMMISSION TAPE 1 CALL TO ORDER /PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 7:31 p.m. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Commissioner Oborne, Commissioner Moore, Commissioner Sim, Vice Chairperson Teglia, Commissioner Zemke, Chair Giusti and Commissioner Prouty ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Planning Division: Susy Kalkin, Chief Planner Steve Carlson, Senior Planner Bertha Aguilar, Admin. Asst. II City Attorney: Sky Woodruff, Assistant City Attorney Engineering Division: Dennis Chuck, Senior Civil Engineer Tracy Scramaglia, Contract Engineer Public Works Terry White, Director of Public Works Police Department: Sergeant Alan Normandy, Planning Liaison Fire Prevention. Brian Niswonger, Assistant Fire Marshall CHAIR COMMENTS AGENDA REVIEW Chief Planner Kalkin requested that item # 5 be heard after the consent calendar. Chairperson Giusti agreed to do so. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS CONSENT CALENDAR i. Approval of Planning Commission minutes of January 17, February 21, March 6, March 20, April 3, May 1 and May 15, 2008. Motion Prouty /Second Teglia to approve the Consent Calendar. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS -moved after Consent Ca/endar under Agenda Review. 5. Park Station Lofts - 1488 EI Camino Real. Discussion of proposed paint color changes Chief Planner Kalkin noted that the applicant contacted staff to modify their paint scheme to richen the accent colors to which staff sent a memo to the Planning Commission and City Council inviting them to go out and look at the mock up and provide comments by May 27`". She stated that after the deadline staff approved the changes since there were no comments at that time. She noted that this item was agendized when a Commissioner contacted staff with this request. Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that the rendition that is posted out on the site is different than what was originally approved. He explained that it was a white washed color versus a tri-color rendition that was originally approved. He noted that the change has been posted on the site without approval. Planning Commission Meeting of June 19, 2008 Elaine Breeze, SummerHill Homes, submitted a letter to the Commission outlining the process they followed with regards to the colors and photographs of the building as it currently stands. She noted that the conditions of approval required a mock up to address color concerns and added that when the scaffolding was removed they saw that the armature needed to be darker. She added that staff requested them to paint the armature with the applicant's preferred color for review by the Planning Commission and City Council. Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that this color issue was first noticed when the City Council and Planning Commission had a tour around the area. He was concerned with the change because the approval looks much darker and the new colors look very bland. Ms. Breeze noted that the artistic rendition is a water color rendition and the colors are not representative of the actual paint color. She added that the new color scheme is going to be very nice and they are excited with the final landscaping. Vice Chairperson Teglia was concerned with the color hues being different and added that the picture that was published in Summerhill's annual report looked much warmer. Ms. Breeze stated that the originally approved color was brown which felt flat, and Summerhill requested a slight change of the colors during the mock up review. Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that the color on the rendition at the site is very bland and questioned if the final product will look like the water color rendition or how the buildings are now. Ms. Breeze clarified that they are going to use the paint chip color samples that are before the Commission. Commissioner Zemke noted that the color does not look very different to him and felt that the landscaping is very important. He questioned if there will be shrubbery in planter boxes around the building. Ms. Breeze replied affirmatively and added that the trees on EI Camino Real will be 36 inch box trees. Commissioner Prouty noted that the darker color on the corner building that looks like an arch is the one he prefers and added that when this is completed there will be a definition in the shadows to break up the massing of the buildings. He added that the brochure rendition, specifically the shadowed area below the windows, looks like there is a third color that accents the window insets and balconies. Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that the reveals are darkened in the rendering and it looks like a third color. Ms. Breeze noted that this is a shadow on the rendition but not a third color. Commissioner Sim noted that the picture is incomplete and the Commission has a desire for consistency although the colors are different. He added that the railing and lighting fixtures have not been installed yet. He stated that better communication was needed to inform the Commission that the colors were going to change. He noted that he would be amenable to the change depending on how the articulation is. Ms. Breeze noted that they painted the building three different colors and the darker hues jumped out at a distance, so they chose the most comfortable color. Commissioner Sim noted that the reverse reveals around the window trims are nice because they become more apparent due to the subtlety of the colors and explained to the Commission that if there were a lot of colors the details would have been lost, but because the colors are subtle the details on the reveals are more visible. Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that the base color has changed and would like to see a realistic rendition from SummerHill on what the final color scheme is going to be. He added that the Miwut2s~200A~06-19-GR r.PC MiwutCS.dCC PuoG 2Of f Planning Commission Meeting of June 19, 2008 Commission should see the entire mock up. Ms. Breeze noted that she followed the process according to the Conditions of approval. Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that the change was not brought to their attention until they started inquiring about it and were not aware that a mock up had been in place. Ms. Breeze stated that the building is painted and Summerhill is ready to repaint the armature as soon as possible. Commissioner Prouty noted that the color is important and would like to see a paint chip or rendering of some sort. Ms. Breeze noted that the mock up is on the photographs submitted to them and the mock up was painted with the new colors from May 16`" through the 27`" Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that he does not have an issue with the colors on the buildings with the additional accents. He asked if another mock up could be painted for the Commission to look at it because they want to see what the total package is. He noted that it seems bland and that this is a good opportunity to accent the reveals. Ms. Breeze noted that she could paint the base color below the armature and because they are on a tight deadline the mock up could be painted by Monday so that the Commission can look at it and provide a quick response. She stated that she would like to have the issue resolved as soon as possible. Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that this could be done and the item does not have to return to the Commission if there aren't any issues with the mock up. Consensus of the Commission to individually visit the site and inspect the repainted mock Ms. Breeze requested that if someone objects they meet her at the site to discuss their concerns. Commissioner Moore was concerned with the paint not matching the paint chip and the color not reflecting the color the Commission is reviewing. Ms. Breeze noted that they will purchase a Benjamin Moore product which is where the paint sample is from. Chief Planner Kalkin requested that the Commission call to inform staff that they have looked at the mock up and if there are issues they can also contact Elaine Breeze directly. PUBLIC HEARING 2. Park NFly/applicant Park NFly/owner 101 Terminal Ct P06-0064: UPM08-0001 8~ DR08-0012 Modification of a Condition of Approval associated with a Commercial Planned Unit Development, Use Permit and Design Review of an airport parking facility allowing trees to be planted off-site along the easterly property perimeter instead of the interior of the site, situated at 101 Terminal Court (APN 015-113-240), in the Planned Industrial (P-I) Zone District, in accordance with SSFMC Chapters 20.32, 20.84, 20.85 and 20.91. PUD07-0002, UP06-0004 & DR06-0050- Approved by the Planning Commission on November 2007 Public Hearing opened. Senior Planner Carlson presented the staff report and noted that condition of approval #3 was modified to increase the landscape along the frontage of the property. S:\Miv~utCS\FiH.alizCd MiwutCS\2GOR\0649-GA RPC Miv~,utCS.dOC PR~7C 3 pf t Planning Commission Meeting of June 19, 2008 Steve Kapeche, landscape architect, noted that they will be installing new trees and shrubs in the Caltrans right of way. He gave a PowerPoint presentation showing how the landscaping would look once it is installed and when it had reached 5 years of age. Vice Chairperson Teglia questioned which trees were being removed. Mr. Kapeche noted that they are deleting trees from inside the parking lot. Commissioner Zemke questioned if the tree species were wind resistant. Mr. Kapeche noted that they are wind and drought tolerant. Commissioner Prouty questioned if there was going to be an irrigation system installed. Mr. Kapeche noted that in order to get the plants established they have to install a watering system and once the plants are established the irrigation system may be reduced. Chairperson Giusti asked if there will be some sort of ground coverage while the plants are growing. Mr. Kapeche noted that they will mulch the ground and are proposing not to install ground cover because it becomes a maintenance issue. He noted that groundcover would be installed near Terminal Court, but it does not make sense to do it along the freeway on-ramp due to the high speed of vehicles. Commissioner Moore questioned how the maintenance of the landscaping would be monitored. Mr. Kapeche noted that the applicant has signed a maintenance agreement to ensure that the plants and irrigation system are maintained. Michael Valencia, representing the Golden Gate Produce Terminal, noted his concern with the produce terminal sign, which was installed several years ago, being blocked by the trees being installed once they reach maturity. He noted that the sign has become a beacon and aids truck drivers in the a.m, hours when they come into the site. He suggested that the landscape agreement restrict the trees in front of the Golden Gate Terminal canopy to not block the sign. Commissioner Prouty asked how high the sign was. Mr. Valencia noted that the canopy is about 18 feet tall. He added that a cypress tree seems like it will be a problem but the bushes seem that they will not get higher than the existing 6 foot fence. Mr. Kapeche noted that the trees can reach 15 feet in height but the species that are being installed can be pruned to limit the height of the tree. Commissioner Prouty suggested including this limitation in the landscape agreement. Public Hearing closed. Motion Teglia /Second Prouty to approve P06-0064: UPM08-0001 & DR08-0012 with the additional condition that the trees not obscure the Golden Gate produce canopy sign. Approved by unanimous voice vote. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS 3. A Resolution determining that the Proposed Capital Improvement Program (CIP) FY 2008- 2009 is consistent with the City's General Plan. Public Works Director White gave a brief review of the CIP process. Senior Civil Engineer Dennis Chuck and Consulting Engineer Tracy Scramaglia gave a detailed presentation of the CIP. Some of the Commission comments and questions were: Lindenvi//e Storm Drain Proiect- A question was asked with regards to the separators on North Canal that are preventing the creek from collapsing and if they were part of this project (Commissioner Prouty). Public Works Director White noted that the area in question is part of the County Flood Control District and that body is responsible for addressing the issues on the creek. Forbes B/vd. sewer imurovements-Goncern was expressed regarding the upgrades and if they will allow enough capacity for all the projects currently underway (CommissionerProutyJ to which Public Works Director White noted that he is confident that there is enough capacity. He added that there is new technology that will allow for upgrades that al-ow extra capacity in the field which will allow sufficient fi:~MLv~.ute5`~~ivi.QLiLCG~ M!n.utCS~2GGR~06-1`f-03 RPG Miv~utes.doc Planning Commission Meeting of June 19, 2008 capacity through 2020. He pointed out that changes such as added regulation or additional water intensive businesses could change this in the long term future. E iO1 imvact fee funded vroiects/uumv station #4 - A concern was raised with City projects lacking design screening through landscaping that is required from developers (Vice Chairperson Teg/ia). Senior Civil Engineer Chuck noted that he will provide the Commission with a copy of the landscape plan for pump station #4. Caltrain Station- Commissioner Prouty noted that the Lowes site looks very nice and wondered if the train station could be moved closer to the Lowes/West Marine site. Public Works Director White noted that the design is complete and Caltrain has 50 million dollars in funding to build it. Senior Civil Engineer Chuck added that they are reaching 100% design and showed additional renderings of the proposed station. Public Works Director White further added that the city has allocated funds to improve landscaping above and beyond what Caltrains is providing. Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that there needs to be some level of review of the station. Public Works Director White noted that the City is working closely with the project architect so that the project matches what is in the downtown area. The Commission was concerned with the existing parking lot being used as the parking lot for the new station and questioned if upgrades were going to be made to the lot. Staff noted that the City will be maintaining the lot and any future improvements will be based on ridership numbers. Vice Chairperson Teglia inquired what would happen to the loading dock ramp and if it was abandoned. Senior Civil Engineer Chuck noted that the City will have to work with Union Pacific to relocate it to another location because it is still active. Centennial Wav Ph II & III- A question was raised with regards to the BART chain link fence and having them change it to something more aesthetic while still securing their equipment. Public Works Director noted that the City protested the chain link fence and managed to get a vinyl clad fence but noted that once time shows Bart will not have security issues there, Bart may be more amenable to a change. Traffic Ca/mina- Commissioner Prouty stated that he has seen traffic calming measures in other cities such as Sacramento where they have traffic blocked in one direction and traffic circles for residential areas. Consulting Engineer Scramaglia noted that traffic circles are a good traffic calming measure, but one that requires neighborhood input and buy-in. Vice Chairperson Teglia questioned if there were any traffic calming projects since the program was started. Consulting Engineer Scramaglia noted that there are not any plans currently underway. However, she noted that they did have neighborhood complaints on Arroyo Drive and instead of installing the one stop sign that was requested staff decided to look at the street as a whole to implement several traffic calming strategies. Vice Chairperson Teglia added that there were traffic calming ideas on Sunshine Gardens during the BART Station review and that No. Spruce Avenue is impacted by noise where there is a big dip in the road. Consulting Engineer Scramaglia stated that the Technical Advisory Committee, which is made up of staff members, looks into these issues to determine what traffic calming measures can be incorporated in the area. Vice Chairperson Teglia noted that the sidewalk on Hillside at the church is not a preference, but a priority. He suggested a provisional approval to ensure that the sidewalk on Hillside Boulevard be moved up in priority to next fiscal year's cycle in CIP. Motion Teglia /Second Moore to approve resolution 2671-2008 with the provision that the Hillside Boulevard sidewalk improvement be moved higher in priority for FY 08-09. On the question: Commissioner Zemke questioned what would occur if the City Council does not agree with the Commission's recommendation. Assistant City Attorney Woodruff noted that the Commission is providing a consistency finding and it is up to the Council if they want to prioritize the project. Roll Call .s:~r~niwutes~~iwaLized r~twu;es~~ooR~oH-t~-oA AFC r~iwutes.doc Fgae ~ of ~ Planning Commission Meeting of June 19, 2008 Ayes: Commissioner Moore, Commissioner Oborne, Commissioner Prouty, Commissioner Sim, Commissioner Zemke, Vice Chairperson Teglia and Chairperson Giusti Noes: Absent: None Abstain: None Approved by roll call vote. Commissioner Moore asked Public Works Director White what the City's thoughts on the apple moth spraying were. Public Works Director White noted that the Council saw a presentation on this and did not have a position on whether to do it or not. He added that he is not aware of any twist ties or stations within the City. He further noted that the spraying is in abeyance pending CEQA implications. Recess taken at 9:25 p.m. Recalled to order at 9:33 p.m 4. ARE-SF No 21 L.P./applicant ARE-SF No 21 L.P./owner 213 & 217 E. Grand Avenue P07-0106: UP07-0017, DR07-0065, DA07-0001 & EIR07-0001 Study Session -Use Permit, Design Review &TDM plan to construct anine-story 291,000 sf R&D /Office Building and aMulti-level parking garage on a 6.2 acre site located at the NE corner of East Grand Avenue & Forbes Blvd in the Planned Industrial (P-I) Zone District in accordance with SSFMC Chapters 20.32.060, 20.81, 20.85 & 20.120 Public Hearing opened. Chief Planner Kalkin presented the Staff Report. Kevin Kullen, LamphierGregory, gave a presentation on the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Theresa Nemiath -Alexandria Real Estate, Nial Malcolmson - Dowler Gruman Architects and Richard Sharp - Studio 5 design presented the project to the Commission. Commissioner Zemke questioned what the estimated number of employees was once the building is fully occupied. Mr. Malcolmson noted that the EIR states it is between 729-1000 employees. Commission comments: • Concern was raised with regards to the turn off of Forbes Boulevard (Vice Chairperson Teg/ia) • Request of more views from Forbes (Vice Chairperson Teglia) • Increase design detail on parking structure and follow some examples of parking structures that mimic the building (Vice Chairperson Teg/iaJ • Staggering trees at the meandering sidewalk rather than lumping them together (Vice Chairperson Teg/ia) • Concern on how the roof parking will look being that it will be visible from other buildings. • The applicant was commended for maximizing the garage parking rather than the surface parking and constructing a multi story building (Commissioner Prouty and Commissioner Zemke) • Concern was raised with regard to traffic increasing with the amount of employees increasing as well (Commissioner Zemke) • A comment was made that mass transit and the new train station underpass will help alleviate some traffic (Vice Chairperson Teglia and Chief P/annex Kalkin) • The applicant can offer incentives to mitigate traffic through their TDM plan. (Commissioner Prouty) • The applicant was commended for pursuing a LEED certification for this project and other projects in the City (Commissioner SimJ S:~Mwt.ut~S~FiwRliZ@d Mi.w.ut@5~2GOR~06-1~-OR R?G [email protected] P+~a@ E pf ~ Planning Commission Meeting of June 19, 2008 Commissioner Sim requested to see how the elevation of Forbes Boulevard is going to be handled. Mr. Malcolmson noted that they had a wind study prepared for which their consultant prepared some videos to show the wind impacted areas and showed them to the Commission. Public Hearing closed. 5. Park Station Lofts - 1488 EI Camino Real. Discussion of proposed paint color changes Moved after Consent Calendar under Agenda Review. ITEMS FROM STAFF None • Appoinfinent of a Kaiser Subcommittee -Chairperson Giusti appointed Vice Chairperson Teglia and Commissioner Prouty to the subcommittee. ITEMS FROM COMMISSION • Discussion of minutes -Vice Chairperson Teglia asked that staff make every effort to have the minutes ready for approval by the next regularly scheduled meeting. ITEMS FROM THE PUBLIC ADJOURNMENT ,- Sus Kalkiry~ Secretary to the Planning Commission City of South San Francisco SK/bla None 10:00 P.M. /~~ .~~~~ Mary Giusti, Chairperson Planning Commission City of South San Francisco s:~Mi.v~utcs~riwUlized Mi.wu'.G5^~.2ooff Ofo-2~-08 RPC M%v~,uteS.d Dc