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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 6.A 10/20/2014 Attachment 10 � f ATTACHMENT 10 c .. _L_ . . ■ ZA • 111 • KELLER COURT COMMONS MAD 000 West Street, Petaluma, CA 94952 PROJECT DESCRIPTION KELLER COURT LLC 0/0 JIM SOULES 200 WEST STREET PETALUMA, CA 94952 June 9, 2014 10 - 1 KELLER COURT COMMONS Proposed PUD and Tentative Subdivision Map 000 West Street, Petaluma, CA 94952 Project Description - June 9, 2014 SUMMARY - The proposed Planned Unit Development will be 8 two-bedroom detached homes clustered around a landscaped courtyard. The courtyard concept promotes community and is now referred to nationally as a "pocket neighborhood" based on the pioneering, award-winning developments in the Seattle area by the applicant. All homes will have bedrooms on the main and second floor. Each home will be on a separate lot with a private garden in front and a large, usable covered front porch oriented to the u-shaped courtyard open to views to the east. Garages and unassigned open parking are located on an alley like private drive around the west side of the site. With homes all facing the courtyard residents live on a park, not a parking lot. The commonly owned tract will be owned and managed by a HOA. The homes will be a minimum of 10 feet apart and have fire sprinklers per code. Although this new development will meet both the Designated GP and Slope Densities, the idea is to continue the more urban scale and feel of the R3 zoned neighborhood to the South. SITE - The overall site is 1 .66 acres between West Street and Cherry Street at the northerly end of Keller Street, Petaluma, CA 94952. The parcel is vacant except for a 1930's metal shed which is not considered of historical significance and will be removed (with material recycled into the new project). The parcel is irregular in shape with a 40 foot wide neck to West Street and 242 feet of frontage on Cherry Street. The site is relatively level except for the easterly 50 feet which has a moderately steep slope. There is a good view to the east of Sonoma Mountain from most of the property. There are many oak trees on the site most of which are on the north and west perimeter. The legal description of the site is the "Designated Remainder" parcel of Parcel Map 395. GENERAL PLAN - The Site has a GP land Use designation of Low Density Residential with a du/acre range of 2.5 to 8. The site is immediately adjacent to higher density residential areas: Diverse Low represented by small homes on 4000 sf lots in the older urban neighborhood to the South and East, and Medium Density represented by Apartments to the North. The project is inspired by GP Land Use policy 1-P-2: 'Use land efficiently by promoting infill development, at equal or higher density and intensity than surrounding uses.' As well as policy 1 -P-3: 'Preserve the overall scale and character of established residential neighborhoods.' ZONING - The Zoning Designation is R2 Residential surrounded by R3. Per the Hillside Ordinance the subject parcel can accommodate 11 dwellings. Ib — 2 SITE PROPOSAL HISTORY - In May of 2007, a prior developer proposed 7-8 Single Family Homes of 3500 - 4500 sf each with 3 car garages which was rejected by SPARC. The committee members were John Mills, Marianne Hurley, Hans Grunt, Larry Reed and Bill Wolpert. Reviewing the archives of that meeting we heard a consensus of commissioner comments as follows: SITE: Respect the farm setting' 'Provide green enclave at center of property' 'Provide quiet street, closed to traffic' 'Do not send street through to Cherry' 'Save more Oak Trees especially those along Cherry Street' 'Provide site sections to understand the topography' ARCHITECTURE: 'Reduce the size of the homes' 'Provide custom solutions rather than 'off the shelf' designs' 'Create a neighborhood rather than 8 mansions' 'Provide 2000 sf high quality homes with site amenities rather than cheap 3500 sf houses.' 'Make houses green' 'Neo-Victorian designs do a disservice to the existing Farmhouse.' Subsequent to this meeting, the prior Developer, contacted MAD architecture to explore working together. We told them we agreed with the comments of SPARC and thought we could design a successful project within that context. However, they chose to not pursue it further. APPLICANT EXPERIENCE - Jim Soules, the current applicant, bought the property in 2012. Having built many 'Pocket Neighborhoods' in the Seattle area he felt the unique site would be a perfect candidate for a courtyard project. Coincidentally, his project experience dovetails beautifully with the community's wishes for this site as voiced by SPARC members above, as well as the goals outlined in the General Plan. Jim pioneered the pocket neighborhood concept and compact home zoning with the Third Street Cottages in 1998 and went on to develop 6 more pocket neighborhood communities including the national AIA award winning Danielson Grove (2006) in Kirkland, WA. The legal applicant for this project is Keller Court LLC, a California Limited Liability company formed specifically for this project. Jim Soules is the LLC Manager and Member - the other two Members are Milli Fredricks and Jason Soules. For more information on Jim and his experience see the attached resume and/or his web site: www.soulescompany.com. A good example of a similar community developed by Jim is the 8 two-bedroom home Greenwood Avenue Cottages on a 34,000 SF infill site in Shoreline, WA: '0- 3 elk ____r---iGreenwood Avenue Cottages 'i ; ____r---ir . 1 . " 0 0 , I,.. ' 0 4 . ' • I ._ :1 ,, ) 1 .141,. • , ; , fr .44 t‘ . I i_ II - 1 , wn o f � , Yjir9. ." 'l„ PO ►SUIS , A • 0 go h ll , ZI N}FL I !'i t.. . ( : '11 11 ii ' `4 `k 1 Tii il J �-` o 1 Site Plan I Il - © r GREENWOOD AVENUE COTTAGES, SHORELINE, WA SITE PLANNING - The concept of a Courtyard Project is to cluster small houses, as an `enclave' around a shared, community green space. This courtyard is devoid of any vehicles and fosters a more friendly, quiet, pedestrian environment where neighbors are apt to engage in conversation while getting their mail or sitting on their porch. For this community, vehicular circulation is routed to the West where the driveway, garages and open parking are strategically tucked amongst the Oaks along the perimeter of property generally out of sight but within a short walking distance to the dwellings. ID — 4 ARCHITECTURE - The house designs are inspired by the community's wishes as well as a recently acquired 1946 photo that views this West Street property. It corroborates a Sanborn Map from 1949 which depicts outbuildings scattered across the site. It appears there was an active farm here including a high probability of chicken ranching due to the shape and size of some of the outbuildings. 11. • • 4. � � 'may 1946 PHOTO FROM WEST / KELLER STREET INTERSECTION (Looking North into Site) 10 - 5 The goal for the 'Keller Court Commons' is to 'respect the farm site' by designing smaller, more sustainable structures and to be deferential to the Farmhouse rather than trying to mimic it. Instead of a series of 'Neo-Victorians' on the site we designed them to appear as a farmstead, not unlike the pre-existing farm 'outbuildings' once standing on this site, as well as other agricultural structures that are ubiquitous throughout Petaluma and Sonoma County. K 4 ^ i, 01. • f, % • T: •� s ,4441.•-•1:'•,. r.� 1 • +.r l .��- r r *. :_ is r �•: r TYPICAL PETALUMA CHICKEN HOUSES (d- 6 The new buildings' massing and scale will be reminiscent of this Agrarian vernacular; yet a contemporary interpretation without being 'literal' copies of them. The materials used corrugated metal, asphalt shingle roofing, metal / fiberglass windows, fiber cement, new / reclaimed wood board, metal siding are consistent with this approach. Many of these materials occur currently on the existing garage, on neighboring buildings, as well as the structures that occur in the historic photos. ' , ;,0 til - , t 44, , ,fir 100,„ „ .. • io... -.� .46f. t .. i 4s'im NEIGHBORING OUTBUILDINGS ��' 7 MAD architecture previously designed a small single family residence on the adjacent parcel (120 West St) using the same guiding principles, with the anticipation that it will be a gateway structure to the project and set the tone for the designs of the subsequent houses. y- 'yT1 l • • 1111 120 WEST ST (Under Construction) RESIDENTS - Based on similar projects it is expected about 50% of the homes will be one-person households seeking a manageable home and private garden in a community setting. The balance will likely be active "empty nester" couples resizing from a larger home. The community will have a strong interest in both community and environment. HOMES - All homes are two bedroom, two and one-half bath. A unique aspect of each plan is a large, usable covered porch facing the courtyard that serves as three season room. There are three floor plans with minor elevation changes to fit the site. Plan A (# 1 , #8) is a tuck under daylight basement type plan to minimize height on the easterly slope. Plan B (#2, #4, #7) are two-story homes. Plan C (#3, #6) are on the corners of the courtyard and feature a tower space similar to other Victorians in the neighborhood. The private garden will be landscaped by each owner to ensure diversity and unique character. ld- 8 PRIVATE YARDS - The private yards, primarily between home and the courtyard, are a major feature of the community. The yards are just deep enough to provide a layer of privacy between the courtyard walks and the homes. And the yards are a modest size for ease of maintenance but large enough for individual expression. The yards, and flower boxes on porches, will be designed and installed by the home owners. In prior communities all owners were gardeners and a mild competitiveness produced wonderful, creative landscaping. In two previous communities part of the commons was set aside for a community garden plot, but the area was not used because there was adequate room in the private yards for vegetables, and herbs. The CC&R's provide for a "use and enjoyment easement" that creates a zero side yard type garden - so the full distance between homes can be used by one owner, but protect maintenance access. These yards are not designed for, nor are any accessory structures allowed such as pergolas, playhouses, trellis, etc. COURTYARD - All homes will orient to a landscaped courtyard open to the east. The courtyard will be owned and managed by an HOA with mostly plantings and a small turf area. The courtyard will be relatively level and there will be no steps from the garages/drive to each lot. It is proposed along the sloping easterly 50 feet of the site to install low-maintenance landscaping and fruit trees. While there is space the developer from previous experience found that a community garden plot was not utilized because there was space in each private yard for vegetables and herbs. }' O ',.. ,11' y __ 'I �_J LLQ -1 a- -- _ _ ` I. .1 c .7 1 •_ ; 11 la IPS lin ; 1 et i. 11 ;i/I . 49® o . , 1. 4`4,41.3, .? �1,, wLW' I ® r..rnnrcL — --- x.u..cas • M1. rc .. 1Y , ‘11 am 1 t _ kt. .t, ram e, •'• IPARCE[l1 I L, ',i . PF I 1 ' I 11(5—. 1 KELLER COURT COMMONS SITE PLAN 10 — 9 COMMONS ROOMS - A small private commons room will be provided for private community meetings and functions. No kitchen or cooking facilities will be provided. The community building is for the exclusive use by the residents and may NOT be rented any public or private events. In addition a small (250 SF) Fitness Room is located above one of the garages - for yoga and exercise equipment. SITE ACCESS AND FACILITIES - The community of courtyard homes is accessed by a private drive to be maintained by the HOA. An emergency vehicle access hammerhead is provided. The project will be served by a "low-impact" storm water drainage system. All homes will be on public sewer. Individual meters will be provided for water, gas and electric. An 8 inch water main will be extended from West Street to Cherry Street with one fire hydrant near the entrance and another near the EVA hammerhead. It is requested the private driveway be named "Keller Court" and each home have an individual address such as 712 Keller Court. PARKING - Each home will have a private single detached garage. There will also be 9 unassigned open parking spaces for a total of 17 parking spaces complying with the city multifamily parking standards which require one parking space per bedroom (It is interesting to note this site is 900 feet away from the CENTRAL PETALUMA SPECIFIC PLAN AREA utilizing the 'Smart Code' which requires only ONE car per Residential unit regardless of the number of bedrooms). The garages all have width for storage and will be permanently assigned by the OCR's. The CC&R's require residents to use their garages for vehicle storage and prevent use for just storage. Experience from previous communities found resident bicycles were accessed from the garages. Electric vehicle chargers, each with its own meter, is being explored for each garage HOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION - With a small number of homes and a strong interest in community the HOA will be very effective. The HOA will be responsible for the common landscaping, drives, infrastructure (drainage, etc.) community buildings and garages. Home owners will be responsible for maintenance of homes and landscaping on their lot. REFUSE AND RECYCLING - Petaluma Refuse and Recycling has been contacted and they confirm that a two yard bin each for refuse and recycling will be more than adequate for 8 homes - paid and managed by the HOA. A bin storage area has been provided in the site plan. Each home will have its own yard waste can, but most yard waste will be removed by the professional landscape maintenance company retained by the HOA. IDS 10 EMERGENCY VEHICLE ACCESS - The proposed private drive has been analyzed by Lafranchi and Associates and provides adequate access for the fire department engine truck and paramedic vehicles. The hammerhead is located in the central part of the courtyard project. The proposed access concept has been reviewed by the Fire Department. The drive approach on West Street is 25 feet wide to accommodate off street emergency vehicle parking. TREE PRESERVATION, REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT - A complete tree survey report has been completed. The site contains 37 healthy trees, all but one is a Coast Live Oak. It is proposed to remove one oak (#10) in the middle of the courtyard which would have major view impacts for the new houses. It is also proposed to remove three small spindly trees (# 17, #18, & # 19) now up against the metal building also impacted by a larger beautiful tree. It is also possible that two small trees, #37 & #38, may need to be removed for the new water main and storm drain. The arborist has noted trees 37 and 38 are subordinate under two large beautiful trees and if removed there will be minimal loss of canopy. SUBDIVISION MAP IMPROVEMENTS - Proposed Improvements: • West Street right of way improvements are now complete as required by Parcel Map 395. The completed improvements consisted of concrete gutter pan, removal and replacement of the existing cobblestone curbs, replacement of a portion of the sidewalk, handicap ramp at Keller Street, driveway approach with culvert, removal and reconstruction of a portion of the street section, 8" connection to the existing public water main and a joint utility trench from an existing pole on the south side of West Street. • Cherry Street right of way improvements will be limited to connection of the 8" water main to the existing main in Cherry street; connection of a public storm main to extend 150 feet west to an existing storm main. A new sewer main has been connected from the site at the NE corner of the site. No parking signs will be installed on the project side of Cherry Street. • Improvements within the PUD development will include extension of an 8"public water main through the site, fire hydrants, private storm water system including detention, private sewer collection system, drive improvements, walks, water services for each of the 8 homes, water service for the Community Building and irrigation water meters. Underground electric, gas, phone and cable has been extended into the site near Lot #2 and be extended to each lot. Mature oak trees and grade changes from street to site create a constraint that cannot be mitigated without removal of more trees beyond what proposed. 10 - 11 SMART GROWTH PRINCIPLES • Walkability - As a Courtyard type plan, this community is designed to create a pleasant, walkable environment on Site. This de-emphasizing of the automobile along with the site's proximity to local services and public transportation will also encourage walking and biking throughout the area. Note this site has a `Walkscore' of 85 out of 100 per WALKSCORE.COM which means almost all errands can be accomplished on foot. • A Sonoma County Transit and Petaluma Transit bus stop is located 2 blocks east on Petaluma Blvd. N. It is a 0.5 mile (9 minutes) to walk to downtown and a 0.8 mile ( 15 minutes) walk via Lakeville Street to the Petaluma Transit Mall. (SEE CIRCULATION MAP, SHEET TM-8). • Work@Home - An office space in each house that is designed as a `non-bedroom' will facilitate working from home and discourage automobile use. • Infill Site- the addition of (8) 1 -2 person households in compact homes within this established neighborhood will best utilize the existing City infrastructure while relieving the pressure on the UGB. ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER - First and foremost the homes are of a modest size - the greatest impact of new home construction is the extraction, transportation, and maintenance of building materials. The homes will be constructed of low-maintenance, recyclable materials (minimal paint and caulk) to reduce environmental impacts from maintenance. No central air-conditioning will be installed or allowed by the CC&R's. Each home will be insulated beyond Title 24 minimums and have a high efficiency hydronic heating (no ducts) system. Provision will be made (and several installed standard) on each home for at least 250 square feet of photo-voltaic panels. Reclaimed materials will be used wherever possible. As noted above individually metered electric vehicle chargers are being explored for each garage. 'You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.' - Buckminster Fuller 1r- 12 Jim Soules 200 West Street Petaluma, CA 94952 Ph: 206.579.8731 Em:jim@soulescompany.com Experience 2007 - Soules Company Petaluma, CA Principal. A new company formed to continue creative, compact, green residential development, and provide consulting services. www.soulescompany.com The Cottage Company, LLC Seattle, WA 1996-07 Founder/Principal. Developer/builder of award-winning "pocket neighborhoods" with heart and soul that encourage community and a shift towards sustainability. Projects include Third Street Cottages; Greenwood Avenue Cottages; Ericksen Cottages; Conover Commons; and Danielson Grove. Projects featured in New York Times, Sunset, and Not So Big House books. Threshold Housing Seattle, WA 1992-95 Executive Director. This non-profit developed Benson Glen, a 43 detached home ownership demonstration project that received regional and national recognition. Save the Children Islamabad, Pakistan 1986-91 Country Director. $2+ million Afghan Refugee Program in Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Soules Corporation Bainbridge Island, WA 1981-85 President/Owner. Developed office buildings, consulted with community non-profits. Acacia Construction, Inc. Fullerton, CA 1974-80 President (and part owner) Developed homes, condominiums, and apartments in 3 states. Developed nationally featured 33 home innovative affordable project. Fredricks Development Corporation Anaheim, CA 1970-74 Vice President, Project Management. Responsible for all project pre-construction entitlements for major developer that built over 4,000 units in 1973. US Peace Corps Kabul, Afghanistan 1966-68 Instructor. Taught building construction and developed small business project. Marin County Planning Department San Rafael, CA 1964-66 Planner. Responsible for land use proposal review and recommendations. Education Harvard Business School Cambridge, MA 1968-70 Masters of Business Administration. Specialized in marketing and real estate. University of California Berkeley, CA Bachelor of Arts. Economics major; Planning minor. Built "Victory Cannon". Other Actively involved with planning and water conservation groups; Harvard GSD seminar instructor; ULI Advisory Panel member. Born and raised in Napa, CA. 1V" 13