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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Resolution 2018-12 03/27/2018RESOLUTION 2018-12 CITY OF PETALUMA PLANNING COMMISSION APPROVING SITE PLAN AND ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW FOR THE 131 LIBERTY MIXED-USE PROJECT LOCATED AT 131 LIBERTY STREET APN: 006-361-030 File No. PLMA-17-0009 WHEREAS, Paul Foley submitted, on behalf of property owner 131 Liberty Street, LLC, an application for Site Plan and Architectural Review for the construction of a new two to 3.5 -story mixed-use project comprised of 10 residential units, approximately 1,500 square feet of commercial area, 20 off-street vehicular parking spaces, as well as site improvements including landscaping within the Mixed Use 2 (MU2) zone with Theater District Overlay, located on a 0.34 -acre site at 131 Liberty Street (APN 006-361-030) (the "Project"); and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing to consider Site Plan and Architectural Review for the Project on March 27, 2018, at which time all interested parties had the opportunity to be heard; and WHEREAS, public notice of the Planning Commission hearing was published in the Petaluma Argus - Courier and mailed to residents and occupants within 500 feet of the Project site in compliance with state and local law; and WHEREAS, at said hearings, the Planning Commission considered the staff report, dated March 27, 2018, and all public testimony provided prior to and at the public hearing; and NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION AS FOLLOWS: 1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein by reference. 2. Based on its review of the entire record herein, the Planning Commission makes the following findings: California Environmental Quality Act a. The project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), under Section 15332 (In -Fill Development Projects) of the CEQA Guidelines. The criteria of CEQA Guidelines § 15332 includes the following: (a) the project is consistent with the General Plan designation and applicable zoning designation and regulations; (b) the project occurs within the city limits on a site less than five acres which is substantially surrounded by urban uses (c) the Project has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species; (d) the Project would not result in significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality; and, (e) the Project can be adequately served by all utilities. The proposed project is also not subject to any of the exceptions to the use of a categorical exemption provided at CEQA Guidelines § 15300.2 since it: (a) does not concern an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern that has been designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies; (b) has no identifiable cumulative effects; (c) there are no unusual circumstances leading to a significant effect; (d) there are no hazardous materials on-site; (e) it is not visible from a State scenic highway; and (f) does not include a historic resource. Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-12 Page 1 General Plan b. The Project is consistent with the General Plan 2025 Mixed Use (MU) land use designation in that the MU designation requires a robust combination of uses, including retail, residential, service commercial, and/or offices. c. The Project is, for the reasons discussed in the March 27, 2018 Planning Commission staff report, consistent with the following General Plan policies: Policy 1-P-2 (Efficient Land Use), Policy 1-P-6 (Encourage Mixed -Use Development), Goal 2-G-6 (Downtown Petaluma Advancement), Policy 9-P-12 (Downtown Activity), and Housing Element Policies 1.1 (Encourage Residential Development), 1.2 (Optimize Development Potential), and 4.2 (Affordable Housing Production). Implementing Zoning Ordinance d. The Project is consistent with all development standards of the Mixed Use 2 (MU2) zoning district, including but not limited to, those pertaining to uses, setbacks, building height, floor area ratio, and parking. e. The project is consistent with Implementing Zoning Ordinance §24.010 -Site Plan and Architectural Review, in that all required findings found in §24.010(G) can be made as follows: The exterior building materials are proposed to be contemporary in nature and minimal in number in a reflection of the project's overall modern design. The materials relate to the building portions on which they located, and further, relate to the built environment to which the building has been oriented. Corten would be the primary building material proposed for the front portion of the building that relates to the traditional rhythm and height of typical Downtown commercial structures in addition to the proportions of the adjacent AT&T Building. The rear portion of the building is intended to be industrial in its architectural expression and approximates the scale and shape of nearby industrial buildings by including a similar roof design and pitch, as well as a similar height. The facades of the rear building primarily feature corrugated metal with accents of painted metal sunshades. The 3.5 -story middle portions of the building would contain four building modules broken down into smaller pieces to help break-up the massing of the middle portions of the building. The design and architecture of the middle modules is repeated in each module section and is modern and clean in design. The sawtooth design and building angles will provide interest in building depth and will create shadows across the building to provide further interest. The taller middle modules of the project would feature board -form concrete at the first floor of this building section to provide weight to the ground level. The upper floors are proposed to be white painted cement plaster with a regular pattern of score lines. An upgraded exterior material over the white cement plaster would provide a more sophisticated look and better durability to the project in Downtown Petaluma. A condition of approval with the subject SPAR request has been included that requires an upgraded material over the proposed cement plaster. Overall, the changes in building materials and the differing architectural expressions break- down the apparent mass of the long, narrow building and create desirable harmony and proportion with the overall design ii. The project site is located on a block within the Downtown neighborhood that features disperate architectural styles including low-rise commercial buildings constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, industrial buildings, and Edwardian/Victorian residential structures. The project's overall character expresses a modern, contemporary aesthetic, which is appropriate given the eclectic building style and character of the buildings in the project vicinity. The project has also been designed so that the building corresponds to the surrounding character of the Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-12 Page 2 neighborhood. The front building portion is more reflective of the regular proportions, lines, and shape of the nearby commercial structures on Liberty Street, while the rear portion of the building features a similar style and character of industrial buildings found nearby with the inclusion of corrugated metal siding and similar roof forms. The middle portion of the building picks up on some slanted roof forms in the vicinity, as well as the approximate the rhythm of smaller residential structures in the area, while exhibiting a modern aesthetic. iii. No one building placement style is reflected in the immediate neighborhood, but rather, differing siting patterns can be observed on the block. The siting of the commercial buildings immediately to the north and south is urban in nature and features buildings that are located immediately at the front property line with open areas for parking at the rear and sides of the site. The industrial buildings located to the west of the project site feature full lot coverage, while some of the Edwardian/Victorian structures located to the south and west of the project site feature an edgeyard site condition with the building located in the middle of the lot with yards on all four sides. The project has been sited to reflect the siting of other structures in the neighborhood through setbacks and building placement on the site. The building has been located so that it reflects the urban siting characteristics of the adjacent commercial buildings and most other commercial buildings in Downtown by providing a zero -foot setback at the property's Liberty Street frontage and a five-foot setback on the secondary, Court Street frontage. The building has also been oriented to the south side property line to allow vehicular access and parking on the northern portion of the property and south -facing sun exposure. The existing commercial buildings to the north and south are also setback from their respective side property lines. Accordingly, the siting of the structure on the property has been designed to respond to the siting of other structures in the neighborhood and with the project environs. iv. No new signage is proposed as part of the application. Therefore, this finding is not applicable. v. Although the proposed project measures approximately 235 feet in length, it has been broken- down into smaller pieces to respond to the bulk and height of nearby structures, which greatly vary. The two-story, less bulky portions of the project have been located at the Liberty and Court street frontages to respond to the heights and bulk of these streetscapes. The 3.5 -story portion of the project has been situated in the middle of the lot where the additional height is more appropriate given the lack of built context related to this portion of the project site. The colors of other structures in the neighbor are eclectic and no one color or color pattern is prevalent. Overall, the project will utilize more muted tones to blend -in. The rear portion of the project adjacent to Court Street will utilize corrugated metal to match the materials and colors of the adjacent industrial buildings. For all these reasons, the project's bulk, height, and color is compatible with the immediate neighborhood. vi. Under the proposed landscape plan, the small existing landscaped area located in front of the existing commercial structure would be removed, while existing street trees would be maintained. The landscaping plan will feature a variety of accent trees, shrubs, vines, and ground cover that would respond to the character and design of the site by creating green, lush, interesting areas in pedestrian and vehicular circulation areas and in common open areas. The landscaping areas will be on the perimeters of the site, in the open space areas on the south side of the building, and at select balcony/roofdeck areas. Four different accent tree types and 22 combined species of shrub and vine species have been proposed. All landscaping would be irrigated with a low water use drip irrigation system, and the project's landscaping will be designed to meet the requirements of the City's Water Conservation Regulations Ordinance and the State's Updated Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. For all these reasons, the project includes landscaping to approved city standards and preserves existing trees wherever possible. Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-12 Page 3 vii. The project's ingress, egress, internal circulation for bicycles and automobiles, off-street automobile and bicycle parking facilities, and pedestrian ways promote safety and convenience and conform to City standards. On-site pedestrian and bicycle circulation areas will be physically separated from the vehicular circulation areas so as to minimize any potential conflicts between pedestrians/bicyclists and vehicles. The proposed vehicular parking spaces will meet the minimum requirements of the IZO, while the bicycle parking spaces will exceed the standards of the IZO. Furthermore, the Fire Department has indicated that it will have adequate emergency access to the site. For these reasons, the project provides a safe circulation environment which conforms to city standards. 3. Based on its review of the entire record herein, including the March 27, 2018 Planning Commission staff report, all supporting, referenced, and incorporated documents, and all comments received, the Planning Commission hereby approves Site Plan and Architectural Review for the Project, subject to the conditions of approval attached hereto as Exhibit A. ADOPTED this 27th day of March, 2018, by the following vote: Commission Member Aye No Absent Abstain Councilmember Healy X Chair Benedetti-Petnic X Alonso X Bauer X Gomez X Marzo X Vice Chair Wolpert X 'ATTEST: -" Hp 6ff er Hines, Com ,= ission Secretary 4jA JI 00 r�1 Gina Benedetti - Petnic, Chair APPROVED A TO FORM: Lisa Ten nen baum, Assistant City Attorney Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-12 Page 4 Exhibit A SPAR CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL 131 Liberty Mixed Use Project Located at 131 Liberty Street APN: 006-361-030 File No. PLMA-17-0009 Planning Division 1. Plans submitted to the City of Petaluma for purposes of construction shall be in substantial conformance with plans on file with the Planning Division and date stamped January 4, 2018, except as modified by these conditions of approval. 2. At Building Permit issuance, the applicant shall provide the City with an electronic copy of final/approved plans in PDF format on either a CD or USB drive. 3. This approval is granted for and contingent upon construction of the project as a whole, in a single phase, with the construction and/or installation of all features approved and required herein. Modifications to the project, including but not limited to a change in construction phasing, shall require Site Plan and Architectural Review in accordance with IZO §24.010. 4. Prior to issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy, all applicable development impact fees, including the public art in -lieu fee if applicable, shall be paid. 5. At all times the site shall be kept cleared of garbage and debris. No outdoor storage shall be permitted. 6. Prior to the issuance of any construction permits, these conditions of approval shall be included with the plan set. A copy of the approved plans shall be maintained on-site when construction activities are occurring. 7. Both construction and post -construction business operations shall comply with all performance standards of Implementing Zoning Ordinance Chapter 21. 8. The final color of the project areas utilizing painted cement plaster shall be approved to the satisfaction of the Planning Manager prior to issuance of the project's building permit. Additionally, the applicant shall provide design details that outline measures to prevent the proposed corten materials from staining adjacent public sidewalks to the satisfaction of the Planning Manager prior to issuance of the project's building permit. 9. All lighting shall be glare -free, hooded, and downcast in order to prevent glare into bicyclists' and pedestrians' eyes and/or light pollution onto adjacent properties. 10. Bicycle racks shall comply with size dimensions and location/installation requirements outlined in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Applicant shall ensure adequate access to each bicycle rack from all sides and avoid placing racks too close to any wall or structure. 11. All plantings shall be maintained in good growing condition. Such maintenance shall include, where appropriate, pruning, mowing, weeding, cleaning of debris and trash, fertilizing and regular watering. Whenever necessary, planting shall be replaced with other plant materials to insure continued compliance with applicable landscaping requirements. Required irrigation systems shall be fully maintained in sound operating condition with heads periodically cleaned and replaced when missing to insure continued regular watering of landscape areas, and health and vitality of landscape materials. 12. Herbicides/pesticides shall not be applied in areas used by pedestrians/bicyclists within the project Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-12 Page 5 without first providing appropriate signs warning of the use of chemicals. The project shall utilize Best Management Practices (BMPs) regarding pesticide/herbicide use and fully commit to Integrated Pest Management techniques for the protection of bicyclists and pedestrians. 13. All tree stakes and ties shall be removed within one year following installation or as soon as trees are able to stand erect without support. 14. All standpipes, check valves, and other utilities shall be placed underground or fully screened from view by decorative screening structures or landscaping to be reviewed and approved by the Planning Manager. 15. No signage is approved by this permit. Separate sign permits in compliance with Chapter 20 of the Implementing Zoning Ordinance shall be obtained prior to the installation of signage. 16. Prior to commencing construction activities, a sign shall be posted on the site regarding the allowable hours of construction and contact information for complaints. Proof of sign installation shall be provided to the Planning Manager prior to construction commencing. 17. The applicant shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City or any of its boards, commissions, agents, officers, and employees from any claim, action, or proceeding against the City, its boards, commissions, agents, officers, or employees to attack, set aside, void, or annul any of the approvals of the project, when such claim or action is brought within the time period provided for in applicable State and/or local statutes. The City shall promptly notify the applicants/developers of any such claim, action, or proceeding. The City shall coordinate in the defense. Nothing contained in this condition shall prohibit the City from participating in a defense of any claim, action, or proceeding and if the City chooses to do so appellant shall reimburse City for attorneys' fees by the City. Public Works & Utilities Department 18. Frontage improvements along Keokuk/Court Street shall include, but not be limited to, '/2 street roadway improvements (4" AC over 12" cl 2 base), curb, gutter and sidewalk. The half street cross section shall be 10 -foot travel lane, 8 -foot on -street parking and 5 -foot monolithic sidewalk. Dedicate the necessary right of way for Keokuk/Court Street, in easement, to the City of Petaluma, on the parcel map. 19. Frontage improvements on Liberty Street shall include remove and replace all portions of broken, cracked, displaced sidewalk 1/2 inch or greater, along the project frontage. Remove and replace the existing driveway approach with a new, City standard, accessible driveway approach. 20. The applicant may install the proposed on-site fire line and hydrant, subject to Fire Marshal approval including all required maintenance and testing. However, the City's preference is that the applicant install an 8 -inch public water main in Court Street from the existing 8 -inch stub from Washington Street, to the beginning (northerly property line) of the Court Street project frontage, in lieu of installing the on-site private line and hydrant. In this case, City crews will abandon the existing 1.5 -inch water main in Court Street and reconnect the existing water services from the existing 1.5 -inch main. Fire hydrants shall be installed with the new public main on Court Street at locations approved by the Fire Marshal. Provide fire flow and pressure calculations for the new 8 -inch line and hydrants, for either the private fire line or the City preferred public line in Court Street. The applicant shall contact the City Engineer to discuss and finalize which option to use, prior to preparation of construction drawings. 21. Each proposed condo unit shall have an individual water service. Service size is 1 '/2 inches with a f- inch meter. 22. The applicant shall a landscape and irrigation documentation package consisting of all required elements found in the Landscape Water Use Efficiency Standards located in Petaluma Municipal Code 15.17.050. Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-12 Page 6 23. All storm water from the new development shall be collected on-site and discharged to an approved public storm drain system. No lot -to -lot drainage is allowed. 24. Comply with E12 post construction drainage requirements (refer to attached document). Submit a construction level report and plans with the building permit application demonstrating compliance with the E12 requirements. 25. The project shall comply with E10 (construction erosion and sediment control) requirements. Complete the City standard E10 documentation form and submit with the building permit application. 26. Submit a construction level geotechnical report with the building permit application. 27. A new sewer manhole shall be installed on Liberty Street, at the proposed sewer lateral connection, in accordance with City standards. 28. All existing overhead utilities to the site, and all new proposed dry utilities, shall be placed and located underground. The existing overhead utilities along Court Street may remain. Submit joint trench plans with the building permit application. The applicant shall provide approval from PG&E and other necessary public utility companies regarding setback and clearance distances between the existing overhead lines and proposed development. 29. A one -lot parcel map for condominium purposes and subdivision improvement plans are required. 30. The applicant shall submit a subdivision agreement package including the necessary bonds and insurance documents. 31. Dedicate the necessary crossover access, parking, utility and drainage easements on the final parcel map. 32. Provide a maintenance declaration for all shared private facilities within the subdivision (access, parking, water lines, storm drains, sewer lines, etc.). 33. Prepare the final parcel map per the latest City policies, standards, codes, resolutions and ordinances. Final parcel map fees and technical review deposits shall be required at the time of the application submittal. 34. A scanned copy of the recorded final parcel map shall be submitted in a format compatible with the City Graphic Information Systems. 35. The exact location of pavement cuts and conforms, as well as limits of paving shall be approved by the City of Petaluma. Pavement trench sections shall match existing sections or be a minimum of 5 - inches, whichever is greater. The project shall comply with the City's street pavement restoration standards for both Keokuk/Court Street and Liberty Street. Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-12 Page 7