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Pre-Application - Mixed-Use Development - 2014of - CA4t,, MEMORANDUM 6- 0 RCH A¢9 To: From Via: Chair Resnikoff and Planning Commissioners Daniel Fama, Associate Planner Community Development Department Planning Division Paul Kermoyan, Community Development Director Date: April 22, 2014 Subject: Pre -Application Study Session — 2295 & 2305 S. Winchester Blvd. PURPOSE The purpose of this study session is to present a conceptual proposal for a three-story mixed -use development, including 16 condominium units and 3,800 square -feet of ground -floor retail space. The preliminary application ("pre -application") process provides an opportunity for the Planning Commission to provide feedback during the early stages of the planning process in order to facilitate preparation of a formal application. Submittal of a pre -application and a study session review by the Planning Commission is required pursuant to Campbell Municipal Code (CMC) 21.41.020. Since the pre -application process does not constitute a formal application review, comments are considered advisory recommendations for the use of the applicant. Moreover, comments are not binding upon the Planning Commission as. to any determination made on a formal application. In that regard, staff s review of the preliminary project plans is limited to the overall project design concept and is not considered a substitute for formal project review. BACKGROUND SITE CHARACTERISTICS The project site is composed of two vacant parcels, comprising approximately 25,000 square - feet, located at the southwest corner of South Winchester Boulevard and El Caminito Avenue (reference Attachment 1 — Location Map). The project site is located within the Planned Development (P-D) Zoning District and has a General Plan land use designation of Central Commercial. The site is also within the boundaries of the Winchester Boulevard Master Plan ("WBMP") and is less than a quarter mile to the Winchester Transit Center (traversable distance to the station platform), which defines the project as a " "transit -oriented development" (TOD). PREVIOUS PROJECT In mid-2008, the City Council approved a two-story mixed-` use development on the project site (see rendering to the right) that incorporated five apartment units, 8,000 square- r feet of ground -floor retail space, and underground parking (reference Attachment 2 — Previous Site Plan). The final design of this project evolved over a series of meetings in response to concerns of the development intensity of the original four-story proposal. Due to the economic recession, this development was never constructed and the entitlement approval lapsed in 2010. Planning Commission Study Session — April 22, 2014 Page 2 of 8 2295 and 2305 S. Winchester Blvd. — PRE2014-01 PROPOSED PROJECT The mixed -use development concept depicted on the preliminary project plans (reference Attachment 3) and discussed in the applicant's narrative (reference Attachment 4) is intended to reflect the standards and guidelines of the WBMP.* This conceptual configuration would include ground floor retail along Winchester Boulevard and accommodate 16 condominium units (one - and two -bedroom configurations) in two upper stories. Surface parking for the retail customers, guests, and several of the residential units would be provided behind the building. Covered parking, utilizing mechanical stackers, would be provided within the rear half of the building. DISCUSSION The following discussion highlights various issue areas that staff believes are integral to review of this proposal. These issue areas are being identified to assist the Commission's discussion of the proposed project. AREA PLAN CONSISTENCY Preparation of the WBMP began in 2007 in response to an increasing number of development applications along Winchester Boulevard at the time, including the previously approved project for this site, the Merrill Gardens project, and the retail building on the former A&W site. The goal of the WBMP was to transform Winchester Boulevard into a vibrant mixed -use, pedestrian - oriented district that can function as an extension of the Downtown. To this end, the WBMP encourages mixed -use development that fronts the street to provide a walkable atmosphere. The proposed development concept is consistent with this goal in that it would provide retail tenant space at the ground level with upper levels of condominium units. Recognizing the differences in the land use pattern along the Winchester Boulevard corridor, the WBMP defines three distinct planning areas. The project site is located within Area 2, "Neighborhood Commercial Boulevard", which is subject to development standards that consider the proximity of single-family residences. Most significant are the 45-foot, 3-story maximum building height requirement, as well as a rear -yard setback requirement equal to a 2:1 ratio relative to building height, as depicted in the illustration below. Based on scaled measurements, the development proposal falls approximately five feet short of the setback requirement and is nearly three feet too tall. A formal application would need to conform to these requirements when it is brought forth to a public hearing. Two Story Building Existing 50' Mixed -Use Winchester Residential Minimum Setback Building Boulevard . The Winchester Boulevard Master Plan may be viewed online at hqp://www.cityofcampbell.com/166/Zoningignd- Land-Use Planning Commission Study Session. —April 22, 2014 _ Page 3 of 8 . 2295 and 2305 S: Winchester Blvd. — PRE2014-01 LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT CONSISTENCY The General Plan Land Use and Transportation Element includes polices and strategies relevant to the project concept. In whole, the General Plan encourages a supportive approach to mixed - use and transit -oriented development, in areas anticipated for residential growth, such as Winchester. Boulevard. Strategy LUT4.5a: Transit -Oriented Development: Encourage transit -oriented development including employment centers such as office, and research and. development facilities and the city's highest density residential projects by coordinating the location, intensity, and mix of land uses with transportation resources, such as Light Rail. Policy LUT-2.1: Alternative Transportation: Encourage the use of alternative transportation such as ridesharing, public transit, walking, and bicycling to reduce reliance on automobile use. Policy LUT-2.3d: Winchester Boulevard: Evaluate alternative methods to reduce speed on. Winchester Boulevard, including boulevard treatments such as bulb -outs or on -street. parking and encourage north -south transit on the 17 Freeway and San Tomas'Expressway. Strategy LUT-2.4a: Full Range of Uses: Provide for a full range of land uses within the City, and for mixed - uses within specific development projects. Strategy LUT-3.1c: High Density Residential: Allow higher. residential densities in the North of Campbell Area (NOCA), South of Campbell Area (SOCA), and areas near the Light Rail stations as an incentive to redevelop older, less intensive uses (.see individual area plans for allowed densities). Policy LUT-5.3j: Winchester Boulevard Plan: Develop an Area Plan for Winchester Boulevard. The Area Plan should address specific boundaries, mix of uses, street amenities, landscaping, building and site design. Policy H-4.2: Mixed -Use Development: Promote mixed -use development where housing is located nearjobs, services, shopping, schools, and public transportation. HOUSING ELEMENT CONSISTENCY The General Plan Housing Element includes an "Opportunity Sites Analysis" to demonstrate that the City has an adequate inventory of developable (underutilized or vacant) land to meet its housing goals. The analysis identifies nine distinct areas within the City that presented the likeliest locations for new housing development, including Winchester Boulevard. To ensure that new developments are built at a suitable density in advancement of the City's housing obligation, the Housing Element includes the following policy that requires that residential projects located within'/4 mile of a light - rail station or within the boundaries of the Winchester Boulevard or East Campbell• Avenue plan areas to be developed at least 75% of the maximum allowable density. As a result, development must occur within an effective range of 20 to 27 units/gr. acre, consistent with the project site's Central Commercial land use designation. Therefore, based on the 0.80 acre gross lot size, a minimum of 16 units would be required for development. As such; the proposed development concept with 16 condominium units. is planned at the lowest end of the allowable density range. However, due to the proximity of the Winchester Transit Center, the `Commission may wish to consider the merits of increased density for this project. Challenges to achieving a higher density will include the size of units, parking, and building design. . Policy'H-4.3:- Planned For Densities: To encourage the efficient and sustainable use of land,.the City encourages residential development that- is proposed near existing light rail stations (within 1/4 mile radius) and/or within the boundaries of the Winchester Boulevard Plan and East Campbell. Avenue plan areas, to achieve at least 75 percent of the maximum_ General Plan Land Use category densities: Planning Commission Study Session — April 22, 2014 Page 4..of 8 2295 and 2305 S. Winchester Blvd. — PRE2014-01 ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN The General Plan policies and strategies identified below, speak to the necessity of good. design and site. planning. Developments should be creatively designed to suit their location; be . compatible with their surroundings, arid. provide a degree of design distinction. In this regard, the `design of the mixed use structure as depicted by the front elevation —recognizing the preliminary nature of the drawing —may not yet achieve these goals as described below.., The Commission. may wish to discuss to what extent the applicant's design is appropriately suited for the site. Some consideration may be given to incorporation of more contemporary building forms and materials typically associated with mixed -use development. Policy LUT-9.3: Design and Planning Compatibility: Promote high quality, creative design and site planning that is compatible with surrounding development, public spaces, and natural resources. Strategy LUT-9.3d: ' Building Design: Design buildings to revitalize streets and public spaces by orienting the building to the street, including human scale' details .and massing that, engages the pedestrian. Strategy LUT-9.3e: Building Materials: Encourage the use of long-lasting, high quality building materials on all buildings to ensure the long-term quality of the built environment. Strategy LUT-9.3f. Development Orientation: Orient new development toward public and private amenities or open space, in particular: ■ Orient front entrances, living/office area and windows toward the amenity or open space. ■ Orient' high activity areas such as outdoor dining areas and plazas, and major pedestrian routes toward the amenity or open space. The WBMP provides design guidance in terms of ground level treatment, facade treatment, and building massing. At the preliminary stage, fine grain details of the`ground .level (e.g., storefront Window depths, use of decorative materials; etc.) cannot be evaluated, although their importance to the pedestrian experience is noted by the WBMP, and "particular attention should be given to craftsmanship and detailing within the pedestrian's range of experience." To a great extent, buildings. of this scale are experienced on foot. In terms of facade treatment and building, massing, the VWBMP. indicates that "uninterrupted expanses of horizontal and vertical wall surface should be avoided". The front elevation drawing depicts prominent balconies that break up the vertical massing of the building.by providing depth to the facade. However, the building as designed,•would extend nearly the entire length of the project site at nearly 160 feet long without interruption (notwithstanding.the inset lobby). This would result in a linear presence inconsistent with the WBMP's direction that "building ,facades should reflect relatively narrow increments of development (25' to 50') with 'variation in building planes." Consideration should 'be .given to dividing the facade into smaller, more delineated increments, consistent with a downtown environment. The 3,800 square -foot of retail space would be.relatively shallow in depth at 30 feet, which may limit the viability of some types of occupancies; in particular restaurants which require substantial "back of house" space. Asa result, tenants are likely`be small-scale retail or service commercial (e.g., day .spa, nail salon, etc.) businesses., Placement and screening of rooftop mechanical equipment associated with the retail, tenants will also, need to be accommodated by the building design, especially as it relates to a hipped roof 'which limits placement of such equipment. Planning Commission Study Session'— April 22, '2014 Page 5 of 8 2295 and 2305 S. Winchester Blvd.• PRE2014-01 Lastly, although side elevations are not provided, it appears that the building would strongly emphasize the Winchester frontage, with little emphasis at the corner. The WBMP encourages corner parcels to "incorporate special features such as roundedor cut corners, special corner entrances, display windows, corner roof features, etc." This is. particularly important as the El Caminito intersection has been improved with bulb -outs that allow greater opportunity to "frame" the corner. CIRCULATION AND TRAFFIC The circulation of the project site is largely dictated by the siting of the building at the front of the parcel, which places the parking to the rear. As such, this proposal has been designed to meet the intent of the WBMP to create a 'pedestrian -oriented street frontage along Winchester Boulevard by deemphasizing appearance of the parking lot. The conceptual site plan depicts two rows of surface parking spaces and one row of mechanically stacked parking spaces accessed by two two-way drive -aisles (discussed further, below). Vehicular ingress/egress into the site would be from two driveways along El Caminito Avenue. The use of two driveways would not be consistent with the WBMP, which limits driveways/curb cuts to a maximum of one two-way curb cut or two one-way curb cuts per building. A single -driveway, with a forced -right exit (as approved with the previous project) would be more appropriate for the site. Due to the mechanically stacked parking located directly behind the retail tenant spaces, it does not appear that retail suites will have rear pedestrian access. This may be beneficial in that customers will have to enter stores through the front doors, reinforcing the Winchester side as the functional front of the building. However, without rear access, refuse and deliveries will have to. be transported through the ,front doors, which may restrict land uses that rely on rear service access (i.e.,. service doors for restaurants). Consideration may be given to include a service corridor to the rear parking lot behind the tenant spaces to allow for service activity. In terms of traffic, the Traffic Engineer has determined that the project will require a transportation impact analysis that will analyze the project's "trip generation," intersection level - of -service. (LOS) for the Winchester/El Caminito and Winchester/Kennedy intersections, traffic impact on El Caminito, and access options for the site. This level of traffic analysis is usually reserved for projects of,a larger scope, however, pursuant to the WBMP, "special circulation and parking. reviews will be performed for development applications in all areas to address -potential neighborhood impacts." Additionally, Area 21 is identified as a "special circulation/parking review area". As a result, a traffic analysis is warranted to ensure that the development of the site will not be detrimental to the neighborhood. PARKING To incentivize transit -oriented development, the City's parking requirements provide a. reduced parking'standard for projects within Y4 mile of a light -rail station. One bedroom units must include 1 %2 spaces' plus a %2. guest space for each unit (2 parking spaces per unit), and units with two or more bedrooms must include 2 spaces .plus. a, %2 guest space for each unit (2 %2 parking spaces per unit). Mixed use developments are afforded a shared parking incentive that allows fifty percent of the guest parking`.spaces (the Y2 space per unit) required for the residential component to be counted towards satisfying the parking required of the commercial component. This is based upon the premise that some of the guest parking spaces will not be occupied during the daytime hours when commercial businesses are open, allowing customers of the_ commercial businesses to utilize these spaces. Planning Commission Study Session — April 22, 2014 Page 6 of 8 2295 and 2305 S. Winchester Blvd. — PRE2014-01 Based on the proposed number and size of residential units, and'the amount of retail square -footage, and taking into the account the mixed - use shared parking provision, the project must provide a total of 52 parking spaces, including 29-dedicated residential" spaces, 4 residential guest spaces, 4 shared guest/retail spaces, "and 15 dedicated retail spaces. The preliminary site plan indicates provision of 52 spaces, satisfying the numeric minimum. Notably, 20 of the residential spaces would rely on mechanical stackers to more efficiently utilize the space' (photo to the right). As mechanically stacking vehicles is a form of parking management typically reserved, for high density. urban environments, the aforementioned traffic impact " analysis will also review this. element of the project to determine its feasibility in this environment. Staff will also request additional information on the lifts pertaining to noise generation and long-term reliability. However, notwithstanding the technical viability of this parking arrangement, the Commission may wish to comment on the practical functionality of parking' lifts. If switching vehicles' is too cumbersome, residents may simply'park on nearby residential streets. In this regard, the applicant may wish to explore alternatives, such as tandem parking spaces. Lastly, the residential parking standard for non -guest "spaces requires covered parking spaces." Only the 20 mechanically stacked spaces would be covered, the other nine would be uncovered within the rear parking lot. As a result, a formal submittal would necessitate an application for a Parking Modification Permit to, in effect, request a reduction in the number of covered, parking spaces. To what extent dedicated residential spaces located amongst retail spaces could lead to parking conflicts is an issue the Commission may wish to discuss. OPEN SPACE The purpose statement of the Planned Development Zoning District reads in part, "[to create] an optimum quantity and use of open space...." As such, the provision of adequate and usable open space is a necessary component for a successful development. This is particularly true of a condominium project which is subject to a specific open space standard of 500 square -feet per unit. However, the .Zoning Code also 'recognizes " the unique site constraints of mixed use development -primarily the need to accommodate "retail parking —and allows for consideration, of an open space reduction on a case -by -case basis. Pursuant to the provisions 'for mixed use development found in CMC 21.36.130,. "the decision -making body may approve a reduction in the required open space for the residential component of mixed -use developments when it finds that all reasonable attempts to fulfill such requirement have been exhausted and the open space is not able to be accommodated due to the urban infill characteristic of the development site." The project would appear to afford most of the condominium units with small balconies. This may be sufficient given the project's likely demographic draw. One- and two -bedroom condominiums, near light -rail and Downtown Campbell, are likely to be occupied by younger residents that may desire less private open space. BELOW MARKET RATE (BMR) HOUSING Pursuant to the City's Inclusionary Housing requirements, of the 16 condominium units, two will be ` sold at below market rate (BMR) prices, specifically reserved for moderate- and lower - income households. As part of the formal application, the applicant would propose which two units would serve as the BMR "units, with the City Council, upon recommendation of the Planning Commission, having the final say. Planning Commission Study Session — April 22, 2014 2295 and 2305 S. Winchester Blvd. — PRE2014-01 Page 7 of 8 PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS The Public Works Department reviewed the pre -application materials and provided tentative conditions of approval for required public improvements. Any development of the project site would require installation of a new sidewalk and public landscaping, consistent with the WBMP. As depicted in the diagram below, the intent is to create a 15-foot wide sidewalk (10-foot public and 5-foot private) corridor, which is wide enough to accommodate outdoor seating. Curbside parking is also anticipated by the WBMP, however, a portion of the frontage may have to remain marked as no parking to accommodate fire department ladder truck access. Existing Bulb -Out, Typ. New Street Tree w/ New Street Light, Typ. Curb Line VxE Tree Well n k' and Grate, Typ. a, — �Q VW I .cam np v 3 20'min. I 0 0 1 Based on the discussion points raised in this study session memorandum, staff requests comment and direction on the following items: • Consistency with the Winchester Boulevard Master Plan o Architecture (building design, height, etc.) o Building Massing o Retail storefront design (depth and rear service access) • Residential Density o Is number of units (16) adequate for a transit -oriented development? o' Should the project be planned at the higher density permitted (up to 21 units)? • Site Circulation (parking lot configuration) • Parking o Mechanically stacked parking o Uncovered residential parking spaces • Open Space o Are balconies sufficient for private open space? o Should the design incorporate a common roof -top deck for residents? Planning Commission Study Session — April 22, 2014 2295 and 2305 S. Winchestqr-ftivd. — PRE2014-01 Prepared by: Daniel Fama, Associate Planner Reviwed by: Manager Approved by: Paul Ke#oyan, Community Development Director Attachments: 1. Location Map 2. Previous Site Plan (2008) 3. Preliminary Project Plans 4. Project Narrative Page 8 of 8