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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-009 Windstar MitNegDeclr,WDubBART SPAmd, Stg1 DP Amd etc. AGENDA ST A TEl\IENT PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING DATE: October 23. 2007 SUBJECT: ATTACHMENTS: RECOMMENDATION: ~ PUBLIC HEARING: P A 06-009 Windstar Mitigated Negative Declaration, West Dublin BART Specijc Plan Amendment, Stage 1 Development Plan Amendment, Stage :~ Planned Development Rezone and Site Development Review for a 309-unt residential community. Report prepared by Erica Fraser, Seniur Planner 1) Resolution recommending that the City Council approve a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Winds tar Project. 2) Resolution recommending that the City Council approve an amendment to the West Dublin BART Specific Plan related to the Windstar Project. 3) Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt an Ordinance rezoning the Project area and appro'ling an amendment to the Stage 1 Development Plan and approving a related Stage 2 Development Plan (with the draft City Council Ordinance attached as Exhibit A). 4) Resolution approving the Site Development Review for the Windstar Residential Community. 5) February 13,2007 Planning Commission Study Session Staff Report (without Attachments). 6) Minutes from the February 13, 200~' Planning Commission Study Session. 7) Minutes from the June 5,2007 City Council meeting. 8) Stage 1 Development Plan. 9) Site Development Review Package. 10) Elevations reviewed during the Febmary 13, 2007 Planning Commission Study Session. 11) Mitigated Negative Declaration (PI<.nning Commission only). 12) Responses to Comment Received on the Mitigated Negative Declaration. 1) Receive Staff presentation; 2) Open the public hearing; 3) Take testimony from the Applicant md the public; 4) Close the public hearing and deliberate; 5) Adopt Resolution recommending that the City Council approve a Mitigated Negative Declaration for :he Windstar Project; 6) Adopt Resolution recommending that the City Council approve an amendment to the West Dublin BART Specific Plan related to the Windstar Project; 7) Adopt Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt an Ordinance rezoning the Project area and approving an amendment to the Stage 1 Development Plan and appnving a related Stage 2 COPIES TO: Property Owner/Applcant File ITEM NO~ Page 1 of9 G:IP A#\2006106-009 Windstar Condos - TMAP. SDR. PDIPD SDR Nov 20061PC PHIPC A2.enda Statetnentdoc Development Plan (with the draft City Council Ordinance attached as Exhibit A); and 8) Adopt Resolution approving the Sire Development Review for the Windstar Residential Community. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The proposed Project is a 309-unit residential project located at 661)0 Golden Gate Drive in the West Dublin BART Specific Plan area. The property is zoned Planned Development and has a General Plan land use designation of High Density Residential. The Project site is currently vacant. The proposed number of units, 309, is larger than what was previously reviewed by the Planninf; Commission during a Study Session on February 13,2007. The location of the Windstar Project site is shown below. BACKGROUND: On December 19, 2000, the City Council adopted a Resolution approving the West Dublin BART Specific Plan which rezoned the plan area to encourage high-intensit:1 mixed-use development. On February 24, 2004, the Planning Commission adopted a Resolution approving a 308-unit residential project (the AMB development) located adjacent to the Project site. Construction of this Project has not begun at this time. On March 2, 2004, the City Council approved Resolution 29-04 adopting an addendum to a Negative Declaration to the Downtown Specific Plan ~nd the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the West Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station and Transit Village Project lor the Stage I Development Plan for this Project. At the same meeting, the City Council also approved Resolution 30-04 which waived the requirements of the City's lnclusionary Zoning Regulations for the site. Page 2 of9 On March 16, 2004, the City Council adopted Ordinance 8-04 amendment the West Dublin BART Specific Plan to increase the density on the site to allow up to 210 dwelling units. On February 21, 2006, the Community Development Director approved Tentative Parcel Map 8993 to subdivide 6600 Golden Gate Drive into two properties. One parcel is for the Windstar Project and the second parcel was created for the future hotel development. On February 13, 2007, the Planning Commission held a Study Session to discuss the layout, design and parking for the Windstar Project. The Planning Commission did not request that any changes be made to the Project at the meeting. The Planning Commission did discuss the provision of parking, concern over BART patrons using the site, tandem parking and parkland in the area (Attachment 6). In May 2007, (following the Planning Commission Study Session) the Applicant submitted a revised application requesting an increase in the allowable density on the: site, from the 210 units currently allowed by the Specific Plan, to 309 units on the Project site. On June 5, 2007, the City Council (minutes included as Attachmement 7) authorized the initiation of a West Dublin BART Specific Plan amendment study to increase the total number of units allowed on the Windstar site from 210 units to 309 units (an increase of99 units). The 2006/2007 City Council Goals and Objectives includes the preparation of a Comprehensive Downtown Specific Plan, which combines the Downtown Core, Dublin Downtown, Village Parkway, West Dublin BART and San Ramon Specific Plans into one specific plan, as a high priority goal. Preparation of the Comprehensive Specific Plan is underway and completion is anticipated in the Fall of 2008. The consultants have reviewed the Windstar plans and have determined that the Project is consistent with the intent of the preparation of the Comprehensive Specific Plan. ANALYSIS: West Dublin BART Specific Plan Amendment Windstar has proposed a 309-unit residential project on a 3.66-acre vacant site at 6600 Golden Gate Drive in the West Dublin BART Specific Plan area. The property has a General Plan land use designation of High Density Residential (25.1 + dwelling units per acre), and a West Dublin BART Specific Plan land use designation of Residential (which currently allows 30-58 dwelling units/acre). Because the West Dublin BART Specific Plan currently limits the maximum number of units Jermitted on the site to 210 dwelling units, the Applicant is requesting a Specific Plan Amendment to increase the maximum density range to permit the proposed 309-unit Project. (The applicable General Plan designation of High Density Residential has no maximum range; therefore, the General Plan is not required to be amended.) The development of the site at 6600 Golden Gate Drive plays an integral part in financing the construction of the West Dublin BART Transit Station. The parking garage for the future BART station is currently under construction and construction of the station is anticipated to begin shortly. The Windstar Project is anticipated to be the first private project under construction in the area and could act as a stimulus for redevelopment in the Specific Plan area. The West Dublin BART Specific Plan designates the Project site as Residential which permits a density range of 30 to 58 residential units per acre. As proposed, the Applicant is requesting an amendment to the Residential land use designation in the Specific Plan to increase the maximum permitted number of units in the Residential land use category from 58 to 84 units per acre to alow the construction of the proposed Windstar Project with 309 dwelling units, which would constitute a maximum density of 84 units per acre. The proposed increase in the allowable density for the Residential land use designation will only affect Page 3 of9 the Windstar property because the Windstar property is the only site with the Residential land use designation in the West Dublin BART Specific Plan area at this time. For additional background information on the West Dublin BART Specific Plan and the goals for the Specific Plan area, please refer to the February 13, 2007 Planning Commission Study Session Agenda Statement included as Attachment 5. Stage 1 Development Plan Amendment The Applicant has requested an amendment of the Stage 1 Development Plan for the site. The amendment is necessary to allow the Applicant to increase the total number of permitted units on the site from 210 units to 309 units. The increase in the total number of units does not impact the site layout of the Project; rather the increase in the total number of units will result in one additional story on the site. A Resolution recommending the City Council amend the Stage 1 Development is included as Attachment 3. Stage 2 Planned Develol'ment Rezone The Applicant has proposed a PD Planned Development District rezoning for the site. The existing zoning of the property is PD Planned Development Stage 1 Development Plan. Chapter 8.32 of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance establishes the intent, purpose and requirements of the Planned Development District. The intent of the Planned Development District is to create a more desirable use of the land, a more coherent and coordinated development, and a better physical environment that would otherwise not be achieved under a single zoning district or combination of zoning districts. A Development Plan is required pursuant to the Zoning Ordinance, which establishes regulations for the use, development, improvement and maintenance of the property within the Planned Development Zoning District. The Zoning Ordinance also requires the adoption of both Stage 1 and ~:tage 2 Development Plans with the reclassification of the property to the Planned Development Zoning District. The Applicant is requesting approval of a Stage 2 Development Plan for the specific development of the subject site at this time. The Stage 2 Development Plan/Project Plans for the Project can be found in Attachment 9. A Resolution recommending the City Council approve the Stage 2 Planned Development Rezone is included as Attachment 3. The Stage 2 Planned Development District regulations, applicable to this Project site only, are included as Exhibit A to Attachment 3. Site Development Review Some minor modifications have been made to the Project Plans following the February 13, 2007 Planning Commission Study Session due to the increase in the number of dwelling units. The following table provides information on the modifications made to the Project followng the Study Session. Table 1: Project Modifications Area of Change February 13,2007 Project Plans October 23, 2007 Project Plans Number of Units 210 309 (increase of99 units) Number of Stories Five Six Page 4 of9 Area of Change February 13, 2007 Project Plall s October 23, 2007 Project Plans Enhanced Material Brick material on all sides of tt e Some of the brick materials on building. the south elevation have been removed. Design Industrial design theme. . No changes have been made to the overall design of the Project. Some minor changes have been made to the design to accommodate the additional unit and the new building story. Elevator Shaft Elevation shaft was not well Design of the elevator shaft has integrated into the building. been modified so that the shaft is compatible with the building and blends in with the architecture and form of the building. FloorlUnit Plans One, Two and Three Bedrooms. The type of units has not changed, however, the number of each of the units has changed based on the increase in the total number of residential units for the site. Parking A total of 388 Parking Stalls and A total of 479 parking stalls and an overall parking ratio of 1.84 an overall parking ratio of 1.55 parking stalls per unit. parking stalls per unit (which is a lower parking ratio than previously proposed). Parking Stall Types Regular, Compact and Tandem Tandem stalls have been removed Stalls. from the Project. Some of the above changes are discussed in detail below. For additicnal information on the design, layout and landscaping for the Project, which have not been changed since the Study Session, please refer to pages 3-7 of the February 13,2007 Study Session Agenda Statement (Attachment 5). Floor/Unit Plans: The Windstar Project will have nine unit types. The residential unics will vary with respect to size and number of bedrooms (See Table 2 below). Table 2: Breakdown of Units by Type No. of Unit size Unit Type Bedrooms No. of Units (net square foota2e) Unit 1 Junior 1 15 616 Sq. Ft. 1 Bedroom 1 192 840-1,290 Sq. Ft. 2 Bedroom 2 82 1,156-1,602 Sq. Ft. Unit TH Townhome 2 5 1,607 Sq. Ft. 3 Bedroom 3 15 1,350-1,993 Sq. Ft. Total 309 Page 5 of9 Parking: Section 8.76.080.B of the Zoning Ordinance requires one parking stall for everyone bedroom unit, two parking stalls for every two bedroom, or more, unit and one guest parking stall for every two dwelling units. The following table shows the required number of parking stalls for the residential development based on the number of units and the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. Please also refer to Table 2 which provides a breakdown of the units by type. Table 3: Required Parking Stalls U nit Type Zoning Ordinance No. of Units Required Requirement One Bedroom 1 stall per unit 20~' 207 Two Bedroom 2 stalls per unit 87 174 Three Bedroom 2 stalls per unit 15 30 Guest Parking 1 stall for every 2 units 309 (total number of 155 unit;) Total Stalls Required 566 As shown in Table 3 above, a total of 566 parking stalls are required to be provided on the Project site by the Zoning Ordinance. The following table shows the number :}f parking stalls proposed for this residential development. Table 4: Proposed Parking Stall Type Required No. of Proposed No. of Difference Stalls Stalls Private 411 43.5 +24 Guest 155 44 -Ill Total 566 479 -87 A total of 479 parking stalls will be provided for the residential development. A total of 44 parking stalls will be provided on the site on the internal roadways (which are loclted on the Project site and therefore are off-street parking stalls) and 314 stalls will be located in the subterranean parking level. As shown in Table 4, the proposed number of parking stalls are 87 stalls less, I)r a reduction of 15%, than what is required by the Zoning Ordinance. Following the February Study Session, tandem parking stalls were removed from the Project. All parking stalls on site will be standard, compact or ADA accessible stalls. The Project site will have an overall parking ratio of 1.59 parking 8talls per unit (the Zoning Ordinance standard average is 2). In this case, the proposed parking reductions warranted due to the design of the Project as a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) with a BART Stltion in close proximity. The typical parking ratio for Transit-Oriented Developments in California is 1.4:, which includes resident and visitor parking. East Bay Transit-Oriented Developments tend to have much lower parking supply ratios. For example, the Pleasant Hill BART TOD has a ratio of 1.08 parking spaces per unit and the Alameda County BART TOD has a ratio of 1.31 parking spaces per unit. TJKM, the preparers of the Triggering Analysis for the Project, which determined what improvements were required to be made to address traffic impacts and a review of the proposed parking for the Project. TJKM visited the Fruitvale Transit Village in Oakland, which is located adjacent to the Fruitvale BART Station, to review current parking Page 6 of9 practices in the East Bay. Based on this review, TJKM observed that the site, with a parking ratio of 1.31 spaces per unit, had adequate parking spaces to serve the development. Additionally, the Dublin Transit Center TOD currently permits a parking ratio of 1.5 spaces per unit. While many of the Transit Center projects are still under construction, residents have begun moving into Transit Center and staff has not heard any information that indicates any issues with parking. A Triggering Analysis was prepared by TJKM and was included if the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Project. The Analysis includes a discussion of the proposed number of parking spaces. In the Analysis, TJKM states that a parking ratio of 1.55 parking stalls would be adequate to serve the residential development due to the close proximity of transit opportunities as well as services and jobs. The proposed number of guest parking stalls is significantly lower than what is typically required for a residential development. The guest parking stalls will also be loc lted outside of the secured parking garage, on the internal driveway system. Once the new BART Station is open, these stalls may be attractive for BART patrons to use for parking to avoid paying the parking fee at the BART Station or when the lot is full. These spaces may also be attractive for residents to park in instead of parking in the lot. A mitigation measure was included in the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Project which requires signage in this area to discourage BART patrons from using these stalls during the day. Due to the nature of this development and the close proximity to BART and office and retail uses, it is likely that parking demand related to the Project will be lower than what is typically found in remote residential developments. Additionally, a parking reduction was approved for the adjacent AMB Project and parking reductions were approved for the approved residental developments that comprise the Transit Center adjacent to the existing Dublin/Pleasanton Station based on the information regarding parking demand for transit-oriented developments which was included in the Transit Center EIR. Architecture: The overall design of the Project has not been significantly modified. For a detailed discussion on the overall design of the Project and its compatibility with other buildings in the vicinity, please refer to the February 13, 2007 Planning Commission Study Session Agenda Statement (Attachment 5). Colored elevations as well as a color and materials page have Jeen included in the Project Plans (Attachment 9). A color and material board will also be available for review during the Planning Commission meeting. The elevations have been slightly modified to accommodate the additional story (see Attachment 10 for the elevations reviewed by the Planning Commission during the Study Session). The height of the building has increased by one story for a total of six stories which is less than the height limit in the West Dublin BART Specific Plan, which limits buildings to eight stories. The design of the elevator shaft has also been modified so that it is more integrated into the building. The south elevation has been modified to remove the brick material on a portion of the elevation. The brick was removed and replaced with a concrete material with score lines and an accent color to provide some interest on this wall. This elevation is an internal elevation and faces the site of the future hotel. This elevation will only be visible until the hotel is constructed and is not one of the main elevations of the Project. Therefore staff believes the detail on this elevation is appropriate for the building. Page 7 of9 Mitigated Negative Declaration In accordance with CEQA, the City prepared a Mitigated Negative Declaration to review any impacts associated with the proposed increase in the total number of units allowed on the site. The Mitigated Negative Declaration identified several potential impacts related to traffic and parking. Mitigation measures were identified to reduce those impacts to a less than significant level and are included in the Mitigated Negative Declaration. The Mitigated Negative Declaration relies on the 1990 Dublin/Pleasanton Extension Project EIR (SCH#1989011009), 2001 Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station and Transit Village SEIR (SCH#2000042058), the 2000 West Dublin BART Specific Plan Negative Declaration and the 2004 Addendum to the Specific Plan Negative Declaration and the Transit Village SEIR. The Mitigated Negative Declaration was circulated for Public Review from July 20,2007 through August 21, 2007. During the Public Review comment period, the City reeeived one comment letter from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). A response to the comment letter is included as Attachment 12. CONCLUSION: The Applicant is requesting approval of a 309-unit residential proj ect. The residential Project is a high intensity transit-oriented development which will take advantage of the future West Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station and the proximity of services in the area. The propo;ed development will have a modern design with industrial influences which will be attractive, will promote a pedestrian friendly environment and will be compatible with approved and future development in the area. The site layout and design of the development is compatible with the West Dublin BART Specifc Plan. Approval of this Project and construction of the community will implement the City's goal of cnating a transit-oriented development in this area. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Planning Commission: 1) Receive Staff presentation; 2) Open the public hearing; 3) Take testimony from the Applicant and the public; 4) Close the public hearing and deliberate; 5) Adopt Resolution recommending that the City Council approve a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Windstar Project; 6) Adopt Resolution recommending that the City Council approve an amendment to the West Dublin BART Specific Plan related to the Windstar Project 7) Adopt Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt an Ordinance rezoning the Project area and approving an amendment to the Stage 1 Development Plan and approving a related Stage 2 Development Plan (with the draft City Council Ordinance attached as Exhibit A); and 8) Adopt Resolution approvilg the Site Development Review for the Windstar Residential Community. Page 8 of9 GENERAL INFORMATION: APPLICANT/ PROPERTY OWNER: Windstar Communities 11149 North Torrey Pines #250 La Jolla, CA 92037 LOCATION: 6600 Golden Gate Drive ASSESSORS PARCEL NUMBER: 941-1500-046 GENERAL PLAN DESIGNATION: High-Density Residential SPECIFIC PLAN AREA: West Dublin BART EXISTING LAND USE: Vacant SURROUNDING USES: Location Zoning General Plan Land Use Current Use of ProDertv Site PD (Planned High-Density Vacant Development) Residential North PD (Planned Retail/Office Shopping Center Development) South PD (Planned Retail/Office Vacant Development) East PD (Planned Retail/Office Industrial and Development) Automotive Repairs West PD (planned Mixed Use R VX International Development) Warehouse (AMB Project approved on this site) Page 90f9