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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 7-6-1978 PARKS,RECREATION,AND HISTORICAL COMMISSION STAFF REPORT-7ULY 6, 1978 AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: REFERRAL FROM PLANNING DEPARTMENT: HERITAGE PARK The Planning Department has received a development proposal for the 8 acre property located at the southeast corner of Dublin Boulevard and Donlon Way. This is the property on which the Green Store is now located. The proposal has been referred to the Commission for comment. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: That the Commisison adopt this report and forward it to the Planning Commission stating that the proposed development is compatible with the historical resources in the immediate area. The proposal is to construct an',Tice complex on the property. There would be 2 two-story office buildings of approximately 50,000 square feet each. These will be generally oriented toward the Dc,nlon Way frontage. The Green Store is located on the corner of Dublin Boulevard and Donlon Way;a commercial structure,probably a restaurant,will be located on Dublin Boulevard between the Green Store and the Shell Station at the cornet : ":c•olin Boulevard and San Ramon Road. Most of the parking will be located on the ees tern part of the parcel,between the buildings,San Ramon Road,and Dublin Ce ac- :. This is an area which lies within the Special Studies zone, and cannot be develo_-�_l with structures. However,primary access will be to Donlon Way,with right turn. ccess only to and from Dublin Boulevard. The office buildings will be done in an early California style reflecting architecture of the Green Store and other early buildings e Dublin. The complex will be called"Heritage Park." Forty- four of the existing forty-six trees will be retained. The developer has indicated a strong interest in preserving the Green Store. Initial plans call for it to be razed. However,when staff told him of its historical value,he instructed his architect to include it in the plans for the project. He now plans to restore the exterior to its original appearance,including reconstruction of the covered sidewalk, and use the building for a bank. This would involve an investment of about$150,000 in restoration work and require attaching another 2,000 square feet of building space to the rear of the building to make it a workable size. Specific plans will depend on final selection of a tenant for both this and the other commercial site. It is unclear now whether these buildings would be leased or sold outright. The developer has asked the Dublin Historical Preservation Association for assistance in the restoration by supplying photos and other such matter,and for the Association's suggestions in the work. As the Commission is aware,there was an earlier proposal to construct mini-warehouses on this site about one year ago. This met with much opposition from the Dublin Historical Preservation Association,Dublin-San Ramon Services District,and other organizations, as well as Planning Department staff,and was withdrawn after public hearings,but before the Planning Commission took action. This proposal was referred to the Commission which also recommended denial. at that time,alternative uses for the site were discussed; one was an office complex as now proposed. In the past,the DHPA has indicated a desire to purchase the property for addition to the Heritage Center. It is unlikely that this is feasible in the near future,as without some major grant,the Association would have difficulty raising the asking price of about$500,000. This property was included in the Association's recent National Register application,approval of which was recommended by the State Historical Resources Commission. This is now pending in Washington D.C.for final action. This application was based on the property's location at the crossroads of the original town of Dublin. However,the only structures remaining are the Green Store(c. 1850)and Old St.Raymonds (1858). The primary significance of the area is as the site of the village. Development, as proposed,will not compromise this. There is some possible conflict with DSRSD proposals. The District is considering some type of recognition of the historic value of the site,and it is still being evaluated as part of their park and recreation plan. The District is concerned with development on this site,not only in terms of its impact on the Green Store,but also on the Heritage Center across Donlon Way. The District will be following this development proposal closely and has asked the County not to allow anything to compromise the area. However, there are no plans to purchase the site for a park or other type of facility by the District. PARKS, RECREATIL,,.i, AND HISTORICAL COMMISSION STAFF REPORT - JULY 6, 1978 Page 2 It would appear that this project would be compatible with the historical nature of the area. It is a vast improvement over the previous proposal. It has been designed to compliment the Heritage Center and t!-_e Green Store, while not being a plastic re-creation or reflection as has been done elsewhere. Outside its historical context, it is also an appropriate use for the site from a planning standpoint. It is likely that the development would benefit the Heritage Center, not only through restoration of the Green Store, but by extension o sewer ::.Ed water lines down Donlon Road, thus saving the Center the expense of t .rndin d -se ling Also, the project may directly or indirectly involve street improv :rne is •.thich would benefit the Center. The _.roperty is being developed under a Planned Development District. In this District, the ,-oning regulation is the specific ordinance creating the district, as opposed to conventional C-1, etc., zoning where the zoning regulations are general for all property in that district. As such, the ordinance can be designed for special circumstances as here. fhis could include requiring the developer to restore the Green Store to specific standards prior to issuance of occupancy permits, marking the sites of other buildings on the property, or other such things. It will include careful consideration of architectural design and site planning to ensure compatibility with the Heritage Center. Restoration of the Green Store will be subject to design review, as will construction of the other commercial structure on Dublin Boulevard. This will ensure that the former is done properly, and that the latter and the addition to the Store are compatible. It has been suggested that the HP (Historical Preservation) District be used here. However, while this would be possible, that District was not really designed for what is basically new construction, but rather to focus on existing resources. It would allow appropriate mixed uses for historical resources and provide for compatibility of the surrounding area. Here the major thing under consideration is the new development, with the Green Store being a small part of the whole proposal. If the HP District were to be used here, it should include and focus on the Heritage Center property. Not only would the entire project have to be revised to include the expanded area which would result in a delay of at least one month, but it would involve considerable staff time which is not available now, thus further delaying action. Also, it is predicated on some official recognition at the State or national level, and inclusion on the County Historical Resources Plan or otherwise recognized in the General Plan. As noted, the former is pending, but not fi.-;alzed at this time. The State Historical Resources Commission recommended entry en the National Register at its March meeting. The application has been forwarded to Washington D.C., but it generally takes at least six months from the time the application is r;_ceived for the official entry to be made; thus it will be at least another three months befcse this condition is met. While some of the area has received various State designations, there is no overall recognition of the entire area which would meet that condition. This would be open to challenge, which would delay the action. The PD District can, although it is not required to, give the same protection that the HP District affords, and in this case would be a better solution. This would appear to be as good a proposal as could be expected for the site. It is unlikely that either DSRSD or the DHPA would be able to purchase the site; to prevent development on the basis of holding it until one of those groups could purchase it would leave the County open to legal action for damages and/or inverse condemnation. Also, there are constraints as to where buildings can be located on the property. The developer has agreed to restore the Green Store; the manner in which this is done could be one of the conditions of the development. The architecture of the new buildings has been designed to complement the older buildings, and will neither clash with nor detract from them. With proper conditions including in the ordinance to protect the Store and the other historical resources in the area, this development would have no adverse impacts on the historical resources in the area, and probably will have beneficial impacts. ..r . 4100. • • '7.:It* r e: t . z- - , _.4...., . 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