Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-14-2014 PC Minutes Planning Commission Minutes Tuesday, January 14, 2014 CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL A regular meeting of the City of Dublin Planning Commission was held on Tuesday, January 14, 2014, in the City Council Chambers located at 100 Civic Plaza. Chair O'Keefe called the meeting to order at 7:00:08 PM Present: Chair O'Keefe; Vice Chair Bhuthimethee; Commissioners Do, Goel and Kohli; Jeff Baker, Assistant Community Development Director; Kit Faubion, City Attorney; Martha Aja, Environmental Coordinator; and Debra LeClair, Recording Secretary. Absent: None ADDITIONS OR REVISIONS TO THE AGENDA— NONE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS — On a motion by Cm. Chair O'Keefe and seconded by Cm. Bhuthimethee, on a vote of 4-0-0, with Cm. Do being absent from that meeting, the Planning Commission unanimously approved the minutes of the November 12, 2013 meeting, with a small correction. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS — 5.1 Election of Officers for Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. Chair O'Keefe made a motion to appoint Cm. Bhuthimethee as Chair, 2nd by Cm. Do and, by a vote of 5-0, Cm. Bhuthimethee was elected Planning Commission Chair. Chair O'Keefe made a motion to appoint Cm. Goel as Vice Chair, seconded by Cm. Do and, by a vote of 5-0, was elected Vice Chair of the Planning Commission. CONSENT CALENDAR — NONE WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS — NONE PUBLIC HEARINGS 8.1 PLPA-2013-00073 Amendments to the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan. General Plan Amendment, Specific Plan Amendment, and CEQA Addendum to increase the number of residential units permitted and decrease the amount of non-residential square footage permitted in Downtown Dublin. Jeff Baker, Assistant Community Development Director stated that, in order to complete some additional analysis on this issue, Staff recommends that the item be continued to a future Planning Commission meeting. The Public Hearing will be re-noticed. Chair Bhuthimethee opened the public hearing and, having no speakers, closed the public hearing. ,fanning Commission January 14,2014 '4gudar Meeting {Fags I 1 On a motion by Cm. Do and seconded by Cm. O'Keefe, on a vote of 5-0, the Planning Commission unanimously voted to continue the item to a date uncertain. 8.2 PLPA-2013-00062 Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar Site Development Review Permit to allow the construction of a new 7,755 square foot restaurant with a 1,159 square foot patio with outdoor seating and related site improvements such as landscaping at 4805 Hacienda Drive. The project also includes the demolition of a vacant building (former Macaroni Grill). Martha Aja, Environmental Coordinator, presented the project as outlined in the Staff Report. Cm. Kohli was concerned about the demolition of the existing building and its impact to the traffic coming into and out of Hacienda Crossings and asked if the Applicant had done a traffic study. Ms. Aja responded that the demolition will be contained within the project site but the Applicant will be required to install construction fencing around the site. She stated that a demolition permit is required which will address Cm. Kohli's concerns. Cm. Kohli asked how long the demolition will take. Ms. Aja referred the question to the Applicant. Cm. Do asked about the impact on Mimi's Café. Ms. Aja answered that Mimi's Café will be open during demolition and construction. She stated that there will be access to Mimi's Café. She added that there will be some construction trucks during that time but it is not anticipated there will be a large impact on Mimi's Café. Cm. Goel was concerned with the connectivity between this project and the Whole Foods project across Hacienda Drive. He asked if the site plan for the Whole Foods project was made available to the Applicant in order to provide some type of integration between the Lazy Dog Restaurant and the Whole Foods complex. He felt that the northwest corner (Lazy Dog Restaurant) lacked pedestrian friendliness that will be created at the Whole Foods complex. Ms. Aja responded that the plans for the Whole Food project were not provided to the Applicant. Cm. Goel asked if Staff can provide the plans for Whole Foods to the Applicant as an opportunity to create integration between the two projects. Mr. Baker stated that it could happen and mentioned that the site Cm. Goel is referring to is kitty-corner to this project with 6-7 lanes of traffic across Hacienda Drive which is a wide distance. He stated that the Applicant designed the project to integrate with the shopping center that it is located in, the parking that is related to it and the patio with outdoor seating where the building will block the Dublin wind so that the area can be used year-round. He added that the landscaping on the northwest corner will remain and is outside the scope of the project. ,1 Wrong C"onan°i;sion January 14,2014 Rcqulur'Meei;ua ;Page 12 Cm. Goel asked if the Applicant would be allowed to change the landscaping if they wanted to integrate it with the Whole Foods project. Mr. Baker answered yes; if the Hacienda Crossings landlord gave them permission. Chair Bhuthimethee asked if Cm. Goel was asking if there is a crosswalk on Hacienda Drive. Cm. Goel answered no; but felt that the southeast tip of the Whole Foods complex, which includes an open seating area, could be used as an opportunity for integration that the Applicant may not be aware of. Chair Bhuthimethee asked if there is a Hacienda Crossings sign on the corner by the Lazy Dog site. Ms. Aja answered yes, and mentioned that there is a Condition of Approval that states that the landscaping on that corner will remain and if any landscaping is damaged during construction it must be replaced. Cm. Goel asked who placed that Condition of Approval on the project. Ms. Aja answered that the Condition of Approval was included as part of Staff's review of the project. Cm. Goel asked if the Planning Commission could ask Staff to reconsider that Condition of Approval if the Applicant felt they could improve the landscaping and make a more pedestrian friendly area. Chair Bhuthimethee asked if the southeast corner of the Hacienda Crossings is part of the project site. Ms. Aja answered that the corner is outside the scope of work for the project. Mr. Baker stated that the landscaping in question is part of the Hacienda Crossings development and not part of the current project. Chair Bhuthimethee opened the public hearing. Jared Taylor, Golden Property Development, LLC, representing the Applicant, thanked Staff, especially Martha Aja and Gregory Shreeve in the Building Department. He stated that he has done a lot of projects with a lot of cities and the Dublin Staff has exceeded his expectations and has been a part of his team which he really appreciates. He stated that he has reviewed the proposed Conditions of Approval and accepts them. He stated that The Lazy Dog concept is inspired by the Rocky Mountain lodge concept and the landscaping is an integral part of the development that provides the ambiance of the restaurant and the fact that patrons can bring their dog to the patio makes it special and people seem to like that. Mr. Taylor referred to the issue regarding the existing landscaping on the southeast corner. He stated that the landscaping is part of the Hacienda Crossings development and is under their CC&Rs. In addition, there is a site line consideration that must be maintained by having lower landscaping in the area. He felt that the landscaping being proposed by Lazy Dog is substantial Tiaan ng Communal January 14,2014 { guiar Iteetang (Pagel 3 and not the typical landscaping, but works in harmony with the building to create the Rocky Mountain Lodge feeling. Cm, Kohli asked Mr. Taylor asked for a better understanding of the process and duration of the demolition. Mr. Taylor stated that they worked with Staff to develop a project schedule and hold to that schedule. He felt that they will submit for a demolition permit within the month. They have been working with the various utilities to arrange for all disconnects before the demolition and he hoped to pull the permit on February 3rd. He stated that they are on schedule to pull the building permit the first week in March. He wanted to address the Planning Commission's concern regarding Mimi's Café and how they will protect their operations and guests. He stated that Chris Sims is the founder of the Lazy Dog Restaurant and is also the son of the founder of Mimi's Café and will work well with them. Cm. Do asked Mr. Taylor to compare the Dublin restaurant to the Concord restaurant as far as scale and size. Mr. Taylor referred to the question to DeWayne Mitchell, Lazy Dog Restaurants, LLC. DeWayne Mitchell, Lazy Dog Restaurants, LLC, answered that the Concord site is slightly larger than the Dublin site although the parapet and tower heights are the same. Cm. Do asked about how the seating in Dublin compares to the Concord site. Mr. Mitchell answered that the Dublin site is approximately 25 s.f. smaller than the Concord site. Cm. Do asked if the Applicant demolished the site in Concord. Mr. Mitchell answered yes. Cm. Do asked how long it took to build the Concord site. Mr. Mitchell answered that it took 5 months. He felt that they want to open quickly not just for the business, but they will be hiring 125 —150 employees and they want to bring the energy back to that corner. Cm. Goel was concerned about providing some type of enhancement to their project that will complement the Whole Foods project that would add warmth and invitation from across the street. He felt that walking may not be the ideal situation across Hacienda Drive but if there is an opportunity to provide some type of integration he wanted the Applicant to take that into consideration. He felt it would be a positive for their business. Mr. Mitchell agreed that the interaction and continuity within cities and development with pedestrian access, etc. are important tools for a successful business. He stated that the two existing (redwood) trees will create warmth and excitement on that corner. Cm. Goel asked if the Applicant was willing to add an enhancement to the south elevation to break up the plainness of the elevation. ('lttnrurig nrnrnissinrz ,January 14,2014 4{egu rir5VIeetang (Page 14 Mr. Mitchell agreed that there is no pedestrian access between the Lazy Dog Restaurant building and Mimi's Cafe because that is where the service and utilities are located; the existing sidewalk will remain, but what will be seen from Hacienda Drive are the stone, signage, windows, and trellises. He offered to continue the rock wainscoting around the back of the building, in the service area, for continuity. He agreed to install wainscoting approximately 3ft 6in high with a ledge, along the entire length of the west elevation. Cm. O'Keefe agreed. Cm. Kohli asked if the main entrance faces the movie theater. Mr. Mitchell answered yes. Chair Bhuthimethee closed the public hearing. Cm. Kohli is in support of the project. He had been concerned about the dormant building and is happy to have another similar type of restaurant which is unique and will generate excitement. He felt that, with the Whole Foods project coming, it will feel like they have created a downtown. Chair Bhuthimethee wanted to address Cm. Goel's issue of connectivity to the Whole Foods project and asked if there is a crosswalk across Hacienda Drive. Ms. Aja answered that there is a crosswalk at the gas station that crosses Hacienda Drive. Chair Bhuthimethee felt that pedestrian connectivity is important to give people the opportunity to walk from center to center. She asked what the parcel of land to the south of the Whole Foods project is zoned for. Ms. Aja answered it has a General Commercial land use designation. Mr. Baker answered that south of the Whole Foods project is the former Whole Foods project which was approved as a 305,000sf commercial center. He stated that the City is currently processing a General Plan Amendment request that is proposing 400-700 residential units and 20,000sf-40,000sf of restaurant use. Chair Bhuthimethee asked the other Commissioners what they felt about Cm. Goel's suggestion regarding the integration of the two sites. Cm. Goel stated he did not want to cause problems because he is extremely excited about the project. He felt that the issue is with the CC&R's for Hacienda Crossings and what the Applicant can and cannot do with the landscaping on the southeast corner. He felt that the developer had heard the Planning Commission's concerns and if there is an opportunity to change the look and feel on the southeast corner without obstructing the site line that the Conditions of Approval can provide leniency. Chair Bhuthimethee felt that pedestrian connectivity between the two projects is an excellent point. Prartronii(,nmrrsassi,n January 14,2014 1<qt.dar ieetireg (Page 5 Cm. Goel felt that the Applicant could take the Planning Commission's comments to the Hacienda Crossings management and suggest making changes to the landscaping to invigorate their business, the Whole Foods development, as well as Hacienda Crossings. Cm. Goel stated he studied the overall plans in detail and wanted to compliment the engineers and architects on their concept. He was unaware of the Lazy Dog Restaurant concept until he did some research but felt it would be a good fit for Dublin and will invigorate that corner. Cm. O'Keefe stated he is in support of the project and thanked the Applicants and Staff for their work on the project. He stated that he also had not heard of Lazy Dog until receiving the Staff Report. He thanked the Applicant for accepting their feedback and making the change to the building. Cm. Do complimented the Applicant and stated that she visited the Concord restaurant and was impressed. She liked the dog patio concept. Chair Bhuthimethee agreed with the other Commissioners, and felt that the restaurant will be a good addition to the community. She felt that the quality of the materials will enhance the City as the Planning Commission is sensitive about how the view corridors look and the view from the public street. She also commended the Applicant for transplanting the redwood trees and felt that it will make the building look like it's been there for a while. Additional Condition of Approval: West Elevation Modifications. The Applicant shall add a rock veneer wainscot to the west elevation. The height of the wainscot shall match the height used on the other elevations of the building. Additional Condition of Approval: Hacienda Drive/Hacienda Crossings. The Applicant shall work with staff and the Hacienda Crossings Management to explore providing some level of invitation from across the street if the opportunity is available. On a motion by Cm. Goel and seconded by Cm. Do, on a vote of 5-0, the Planning Commission unanimously adopted the Resolution with the additional Conditions of Approval mentioned above: RESOLUTION NO. 14 - 01 A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN APPROVING A SITE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PERMIT TO ALLOW THE DEMOLITION OF AN EXISTING RESTAURANT BUILDING AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW RESTAURANT AND RELATED SITE IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE LAZY DOG RESTAURANT & BAR LOCATED AT 4805 HACIENDA DRIVE NEW OR UNFINISHED BUSINESS — NONE OTHER BUSINESS - NONE 1'Curt ttr.r ornintssion J.innary 14,2014 {RoguiirMasting 1'aye 4 10.1 Brief INFORMATION ONLY reports from the Planning Commission and/or Staff, including Committee Reports and Reports by the Planning Commission related to meetings attended at City Expense (AB 1234). 10.2 Mr. Baker informed the Planning Commission that there are tentative agenda items through February. 10.3 Mr. Baker shared development activity: a) The Red Mountain restaurant pad building at Amador Plaza Road and Amador Valley Blvd. is nearing completion and should be opening shortly. b) The Downtown Sign is constructed but not electrified as yet. c) Rahma Market will be moving from Dublin Blvd. to Village Pkwy. and their construction plans are moving forward. d) Taco Bell has made an application to enhance their building. e) Hobby Lobby is moving into a portion of the former Expo Design Center building. 10.4 Cm. Kohli asked if the Guns, Fishing and Other Stuff project will be coming before the Planning Commission. Mr. Baker responded that the Planning Commission will review the parking standard for Indoor Recreation, but the use is allowed. 10.5 Chair Bhuthimethee asked if the Lazy Dog Restaurant is considered "corporate architecture" and felt that the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan (DDSP) prohibits or discourages corporate architecture. Mr. Baker answered yes; the DDSP discourages corporate architecture but does not prohibit it because there may be instances where it is desired. ADJOURNMENT— The meeting was adjourned at 8:02:11 PM Respectfully submitted, Al I :►4,, - lann ng Commission Chair ATTEST: Jeff Baker Assistant Community Development Director G:IMINUTES12014IPLANNING COMMISSIOM01.14.14 DRAFT PC MINUTES.docx I'lurrr:i spa f.?r zrrassron 3anuary 14,2014 •S'Yguiar i4 eizrag Page ; l