Agenda Item
City Council
Item #: 8.3. 11/15/2022 File #: 22-0630
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Jeff Adams, Interim Community Development Director
1. SUBJECT
Public Hearing to consider Major Site Plan Review No. 1013-20, Tentative Parcel Map No. 0017-20, Design Review No. 5011-20 and Development Agreement No. 0008-22; a request to rehabilitate two historic buildings at 410 W. Chapman Avenue and 135 N. Atchison Street, remove non-historic structures, construct two new buildings, and provide parking relief to Old Town Gateway, LLC in return for dedication and maintenance of a public access pedestrian walkway between N. Atchison Street and N. Cypress Street, and finding of CEQA exemption. Ordinance No. 08-22 and Resolution No. 11421.
2. SUMMARY
The applicant proposes to rehabilitate two historic buildings and remove non-historic sheds and additions to construct two new commercial buildings and create a publicly accessible pedestrian paseo through the center of the site linking N. Cypress and N. Atchison Streets. A Development Agreement is also proposed to provide parking relief for the project in exchange for dedication, improvement and maintenance of the paseo.
3. RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Introduce and conduct First Reading of Ordinance No. 08-22 approving Development Agreement No. 0008-22 vesting development rights with Old Town Gateway, LLC in return for dedication and maintenance of a public access pedestrian walkway between N. Atchison Street and N. Cypress Street. An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Orange approving a Development agreement with Old Town Gateway, LLC for a project on a site located at 401 W.
Chapman Avenue and 135 N. Atchison Street.
2. Adopt Resolution No. 11421. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Orange approving Major Site Plan Review No. 1013-20, Tentative Parcel Map No. 0017-20, Design Review No. 5011 -20 and Development Agreement No. 0008-22 to rehabilitate two historic buildings and remove non-historic sheds to construct two new commercial buildings and create a pedestrian paseo at 410 W. Chapman Avenue and 135 N. Atchison Street.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
5. STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Goal 3: Enhance and promote quality of life in the community City of Orange Printed on 11/10/2022Page 1 of 4
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Item #: 8.3. 11/15/2022 File #: 22-0630
a: Renovate, maintain, develop, and/or expand public use places and spaces.
Goal 5: Recognize, promote, and preserve Orange's rich heritage d: Celebrate Orange's rich heritage.
6. DISCUSSION AND BACKGROUND
The applicant proposes to rehabilitate a one-story circa 1920 historic masonry building at 401 W.
Chapman Avenue and a one-story circa 1912 Mission Revival building at 135 N. Atchison Street; remove non-historic sheds to construct two new commercial buildings (3,470 sq. ft. and 4,140 sq. ft., respectively); and, create a pedestrian connection (paseo) through the center of the site, linking N.
Cypress and N. Atchison Streets. A Development Agreement is included in the requested project entitlements to provide relief from parking requirements in exchange for dedication and maintenance of the publicly accessible paseo. Detailed information about project elements, architectural finishes and landscaping is provided the project plans (Attachment 4) and in the Planning Commission staff report (Attachment 7).
The proposed project elements directly implement the historic preservation, land use, urban design, and pedestrian linkage objectives of the Santa Fe Depot Specific Plan and therefore also implement the goals and policies of the General Plan related to land use, cultural resources, economic development, multi-modal circulation, and urban design. The project revitalizes a key site that interfaces with the Orange Transportation Center/Depot and the Plaza commercial district to the east.
Removal of solid fencing, the phasing out of quasi-industrial activity, along with the significant pedestrian-oriented site and streetscape improvements will provide refreshed and attractive site conditions at a gateway to the Plaza and downtown commercial core. The project will open up the site for use by the public and introduce commercial activity that complements the nearby Depot Park, Hilbert Museum, surrounding commercial and restaurant uses, and Chapman University facilities.
The proposed project also brings a segment of the City’s2008 Depot-Plaza Pedestrian Connection Study to fruition by providing a mid-block passage that links to the informal City paseo linking Cypress Street to Lemon Street and Old Towne West Parking Structure to the east.
Detailed information about the Santa Fe Depot Specific Plan and Depot-Plaza Pedestrian Connection Study is provided in Attachments 9 and 10 to this report.
Staff believes that as a whole, the development program and the scale, massing, and material of the new infill restaurant buildings are appropriate for the site, and that the project is consistent with the Secretary of Interior Standards and City’s Historic Preservation Design Standards guidance for additions and new construction. The design of the street and courtyard facing elevations of the infill buildings enliven the N. Cypress Street streetscape, while the simple treatment of the remaining building elevations references a more traditional historic building interface condition.
ISSUES
Issue 1: Historic Resources
The project site involves a collection of structures, three of which are recognized as contributors to the Old Towne Orange local and National Register Historic Districts. These structures include 135 N.
Atchison, 401 W. Chapman Avenue, and an addition to the north of that building addressed as 112 N.
Cypress Street. Determination of historic status was based on reconnaissance-level windshield surveys conducted over time, with the most recent survey update completed in 2005. A more detailed evaluation of the structures on the site was performed for the proposed project and is City of Orange Printed on 11/10/2022Page 2 of 4
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Item #: 8.3. 11/15/2022 File #: 22-0630
presented in the Cultural Resource Assessment and associated Addendum (Attachment 8).
The investigation of the site performed for that assessment revealed that the 112 N. Cypress Street structure is incorrectly classified in the City’s historic resources inventory and National Register record. The City’s inventory identifies the structure as c. 1920 masonry building. Upon closer assessment, that building was constructed in 1947, outside of the period of significance for the Historic District. Behind the stepped parapet of the plastered eastern elevation is a wood frame structure, with the north and west elevations clad in non-original manufactured wood siding.
Based on the scope of the project and confirmed status of the structures on the site in relation to National Register and California Register criteria, the proposed rehabilitation and demolition activity is appropriate for the site and historic district. None of the building additions or accessory structures identified for demolition are individually eligible for listing in the National Register nor the California Register, nor do they qualify as contributors to the District in their own right. Demolition of these structures to accommodate the proposed project will not impact the integrity of the site or the larger historic district.
Issue 2: Development Agreement for Paseo and Parking
The proposed project generates the need for 20 parking spaces in accordance with Santa Fe Depot Specific Plan parking requirements. The City has a long-standing interest in establishing a pedestrian paseo through the site, as identified in the Plaza-Depot Pedestrian Connection Study, to provide a comfortable pedestrian connection to the Depot as an alternative to the narrow Chapman Avenue sidewalk along the subject property’s frontage.
With the project in close proximity to the Old Towne West Parking Structure, along with the high level of pedestrian activity in Old Towne and “parkonce”patterns of activity where Old Towne visitors park their vehicles once while patronizing multiple businesses, the proposed Development Agreement provides parking relief of 18 spaces in exchange for the dedication, improvement, and maintenance of the pedestrian paseo. The draft Development Agreement is provided as Attachment 4 to this report.
ADVISORY BOARD ACTION
Staff Review Committee:
The City’sinterdepartmental Staff Review Committee made a recommendation of approval to the Planning Commission on April 20, 2022 subject to conditions.
Design Review Committee:
The Design Review Committee reviewed the subject proposal at the September 8, 2022 meeting and recommended that the Planning Commission recommend denial of the project to the City Council by a 4-0 vote. The basis for the recommendation of detail is detailed in Attachment 7.
Planning Commission
The Planning Commission recommended City Council approval of the Development Agreement and project entitlements on October 17, 2022 by a 3-0 vote. The Planning Commission minutes and staff report are provided in Attachments 6 and 7
7. ATTACHMENTS
City of Orange Printed on 11/10/2022Page 3 of 4
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Item #: 8.3. 11/15/2022 File #: 22-0630
· Attachment 1 - Ordinance No. 08-22 (including Draft Development Agreement) · Attachment 2 - Resolution No. 11421
· Attachment 3 - Vicinity Map and Aerial Photo
· Attachment 4 - Project Plans
· Attachment 5 - Planning Commission Resolution No. 28-22 · Attachment 6 - Planning Commission Minutes, October 17, 2022 · Attachment 7 - Planning Commission Staff Report, October 17, 2022 (excluding plans and Cultural Resources Assessment and Addendum)
· Attachment 8 - Cultural Resources Assessment and Addendum · Attachment 9 - Santa Fe Depot Specific Plan Excerpts
· Attachment 10 - Depot-Plaza Pedestrian Connection Study Excerpts City of Orange Printed on 11/10/2022Page 4 of 4
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