P
LANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
DATE: JUNE 13, 2023
TO: DESIGN COMMISSION
FROM: JENNIFER PAIGE, AICP, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
S
UBJECT: APPLICATION FOR CONCEPT DESIGN REVIEW
NEW THREE- TO FIVE-STORY MIXED-USE PROJECT INCLUDING 14,346 SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE SPACE, 263 RESIDENTIAL UNITS,
SUBTERRANEAN PARKING AND A 4,033-SQUARE-FOOT PUBLIC PARK 740-790 EAST GREEN STREET
___________________________________________________________________________ RE
COMMENDATION:
I
t is recommended that the Design Commission:
E
nvironmental Determination
A
ffirm the conclusions of the draft initial environmental study (Attachment E) that the proposed project will not create any significant adverse effects on the environment that cannot be mitigated to a level of less than significant; and
Adopt
the attached Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring Program for the project (Attachment E).
Fi
ndings for Compliance with the Tree Protection Ordinance
1. A
cknowledge that the tree inventory (Attachment B) identifies the removal of two protected s
pecimen trees;
2. Fi
nd that the removal of the two protected trees meets finding number 6 of the Tree P
rotection Ordinance (PMC Section 8.52.075.A): “The project, as defined in Section
17.80 .020, includes a landscape design plan that emphasizes a tree canopy that is sustainable over the long term by adhering to the replacement matrix prepared by the city manager and included in the associated administrative guidelines;”
ATTACHMENT D
Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
Findings for Concept Design Approval
Find that the project, upon implementation of the conditions of approval, will comply with the purposes of design review, the design-related goals and policies of the Land Use Element of the General Plan, and the Design Guidelines in the Central District Specific Plan; and, therefore,
Based on these findings, approve the application for Concept Design Review, including the removal of two protected trees, subject to the conditions in Attachment A, which shall be further reviewed during Final Design Review.
BACKGROUND:
Project Overview
• General Plan Designation: Medium Mixed Use (0.0 – 2.25 FAR)
• Zoning: CD-4 (Central District Specific Plan, Pasadena Playhouse Subdistrict)
• Design Guidelines: The applicable design guidelines are the design-related goals and policies in the Land Use Element of the General Plan and the Design Guidelines in the Central District Specific Plan.
• Site: The site is comprised of six adjoining lots totaling 2.3 acres on the south side of E.
Green Street, between South Hudson and Oak Knoll Avenues. It is irregular in shape and is currently developed with surface parking and five buildings constructed between 1950 and 1983, none of which have been determined to be historic resources. A tree inventory provided with the application identifies 12 trees on site, two of which are protected specimen tree, as well as 14 street trees along the property’s three street frontages.
• Surroundings: Surrounding properties include one- to-five-story commercial and office buildings and surface and above-grade parking lots along East Green Street. South Hudson Avenue is comprised of four- to five-story mixed-use and residential developments and surface parking lots. South Oak Knoll Avenue consists of one- to four-story developments including a church immediately to the south of the site, single- and multi-family residences, surface parking lots, and a medical facility.
• Project Description: The project involves construction of a three-to-five-story, 254,152- square-foot development comprised of two buildings oriented at the north and south side of the project site. The development will include 263 residential units, including 41 affordable housing units, 14,346 square feet of office space, a pocket park and subterranean parking.
The project will be utilizing Density Bonus and is eligible for two concessions; the applicant intends to use the City’s Affordable Housing Concession Menu to obtain additional height and increase the allowable Floor Area Ratio.
• Trees: A total of 12 private trees are proposed to be removed, two of which are protected under the City’s Tree Protection Ordinance (Chinese elm & Indian laurel fig). Two protected public street trees that have been determined by Urban Forestry staff to be in poor condition and are also proposed to be removed and will be replaced with new trees . The remaining street trees will remain.
Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
• Site Design: The project site will be cleared of all existing structures and buildings and two new buildings will be constructed that run generally in parallel with Green Street and will be sited at the north and south ends of the project site. Common open space via a courtyard will separate the two buildings with pedestrian access from Hudson and Oak Knoll Avenues. The northern building will have a generally rectangular footprint and the southern building will have an irregular footprint. Vehicular access as well as a pocket park will be provided off of Oak Knoll Avenue. The existing property line along Green Street would be relocated five feet to the south and the northern building will be set back three feet from the new property line.
Portions of the northern building that front Oak Knoll and Hudson Avenues will maintain a zero setback from the property line and the southern building will maintain a five-foot setback from the property lines at these respective locations.
• Architectural Style: Contemporary with references to New Formalism
• Developer: Stanford Pasadena, LLC
• Architects: MVE + Partners
• Landscape Architect: EPT Design
ANALYSIS:
Design Commission Comments from Preliminary Consultation
On January 9, 2018, the Design Commission reviewed an application for Preliminary Consultation for this project. The Commission’s comments from that meeting, with excerpts from the design team’s responses, and staff’s comments, are detailed in the chart below. The design team’s full response are incorporated into the set of plans in Attachment D.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 1
Further study the building massing to avoid overwhelming adjacent lower-scaled buildings to the south, particularly along Oak Knoll Avenue.
Applicant Response
The current site design is responsive to the Commission’s Preliminary Consultation comments and appropriately addresses the adjoining streets. In addition, the revised building massing addresses the Commission’s previous concerns about the relationship of the building to Green Street and to adjacent lower-scaled existing buildings within the surrounding context.
Staff Analysis: Comment satisfactorily addressed.
The project includes construction of a three- to five-story development in two detached buildings. The building at the south portion of the lot, closest to the lower-scaled buildings along Oak Knoll Avenue, will be a maximum of five stories. This has been modified from the design presented at the Preliminary Consultation review, which presented a six-story height at this location. The design has also been revised to provide for a stepped massing of the southern building such that the fifth floor will be set back from the fourth floor in order to accommodate additional residential units while providing relief to the existing buildings south of the site.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 2
While the articulation of the massing, as well as the building fenestration, is well designed, the overall design lacks a strong connection to the architectural legacy of Pasadena and the representation in the design of the “style influence” imagery is unclear. Further study ways to respond more clearly to Pasadena’s architectural legacy as the project develops further in the review process.
Applicant Response
The current design is also responsive to previous comments from the Commission that recommended a more expressive roof design, relief of blank walls conditions, ensuring consistency of materials application, Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
and implementation of east-west orientation to the buildings.
Staff Analysis: Comment to be addressed through recommended condition of approval no. 1.
The revised design incorporates design features that better relate to the City’s architectural legacy such as a stronger roof termination by way of a projecting flat eave canopy, applied architectural fins to articulate the top floor of the south building, an organized pattern of vertically oriented punched fenestration, an articulated base and a generally uniformed street frontage along Green Street. However, staff is recommending condition of approval no. 1 to study the combination of massing, materials and form to strengthen the logic of the proposed design.
Examples of refinements that could be made to address this condition include strengthening the two street corner expressions, eliminating unnecessary spandrels/breaks in the façade plane, and ensuring that articulated features, materials and colors are applied with a consistent logic.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 3
Review the solid-to-void proportions of the upper floors facing Green Street, portions of which have large blank walls with smaller openings than on the lower levels.
Applicant Response
Ground floor frontages along Oak Knoll and Hudson Avenue at the South Building, have ground floor residences and will be broken up by stepped planters, stoops and private steps. Along Green Street, the 240’ long elevation is bisected by a 30’ deep entry courtyard and Residential lobby. To further break down the massing, a portion of the office and leasing will be single level which will allow light, breeze, and space around the existing Ficus Tree Canopy and to the open-air residential corridor. The Elevation of the building has been further divided into a series of framed Architectural moments that express the traditional base, middle and top. Enhancements such as 1’ recessed and framed storefronts, metal canopies, and lighting will further break up the monotony and provide a more pleasing pedestrian experience.
Staff Analysis: Comment satisfactorily addressed.
The revised design incorporates changes to the fenestration patterns throughout, which provides a greater presence of glazing to break up areas of blank wall previously proposed. In addition, the design incorporates features such as canopies, flat projecting roof eaves, residential stoops with landscaping on secondary elevations, and a central break in the massing along Green Street that provides a pedestrian-oriented method for interaction with the development.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 4
Explore ways to create a stronger, more expressive roofline to the buildings.
Applicant Response
The current design is also responsive to previous comments from the Commission that recommended a more expressive roof design, relief of blank walls conditions, ensuring consistency of materials application, and implementation of east-west orientation to the buildings.
Staff Analysis: Comment satisfactorily addressed.
The revised design provides flat projecting roof eaves at varied heights that provide shadowing and depth to each building while also including simple parapeted building forms, which create massing and height variation. The eaves provide a strong expression of termination as experienced from the pedestrian level.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 5
Work closely with the Department of Public Works to ensure that mature trees along Green Street are not adversely impacted by the project, at both the root and canopy zones.
Applicant Response
The client has worked closely with arborists Carlberg Associates and the project proposes an 11-foot-wide sidewalk, plus 5-foot-wide setback from the back of the curb to the new building face. The northern edge of the first floor of the building on Green Street is proposed to be no more than 18” within the back of the 5-foot setback.
The foundation for the building and the two-level, underground parking structure retaining wall will be setback 10- feet from the northern building edge. This will allow for less root impacts in the lower soil profiles. In addition to setting back the overall building, the building has been carved out (50’ wide, 30’ deep from Levels 2-3) to maximize Tree #9’s Canopy and serve as an entry courtyard and roof terrace at the center lobby.
Staff Analysis: Comment to be addressed through recommended condition of approval no. 2.
The applicant has incorporated required setbacks and stepbacks based on recommendations from the Department of Urban Forestry to allow for proper protection of trees to be retained along Green Street during construction.
The required depth of construction scaffolding has been taken into consideration in this analysis. Specific to tree number 11 in the public right of way along Green Street, which is the largest of the existing street trees, staff of the Urban Forestry Division recommended a twelve-foot setback from the existing property line at floors 2 and 3 at this location. The applicant has incorporated this twelve-foot setback, but Staff recommends condition of approval no.
Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
2 to ensure the plans submitted for Final Design Review clarify and appropriately label the setback across all plans and sections.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 6
Explore alternative locations/designs for the loading and mechanical spaces along Hudson Avenue. If possible, relocate these uses to the subterranean parking structure.
Applicant Response
Locating the loading dock as close to the adjacent offices as possible was necessary. However, Per Section
17.46.260 E (3), since the project is over 3,000 square feet of gross floor area it would require a minimum vertical clearance of 14 feet. Locating the loading area underground would require an additional 4 to 5 feet excavated throughout Parking Levels 1 and 2 and would not be practical. See Figure 6a for a partial section. This is showing the 11’-0” floor to floor of the basement parking and complying 14’ clearance of ground floor loading.
Staff Analysis: Comment satisfactorily addressed.
The applicant has explored alternative designs and locations for the loading and mechanical spaces and determined that the proposed loading dock’s location along Hudson Avenue, closest to the proposed office spaces along Green Street, will minimize the depth of excavation. It is located as far back from Green Street as possible to allow for the proposed office uses to wrap the corner with appropriate active space. During Final Design Review, the treatment and finishes of the loading space portal will be reviewed to ensure it is integrated into the design of the building and avoids public views of unsightly mechanical and utility equipment.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 7
Ensure that stairwells are inviting for use and provide direct access to streets and communal open spaces at the ground-level. Similarly, ensure that ground-level units on the interior of the project have access to communal open spaces.
Applicant Response
The circulation has been carefully designed to allow for direct access to streets as well as common open space. Along the Northern half of the project, stairs and elevator exit at the centrally located Lobby within the North Building. This will allow direct access to Green Street and/or the common open space.
At the Southern East and West half of the project, stairwells and elevators have been positioned at the corners of the South Building to allow for direct exiting to Hudson and Oak Knoll Avenues. In lieu of prime corner units, these stair and elevator locations have been given up for generous secondary lobbies on all five levels.
Staff Analysis: Comment to be addressed through recommended condition of approval no. 3.
The revised design includes stairwells internally within the north building and immediately accessible to the street along Hudson and Oak Knoll Avenues from the south building within distinct volumes. The stairwells provide access to ground floor amenity space as well as the street or sidewalk. However, the stairwell volumes within the south building fronting Hudson and Oak Knoll Avenues should be further refined in materiality and/or designed to provide a more inviting and integrated aesthetic as viewed from the public right of way. Staff has included condition of approval no. 3 to further refine the design of the stairwell volumes including study of replacing the metal grille work with glazing or other specialty high-quality materials that are more integrated with the project design and architectural references.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 8
Review the logic of the application of exterior materials to ensure that they are applied consistently throughout the project and, where materials differ between the base and upper levels of the buildings, ensure that lighter materials such as wood and metal are applied at upper levels and heavier materials such as stone and stucco are applied at the base. More specifically, consider replacing proposed ground-level siding and stucco with a more solid, durable material such as brick or stone.
Applicant Response
The Design has been revised to include materials such as ceramic tile and smooth plaster around the framed Elements at ground level.
Staff Analysis: Comment to be addressed through recommended condition of approval no. 1.
The revised design incorporates ceramic tile at the base of the north building related to the storefronts along Green Street and stucco at the residential floors above. The south building is proposed to be treated with smooth plaster at the ground floor and stucco above. An appropriate hierarchy of materials appears to have been incorporated into the design. Staff recommends further refinement of the materiality through condition of approval no. 1, as described above.
Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
Preliminary Consultation Comment 9
Explore the possibility of providing areas of natural ground beneath the proposed park to allow for in-ground plantings and support more substantial tree growth.
Applicant Response
The Design has been revised since the original 2018 submittal. The communal pocket park at the southwest corner of the site has no structure below or above. This will allow for more substantial tree growth.
Staff Analysis: Comment satisfactorily addressed.
Given that the revised project no longer includes a structure above or below the proposed pocket park at the southwest corner, the project will be able to maintain natural ground at this location to sustain the proposed new tree plantings that are depicted in the submitted landscape plan.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 10
Consider whether a shade structure may be appropriate at the proposed park particularly at the western end.
Applicant Response
The Landscape design has been updated to include these items.
Staff Analysis: Comment to be addressed through recommended condition of approval no. 4.
The landscape plans include shade structures within the central courtyard between the two buildings but does not include a shade structure at the proposed pocket park. Staff recommends condition of approval no. 4 to continue to explore a design of the pocket park that includes a shade structure.
Preliminary Consultation Comment 11
As noted in the attached comments from staff of the Current Planning section, the Zoning Code prohibits Planned Developments from deviating from maximum height limits in the Central District Specific Plan area. Restudy the building heights to comply with the maximum height allowed on the site, which is 35-feet (not height averaging allowed) at the northern portion of the site and 50-feet or 65-feet with height averaging on the remainder of the site. Additional height could also be granted in conjunction with an Affordable Housing Concession Permit, which would need to demonstrate that the additional height is needed to make the affordable housing units affordable.
Applicant Response
The project has undergone several iterations to comply with the Central District Specific Plan. The project height is now complying with the height limits except for certain areas as allowed per height increase concession menu under the Affordable Housing Concession Menu.
Staff Analysis: Comment satisfactorily addressed.
The proposed project has been completely restudied since Preliminary Consultation, which has resulted in a change that includes an Affordable Housing component and requests a concession related to height, allowing for a 12’-0” increase in height above the Zoning maximum over 60% of the building footprint. Overall, the height has been reduced from its initial design to comply with the Zoning Code with the allowance of additional height under the Affordable Housing Concession Menu.
Programming and Circulation
The project proposes siting of the two proposed new buildings oriented generally in parallel to Green Street and sited at the north and south ends of the project site with a courtyard space between them. The north building is proposed to have a slight U-shaped footprint and the south building will have an irregular footprint and include a U-shaped configuration at the east side with a pool area in the center. Two levels of subterranean parking are proposed and vehicular access will be provided from Oak Knoll Avenue at the southern end of the site. The north building will include ground floor office space along with amenity spaces such as a fitness center, leasing office, mail room, pool lounge, and business center; with three to four floors of residential units above. The main lobby space is centered at the middle of the north building within a volume that is substantially set back from the property line. Pedestrian access to the residential units is provided via elevators at the central lobby (which extend to the basement parking structure) and stairs at the southwest and northeast corners of the building that extend from the ground-level courtyard.
Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
The south building will be comprised of four to five floors of residential units. The buildings will be separated by an L-shaped ground floor common open space that includes a pool courtyard.
A main pedestrian lobby is provided off of Green Street and secondary pedestrian lobbies with vertical circulation from the garage to the upper floors are provided off of Oak Knoll and Hudson Avenues along with providing access to the central courtyard and adjoining streets. A pocket park is proposed at the southwest corner of the project site with access from Oak Knoll Avenue.
Overall, the programming of the building and site is consistent with the applicable design guidelines and as responsive as possible to the Commission’s Preliminary Consultation comments. The development includes multiple pedestrian entrances from each street frontage, which provide direct access to common open space at the ground floor.
Orientation
The proposed new buildings have windows, recessed and projecting balconies and sun-shading structures arranged in a clear pattern on all sides, ensuring a positive street-facing orientation to the project. The buildings will generally terminate with a projecting canopy at each building volume to provide additional shade and covering to open areas below. Common open space is provided at the ground floor via an open courtyard between the buildings and at the southwest corner of the project site and the drawings provided include courtyard-facing elevations that demonstrate that the project will also have similar primary façade features facing the courtyards.
Additional common open space is proposed at the fifth floor of the south building at the west side overlooking Oak Knoll Avenue. The buildings have a strong east-west orientation with the north building providing views primarily overlooking Green Street and the south building providing a variety of views along Oak Knoll and Hudson Avenues as well as the proposed adjacent pocket park. The center of the site is designed as a pedestrian courtyard accessible from all three streets with various communal amenities such as seating, outdoor kitchen, pool, shading structures and landscaping. Staff recommends condition of approval no. 5 to further study architecturally enhancing the pedestrian entryways from Green Street and Hudson and Oak Knoll Avenues to allow them to read as formal access points.
Height, Massing and Modulation
The project will be utilizing Density Bonus and is eligible for two concessions; the applicant intends to use the City’s Affordable Housing Concession Menu to obtain additional height and increase the allowable Floor Area Ratio. The height limit at this location is 35’-0” for the northernmost portion of the site and 50’-0” for the southernmost portion of the site. The applicant will be utilizing a concession to allow for an additional 12’-0” of height over 60% of the building footprint. As proposed, the project will include a 35’-0” to 47’-0” tall north building and a 50’-0” to 62’-0” tall south building. The FAR allowed for the site is 2.0, or 203,321. The project proposes a FAR of 2.5, or 254,152 square feet.
The north building’s lower height and scale in comparison to the south building is in keeping with the surrounding context along Green Street, which currently consists of one- to five-story developments. The massing of the north building is designed to engage directly with the Green Street corridor while a physical separation from the south building will be provided such that the buildings are broken up in a publicly engaging manner. Storefronts at the ground floor of the north building will include metal canopies as well as recesses from the front building plane. The fourth floor of the north building will be set back from the lower floors. The south building is proposed to be taller than the north building such that a view from north to south will provide a Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
stepped massing. The south building, which will be comprised solely of residential units, is proposed to have an irregular footprint with an east-went oriented western volume and a U- shaped eastern volume. The four- to five-story massing will include a setback of the fifth floor and a ten-foot setback from the rear property line at the U-shaped volume, which is adjacent to a four- to five-story newer development on Hudson Avenue. The west volume will be set back from the lower-scaled adjacent development along Oak Knoll Avenue via the vehicular entry and a pocket park. Both buildings will maintain variation through projections and recesses including balconies, flat overhanging roof eaves, and applied fin elements. Of particular note is the setback of the proposed main pedestrian lobby off of Green Street, which will provide a forecourt from the street to further break up the massing at this location. Overall, the modulation depicted in the elevation drawings and renderings is appropriate and responsive to the design guidelines, providing for a strong relationship to all three streets while respecting the immediate context.
Architectural Style and Detailing
The proposed new buildings are of a contemporary design with references to New Formalism.
Both buildings are proposed to have flat roofs, articulated massing through strategically placed step-backs, engaged fins as framing elements at strategic locations of the south building, vertical metal grille work at the stairwells of the south building, stacked punched window openings and a combination of smooth plaster, stucco and ceramic tile exterior wall materials.
References to New Formalism include the regular, vertically oriented fenestration pattern, projecting canopies and flat overhanging roof eaves.
Staff finds the proposed design to be cohesive overall and appropriately responsive to the use and location at the street edge such that the design is consistent with the design guidelines and will defer to Final Design Review for additional specifications and details of the proposed new materials. However, staff is recommending condition of approval no. 3 requiring the stairwells at the east and west ends of the south building immediately off of the streets to be refined to provide a more inviting design by replacing the metal grillework with glazing or other high-quality materials that are more integrated with the project design and architectural references. In addition, staff recommends condition of approval no. 1 to ensure the design is enhanced through study of its massing, materials, form, and applied features to strengthen the logic of the proposed Contemporary design and emphasize its verticality. Refinements could include enhancing the two street corner expressions, eliminating unnecessary spandrels/breaks in the façade planes, and ensuring that articulated features, materials and colors are applied with a consistent logic.
Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
Compatibility
The proposed new buildings are compatible with their immediate surroundings, particularly recently completed developments, in terms of height, massing, setbacks and architectural design. The design of the proposed development relates to the surrounding context, which presently is comprised of a mix of styles dating from the 1920s through the early 2000s.
Immediately across from the project site along Green Street is a five-story commercial building with a parking structure above finished in stucco or cement plaster and vernacular commercial or office buildings finished in similar stucco, stone and/or brick veneer. The proposed design submitted for this review relates better to the surrounding context and the grouping of buildings on the block along all three streets works well together while retaining the existing buildings’ unique identity.
Conceptual Landscape Design
The landscape plans provided outline an extensive program of landscaping that would soften the existing streetscape and enhance the perimeter of the project site as well as the network of pathways and open spaces within the site. This includes new landscape buffering along the south property line; additional trees and planter walls throughout the central courtyard and community space as well as at the ground floor street-fronting residential units; overhead structures; fencing, gates, and walls; sloped walkways; furnishings such as tables, chairs, firepits and an outdoor kitchen; an outdoor pool; water features; and a 4,033 square-foot pocket park. The plan provided showcases a variety of landscape features and amenities open to the residents of the new development and to the public. The methods by which the proposed landscape plan activates the different public and communal spaces are consistent with the applicable guidelines and standards. Details and specifications of the landscape plan will be reviewed during Final Design Review. However, generally the proposed landscape design appears to be appropriate and complimentary to the architectural style and will create visual interest.
Protected Tree Removal
The project proposes the removal of two protected specimen trees: tree #1 (a Chinese Elm, DBH 21.5”) and tree #19 (an Indian laurel fig, DBH 30.6). Both trees are in good condition, but are located within the building footprint of the proposed development and need to be removed to accommodate the project. The removal can be approved under finding #6 of the Tree Protection Ordinance, which states, “the project, as defined in Section 17.80.020, includes a landscape design plan that emphasizes a tree canopy that is sustainable over the long term by adhering to the replacement matrix prepared by the city manager and included in the associated administrative guidelines.”
Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
In order to meet the finding for removal of these trees, planting replacement trees per the requirements outlined in the Tree Replacement Matrix is required. The replacement matrix requires a total of 16 24-inch box size trees or eight 36-inch box size trees to be planted.
Protected specimen trees can be replaced with species from either the native or specimen tree lists. The landscape plans depict planting of numerous new trees, in excess of the quantity required. Condition number 6 requires clarification in the landscape plan submitted for Final Design Review to ensure compliance with the species, size and quantity requirements of the replacement matrix. The proposed trees shown in the plan appear to provide sufficient canopy coverage and shade throughout the site.
COMMENTS FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS:
Staff routed the project for comment to several City departments, as well as other divisions of the Planning & Community Development Department, including the Public Works, Transportation, Fire and Housing Departments and the Building, Current Planning and Cultural Affairs Divisions of the Planning & Community Development Department. The Building Division and Fire Department provided comments related to Building and Fire Code compliance.
Cultural Affairs determined that the development is subject to the Public Art Requirement.
Current Planning staff identified necessary clarifications on the plans. Recommended conditions from all reviewing City Departments are included in Attachment A.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Under contract to the City, Dudek prepared an Initial Study (IS) for the project (Attachment E) and concluded that there will be less than significant impacts on the environment with the incorporation of mitigation measures; a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) has therefore been prepared. Possible impacts requiring mitigation on Cultural Resources, Paleontological Resources, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Noise, Transportation, and Tribal Cultural Resources were identified in the IS.
A Notice of Intent to adopt an MND was published on December 1, 2020, for a 30-day review, which was subsequently extended by 14 days. Fifteen comment letters were received, expressing concerns for topics such as hazardous materials and noise. The comment letters and the City’s written responses are provided in Attachment E.
Subsequently, the Project was refined in response to comments and to lessen impacts. The Final IS/MND reflects the changes to the project and updates all the analyses. No new potentially significant effects were identified and no new mitigation measures were necessary.
All of the significance conclusions remain the same as was presented in the IS/MND that was circulated for public review; after mitigation, the project would not result in any significant environmental impacts.
Design Commission
Concept Design Review – 740-790 E. Green Street
June 13, 2023
CONCLUSION:
The project design has satisfactorily addressed the comments provided during Preliminary Consultation and is consistent with the design guidelines in the design-related goals and policies of the Land Use Element of the General Plan, and the Design Guidelines in the Central District Specific Plan. Staff recommends approval of the application for Concept Design Review for the project with the conditions of approval described above and included in Attachment A, which will be reviewed during Final Design Review.
Attachments:
A. Recommended conditions of approval
B. Arborist Report & Tree inventory
C. Current plans & elevations
D. Responses to Preliminary Consultation
E. Mitigated Negative Declaration, Mitigation Monitoring & Reporting Program, & Attachments
Respectfully Submitted,
______________________________
Jennifer Paige, AICP
Director of Planning and
Community Development
Prepared by:
_______________________
Stephanie Cisneros
Senior Planner
Reviewed by:
________________________
Kevin Johnson
Principal Planner