1 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: Mayor Clauzel and Members of the City Council
FROM: Fernando Ulloa, City Manager
BY: Bryan Stice, Community Development Director
MEETING DATE: August 20, 2024
ITEM NO: ____________
SUBJECT: Approve the First Reading and Introduction of Ordinance #XXX revising the maximum height section of Table 18.46.040-1 of the Patterson Municipal Code, “Development Standards for Industrial Districts.”
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the First Reading and Introduction of Ordinance #XXX revising the maximum height section of Table 18.46.040-1 of the Patterson Municipal Code, “Development Standards for Industrial Districts.”
BACKGROUND
To maintain competitiveness in attracting business to the City’s business park, staff recommends a code amendment that would allow a maximum height of 150 feet in the West Patterson Light Industrial (IL) Zone. Currently, the municipal code allows a maximum height of 45 feet for structures with this zoning designation with allowances made for projections up to a total of 60 feet. The municipal code provides provisions for buildings in the IL Zone to reach a maximum of 120 feet if certain conditions are met. This code language reads as follows:
The Planning Commission may conditionally approve additional height adjustments up to 120 feet, subject to the following requirements:
a) Building heights above 70 feet must include a stepped profile. b) Building projections above 60 feet shall maintain, at a minimum, a 1:3 setback from any residentially designated zone or General Plan designation. 2 c) Any building height over the maximum permitted height shall be part of a building of at least 750,000 square feet, or part of a campus of buildings totaling 750,000 square feet, or more.
The proposed code language would keep this section in place but would raise the maximum height from 120 feet to 150 feet.
ANALYSIS
The business parks include two zoning designations, West Patterson Light Industrial (IL), and West Patterson Industrial Business Park (IBP). Typically, the IBP zone has been used for smaller uses and placed along entrances to the City and interfaces with residential neighborhoods. Larger land uses are typically located in the IL zone where potential impacts to neighbors are more limited. As additional protection, the code language requires a conditional use permit for any building over 45 feet tall, which requires approval of the Planning Commission.
Considerations
When considering taller buildings, several factors should be considered, such as impacts on viewsheds, pedestrian scale, problematic shadows, wind downwash, context, architectural quality, and fire safety.
Viewsheds
A point of emphasis in past review of projects has been to maintain viewsheds from the City toward the foothills of the Coast Range to the west, particularly from residences. For this reason, the additional height allowance is only allowed in the West Patterson Light Industrial zone:
The Planning Commission may conditionally approve additional height adjustments up to 150 feet, subject to the following requirements:
d) Building heights above 70 feet must include a stepped profile. e) Building projections above 60 feet shall maintain, at a minimum, a 1:3 setback from any residentially designated zone or General Plan designation. f) Any building height over the maximum permitted height shall be part of a building of at least 750,000 square feet, or part of a campus of buildings totaling 750,000 square feet, or more.
The first bullet point is included to provide some relief by ensuring that a building is somewhat sloped away from residences. The second requirement would provide space between a tall building and residences. For instance, a 150-foot-tall structure would be required to be at least 450 feet from a residential area. An 80-foot-tall structure would be required to be at least 240 feet from a residential area. The 60-foot requirement is used in this instance because of the 3 maximum height in the IL zone plus the allowance for projections. The third bullet is intended to restrict this exception to uses with an already large profile.
Pedestrian Scale
Typically, buildings feel “tall” to people when the building height is roughly twice the adjacent street width. Staff proposes that height issues related to pedestrian scale will also be alleviated through three measures: First, typical street sections in the business park area range from 60 feet to 110 feet, within the twice adjacent street width calculation. Second, the Municipal Code requires a 15-foot setback for structures from the front property line, so buildings will be set back from the street. Third, the requirement recommended by staff would reduce how big the building feels when viewed close up to the building. Additionally, while not specifically required in the code, large buildings, such as those that would be eligible to pursue the exception, will typically include other improvements, such as parking lots and landscaping, that place the building farther from the street.
Problematic Shadows
Cities with large buildings have included requirements related to how shadows from large buildings affect adjacent properties, particularly for parks and neighborhoods. The provisions in the code provide built in relief from this issue for sensitive areas.
Wind downwash
Tall buildings with large unbroken profiles tend to draw wind down to ground level in an effect called downwash. Wind speed normally increases with height, so the taller the building the higher the wind pressure. Wind force increases at a square of its speed, so pedestrians next to a tall building can experience an increase in wind force. By requiring that buildings be stepped as required in the code, wind is diffused before it reaches the ground.
Context
Typically, a particular height will just seem right for a neighborhood. A three-story building may look huge in some neighborhoods but would look small in many urban cores. The business park, in general, has seen buildings constructed in the range of 32-47 feet tall. Context is generally considered on a case-by-case basis as part of the architectural and site plan review process required for any new building of a substantial size. Restricting the height exception to the West Patterson Light Industrial Zone ensures that such heights are restricted to larger, more intense uses, in a location that includes other larger, more intense land uses.
Architectural Quality
Buildings constructed in the business park have been held to a high architectural standard outlined in the City’s design guidelines and the business park master development plans. Tall 4 buildings may require additional attention because these buildings draw attention and, in some cases, can be a source of identity to the community. Staff intends to maintain these high standards, which would be confirmed by the Planning Commission as part of the architectural and site plan review process.
Fire Safety
Very tall buildings cannot be reached by typical fire truck ladders and appropriate measures must be set in place to ensure fire safety and allow individuals in elevated locations to safely exit.
These issues would be considered as part of the fire department’s plan check review.
FISCAL IMPACT
N/A
ATTACHMENTS
Draft Ordinance No. XXX
July 25, 2024 Planning Commission Staff Report “Business Park Maximum Height Ordinance