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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.1 Hall of Justice CITY CLERK File # D[g][][ð]-rIJra ~ '=a)-LfO AGENDA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: November 16, 2004 SUBJECT: ATTACHMENTS: RECOMMENDATION: ~ PUBLIC HEARING: P A 02-030 - Site Development Review (SDR) for the East County Hall of Justice (Alameda County Courthouse) Report Prepared by: Kristi Bascom, Associate Planner C¥--- 1. 2. 3. Project plans Project description Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIRÆIS) for the Juvenile Justice Facility and East County Hall of Justice dated April 2003 Resolution certifying that the City Council reviewed and considered the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Facility and East County Hall of Justice dated April 2003 Resolution approving P A 02-030, a Site Development Review (SDR) application to construct a 208,408 square foot building comprised of courtrooms, offices, and associated facilities on 21.77 acres located on the north side of Gleason Drive between Madigan and Arnold Drives, and approving the associated agreement between the City of Dublin and the County of Alameda regarding the enforcement of Conditions of Approval for the East County Hall of Justice (attached as Exhibit A) 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Open public hearing. Hear Staff presentation. Take testimony from the Applicant and the public. Question Staff, Applicant and the public. Close the public hearing and deliberate. Adopt the Resolution (Attachment 4) certifying that the City Council reviewed and considered the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Facility and East County Hall of Justice dated April 2003. Adopt the Resolution (Attachment 5) approving P A 02-030, a Site Development Review (SDR) application to construct a 208,408 square foot building comprised of courtrooms, offices, and associated facilities on 21.77 acres located on the north side of Gleason Drive between Madigan and Arnold 7. COPIES TO: Applicant Property Owner ITEMNO.~ G:\PA#\2002\02·030 Alameda Co Court House\CC Staff Report doc ltfl:? ~ Drives, and approving the associated agreement between the City of Dublin and the County of Alameda regarding the enforcement of Conditions of Approval for the East County Hall of Justice. FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: In July 2003, Alameda County submitted a proposal to the City of Dublin for Site Development Review of a proposed courthouse facility on County-owned land north of Gleason Drive. The East County Hall of Justice (County Courthouse) is proposed as a 208,408 square foot building comprised of courtrooms, offices, and associated facilities. The project area is 21.77 acres and is located on the north side of Gleason Drive between Madigan and Arnold, where an East County Government Center has been planned for several years. Under the 1993 Annexation Agreement between the City of Dublin and the County of Alameda, the City has the right to perform design review on any projects proposed on the County Governmental property. Therefore, although this project is not subject to the normal development standards or land use controls that would be applicable to a private project, the project is subject to the City of Dublin Site Development Review regulations. The County has been planning the construction of a new courthouse facility and a separate juvenile justice facility in Alameda County for several years. The County has studied various alternative locations for the two facilities, and two sites in Dublin were being considered for their use. A joint Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) was written which examined the potential environmental impacts for development on all of the sites throughout the County. At their meeting on May 6,2003, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors certified the EIRÆIS for the County's Juvenile Justice Facility and East County Hall of Justice and selected the preferred alternatives for both of these facilities. The Board of Supervisors chose a site in San Leandro as the preferred location for the new Juvenile Justice Facility, and the County Governmental property in Dublin on Gleason Drive as the preferred location for the East County Hall of Justice. On July 7, 2003 the County submitted their application to the City for Site Development Review for the Courthouse project, proposing the 208,408 square foot County Courthouse building on the County-owned site on Gleason Drive. Staff reviewed the original application and identified several issues of concern, including the proposed building height of over 102 feet, architectural incompatibility with surrounding buildings, and difficult circulation of vehicles and pedestrians on and off the site. On November 23, 2003, the Planning Commission and City Council held a joint study session to review the proposed project and to provide individual feedback to the County on the building and site design. The Planning Commissioners and City Councilmembers reiterated Staff s concerns about the building architecture and height. Following the joint study session, which provided valuable input to the County on the City's concerns, City Staff met numerous times with the County Elected Officials, Staff, and their Architects and Consultants to come to agreement on modifications to the plans to address the pertinent design issues. 2Jbì ANALYSIS: The project plans (Attachment 1) have been revised from the original version to be more compatible with the adjacent commercial and residential buildings. The architecture has been softened and the building height lowered, which will help the building relate better to its surroundings. The overall site plan has been modified to shift the location of the building further to the west to minimize the project's impact on nearby residential neighborhoods. A detailed written description of the project is included as Attachment 2. Site Plan Originally, the 22-acre courthouse site was on the easternmost portion of the greater 40-acre site. The County has since pushed the site further to the west so that the building would be the greatest distance away from the residential neighborhood. Also, the County has worked to reconfigure the main entrance drive to the site as well as improve internal vehicular and pedestrian circulation. As the building sits on the site, it is over 300 feet from Gleason Drive and sitting on the northwestern most portion of the site and the furthest distance possible from the residential neighborhood. There is substantial landscaping that will buffer the building from the businesses and residences on the south side of Gleason Drive, and there is a 45' bioswale and landscape area that separates the parking lot from Gleason Drive. Site Circulation and Parkinz There are three public entrances to the facility, all off Gleason Drive. The main entrance is aligned with Hacienda Drive, so those visiting the site will drive through the Hacienda/Gleason intersection and directly into the courthouse parking lot. This will be the main point of access for most visitors. There are two I other driveways, one at the eastern-most portion of the site and one at the western-most portion, both of which are right turn in, right turn out driveways. The main entrance drive leads vehicles directly onto the site and provides access into all of the three main parking areas as well as the disabled parking area at the north of the site. The parking lots contain a total of 850 parking spaces, including 21 disabled accessible parking spaces, which is more than adequate per the City's Off Street Parking and Loading section of the Zoning Ordinance. The City does not have a parking requirement for courthouse facilities, but Section 8.76 of the Zoning Ordinance (Off Street Parking and Loading) states that for uses not specifically listed in the ordinance, the Director of Community Development shall determine the parking requirement based upon the requirements for comparable uses and upon the particular characteristics of the use. In this case, using a similar parking requirement for an office complex, a 208,408 square foot building would require 1 space per 350 square feet, or 596 total spaces. This project has more than 250 parking spaces in excess of that requirement, which should minimize concerns about the potential for courthouse parking in adjacent neighborhoods or at adjacent businesses. For pedestrians arriving to the site via foot, bicycle, or public transit, a series of sidewalks and walkways on site take people from the street to the building entrance. The site is designed so that all pedestrian travel routes lead safely to the entry plaza in front of the building, and the disabled parking has been located as close as possible to the main entrance. Buildinz Heizht and Architecture The courthouse building is four stories tall with an additional basement-level floor that sits partially below ground. The building is massed into four portions, including a two-story main entry wing on the eastern portion of the building, a three-story office portion, a four-story glass atrium that joins the office and courthouse wings, and the four-story courthouse portion. The three-story office portion of the building is 3't:f3 59 feet above adjacent grade and the courthouse portion of the building is 90 feet 3 inches above adjacent grade at its highest point. The mechanical equipment for the building was originally roof-mounted. Because the equipment and screening added over ten feet to the height of the building, it was relocated to the interior of the building. Additionally, the design of the atrium, which was the building's tallest feature, has been modified to be more subdued and less obtrusive. The height of the original building was 102 feet 8 inches from adjacent grade to the top of the highest architectural feature. The County revised the design of the building so that the tallest architectural features have been eliminated from the building and now the tallest point of the building is 90 feet 3 inches from adjacent grade, some of which is screened from view by on-site berms and retaining walls. The architecture of the building as originally proposed was out of context with the surrounding buildings and had no relation to any civic buildings in Dublin. Staff requested that the building facades be redesigned to give them more of a horizontal emphasis that would lessen the apparent height and soften the appearance of the building. The County's architectural team was able to accomplish this and now the main features of the building (windows, reveal lines, variations in colors and building materials) draw more of a line around the building instead of emphasizing the building's height. Buildinf! Materials and Colors The building will be constructed with pre-cast concrete blocks and a blend of glass types: both a see- through and spandrel glass curtainwall glazing system in the office and courthouse portions of the building as well as a glass channel system in the atrium. The colors proposed for the building are subtle earth tones and will look very natural with the concrete material. Buildinf! Function and Amenities The East County Hall of Justice includes 13 courtrooms and their support agencies, including court administration and jury services, a cafeteria, family and children's services, district attorney, and public defender, among others. The building is designed to accommodate approximately 315 employees and will be open weekdays from 8:00-5:30 p.m. Several nights a week, night court may be held, which would extend the operating hours until 9:00 p.m. Other night meetings and public functions may occasionally be held at the building. Site Landscavinz Alameda County is pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the building and site, so great attention has been given to site landscaping, on-site water retention through bioswales and using permeable surfaces for parking areas. The landscape palette chosen for the site includes a wide range of native plants, trees, and grasses, and will provide an interesting compliment to the building. In order to accommodate the water retention facilities planned for the site, there are substantial landscape buffers around the perimeter of the site and in the parking areas, which will eventually grow to screen much of the site and provide a noise and visual buffer. At the entrance to the building, there is a public plaza and sitting area that will serve building users as well as the public at large. The public plaza will also be used as the drop off area for vehicles delivering people to the site. The plaza hardscape and landscape areas will provide an attractive welcome area to the main entrance of the building. 4'b7 Site Security In addition to the three (3) entrance drives onto the site from Gleason Drive, there is also a secured entrance off Broder Drive on the north side of the site where detainees will enter and exit the site and the building. Behind the secured area is also where the judicial parking area is located. All detainees will arrive at the site via bus at the Broder Drive entrance, enter a secured sallyport, and exit the vehicle. The detainees will be brought inside the building and the bus will exit the secured sallyport into the secured parking area, and then the bus will leave the site. Once inside the building, detainees travel through separate corridors than the public or the judiciary, and there are holding cells on site for short-term detention. Visitors, jurors, and employees coming to the courthouse will enter the building via the main entrance and pass through the security area at this location. Site Develovment Review (SDR) findinzs The project, as proposed and as conditioned, is consistent with the purpose and intent of Chapter 8.104 of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance (Site Development Review). The project, as conditioned, is consistent with the policies and land use designations of the Dublin General Plan and Eastern Dublin Specific Plan, and is consistent with the Planned Development Zoning for the site. The project, as proposed and as conditioned, will not adversely affect the health or safety of persons residing or working in the vicinity, or be detrimental to the public health, safety and general welfare. In addition, the approved site development, including site layout, structures, vehicular access, circulation and parking, setbacks, height, walls, public safety and similar elements, have been designed to provide a desirable environment for the development. The Applicant has given careful attention to design the project to be physically compatible with the site and to ensure that impacts to views and topographic features have been addressed to the greatest degree possible. Additionally, considerations to the architectural compatibility of the building with the surrounding residential and commercial uses have been addressed and mitigated while still maintaining the operational requirements of the court facility. The character, scale and quality of the design, building materials and colors, exterior lighting, and similar elements have designed to ensure compatibility of this development with the character of adjacent buildings, neighborhoods, and uses. In all, the County has made substantial design modifications to the building and site to ensure that the City's initial concerns about the project were addressed. The resulting project is a building and site that fits well with other civic buildings in Dublin and has the potential to be an asset to the community. PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: Staff requested that the Planning Commission make a recommendation to the City Council on this project but refer its hearing jurisdiction to the City Council, pursuant to Section 8.96.020.C.3 of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance, which states that "At any point in the project review process the Planning Commission may transfer original hearing jurisdiction to the City Council at its discretion because of policy implications, unique or unusual circumstances, or the magnitude of the project." The City Council indicated its concern about the original design and neighborhood compatibility of the project at the November 23, 2003 joint study session, and expressed an interest in having approval authority over this proj ect. The Planning Commission reviewed the project application at their meeting on November 9, 2004. No members of the public spoke on the project, and the discussion among the Commissioners was brief. The one comment made was to ask the County to ensure that the paving material in the vehicle and pedestrian 5"b7 plaza area in front of the building is decorative and not plain concrete. The Commission voted 4-0 to recommend approval ofthe project to the City Council. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The County of Alameda prepared a joint Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS), dated April 2003, to determine the potential environmental impacts occurring as a result of the proposed project (Attachment 3). The Final EIR/EIS concluded that the preferred alternative for the location of the East County Hall of Justice was in Dublin at the subject site. The EIRÆIS identified mitigation measures to address the environmental impacts identified and the Final EIR/EIS and accompanying mitigation measures were adopted the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on May 6, 2003. Alameda County is the lead agency for this project, and the City is a responsible agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). As a responsible agency, the City's role is limited. Rather than certify the lead agency's document as adequate, the decision-making body of a responsible agency is required only to certify that it reviewed and considered the information contained in the EIR/EIS prepared by the lead agency, according to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15050, Subdivision (b) (See Attachment 4). The project as proposed is consistent with the project at described in the EIRÆIS. At their meeting on November 9, 2004, the Planning Commission voted 4-0 in favor of recommending that the City Council certify it reviewed and considered the EIR/EIS. PUBLIC NOTICING: Notices of the Planning Commission and City Council public hearings were sent to all property owners and occupants within 1000 feet of the subject site, and in some cases even further. All residences between Hacienda Drive and Tassajara Creek and north of Summer Glen Drive received notice, and all businesses between Hacienda Drive and Arnold Road north of Central Parkway received notice of the public hearings. The notices sent for this project well exceeded the State requirement to notify owners and occupants within 300 feet. A public notice was also published in the Valley Times on Saturday October 30, 2004. CITY OF DUBLIN/ALAMEDA COUNTY AGREEMENT: Because of the unique nature of this project where the City of Dublin has Site Development Review authority but will not be issuing subsequent building permits, an alternative method of ensuring the Applicant's compliance with the Conditions of Approval for the project had to be developed. The City Attorney, in cooperation with the County Counsel, drafted an agreement regarding the enforcement of Conditions of Approval for the East County Hall of Justice. The Agreement is an exhibit to the SDR approval resolution and the Conditions of Approval for the project are contained within the Agreement (Attachment 5). Subsequent to the City Council's approval of the Agreement and the Conditions of Approval contained therein, the Agreement will be acted on by the County Board of Supervisors on November 30, 2004. The City's Site Development Review approval will become effective only after the agreement is executed by both parties. This application has been reviewed by the applicable City departments and agencies, and their comments have been incorporated into the Conditions of Approval. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council: (1) Open public hearing, (2) Hear Staff presentation, (3) Take testimony from the Applicant and the public, (4) Question Staff, Applicant and the public, (5) Close the 61f.)Î public hearing and deliberate, (6) Adopt the Resolution (Attachment 4) certifying that the City Council reviewed and considered the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Facility and East County Hall of Justice dated April 2003, and (7) Adopt the Resolution (Attachment 5) approving PA 02-030, a Site Development Review (SDR) application to construct a 208,408 square foot building comprised of courtrooms, offices, and associated facilities on 21.77 acres located on the north side of Gleason Drive between Madigan and Arnold Drives, and approving the associated agreement between the City of Dublin and the County of Alameda regarding the enforcement of Conditions of Approval for the East County Hall of Justice. 711b1