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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAttachmt 9 Jan 28, 2007 PC Study Session Agenda Stmt AGENDA STATEMENT PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION DATE: JANUARY 23. 2007 SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION: PA 06-030 Annexation, General Plan Amendment, Specific Plan Amendment, Stage 1 Development Plan, Mitigated Negative Declaration and Pre-Annexation Agreement for the Vargas residential development. Report prepared by Erica Fraser, Senior Planner~ A TT ACHMENTS: I) Minutes from the June 6, 2006 City Council Meeting. 2) Stage 1 Development Plan. 3) Vargas Existing Land Use Map. 4) Vicinity Map. RECOMM~~t~ION: Receive presentation and provide comments. PROJEC; ~2"RIPTION: The proposed project is a 33 detached residential development located at 7020 Tassajara Road. The Vargas property is located within the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan area and the City's Sphere of Influence; however, the project area is outside of the City Limit Line. BACKGROUND: On August 19, 2003, the City Council adopted Resolution 179-03 approving the initiation of an annexation study for 6960 and 7020 Tassajara Road (the Fredrich and Vargas Properties, respectively). At that time, KB Homes was in contract to purchase the Vargas property. Staff worked with KB Homes on its proposal until October of 2003 when KB Homes officially withdrew its application. The Fredrich property was recently annexed by the City with the Mission Peak property in 2006. On May 15, 2006, Mr. Fred Musser, of Sun Valley Land Development Company, submitted an application requesting that the City Council consider changing the existing land use designations for the Vargas property to reduce the density of the property from Medium-Density and Medium/High-Density Residential to Medium-Density Residential. On June 6, 2006, the City Council adopted Resolution 95-06 authorizing the initiation of the General Plan and Specific Plan Amendment study to reduce the density on the site (see Attachment 1). Following the City Council meeting, Sun Valley Land Development Company submitted an application for a Stage 1 Rezone (Attachment 2) for the Vargas property. The current Development Plan includes a request to construct a total of 33 units on the site. The Vargas property will be included in the Casamira Valley (Moller Ranch) and Tipper property annexation. COPIES TO: Property Owner/Applicant File ITEM NO. lol Page 1 of9 G:\PA#\2006106-030 Vareas\Studv SessionlPCSR Study Session.doc Attachment 9 PROJECT PERMITTING REQUIREMENTS: This project requires several permit approvals which are explained below. Annexation The project site is currently within an unincorporated portion of Alameda County. In order for the project to come under the jurisdiction of the City of Dublin, and to receive urban services from the Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD), annexation of the site to the City and to DSRSD must be approved by the Alameda County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), which is a State mandated local agency that oversees boundary changes to cities and special districts, the formation of new agencies including incorporation of new cities, and the consolidation of existing agencies. State law requires that a city prezone (Stage 1 Development Plan) an area proposed for annexation, and that prezoning must be consistent with the approved General Plan and Specific Plan uses for the property. Environmental Review A Mitigated Negative Declaration is currently being drafted to review any potential environmental impacts that could occur as a result of the proposed project. Once the Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration is submitted for public review (for a total of30 days), the public may submit comments to the City regarding the draft. Comments will then be reviewed and the City will respond to the comments prior to finalizing the Mitigated Negative Declaration. The Mitigated Negative Declaration will be reviewed by the Planning Commission during a public hearing. Stage 1 Development Plan The Stage 1 Development Plan is an Ordinance which requires a minimum of three public hearings. The Stage 1 Development Plan must include all information required by Chapter 8.32 of the Dublin Zoning Ordinance including a site plan, proposed density, maximum number of residential units and a Master Landscape Plan. The purpose of the Stage 1 Development Plan is to prezone a property with development plan information in order to annex the property into the City of Dublin. The Planning Commission must hold at least one public hearing and the City Council must review the project during two public hearings. General Plan Amendment As proposed by the Applicant, a General Plan Amendment is required in order to change the General Plan Land Use Designations on the site from Medium-Density and Medium/High-Density Residential (Attachment 3) to Medium-Density Residential to reduce the overall density of the site to allow the construction of the proposed 33 detached residential dwelling unit development as shown on the Stage 1 Development Plan (Attachment 2). Specific Plan Amendment As proposed by the Applicant, a Specific Plan Amendment is required in order to change the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan Land Use Designations on the site from Medium-Density and Medium/High- Density Residential (Attachment 3) to Medium-Density Residential to allow the construction of the proposed 33 detached residential dwelling unit development as shown on the Stage 1 Development Plan (Attachment 2). Pre-Annexation Agreement The goals and policies of the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan require land that is annexed and new development to be revenue neutral. Prior to a submittal of an annexation request to LAFCo, the City requires that an annexation agreement be entered into by the developer, to pay a share of the public services deficit. The annexation agreement will guarantee that the cost of providing services to the area will not exceed the revenue received from the area and will also assure that the financing goals and policies of the General Plan and Specific Plan are met. The Pre-Annexation Agreement is currently being drafted and will be presented to the Planning Commission during a future public hearing. The Planning Page 2 of9 Commission will then make a recommendation to the City Council on whether or not to adopt the Agreement. Next Steps Once the property is annexed into the City of Dublin, the Applicants would need to apply for a Stage 2 Planned Development Rezone, Site Development Review (SDR), Development Agreement (DA) and Tentative Map (TM) prior to construction of the proposed residential development. ANALYSIS The purpose of tonight's study session is to discuss the proposed density, unit types, overall layout and parking of the proposed Vargas project. The Vargas property currently has one residential dwelling which sits on a small knoll located near Tassajara Road (see photo 2 on page 11 of Attachment 2). The property also has several accessory structures including a small horse barn. The Vargas property consists of sparse shrubbery, few trees and non-native grassland. The Tassajara Creek is located adjacent to the western property line and the top of the creek bank is visible from a portion of Tassajara Road. The Tassajara Creek bank sits well below the Vargas property. The site, topography and landscape plans in Attachment 2 include the adjacent Fredrich property (located south of the Vargas property). The text included in the Stage 1 Development Plan (Attachment 2) also indicates that the Applicant would like to develop both properties together to form one residential community of 70 dwelling units. Although this information is included in Attachment 2, the City has not received an application for a Stage 1 amendment for the Fredrich property and the Planning Commission is not reviewing the development on the Fredrich property this evening. Density The project includes a request to change the General Plan and Specific Plan Land Use Designations on the site. The project site currently has two land use designations: Medium-Density Residential (approximately 1.4 gross acres) which permits a density of 6.1 - 14.0 dwelling units per acre, and Medium/High-Density Residential (approximately 3.6 gross acres) which permits a density of 14.1 - 25.0 dwelling units per acre. Based on the existing land use designations, a minimum of 59 units would be required to be constructed and a maximum of 110 units could be constructed on the site. Although the site is approximately 5 gross acres (4.38 total acres), the developer believes that only 2.5 acres are developable on the site due to the ultimate Tassajara Road street right-of-way and the required 100-foot setback to the top of the Tassajara Creek bank (which is located outside of the property on the west side). Additionally, the developer would like to construct detached units which further reduce the number of units which can be constructed on the site. The following chart shows the existing density, the proposed density, and the total number of units that would be permitted: Page 3 of9 Land Use Designations Existing Density Proposed Density Medium-Density 1.4 acres 8.5-19.6 5.0 acres 30.5-70 Residential (6.1-14.0 dulacres) Medium/High Density 3.6 acres 50-90 -- -- Residential (14.0-25.0 dulacres) Total Permitted 5.0 Gross Acres 59-11 0 5.0 Gross Acres 31-70 Total Proposed 33 As shown above, the proposed number of dwelling units, 33, is lower than the number of units the current land use designations require to be constructed on the site (the minimum is 58.5 or 59 units). The proposed number of units, 33, falls between the number of units which would be permitted on the site, 31- 70, ifthe density on the site is lowered to medium density. The residential densities in the vicinity of this development vary. The Tipper property located to the north of the Vargas property has a land use designation of medium density residential (6.1-14.0 dwelling units/acre). Wallis Ranch located adjacent to the Vargas and Tipper properties has land use designations of single family (0.9-6.0 dwelling units/acre), medium density (6.1-14.0 dwelling units/acre) and medium high density (14.1-25.0 dwelling units/acre). The Mission Peak development located to the southeast of the property has a density of single family and rural residential (1 dwelling unit/100 acres). The Silvera Ranch development is located southeast of the project site and has densities of medium density, medium high density and rural residential and is currently under construction. The Casamira Valley Project, currently under review, has proposed a change to the existing land use designations on the site to allow Medium Density Residential and Rural Residential to permit the construction of 298 units on 226 acres of land. Site Layout As shown on page 17 of the Attachment 2, The Vargas project will have two entrance/exit points from Tassajara Road. The southern entrance/exit will be the main entrance to the project and this access point will align with the main entrance/exit to the Casamira Valley development located across Tassajara Road to the east and this intersection will have a traffic signal. The internal roadway which serves the development will be set back a minimum of 100 feet from the top of the Tassajara Creek bank as required by the City's Stream Corridor Restoration Program. Lots 1-8 will face the internal road way and the Tassajara Creek. Lots 9-17 will face an auto court and Lots 18-33 will face the main access drive into the development from Tassajara Road. No homes would directly front Tassajara Road. The site plan shown on page 17 of Attachment 2 also shows residential development which may be proposed on the Fredrich property in the future which would connect to the Vargas development. As stated earlier in this Report, the Fredrich property is not a part of this application and will not be reviewed during this meeting. The residential properties will be set back approximately 30 feet from Tassajara Road. A dense row of landscaping will separate the Vargas properties from Tassajara Road (please refer to page 24 of Attachment 2). The Public Works Department has expressed concerns regarding the proposed circulation of the site with respect to units 18-22. The Public Works Department is concerned that when exiting the driveway from these properties, the units will be forced to back into oncoming traffic which could create safety problems. Additionally, the small stacking area, 30 feet, into and out of the development at this entrance would also further be impacted by these lots which would need space to exit their properties. The Public Works Page 4 of9 Department has recommended that these lots be shifted to auto courts with the rear of the units facing the main entrance/exit drive aisle to ensure safe vehicular circulation in the development. In the event that the Fredrich property is developed in the future, as shown on the site plan, the Public Works Department is also concerned with the location of Lot 25 and has recommended that this Lot be reconfigured to face the north-south driveway on the Fredrich property, away from the main driveway. The site plan (page 17 of Attachment 2) indicates that a pedestrian trail will be constructed on the site. The trail will begin at the first parking stall located near the northern site entrance/exit and will meander near the creek and will end at the property line. Staff recommends that this trail connect to Tassajara Road. By connecting the trail with Tassajara Road, the trail can be conveniently accessed by the public in accordance with Policies 6-1 and 6-3 in the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan. A topography map has been included in Attachment 2 on page 15. Pictures which show the existing topography can also be found starting on page 11 of Attachment 2. The existing site has a sloping topography which starts at the western property line and increases in height as you get closer to Tassajara Road. Most of the property sits below Tassajara Road; however, there is a small knoll on the property located close to Tassajara Road which is taller than the road and then decreases in height as you move to the western property line. The site will be re-contured and the knoll will be removed to accommodate the new development. Most of this property will be graded so that the property is mostly flat to accommodate the residential dwellings. Section A on page 18 shows the existing and proposed topography of the site (please note that Section B is for the Fredrich property). The individual lots in the development will range in size, however most of these lots are small in size; most lots range in size from 1,281 square feet to 1,755 square feet. The small lot sizes and proposed house sizes, ranging from 1,400 square feet to 1,600 square feet which will result in a lot coverage which will range from 79% to 109%. Unit Types The Applicant proposes to construct a total of33 detached units on the 5 gross acre property (see Sheet 17 of Attachment 2). The Applicant has included examples of projects which are similar to the type of development that would be constructed on pages 19-23 of Attachment 2. Although these examples have been provided in the booklet, these are an example of what the units might look like only and have been included so that the Applicant can show the Planning Commission the type of houses they envision for the residential development. Staff will work on the proposed architecture with the Applicants and the detailed architectural drawings will be reviewed by the Planning Commission in conjunction with the Site Development Review for the development at a later date. The dwelling units will be a mixture of 2 and 3 story houses. The lots which are 21 feet in width will be developed with a three story home. The three story houses will be located on Lots 26-32. All lots will have a small front yard and backyard. The unit types in this vicinity vary, however most of the units which are located in close proximity to Tassajara Road are two story houses. Landscape A Preliminary Landscape Plan has been included on Page 24 of Attachment 2 with a discussion of the project landscaping on Page 6. The preliminary plans show that a large number oftrees will be planted on the site. Landscaping will be planted along Tassajara Road with attractive plantings at each entrance into the site and Coast Live Oak trees will be planted along Tassajara Road (see Page 24 of Attachment 2) consistent with the City's Streetscape Master Plan. The proposed landscaping along Tassajara Road is also consistent with what is proposed across the street at the Casamira Valley development. Page 5 of9 The interior of the development will have a mixture of large deciduous trees with smaller deciduous evergreen trees. The small trees will be used for the lots which have a smaller width in order to accommodate the driveway. Staff has some concerns regarding the proposed species of trees. During the winter months, the large deciduous trees will be bare and the smaller evergreen trees will not provide an adequate landscape canopy for the development. The street trees in this development are especially important due to the small front yards which are likely to have some grass and smaller shrubs. The Creek area will be replanted with native trees and shrubs. The shrubs located near the two entrance/exit points will be smaller in size so that pedestrians and motorists on Tassajara Road will be able to view the Creek area from the road. Based on a Tree Inventory Report prepared for the Vargas property, there are no Heritage Trees on the site. Detailed landscaping plans will be reviewed during the Stage 2 Rezone and Site Development Review process. Parking The Applicant's discussion on the provision of parking for the development can be found on pages 5-6 of Attachment 2. The Applicant proposes to provide a one car garage with a driveway which can accommodate a total of two cars for each two story house and a two car tandem garage with a driveway to accommodate a total of three cars for each three story home. The Development Plan also notes that the CC&Rs for the development will require that residents keep their garages free of materials so that a car can be parked in the garage at all times. The homes will also be built with attic storage and pull down ladders will provide access to these storage spaces. Parking will be available on one side of the street in some areas and one five car parking area will be provided near Tassajara Road. In total, 29 parking spaces will be provided on the street. The Stage 1 Development Plan states that the required parking for this development is 2.7 parking spaces per unit and is the incorrect parking ratio for this type of development. Staff has determined that parking for these units should be calculated under the Single Family/Duplex designation in Section 8.76.080.B of the Zoning Ordinance. This development is similar to a single family development (rather than an apartment or condominium development) because the units are detached, each home will have a backyard and three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Based on the type of units and the design of the development, it is likely that families will occupy these units and the parking needs of families are similar to the Single Family/Duplex category. For lots of 4,000 square feet or less, the Zoning Ordinance requires two enclosed spaces in a garage with one on-street parking space per dwelling unit within 150 feet of the dwelling unit. Because this development will be zoned Planned Development, the Applicant is not required to follow the typical parking requirements contained in the Zoning Ordinance. The Applicant may instead provide parking which meets the needs of the community and is based on a Parking Study rather than the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. A Parking Study has not been prepared for this development. Staff is concerned with the proposed number of parking stalls. In most detached residential developments, two parking stalls are provided in a garage and two parking stalls are provided on the driveway. This typically translates to four off-street parking stalls per unit. The Applicant is also proposing to use tandem parking stalls (one in the garage and one on the driveway or two in the garage and one on the driveway). Tandem parking stalls have been used in the City with mixed results and in most cases a parking study was completed which reviewed the provision of parking in these developments. Additionally, although the Applicant has stated that the CC&Rs will restrict the storage of items in the garages, it is unlikely that the residents will not store items in the one car garages. Additionally, the City does not enforce CC&Rs which will mean that the City cannot ensure that the garages are solely used for parking purposes. Page 6 of9 Additionally, in a residential development ample street parking is typically provided. In this case, only 29 parking stalls are provided on site which is less than one per unit. These stalls are likely to be used by both residents and guests. Due to the location of the project, which is isolated from other developments and due to the location of the creek and Tassajara Road (which will not have on-street parking), overflow parking for the development is not available. The proposal also includes the use of optional car lifts in 20 of the residential units. These lifts will be used to allow residents to drive into the garage (while empty) and raise the car with the lift which will then allow the bottom of the garage to be used for a second car. Car lifts have not been used in the City of Dublin and are typically found in urban environments. This will require residents to coordinate the parking of cars, which may lead to the sporadic use of these hoists since the hoists are another form of tandem parking. Additionally, the Development Plan also notes that these lifts are optional and due to the cost of the car lift, residents may opt not to purchase this additional feature. The installation of the car hoists will also require a taller garage which may impact the architectural design of the development. Although the provision of parking is typically not reviewed during the Stage 1 process because formal dwelling unit plans are not provided, information on the provision of parking for the Vargas project has been included in this Stage 1 Development Plan (Attachment 2). As discussed, Staff is concerned with the proposed number of parking spaces provided for this development. Because a parking study has not been completed, Staff is unable to evaluate if the proposed parking provided is adequate to serve this residential development. A parking study will be required to be submitted during the Stage 2 process when formal dwelling unit plans are submitted; however, Staff is concerned that the number of dwelling units will need to be lowered at that time in order to provide adequate parking on the site which may include increasing the lot sizes to provide two car garages or removing lots in order to provide additional parking areas which effects the Stage 1 zoning. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Staff is currently drafting a Mitigated Negative Declaration to discuss any environmental impacts resulting from development of the site as a medium density residential development. Once the Mitigated Negative Declaration is complete the public will be able to review and comment on it during the 30 day public review period. The Planning Commission will then review the Mitigated Negative Declaration during a public hearing and will make a recommendation to the City Council. CONCLUSION: The Applicant is requesting a modification to the existing land use designations. The proposed change from Medium-Density and Medium/High-Density Residential to Medium-Density Residential would permit the Applicant to construct 33 detached units on the site. The units would be a mixture of two and three story houses. Staff is asking for feedback from the Planning Commission on the following: . Is the proposed change to Medium Density appropriate for the site? . Is the overall site layout appropriate for the site? . Should the Applicant modify the layout of Lots 18-22? . Is the proposed grading appropriate for the site? . Are the proposed lot sizes appropriate for the site? . Are three story houses appropriate for the site? . Is the proposed landscaping appropriate for the site? . Is the proposed number of parking spaces appropriate for the site? Page 7 of9 RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Planning Commission provide Staff and the Applicant with direction/comments on the proposed Vargas residential development and provide feedback to Staff on the questions in the above section. Page 8 of9 GENERAL INFORMA nON APPLICANT: Fred Musser Sun Valley Land Development Company 4471 Stoneridge Drive Suite B Pleasanton, CA 94588 PROPERTY OWNER: Jose and Violeta Vargas 7020 Tassajara Road Pleasanton, CA 94588 LOCATION: 7020 Tassajara Road ASSESSORS PARCEL NUMBER: 986-0004-002-01 GENERAL PLAN DESIGNATION: Medium-Density and Medium/High-Density Residential (existing) Medium-Density Residential (proposed) SPECIFIC PLAN AREA: Eastern Dublin Specific Plan EXISTING ZONING AND LAND USE: Agriculture (Alameda County) Planned Development (proposed) SURROUNDING USES: Location Zoning General Plan Land Use Current Use of Property Site Agriculture (Alameda Medium-Density and Residential dwelling County) Medium/High-Density with related accessory Residential structures North Agriculture (Alameda Medium-Density Residential dwelling County) Residential with related accessory structures South PD-Planned Medium/High Density Residential dwelling Development Residential and with related accessory Neighborhood structures Commercial East Agriculture (Alameda Low Density and Rural Residential dwelling County) Residential with related accessory structures (Casamira Valley Project site) West PD- Planned Single Family, Medium- Vacant (Wallis Ranch Development Density and Project site) Medium/High-Density Residential Page 9 of9