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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-16-2009 Adopted CC Min Sp MtgMINUTES OF A JOINT CITY COUNCIL/ ~~. { ~ ~ ~`~®~, PLANNING COMMISSION ,` -~ i~z~ `;, r `°~'~ ~ ~~' SPECIAL MEETING -November 16, 2009 ~~, _~'~l A special joint meeting of the Dublin City Council and Planning Commission was held on Monday, November 16, 2009, in the City Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m., by Mayor Sbranti. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Councilmembers Biddle, Hart, Hildenbrand, Scholz, and Mayor Sbranti. Planning Commission Chair Wehrenberg; Vice Chair King; Commissioners Brown and Schaub. ABSENT: Cm. Swalwell PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The pledge of allegiance to the flag was recited by the City Council, Staff and those present. STUDY SESSION PA 02-030: Joint City CounciUPlanning Commission Study Session to Discuss the Alameda County East County Hall of Justice (ECHOJ) SDR Amendment. Kristi Bascom, Consultant Planner, presented the project as outlined in the Staff Report. David Savellano, Alameda County GSA, spoke in favor of the project. He stated the project is in the same location as the original application in 2004 and the Santa Rita Jail is directly to the north of the project. He stated the major stakeholders in this project are the Superior Courts of California, Administrative Office of the Courts, County of Alameda and the Citizens of Alameda County. He continued the project's goals are to retain all the previous 2004 EIR/EIS and SDR entitlements. He felt that they have selected building materials that are harmonious with the surrounding hills and developed areas. He stated the building design is founded on principles of sustainability and will achieve LEED Silver Certification. DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 SPECIAL MEETING ~~` °• November 16, 2009 '\~' Mr. Savellano stated that the 2004 building scheme had an atrium oriented in the south/north direction. He continued the new design has been rotated along the east/west access and now faces south to make more effective use of daylight and control the heat gain into building. He stated the large atrium space has been removed and the Justice and public corridors are aligned along east-west access. He stated the floor-to-floor heights have been reduced separating the court and county wings with a lobby connecting the two wings. Mr. Savellano stated the footprint of the new configuration is in a similar location as the original project in 2004. The landscaping design will remain the same and the parking count is 865 spaces with four vehicular points of entry to the site. He stated there are 3 entrances along Gleason Drive and the 4th entrance along Broder Blvd. is a secure entry for judicial staff and Sheriff's busses. Mr. Savellano stated the landscape features include adrop-off area and a public courtyard between the court and county wings. He showed a slide which featured across-section through the site of the terraced parking lots and berms. Bioswales, which reduce the amount of storm water run-off, are included to support the LEED Silver Certification. Mr. Savellano discussed the floor plans of the two sections of the building which are separated by a landscaped courtyard. He stated the upper building is a 4-story court building and the lower is a 2-story office building. Public entry is at the auto level and leads to a lobby and security. He continued the 2nd level has 3 courtrooms and court administrative offices with the justice chambers on the north side of building. The 3rd and 4th floors include 4 courtrooms per floor which is a typical floor plan for a courthouse. Mr. Savellano mentioned the mechanical equipment on the roof will be screened from view. He stated the grading and site utility plans remain the same as 2004. Mr. Savellano showed slides of the view from Gleason Drive which was designed to mimic the background hills. He also pointed out the courtyard between the court and county building that serves as an outdoor public seating area. Mr. Savellano stated a portion of an existing berm, located on the north side of the site, has been removed to allow access from Broder Blvd. and parts of the building have been set into the berm. Mr. Savellano spoke regarding the building materials which include: insulated metal wall panels, storefront or punched window wall system, and glazed curtain walls with DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 G`~OF D11B~ SPECIAL MEETING 19,~~~~~ November 16, 2009 ~\ '~" /~ ~'~G1FpR~~ horizontal sunshades. He stated the South elevation features glass curtain walls with horizontal sunshades which will allow views of the hills and at the same time will control the solar heat and reduce energy consumption. Mr. Savellano introduced the other presenters: Pat Sweeten, ECO, California Superior Court; Rona Rothenberg, California State Administrative Office of the Court; Jim Katchek and Donna Linton, Alameda County; and David Hopsteder, KMB Architects, Inc. Mayor Sbranti asked Mr. Savellano to explain the color/material boards. Mr. Savellano explained the color/materials for the project and where the materials will be placed on the buildings. He stated the building height is at 90 feet. Ms. Bascom suggested showing a slide of the previous building plan from 2004. Mayor Sbranti agreed and felt it was good to have a comparison of what was approved previously. Due to an equipment malfunction Ms. Bascom was unable to show the previous building plan but suggested the panel refer to Attachment 3 of the Staff Report which is the previous plan. Cmr. King asked what is contained in the tower. Mr. Sevellano answered the tower contains 3 elevators and has insulated metal wall panels on the exterior. Cmr. King asked how the tower looks from the interior ground floor view. Mr. Sevellano referred the panel to the elevation board which showed the auto drop-off area looking towards the tower. Cmr. King asked if the elevators will be used to transport prisoners. Mr. Sevellano responded no; there are 3 types of circulation: public, judicial staff and defendants' circulation and they do not cross at any time. Cmr. Wehrenberg mentioned there are two types of building materials; glazed curtain wall system and translucent and asked if the translucent glass can have a color to it. DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 ~,~or SPECIAL MEETING ~~~~`~ November 16, 2009 ~\ '~j' /~ ~`iGIFOR~~ Mr. Sevellano stated a color can be added or it can be translucent white or green. He then stated this design is basically a conceptual design of the tower element and not the final design. Cmr. Wehrenberg asked if the Applicant was planning an LED lighting system through the tower that can be seen from the exterior at night. Mr. Sevellano answered they did not envision the tower as a beacon. He stated the lighting shown on the elevations is from the lobby area. Cmr. Wehrenberg asked if the Planning Commission will be able to review this plan before it goes to the City Council. Ms. Bascom answered the approvals were acted on by the City Council originally; therefore the project will go directly to the City Council for final review and approval. Cmr. Wehrenberg was concerned about the color of the building materials. Mr. Sevellano answered they wanted to show that the building materials are a durable surface but they can be any color. Cmr. Wehrenberg was concerned with the roof screening material for the mechanical equipment. Mr. Sevellano answered the mechanical system will be concealed by a metal channel with louvers and can be made from a similar material as the insulated metal wall panels. Cmr. Wehrenberg asked if the metal wall panels are on the upper floors. Mr. Sevellano responded Cmr. Wehrenberg was referring to the metal sunscreens along the south side of the building which wrap around the building, not the roof screen. Cm. Biddle asked if there is a timeline for the project. Mr. Sevellano answered generally yes. He stated the Applicant is finishing the concept and will go out to architects early next year. He felt that a portion of the project would be completed by the end of 2010 and the entire project would be completed by the end of 2013. Cm. Biddle asked what level of staffing would generally be in a building like this. DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 ,for nr,~ SPECIAL MEETING a;~~~,~ November 16, 2009 ~~ '~ %~ ~'1GIFOR~~` Mr. Sevellano answered there will be approximately 380 employees of the County and court staff, as well as Sheriff's officers who would provide security for the building. Cm. Biddle asked what kind of non-government support services would need space in the surrounding community for this type of building, i.e. Attorney's etc. Mr. Sevellano was unsure regarding non-government support services but stated the District Attorney and Public Defenders office would be located in the building. Cm. Biddle asked about the status of the 40 acres west of the site that is not built yet. Ms. Bascom answered currently the zoning remains Planned Development with the same General Plan land use designation and Alameda County has no plans to develop that land in the near term. Ms. Bascom stated the property was sold to DSRSD. Cm. Biddle asked if the area is at build-out except for the DSRSD parcel. Mayor Sbranti responded that the parcel is the future DSRSD maintenance and corp. yard but the funding has been pushed back. He stated there was along-term plan to move the offices to that site as well. Cm. Hildenbrand asked what other elements for the LEED certification will be installed besides the windows. Mr. Sevellano answered the inside of the building will be sustainable building products such as doors and flooring and will include high efficiency types of electrical and mechanical systems. Cm. Hildenbrand asked how the project will interface with the jail in bringing defendants to and from the facility. Mr. Sevellano answered currently the Sheriff's Dept. transports defendants by bus from the Santa Rita Jail to different venues throughout the county and that will not change for this facility. The defendants will be transported by bus to the secure sally port area. Joni Pattillo, City Manager, asked Mr. Sevellano to point out the entrances on the site plan to clarify where the public, judicial and secure areas are located. DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 for SPECIAL MEETING a,~~~~~ November 16, 2009 ~~ '~ /~ ~4GIFpR~~ Cm. Hildenbrand felt that people are concerned about released prisoners walking the area and felt it was an important question. She stated she likes the 2-story building with the taller building behind because it interfaces with the surrounding buildings and residential area in a better way than the original project. She felt it also gives a gradual step up and appreciates the county made that change because she felt that the original building design was looming over the homes. Cmr. Schaub felt this was a much improved project over the original design. He agrees with Cm. Hildenbrand regarding the building design and felt the tower, although conspicuous, breaks up the look of the building. He was concerned about how much the plans could change before it goes to the City Council for approval. He was mostly concerned with the look of the rear of the building. Mr. Sevellano stated the Applicant's intention is to work with the Planning Staff to finalize the design. Cmr. Schaub felt that by the time the project goes to the City Council it has been finalized and the Planning Commission will not get another opportunity to review the project. He stated that Staff is aware of what the Commission has tried to do to make projects fit in with the City. He was not sure the color for the back of the building is the right color for the project. He agreed with Cmr. Wehrenberg regarding the color of the glass and stated he likes the Sybase building because during the day the building reflects the color of the sky. He suggested the building should fit in with the other buildings in the surrounding area. Cmr. Schaub stated he is in support of the project. Cmr. Brown agreed with Cmr. Schaub and asked what the Applicant felt the traffic for the building would be as far as caseloads and will it serve the jail only. Pat Sweeten, California Superior Courts, responded the building is planned for all the courtrooms (except for 2) to be jury trial courtrooms and will service most all purposes. She stated that unless there is a high profile case it would not attract more traffic. Cm. Hart was concerned about the functionality of the security area. He asked if there is a plan to install a fence on the berm to stop pedestrian traffic through that area. Mr. Sevellano stated there has been no discussion at this stage regarding a fence on the berm. He stated a retaining wall was proposed around the secure sally port area at the rear of the building and along the west side where there is judicial staff parking. DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 ~°~~~ SPECIAL MEETING 19;~~~~~ November 16, 2009 ~\ '~j' %~ ~'1Gp~pR~s Cm. Hart asked if there had been any thought to isolating the judges' entrance and parking area. He was concerned with the fact that the judges have to go through the public parking lot to get to their secure parking. Mr. Sevellano answered the judges can enter through Broder Blvd. which will have a secured gate and pointed out the entrances to the project on the slide. Cm. Hart asked if there will be video arraignments planned for any of the courtrooms. Ms. Sweeten answered they had not decided that yet because they had tried the process in the past and were not very successful. She continued they have been in discussions with the county to revitalize the process. Cm. Hart asked what would be seen from the 4th floor of the main courthouse to the administrative area and how will that be buffered. Mr. Sevellano answered they would be looking down on the roof of the County building. Cm. Hart asked if there will be air conditioning units, etc. on the roof. Mr. Sevellano stated the roof will be flat and the mechanical equipment will be screened all the way around, and light wells will go into the building. Cm. Hart asked if there has been any discussion about installing solar panels on the roof. Mr. Sevellano answered at one time the Applicant looked at installing a green roof but because of budget constrains and the structural load they put it off. Ms. Wehrenberg suggested installing Photovoltaic panels in the parking. Mr. Sevellano stated the Applicant's hope is to design a sustainable building but, due to budget constraints, solar panels were removed from the roof of the building. Cm. Wehrenberg asked if the Applicant could include site utility lighting with the photovoltaic panels which would be better for LEED certification. Mr. Sevellano stated they have not looked at all options but would be open to it. Cm. Hart asked if any construction drawings will be submitted to the City of Dublin for review. DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 ~~°~~~ SPECIAL MEETING i~~~~e2 November 16, 2009 ~~ '~ /~ ~4GIFOR~S Ms. Bascom stated that this is a very unique process in that the Site Development Review (SDR) application is acted on by the City Council only and permitted through the Alameda County process not through the City. She stated that after the SDR is approved the City would no longer be involved. She stated there will be a few Conditions of Approval regarding site and grading improvement plans but it does not follow the normal approval process. Cm. Wehrenberg asked if it would be useful to give input regarding the color panels, etc. Ms. Bascom stated that would be useful. She continued the City Council will approve what is presented but the project will not go through the City's permitting process. Mayor Sbranti suggested finishing the questions and then asking the Planning Commission for their comments and recommendations and then comments from the City Councilmembers. Cmr. Hart asked if the Sheriff's office has reviewed the plans. He was concerned about functionality with the elevator and security elevator for transport and the placement of the holding cells. Mr. Sevellano stated that the transportation plan that was previously designed and then was redesigned, but they will be working with the Sheriff and the courts to finalize the floor plan. Cm. Hart stated he is confident that the Applicants will employ best practices for the courts. Mayor Sbranti felt this is a superior project but liked the atrium that was one of the elements of the original design and asked why it was removed. Mr. Sevellano stated the orientation of the atrium was not conducive for energy conservation and the space was too large to condition the air. He stated on the court building there is a wedge and above that is a light well that will allow natural light into the interior courtrooms. Cmr. Hildenbrand asked if the Applicant had taken the wind into consideration when planning the outdoor seating area since the new design moved the building and opened up the atrium into a courtyard. DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 ti,~o~ SPECIAL MEETING i~~~~e~ November 16, 2009 ~~ '~ /~ ~~, ~,~ Mr. Sevellano stated they are aware of the prevailing winds coming from the west in the afternoon. Cm. Hildenbrand felt it would not be somewhere that people would want to sit for a very long time. Mr. Sevellano felt they would not want to sit there for long periods of time but maybe for lunch or short periods of time. He also mentioned that, since there are no tables and chairs, it would be for outdoor seating only. He stated there is a landscaped area at the building entry which could also be used for outdoor seating, as well as the berm behind the judges parking area. Mr. Jerry Loeper, Alameda County, stated that the outdoor seating area is partially open to the field directly behind the project and is substantially protected. Mayor Sbranti asked for thoughts and/or suggestions regarding the project from the Planning Commission. Cmr. Schaub wanted to ensure the colors for the project are right for the area. He was also concerned about people coming from the jail across the berm to the secure area and agreed with Cm. Hart regarding installing a fence on the berm. He also agreed with Cm. Hildenbrand regarding screening the wall at the outdoor seating area because of the wind. He felt that trees would not be a suitable screen, but agreed there should be some sort of screen in place to block the wind. He stated he supports the project. Cmr. Brown also supports the project. He agreed with Cmr. Wehrenberg regarding the glass in the tower. Cmr. King stated he generally supports the project. He likes the central tower and felt it gave the project a dramatic visual for the building. He stated he would like to see a building that doesn't look too institutional. He suggested providing small conference rooms for attorney/client discussions; otherwise discussions will occur in the hall. Mr. Sevellano stated they used the previous design for the courtrooms which include a jury deliberation room and two private spaces or conference rooms per courtroom. Cmr. King felt the tower is suggestive of post modern architecture which he likes. Cmr. Wehrenberg felt the tower is unique as well as the sunshades on the windows. She asked the City Council to pay attention to those details along with the mechanical roof DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 ~,~oF ~,~ SPECIAL MEETING i~s~~-~ November 16, 2009 ~~ '~ /~ ~'1GIttpR~~ screens. She also asked them to look closely at the colors of the glass and ask for a sample of the glass. She felt the building is nicely done and will match up well with the surrounding buildings, etc. She also felt the homeowners would not be too concerned with the project since it is at a lower height then the previous design. Cmr. King agreed with Cmr. Schaub's suggestion regarding how the Sybase windows reflect the sky and suggested the Applicant do something similar. Cmr. Schaub felt it would be beneficial if the glass resembles the Palo Alto Medical Group building or the Sybase building. Cmr. Wehrenberg felt the sunshades will break up the reflection of the glass so there probably won't be the same effect. Mr. Sevellano felt that Sybase is a very different type of building with sun exposure on the south side of the building. Cm. Scholz thanked the Applicant and the officials for their presence at the meeting. She felt the report was very helpful. She agreed with Cm. Hildenbrand regarding the balance and placement of the buildings and felt the wind in Dublin is there no matter how the building is situated. Cm. Hart felt it was a beautiful building and will be a major building that many people will see. He appreciated the collaborative effort the County and City have made, as well as how they took the concerns of the residents into consideration. His concern was the security for the judiciary staff and the security around the judge's and sheriff's parking area. Cm. Biddle supports the project. He asked if the funding is in place in order to complete the project by 2013. Donna Linton, Deputy County Administrator, responded that funding has been a topic of concern of the Board of Supervisors as well as the State of California and courts. She stated they are continuing to work on a term sheet that includes state funding for the project. She stated the financing includes a $50 million grant from State and also includes using courthouse construction funds (generated locally) and this is the only project eligible for this type of funding. She stated if this project is not built the funds will be swept into a State fund and will be used for another "shovel ready" project. She continued there are also County funds that would go towards the County building that would be occupied by DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 ~ oe SPECIAL MEETING 19;~~~,~ November 16, 2009 ~\ ~ /~ c'1GIFOR~~ probation, public defender and the District Attorney's office. She felt this is a comprehensive finance plan that she believes will work for the project. Cm. Hildenbrand felt this project is an improvement over the original design and likes the use of more glass and less concrete and felt there was better interface with businesses and residents in the area. She also felt that stepping the project back and gradually increasing the height was an improvement as well. She agreed with Cm. Hart and the security regarding the people leaving Santa Rita Jail. She felt that the wind is part of living in Dublin and if people can't to use the courtyard because of the wind a higher windscreen would help. Cmr. King asked if trees could be wind breaks. Mayor Sbranti suggested a row of trees that serve as a wind break along the west side of the project. He agreed with Cm. Scholz that the wind is inevitable but if there were trees in that location they could serve as natural wind break. He stated he was not a fan of wind screens and felt trees would be more inviting and make the area more functional. Mayor Sbranti stated he agrees with all the positive comments and felt it is a superior project. He thanked Alameda County for listening to the residents and the Council over the long process. He stated there have been a lot of iterations and the County has listened and gone back and improved the project each time. He suggested including the trees as a wind break. He mentioned that other City of Dublin public buildings were built with the capacity to go solar later on in case there was future funding to install solar. He agreed with the suggestions regarding the glass and color. He stated that in Dublin there are green accents in our public buildings and felt some opportunity to introduce that color would be a good addition. He asked where the bus stop would be located. Mr. Sevellano pointed out that the bus stop will be in the same location as previously located. Mayor Sbranti stated the Applicant should work with the LAVTA board to ensure the routes are in place to accommodate the project with the bus line as well as BART. Mayor Sbranti asked if there were any members of the public who wanted to address the Council on the project. There were no public comments. DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 ~~yOFDp SPECIAL MEETING i~~~~a~ November 16, 2009 ~~ '~ ~~i~~s ADJOURNMENT 10.1 There being no further business to come before the City Council, the meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. in memory of Staff Sgt. Sean Diamond and our fallen troops. Minutes prepared by Debra LeClair, Secretary. ATTEST: City Clerk ~J~.-- Mayor DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES VOLUME 28 Gl~OEDUn_~ SPECIAL MEETING 19,~~~`~i~~ November 16, 2009 ~~ '~ ~'1GIFOR~~