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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-11-2012 PC Minutes 19` -i_ 2 Plannin g Commission Minutes Tuesday, December 11, 2012 CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL A regular meeting of the City of Dublin Planning Commission was held on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, in the City Council Chambers located at 100 Civic Plaza. Chair Wehrenberg called the meeting to order at 7:05:20 PM Present: Chair Wehrenberg; Vice Chair O'Keefe; Commissioners Schaub, Brown, and Bhuthimethee; Luke Sims, Community Development Director; Jeff Baker, Assistant Community Development Director; Martha Aja, Environmental Coordinator; Mike Porto, Consulting Planner; and Debra LeClair, Recording Secretary. Absent: None ADDITIONS OR REVISIONS TO THE AGENDA— NONE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS — On a motion by Cm. Brown and seconded by Cm. Bhuthimethee, on a vote of 4-0-1, with Cm. Schaub abstaining due to absence from the meeting, the Planning Commission approved the minutes of the November 27, 2012 meeting with changes. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS — NONE CONSENT CALENDAR — NONE WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS — NONE PUBLIC HEARINGS — 8.1 PA 07-005 — Calarosa II at Positano (Neighborhood D-4) Site Development Review for 98 single-family detached residential units. Mike Porto, Consulting Planner, presented the project as outlined in the Staff Report. Cm. O'Keefe asked when the school and the park would be built. Mr. Porto answered that the Dublin Unified School District would have to answer that question and the park will be built by the City, in order. Chair Wehrenberg thought that the park would be built by the developer. Jeff Baker, Assistant Community Development Director, stated that, in most cases, the City builds the parks. Cm. O'Keefe asked Mr. Baker if he knew the school district's plans. Canning commission December 11,2012 ` egurarMeeting 167 Mr. Baker answered no; they have done some design charettes and looked at some programming, but was not aware of the construction date. Chair Wehrenberg opened the public hearing. Jeff Lawrence, Braddock and Logan, spoke in favor of the project. He referred to Cm. O'Keefe's question regarding the school and park — he stated that the school district has been working with the various state agencies and indicated that process should be complete in 2013 and they would start construction in 2014. He stated the park is being completed by the City and will be built after it completes work on an existing park project. Cm. Schaub stated that it has been a pleasure working with Mr. Lawrence on the Positano project and he takes pride in the project and how it has come together. Mr. Lawrence appreciated Cm. Schaub's comments and stated he could not have completed the project without the City's efforts in making it happen. Chair Wehrenberg closed the public hearing. Cm. Schaub stated he could make the findings. Cm. Brown stated he could make the findings. Cm. O'Keefe had no concerns with the project and could make all the findings. Chair Wehrenberg had no concerns with the project and could make all the findings. Cm. Bhuthimethee could make all the findings. On a motion by Cm. Wehrenberg and seconded by Cm. Schaub, on a vote of 5-0, the Planning Commission unanimously adopted: RESOLUTION NO. 12 -48 A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN APPROVING A SITE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PERMIT FOR CALAROSA II AT POSITANO (NEIGHBORHOOD D-4) FOR 98 SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED RESIDENTIAL UNITS ON APPROXIMATELY 29.9 ACRES WITHIN TRACT 8105 8.2 PLPA-2012-00054 Fountainhead Montessori Site Development Review & Conditional Use Permit for the operation of a day care and community facility and related site facade and site improvements at 6665, 6670 and 6690 Amador Plaza Road. Martha Aja, Environmental Coordinator, presented the project as outlined in the Staff Report. Planning Commission (Decem6er 11,2012 gutar Meeting 168 Chair Wehrenberg asked about the parking requirement based on the number of children at the school. She felt the number in the Staff Report and the number in the table do not match. Ms. Aja stated that the parking requirement for the elementary school is 2 spaces per classroom, therefore the elementary school children (72) are not added into the number shown on the table. Chair Wehrenberg asked if the soccer field will be reserved for Montessori students only or will it be available for use by the City. Ms. Aja stated she would defer the question to the Applicant. Chair Wehrenberg asked if there have been any complaints regarding the existing facility working with surrounding tenants. Ms. Aja responded that there have been no complaints. Chair Wehrenberg opened the public hearing. Shandy Cole, Executive Director, Fountainhead Montessori, spoke in favor of the project. She gave a brief history of their school. She stated they are the largest day care provider in Dublin and serve 130 children every day, most of which are Dublin residents. She stated that even though the facility would potentially serve over 300 children, the number may never be reached depending on current tenants and the existing leases. The project will double the number of children, it is convenient for commuters, it will improve the area by promoting job creation and bringing people downtown to use the other services. Chair Wehrenberg asked about the soccer field shown on the plans and whether they would be available to the public. Ms. Cole responded that the fields could be used by the public but was unsure how that would work. She stated it will be an outdoor play area for the older children who need lots of space. Cm. Schaub asked if there will be direct access to the West Dublin BART station. Ms. Cole answered she was not sure how it would work with neighboring properties. Mr. Baker added that the project plans show a possible connection on the west side of the property and there is a Condition of Approval that the Applicant must obtain permission from the adjacent property owners before proceeding. Ms. Cole agreed that the school is very convenient to BART. Cm. Bhuthimethee stated that on the plans for the project, at the space where the crossing to BART would be, there is a 28" redwood tree that is designated to be removed. She stated that the Staff Report indicated that all the large redwoods would be kept and asked Ms. Cole to comment. Ms. Cole stated that she would defer the question to the landscape architect. Planning Commission December 11,2012 cRcguar Meeting 169 Rick Stover, Landscape Architect, Thomas Baak & Associates, spoke regarding the project and the potential access to BART. He stated that there was a discussion in the tree report regarding the quality of the tree Cm Bhuthimethee was referring to but felt it was slated to be removed because it could endanger the opening in the fence. Cm. Bhuthimethee was concerned about removing a large redwood for an opening that may or may not exist. Mr. Stover stated that most of the trees around the perimeter of the project are to be kept except for a few that are diseased and he believed that the tree in question could be one of the diseased trees. He agreed to check. Cm. Bhuthimethee asked Ms. Cole about the size of the new school as most other Montessori schools, she was aware of, are much smaller. She felt it was more like a Montessori campus. Ms. Cole agreed and felt that the idea was to have a spacious campus setting for the students. She stated that it will allow the different age groups to have different outdoor play equipment that matches their size. She felt they are fortunate to have the space to provide the most appropriate outdoor space for the children. Cm. Bhuthimethee asked if there are any other Montessori's in the area comparable in size to her school. Ms. Cole was unsure. She stated there are quite a few of the same size in other areas. She stated that all Montessori schools are individually owned and operated and she has no affiliation to the other schools. Chair Wehrenberg asked if the leased office space could be converted later to further expand the school. She asked what the business plan was for the office space. Ms. Cole stated that other tenants will be located for the upstairs spaces of the other two buildings but there are no plans to expand the school into these tenant spaces. She felt that part of the reason to have the school spread out between the 3 buildings is for queuing purposes; it spreads out the load for parents and allows for self-staggering to take place. She stated that the hours of operation are 7:00 am to 6:30 pm and students come to school based on their personal schedules. Cm. Bhuthimethee asked if Ms. Cole was concerned about possible pedestrian cut-through traffic to BART that could occur directly through the campus. Ms. Cole stated that they have a security system which is activated via a badge system. Cm. O'Keefe asked if the circular traffic flow is currently marked in the opposite direction of what is proposed. Ms. Cole answered yes; and stated there will be a further traffic analysis as part of the CUP. Ms. Aja mentioned there is a Condition of Approval which states the traffic study must be completed within 30 days of approval. The Applicant has requested that the 30 day requirement be changed to a 60 day requirement due to the holidays and scheduling conflicts. She stated ?leaning Commission Vecern6er 11,2012. cWurar s teeting 170 that she spoke with the City's traffic engineer who had no concerns with changing the Condition from 30 to 60 days and requested that the Planning Commission approve the change in the Conditions of Approval. Cm. O'Keefe asked if they planned to restripe in the current location of the outdoor play area. Ms. Cole answered that the entire site will be repaved and restriped. Cm. Bhuthimethee asked if there will be landscaping on the trellis at the entry of the school. Mr. Stover referred the Commission to Pages L1 and L2 of the landscape plans which describes the scope of areas to be landscaped including new landscaping in all areas in a cross-hatch pattern with drought resistant plants. He stated there are also storm-water treatment basins scattered throughout the site. He added there will also be planting of accent character to draw more attention to the entry focus of the trellis. Cm. Bhuthimethee stated she asked because on the plans it appears that the hatching is behind the trellis element. Mr. Stover stated that there will be all new landscaping throughout the project. Mary Cooper, Site Director and teacher at the Fountainhead Montessori, spoke in favor of the project. She stated that there will be a garden classroom in front of the existing building. She explained that it will be an outdoor classroom with raised planting beds for the children to plant in with a garden director. It includes all the plantings by the landscape architect, and she felt it will contribute to the educational opportunities provided by the school, as well as, making the site more beautiful. She felt this will be a benefit to the look of the campus and to the children. Jason Ricca, tenant at 6690 Amador Plaza Road, spoke in favor of the project. He felt the school is a good fit for the property. His only concern was for the traffic and stated the auto dealership is parking their delivery trucks in the middle of the street, but felt that is only logistics and can be dealt with. Ms. Cole mentioned that, with the change in the start dates for children entering kindergarten, there is more demand for pre-kindergarten. Also, Las Positas College has expressed interest in the 2nd floor office space for the future. Cm. O'Keefe was glad to see their business is doing well and felt they were well positioned for more growth. He was concerned with traffic at the 1-680 on and off ramps and asked if, in the event that the school maxes out at 381 students, would the Applicant be willing to help alleviate the problem by providing staff to help with the traffic flow. Ms. Cole was unsure how that would work. Cm. O'Keefe explained that the school would have traffic coordinators in the area to assist with the speed of drop-offs and pick-ups. Ms. Cole answered that all of the staff make sure traffic moves as quickly as possible and there are at least 6 people out at drop-off and pick-up times and offered to have more if needed. Planning Commission (December 11,2012 gralxarMeeting 171 Cm. Schaub was concerned with the off-ramp at 1-680 and the potential accidents that could occur with more congestion. Ms. Cole agreed to have more people available in the parking lot and stated that there are three separate drop-off areas and some included two-lanes of drop-off. She felt she could accommodate any situation. Chair Wehrenberg felt the driveway/drop-off area is a good design and there should be no circulation problems. Chair Wehrenberg closed the public hearing. Cm. Bhuthimethee was concerned with the project's close proximity to the BART station and felt the project is a nice proposal but that this is a prime site for transit-oriented development and asked if Staff or any of the other Commissioners had the same concern. Mr. Baker responded that, while there are some opportunities in the Transit Oriented Development District, there are a variety of different uses permitted and this is a conditionally permitted use. He stated this is the application that has been submitted and the Commission's job is to evaluate the merits of the application. Cm. Bhuthimethee stated the reason she voted against the RV sales was because it was located right next to the BART station and felt the same about this project. Cm. Schaub stated that he is in support of the project and he liked the idea of a campus. He stated he can make all the findings. Cm. Bhuthimethee felt it is a nice project, and stated she can make all the findings. Cm. Brown stated he can make all the findings and felt it is a good project for the transit oriented district. Cm. O'Keefe stated he can make all the findings, and is excited about the project. He restated his concern with the traffic at the 1-680 off- and on-ramp and asked the Commissioners if the comments in the minutes will be sufficient or would they prefer to add a Condition of Approval which would state that, should there be habitual traffic congestion in the intersection, it will be the Applicant's responsibility to ensure greater traffic flow. Ms. Aja pointed out that the Applicant is required to submit a traffic study before the project can move forward and the 1-680 off- and on-ramp, as well as other intersections, will be evaluated as part of the study. She stated that if the study shows that there are any queuing problems the City can modify the signals in the area to prevent that. Mr. Baker stated that Staff will review a queuing analysis, and if it is a CalTrans controlled intersection, Staff would coordinate working with them, and will continue to monitor the signals that the City controls. There is also a Condition requiring the Applicant to have staff available at the drop-off areas to facilitate the drop-off process. Cm. O'Keefe felt that traffic studies are not correct 100% of the time and he wanted his concern noted. ' nning Commission Decent6er 11,2012 Wegul r`Meeting 172 Chair Wehrenberg stated she would not be opposed to a Condition of Approval that the Applicant supply traffic monitoring. Cm. Schaub felt that the other tenants in the area would be affected as well, not just the school, and it would be unfair to require the school to take on that responsibility alone. Chair Wehrenberg asked if the auto dealership would be the responsibility of the City if they were causing a traffic issue. Mr. Baker answered yes and stated that, if the dealership was using the public right-of-way inappropriately, the City could enforce that. He stated that having the Applicant's staff monitor and direct the traffic off-site would not be appropriate, but on-site monitoring would be appropriate. Chair Wehrenberg felt this was a similar situation to the Safeway gas station where the traffic backs up during their peak times and the City asked them to have additional traffic monitoring to alleviate that issue. Mr. Baker agreed and stated it would be appropriate to have the Applicant monitor the flow of traffic on-site. Chair Wehrenberg stated she can make all the findings, has no issue with the project and felt it will be great to have a campus and it is good to hear the school serves so many Dublin residents. Cm. Schaub suggested modifying Condition of Approval #58 from 30 days to 60 days and adding verbiage to require the Applicant to provide adequate staff to ensure traffic flow on-site. On a motion by Cm. Schaub and seconded by Cm. Brown, on a vote of 5-0, with a modification to Condition of Approval #58 and an additional Condition for the Applicant to monitor on-site traffic flow, the Planning Commission unanimously adopted,: RESOLUTION NO. 12-49 A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN APPROVING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR THE OPERATION OF A DAY CARE CENTER and COMMUNITY FACILITY AND SITE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PERMIT FOR façade MODIFICATIONS AND RELATED SITE IMPROVEMENTS at 6665, 6670 & 6690 AMADOR PLAZA ROAD (APN 941-1500-51, 52, 53) NEW OR UNFINISHED BUSINESS — NONE OTHER BUSINESS — 4'tirnning Commission (December 11,2012 Wogufar'Meeting 173 10.1 Brief INFORMATION ONLY reports from the Planning Commission and/or Staff, including Committee Reports and Reports by the Planning Commission related to meetings attended at City Expense (AB 1234). 10.2 Mr. Baker informed the Planning Commission the next meeting will be on January 8th with items tentatively scheduled. 10.3 Mr. Baker informed the Commission about the Regional Serving Freeway sign downtown. At the last meeting, the Commission requested that Staff make contact with the Applicant regarding blank panels. He stated that Staff has done that and the Applicant feels confident that they will have the sign fully leased before they start construction; however, they are looking into options to address the Commission's concerns about installing blank panels. The conversations are on-going. 10.4 Mayor Sbranti presented outgoing Commissioners Brown, Schaub and Chair Wehrenberg with a Certificate of Appreciation and thanked them for their service. ADJOURNMENT —The meeting was adjourned at 8:10:46 PM Respectfully submitted, 'MIEN Commission Chair ATTEST: Jeff B er Assistant Community Development Director G:IMINUTES120121PLANNING COMMISSIOM12.11.12 FINAL PC MINUTES.docx TCanning Commission December 11,2012 Rcgu(ar 9teeting 174