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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.2 PCSR PH Savers Thrift Superstore STAFF REPORT �2 PLANNING COMMISSION ��LIFOR�l� DATE: April 9, 2013 TO: Planning Commission SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING: PLPA-2013-00001 Savers Thrift Superstore Site Development Review and Conditional Use Permit Report prepared by Seth Adams, Assistant Planner EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Applicant has requested Site Development Review approval to make exterior modifications to a 39,780 square foot portion of an existing 85,280 square foot retail building and a Conditional Use Permit for the operation of a Recycling Facility (Donation Center) at 7117 Regional Street. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Planning Commission: 1) Receive Staff presentation; 2) Open the public hearing; 3) Take testimony from the Applicant and the public; 4) Close the public hearing and deliberate, and 5) Adopt a Resolution approving a Site Development Review Permit for exterior modifications to a 39,780 square foot portion of an existing retail building and a Conditional Use Permit for the operation of a Recycling Facility (Donation Center) at 7117 Regional Street. Submitted By R iewed By Assistant Planner Assistant Community Development Director COPIES TO: Applicant File ITEM NO.: • Page 1 of 7 G:IPAM20131PLPA-2013-00001 Savers MSP CUP SDRIPC 04.09.20131PCSR 04.09.13.docx DESCRIPTION: Figure 1: Project Site The project site is located at 7117 Regional Street near the intersection of Dublin Boulevard and Regional Street. The 8.5- acre site contains an existing 85,280 square foot retail • " building, of which 45,500 square Target feet is presently occupied by Sports Authority. The remaining { 39,780 square feet are currently Cvs vacant. Access to the site is provided from multiple driveways along both Dublin Boulevard and - Regional Street. The project site Toys-R-us is depicted in Figure 1. ly The project site has a General Project Site '* Plan Land Use Designation of Downtown Dublin — Retail 0 Dublin Dublin Boulevard District and is located in the Downtown Dublin Zoning District. The subject building was originally constructed in 1972, before Dublin was incorporated as a City. Alameda County approved the original development of the project site, which is in a shopping center comprised of other retail and service uses including a drug store/pharmacy, two banks, a grocery store, gas station, recycling center, and several smaller retail/service establishments. On January 4, 2011 the Planning Commission approved a request by Regional Street Retail, the owners of the property, for a Site Development Review Permit to modify the exterior of the 85,280 square foot building and related site improvements. This included improvements related to the Sports Authority tenant space and tenant entry features on the west and north elevations for the vacant tenant space (referenced as "Tenant B" in the Sports Authority approval) that would occupy the remaining 39,780 square foot portion of the building. These future tenant entries on the west and north elevations were designed to coordinate with the Sports Authority elevations in materials and color (Attachment 1). The Sports Authority improvements were completed in late 2011; however, the entry improvements for the remainder of the building were not completed. The approval for these improvements has now expired. Savers Thrift Superstore plans to occupy the vacant 39,780 square foot tenant space. Savers is a retail store that sells used goods which it obtains through donations; either from individuals that donate directly to the store, or from partnerships with local non-profit groups that collect reusable clothing and household goods and then sell them to the Savers store. Retail uses are permitted by-right in the Downtown Dublin Zoning District; however, the City of Dublin Zoning Ordinance classifies businesses that collect donated goods as Recycling Facilities, and approval of a Conditional Use Permit from the Planning Commission is required to operate a Recycling Facility within the Downtown Dublin Zoning District. The Applicant is currently requesting approval of a SDR permit to modify the exterior of the building to include entry features consistent with the original approval, and additional 2 of 7 modifications to add a second entry on the west elevation for the store's Donation Center. The application also includes a CUP to allow the operation of a Recycling Facility (Donation Center). ANALYSIS: Site Development Review West Elevation Along the west elevation Savers is proposing to construct what are essentially the same features that were approved in the 2011 Sports Authority SDR, with the exception being that the metal clad pylons would rise vertically rather than at an angle. The Savers west entry consists of a silver metal canopy with supporting trusses, flanking metal clad pylons, and brick shoulder elements (Attachment 2, Exhibit A, Sheet A400). Perforated metal screen panels are affixed to the building parapet to screen the existing roof top equipment. Silver metallic paneling will rise above the entry canopy, upon which the Savers business sign will be mounted. The signage shown in the project plans is for reference only and will require separate review and approval. There is an existing Master Sign Program which will need to be amended to allow signs on this tenant space. To the left of the Savers west elevation entry there will be a second entry that will serve as the drop-off point for the store's Donation Center. Directly in front of the Donation Center doors there will be a 10 foot wide pull-out lane into which customers that are donating goods can conveniently pull up curb-side to have their donations unloaded and immediately taken inside the store by Savers employees. Above the Donation Center entry there will be a silver metallic canopy of the same material used for the canopy over the main store entry. This second canopy will wrap around the corner of the building and extend approximately 20 feet along the north elevation. A lighted sconce mounted on a square perforated metal screen will be in place between the store and Donation Center entries. North Elevation The proposed north elevation replicates the design approved in the 2011 Sports Authority SDR, and the entry feature is essentially identical to the one on the west elevation; the difference being that the metal clad pylons are not as tall as they are on the west elevation (28 feet versus 35 feet on the west elevation). The Sports Authority SDR called for pylons of matching height on the north and west elevations; however, the reduced height of 28 feet being proposed for this project is appropriate due to the close proximity of the north elevation entry to the adjacent building. With the exception of the brick shoulder elements around the entry, the existing exposed rock finish will remain along the entire length of the north elevation, and the perforated metal screen paneling will be continued around from the west elevation to screen roof top equipment. Two light sconces on square perforated metal screens will be mounted to both sides of the entry feature to provide a consistent look around the building. East Elevation Along the east elevation the Applicant proposes to construct three loading dock doors and one service door. Wall pack light fixtures will be installed above each of these doors, and the existing exposed rock finish will remain along this entire length of the building. 3 of 7 Consistency with the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan (DDSP) As proposed the project is in conformance with many of the design guidelines of the DDSP, including, but not limited to, the following: Section 4.4.1 General Building Design Buildings located near major street intersections should be treated as "signature" buildings and should include unique design features (e.g. towers) and prominent corner entrances, plazas and enhanced design which is oriented towards the street. Section 4.4.2 Building Articulation • Providing prominent entrances that are recessed/protruding or include towers or other distinct architectural features • Breaking up large smooth surfaces with expression lines, reveals, or changes in texture and color. Section 4.4.3 Building Materials and Colors A variety of high-quality, durable building materials and colors should be provided to create interesting and attractive building designs and avoid monotony. Section 4.4.5 Anchor Storefronts Primary building entrances should be highlighted and serve as the prominent building feature with elements such as (but not limited to) recessed or protruding entries, tower elements, different materials/colors, decorative or display windows, shade structures or galleries, and special paving and landscaping. The project has a primary entry facing Regional Street and incorporates prominent vertical elements and a variety of materials, colors and textures, including metals, brick, stucco and exposed rock. The entries are highlighted with vertical elements and protruding metal canopies that further break up the building plane. In addition the entries are well coordinated with the existing Sports Authority entry designs, yet are varied enough so as to create a unique look that avoids monotony. Conditional Use Permit As noted earlier in the Background section of this report, Savers requires approval of a Conditional Use Permit to operate a Recycling Facility (Donation Center) in the Downtown Dublin Zoning District. A Conditional Use Permit enables the City to place Conditions of Approval on a project to ensure that the operating characteristics are compatible with surrounding uses. The proposed project has been reviewed for issues related to operating characteristics such as hours of operation, treatment of the collection of donated goods, and ensuring a clean site. Where appropriate, Conditions of Approval have been placed on the Project to ensure compatibility with the surrounding uses (Attachment 2). These Conditions are similar to those applied to the Goodwill Conditional Use Permit. The Savers store will be open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and have approximately twenty employees. As previously noted the store will feature a Donation Center entry on the west elevation where patrons can park curbside in a pull-out lane and have their donations off-loaded and taken directly inside. In addition, local non-profits that have partnered with Savers will deliver collected donations to the loading docks at the back of the store along the east elevation. These deliveries from Savers' non-profit partners will take place approximately 3 to 5 times each weekday. 4of7 As part of its business operations, Savers will also have one tractor trailer (no truck cab attached) parked against the east elevation loading docks that will be used to store those donated items which do not sell. Once the trailer is full it will be taken away and replaced with an empty trailer. This cycle will take place every 3 to 4 days. Depending on store needs, a second Savers trailer could be brought to the loading docks one to two times per month. This second trailer will remain on-site for no more than one week and will contain non-local product that will be off-loaded and sold inside the store. To help ensure that the operation of the Donation Center does not result in goods being left outside the store after business hours, the Project Conditions of Approval require that store personnel perform at least two inspections of the site and building perimeter each day during non-business hours. Additionally, to deter the unwanted disposal of unsellable items, Savers will be required to install a security system that includes a flash camera and video surveillance, along with a recorded message that will be triggered by the flash of the camera. The recorded message will state that the business is closed and that leaving any goods outside the store is considered littering and the person is trespassing (Attachment 2, Conditions of Approval Nos. 31-38). This is the same security approach used at Goodwill and to date it has proven to be successful. Parking The City of Dublin Zoning Ordinance contains parking standards by use type (Section 8.76.080). The Zoning Ordinance requires that retail uses provide 1 parking space per 300 square feet. The subject building is 85,280 square feet, and with the addition of Savers to the existing Sports Authority retail store, the combined tenant parking requirement for the building will be 284 spaces. The project site has a total of 508 parking spaces, so an adequate number of parking spaces exist to meet the City's parking requirements. CONSISTENCY WITH THE GENERAL PLAN, SPECIFIC PLAN AND ZONING ORDINANCE: The Project is consistent with the General Plan and Downtown Dublin Specific Plan land use designation of Downtown Dublin — Retail District which allows for a range of commercial uses, including retail stores. The Project is consistent with the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan Retail District zoning in that retail businesses are a permitted use and Recycling Facilities are permitted subject to approval of a Conditional Use Permit by the Planning Commission; and the development of the Project site complies with the development standards and design guidelines contained in the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan. REVIEW BY APPLICABLE DEPARTMENT AND AGENCIES: The Building Division, Fire Prevention Bureau, Public Works Department, and Dublin San Ramon Services District have reviewed the project and provided Conditions of Approval where appropriate to ensure that the project is established in compliance with all local ordinances and regulations. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: In accordance with State law, a Public Notice was mailed to all property owners and occupants within 300-feet of the proposed project. The Public Notice was also published in the Valley Times and posted at several locations throughout the City. To date, the City has received no comments from surrounding property owners regarding the Project. A copy of this Staff Report was provided to the Applicant. 5of7 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), together with the State Guidelines and City Environmental Regulations require that certain projects be reviewed for environmental impacts and when applicable, environmental documents prepared. For this project, Staff recommends that the project be found Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with Section 15301 (Minor alterations to existing facilities involving little or no expansion). The project involves no expansion of the existing commercial building, but includes only architectural modifications and a Conditional Use Permit for the operation of a Recycling Facility (Donation Center) within the same existing commercial building. ATTACHMENTS: 1) Approved Sports Authority SDR west elevation 2) Resolution approving a Site Development Review Permit for exterior modifications to a 39,780 square foot portion of an existing retail building and a Conditional Use Permit for the operation of a Recycling Facility (Donation Center) at 7117 Regional Street, with the Project Plans attached as Exhibit A. 6 of 7 GENERAL INFORMATION: APPLICANTh Philip L. Hawkins, Philip Hawkins Architect, Inc. + Associates, 735 Sunrise Avenue, Suite 101, Roseville, CA 95661 PROPERTY OWNER: David Wollenberg, Regional Street Joint Venture, c/o The Cortona Corporation, 800 El Camino Real, Suite 175, Menlo Park, CA 94025 LOCATION: 7117 Regional Street ASSESSORS PARCEL NUMBERS: 941-0305-017-02 GENERAL PLAN/SPECIFIC PLAN LAND USE DESIGNATION: Downtown Dublin — Retail District ZONING: Downtown Dublin Zoning District SURROUNDING USES: LOCATION ZONING GENERAL PLAN LAND USE CURRENT USE OF PROPERTY North DDZD Downtown Dublin — Retail District Commercial/Shopping Center South DDZD Downtown Dublin — Transit- Commercial/Shopping in Center Oriented District East DDZD Downtown Dublin — Retail District Commercial/Shopping Center West DDZD Downtown Dublin — Retail District 1 Commercial/Shopping Ce2Lerjl 7of7