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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 6.4 SnRmnRdSpecPlanStudy AGENDA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: April 14, 1986 SUBJECT: San Ramon Road Specific Plan Amendment Study PA 86-018 Motet - Request for Authorization of s~n-'~Ramon Road"s~cific Pl~-h~Amendment Study ~or ( _a-~,~-~-~%-~ proPe~--~fik~'~ied as 7436 San' Ramon Road. EXHIBITS ATTACHED: RECOMMENDATION:~ ~ Background Attachments: 1) Applicant's Written Statement 2) Preliminary Site Plan 3) Excerpts from San Ramon Road Specific Plan 1 - Open public hearing and hear Staff presentations. 2 - Take testimony from Applicant and the public. 3 - Question Staff, Applicant and the public. 4 - Close public hearing and deliberate. 5a- By minute order, deny the requested Specific Plan Amendment Study. 5b- By minute order, authorize the requested Specific Plan Amendment Study. FINANCIAL STATEMENT: The request for authorization of a Specific Plan Amendment Study will have no fiscal effect on the City. DESCRIPTION: I. Background The San Ramon Road Specific Plan was adopted in 1983 and established guidelines regarding the land use, development regulations, and circulation system for a 40+ acre area north of Dublin Boulevard, west of San Ramon Road, and south of Silvergate Drive. The Plan was prepared in response to the perceived need for specific development guidelines in an area where property ownership was fragmented into small holdings and which faced access and internal circulation problems. The generalized development mandates for the area as applied by the Dublin City Council included: - Alleviate special access problems by designing future road locations and access requirements. - Encourage larger scale, integrated development. - Require coordinated development among multiple property owners. The 1.45 acre Moret property is located at the northern limit of the 13.0+ acre area identified by the Specific Plan as Area 3 (San Ramon Road--properties). The Specific Plan identified Area 3 as the area with ITEM NO. COPIES TO: Applicant Owner PA File 86-018 II. III. the best potential for the development of retail shopper stores oriented to providing additional comparison shopping goods for both Dublin and nearby community residents. The area's location along a major street, its proximity to the Regional Shopping Center (Stoneridge) and that is situated along a direct-route to and from Interstate 580 for a large area give the properties in Area 3 a potential not found elsewhere in Dublin. The Specific Plan calls for the principal use of Area 3 to be reserved for retail shopper stores. The Specific Plan provides that under certain circumstances a limited amount of development in the area would be allowed to be for personal service, financial or office use. The Specific Plan indicates that in the case of shopping centers in Area 3 involving four acres or more, a maximum of 25% of the total gross floor area of any development can be for personal service, financial, or office uses. Surrounding Development Activity The subject property occupies the northernmost portion of Area 3 of the Specific Plan and abuts Martin Canyon Creek along the length of its northerly boundary. The 13.0+ acres making up Area 3 have been bisected by the development of Amador Court, which was developed in conjunction with the 4.35~ acre, 52,000~ square foot Town and Country Shopping Center. While Staff has received a variety of inquiries involving the remaining acreage in Area 3, no active development proposal is currently being processed on any other holding in Area 3. In conjunction with the proposed development of the 1.5+_ acre property adjoining and south of the subject property, a traffic study by the City Traffic Engineer has been authorized to provide recommendations for vehicular and'pedestrian traffic to that site and among the four properties in that portion of Area 3. Review of Development Intent as Established by Property Owner Within the Applicant's Written Statement (see Background Attachment #1), several reasons are offered as cause for the Council to consider authorizing the requested Specific Plan Amendment Study. A. Transitional Uses The Applicant indicates that development of the site for office use will create a soft transition from residential areas to the north to the retail areas to the south. As indicated on the Applicant's preliminary site plan, the existing residences on the adjoining projects to the north have a minimum of 60'+ separation from the subject property. Assuming a minimum 75-foot setback between a new building on the subject property and the existing residences (which assumes a minimum setback of 15'+ for any new structure placed on the subject property) and in ackn--owledgement of the presence of the dense vegetation within the adjoining section of Martin Canyon Creek, the need for a transitional land use (office) between residential and retail uses appears undocumented. B. Traffic Generation The Applicant's Written Statement indicates that office use on the site would generate approximately one-seventh the traffic generated by a comparable retail area. While it is accepted that commercial/retail uses have a greater average daily vehicle trip generation rate (15+ trips/1000 sq. ft. for office compared to 60~ trips/1000 sq. ft. for commercial/retail), the Applicant appears to over-state the difference between the generation rates. Additionally, it should be noted that the peak hour traffic generation factor for office use is roughly triple that of commercial/ retail uses (14%+ of the average daily vehicle trips for office uses are projected to occur at peak hour traffic periods compared to 5%+ for commercial/retail uses). One final factor that should be plugg--ed into the traffic generation comparison is that the floor area yield (square foot yield per acre) for commercial/retail is typically much lower than for office use. For example, the Town and -2- Country floor area yield was 10,750~ s.f./acre while the schematic site plan for office use at this site shows 22,750+_ s.f./acre - a two-fold increase in floor area yield. Taking all the items into consideration, it is apparent that the ~pplicant's statement that office use would create one-seventh the traffic generated by a commercial/retail use of the property is both undocumented and misleading. Peak hour traffic volumes for office use at this site would be approximately equivalent to peak hour traffic volumes for the theoretical yield of retail use at the same site. Additionally, the overall trip generation rates would appear to be closer to a 2.5/1 ratio than a 7/1 ratio. C. Intent of Specific Plan The Applicant indicates it is his interpretation that the proposed office use at this site would not be at variance with the intent of the Specific Plan when all four parcels north of Amador Court are considered together. It should be again stressed that the expressed intent of the Specific Plan for Area 3 is to reserve the area for retail shopper stores. While preliminary development plans on the Nichandros holding (3.2~ acres) and the Hayward Fisheries holding (1.5~ acres) anticipate retail uses of those sites, no formal application on the holdings are currently being processed by the City. Additionally, the provision laid out in the text of the Specific Plan allowing for service, financial or office uses does not read to allow 25% of the acreage in Area 3 to be developed with one of those alternate uses, but rather limits to 25% the total gross floor area toward any of these uses in any single development.~ One final factor that Staff feels should be considered in reviewing the request for authorization of a Specific Plan Amendment Study is the recently developed market feasibility information prepared in conjunction with the Downtown Commercial Study. While the geographic boundary of the study area does not include the subject property, it is anticipated the findings remain applicable to the property. The Consultant Market Analysis by Laventhol and Horwath indicates that the retail market continues to be seen as remaining strong while the office market is considered soft at this time. If the Council sees merit in this request, Staff would strongly urge that an independent Market Feasibility Study for the proposal be required as part of the Specific Plan Amendment Study. Further elaboration of the type of office users anticipated by the Applicant to occupy the site would need to be supplied to facilitate the preparation of the Market Feasibility Study. RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above Staff Report, Staff recommends that the City Council deny the request for authorization of a Specific Plan Amendment Study for the 1.45+ acre Motet property. -3- OFFICE COMPLEX - San Ramon Road; Dublin, California The proposed development. Consists of four thr~'e'e-story professional office . buildin, g$ totaling 33,000 square feet. The' buildings are to ~be paired to n°t'only share'an elevator for each pair of buildings, bbt also to provide max.i, mum open area on'the site. The placement and design ofi~the;:buildings is such as to maxi- mize'view'planes into the cheek area and~to.minimize the visual impact to surrounding .adjacent properties. The conceptual design of the development is to utilize existing mature trees as well as'new trees along with mounded grass areas to create a parklike atmos- phere. The architectural treatment of the buildings is'planned to blend with the natural attributes of the Site thus enhancing the area in general and also creating the impression, upon entering Dublin from North San Ramon Road, of a wellrplanned, attractive prof, essional city. The office complex is being designed to fil! the'need of the small to mid- range company that desires to own its own building and have specific idenlty.' Each of the four buildings can be sold individually with the landscaped and parking areas as common ownership. The proposed office development would be a "good neighbor" creating a soft transition from the residential areas to the north to the.retail areas to the south. Office use is predominately daytime with minimal evening and weekend activit~ which will mitigate night time and weekend noise, compared to retail areas. Atso the office use will generate approximate!y one-seventh of the traffic generated by a comparable retail area. ~his will hetp reduce locat ~' traffic. With the deYelopment of the parcel to the immediate south by the Hayward Fishery the Moret parcel becomes isolated in a remote portion of the C-1 zoned area and becomes even less suited for retail use. The city of Dublin would benefit from this project in several ways. There would be increased emp!oyment opportunities and most probably new business relocating to Dublin. The project.would provide a good transition between re~ail and residential areas. The office use of the site, as planned, would enhance the Martin Creek zone. The project would make a strong statement of well-planned deveIopment and professiona! image as one enters Dublin. The San Ramon Road specific ~la~ allows 25% of first-floor area to be office space for a development plan of four acres or more. The four parcels bounded by San Ramon Road, Martin Creek, and Amador Valley Court total six and two-thirds acres. The office complex is not at variance with the intent of the speciiic. plan when all four parcels are considered together. The delay in developing the three acres fronting Amador Valley Court wili not change the concept when this property is developed as retail. 031086 'I;,IAR % 1 1S86 DUBLIN PLANNING San Ramon Road Area 3 (San Ramo~..<oad Properties) 13.0+ Acres This area has the best potentia~ for the development of retail shopper . stores oriented to providing additional comparison shopping goods for both Dublin and nearby community residents. Its location along a major street, proximity to the Regional Shopping Center (Stoneridge) and on the direct'route to and from Interstate 580 for a large area give these properties a potential not found elsewhere in Dublin. It is the intent of this Specific Plan that the principal use of this area be reserved for retail shopper stores. Under certain circumstances, as noted below, a limited amount of development can be for personal service, financial institutions, or office uses as defined in this Plan. Permitted Uses - Retail commercial shopper goods'uses such as: a. Family apparel b. Household furnishings c. General merchandise stores d. Specialty stores that offer comparison goods based on price and quality. - Eating and drinking establisb~ents selling prepared food and liquor except those defined as drive-through. Special Provision - For shopping centers involving 4 acres or more: Up to 25% of the total gross floor area of any development can be for personal service, financial institution, or office uses as defined in this Plan. Conditionai 'Use subject to approval of a conditicna! use permit: a. Any change from one established use to another permitted use. b. Community, religious and charitable institutions facilities and uses. c. Public facilities and uses. Prohibited Uses - All retail commercial uses defined as convenience stores, including: a. Grocery stores b. Drug stores c. Liquor stores d. Drive-in and drive-through restaurants which seli food, drugs, and other household goods for consumption in a short time. - All other retail stores and personal services not mentioned above including new and used vehicle sales and/or vehicle repair and service, service stations, banks, dry cleaners, medical services, garden stores, auto parts stores, and other similar stores and services. - Residential uses. - Office uses. - Industrial uses. F~GURE 3 NORTH SCALE: 'i'": 200' 0 100' ZOO' 300' SPECIFIC. PLAN BOUNDARY SAN RAMON ROAD SPECIFIC PLAN AREA I I OFFICE LAND USE PLAN MAY 1983 AREAS PERMITTED LAND USES SEE TEXT FOR EXACT AREA1 AREA 2::!? AREA 5 AREA OPEN SPACE USE: -F ' COMMERCIAL AS BUILT · AREA 4 R 4/1/86 (UPDATES) CITY OF DUBLIN PLANNING DEPT. ,~ 'SANIINA THOi~PSO~ F~GURE 2 NORTH SCALE : 1'": 200' 0 I00' ~00~ 300 SPECIFIC PLAN BOUNDARY SAN RAMON ROAD SPECIFIC PLAN CIRCULATION SYSTEM MAY 1983 MAJOR STREET / INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE ACCESS INTERNAL STREET IMPROVEMENTS POSSIBLE MAJOR STREET ACCESS DONLON WAY IMPROVEMENTS SIGNAL, IMPROVEMENTS INTERNAL STREET ACC__~SS EXTENSION OF AMADOR VALI~EY ROAD POSSE~LE PE ACCESS STREET ACCESS SIGNALS & WIDENING DJ~RGATE SIGNALS & i IMPROVEMENTS ',DUBLIN/SAN RAMON ROAD SIGNALS & WIDENING 'SAN RAMON ROAD CITY OF DUBLIN PLANNING DEPT. j~ 'SANTINA · THOMPSON