HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.1 PCSR Quarry Lane School Phase III Expansion OF
STAFF REPORT
4 82 PLANNING COMMISSION
DATE: May 13, 2014
TO: Planning Commission
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING: PLPA-2014-00008. Quarry Lane School
Phase III expansion - Site Development Review, Planned
Development Rezoning and related Stage 1/2 Development Plan
Amendment, and CEQA Addendum.
Report prepared by Kristi Bascom, Principal Planner
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Applicant is requesting approval of Site Development Review, an amendment to the Stage
1/2 Planned Development Zoning District, and approval of a CEQA Addendum to accommodate
a new 13,102 square foot, two-story cafeteria and science building and a future expansion area
of up to 4,000 square feet in Building 1 on the existing 10 acre school site. The Planning
Commission will review the proposed project and will make a recommendation to the City
Council.
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 the following Resolutions:
a) Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt a CEQA Addendum for the Quarry,
Lane School Phase III expansion at 6363 Tassajara Road;
b) Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt an Ordinance amending the Zoning
Map to rezone the Quarry Lane School site to a Planned Development Zoning District and
approving the related Stage 1/2 Development Plan Amendment for the Quarry Lane SchooR
Phase III expansion; and
c) Resolution recommending that the City Council approve Site Development Review for a new
13,102 square foot building at Quarry Lane School.
Submitted By: iewed By:
Kristi Bascom Baker
Principal Planner Assistant Community Development Director
.COPY TO: File
ITEM NO.: $'
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G:1PA#120141PLPA-2014-00008 Quarry Lane SDR, PD Amendmentk05.13.2014 PC MtgTCSR.docx
DESCRIPTION
Background
The project site is approximately ten acres of land located on the east side of Tassajara Road
approximately 1.75 miles north of 1-580. The project location is shown below:
Figure 1: Project Location
The adjacent property to the north is
currently a single-family home and Tassalara Road
ranch that will soon be demolished
and redeveloped with a 36-unit Fallon Road
subdivision approved in 2010. The
adjacent property to the south is
designated Medium Density
Residential (6.1 to 14 units per acre) x ,
and is currently occupied by a 6 quarry Line
single-family home, landscape School
contracting business, and landscape 's
nursery. n_`a
In April 1999, prior to the site being
annexed to the City of Dublin,
Alameda County approved a
Planned Development District to
allow the development of the first
phase of the Quarry Lane School,
consisting of a 15,600-square-foot
building for day care, preschool and
elementary school grades with a
maximum enrollment of 200
students. A programmatic Environmental Impact Report was certified by the County at that time
for the Quarry Lane School Master Plan.
On December 19, 2000, the City Council approved the Planned Development (PD) District Pre-
zoning and Annexation application for Quarry Lane School Phase II (City Council Ordinance 24-
00 — Attachment 1). The application was for a substantial increase to the amount of
development on site to allow an additional 66,685 square feet to construct a middle school and
high school building, recreation areas, landscaping and grading. This would allow Quarry Lane
to expand from 200 students (daycare, preschool, and elementary school) to a population of 950
students that would include middle school and high school ages as well. The school use,
maximum student population, ultimate building envelope, site layout, extent of grading, and
architectural plans were approved by the City at this time.
On May 25, 2004, the Planning Commission approved Resolution 04-46 (Attachment 2), which
included a minor amendment to the Stage 2 Development Plan and Site Development Review.
The application requested Site Development Review to construct Phase II, which included
construction of 70,289 square feet of new building area (an increase from the 66,685 square
feet approved in 2000) and associated sports fields and playground areas to serve the middle
and high school facilities. The project also included other minor site revisions. While the
building area increased, the total maximum student population remained at 950 students.
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Proposed Project
The Phase III expansion of Quarry Lane School includes the construction of a new 13,102
square foot cafeteria and science building and the allowance for a future expansion of up to
4,000 square feet in Building 1 to accommodate an expanded stage and performance area at
some point in the future. The application includes a request for Site Development Review
approval for the cafeteria and science building (no Site Development Review request for the
future Building 1 expansion area) and a Planned Development Rezoning and related Stage 1/2
Development Plan amendment to increase the overall amount of development allowed on the
school site.
ANALYSIS
The analysis below describes the various components of the project and provides a comparison
between the existing Planned Development Zoning District and related Stage 1/2 Development
Plan and the proposed amendments.
PLANNED DEVELOPMENT REZONING AND RELATED STAGE 1/2 DEVELOPMENT PLAN
AMENDMENT:
The current proposal is to increase the amount of development permitted on site from 85,889
square feet (per the 2004 Stage 2 Development Plan approval) to 110,602 square feet and
increase the allowable Floor to Area Ration (FAR) from .219 to .253. Table 1 below describes
the factors in the proposed increase.
Table 1: Project Description
Square Status Description
Feet
Phase 1 15,600 Existing Allowed per Development Plan 2000
Phase II 70,289 Existing Allowed per amended Development Plan 2004
Subtotal 85,889 Total allowed per Development Plan 2004
Existing building purchased by Quarry Lane and added
to school campus (but never added to the Stage 2
Building One 7,611 Existing Development Plan total
Subtotal 7,611 Additional development existing on-site 2014
New Cafeteria/ Proposed Stage 2 Development Plan Amendment and
Science Building 13,102 Proposed Site Development Review SDR
Building 1: Proposed Stage 1/2 Development Plan Amendment
future addition 4,000 Proposed I — no SDR
Subtotal 17,102 Total Additional Development proposed on site
TOTAL 110,602 Proposed Stage 1/2 Development Plan Amendment
Although the amount of developable building area is proposed to increase, the intensity of use
of the site is not proposed to change in that the total maximum student population, the maximum
number of faculty and staff members, and the number of classrooms are not proposed to
increase. The proposed additional building area (in the form of the new cafeteria/science
building and the future expansion to Building 1) is intended to serve the existing student
population.
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The existing Stage 2 Development Plan and the proposed (amended) Stage 1/2 Development
Plan are compared below in Table 2.
Table 2: Existing and Proposed Development Plans
Project Approved Proposed
Component Development Plan Development Plan Difference
(Phase II: 2004) (Phase III: 2014)
Max. Student 950 950 None
Population
Max. Faculty 55 55 None
and Staff
Classrooms 51 51 None
Total Building Increase of 24,713 SF
Area (Square 85,889 SF 110,602 (7,611 SF Existing Bldg. 1 + 13,102
Feet) New Bldg. + 4,000 SF Bldg. 1 future
expansion area)
Floor to Area 219 (maximum) .253 Increase of .034
Ratio
Parking 149 spaces 149 spaces None
Spaces
Maximum 59 feet 59 feet None
Bldg. Height
The addition of 7,611 square feet in Building 1 to the Total Building Area is a result of the
school's acquisition of the building and site, which existed on a separate parcel and served as a
special events center ("Villa Tassajara") for many years. In 1997, Quarry Lane School acquired
the site and parcel and incorporated the building into the school campus, utilizing the building for
administrative purposes, library, and kitchen functions. This is not newly-constructed building
area, but it is building area that had not been previously accounted for in the Quarry Lane
School Development Plan.
The Total Building Area and FAR are proposed to increase, but all other elements of the Stage
1/2 Development Plan remain the same. The Resolution recommending approval of the
Planned Development Rezoning and related Stage 1/2 Development Plan amendments is
included as Attachment 3 to this staff report and the City Council Ordinance itself is included as
Exhibit A to Attachment 3. The Stage 1/2 Development Plan, as amended, is included in its
entirety in the Ordinance.
SITE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW:
The school campus is on a property that has a substantial upwards slope from west to east.
The site topography results in several different levels being created and the use of many
retaining walls to create flat spaces for parking and recreation areas. The school campus
currently has three buildings, as shown in Figure 2:
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• Building 1 (Office/Library/Kitchen building) is 7,611 square feet and is closest to
Tassajara Road and near the main entry. This building was a separate special events
facility before the school acquired it in 1997 and made it a part of the campus.
• Building 2 (Preschool and Elementary School building) is 15,578 square feet and
was the first building constructed specifically for Quarry Lane School.
• Building 3 (Middle and High School building) is 70,701 square feet and was the!
Phase II expansion of the school that was permitted in 2004.
Figure 2: Site Plan
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The proposed two-story cafeteria and science building would be constructed on a portion of the
site that is between the two-story Building 1 and an upper parking lot. There will be limited
visibility of the new building from Tassajara Road. The area is currently occupied by a storage
shed, outdoor eating area for students, and a commercial walk-in refrigerator. These structures
will be removed prior to construction. Sheet AS1.1 of the Project Plans (Exhibit A to Attachment:
4) illustrates the location of the proposed building.
The colors and materials of the new building will match those of the Buildings 2 and 3, including
the standing seam metal roof with decorative eave corbels and a simple cement plaster finish
painted to match the existing buildings. The window design and placement will also
complement the other buildings on the school campus. The last sheet of the Project Plans
(Exhibit A to Attachment 4) provides color and material details.
There are seven trees that are proposed to be removed from the project site, including four
eucalyptus, two redwoods (with trunk diameters of 10 inches and 12 inches) and one Mexican
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fan palm tree. These trees are located in areas that are to receive significant grading. All other
landscaping is to remain on site, and the newly-created slope areas are to be planted with
groundcover.
The Resolution recommending City Council approval of the Site Development Review
application is included as Attachment 4 to this staff report.
CONFORMANCE WITH GENERAL PLAN AND EASTERN DUBLIN SPECIFIC PLAN
The project is within the Medium Density and Open Space land use designation of the Dublin
General Plan and Eastern Dublin Specific Plan. The proposed Quarry Lane Phase II
development is consistent with those designations because the school is a type of community
facility, and community facilities are an allowed use in all land use categories. The site layout
protects the undisturbed hillside in the northeastern portion of the site consistent with the Open
Space land use designation.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Environmental review for the project area was previously conducted and documented in the
Eastern Dublin General Plan Amendment and Specific Plan, which was adopted in 1993 and
has a certified Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (SCH No. 91103064) and analyzed
in the Quarry Lane Master Plan, which was adopted in 1998 by the County of Alameda and has
a certified EIR (SCH No. 97122109).
In 2000, the City Council approved a Planned Development District Stage 1 and 2 Development
Plan for the construction of Phase II of Quarry Lane School, and adopted an Initial Study and
Mitigated Negative Declaration (City Council Resolution 204-00). In 2004, the Planning
Commission approved Site Development Review, a Conditional Use Permit, and adopted a
CEQA Addendum to allow the construction of Phase II of Quarry Lane School and the
associated minor amendments to the approved Development Plan (Planning Commission
Resolution 04-46.
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, the City of Dublin prepared an Initial Study
(Exhibit A to Attachment 5) to determine if additional environmental review was required for the
Project beyond the prior EIRs and Mitigated Negative Declaration. The Initial Study determined
that the project would not require major revisions to the previous EIRs or Mitigated Negative
Declaration because the Project would not have new significant environmental effects or a
substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects. Because the
overall site building envelope, amount of urbanized area, and student and staff population were
unchanged, the impacts and appropriate mitigations are the same and no new mitigations are
required. Furthermore, the Initial Study determined that there was no change in circumstances
that would result in new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity
of previously identified significant effects because no new or unanticipated circumstances have
developed since the previous EIRs were certified, the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration
was adopted, and the previous Addendum was adopted. Based on the Initial Study, an
Addendum was prepared documenting these facts.
The Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt a CEQA Addendum for the Quarry
Lane School Phase III expansion is included as Attachment 5 to this Staff Report.
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NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH
A notice of this public hearing was published in the newspaper, mailed to all property owners
and tenants within 300 feet of the project area boundaries, and all persons who have expressed
an interest in being notified of actions related to this project were notified via email.
The Staff Report for this public hearing was also available on the City's website.
ATTACHMENTS: 1) City Council Ordinance 24-00
2) Planning Commission Resolution 04-46
3) Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt an Ordinance
amending the Zoning Map to rezone the Quarry Lane School site to
a Planned Development Zoning District and approving the related
Stage 1/2 Development Plan amendments for the Quarry Lane
School Phase III expansion, with the Draft City Council Ordinance
included as Exhibit A
4) Resolution recommending that the City Council approve Site
Development Review for a new 13,102 square foot building at
Quarry Lane School, with the Project Plans included as Exhibit A
5) Resolution recommending that the City Council adopt a CEQA
Addendum for the Quarry Land School Phase III expansion at 6363
Tassajara Road, with the Addendum and Initial Study included as
Exhibit A
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GENERAL INFORMATION:
APPLICANT/PROPERTY OWNER: Dr. Sabri Arac, President, Quarry Lane School, 6363
Tassajara Road, Dublin, CA 94568
LOCATION: 6363 Tassajara Road
(Assessor's Parcel Number: 985-0002-006-03
ZONING: Planned Development
GENERAL PLAN: Medium Density Residential (6.1-14 units/acre)
SURROUNDING USES:
LOCATION ZONING GENERAL PLAN LAND USE CURRENT USE OF
PROPERTY
North PD Single Family Residential Single Family Home and
Ranch
South PD Medium Density Residential Single Family Home and
Landscape Contractor
East PD Open Space Open Space
West PD Semi Public, Parks and Public Open Space, Regional Park
Recreaton
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