HomeMy WebLinkAboutDRB 2018-07-17 #4SAN RAFAEL THE CITY WITH A MISSION unity Development Department - Planning Division Project Planner: Ali Giudice 415-485-3092 REPORT TO DESIGN REVIEW BOARD SUBJECT: 1201 Fifth Avenue — Request for a Conceptual Design Review Permit to allow demolition of a 12,000 square foot bank building located on a 28,000 square foot lot and construction of a 70,000 square foot, 140 -room hotel building with 86 on-site parking spaces. The hotel will include a lounge/bar, limited restaurant service, two meeting rooms, a fitness room and outdoor patio; APNS: 011-212-03; Fifth/Mission Residential/Office District (5/M R/O) Zoning District; Semi Salmi, Applicant; ML Seven Capital Partners, LLC, Owner; Downtown Neighborhood. PROPERTY FACTS Location General Plan Designation Zoning Designation Existing Land -Use Project Site: Fifth/Mission Residential/Office 5/M R/O District Vacant office building North: Fifth/Mission Residential/Office 5/M R/O District Bank/Financial Services South: Fourth Street Retail Core 4SRC District Apartment Building/Retail East: Fifth/Mission Residential/Office 5/M R/O District Office/Financial Services West: Fifth/Mission Residential/Office 5/M R/O District Public Parking Lot Size Required: 6,000 square feet Proposed: 28,000 square feet (existing) Height Allowed: 54 feet (42 feet +12 -foot hotel height bonus) Proposed: 55.58 feet Parking Required: To be determined Proposed: 86 parking spaces Landscaping (Min.) Required: 10% (2,800 square feet) Proposed: Unknown Tree Removal N/A Lot Coverage (Max.) Allowed: N/A Proposed: N/A FAR (Max.) N/A Allowed: Not applicable to hotels Proposed: N/A Usable Outdoor Area (Min.) Required: N/A Proposed: N/A Setbacks Required Existing Proposed Front: N/A N/A N/A Side(s): Street: NIA N/A N/A Interior: N/A N/A N/A Rear: N/A N/A N/A Grading Total: TBD Cut: TBD Fill: TBD Off -Haul: TBD SUMMARY The project is being referred to the Design Review Board (Board) for review of a proposed new 140 - room hotel. The building would be 70,000 square feet in area and proposes a height of 55.58 feet. The site is currently developed with a vacant office building and associated access and parking. With the Board's recommendation, the applicant will be able to submit a formal application for environmental and design review, which will come back to the Board for a formal recommendation to be forwarded to the Planning Commission for final decision on the formal application. The formal application will be for discretionary review of the following: • An Environmental and Design Review Permit for the proposed building and site improvements; • A Use Permit to allow the new hotel building and to allow for a height bonus of 12 feet Staff is seeking the Boards evaluation of the project based the applicable design criteria contained in the General Plan policies and the San Rafael Design Guidelines for nonresidential development, which is discussed in detail below. Staff has concluded that the project will need to be revised to address the applicable criteria. Staff is requesting that the Board provide recommendations on how to most effectively address the following: • Overall consistency with the design related General Plan Policies and non-residential Design Guidelines; • How to best accommodate the additional height, while considering the design criteria applicable to this site; • Whether the proposed modern design adequately respects the neighborhoods design qualities; • Provide design recommendations to assure the project contributes in a meaningful way to the architectural styles located along Fifth Avenue and along B street; • Recommendations for transitional elements such stepped facades, balconies, and/or other architectural details that can be incorporated into the project to minimize height differences; • Whether vehicular and pedestrian entries are clear and well defined; • Recommendations on inclusion of pedestrian friendly design and design elements that enhance the pedestrian experience; and Recommendations on how to best present a landscape proposal as part of the formal submittal that adequately contributes to the Fifth Avenue Streetscape and provides generous landscape treatment and alcoves to accent building. BACKGROUND Site Description & Setting: The project site consists is an approximately 28,000 square foot slightly sloped lot (approx. 6%). The site is bound by Fifth Avenue to the north and B Street to the east. Commercial office buildings are located east beyond B Street and north beyond Fifth Avenue. A public parking structure is located to the west of the property and a mixed use residential and commercial building is located to the south. The site is currently developed with a one-story vacant office building, surface parking lot and associated landscaping including mature trees. The original building design featured a drive through banking window, thus requiring a second access/exit driveway. As such, vehicular access driveways are located on both B Street and Fifth Avenue. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The applicant is requesting Conceptual Design Review. The purpose of Conceptual Design Review is to allow an applicant to receive preliminary feedback on the direction of a project design from the Design Review Board before the final plans are prepared. More detailed information will be provided as part of the formal application. The conceptual plans propose the demolition of the existing single story brick clad Engstrom Design Group building located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and B Street in Downtown San Rafael. The applicant is proposing to build a 55.58 -foot high, 70,000 square foot, 140 -room hotel building. Parking for 86 spaces would be provided within 2 parking decks; one of which would be located below grade. ANALYSIS Conceptual Review provides an opportunity for early feedback from the Design Review Board, staff and the public on. the design and color concept of a project before it is fully developed into formalized plans. Staff has reviewed the project and offers some preliminary feedback and questions regarding the design approach for the Board to consider in providing its comments. Staff has provided a general analysis of the project's consistency with the General Plan Zoning Ordinance and Design Guidelines as part of its preliminary review of the design concept. General Plan 2020 Consistency: The site is designated as "Fifth Avenue Mission Residential/Office (5MR/0)" on the General Plan 2020 Land Use Map and hotels are an allowable use within this designation. Design policies relevant to the downtown are included in the General Plan 2020. The following is list of design policies that the applicant will need to consider as they continue to evolve a design solution for this project. It is important to note that this list identifies areas of concern. A full list of General Plan Polices can be found in the General Plan. Policy LU -12. Building Heights and Policy LU -13 Height Bonus Height limits in the Downtown San Rafael area are varied. The maximum height limit for this property is 42 feet with an allowable height bonus of 12 feet with use permit approval. Therefore, the total maximum height possible would be 54 feet (if approved by the Planning Commission). The proposed 55.58 -foot building height is inconsistent with the maximum allowable building height. As part of the formal use permit application, the applicant will need to modify the height of the building and provide additional justification for the height bonus by demonstrating this will create a community benefit. In addition, the Design Review Board is being asked to make a recommendation how best to accommodate the additional height from a design perspective. Policy LU -14. Land Use Compatibility Design new development in mixed residential and commercial areas to minimize potential nuisance effects and to enhance their surroundings. The proposed project is a modern L- shaped building with the legs of the "L" bordering Fifth Avenue and B Street. The design includes two tower -like features the are inset from the legs of the building. Parking is proposed within two parking decks with 60 spaces proposed below grade and 26 spaces proposed at grade. The project is located within the Downtown Parking Assessment District, which allows for a waiver of the first 1.0 FAR. Hotels are unique in that the parking is based on number of rooms and not floor area. A parking study will need to be submitted to demonstrate how this waiver translates to a hotel project. The applicant has not provided information on pedestrian loading and unloading, on-site turnaround, or garbage pick-up. Policy H-9. Funding for Affordable Housing The project will be required to contribute to the City's affordable housing obligations as outlined in SRMC Table 14.16.030-3. Hotel projects are obligated to 0.0075 affordable housing units per 1,000 square feet of hotel space plus 0.0225 per 1000 square feet of restaurant/bar, retail and/or meeting facilities associated with the hotel. The applicant would be obligated to either provide the affordable housing on site or pay an in -lieu fee which is calculated as the current per unit fee (currently at 3 $331,070.00) multiplied by the total number of required affordable housing unit (or fraction thereof). The applicant's total obligation will be calculated as part of the formal application analysis. Policy NH -18a. Hotel/Cineplex Support the development of a hotel within the downtown district. The project is a hotel project with a requested height bonus. The applicant will need work with the City to identify an appropriate community benefit to justify the height General Plan Policies specific to Design of buildings in the Downtown In addition to General Plan Policies above, the project will need to comply with design related policies specific to the downtown and the land use category within which this project is located. These policies include designs that step back the upper stories, use architectural elements and varied building design and articulation to create visual interest, add landscaping and alcoves to improve pedestrian environment. The Board is asked to provide feedback with respect to design related General Plan Policies. The following is a list of policies applicable to this site: Policy NH -15. Downtown Vision Continue to implement Our Vision of Downtown San Rafael. Policy NH -29. Downtown Design. New and remodeled buildings must contribute to Downtown's hometown feel. Design elements that enhance Downtown's identity and complement the existing attractive environment are encouraged, and may be required for locations with high visibility or for compatibility with historic structures. Design considerations include: • Varied and distinctive building designs, • Sensitive treatment of historic resources, • Generous landscaping to accent buildings, • Appropriate materials and construction, and • Site design and streetscape continuity. Policy NH -30. Pedestrian Environments Enhance Downtown's streets by establishing pedestrian environments appropriate to each District. These environments could include the following: • Well-designed window displays and views into retail stores, • Outdoor businesses and street vendors, • Signs that are easy for pedestrians to see and read, • Sun -filled outdoor courtyards, plazas and seating areas, • Attractive street furniture and lighting, • Information kiosks and public art. Policy NH -31. Ground Floor Designed for Pedestrians Ensure that all buildings, regardless of height, are comfortable for people at the street level. This includes: • Relating wall and window heights to the height of people, • Use of architectural elements to create visual interest, • Adding landscaping and insets and alcoves for pedestrian interest, and, • Stepping upper stories back as building height increases. 4 Policy NH -45. Fifth/Mission Residential/Office District Design Considerations Fifth/Mission design. • Encourage an interesting diversity of building styles in the Fifth/Mission District ranging from historic Victorians to well -articulated new office buildings. On Fifth Avenue west of E Street and on the east and west ends of Mission Avenue: • Design infill office and residential development to be compatible with existing neighborhood qualities, and • Include landscaped front yards and historic building characteristics. Fifth/Mission pedestrian character. • Enhance the pedestrian character by preserving mature landscaping, planting more street trees and by enhancing views down the cross streets. In addition, establish a strong visual and pedestrian access connection on B Street from Boyd Park to Albert Park, and stronger connections between the Fifth/Mission District and surrounding neighborhoods. Program CD -10a. Nonresidential Design Guidelines - Visual Compatibility Ensure that new structures are visually compatible with the neighborhood and encourage neighborhood gathering places. Guidelines may address screening of service functions, materials and detailing, screening of roof equipment, lighting, landscaping, outdoor cafe seating and pedestrian amenities. Policy CD -18. Landscaping Recognize the unique contribution provided by landscaping, and make it a significant component of all site design. Policy CD -19. Lighting Allow adequate site lighting for safety purposes while controlling excessive light spillover and glare. Policy CD -21. Parking Lot Landscaping Provide parking lot landscaping to control heat build-up from pavement, reduce air pollution, provide shade cover for vehicles and soften the appearance of the parking lot. Emphasize the use of trees, and limit the height of shrub plantings so as to avoid creating security problems. Zoning Ordinance Consistency: The site is located within the 5MR/O zoning district. Hotels are allowable uses with prior conditional use permit review and approval by the Planning Commission. Environmental and design review is also required for this project because it would involve demolition of an existing building, substantial grading to accommodate the below grade parking deck and construction of a new hotel building. The formal application will need to demonstrate compliance with relevant General Plan policies; the San Rafael Design Guidelines, parking requirements for all land uses; landscaping requirements; height limits, including max allowable height bonus; light and glare limits; refuse screening; and screening of mechanical equipment. A decision on the formal environmental and design review application will be made by the Planning Commission with recommendation by the Board. San Rafael Design Guidelines: The project will need to demonstrate compliance with the City of San Rafael Design Guidelines for non- residential development. The guidelines call for some of the same pedestrian oriented design and scale as what is called for in the General Plan policies and include similar criteria that are included in the Zoning Ordinance as codified performance standards. In general, the formal application will need to demonstrate the following: • Auto and pedestrian entrances into development should be easy to find. • Pedestrian areas should be made visually attractive with special planting and flowering trees. 5 • Shade trees should be provided in parking lots per the Zoning Ordinance • Consider pedestrian orientation when designing building entries, windows, signage and doors. • Include a well-defined pedestrian walkway between the street and building entry. • Clearly define pedestrian movement through parking lots by using pavement treatment and landscaped walkways. • Where appropriate, include outdoor gathering places and seating for the public. • Adequate facilities for bicycle parking should be provided. • Consider the development's visual and spatial relationship to adjacent buildings and other structures in the area. • Building entrances should be defined with architectural elements such as roof form changes, awnings, or other architectural elements. • Where appropriate, provide awnings to enhance the design of the building, provide weather protection, and create a sense of human scale • Use articulation, texturing and detailing on all concrete exposed to exterior view. • Exterior materials should minimize reflectivity. • Use color to provide appropriate accents on a building. A more thorough review of the project will be prepared when more details plans are provided as part of the formal application process. Staff seeks the Boards guidance regarding the following: • Overall consistency with the design related General Plan Policies and non-residential Design Guidelines; • How to best accommodate the additional height, while considering the design criteria applicable to this site; • Whether the proposed modern design adequately respects the neighborhoods design qualities; • Provide design recommendations to assure the project contributes in a meaningful way to the architectural styles located along Fifth Avenue and along B street; • Recommendations for transitional elements such stepped facades, balconies, and/or other architectural details that can be incorporated into the project to minimize height differences; • Whether vehicular and pedestrian entries are clear and well defined; • Recommendations on inclusion of pedestrian friendly design and design elements that enhance the pedestrian experience; and • Recommendations on how to best present a landscape proposal as part of the formal submittal that adequately contributes to the Fifth Avenue Streetscape and provides generous landscape treatment and alcoves to accent building NEIGHBORHOOD CORRESPONDENCE Notice of the meeting was posted on site and mailed to the surrounding residents and property owners within 300 feet, as well as the Downtown Business Improvement District at least 15 days prior to this Design Review Board meeting. No Public comments have been received to date CONCLUSION The project is requesting a height bonus that allows a maximum height of 54 feet for this project at this location. No FAR limits are required for hotel projects. The proposed project exceeds the allowable height limit and therefore will have to be modified. Staff is requesting the Boards input on the project with respect to compliance with design related General Plan Policies and compliance with non- residential Design Guidelines. Staff also requests that the Board provide its feedback on the conceptual 0 design approach and appropriateness of the project, including the items raised by staff in this report and summary above. EXHIBITS 1. Project Narrative 2. Project Design Sheets 3. Proposed Project Plans Full-sized and reduced (11 "x 17') color plans have been provided to Board members only. cc: ML Seven Capital Partners, LLC — 1101 Fifth Ave., Suite 300; San Rafael, CA 94901 Semi Salmi — 1101 Fifth Ave., Suite 330; San Rafael, CA 94901 Proposed 1201 Fifth Avenue Hotel Project Narrative: A partnership between the current property owner, 1201 Fifth Avenue LLC and an affiliate of SCS Advisors, Inc. is proposing to demolish the existing ca. 12,000 sf bank building and redevelop the ca. 28,000 sf site into a 140 room hotel with 86 onsite parking spaces, lobby lounge/bar, limited restaurant, two meeting rooms, fitness room, outdoor patio, and support/back of house areas. The hotel will have a contemporary urban design and will be branded by a national chain, currently contemplated as an AC Hotel by Marriott (information attached). The hotel is proposed to be 5 stories and approximately 70,000 gross sf. above grade. A partial below grade (sloping site) deck will provide 60 parking spaces, mechanical, storage, and back of house spaces. The main entrance to the hotel will be located on B Street, below the 5th Avenue intersection. Another entrance, principally pedestrian, will be located on 5th Avenue. Vehicle flows into the building are from 5th Avenue onto the grade/upper deck and from B Street to the main entrance and access into the lower deck. We believe the project has multiple community benefits, namely the addition of a contemporary upscale hotel to downtown San Rafael serving the needs of corporate and leisure travelers, a broadening of the city's revenue via significant transient occupancy tax, additional employment, continued revitalization of the downtown core, and increased patronage to downtown businesses. The partnership is comprised of two local organizations with extensive, relevant, and complementary skill sets, both with offices in the adjacent 1101 Fifth Avenue building — developer -owner Monahan Parker/Monahan Pacific and hotel investment and development firm SCS Advisors, Inc. SCS Advisors is a multi -discipline hotel investment firm that has been the operating partner in the acquisition and asset management of 23 hotels and ground up hotel development of 3 properties. SCS Advisors currently oversees a portolio of 10 hotels comprising approximately 3,500 rooms.