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Home My WebLink AboutDRB 2021-06-08 Minutes MINUTES San Rafael Design Review Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 8, 2021, 7:00 P.M. Virtual Meeting Watch on Webinar: https://tinyurl.com/drb-2021-6-8 Telephone: (669) 900-9128 ID: 847-5414-6598# Present: Chair Paul Member Blayney Vice Chair Rege Member Summers Planning Commission Liaison Previtali Absent: Member Kent Also Present: Shawna Brekke-Read, Interim Planning Manager Steve Stafford, Senior Planner Michele Ginn, Permit Services Coordinator Krystle Rizzi, Project Planner Dave Hogan, Project Planner CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. All board members were present, except for Member Kent. STAFF COMMUNICATION • Change to Consent Calendar – Minutes of February 17, 2021 and May 4, 2021 were removed from the Consent Calendar due to the absence of Member Kent • Shawna Brekke-Read was introduced as the Interim Planning Manager/DRB Staff Liaison • Progress update provided to Design Review Board on the General Plan 2040, Downtown Precise Plan and Final Environmental Impact Review BOARD COMMUNICATION • No plans for in-person Design Review Board meetings at this time • Chair Paul proposed to change the order of the Agenda items to put last Discussion Item (16 De Luca Place) to be heard as the first Discussion Item. Member Summers agreed, but also announced that he would recuse himself from this item, since it involves his office AYES: Members: Blayney, Rege, Summers & Chair Paul NOES: Members: None ABSENT: Members: Kent ABSTAIN: Members: None Motion carried 4-0-1 PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF MEETING PROCEDURES Chair Paul invited Interim Planning Manager Shawna Brekke-Read who informed the community that members of the public would provide public comment either on the telephone or through Zoom. She explained the process for community participation on the telephone and Zoom. Chair Paul reviewed the procedures for the meeting. CONSENT CALENDAR During Staff Communication, the Minutes of February 17, 2021 and May 4, 2021 were removed from the Consent Calendar due to the absence of Member Kent. Member Summers moved and Member Rege seconded to approve the Consent Calendar. 1. Approval of the Design Review Board Meeting Minutes of November 4, 2020 Approved as submitted AYES: Members: Blayney, Rege, Summers & Chair Paul NOES: Members: None ABSENT: Members: Kent ABSTAIN: Members: None Motion carried 4-0-1 DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. 16 De Luca Place Request for Conceptual Design Review to demolish an existing one-story industrial building and construct a new two-story, 7,774 square foot building. The building will contain primarily storage/factory spaces with ancillary office space not exceeding 25 percent of the overall building square footage.; APN: 013-081-04; Industrial (I), Zoning District; Mark and Kathleen Barger, Owner; Stewart Summers, SKS Architects, Applicant; File No.: CDR21-001 Project Planners: Krystle Rizzi During Board Communication, this item was moved to be heard as the first Discussion Item, rather than remain as the third Discussion Item. Member Summers recused himself from this Item since it involves his office. He left the meeting before this Item at 7:12 p.m. Krystle Rizzi, Project Planner presented the Staff Report. Staff responded to questions from the Members. Applicant Steve Murch gave a presentation. Applicant responded to questions from the Members. Chair Paul invited public comment; however, there was none. Members provided feedback including: • Question regarding ADA parking and clarification on the use • No issue with colors and materials • Window awnings on different elevations could use reworking • Consider skylights • Landscaping concerns, discussion of vertical landscaping, introduce more to bring it up to 10%, eliminate a parking space in front for landscaping? • Concerns on the number of containers on site • Siding and awnings could improve the design if done right • Building location shift due to use continuing on the neighboring lot, Allied Heating owns both sites • Primary use is factory Member Summers returned to the meeting after this item at 7:52 p.m. 3. 33/41 Ross Street Terrace Request for a Lot Line Adjustment for property line adjustment, Exception, and Environmental and Design Review Permits to allow: (1) Construction of a 2,842 square- foot, single-family residence on vacant hillside Lot 59; (2) Construction of a 2,885 square foot residence on vacant hillside Lot 60; and (3) Construction of a two lane access driveway approximately 480 feet in length within the undeveloped Ross Street Terrace right-of-way; APN: 012-141-59 and 012-141-60; Single-family Residential (R7.5) District; Coby Freidman, applicant. File No(s).: LLA19-008/ED19-090/ED19- 091/EX20-006. Project Planner: Dave Hogan Dave Hogan, Project Planner presented the Staff Report. Staff responded to questions from the Members. Applicant Steve Carter gave a presentation. Applicant responded to questions from the Members. Chair Paul invited public comment. Correspondence in real-time on telephone or Zoom: Len Rifkind, Amy and Joe Likover, Valerie Wells, Katie Chamberlin, Victor Kunin, Dan Hughes, Jonathan Toste, Jessica Yarnall Loarie, Katherine Foehr, Susan Miltner and Marco Berti, Jonathan Steel, Emily Foehr, Jeanne and David Campbell, Leslie Burnside, Katherine Foehr, Padmarao, Bryan, Melinda Benedict, Peter Marks Members provided feedback. Interim Planning Manager Shawna Brekke-Read summarized the Members’ feedback: • General consensus that the number of parking spaces needs to be increased to meet the two guests spaces on each individual site • Explore ways to reduce the massing or appearance of the walls, either through landscaping or some other height reduction • The applicant to explore ways to reduce the overall use of the sight with pervious surface and explore either impervious surfaces if it’s acceptable with the Fire Department for the access area, as well as, possibly with the driveway • Access, in general, acknowledged as the biggest issue, also identified that the property owner has the right to construct homes on the individual lots • Mixture of comments about the natural state - On one hand there is the sentiment that the natural state requirement is antiquated, and on the other hand, that the amount of natural state that’s retained could be increased • Consensus that the Fire Department and City Staff provides the information regarding safety, and if the Fire Department believes that they can make it up Ross that there is a trust in that recommendation • Comments about looking for judicious ways to prune the size of the house and entry and find ways to soften the appearance of the house and the retaining wall and also to increase the amount of space that is left in some sort of landscaped fashion • Comment related to elevations for the second level, terraces and looking for ways to provide access to the landscaping and the first level Member Blayney moved and Member Summers seconded to continue this item. AYES: Members: Blayney, Rege, Summers & Chair Paul NOES: Members: None ABSENT: Members: Kent ABSTAIN: Members: None Motion carried 4-0-1 Item continued BREAK: 9:55 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. 4. 800 Mission Ave. (“Aegis Living San Rafael”) Request amendment of Use Permit and an Environmental and Design Review Permit approvals to allow a 11’ 2” height bonus for a previously approved senior assisted living and memory care facility on two vacant Downtown parcels with 29,885 sq. ft. of combined area. Amendment of the approvals would increase the height of the building from 36’ to 47’ 2” and increase the unit count from 77 suites to 106 suites. The remainder of the approved site and building design would remain unchanged; APNS: 011-184-08 & -09; Multifamily Residential – High Density (HR1) District Zone; Geoff Forner, Applicant; ASC San Rafael LLC, Owner; Downtown Neighborhood. Project Planners: Steve Stafford Steve Stafford, Senior Planner presented the Staff Report. Staff responded to questions from the Members. Applicant Geoff Forner and Architect Laurie Linville-Gregston gave a presentation. Applicant responded to questions from the Members. Chair Paul invited public comment. Correspondence in real-time on telephone or Zoom: Eric Holm, Nina Lilienthal-Murphy, Name withheld, Name withheld, Name withheld, Name withheld, Name withheld, Name withheld, Ross Dryer, Name withheld Applicant responded to questions from the Members. Members provided feedback. Interim Planning Manager Shawna Brekke-Read summarized the Members’ feedback: • General consensus that the original design met with the Design Review Board’s expectations and hit the California Mission style, and that adding the level significantly degrades the California Mission style • Scale and massing has lost its appeal and character • Height bonus might be possible, but not necessarily on the whole floor • The elimination of the towers through an administrative approval was a disappointment previously with eliminating a tower – there is a general agreement of adding the towers back in, but they need to stand proud of the mission walls • Question about what the height bonus means now and in the future • General direction to do some stepping back and some articulation if indeed a floor is added • Comment regarding the loss of the roof deck is disappointing • Comments regarding whether parking is adequate Applicant provided comments. Members provided comments. Member Blayney moved and Member Summers seconded to continue this item. AYES: Members: Blayney, Rege, Summers & Chair Paul NOES: Members: None ABSENT: Members: Kent ABSTAIN: Members: None Motion carried 4-0-1 Item continued BOARD COMMUNICATION None ADJOURNMENT: Chair Paul adjourned the meeting at 11:26 p.m. ___________________________ LINDSAY LARA, City Clerk APPROVED THIS _____DAY OF____________, 2021 _____________________________________ Larry Paul, Chair