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Home My WebLink AboutDRB 2022-03-22 Agenda Packet Design Review Board Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 22, 2022, 7:00 P.M. AGENDA Virtual Meeting Watch on Webinar: https://tinyurl.com/drb-2022-03-22 Telephone: (669) 900-9128 Meeting ID: 841 8302 4106# One Tap Mobile: US: + 16699009128,,84183024106# CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) ADVISORY NOTICE In response to Assembly Bill 361, the City of San Rafael is offering teleconference without complying with the procedural requirements of Government Code section 54953(b)(3). This meeting will be held virtually using Zoom. How to participate in the meeting: • Submit public comments in writing. Correspondence received by 10:00 p.m. Tuesday the week before the meeting will be provided with the agenda materials provided to the Board. Correspondence received after this deadline will be conveyed to the Board as a supplement. Send correspondence to the project planner or to PlanningPublicComment@cityofsanrafael.org; or send in writing to Planning Division, CDD; 1400 5th Ave. 3rd Fl.; San Rafael, CA 94901. • Join the Zoom webinar and use the 'raise hand' feature to provide verbal public comment. • Dial-in to Zoom's telephone number using the meeting ID and provide verbal public comment. Any member of the public who needs accommodations should contact the City Clerk (email city.clerk@cityofsanrafael.org or phone at 415-485-3066) who will use their best efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to provide as much accessibility as possible while also maintaining public safety in accordance with the City procedure for resolving reasonable accommodation requests. Members of the public may speak on Agenda items. CALL TO ORDER RECORDING OF MEMBERS PRESENT AND ABSENT APPROVAL OR REVISION OF ORDER OF AGENDA ITEMS PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF MEETING PROCEDURES ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC Remarks are limited to three minutes per person and may be on anything within the subject matter jurisdiction of the body. Remarks on non-agenda items will be heard first, remarks on agenda items will be heard at the time the item is discussed. CONSENT CALENDAR The Consent Calendar allows the Board to take action, without discussion, on Agenda items for which there are no persons present who wish to speak, and no Board members who wish to discuss. 1. Approval of the Design Review Board Meeting Minutes of February 23, 2022 Recommended Action – Approve minutes as submitted ACTION CALENDAR 2. 88 Vivian Street (70-unit Residential Development Request for Environmental and Design Review Permit, Use Permit, and Tentative Subdivision Map for demolition of the existing Country Club Bowl and construction of 70 for-sale residential units in 14 separate buildings; APN: 008-092-02; Neighborhood Commercial (NC) Zone; Matt Ashton of Ashton 3, LLC Applicant; Charlie Kinstler, Owner; ED21-042; UP21-017; TS21-004 Project Planner: Krystle Rizzi, Contract Planner Krystle.rizzi@cityofsanrafael.org Recommended Action – Review and recommend approval of site and building design DIRECTOR’S REPORT BOARD COMMUNICATION ADJOURNMENT Any records relating to an agenda item, received by a majority or more of the Commission less than 72 hours before the meeting, shall be available for inspection online. Sign Language interpreters may be requested by calling (415) 485-3066 (voice), emailing city.clerk@cityofsanrafael.org or using the California Telecommunications Relay Service by dialing “711”, at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting. Copies of documents are available in accessible formats upon request. Minutes subject to approval at the meeting of March 22, 2022 Design Review Board Regular Meeting Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 7:00 P.M. MINUTES Virtual Meeting Watch on Webinar: https://tinyurl.com/drb-2022-02-23 Telephone: (669) 900-9128 Meeting ID: 841 8302 4106# One Tap Mobile: US: + 16699009128,,84183024106# CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) ADVISORY NOTICE In response to Assembly Bill 361, the City of San Rafael is offering teleconference without complying with the procedural requirements of Government Code section 54953(b)(3). This meeting will be held virtually using Zoom. How to participate in the meeting: • Submit public comments in writing. Correspondence received by 10:00 p.m. the Tuesday the week before the meeting will be provided with the agenda materials provided to the Board. Correspondence received after this deadline but by 12:00 p.m. the day before the hearing will be conveyed to the Board as a supplement. Correspondence received after this deadline will not be distributed to the Board but will be saved in the project administrative record. Send correspondence to the project planner or to PlanningPublicComment@cityofsanrafael.org; or send in writing to Planning Division, CDD; 1400 5th Ave. 3rd Fl.; San Rafael, CA 94901. • Join the Zoom webinar and use the 'raise hand' feature to provide verbal public comment. • Dial-in to Zoom's telephone number using the meeting ID and provide verbal public comment. Any member of the public who needs accommodations should contact the City Clerk (email city.clerk@cityofsanrafael.org or phone at 415-485-3066) who will use their best efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to provide as much accessibility as possible while also maintaining public safety in accordance with the City procedure for resolving reasonable accommodation requests. Present: Chair Pro Tem Kovalsky Board Member Kent Board Member Paul Board Member Summers Absent : Chair Rege Board Member Blayney Also Present: Jeff Ballantine, Senior Planner Leslie Mendez, Planning Manager CALL TO ORDER Chair Pro Tem Kovalsky called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. She then invited Senior Planner Jeff Ballantine to call the roll. All board members were present, except for Member Blayney and Chair Rege. APPROVAL OR REVISION OF ORDER OF AGENDA ITEMS None PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF MEETING PROCEDURES Chair Pro Tem Kovalsky invited Senior Planner Jeff Ballantine who informed the community that members of the public would provide public comment either on the telephone or through Zoom. He explained the process for community participation on the telephone and Zoom. Chair Pro Tem Kovalsky reviewed the procedures for the meeting. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC None CONSENT CALENDAR Chair Pro Tem Kovalsky invited public comment; however, there was none. Member Kent moved and Member Summers seconded to approve the Minutes as submitted. 1. Approval of the Design Review Board Meeting Minutes of February 8, 2022 Approved minutes as submitted AYES: Members: Kent, Summers, Paul & Chair Pro Tem Kovalsky NOES: Members: None ABSENT: Members: Blayney & Chair Rege ABSTAIN: Members: None Motion carried 4-0 ACTION CALENDAR 2. 610 Du Bois Street Request for a sign program to install 19 signs for an existing automobile dealership shopping center. APN: 013-041-29; Planned Development Zoning District (PD) 1542; Christian Oakes, Applicant. File No(s): PLAN21-053. Project Planner: Shawna Brekke-Read shawnaB@cityofsanrafael.org Recommended Action – Provide guidance on number of signs Shawna Brekke-Read, Project Planner presented the Staff Report. Applicant gave a presentation. Applicant responded to questions from the Members. Chair Pro Tem Kovalsky invited public comment; however, there was none. Members provided comments. Member Kent moved and Member Paul seconded to recommend approval of this project as submitted. AYES: Members: Kent, Paul, Summers & Chair Pro Tem Kovalsky NOES: Members: None ABSENT: Members: Blayney & Chair Rege ABSTAIN: Members: None Motion carried 4-0 DIRECTOR’S REPORT Jeff Ballantine, Senior Planner reported on the following items: • Staff to address technical issues that have been arising during recent Design Review Board Meetings. • Staff to attempt to consolidate DRB items to avoid having consecutive meetings with only one public hearing item. • City Council announced in-person meetings expected to start in April. BOARD COMMUNICATION None ADJOURNMENT Chair Pro Tem Kovalsky adjourned the meeting at 7:41 p.m. ___________________________ LINDSAY LARA, City Clerk APPROVED THIS _____DAY OF____________, 2022 _____________________________________ SHARON KOVALSKY, Chair Pro Tem Community Development Department – Planning Division Meeting Date: March 22, 2022 Case Numbers: ED21-042; UP21-017; TS21-004; Project Planner: Krystle Rizzi, Krystle.rizzi@cityofsanrafael.org Agenda Item: 2 REPORT TO DESIGN REVIEW BOARD SUBJECT: 88 Vivian Street (70-unit Residential Development) – ED21-042; UP21-017; TS21-004; for demolition of the existing Country Club Bowl and construction of 70 for-sale residential units including six available to low income households, in 14 separate buildings.; APN: 008-092-02; Neighborhood Commercial (NC) Zone; Matt Ashton of Ashton 3, LLC Applicant; Charlie Kinstler, Owner; Canal Neighborhood. BACKGROUND The proposed project was previously reviewed by the Design Review Board (DRB) on December 7, 2021. Following City staff (“staff”) and applicant presentations, the Board discussed the project and made a motion recommending continuation of the project to a future date with direction to the applicant to revise the site plan to include more tenant amenities, usable open space, and landscaping throughout the site. On January 18, 2022, the applicant submitted revised plans and on February 17, 2022, the application was deemed complete by the City of San Rafael. Staff requests the Board review the project revisions to determine whether the Board’s comments have been adequately addressed. If so, staff requests the Board to recommend Planning Commission approval of the project. This staff report focuses on the revisions to the site plan dated January 17, 2022 (Exhibit 1). The December 7th staff report is provided as Exhibit 2 and includes a thorough discussion of the overall project including requested entitlements, waivers requested pursuant to State Density Bonus Law, and the project’s general consistency with applicable design-related policies, standards, and guidelines. SUMMARY OF REVISIONS Tenant Amenities and Usable Open Space This section documents revisions to the site plan to include more tenant amenities and usable open space. To assist the Board in visualizing these changes, staff has annotated the original and revised plans which are included as Figure 1 and Figure 2, respectively. Each figure includes the area of revisions outlined to assist the Board in comparing the original and revised design. Each revision is summarized below and corresponds to the revisions annotated on Figure 2. • Revision 1 refers to the area adjacent to Building 6 at the southwest corner of the site. The building type has been amended from Building Type 100, which contains four units to Building Type 500 which contains three units. This change in building type is to accommodate an approximately 750 square foot landscaped tenant amenity area with tables and seating. • Revision 2 refers to the largest open space area located between Buildings 7 and 8. This area has been modified to increase the distance between the two buildings, allowing for a larger open space area and more amenities. Where previously the distance between the residential buildings ranged in width from 45 to 67 feet, it now ranges from 61 to 75 feet. The area has increased from approximately 5,700 to 6,000 square feet. Previously the area included bike racks, benches, a turf area, and a shade structure with BBQs, tables, and chairs. The modified site plan now includes the above-listed amenities, a play structure, and additional benches. • Revision 3 refers to the area adjacent to Building 9. This area has been modified to eliminate the four uncovered parking spaces and now includes a 1,170 square foot open space area with benches. • Revision 4 refers to the area adjacent to Building 14 with frontage on Belvedere Street. To accommodate the proposed 1,200 square foot landscaped tenant amenity area with tables and seating, the applicant has introduced a new building type (Building Type 600), which is comprised of four one-bedroom units (Plan 6 and Plan 7). This new building type replaces Building Type 500 which contains three units. Figure 1: Original Site Plan Figure 2: Revised Site Plan Landscaping The total landscaped area has been increased from 15,527 square feet (14.8% of the project site) to 21,444 square feet (20.4% of the project site). As directed by the Board, landscaping has been revised to include trees along the interior portions of the main project drive aisle to soften the appearance of hardscape areas. Additional trees and shrubs have also been added throughout the site as shown in Figure 2, above. Proposed trees are a variety of size and species including 36-inch box (Chinese elm, shoestring acacia), 24-inch box (marina strawberry, Brisbane box), and 15-gallon (eastern redbud, crape myrtle, yep pine, bright n’ tight Carolina Laurel) species. ANALYSIS Staff’s analysis contained in the December 7th staff report discussed the project’s consistency with standards contained in Title 14 (Zoning) and Title 15 (Subdivisions) of the San Rafael Municipal Code as well as consistency with design-related General Plan policies and Design Guidelines for Residential Development. Staff found the project to be consistent with all applicable standards, policies, and guidelines except for the following waivers of development standards that the applicant may request pursuant to State Density Bonus Law (Government Code Section 65915(e)): • Increase in maximum height from 30-feet to 35-feet 6-inches • Eliminate requirement for community/recreational building as set forth in Section 15.12.060 of the SRMC During the December 7th meeting, staff requested the Board to provide targeted feedback and recommendations related to site design, landscaping, distribution of open space, building entrances, colors, and overall building design. As noted previously, the Board requested that the applicant revise the plans to include more tenant amenities, usable open space, and landscaping throughout the site. Staff noted that comments provided on the site plan should address practical modifications that would not result in a decrease in the proposed density. The revised plans include more tenant amenities, usable open space, and landscaping throughout the site while maintaining a total of 70 residential units (6 of which will be affordable to low income households). NEIGHBORHOOD CORRESPONDENCE Notice of hearing for the project was conducted in accordance with noticing requirements contained in Chapter 29 of the Zoning Ordinance. A Notice of Public Hearing was mailed to all property owners and occupants within a 300-foot radius of the subject site and all other interested parties, 15 calendar days prior to this hearing. Public notice was also posted on the subject site 15 calendar days prior to the date of this hearing. Following the December 7th DRB hearing, staff received several public inquiries including questions related to inclusionary housing requirements, parking, traffic, and status of project entitlements. No public comments have been received as of the publishing of this staff report. CONCLUSION Staff believes that the revised submittal responds to the Board’ s consensus comments related to tenant amenities, usable open space, and landscaping and is consistent with the applicable General Plan policies, zoning regulations, and Design Review Guidelines, as discussed in detail in the December 7, 2021 staff report (Exhibit 2). RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Board review and discuss the project revisions and forward a recommendation of approval for the proposed site and building design to the City’s Planning Commission. The Board may impose design-related conditions of approval if deemed necessary. EXHIBITS 1. Project Plans available electronically at https://storage.googleapis.com/proudcity/sanrafaelca/uploads/2022/03/3rd-Submittal-Package- Final-compresse1.pdf 2. December 7, 2021 Design Review Board Staff Report available electronically at https://storage.googleapis.com/proudcity/sanrafaelca/uploads/2021/12/DRB-Agenda-Packet-2021- 12-07.pdf Additional project information can be found on the project webpage: https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/88-vivian/