Title
Marina Cove II ("Marina Shores") Design Review and Transportation Plan. Hold a public hearing to consider revised architectural and landscape designs and transportation plan for 52 single-family homes and 37 town homes at 1551 Buena Vista Avenue (bounded by Ohlone Street, Buena Vista Avenue, Clement Avenue, and Entrance Way APN 072-0380-011-00)
Body
CITY OF ALAMEDA
Memorandum
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas
City Planner
Kathleen Livermore
Planner
Date: July 28, 2014
Re: Marina Cove II ("Marina Shores") Design Review and Transportation Plan. Hold a public hearing to consider revised architectural and landscape designs and transportation plan for 52 single-family homes and 37 town homes at 1551 Buena Vista Avenue (bounded by Ohlone Street, Buena Vista Avenue, Clement Avenue, and Entrance Way APN 072-0380-011-00)
BACKROUND
On January 2, 2013, the City Council re-approved the Tentative Map and environmental documents for the subject project to construct 52 single-family homes and 37 multi-family condominium units on the property at 1551 Buena Vista. (The site was originally rezoned and approved for housing in 1999).
On May 27, 2014, the Planning Board held a public hearing on the Design Review application for the new homes. The Design Review application addresses the architectural and landscape designs for the project. At the May meeting, the Planning Board raised a series of issues to be addressed in a revised application. The revised plans are attached as Exhibit 1. Each of the major revisions is described below. The previous Planning Board staff report is also attached for informational purposes (Exhibit 2).
ANALYSIS
Universal Design
As revised, the current proposal includes the following universal design and accessibility features:
· Plan 1 (sheets A1.4 and A1.5) - This single-family plan provides a standard "next-gen" suite on the ground floor with a separate entrance. This suite includes a studio bedroom, bathroom, washer/dryer, and kitchenette, if needed. Other standard features will include: 2'-10" wide minimum doors on the ground floor, grab bar blocking on the ground floor, and light switch, outlet receptacle and environmental controls installed to comply with CBC Chapter 11A. (4 total units)
· Plan 3 & Plan 5 ( sheets A3.2 and A5.2) - These single-family plans provide a standard bedroom and bathroom on the primary entry level along with the main kitchen, dining and living spaces for the whole house. Standard features will include 2'-10" wide minimum doors on the ground floor, grab bar blocking on the ground floor, and light switch, outlet receptacle and environmental controls installed to comply with CBC Chapter 11A. (34 total units)
· Plan 11(sheet AF.5) - This condominium plan provides a standard ground floor master bedroom suite on the primary entry level along with the main kitchen, dining and living spaces for the whole unit. Standard features will include 2'-10" wide minimum doors on the ground floor, grab bar blocking on the ground floor, and light switch, outlet receptacle and environmental controls installed to comply with CBC Chapter 11A. (4 total units)
· Plan 10 (sheet AF.4) - Four of these condominium units provide the required features to satisfy the building code required 10% accessible multistory dwelling unit requirement (CBC Section 1102A.3.1). Where designated, this plan will provide a fully accessible ground floor bedroom, and bathroom. This also includes a fully accessible entrance to the unit from the public right-of-way and throughout the ground floor. (4 total units)
Architectural Design Improvements
The single-family plans include the following improvements:
· A condition of approval requires that all windows are recessed by two inches.
· Side and rear elevations have head and sill window trim, and where appropriate, trim bands, gable details and shutters.
· The elevation of Plan 1, Style A (sheets A1.2 - A1.3) has been revised to reduce the number of differing materials in the elevation.
· The porch guardrails on Plan 2, Style A (sheets A2.0 - A2.1) have been revised to be an open rail that allows for more transparency and increased views of the estuary from the home.
· The tile arch detailing on the front elevation of Plan 4, Style C (sheet A4.0) has been continued on the side arches.
· The side elevation of the Plan 5 (sheet A0.4) adjacent to Clement Avenue has added shutters and a second floor porch to allow for views of the estuary and to continue the articulation of the buildings for the public.
To improve the architectural design of the multifamily condominium buildings, a number of changes were made to each building.
Building A (sheets A0.3, A0.5 and AA.0-AA.3): Building A is designed as a pair of buildings. The two adjacent buildings are mirror images of each other in form, but differences in colors and materials are used to differentiate the two buildings and provided an overall balanced composition of colors and materials between the two buildings. The redesign of Building A changed the roof design and overall massing of each building so that the largest mass is located on the side adjacent to the companion Building A, and the two buildings then step down in height as they transition to the other buildings on the street. Hip roofs on the external sides help transition down to the pedestrian scale of the adjacent single family neighborhood to the east and the pedestrian path to the west.
The re-orientation of the ground floor unit on the smaller side of the building allows the door to this unit to be moved to the side elevation, which makes the buildings more interesting, and helps to activate the corner at Stanton and Buena Vista and provide a front door on the pedestrian, bicycle, and emergency vehicle access (EVA) at the end of the cul-de-sac where it intersects Buena Vista. Brick as well as the EVA pedestrian zone. A brick material siding is used on both buildings to reinforce the pairing, but to avoid a monotonous appearance, one building also uses horizontal siding and the other uses stucco siding in combination with the brick.
Building B (sheets A0.3, A0.5 and AB.0-AB.1): Building B also occurs in the plan twice, but it is designed to occupy the important corners of Entrance and Buena Vista (across from the Del Monte Building) and the corner of Entrance and Clement (across from Del Monte Building and the waterfront park). The two buildings are separated by Building D which faces Entrance Drive. The brick exterior materials provide a reference to its historic neighbor, the Del Monte Building. The standing metal seam roofs provide a residential roof design, in a industrial-style material that references the mixed use character of the area and the historic industries that once occupied the area. The important corners of the building that front onto the public intersections are revised to include a front door on the side elevation for one of the units, and a larger exterior porch and deck. On the waterfront building, the softer color scheme tones down the contrast and provides a calmer street presence that is more compatible with the other waterfront homes in the project.
Building D (sheets A0.3, AD.6 and AD.0-AD.1): At the hearing, the Board had said "it's not about what has been done previously in Alameda, but instead about what housing looks like as Alameda moves forward into the future". The revised Building D architecture respects the historical fabric and composition of the neighborhood, while moving the design into a current architectural discourse. The building possesses undulating tower forms at the roof line that are drawn from the Del Monte building's wave-like parapet rhythm, but does not seek to mimic the style. Contrasting stucco and brick vertical elements combine with iron canopy and balcony details to create clean architectural lines.
Building E (sheets A0.3, A0.4, A0.7 and AE.0-AE.1): Building E has been revised to incorporate the "harbor style" elements of the adjacent 3-story single family homes. The brick has been removed and siding added to lighten the building's presence along Clement Avenue. The porch areas have been opened up to increase views of the estuary. The addition of plan types 11 and 12 has decreased the massing at the east end of the building and works to activate the corner.
Landscape Design
The new plan includes 15 more street trees: four more trees on Clement Avenue, two more on Entrance Road, three more on Buena Vista Avenue, three more on Balsa Street, two more on Stanton Street and one more on Sakas Street. Due to water quality and C-3 regulations, it was not possible to add more than 15 trees. Because of these requirements, and to be effective, many of the smaller bio-swale areas which are designed for storm water management cannot accommodate a tree.
As requested by the Planning Board the EVA now shows a 10' wide concrete pedestrian and bike pathway through the turf block EVA.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan/Transportation Plan
The applicant has submitted a Transportation Plan to comply with the requirement for a TDM Plan. Key features of the Transportation Plan are:
· To avoid the proliferation of multiple Transportation Demand Management Associations (TMAs) around the City, Marina Shores will join an existing TMA, which will provide transportation services to the Marina Shores community. Those services are outlined below. At this time the proposal the Cross Estuary Shuttle program until such time that the planned Northern Waterfront TMA is established by the adjacent and much bigger Del Monte project.
· To fund the transportation services provided by the TMA, each unit will be required to contribute $365 (with annual escalator) per year to fund various Transportation Plan services. (The annual fee is non-optional and the HOA may not remove the condition.) The fee amount is set to match the fees charged for Alameda Landing.
· In return, each residence will receive:
o One AC Transit pass ("EasyPass") with additional passes being available at the same discounted rate
o Access to the Estuary Crossing Shuttle (or equivalent) to and from the Downtown BART Station. As the Northern Waterfront TMA grows, the range and frequency of the services will increase to include service to the Fruitvale station.
· A transportation coordinator who will be responsible for annual monitoring of the Transportation Plan program, funds and activities, to assess the efficacy of program elements and make adjustments, and provide marketing material featuring existing transit and related services programs, including Guaranteed Ride Home, carpooling, vanpooling, ridesharing, Park & Ride lots, car sharing, bike routes, pedestrian circulation, alternative car insurance and telecommuting.
Sea Level Rise
To address the geotechnical conditions and potential future flooding conditions, the site will be raised with imported fill material. This approach is common in Alameda and was executed successfully at the Grand Marina Village project, Bayport, and other residential locations. With the raise in grade, the finished floors (i.e. the first floor of each home) will be approximately 16 to 20 inches above the 100 year flood elevation.
Over time, it is anticipated that sea levels will rise and flooding will become a more frequent occurrence. To address additional sea level rise in the future, the City of Alameda, and all of the property owners in the Northern Waterfront, will need to design and fund a flood control system to protect all the northern waterfront neighborhoods. Although this system has not yet been designed, it is expected that the system will include a perimeter protection system, rather than a system to raise each neighborhood. In the immediate vicinity of this project, that perimeter system will need to be located along the water's edge between the Fortman Marina, Grand Marina, and the waterfront park.
In conclusion, staff believes the applicant has addressed the various issues the Planning Board members raised at the May 27, 2014 Planning Board meeting. The architectural and landscape plans included in Exhibit 1 are well designed and will create an attractive and well-cared-for new neighborhood for Alameda. Staff is recommending that the Planning Board approve the Design Review application subject to certain conditions in the draft Resolution (Exhibit 3). Subject to the conditions of approval in the Resolution, staff is recommending that the Planning Board make the necessary findings contained in the draft resolution.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On January 2, 2013, the City Council adopted the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Tentative Map. This Design Review application is consistent with the approved Tentative Map and the approved Mitigated Negative Declaration.
PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS
Property owners and residents within 300 feet of the project's boundaries were notified of the public hearing and given the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal. As of July 9, 2014, staff has not received any public comments on the Design Review application.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the draft resolution (Exhibit 3) to approve the Design Review application.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas
City Planner
Exhibit:
1. Marina Cove II Design Review Plans
2. May 27, 2014 staff report
3. Draft Planning Board Resolution
4. Transportation Plan