Title
PLN14-0305 - 2350 Harbor Bay Parkway - Applicant: Mina Patel. The applicant requests approval of Final Development Plan and Design Review to allow the construction of a 99-room hotel on the Harbor Bay Business Park shoreline. This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 - Infill Development Projects.
Body
CITY OF ALAMEDA
Memorandum
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas
City Planner
Date: February 9, 2015
Re: PLN14-0305 - 2350 Harbor Bay Parkway - Applicant: Mina Patel. The applicant requests approval of Final Development Plan and Design Review to allow the construction of a 99-room hotel on the Harbor Bay Business Park shoreline. This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 - Infill Development Projects.
BACKGROUND
The proposed project consists of a new 99-room hotel to be constructed on a waterfront property in the Harbor Bay Business Park. The new hotel features guest rooms and suites to accommodate short-duration stays. The building has approximately 64,787 square feet of floor area, which includes guest rooms, indoor pool, gym, meeting rooms and other guest amenities. The building would be approximately 63 feet in height. (The Final Development Plan and Design Review plans are attached as Exhibit 1.)
The applicant is planning to operate the new hotel under the Fairfield Inn and Suites brand, a product of the Marriott hotel chain. Fairfield Inn and Suites is a standard guest rooms and suites hotel featuring contemporary accommodations for both business and family travel.
The project site is comprised of two parcels totaling 65,796 square feet. The hotel and parking, and associated landscaping, will be located on a 50,958 square foot parcel. Bay Trail and landscaping improvements will be located on the adjacent 14,837 square foot parcel. Once the improvements have been completed on the smaller waterfront parcel, the applicant proposes to dedicate the parcel to the City to be included as part of the Shoreline Park. The existing Shoreline Park borders the properties on the east and west.
The Harbor Bay Industrial Park Development Plan, approved by Planning Board Resolution No. 1203 in 1981, establishes the development standards for the Harbor Bay Business Park and this property. The 1981 plan was amended by Resolution No. 1533 in 1985. These development standards and entitlements were then vested by the City Council-approved 1989 Development Agreement, which specifically references Resolutions No. 1203 and No. 1533. By vesting the 1981 and 1985 standards, the 1989 Development Agreement exempts the property from new standards in either the General Plan or Zoning Ordinance that the City may have adopted after 1989. Therefore, the following analysis considers project conformance with the requirements of the 1989 Development Agreement. Where these requirements differ from current requirements in the General Plan or Zoning Ordinance, those differences are noted.
ANALYSIS
The proposed site plan depicts the location of the new building, parking, outdoor spaces, landscaping, and Bay Trail waterfront improvements. Table 1 summarizes project compliance with the major applicable development standards.
Table 1 Project Compliance Summary
Requirement |
Requirement |
Proposed by Project |
Compliance |
Setbacks Front (Harbor Bay Pkwy) Side Rear |
50 ft. 0-5 ft. 0-9 ft. |
50 ft. 15ft. 9 ft. |
Complies |
Maximum Lot Coverage |
50% |
26% |
Complies |
Building Height |
100 ft. |
63 ft. |
Complies |
FAR |
0.5 to 2.0 |
.98 |
Complies |
Setbacks: As shown in Table 1, the project complies with the applicable setback requirements:
· Per the 1982, 1989, and current standards, projects must maintain a 50-feet wide landscaped front setback from Harbor Bay Parkway. The proposed hotel is located on a curve in Harbor Bay Parkway and will maintain the required 50-foot setback.
· Per the 1982, 1989, and current standards, the parking for the building may be adjacent to the side and rear property lines if the adjacent properties provide 15 feet of landscaping adjacent to the property line, which is the case for this project.
Lot Coverage: Lot coverage measures the amount of the lot that is covered by the building footprint. At 17,211 square feet, the footprint of the building and parking structure represents less than 26% of the total site area of 65,796 square feet. Per the City's requirements, the project should not cover more than 50% of the lot.
Floor Area Ratio (FAR): Floor Area Ratio is the ratio of the total floor area enclosed within the structure to the size of the lot. The General Plan and 1989 Development Agreement allows an FAR of between 0.5 and 2.0, depending on the amount of parking enclosed within a structure. The proposed development plan encloses 35% of the required parking, resulting in a maximum FAR for this project of 1.02. The proposed FAR is 0.98.
Building Height and Architectural Design: Given the unique location of the site between the Harbor Bay Parkway and the San Francisco Bay, the building will be highly visible from all four sides and will become a visual focal point within the Business Park and along the waterfront. Under the Harbor Bay Business Park Development Plan, the height limit for the property is 100 feet. The proposed hotel will be 63 feet in height.
During the review process, concerns have been raised about the proposed height of the building blocking views of the Bay. Since the site is currently a vacant parcel, the new buildings will block views of the Bay from some vantage points within the Business Park. However, these changes to the view of the Bay from the Business Park will occur even if the height of the building is lowered. The flat topography of the site and the surrounding Business Park, ensures that construction of even a one-story building impacts the views of the water and Bay from adjacent and nearby public and private properties.
Since the building is situated behind the Bay Trail, views of the water from the Bay Trail will not be changed, even though the building will be visible from the Bay Trail. For people driving along Harbor Bay Parkway, views of the water will be blocked as they approach and pass the building in their vehicles.
Residents living behind the Business Park and lagoon have a view of the Bay across the lagoon and two currently vacant Business Park properties owned by the VF Corporation. The VF Corporation has City approval to build an additional office building on one of the parcels and it has plans to develop the second parcel. With the build-out of the Business Park, views of the Bay from the residential areas will decrease. For these reasons, the City of Alameda and Business Park owners have worked very hard to design attractive buildings and landscape areas throughout the Business Park, with special consideration to the views of the improvements from residential areas.
Given the unique location of the site, the building will be visible from all four sides and will become a defining building for the Harbor Bay Business Park. The proposal provides a contemporary architectural style that will complement the contemporary Business Park buildings that face Harbor Bay Parkway and the site. The building elevations provide a series of bays and a variety of building forms, entryways, windows and materials that provide visual interest at each floor. The building mass is articulated on the ground floor and upper floors with several rectangular forms, each of which features a different color. Facades are covered with smooth plaster finishes that are articulated by a series of landscaped terraces and visible landscape elements that accent the facades at the second, fourth and fifth levels.
The project has been reviewed and approved by the Harbor Bay Business Park Architectural Review Committee (see Exhibit 2).
A condition of approval in the resolution requires a final design review approval by the Community Development Department prior to issuance of a Building Permit to finalize project architectural design details, surface colors and materials, window design, airplane safety lighting, bicycle parking design, and sign size and location. Final improvement plans for on- and off-site landscape and hardscape improvements will be subject to review and approval of both the Public Works Department and the Community Development Department.
Parking and Transportation Plan: The parking is located on the north, east and west sides of the property and screened from the public right-of-way with landscaping and trees. A bicycle parking area is located at the front of the property on the north side of the property.
Parking plans for the site have been the subject of much discussion and study during the project review process. Given the unique location of the property adjacent to the Shoreline Park, the project is designed to minimize the need for, and amount of, off-street, surface parking lots. By reducing the demand for parking, the project is designed to minimize automobile traffic and minimize the amount of asphalt parking areas adjacent to, and surrounded by, the Shoreline Park and Bay Trail.
Pursuant to Alameda Municipal Code Section 30-7.13, the Planning Board can reduce the required amount of parking to reflect the expected demand for the project. To reduce the need for parking, the project provides on-demand, free shuttle services from the hotel to the Oakland International Airport, Airport BART Extension, Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal, Park Street restaurants and entertainment, and all Harbor Bay Business Park occupants. (A prior study conducted for the hotel at 1700 Harbor Bay Parkway determined that approximately 60% of hotel patronage is generated by visitors doing business with the nearby businesses in Harbor Bay Business Park.)
The on-demand shuttle services will be available from 4:00 am to 1:00 am daily (21 hours per day). In addition, the hotel is served by the commute hour Harbor Bay Business Park free shuttle that provides service between the Ferry Terminal and Coliseum BART. The hotel will also be providing bicycles free of charge for visitor use.
In October, Abrams & Associates prepared a parking demand study for the project (Exhibit 3) that determined that with the free shuttle service, and convenient location near the airport and nearby businesses, the demand for parking would be approximately 0.66 spaces per room, or 69 spaces for the proposed 105 rooms.
Since October, the project has been revised to provide 0.81 spaces per room, or 80 spaces for 99 rooms, which reflects the parking to room ratio recently approved by the Planning Board for the hotel expansion at 1700 Harbor Bay Parkway. In the event that additional parking is needed to accommodate special events, the hotel operator will lease additional parking through shared parking agreements with nearby businesses, whose parking is underutilized during the evening and late night hours.
To minimize the need for large surface parking lots next to the park, the project includes 14 parking lifts. Parking lifts allow the operator to park two vehicles in one space. To eliminate the visual impact of the parking lifts from the Bay Trail and Harbor Bay Parkway, the portion of the parking area that includes the lifts is enclosed in a structure adjacent to the hotel.
In 2013, the AMC was amended to require a hotel of this size to provide four to five long-term bicycle parking spaces and approximately two short-term bicycle parking spaces. The applicant has agreed to meet these new requirements to support bicycle use at the site. The proposed locations for the bicycle parking areas are shown on the project plans.
Park and Bay Trail Improvements: Currently, the Shoreline Park Bay Trail is interrupted by the vacant, subject property. The Bay Trail was never completed across this property. A temporary substandard asphalt path has served over the years to connect the concrete bike and pedestrian path located on either side of the property along the property's Bay frontage. The project applicant is proposing to construct the needed improvements to the Bay Trail and dedicate the improved 14,837-square foot property to the City upon completion of the improvements, which will serve to close the existing gap in Bay Trail and complete the Shoreline Park in this area. In addition, the project will install landscaping and benches adjacent to the Bay Trail immediately west of the subject property and on the City-owned parcel located on either side. This will complete City- and BCDC-required improvements within and adjacent to the property.
Landscape Plan: The applicant has submitted a landscape plan and plant list that include a mix of trees, shrubs, grasses, and other low-lying ground cover vegetation that is consistent with Bay Friendly Landscaping Guidelines, which promote native, drought-tolerant species. The Landscape Plan is shown in Exhibit 1, Sheet L1. The AMC requires one tree per four parking spaces to create a shade canopy. Under the Business Park planned development, the applicant may implement a landscape plan that provides varying densities of trees within the parking lot as long as the overall ratio of one tree per four spaces is maintained.
Off-site Roadway Improvements: Pursuant to the Harbor Bay Development Agreement, a portion of the property taxes and building permit fees from this project will fund the Harbor Bay Business Park Transportation Improvement Fund (TIF). The purpose of the TIF is to fund transportation and signal improvements in the Business Park. A signal will be necessary in the near future at the currently impacted intersection of Harbor Bay Parkway and North Loop Road. The unsignalized intersection currently operates at an unacceptable level of service during peak hours. Per the Development Agreement and the Infrastructure Agreement for the Business Park, the necessary traffic signal improvements will be funded by the TIF.
Airport Safety: The project is located within the Airport Safety Zone of the Oakland Airport and triggers the review of both the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The ALUC deemed the project consistent with airport land use regulations upon the FAA issuing a Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation for the proposed location and maximum building height (see Exhibit 4, ALUC Letter). The FAA has determined in its letter dated October 1, 2014, that the project will not pose a hazard to air navigation at the Oakland International Airport or in Bay Area airspace (see Exhibit 5, FAA Letter). The project, as conditioned, will comply with all regulatory requirements pertaining to airport safety.
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. Project notification was also provided to the responsible regulatory agencies including the ALUC, FAA, and the Port of Oakland. Public comment letters received on the proposal over the last 90 days are attached as Exhibit 6.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 - Infill Development Projects. The project meets all requirements for the infill exemption, including the following:
a) The project is consistent with the applicable General Plan designation and all applicable General Plan policies as well as with applicable zoning designation and regulations. The proposed project is consistent with the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and Harbor Bay Industrial Park Development Plan, approved by Planning Board Resolution No. 1203 in 1981, which establish the development standards for the Harbor Bay Business Park and this property.
b) The proposed development occurs within city limits on a project site of no more than five acres substantially surrounded by urban uses. The project site is located within the Harbor Bay Business Park, an urban commercial office park, and the project site is approximately 1.17 acres in size.
c) The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species. The small parcel for the proposed development is currently vacant and it has no habitat value for any endangered, rare, or threatened wildlife species. The vacant lot is immediately adjacent to the Harbor Bay Parkway. The proposed project will not require any work within the San Francisco Bay. A habitat assessment and survey of burrowing owls conducted by WRA Environmental Consultants (see Exhibit 7) concluded that no burrowing owls are present on the site and that the site provides poor quality habitat for burrowing owls. The findings are consistent with similar findings made by other Biological experts and professionals who have surveyed nearby sites for the recent developments in the Business Park, such as the VF campus, Esplanade Waterfront development and other developments.
d) Approval of the project would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air navigation, air quality or water quality.
Traffic: The project will not result in any significant transportation impacts. The Abrams & Associates traffic study concluded that there would not be impacts from a 105-room hotel that would generate approximately 61 AM peak hour and 65 PM peak hour trips. With the reduction to 99 rooms, the addition of on-demand shuttle services, bicycle services and off-site improvements funded through business park TIF, the project will not result in any significant traffic impacts.
Noise: The proposed construction and operation of the hotel in the Business Park will not result in any significant noise impacts. The site is immediately adjacent to an active airport that generates significant noise in the area. The construction and operation of the hotel will be subject to the restrictions and requirements of the City of Alameda Noise Ordinance which ensures that no significant noise impacts are generated on-site by the hotel that would impact the adjacent parcels as the result of the hotel construction or operation.
Because the Oakland International Airport creates significant noise in the Business Park and on the subject property, the hotel is designed to shield the occupants of the hotel from Oakland Airport noise. Noise levels within the hotel will be attenuated to 45 dB CNEL. A standard condition of approval for all development in the Harbor Bay Business Park is for the applicant to submit an acoustical noise study with the building permit application to demonstrate that interior noise levels can be attenuated to less than 45 dB. Furthermore, new construction must comply with State of California Title 24, Part 2 of the Administrative Code, which will typically attenuate interior noise levels to less than 45 dB. Therefore, the project occupants will not experience any adverse noise effects from airport operations.
Airport Navigation and Safety: The project is located within the Airport Safety Zone of the Oakland Airport, which requires review of both ALUC and the FAA. The ALUC deemed the project consistent with airport land use regulations upon the FAA issuing a Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation for the proposed location and maximum building height (see Exhibit 4, ALUC Letter). The FAA has determined in its letter dated October 1, 2014, that the project will not pose a hazard to air navigation at the Oakland International Airport or in Bay Area airspace (see Exhibit 5, FAA Letter). Therefore, the project, as conditioned, would comply with all regulatory requirements pertaining to airport safety.
Air Quality and Water Quality: Construction and operation of the hotel will be subject to standard construction requirements of the City of Alameda, Regional Water Quality Board, and Regional Air Quality Board. These standards and permit requirements are specifically designed to ensure that urban in-fill projects do not result in air or water quality impacts to the environment. In addition, the landscape design and plant list for the proposal includes a mix of trees, shrubs, grasses, and other low-lying ground cover vegetation that is consistent with state and regional water quality requirements and Bay Friendly Landscaping Guidelines.
e) The site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services. The project site is located within an urban business park that already has the basic water, sewer, and other utility infrastructure necessary to support the proposed hotel. The site has access to all other public services provided by the City.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve PLN14-0305 for Final Development Plan and Design Review based on the findings and conditions contained in the Draft resolution (Exhibit 8).
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas
City Planner
Exhibits:
1. RAM Hotels Design Review Plans
2. Letter from Harbor Bay Business Park Architectural Review Committee, July 10, 2014
3. Abrams & Associates, Trip Generation and Parking Letter, October 21, 2014
4. Letter from ALUC dated October 6, 2014
5. Letter from FAA dated October 1, 2014
6. Public Comment Letters:
7. WRA Environmental Consultants, Burrowing Owl Habitat Assessment/Survey, January 7, 2015
8. Draft Resolution