Title
PLN15-0179 - 2437 Eagle Avenue - Applicant: Housing Authority of the City of Alameda. A request for approval of Design Review and Density Bonus Application to allow the construction of one two-story building and three three-story buildings containing twenty-two total residential units located at 2437 Eagle Avenue. The proposed project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Public Resource Code 21159.23 exemption for affordable low-income housing and CEQA Guidelines 15332 In-fill Development Projects.
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BACKGROUND
On June 8, 2015, the Planning Board held a public hearing to consider this proposal for approval of a Density Bonus Application and Design Review to construction a 22-unit affordable housing development on a 0.83-acre property located at 2437 Eagle Avenue. At the hearing, the Planning Board considered public testimony and identified a number of issues to be addressed prior to a final decision by the Planning Board. The June 8, 2015 staff report is attached for reference purposes as Exhibit 1.
Since the meeting, the applicant has prepared revisions to the project plans to address the Planning Board and community issues. Those issues and revisions are described below. The changes are shown on the revised Project Plans (Exhibit 2).
discussion
On June 8, 2015, the Planning Board and community members raised the following major issues and requests:
Increased open space and recreation areas: The Planning Board requested that the applicant reduce the number of parking spaces in order to provide more on-site recreation areas and open space. The Board also requested that the applicant examine how to provide a more integrated public green space and more visual access into the property for the surrounding community.
• The applicant revised the site plan by reducing the number of parking spaces from 30 spaces to 28 spaces, and moving the buildings five feet closer to Eagle Avenue. These changes increased the size of the recreation and courtyard areas by 32%, for an approximate total of 2,109 square feet. Total open space on the site was increased to approximately 3,543 square feet as shown in Table 1.
• The division of Building A into two buildings establishes an additional pedestrian walkway that also provides visual access from the public right-of-way into the central common area of the facility.
Trash enclosure on Everett Street: The Planning Board requested that the applicant redesign the site plan to move the trash enclosure away from the Everett Street frontage.
• The applicant relocated the trash enclosure to the parking lot along the north property line. The new trash enclosure location is approximately 40 feet from the adjacent residential building, 10 feet from the rear of the adjacent commercial building, and 90 feet from the Everett Street side walk.
Improve the architectural design: The Planning Board requested the applicant improve the proportions and architectural details, enhance the Everett Street elevation, provide a more consistent architectural style, and provide some architectural variation between buildings.
• The applicant improved the overall architectural design of the project by:
- Adding pitched roofs to the three-story buildings on Eagle Avenue.
- Adding historic detailing to all buildings, such as ornamental gables, roof decorative brackets at eave overhangs, and covered entries with porch columns.
- Locating all front doors to the street side elevations.
- Changing the building configuration on Eagle Avenue by dividing Building A into two buildings to improve the proportions and massing of the project.
- Adding three more front porch entries on Eagle Avenue and Everett Street.
• The applicant improved the architectural design of the Everett Street elevation:
- Eliminating the bridge between Buildings B and C.
- Incorporating a trellis over the pedestrian entry way.
- Adding front porch entrances for the second-story units on Everett Street.
- Moving the trash enclosure.
- Adding a corner roof element at the corner of Everett Street and Eagle Avenue.
• The applicant provided architectural variations between buildings by:
- Incorporating two-and three-story variations in the building roof design.
- Providing unique architectural details in the three street-facing gables on Eagle Avenue.
- Providing variation in the colors of the street-facing entry doors.
- Dividing Building A into two buildings with a pedestrian walkway in between.
Provide adequate egress for each unit: The Planning Board requested the applicant ensure the design of the facility meets Building Code egress requirements for the exterior staircases.
• The applicant increased the number of exterior staircases providing access to the upper floor units in order to meet the Building Code requirements for egress.
Evaluate the driveway location and provide a buffer for Everett Street neighbor: The Planning Board requested the applicant evaluate an alternative location for the driveway to provide a better buffer between the proposed facility and the neighboring residence located on Everett Street.
• One of the primary concerns of the surrounding community was to ensure the driveway to the parking lot was not located on Eagle Street. As a result the only alternative is to locate the driveway at the current location. The driveway also serves as a buffer between the facility and the neighboring residence on Everett Street by providing approximately 30 feet between Building C and the home. The plans show how a fence and landscaping will be used to ensure an adequate buffer between the two properties.
REVISED REQUEST FOR DENSITY BONUS APPLICATION WAIVERS
To enable the 22 units to physically fit on the site and provide an attractive architectural appearance for the neighbors and a pleasant living environment for the residents, the Housing Authority is requesting waivers, through the Density Bonus Application (Exhibit 3), from the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) sections that: 1) prohibit buildings with more than two units, 2) limit buildings height on this site to 30 feet, 3) require a 15-foot front yard setback, 4) require a 10-foot street side yard setback, and 5) require a 20-foot rear yard setback.
Table 1 summarizes project compliance of the revised design with development standards established by the Zoning Ordinance.
Table 1. Project Compliance Summary
|
Factor |
Standard |
Proposed Project |
Compliance |
|
Setbacks Front Rear |
15 ft. 20 ft. |
12 ft. 10 in. 5 ft. |
Waiver Requested Waiver Requested |
|
Side (Street) Side |
10 ft. 5 ft. |
8 ft. 26 ft. |
Waiver Requested Complies |
|
Maximum Building Height |
30 ft. |
43 ft. |
Waiver Requested |
|
Required Parking |
44 spaces |
28 spaces |
AMC 30-7.19 allows reduced parking for affordable housing developments. |
|
Required Bicycle Parking |
23 long term 6 short term |
26 long term 6 short term |
Complies |
|
Useable Open Space |
3,080 sf. |
3,543 sf. |
Complies |
Justification for Waivers:
Staff believes that the waivers are justified. As shown in the base plan, it is not possible to meet all of the requirements of the AMC and still construct the 22 units on the site. The proposed plan allows for the construction of 22 units in a manner that reflects and supports the character of the adjacent neighborhood. Staff supports the requested waivers for the following reasons:
1. Multifamily Prohibition Waiver. By allowing more than two units to be included in each building, the project is able to provide 22 units in four structures instead of eleven structures. By reducing the number of structures, the architect was able to eliminate the many small spaces between buildings and consolidate these spaces into usable spaces for recreation as required by the Zoning Ordinance and provide parking.
2. Front Yard Setback Waiver. Although most observers consider the Eagle frontage to be the front of the project, the Zoning Ordinance treats Everett Street as the front of the project. The Zoning Ordinance requires a 15-foot front yard setback. The frontage of Building D along Everett Street meets the 15-foot setback, while the frontage of Building C provides a 12-foot 10-inch setback. A 12-foot 10-inch front yard setback is not uncommon in the neighborhood and allows for space for bicycle storage between buildings B and C and parking behind Building D.
3. Rear Yard Setback Waiver. The western property line of the subject site is technically the rear property line. This property line abuts the side yard of the adjacent commercial property on Eagle Avenue. The project provides a five-foot setback from the rear property line, while the side yard setback for the adjacent property is five feet. The combined setbacks provides a minimum of 10 feet between the proposal and any future building on the adjacent property, which is an adequate amount of building separation. Granting the waiver allows the project to physically fit the 22nd unit on the site.
4. Street Side Yard Setback Waiver. The Zoning Ordinance requires a 10-foot street side yard setback on Eagle Avenue. The majority of the building frontages along Eagle Avenue meet the 10-foot setback except the corner bump out at the southeast corner of the property, which has an eight-foot setback. An eight-foot street side yard setback is not uncommon in the neighborhood and allows the project to increase the amount of recreation area and open space on the project site to meet the open space requirements.
5. Building Height Limit Waiver. The proposed design includes three buildings with a third story. In order to accommodate the third story, and a more interesting roof line with pitched roofs to match the neighborhood, the building heights on three buildings were increased to approximately 43 feet. Although the height limit is 30 feet in this district, several residential buildings in the immediate vicinity of the project also exceed the 30-foot height limit.
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 the writing of this report, no comments were received by staff.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Pursuant to Public Resource Code 21159.23 exemption for affordable low-income housing, the proposed housing project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), because the project is 100 percent affordable to low-income households, the project is consistent with the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance, and the site was evaluated as a residential site in the North Park Street Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
In addition, this low-income housing project is exempt from 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 project meets this criterion because as proposed it is consistent with the Medium Density Residential General Plan designation and the NP-RD zoning district. The project complies with the requirements of the Density Bonus Ordinance for increased density and the requested waivers of zoning requirements. The proposed project with Density Bonus waivers is compliant with the development regulations of the NP-RD zone.
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 North Park Street District, a heavily urbanized area within the city limits. The project site is designated as Medium Density Residential by the General Plan and is approximately 0.83 acres in size.
c. The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species. The area of the proposed development is currently a vacant lot within a heavily urbanized area of the North Park Street District. The site is surrounded by urban uses and is subject to high levels of disturbance from foot and vehicle traffic from the surrounding city streets. The vacant site has no habitat value for any endangered, rare, or threatened wildlife species.
d. Approval of the project would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. The project is a residential development located within an urbanized area with sewer and water infrastructure to support the development. Construction noise and dust will be minimized by local regulations and proposed conditions of approval for the project. The proposed project will not result in any significant noise, air quality or water quality impacts. A letter from TJKM Transportation Consultants advises that the proposal will generate only twelve a.m. peak hour trips and fourteen p.m. peak hour trips (Exhibit 4, TJKM Letter).
e. The site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services. The project site is located within an urban district that already has the basic water, sewer, and other utility infrastructure necessary to support the proposed project. The site has access to all other public services provided by the City.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Planning Board approve Density Bonus Application and Design Review PLN15-0179 with conditions in the draft resolution (Exhibit 5, Draft Resolution).
Respectfully submitted:
Henry Dong
Project Planner
Exhibits:
1. June 8, 2015 Staff Report
2. Project Plans
3. Density Bonus Application
4. TJKM Letter
5. Draft Resolution