Title
PLN17-0465 - Building 8 Rooftop Addition - Applicant: Alameda Point Redevelopers, LLC. The proposed addition requires Historical Advisory Board approval of an amendment to a previously approved Certificate of Approval to modify a contributing structure to the Naval Air Station Alameda Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The proposed addition also requires Planning Board approval of an amendment to a previously Development Plan and Design Review.
The City of Alameda certified the Alameda Point Final EIR (State Clearinghouse No. 201312043), which evaluated the environmental impacts of redevelopment and reuse of the lands at Alameda Point. No further environmental review is required for this project
Body
To: President and Members of the Planning Board;
Honorable Chair and Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Assistant Community Development Director
Date: October 5, 2017 - Historic Advisory Board Hearing
October 9, 2017 - Planning Board Hearing
Re: PLN17-0465 - Building 8 Rooftop Addition - Applicant: Alameda Point Redevelopers, LLC. The proposed addition requires Historical Advisory Board approval of an amendment to a previously approved Certificate of Approval to modify a contributing structure to the Naval Air Station Alameda Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The proposed addition also requires Planning Board approval of an amendment to a previously Development Plan and Design Review.
The City of Alameda certified the Alameda Point Final EIR (State Clearinghouse No. 201312043), which evaluated the environmental impacts of redevelopment and reuse of the lands at Alameda Point. No further environmental review is required for this project
BACKGROUND
On April 5, 2016, the Alameda City Council approved a lease with purchase option with Alameda Point Redevelopers, LLC, the project applicant, for 4.07 acres of property at Alameda Point. The property includes the 270,000-square-foot, four-story Building 8 at 2350 Saratoga Street at Alameda Point. Building 8 is a contributor to the Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) Historic District (Historic District), and it has been vacant since the Navy’s departure in 1996. The applicant is proposing to invest approximately $26.5 million to restore the building and has begun work on the building’s interior.
On October 6, 2016, the Historical Advisory Board (HAB) approved a Certificate of Approval for the proposed changes to the building and found that the proposed changes were consistent with the Secretary of Interior Standards for the rehabilitation of historic structures.
On October 24, 2016, the Planning Board approved a Development Plan, Design Review and Use Permit to rehabilitate and adaptively reuse the building for approximately 83,420 square feet of commercial and light industrial maker uses on the ground floor, up to 88 Work/Live units on the second and third floors and a small 4,000-square-foot penthouse plus a 36,000-square-foot outdoor deck on the fourth floor.
The applicant is now requesting amendments to the approved Certificate of Approval and approved Development Plan and Design Review permits to change the design of the previously approved rooftop penthouse into a new fourth floor for the building. The revised plans add an additional 40,000 square feet of commercial, roof top space to the building. The proposal will not increase the maximum number of Work/Live units permitted in the building. The applicant’s project building plans, elevations and proposed uses are shown in Exhibit 1, and the applicant has provided a narrative to explain their proposal provided as Exhibit 2.
The applicant is requesting a decision as soon as possible, because the roof needs to be sealed before the winter rains. The City’s decision about the proposed roof addition will alter the roofing plan.
DISCUSSION
Planning Board Development Plan and Design Review Amendment
The proposed project does not alter the existing footprint of the building, landscaping, parking or the existing building façade. The Development Plan Amendment only applies to the added floor area on the fourth floor. The approved 4,000 square foot common room at the fourth floor level would be replaced with approximately 40,000 square feet of new floor area containing 25 commercial work units, a community room, common open space decks and a beer garden for customers of the proposed ground floor brewery.
The roof addition is substantially setback on all sides so that the addition is only slightly visible from adjacent public rights-of-way. The addition will still be visible from a distance, but the proposed height of the structure will be in keeping with the proportions of other rooftop structures seen on various buildings at Alameda Point. The amount of floor area for commercial uses on the ground floor and the number of work/live units (88) is exactly the same as the approved project. The additions provide better layouts and greater floor area for the work/live units while remaining within the floor area ranges specified in the prior approval.
Building 8 is currently 59 feet 6 inches tall as measured from grade to the top of the parapet wall for the elevator towers. The AP-AR zoning district stipulates that the maximum height of new buildings shall not exceed the existing height of the tallest adjacent contributing building. Adjacent contributing buildings include Building 6 to the west (30 feet), Building 9 to the south (58 feet), Building 91 to the southeast (36 feet) and Building 92 to the east (36 feet). As a result, Building 8 is taller than all adjacent contributing structures, therefore all additions to Building 8 must not exceed its own building height of 59 feet 6 inches . The proposed fourth floor addition, which would have a gabled roof, would remain within the maximum building height of 59 feet 6 inches, as measured to the ridge of the roof.
The proposed fourth floor addition would be substantially setback on all four sides: 60 feet from the west façade of the existing building, 39 feet 8 inches from the east facade, and 34 feet from the south and north facades. Building setbacks are shown on Sheet A114 in Exhibit 1. Perspective views of the building addition from the three adjacent public rights-way are shown on Sheets A902, A903 and A904. The applicant has also provided photo simulations of the addition, included as Exhibit 3. The perspective views and photo simulations demonstrate that when viewed on the ground at points immediately west and north of the project, the addition will be mostly obscured by the existing parapet. The perspective views and photo simulations show the extent of the additions visibility when viewed from the east. On September 27, 2017, the applicant installed story poles on the roof to demonstrate the location and height of the proposed addition so that staff, Board members, and the public can view in person the extent at which the proposed addition can be seen. At the proposed height, the addition will be visible from a distance, but the height of the addition is in proportion to other rooftop structures on Alameda Point buildings and is at an appropriate size and scale such that the addition would not appear out of character with the existing building.
The building addition would be constructed of metal cladding with metal doors and windows to complement the industrial design of the existing facades. These materials would be compatible with other existing structures in the surrounding area.
Since the proposed addition will not be taller than the existing elevator towers, comprises less than half of the building footprint (44% of the roof), will be setback substantially from the existing parapet walls, and constructed of industrial style building materials and colors, staff believes that the proposed addition is compatible with the existing building as well as surrounding structures within the Alameda Point Historic District.
The prior plans included a partial 9,000 square foot “Green Roof” to filter storm water. The larger footprint of the proposed fourth floor addition reduces the amount of space available on the roof for rain water filtration. The revised plans now include a series of fan coil planter boxes measuring 30 inches high, 30 inches wide and 12 inches deep. These planters will be clustered in several locations throughout the roof between the parapet and the decks. A green roof tray system will filter additional rain water in the remaining areas of the roof between the planter clusters.
Pursuant to the Alameda Point Zoning Ordinance, the proposed addition does not require an increase in the on-site parking, but it will result in an increase in annual payments to the Alameda Point Transportation Demand Management program.
Staff believes that all three proposed design changes to the size, height and materials of the fourth floor are appropriate given the historic character of the building and the proposed new uses. Staff is able to make the findings for approval of the Development Plan and Design Review Amendments. Those findings are included in the attached Planning Board resolution.
Historical Advisory Board Certificate of Approval Amendment
The Historical Advisory Board (HAB) approved a Certificate of Approval for the proposed changes to the building on October 6, 2016 and found that the proposed changes were consistent with the Secretary of Interior Standards for the rehabilitation of historic structures.
Based on the analysis above, staff believes that the alterations to the building plans are compatible with the prior HAB approval and that the findings can be made in support of a Certificate of Approval Amendment. Discussion at the October 6, 2016 HAB meeting focused on concern over the visibility of the originally approved rooftop structure. The originally approved rooftop structure was 64 feet tall measured from grade, and considered a penthouse that was exempt from the AP-AR height restrictions per Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Section 30-5.8. The new proposed addition will be used for commercial purposes and therefore is restricted in height to the height of the tallest part of the parapet walls, which are the three tower elements that define the north elevation of the building. The reduced height of the addition, 59 feet 6 inches, minimizes the visibility of the addition. The new proposal is considerably less visible in comparison to the previously approved penthouse when viewed from the west of the project.
Staff finds that the addition is:
• Visually and architecturally subordinate to the original building design,
• Only slightly visible from public view from the adjacent public rights of way,
• The design is compatible with, but does not mimic the design of the historic structure,
• That the design modification is consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Rehabilitation for Historic Buildings.
Conclusion: In conclusion, staff finds that the plans, with the recommended conditions of approval, for Building 8 are consistent with:
• The General Plan and Alameda Point Zoning District.
• The findings for Development Plan and Design Review Amendment approval.
• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for a Certificate of Approval.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On February 4, 2014, the City of Alameda certified the Alameda Point Final EIR in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Final EIR evaluated the environmental impacts of redevelopment and reuse of the lands at Alameda Point, which included Building 8. No further review is required for this project.
RECOMMENDATION
Historical Advisory Board: Hold a Public Hearing and Approve the Certificate of Approval Amendment and Draft Resolution of approval including findings for Building 8 (Exhibit 4).
Planning Board: Hold a Public Hearing and Approve the Development Plan and Design Review Amendments and Draft Resolution of approval including findings and conditions for Building 8 (Exhibit 5).
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Assistant Community Development Director
Exhibits:
1. Building 8 Development Plan and Design Review Amendment Plans and Project Description of Revisions
2. Project Narrative Statement from Applicant
3. Photo Simulations
4. Draft HAB Resolution of Approval for Building 8
5. Draft PB Resolution of Approval for Building 8