Title
PLN17-0274 - 1822 Bay Street Call for Review - Applicant: Clarence Chu. A public hearing to consider a Planning Board Call for Review of a Community Development Department approval of a Design Review application to rehabilitate and restore an existing vacant four-unit Queen Anne Cottage. The subject property is located within the R-2 (Two Family Residence) Zoning District.
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Linda Barrera
Planner II
Date: October 23, 2017
Re: PLN17-0274 - 1822 Bay Street Call for Review - Applicant: Clarence Chu. A public hearing to consider a Planning Board Call for Review of a Community Development Department approval of a Design Review application to rehabilitate and restore an existing vacant four-unit Queen Anne Cottage. The subject property is located within the R-2 (Two-Family Residence) Zoning District.
BACKGROUND
On September 18, 2017, the City of Alameda Community Development Department approved a design review application to rehabilitate and restore a four-unit Queen Anne Cottage located at 1822 Bay Street that is currently uninhabitable due to safety hazards and code violations. The approved plans are included as Exhibit 1.
On September 25, 2017, Planning Board member Ronald Curtis called the decision for review. The Board member’s call for review requires that the Planning Board hold a noticed public hearing to review the Department’s decision to approve the project. Upon consideration of the materials, drawings, and public testimony, the Planning Board may vote to: 1) amend the Department’s approval of the application, 2) deny the application, or 3) uphold the Department’s decision to approve the application. Public comments received on the project are attached as Exhibit 2.
DISCUSSION
Design Review Ordinance Findings: The proposal to rehabilitate and restore the building requires Design Review approval pursuant to Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Section 30-36 because the proposal includes changes to the exterior appearance of the building. The Planning Board’s consideration of the proposal is therefore governed by the findings required by Section 30-26, which require that the proposed design changes are:
Consistent with the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and the City of Alameda Design Review Manual, because the proposed new construction is compatible in design and use of materials with the existing building and surrounding neighborhood.
Appropriate for the site, is compatible with adjacent or neighboring buildings or surroundings, and promotes harmonious transitions in scale and character in areas between different designated land uses.
Visually compatible with the surrounding development, and design elements have been incorporated to ensure the compatibility of the structure with the character and uses of adjacent development.
Existing Property Conditions: The building at 1822 Bay Street is currently uninhabitable. The subject property has a history of code violations, which precedes the current property owner. From 2006 to 2017, there were nine code enforcement cases initiated at the property due to dilapidated conditions, improper electrical work, overgrown vegetation, and rodent infestation (Exhibit 3). The current property owner purchased the property with the active code enforcement violations and immediately began working with the City to clear the violations and restore the building for residential use. Exhibit 4 is photos of the property’s current condition.
The building at 1822 Bay Street is a legal four-plex. Originally constructed as a single-family home, the building was converted to a duplex in 1944, and then converted to four units in 1953. The City of Alameda’s Design Review Ordinance and the findings required for project approval or denial do not provide the City of Alameda with the discretion to compel the property owner to reduce the number of housing units on the property. Design Review also does not regulate the number of bedrooms or size of the individual units.
During the design review process, staff requested the applicant to conduct exploratory work to determine the condition of the original architectural features beneath the existing siding for restoration purposes. The exploratory work revealed original brackets, original redwood siding, and original frieze which will be restored. The existing siding was known to have asbestos so the property owner obtained a building permit to conduct the investigative work, which was reviewed and approved by the City’s Building Official. Upon approval of a Design Review permit, the applicant will be required to apply for a Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) permit to ensure the proper removal of asbestos siding from the entire home. The BAAQMD permit is required prior to obtaining building permits from the City but is not required prior to obtaining design review approval.
Design Review Proposal: As proposed by the applicant, the exterior appearance of the building will be altered and improved as a result of the following design changes to the building:
• All of the current Building Code and safety hazards currently on the property will be resolved.
• The applicant will restore the original architectural features on the building including fish scale shingles at the front gable, original decorative corner brackets, original redwood siding and window trim.
• The applicant will replace the poorly designed existing front stairs with new stairs with decorative, period-appropriate railing and balusters.
• Although not required by AMC 30-36, that applicant will add a one-car garage within the front portion of the building. Currently, there is no parking on the site but the property has a driveway curb cut leading to the front of the building. The applicant agreed to convert a portion of the living space on the ground level into a one-car garage to address neighborhood concerns regarding the potential parking impacts of restoring the building to a habitable state.
• An existing rear addition will be removed and replaced with a new rear yard addition, which will increase the building footprint from 1,637 square feet to 1,723 square feet, for a net increase of 86 square feet.
The remodel of the interior of the building will result in the following changes:
• Unit #1 will be enlarged by 29 square feet,
• Unit #2 will be reduced in size by 240 square feet,
• Unit #3 will be enlarged by 120 square feet, and
• Unit #4 will be enlarged by 209 square feet.
Since none of the units is being enlarged by 750 square feet or more, no additional off-street parking is required by the Zoning Ordinance.
In addition to conforming to the parking regulations, the proposal is consistent with all other zoning requirements for the site, including the R-2 Zoning lot coverage limits. The subject lot is 3,906.25 square feet in size. The R-2 zoning district permits lot coverage of 53% when the garage is attached to the main building. The existing building footprint of 1,637 square feet covers 41% of the total lot area. The proposed building footprint of 1,723 square feet covers 44% of the total lot area.
Design Review Conformance: Based upon the extensive work conducted with the project applicant and review of the project plans, staff was able to make the findings that the proposed changes to the building are:
Consistent with the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and the City of Alameda Design Review Manual, because the proposed new construction is compatible in design and use of materials with the existing building and surrounding neighborhood.
Appropriate for the site, is compatible with adjacent or neighboring buildings or surroundings, and promotes harmonious transitions in scale and character in areas between different designated land uses.
Visually compatible with the surrounding development, and design elements have been incorporated to ensure the compatibility of the structure with the character and uses of adjacent development.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c) - Existing Facilities.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Board uphold the Community Development Department’s approval of design review to rehabilitate the property at 1822 Bay Street. The draft resolution is attached as Exhibit 5.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Barrera
Exhibits:
1. Plan Set
2. Public Comments
3. Permit Record
4. Photos of Current Property Condition
5. Draft Resolution