Title
PLN17-0598 - Final Development Plan and Design Review - 2175 North Loop Rd, Applicant: Joe Ernst on behalf of srmErnst. Public hearing to consider approval of a Final Development Plan and Design Review for one Commercial Building of 47,000 square feet Located on a 2.80 Acre Site at 2175 North Loop Road in the Harbor Bay Business Park.
PLN17-0614 - Final Development Plan, Design Review, and Parcel Map - 1955 North Loop Rd through 2065 North Loop Rd - Applicant: Joe Ernst on behalf of srmErnst. Public hearing to consider approval of a Final Development Plan, Design Review and a Parcel Map to construct four (4) commercial buildings totaling 140,100 square feet on four separate parcels at 1955 through 2065 North Loop Road in the Harbor Bay Business Park.
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas
Assistant Community Development Director
Date: February 12, 2018
Re: PLN17-0598 - Final Development Plan and Design Review - 2175 North Loop Rd, Applicant: Joe Ernst on behalf of srmErnst. Public hearing to consider approval of a Final Development Plan and Design Review for one Commercial Building of 47,000 square feet Located on a 2.80 Acre Site at 2175 North Loop Road in the Harbor Bay Business Park.
PLN17-0614 - Final Development Plan, Design Review, and Parcel Map - 1955 North Loop Rd through 2065 North Loop Rd - Applicant: Joe Ernst on behalf of srmErnst. Public hearing to consider approval of a Final Development Plan, Design Review and a Parcel Map to construct four (4) commercial buildings totaling 140,100 square feet on four separate parcels at 1955 through 2065 North Loop Road in the Harbor Bay Business Park.
BACKGROUND
The applicant, SRM Ernst, is proposing to build five commercial “flex” office buildings on two separate properties located on North Loop Road in the Harbor Bay Business Park. Because the project is located on two separate parcels separated by an existing Day Care Center, the proposal is presented in this staff report and the attached resolutions as two separate applications.
The properties have been vacant since the creation of the Business Park in the early 1980s and are commonly referred to as the “North Loop Road site”. Although srmErnst recently purchased the properties, the North Loop Road site has been the subject of several past proposals by the prior property owners. In 2005, the City of Alameda Planning Board and staff recommended denial of a Zoning Amendment and General Plan Amendment to allow development of the site for 120 housing units. Staff argued, and the Planning Board agreed, that the site should be developed as planned with commercial office buildings. In 2010, the properties were part of a proposal by the then property owner to build a sports center for public use the North Loop properties in return for entitlements to build approximately 100 homes on a portion of the City’s golf course. That proposal was withdrawn due to lack of City and public support. In 2013, the City received a new proposal from the then property owner to rebuild the Harbor Bay Health Club and tennis courts on the site and build homes on the site of the current Harbor Bay Club. That proposal was subsequently withdrawn as well by the prior property owners.
Throughout the past public discussions about the use of the property and the past failed applications, there has been a consistent and strong community support for preserving the North Loop properties for business use consistent with the original plan for the Business Park.
ANALYSIS
Unlike all of the prior proposals for the property, the current proposal is consistent with the City of Alameda General Plan, the Alameda Municipal Code, and the prior City approvals for the Business Park and the site, including the 1981 Master Planned Development for the Harbor Bay Business Park, which establishes the minimum development standards for the Harbor Bay Business Park, including setbacks, landscaping, building coverage and parking. In 1989, the City approved a Development Agreement for the Business Park, which vested the property rights approved by the prior approvals.
Pursuant the 1981 and 1989 agreements, the developers of the Business Park built all of the supporting infrastructure (streets, sewers, landscaping) for the business park, they built the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal, constructed the public shoreline park that runs the length of the Business Park, and they established assessment districts for all of the property within the Business Park to create long-term revenue sources to cover the costs to the City to maintain all of the new public infrastructure and operate a successful commuter shuttle service between the Business Park, the Ferry Terminal, and BART. Under the existing Development Agreement this new construction will be required to pay into the Harbor Bay Transportation Improvement Fund (TIF) for specified traffic improvements. In return for these, and other, community benefits, the 1981 and 1989 agreements establish long-term entitlements to develop this parcel and others in the Business Park for office and commercial business use. Although the use of the property is already approved by the 1981 and 1989 agreements, the City must approve the final Development Plan and architectural plans for each project within the Business Park to confirm that the project complies with the approved development standards before building permits can be issued.
The current Development Agreement expires on April 4, 2019. If approved, the entitlements for these projects will be valid for 2 years after approval, and can be extended for two additional years. However, if the applicant/developer does not pull building permits or site improvement permits prior to the expiration of the Development Agreement the project will be subject to standard development requirements for projects outside of the Development Agreement. This would include but is not limited to payment of development impact fees, public art fees, and Affordable Housing Impact fees.
The current proposal includes plans for five buildings designed to house five or more new businesses in the business park. The buildings are single-story, with a second floor mezzanine, and range in size from 29,400 to 47,000 square feet. In addition to the five new buildings, the project includes parking, drive aisles, landscaping, outdoor areas for employees, and other site improvements. The proposed project represents the third and final phase of the North Loop Center (NLC) located across the street in the Business Park.
The target tenants for this project are small- to medium-size research and development, advanced manufacturing, medical devise, biotech and craft food manufacturing companies, similar to other new businesses that have moved to the Business Park in recent years.
Site Plan:
The proposed site plans (see Exhibits 2 & 3, Sheet A1.0) show the arrangement of the buildings, access routes, parking, and landscaping on the site. As proposed, the buildings will cover 31.5 percent of the site area and landscaping will cover 31.8 percent of the site. The floor area ratio would be less than 0.5. The buildings will front on North Loop Road, maintaining the required 25-foot setback. Each building can be accessed by a separate driveway. Vehicles would access the site through a 24-foot wide, U-shaped drive aisle that surrounds each building on three sides. This U-shaped loop around the rear of each site also provides emergency vehicle access to three sides of each building. Parking is provided along the sides and rear of each building. A generous earth berm and planting area, including tall trees, is proposed at the rear of the site to screen the project from residential neighbors on Catalina Avenue to the north, outside of the Business Park. As required, the parking area is set back 67 feet from residential properties to the north; the buildings’ rear setback is substantially greater than the required 82 feet.
The Development Plan for the Harbor Bay Business Park sets minimum development standards for the Business Park including setbacks, landscaping, building coverage, and employee open space. Table 1, below, summarizes project compliance with applicable development standards.
Table 1. Project Compliance Summary
|
Standard |
Requirement |
Project |
Compliance |
|
Setbacks Front |
25 ft. |
Building 25 feet |
Complies |
|
Side Rear, parking from Catalina homes Rear, building from Catalina homes |
15 ft. 67 ft. 82 ft. |
25 - 30 feet 67 feet 135 feet |
Complies Complies Complies |
|
Maximum Lot Coverage |
40% |
31.5 % |
Complies |
|
Minimum Landscape Coverage |
30% |
31.8 % |
Complies |
|
Building Height |
35 ft. |
29 feet 11 inches |
Complies |
The proposed site plan is consistent with Planning Board Resolution No. 1203, Planned Development Amendment PDA05-0003 and the approved Development Plan for the Harbor Bay Industrial Park.
Architectural Design:
The five buildings total 187,100 square feet and range in size from 29,400 square feet to 47,000 square feet. All five buildings are located along the street frontage at the setback line and are a uniform 29 feet eleven inches in height including a parapet to screen mechanical equipment. The ground floor area totals 161,900 square feet and there is a partial second story on each building totaling 25,200 square feet. The second floors constitute less than 14 percent of total floor area.
The proposed buildings are similar in scale and design to other buildings in the Business Park. The buildings’ exteriors incorporate proportions and materials that relate to buildings within Phases 1 and 2 across North Loop Road, as well as to other buildings within the business park. The exterior design is a contemporary style that is compatible with neighboring buildings in the business park. The horizontal massing is successfully relieved through articulation of the façades, vertical elements and color variation.
Exterior materials include painted concrete panels, board formed concrete, ribbed metal infill panels, and large dual-pane window openings with clear anodized aluminum frames and aluminum shading devices for accents at the main and secondary entries. Three-foot deep aluminum sunscreens are located above all windows to mitigate heat gain. The buildings include loading facilities at the rear of the buildings with recessed docks, dock level doors and grade level roll-up doors. The docks with be recessed and include high screen walls to screen loading dock activities from the adjacent residential neighborhood. (See Exhibits 2 and 3, Building Elevations.) A color and materials board will be available at the Planning Board meeting.
The design complies with design guidelines for landscaping and architecture by maximizing landscaping in key view shed areas and using materials and shapes in the buildings to relate to existing structures in the Business Park.
In addition to City review, the proposal is subject to approval by the Harbor Bay Business Park Architectural Review Committee (ARC). The ARC has reviewed and approved the proposal (see Exhibit 6, Letter from Harbor Bay Business Park Association).
Landscape Design:
The landscape concept is based on native coastal plants and Bay-Friendly principals. (See Exhibits 2 & 3, Sheets L1.1 through L1.5.) Key components include meadow plantings and tall evergreen trees for maximum screening. An outdoor patio is located adjacent to each building and features seating areas as well as wood and planter privacy screens. A 6-foot tall earthen berm and dense tree plantings are proposed along the rear property line to screen the project from nearby residential properties. Within the parking area, a variety of evergreen and deciduous trees are proposed to provide shade and reduce heat. The parking lot area meets the City requirement of one tree per four parking spaces. The plan follows LEED, Bay-Friendly, and EBMUD water conservation guidelines. Bio-swales that feature rain garden plantings are provided to catch and filter surface and roof runoff water.
Staff has included a condition that a complete Landscape Document Package Checklist be submitted and reviewed prior to issuance of permits and that the plans submitted for permits show compliance with the City’s Standard Landscaping Conditions of Approval (Exhibit 5).
Parking
The five buildings are supported by 491 parking spaces. Based upon the types of businesses that are targeted for these buildings, it may be anticipated that the buildings may house approximately 300 employees. The proposed parking ratio exceeds the parking approved for the adjacent North Loop Business Park buildings. Given the anticipated mix of uses, a total of 395 spaces are required. The project is conditioned to provide one bicycle parking space per every 10 parking spaces.
Parcel Map:
The four buildings proposed on the three parcels located at 1955 North Loop Rd through 2065 North Loop Road requires a reconfiguration of the three existing parcels into four parcels to allow each of the four buildings to be located on a separate legal parcel. In order to adjust the property lines and create a new parcel, the applicant has requested the approval of a Parcel Map (Exhibit 4). The development proposed on the resultant parcels will comply with the applicable development guidelines and the proposed parcels are consistent with the requirements of the AMC Section 30-78 (The Subdivision Ordinance). While each new building will be located on its own parcel, there will be shared access easements recorded across the new parcels to allow access between properties.
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 have been received by staff.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Harbor Bay Business Park was originally reviewed and approved with an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) which disclosed the potential traffic impacts of the future commercial development in the Business Park and the transportation improvements needed to support growth in the Business Park. The Harbor Bay Business Park Traffic Improvement Fund (TIF) has adequate funds and will pay for the future traffic signal needed at the intersection of Harbor Bay Parkway and North Loop Road which is needed to accommodate the development of these final two vacant properties on North Loop Road. Similar to all the properties in the Business Park, these properties will continue to pay into the Harbor Bay TIF for specified future traffic improvements. Finally, a Trip Generation and Access Review conducted by Abram Associates (see Exhibit 7) finds that all of the access driveways provide the minimum two hundred fifty (250) foot sight distance, as required by the Caltrans Highway Design Manual, and that based on existing traffic volumes and forecast peak project trip generation the project is not expected to result in any traffic operational issues.
Due to proximity to the Oakland Airport, noise levels within the buildings must be attenuated to 50 dB CNEL (General Plan Policy 8.7.f). The draft Resolutions (Exhibits 10 & 11) require the applicant to submit an acoustical study along with the building permit application that demonstrates that potential noise reduction meets the City of Alameda’s Municipal Noise Regulations. Furthermore, the study must demonstrate that airport noise exposure is considered acceptable based on criteria in the City of Alameda General Plan and the Alameda Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC).
The project is located within the Airport Safety Zone of the Oakland Airport and requires review of the project by the Alameda Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The ALUC has determined that the project is be consistent with the provisions of the Oakland Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (see Exhibit 8, ALUC Letter). The project is conditioned to provide verification of conformance with FAA regulations. Therefore, the project, as conditioned, would comply with all regulatory requirements pertaining to airport safety.
The site has no habitat value for any endangered, rare, or threatened wildlife species. A survey of burrowing owls conducted by ESA concluded that the soils on the site are sandy and largely unsuitable for burrows. No burrowing owls were observed on the site. Although some foraging habitat is present, it is unlikely that burrowing owls currently inhabit the site. (See Exhibit 9, Burrowing Owl Report by ESA.)
The application to construct the single building on the single parcel (PLN17-0598) 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:
1. 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.
2. 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 parcel is approximately 2.80 acres in size.
3. The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species. The area of the proposed development is currently vacant and it has no habitat value for any endangered, rare, or threatened wildlife species. A habitat assessment and survey of burrowing owls conducted by ESA dated January 8, 2018 (see Exhibit 9) concluded that no burrowing owls are present on the site and that the site provides poor quality habitat for burrowing owls.
4. Approval of the project would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air navigation, air quality or water quality.
5. 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.
The application to build four buildings (PLN17-0614) is consistent with the original approvals and EIR approved for the Business Park and no new impacts are anticipated to occur that were not previously disclosed in the original EIR for the Business Park. The draft Resolution for this project contains findings pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15162, which state that this environmental document is adequate review for the proposed project, and that no further environmental review is required.
Additionally, the proposed reconfiguration of the parcels from three to four parcels is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15315 - Minor Division of Land.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff is recommending that the Planning Board adopt a resolution approving the application for a Final Development Plan and Design Review for Building A/B (PLN17-0598) (see Exhibit 10), and adopt a resolution approving the application for a Final Development Plan and Design Review for Buildings C, D, E, & F and recommend to the City Council the approval of a Parcel Map to subdivide three parcels into four parcels (see Exhibit 11).
Respectfully Submitted,
Andrew Thomas
Assistant Community Development Director
Exhibits:
1. Applicant’s Statement of Design Intent
2. PLN17-0598 (Building A/B) - Final Development Plan and Design Review Plans
3. PLN17-0614 (Buildings C, D, E, & F) - Final Development Plan and Design Review Plans
4. PLN17-0614 - Tentative Parcel Map
5. Standard Landscaping Conditions of Approval
6. Letter from Harbor Bay Business Park Association
7. ALUC Letter
8. Burrowing Owl Report by ESA
9. Trip Generation and Access Review prepared by Abram Associates
10. Draft Resolution approving the Final Development Plan and Major Design Review (PLN17-0598)
11. Draft Resolution approving the Final Development Plan and Major Design Review and recommending City Council approve a Parcel Map (PLN17-0614)