Title
PLN19-0044 - Del Monte Warehouse Certificate of Approval Amendment - 1501 Buena Vista Avenue - Applicant: TL Partners I L.P. Public hearing to consider revisions to previously approved Certificate of Approval (PLN14-0059) to modify the design of the monitors (rooftop structures) on Bays 1 and 4 as part of restoration and rehabilitation of the historic Del Monte Warehouse. The proposal is limited to architectural changes only and does not affect the previously approved land use, unit count, and parking. The site is zoned M-X, Mixed-Use with a Multi-Family Residential Overlay. The Environmental Impact Report for the Northern Waterfront General Plan Amendment and Subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Del Monte Warehouse Project satisfies environmental review requirements for this project under the California Environmental Quality Act.
Body
To: Chair Saxby and
Members of the Historical Advisory Board
From: Allen Tai,
Secretary to the Historical Advisory Board
BACKGROUND
The Del Monte warehouse, built in 1927, is one of 30 Historic Monuments in Alameda. The Historic Monument designation is given by the City Council and it identifies resources that are of the highest quality and architectural significance. The major character-defining features that convey the building’s historic significance include the two-story, four-bay volume, the long brick façade, and regularly-spaced multi-lite industrial windows. Del Monte ceased use of the cannery/warehouse building in the 1960s. The building is currently occupied by a general purpose distribution business which uses approximately one half of the building.
In December 2014, the City Council approved adaptive reuse of the historic Del Monte warehouse for residential mixed use. The Historical Advisory Board approved a Certificate of Approval for the project, which provides 380 new housing opportunities along with public benefits including the future extension of Clement Avenue and a $2 million contribution to the construction of Jean Sweeney Park. With a construction cost of over $120 million, this is the most expensive rehabilitation of a single building in Alameda.
Since 2014, the applicant has grappled with the complex and expensive task of engineering the rehabilitation of the 240,000 square-foot building. A laser scan of the historic building and extensive testing of building components were performed to produce construction plans. In the four years past, the project has been delayed by numerous complexities and unexpected discoveries. For instance, on April 6, 2017, the HAB approved the applicant’s request to replace steel frame windows with aluminum frame windows after discovering the steel had warped and deteriorated beyond reasonable restoration cost. This effort also competed against rising construction costs, and tightened financing requirements have made the restoration and rehabilitation effort risky and costly from a loan underwriting perspective. As a result, the applicant is looking to reduce construction costs in order to make the project financially feasible under construction financing criteria.
On February 25, 2019, the Planning Board approved a Design Review Amendment for this proposal, which is subject to the HAB’s Certificate of Approval.
STAFF ANALYSIS
2014 Approved Monitor Design
The approved project in 2014 features a two-story addition rising above the two center bays (bays 2 and 3) of the Del Monte warehouse. On the flanks of the new addition are two monitors on bays 1 and 4. These monitors would be modified with a taller roofline featuring a sky canopy built over the ridge of the existing monitor roof. A monitor is a linear, raised section of roof typically with windows running along the sides, and the existing Del Monte building has one monitor above each of the building’s four bays. The purpose of the sky canopy is to cover and protect the original wood trusses, which in the approved design would be exposed in the new interior courtyards but otherwise hidden from public view. Likewise, the altered monitors covering the interior court are mostly hidden from public view due to their positioning along the center of the large 5-acre roof. The monitors are set back approximately 60-feet from the exterior building wall and only visible from a distance.
Proposed Design Revisions
Exhibit 1 provides graphic comparisons of the existing, approved, and proposed design elevations. The proposed revisions include:
• Rebuilding the monitors in bays 1 and 4 to closely match the original roof height, bulk, and design. The roof height of the new monitors will match that of the existing roof. At the ridge of the roof, an opening remains to provide light and air to the courtyard and dwelling units below. The reconstructed monitors will include windows that match the existing windows in height although the configuration of the windows will be slightly revised as discussed below. The proposed revision to the monitor roof height is consistent with the HAB’s direction in 2017, which was to minimize the height of the sky canopy roof design as much as possible.
• Demolishing interior wood trusses in the center portions of the roof framing in bays 1 and 4 as a result of reconstructing the monitors described above. The prior attempt to preserve the center portion of the wood truss system adds complexity to the design of the monitors, requiring a protective sky canopy, thereby increasing engineering and construction costs for the whole project. Removing the wood trusses would actually lower the height of the monitors to match the existing height.
• Eliminating the separation between the existing monitors where the gable roofed parapets are featured on the façades. The reconstructed monitors will be extended to meet the new addition at bays 2 and 3. Eliminating the existing break between the existing monitors would have a minimal visual effect on the overall design from public view.
• New monitor windows will feature more variation in window widths than the original design, but the overall spacing between sets of windows will keep a rhythmic pattern akin to the original monitors. The proposed variation in window widths allows for more glazing for the residential units while the wider space between each set of windows would simplify engineering and construction. The rebuilt monitor windows will maintain a ribbon appearance along the north and south side of the monitors, which more closely reflects the existing band of multi-lite steel windows than the previously-approved design. The new window system will be the Graham 6700 series, which is a historic replication product made for multi-lite steel window replacements, and approved for use in this project by the HAB in 2017.
In summary, most of the proposed design revisions occur in areas of the building that are not visible from public view. More importantly, the redesign of the monitors will more closely resemble their original appearance than the previously-approved design. All other features of the approved building design will remain the same including the number of dwelling units, the amount of commercial area and number of parking spaces.
Consistency with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards
Pursuant to Alameda Municipal Code Section 13-21, the HAB must find that the proposed redesign is consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. An assessment was prepared by a qualified professional for the project that demonstrates full compliance with the Secretary’s standards (Exhibit 2). Overall, the proposed design revisions do not affect the major character defining features of this historic structure, which are primarily the long, brick façade and industrial windows. This redesign will eliminate the previously-approved sky canopy and rebuild the monitors to more closely match the existing monitors. These proposed revisions will make the building exterior look more like the existing design despite additional demolition to the interiors.
CONCLUSION
Staff believes that the proposed project complies with all ten Secretary of Interior’s Standards. The actual construction of the approved Del Monte project is the best opportunity for the Alameda community to see this Historic Monument permanently preserved. The approved 2014 design was an excellent proposal to preserve as much of the original structure as possible. However, the attempt to save the interior wood trusses, which are not visible from the exterior and thus offers less historic preservation value to the public, adds major complexities to the construction design and cost. The proposed revisions would help reduce cost and minimize risk, enabling financing for this long-approved project to move forward. Most importantly, the proposed revisions would more closely resemble the existing building design than the previously approved version. For these reasons, staff is recommending that the HAB approve the proposed Certificate of Approval amendment.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In 2008, the City of Alameda certified an EIR for the Northern Waterfront General Plan Amendment. The City of Alameda approved a Subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration on April 29, 2014, for the Del Monte Master Plan, which is designed to implement the Northern Waterfront General Plan Element. The proposed Certificate of Approval Amendment is consistent with the prior approvals and will not result in any new or more severe environmental impacts than were previously identified in the Subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration. As a result, no additional environmental review is required for the proposed Certificate of Approval amendment.
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. Comment letters from the applicant and the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society submitted to the Planning Board on February 25, 2019 are attached (Exhibit 3).
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the proposed Certificate of Approval Amendment with the conditions set forth in the draft Resolution (Exhibit 4).
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY:
Allen Tai,
Planning Services Manager
Exhibits:
1. Project Plans prepared by BAR Architects
2. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards Compliance Assessment
3. AAPS Letter to the Planning Board dated February 25, 2019
4. Draft Resolution
5. April 6, 2017 HAB Approved Windows