Title
PLN19-0368 - 2800 Fifth Street - Design Review - Applicant: Pulte Home Company, LLC. Study Session for a Design Review application to construct 69 buildings containing 357 residential units within the 17.2-acre Alameda Landing Waterfront Mixed-Use Development site. The 2006 Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report was certified in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act for the Alameda Landing Mixed Use Development (State Clearinghouse #2006012091)
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Henry Dong
Planner III
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On October 14, 2019, The Planning Board approved the Development Plan, Density Bonus, and Tentative Map applications for 357 residential units, 5,000 square feet of commercial space, internal roadways and alleys, parks and open space on the 17.2 acre Alameda Landing Waterfront Mixed-Use site. The Board also provided feedback to the applicant on the Design Review application for the 69 residential buildings that will be constructed on the site.
The applicant has been working with their architectural consultants to revise the Design Review plans to respond to Planning Board and staff comments in time for the November 12, 2019 Planning Board meeting. Staff received the revised plans on October 31, 2019 and has not had time to review the plans and prepare final recommendations or resolutions for the Planning Board prior to publication of the Planning Board packet. Over the next ten days, staff will continue its review of the submittal.
Therefore staff is requesting that the Planning Board review the plans and provide final direction to staff and the applicant as to whether the revisions adequately addressed the Planning Board’s concerns. If the Board feels the plans do adequately address the concerns, staff will be able to return on November 25, 2019 with a final resolution of approval, which will include any staff recommended conditions of approval.
The revised plans are attached as Exhibit 1.
BACKGROUND
In 2017, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 3188 amending the Bayport/Alameda Landing Master Plan and approving an Addendum to the Catellus Mixed Use Development Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (Supplemental EIR) that allows for 18.3 acres of maritime commercial uses within 364,000 square feet of existing waterfront warehouses, a 4.5-acre waterfront public park, and a new residential neighborhood with up to 400 residential units of the Alameda Landing waterfront. The 2006 Alameda Landing/Bayport Master Plan and 2017 Alameda Landing Master Plan amendment are available for review on the City of Alameda website at https://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Planning-Building-and-Transportation/Planning-Division/Major-Planning-Projects.
On September 10, 2018, the Planning Board approved the final design for the 4.5 acre waterfront park. The public waterfront park will be constructed by the Catellus Development Company for the City.
On June 10, 2019, the Planning Board held a study session to review the initial plans for the Alameda Landing residential development.
On October 14, 2019, the Planning Board approved the Development Plan, Density Bonus, and Tentative Map applications for 357 residential units, 5,000 square feet of commercial space, internal roadways and alleys, parks and open space on the 17.2 acre site. The Board also provided feedback to the applicant on the residential Design Review application.
On October 31, 2019, the applicant submitted revised Design Review plans for the 69 residential structures based on the comments received from the Board at the October 14, 2019. Staff has included the revised plans as Exhibit 1 for Planning Board comments and feedback.
DISCUSSION
The 357 total residential units were approved by the Planning Board on October 14, 2019 though the Alameda Landing Waterfront Mixed-Use Development Plan which also established the site plan, building locations and heights, vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle improvements, open space and parks, landscape and lighting plan for the residential development.
The proposed development includes four different building types. The Compass, Look out and Breeze designs include simple linear massing focusing on pedestrian scale with two story vertical elements, offset third floor and asymmetrical roof lines. The Landing multi-family buildings located at key entry and corner locations are articulated with prominent corner balcony or corner window configurations.
The color palettes as provided are compatible with the nautical architecture ranging from warm grey to cool shades, neutral tones with accent colors with multiple color schemes per elevation style. Materials include clad in combination of stucco, fiber cement siding, board and batten, brick and stone with white vinyl windows that emphasize horizontal grid lines.
The “Compass” include 11 three-story townhome buildings containing 7 or 9 units per structure. The 11 buildings provide for a total of 93 units. Each unit contains two or three bedroom ranging in size from 1,186-square-feet to 1,896-square-feet.
Since the last Planning Board meeting, the following refinements have been made to the Compass design:
1. Enhanced Elevations: The Board requested the design enhance the elevations of the building with additional change in colors and materials. The design now incorporates stone material siding at the building corners and into portions of the ground floor level. The design of the rear elevations also include a more cohesive window rhythm, and additional variation in wall planes to break up the massing and provide more articulation.
2. Sun Shades - The Board requested the plans incorporate solar shading elements where the features effectively enhance sustainable architecture. The plans now include solar shading at upper floor windows along rear elevations of the six north facing Compass buildings.
The “Landings” include 8 four-story buildings containing 12 single-story flats per structure. There are 8 of these buildings providing a total of 96 units. Each unit is accessed from a common lobby and corridor served by a central elevator. The units are 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom flats and range in size from approximately 1,240-square-feet to 1,423-square-feet in size. The homes are designed to be 100% accessible.
Since the last Planning Board meeting, the following refinements have been made to the Landings design:
1. Ground Floor Elevations - The Board requested the applicant energize the pedestrian street interface of the building at the ground floor level. The applicant revised the design to provide additional glazing in the lobby area and storage rooms, new decorative backlit panels, stone material siding, and a prominent canopy above the main building entry in order to improve the design.
2. Corner Elevations - The Board expressed the need to improve the corner elevations of the building. In order to improve the architecture of the corner elevations the revised design brings the decorative backlit panels on the front elevation of the ground floor around to the street side and park side elevations. The revised design also incorporates additional windows in the stairways on the side elevations.
3. Stairway Windows - The Board suggested to incorporate windows within the building stairways to provide natural light and visual interest. The applicant incorporated punch windows within the building stairways to address this Board comment.
4. Roof Top Bulkheads - The Board requested the applicant reduce the visual impact of the stairs and elevator bulkheads on the roof top of buildings. The applicant revised the design to provide a neutral exterior color and included decorative roof deck railings to minimize visibility from the street.
The “Breeze” include 30 three-story detached single-family home containing four-bedroom floor plans ranging from approximately 2,374-square-feet to 2,504-square-feet in size with standard 2-car garages for each home. Since the Planning Board meeting, the applicants have revised Plan 2B to introduce flat roof elevation to provide more variation along the streetscape in the single family area.
The “Lookout” include 20 three-story residential buildings containing 6 or 7 micro townhomes per structure for a total of 138 units. These units contain 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom floor plans ranging from 962 square-feet to 1074 square-feet in size with one or two car garages. The changes to the Lookout micro townhomes include:
1. Balcony Demising Walls - The Board requested the applicant revise the 10-foot tall demising walls between unit balconies to be more proportional with the building architecture. In order to reduce bulk and make the walls visually compatible with the rest of the building the applicant has reduced the height of the walls to 7-feet.
2. Consistent Roof Features - The Board requested the applicant provide consistent roof designs for all elements of the building. The applicant revised the design of the building projections on the side elevations to incorporate a flat roof form consistent with the rest of the building architecture.
Other Changes to address the October 14th Planning Board Meeting:
Waste Collection Plan - The Board requested the applicant provide a waste collection plan that minimizes disruption of vehicle travel within the development. The applicant has been working with the Public Works Solid Waste & Recycling Division to provide a waste collection plan.
Palm trees - The Board requested the applicant remove the palm trees from the landscape plan for the residential development. The applicant proposes to replace the California Fan Palm Hybrid (Washington Filibustia) within the landscape plan with additional units of the Maidenhair (Ginko Biloba) tree. Revised perspectives have been included to visually show how the tree change will look with the buildings.
Railing Details - The Board requested the design provide variation in the railing designs of the buildings to increase visual interest. The applicant has been working to provide additional balcony details showing railing design variations between building types.
Window Details - The applicant is refining the window details to show the proposed windows will have a minimum 2 inch reveal.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On December 5, 2006, the City Council certified the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Alameda Landing Mixed Use Development Project (“2006 Supplemental EIR”, a Supplement to the 2000 Catellus Mixed Use Development Project EIR) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (State Clearinghouse #2006012091). The City has prepared several addenda to the 2006 SEIR in 2007, 2008, 2012, and 2017.
On October 14, 2019, the Planning Board found that the Development Plan, Density Bonus, and Tentative Map applications for 357 residential units, 5,000 square feet of commercial space, internal roadways and alleys, parks and open space on the 17.2 acre site would not result in any additional impacts or more severe impacts than those disclosed in the 2006 EIR.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a study session and provide comments on the proposed Design Review application for 69 residential buildings within the Alameda Landing Waterfront Mixed-Use Development site.
Reviewed By:
Andrew Thomas,
Planning, Building, and Transportation Director
Exhibits:
1. Alameda Landing Waterfront Residential Design Review Plans