Title
PLN22-0304 - 250 Singleton Avenue - Rezoning and Design Review - Applicant: Quattrocchi Kwok Architects for Alameda Unified School District (AUSD). Public hearing to consider a recommendation to the City Council to rezone the subject approximately 6.73-acre property to remove the “G,” Special Government Combining District overlay; and to consider Design Review approval to allow the construction of an approximately 6,200 square foot central kitchen and 9,800 square foot warehouse located at the AUSD facility at 250 Singleton Avenue. CEQA Determination: The Alameda General Plan 2040 Final Environmental Impact Report, State Clearinghouse #2021030563, was certified by the City Council on November 30, 2021. None of the circumstances requiring further CEQA review are present
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff requests that the Planning Board hold a public hearing to consider Rezoning and Design Review application No. PLN22-0304 to allow the construction of two new Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) buildings including an approximately 6,200 square foot central kitchen and 9,800 square foot warehouse located at 250 Singleton Avenue. The Rezoning application is a “clean up” to the City Zoning Map to remove the “G,” Special Government Combining District overlay from the property because the property is no longer under the ownership of the federal or state government, which the “G” overlay is intended to govern. Per Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Section 30-4.17.b, the property must be rezoned to remove the G overlay prior to non-federal or state governmental use. Staff is recommending approval of the Rezoning and Design Review application.
BACKGROUND
The property subject to rezoning is an approximately 6.73-acre AUSD property located at 250 Singleton Avenue. The Design Review project site is located on a 2.77-acre portion of the property. The property once served as the George P. Miller Public Elementary School from 1980 until 2006, and now currently serves as the AUSD maintenance yard. The site currently contains two main buildings, an accessory building, school yards, parking spaces, and existing fencing the surrounds the perimeter of the site.
The site is currently zoned M-2-G, General Industrial with a Special Government Combining District Overlay and is designated as Public Institutional under the General Plan. Surrounding properties to the west and south are zoned M-2-G and include residential uses. Surrounding properties to the north and east are zoned R-4 Residential - Special Planned Development - Multi-family District (R-4-PD-MF), and include residential uses, and a vacant lot to the east that will be the future location of Block D of the North Housing project (also residential use).
Per AMC Section 30-4.17.b, the property must be rezoned to remove the G overlay prior to non-federal or state governmental use. AUSD is requesting the City rezone the property in order to allow new construction of school district facilities.
DISCUSSION
Removal of the G Overlay
AMC Section 30-4.17.b - G, Special Government Combining District states that:
“Prior to the use of any lands by any private or public entity other than the United States or State of California, through purchase or pursuant to lease from the U.S. Government or State of California, rezoning procedures shall be completed to remove the G classifications and to consider further appropriate district classification changes.”
The G - Special Government Combining District overlay is used on the Zoning Map to denote properties under Federal or State Government ownership, and must be removed when the property is sold or transferred to a private party or public agency. Originally the subject property belonged to the Federal government and was conveyed to the AUSD who operated the George P. Miller Elementary school on the site from 1980 until 2006, and currently operates a District maintenance facility on the site. At the time the property was conveyed to the school district the “G” overlay should have been removed, but it was not, and AUSD has been operating at the site for over 40 years. Staff is recommending removal of the “G” overlay as a zoning map clean up. A map showing the zoning of the property is included as Exhibit 2.
The removal of the “G” overlay does not change the underlying M-2, General Industrial (Manufacturing) zoning designation for the property, nor does it affect the AUSD operations on the site, height limit, setbacks or any other development regulation currently in place on the property. The request is simply to remove the “G” overlay from the property as the overlay is no longer applicable.
Design Review
The Design Review application proposes to construct two new prefabricated buildings located to the east of the existing AUSD buildings that will remain on the site. The new buildings will house a central kitchen and a warehouse for the school district. The Design Review plans for the project are attached as Exhibit 1.
Site Design: The building locations on the site plan provide large setbacks with a generous buffer of drought tolerant landscaping between the buildings and adjacent uses. The central kitchen building is located near the street frontage, and the proposed warehouse building is located toward the rear of the site behind the central kitchen building. The parking lot for the facility is located at the center of the site between the two buildings.
The project also proposes upgrades to the existing perimeter fencing including new gates on Singleton Avenue and black mesh privacy screening. An interior fence controls direct access to the project site. Sidewalk improvements are proposed in front of the AUSD property to connect with the existing unfinished pedestrian path along Singleton Avenue.
Architecture Design: The central kitchen building is a single-story building with a contemporary design utilizing metal and stucco exterior materials. The building is approximately 30 feet tall and will contain a commercial kitchen, food storage areas, offices, a locker/break room, and restrooms. The warehouse building is also a single-story building with a contemporary design utilizing metal exterior materials. The building is approximately 35 feet 8 inches tall with an open floorplan for warehouse storage. The height and building forms of the new structures are compatible with the surrounding buildings in the neighborhood. The proposed architectural features of the buildings including the gabled and shed roof forms, two-foot-deep roof eaves, standing seam roof systems with skylights, vertical metal and stucco siding, and horizontally proportional anodized aluminum windows. The buildings in the surrounding neighborhood include the existing AUSD buildings, and one- and two-story residential homes. The surrounding buildings have a mix of flat, gabled and shed roof forms, and exterior materials including metal, stucco, board and batten, and horizontal wood siding. The proposed buildings are compatible with neighboring buildings and its surroundings and promote harmonious transitions in scale and character in areas between different uses in the immediate neighborhood.
Overall, the site layout and building architecture of the proposed buildings provide a complementary design that is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood, and the proposed sidewalk improvements help to complete the unfinished public walking path on the south side of Singleton Avenue.
Landscape and Lighting Plan: The landscape plan features low water use landscaping including trees, shrubs, native grasses and wildflowers. The site contains walking paths along the buildings, impervious paving within the parking lot, and an outdoor seating area with tables and benches for employee dining, gathering, and socialization. The site lighting features decorative pole and post mounted lighting and wall mounted sconce lighting that illuminate the site around the buildings and within the parking lot. The proposed lighting plan also incorporates timed or auto off control features consistent with the Dark Skies requirements (AMC Section 30-5.16.c). Overall, the landscaping and lighting plan provide generous drought tolerant landscape buffers between the building and the adjacent properties, and provide decorative lighting that is dark skies compliant.
Development Standards: As shown in Table 1, the project is consistent with all of the development standards for the property (AMC 30-4.12.d).
|
Table 1: Project Complies with M-2 District Development Standards |
|
|
Requirement |
Proposed |
Compliance |
|
Maximum Building Height |
100 ft. |
35 ft. 8 in. |
Complies |
|
Max Lot Coverage |
80% |
23% |
Complies |
|
Front Yard Setback |
5 ft. |
30 ft. |
Complies |
|
Minimum Side Yard Setback |
12 ft. (East) |
45 ft. 6 in. |
Complies |
|
Minimum Rear Yard Setback |
None |
20 ft. |
Complies |
|
Maximum Allowed Vehicle Parking |
40 spaces |
19 spaces |
Complies |
|
Minimum Bicycle Parking |
2 long term 2 short term |
2 long term 2 short term |
Complies |
Vehicle and Bicycle Parking: The proposed site plan complies with the maximum parking requirements of AMC Section 30-7.3 by providing 19 vehicle parking spaces where the maximum number of parking spaces allowed is 40 spaces. The project will also provide 2 long term bicycle parking spaces and 2 short term bicycle parking spaces on the site which complies with the minimum bike parking spaces required by AMC Section 30-7.6. AUSD confirms the amount of parking proposed is optimal for the proposed buildings.
Conclusion: In conclusion, staff believes the Design Review plans are consistent with the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance and the Design Review Manual, and that all required Design Review findings can be made. The Rezoning application will remove the G overlay from the property as the overlay is no longer applicable. Staff is recommending the Board approve the Design Review and recommend the City Council approve the Rezoning based on findings contained in the draft resolutions (Exhibits 3 and 4).
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.
CLIMATE ACTION
The project is providing supportive services for AUSD schools. The proposed buildings incorporate sustainable design solutions such as water conservation, roof top skylights, and heat pump systems, which are consistent with the Regional Sustainable Communities Plan Bay Area and with the Local Climate Action Plan. The proposed project will add additional services to the existing School District maintenance facility which will result in a centralized service location that contributes to the reduction of GHG emissions while providing the necessary support for AUSD schools.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On November 30, 2021, by Resolution No. 15841, the City Council certified a Final Environmental Impact Report for the Alameda 2040 General Plan (State Clearinghouse No. 2021030563) in compliance with CEQA, and adopted written findings, a Statement of Overriding Considerations, and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the General Plan Amendment to update the Alameda General Plan (General Plan EIR). Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15162 and 15163, none of the circumstances necessitating further CEQA review are present with respect to the General Plan EIR. Approval of the project would not require major revisions to the General Plan EIR due to new significant impacts or due to a substantial increase in the severity of the significant environmental effects. There have been no substantial changes with respect to the circumstances under which the project would be undertaken that would require major revisions of the General Plan EIR due to new or substantially increased significant environmental effects. Further, there has been no discovery of new information of substantial importance that would trigger or require major revisions to the General Plan EIR due to new or substantially increased significant environmental effects. For these reasons, no further environmental review is required.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public hearing and adopt the draft resolutions recommending the City Council remove the “G,” Special Government Combining District overlay from the property, and approving Design Review Application No. PLN22-0304 to allow the construction of an approximately 6,200 square foot central kitchen and 9,800 square foot warehouse located at the AUSD facility at 250 Singleton Avenue.
Respectfully Submitted,
Allen Tai, City Planner
By:
Henry Dong, Planner III
Exhibits:
1. Project Plans
2. AUSD Property G Overlay Map
3. Draft Design Review Resolution
4. Draft G Overlay Resolution