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DESIGN REVIEW OF CHASE BANK PROPOSAL FOR 520 N. EL DORADO STREET
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission adopt a resolution:
1. Denying an application for a proposed multi-tenant building located at 520 N. El Dorado Street based on a finding of inconsistency with commercial Design Guidelines; and
2. Directing staff to work with the applicant to achieve consistency with the commercial Design Guidelines, including at a minimum moving the building to the El Dorado Street property line and placing the drive-through away from public view.
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DISCUSSION
Background
This item is being referred to the Planning Commission pursuant to Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) section 16.212.070.B.7 which grants the Community Development Director the authority to defer action on any decision subject to the Director’s authority and refer the application directly to the Commission.
The Planning Commission is requested to take action at this meeting to determine whether the project is consistent with the Commercial Design Guidelines. Key design issues relate to the way the building is set back from both El Dorado and Fremont Streets rather than being sited adjacent to the sidewalk consistent with adjacent buildings, the location of parking in front of the building rather than to the side and rear, and the architectural design’s incompatibility with its context and uneven treatment of the building’s front, side, and rear facades.
The applicant is proposing to redevelop a parcel located at 520 N. El Dorado Street (Attachment A - Location Map). The redevelopment proposal includes demolition of the existing 8,341 square foot former bank building that covers the northern half of the parcel fronting N. El Dorado Street to construct a 5,050 square foot multi-tenant building at the center of the site to house Chase Bank with a drive-up ATM and a coffee retailer with a drive-through facility (Attachment B - Site Plan and Elevations).
The site is located in a major transportation and activity area at the corner of
El Dorado and Fremont Street in the downtown and civic center, adjacent to the waterfront entertainment area (Attachment C - Site Context Photos).
The site is zoned CD (Commercial, Downtown), and is bounded to the:
• north by a bank and commercial storefronts zoned CD
• south by a mix of office and commercial storefronts zoned CD
• east by adaptive reuse of historic buildings containing a restaurant and storage facility zoned CD
• west by City Hall, Dr. Martin Luther King Plaza Park, and Cesar Chavez Central Library zoned CO (Commercial Office)
The General Plan designates the project site for Commercial land use. This land use designation along with the CD zoning allows for commercial development provided that the proposal is consistent with adopted City development standards and design guidelines. Additionally, Design Review has set findings that must also be made.
Present Situation
Every project provides a new opportunity to implement Council adopted standards and design guidelines Redevelopment of parcels occurs intermittently and the opportunity to meet or exceed design thresholds outlined in City policy documents may only be available every few decades.
As part of the pre-site plan review process, staff’s initial review of the proposed project determined that it was inconsistent with a number of policy documents including the General Plan, Design Guidelines and the Waterfront Merged Redevelopment Plan (Attachment D - Applicable Policy Documents).
The project as proposed fails to comply with the following principles contained in the policy documents:
• Represent development that is compatible with the context of its surroundings
• Follow the existing development pattern of “Street Adjacent Buildings-Pedestrian Orientation”
• Avoid parking that interrupts a continuous street wall of building frontages
• Ensure that parking lots do not visually dominate views of the project site
• Provide for drive-through aisles that are located in the rear of the building away from the street frontage
Additionally, both the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) and the Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) met to review and discuss the proposed project. Site plan and design review procedures apply to discretionary and nondiscretionary review of development throughout the City in order to encourage development that is compatible and harmonious with the design and use of surrounding properties and with the City in general. The City has established Design Guidelines that lay out the criteria by which Design Review is conducted for each project.
Site Plan / Design Guidance; as recommended by staff, the ARC and SPRC:
1. Building should be relocated to front and street side property lines
2. Drive-through should be away from public view
Architectural Review Committee (ARC)
The ARC met on November 30, 2016 to evaluate the project consistent with the Commercial Design Review Guidelines. The ARC panel of architect’s opined that the current site plan layout and architectural design were inconsistent with the City approved Design Guidelines. Comments from the meeting included:
Site Planning
(Pg. 4.01 -3 Sect. 4.01.040, Citywide Design Guidelines)
• Site layout and architectural design is appropriate for a suburban area that has a more auto-centric focus, not an urban downtown where you typically have street-side development that is more pedestrian oriented and continues street-front activity and existing commercial corridors
• The applicants selected this location with the knowledge that it’s located in an urban area surrounded by the City’s civic center and downtown that would need to be taken into consideration in the design of the building and site layout.
• The existing building’s placement and circulation is more consistent with City Design Guidelines than what is currently proposed for the new building. The existing building fronts onto N. El Dorado Street and has placed the drive-through lanes behind the building at the northern edge of the property
• The design should take full advantage of the visibility that this corner lot provides much the same as the Bank of the West development does to the north of this site.
General Design Objectives
(Pg. 4.01 -2 Sect. 4.01.030, Citywide Design Guidelines)
• The building should have 360-degree architecture because it’s on a prominent corner lot (i.e., avoid blank walls or facades with a lower quality design than the building’s front façade like the Bank of the West north of the site) (Pg. 4.01-12 Section F(3), Pg. 4.01-14 Section4.01.050, Citywide Design Guidelines)
• Scale and proportion should relate to the surrounding context. The existing building and surrounding area development have much higher site coverage than the proposed use of the site. (Pg 4.01-15 Sect. A, Citywide Design Guidelines)
• Look at material pallet for appropriateness. Architectural features such as stacked stone and wainscoting is an architectural treatment found in more suburban development and is not found in the more urban area that surrounds this site. (Pg. 4.01-19, Sect. 4.01.060, Citywide Design Guidelines)
Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC)
The SPRC met on November 30, 2016 to review the project and issued a statement of inconsistency with development standards that will need to be addressed with additional information and revisions. The SPRC meeting comprised of City representatives from a number of departments including, Municipal Utilities, Fire, Public Works, Building, and Planning. Issues included points of access, on site circulation, landscaping, storm water quality and possible off site frontage improvements.
FINDINGS
The Review Authority shall determine whether a project adequately meets City standards and the Guidelines, based upon consistency with the findings outlined in section 16.120.060 of the City Development Code.
The applicant’s proposal is consistent with three of the necessary design review findings including requirements and standards (e.g., American Disabilities Act regulations, parking requirements, historic preservation, mitigation measures, open space, utilities, etc.)
The proposed project is inconsistent with five of the necessary design review findings as outlined in the following:
• The proposed development is inconsistent with all applicable provisions of this Development Code and other applicable City ordinances; because the proposal is inconsistent with the Citywide Design Guidelines that are used to meet the requirements of Design Review as outlined in SMC section 16.120.020 B
• The general design considerations, including the character, quality, and scale of design are inconsistent with the purpose/intent of this chapter and the Guidelines and other design guidelines that may be adopted by the City because it does not continue the existing development pattern of “Street Adjacent Buildings-Pedestrian Orientation” as outlined in the Commercial Design Guidelines (Page no. 5, section 4.0, City of Stockton Citywide Design Guidelines, City Council Resolution 04-0213, March 2004) Specifically, the site is in the CD zoning district surrounded by buildings that are built directly adjacent to Fremont and N. El Dorado streets. Some of these buildings include newer development such as the Bank of the West just north of the site. (Finding B)
• The architectural design of structures and their materials and colors are not visually compatible with surrounding development. Design elements (e.g., awnings, exterior lighting, screening of equipment, signs, etc.) have not been incorporated into the project to further ensure its compatibility with the character and uses of adjacent development, because the proposed project does not address site context in the site plan or materials pallet as determined by the panel of local licensed architects that make up the Architectural Review Committee (ARC). The proposed project was identified by ARC as an architectural style and layout that would be typical in a suburban setting and not typical for more urban areas such as the downtown. (Finding C)
• The location and configuration of this structure is not compatible with its site and with surrounding sites and structures… because the proposed structure should be located at or near the El Dorado Street property line consistent with surrounding structures. The drive-through should be placed at the back of the building not visible from the street front consistent with the adjacent Bank of the West building’s drive-through (Finding D)
• The general landscape design, including the color, coverage, location, size, texture, and type of plant materials, provisions for irrigation, planned maintenance, and protection of landscape elements have not been considered to ensure visual relief, to complement structures, and to provide an attractive environment; because the project proposal does not include full landscape plans at this time. (Finding E)
CONCLUSION
Although this is a desirable project for this site the building placement and circulation need to be consistent with City Commercial Design Guidelines that focus on pedestrian-oriented development that takes into account the context and development pattern of the surrounding area.
Therefore, staff recommends that the Planning Commission deny the application for a proposed multi-tenant building located at 520 N. El Dorado Street based on a finding of inconsistency with commercial Design Guidelines and direct staff to work with the applicant to achieve consistency with the commercial Design Guidelines, including at a minimum moving the building to the El Dorado Street property line and placing the drive-through away from public view.
VOTES
A vote of a majority, four (4), of the total authorized membership of the Planning Commission is required for the Commission to transact business or decide any matter.
Attachment A - Location Map
Attachment B - Site Plan & Elevations
Attachment C - Site Context Photos
Attachment D - Applicable Policy Documents
Staff report prepared by Assistant Planner Megan Meier; (209) 937-8393, megan.meier@stocktonca.gov <mailto:megan.meier@stocktonca.gov>