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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDRC_2011-12-15_AgendaPacketCALL TO ORDER CITY OF ATASCADERO DESIGN RE VIE W COMMITTEE A GENDA Committee Meeting Thursday, December 15, 2011 3:30 P.M. City Hall Conference Room 5 6907 El Camino Real Atascadero, California Roll Call: Chairperson, Roberta Fonzi Committee Member, Bob Kelley Committee Member, Chuck Ward Committee Member, Christian Cooper Committee Member, Susan DeCarli APPROVAL OF AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT CONSENT CALENDAR 1. APPROVAL OF DRAFT ACTION MINUTES OF DECEMBER 1, 2011 DEVELOPMENT PROJECT REVIEW 2. PLN 2008-1280, EAGLE RANCH Second DRC review of Eagle Ranch Specific Plan. Specific review items include: 1. Progress on the Overall Site Plan 2. San Rafael Road Area Approach: Lot Sizes & Buffering 3. Revised Village Area Site Plan 4. Affordable Housing 5. Farm Animals 0 Fi"__htto://www.facebook.com/olannincatascadero City of Atascadero Design Review Committee Agenda Regular Meeting, December 15, 2011 Page 2 of 2 COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS AND REPORTS DIRECTOR'S REPORT ADJOURNMENT Next regular meeting of the Design Review Committee will be held on January 12, 2012. Agendas, Minutes and Staff Reports are available online at www.atascadero.or� under City Officials & Commissions, Design Review Committee. \\cityhall\cdvlpmnt\— dre design review committee\agendas\dre agenda 12-1-1 l.docx ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 -ffr Atascadero Design Review Committee �'►s s e;- Report In Brief - Community Development Department ASD, Callie Taylor, Associate Planner, (805) 470-3448, ctaylor@atascadero.org Eagle Ranch Specific Plan PLN 2008-1280 / GPA 2008-0022 / SP 2008-0002 / ZCH 2008-0150 Review #2: Village Center, San Rafael Road Area & Affordable Housing Applicant: I RRM Design Group Owner: I Eagle Ranch, LLC Project South west of City Location: boundary, accessed off Santa Barbara Rd. General Plan Unincorporated within & Zoning Sphere of Influence Identified for future annexation Project Area: 13,460 acres Existing Use: I Cattle Ranch AL Eagle Ranch N Specific Plan Area Al—.d— Sphere of Influence II The applicant is requesting DRC review of a few key design issues in order to make further refinements to the site plan. The applicant will use DRC comments to modify the plans for a joint Planning Commission and City Council review in early 2012. ❑ 1. Progress on the Overall Site Plan ❑ 2. San Rafael Road Area Approach: Lot Sizes & Buffering ................................................... ❑ 3. Revised Village Area Site Plan .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ❑ 4. Affordable Housing .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ❑ 5. Farm Animals .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 Background: The Design Review Committee conducted a preliminary overview of the proposed Eagle Ranch plans on May 12, 2011. Comments were received by staff and the applicant and are included as Attachment 6 of this report. Since the last review, the EIR consultant has completed an Environmental Constraints Analysis to identify potential environmental issues, and the applicant has made refinements to the site plan. On November 15, the Planning Commission hosted a Public Workshop where the current plan was presented. There were approximately 100 people in attendance, and about 18 people spoke about the project. Discussion included comments on the following: • Traffic on neighborhood streets was a primary issue, especially on San Rafael, Atascadero Avenue and San Diego Road • San Rafael Road maintenance and drainage issues • Smaller lot sizes along San Rafael inconsistent with existing large lots • San Diego Road emergency access • Horse issues: manure on trails, noise, buffering of existing pasture areas, keeping of animals in project area • Existing offsite drainage and flooding conditions • Construction phasing, timelines, developers, character of housing tracts DRC Review Items: 1. Current Site Plan Review The applicant has made refinements to the site plan since the last DRC in May. Road locations and lot layouts have been modified to address environmental constraints, previous DRC comments, staff comments, and design development by the applicant. The applicant has included color exhibits of the currently proposed project site plan for DRC review and comment. Site plan changes include: • A 13± acre elementary school site added site near the project entry off Santa Barbara Road. The school site has replaced an area previously identified for residential lots. • Overall number of residential units increased from 682 units to 746 units. • Main loop road moved to include park, village center, and multi -family sites on one side to avoid midblock crossing of the main loop road. • San Rafael Road extended through to Atascadero Avenue; road realigned from Colony right-of-way to avoid steep slopes. ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 • Additional 1.0 — 5.0 acre lots added at north eastern part of the site between Atascadero Avenue and San Rafael Road (lots located off new road extension of San Rafael.) • Approximately 5 lots added off Los Osos Road (not accessed by internal project roads; designed to blend with existing RS lots on Los Osos Road.) • Potential connection to San Diego Road. shown for emergency access. • Equestrian staging area proposed near far eastern property line, south of Eagle Creek. 2. San Rafael Road Area Desian & Approach At the November 15th Public Workshop, many of the public comments were in regards to the lot layout in the area near San Rafael Road. The existing City lots in this area are zoned Residential Suburban, with a 2.5 - 10.0 acre minimum lot size. Many of the neighbors were concerned about the compatibility of the smaller 0.5 - 1.0 acre lots proposed on San Rafael Road within the Eagle Ranch Specific Plan, and the 10,000 - 20,000 sq. ft. lots proposed just south of San Rafael. (See Attachment 2 for proposed lot layout.) The applicant would like to have a discussion with DRC regarding the approach and options for lot layout and site design in this area of the project. Due to the costs associated with on-site and off-site improvements, and the loss of lots off Santa Barbara Road for the school site, the applicant is looking for areas to include more residential units (increase in density) to make the project pencil out financially. The area off San Rafael Road is one of the least environmentally constrained areas of Eagle Ranch in regards to slope, native trees, and creeks; however, neighborhood compatibly with the existing large lots is also a factor for project design. The applicant would like to discuss options for site plan modifications with the DRC, including potential lots sizes and buffering between the existing neighborhood and the new lots in Eagle Ranch. 3. Revised Village Center Site Plan The applicant has redesigned the main loop road through the center of the project so that the park, commercial, and multi -family portion are on the same side of the main road. This revised layout eliminates the midblock crossing on the main loop road. The applicant has provided a revised site plan for this area (see Attachment 3). The new layout includes a new road connecting into the village area from the residential area to the north and to Atascadero Avenue. ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 Staff and the applicant are looking for direction from DRC regarding the revised site plan. Staff is recommending that the applicant include modifications to enhance the overall presence of the Village Center. Staff recommendation includes: • Integrate retail portion of Village Center with multi -family component; include road connection, and potential mixed use with closer proximity of development areas and residential on second floor of village retail. • Multi -family near the village should be townhouse/row house style with shared green space, rather than small lots with individual yards. • Include a Phase II in the village commercial with additional buildings. Phase II could include neighborhood commercial uses which would be constructed towards project build out (eg: coffee shop, neighborhood market, beauty salon, childcare, senior care, art studios, community rooms, small retail and neighborhood activities.) • Village retail to be visible and extend to the main loop road to draw people in. • Pedestrian and bike trail should go right through village center to make it a destination on the trail that can't be missed. • Place tot lot closer to village commercial to support retail uses. • Include bandstand at the community park for events. 4. Affordable Housing In 2003, the Atascadero City Council adopted an Inclusionary Housing Policy which applies to all discretionary projects, including General Plan Amendments, Zone Changes, and Specific Plans. As a Council Policy, it will ultimately be up to the City Council as to how this policy will be implemented for Eagle Ranch. However, in order to begin to develop an affordable housing proposal for Council review, the Eagle Ranch applicant would like to discuss some of the City's affordable housing priorities and principals with DRC. The 2003 adopted Inclusionary Housing Policy is included as Attachment 4 of this report. The policy requires that 20% of the units within the project be deed restricted affordable for a period of 30 years. With single-family development, the affordable units can be all moderate income level, and with multi -family, the policy requires a mixture of low, very low and moderate income units based on the distribution identified below. These units are to be dispersed throughout the development, and constructed concurrently with the market rate units. ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 Staff has calculated the number affordable lots Eagle Ranch would be required to construct based on the current policy. With a proposed 696 single-family lots, and 50 multi -family lots, direct application of the current policy for the entire project would result in 2 very low income units, 4 low income units, and 143 moderate income units: Multi -family Lots Single-family Lots Inclusionary Housing Requirement Inclusionary Housing Requirement Based on Council Policy: Based on Council Policy: MFR Units 50.00 units SFR Units 696 units 20% Affordable 10.00 units 20% Affordable 139.2 units Affordable Distribution Affordable Distribution 20% Very Low 2.00 units 100% Moderate 139 units 37°x6 Low 4.00 units 139 units 43°x6 Moderate 4.00 units 10.00 units The adopted Inclusionary Housing Policy also allows the City Council to approve alternative proposals to meet the inclusionary housing requirement. Alternatives to on-site construction include: • payment of in -lieu fees • land dedication • or a combination of construction, fees and land dedications. Due to the shift in the real estate market since the policy was adopted in 2003, and the fact that Eagle Ranch is a unique residential project for the City, it would seem reasonable to look at alternatives in order to fulfill the City's current affordable housing goals. The income level distribution, number of affordable units, timeframe for affordability, and the location of the affordable units are all items of discussion for DRC, and ultimately Council consideration. The applicant has prepared a list of "Principles for Affordable Housing at Eagle Ranch" for DRC consideration, which will then be used to prepare an affordable housing proposal. The applicant's list of proposed principals is included as Attachment 5 of this report. Issues for DRC discussion include: • Should the existing 452 colony lots be subject to the Inclusionary Housing Policy? The applicant would like to exempt the existing County lots from the policy requirement. The City has not had a previous project which included this many existing lots and will therefore be looking for Council direction on this issue. ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 • Are low and very low income units preferred over moderate income units? The 2003 Inclusionary Policy requires mostly moderate income units, however, under the State RHNA requirements, the City would benefit from more low and very low income units, as these are typically the most difficult to build and have the most benefit in today's market. Some moderate units in later phases of the project may be a good option as well. Staff would also like DRC and Council direction as to the number of affordable units that should be provided if the applicant offers a higher number of low and very low units, rather than mostly moderate income units. • Can in -lieu fees generated by the project be used to build the affordable housing within the project? On Eagle Ranch, there will probably be several developers that built out portions of the project, and many custom lots which will be built out by individual homeowners. Council Policy has historically been to require development of affordable units whenever possible, rather than payment of in -lieu fees. However, due to this project make up, requiring only deed restricted units may be difficult as it encumbers only some portions of the project, while other portions of the project would not be tied to the affordable housing requirement. One option would be to have all lots pay the in -lieu fees, and then allow those fees to be used to build the affordable units within the project. The project would provide constructed units in a way which spreads the costs throughout the entire development, regardless of which phases have the affordable units. Dedication of land for an affordable housing project could also be an option to meet a portion of the affordable housing requirement. • In addition to the questions presented by the applicant, staff would like direction from DRC, and ultimately City Council, as to the preferred location and distribution of the affordable units, and the housing types which are preferred (apartments, single-family for sale lots, senior housing, mixed use?) 5. Farm Animals At the November 15 Public Workshop, there was community input regarding the maintenance of the equestrian trails, and keeping of farm animals on new and existing lots. The interface between the new lots within the development and the existing City lots should also be considered. On the existing RS zoned lots, farm animals are permitted, so buffering and separation in between the existing lots and the new smaller lots will be key. The applicant is proposing that no farm animals be permitted on the new lots within the project area. Horse boarding would be provided at the Ranch headquarters. The cattle operation will continue to operate around the residential development in large grazing areas. Which specific areas will continue to be used for the cattle operation have not yet been identified by the applicant. ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 At the previous public meetings in 2008 and 2010, there was significant community request to include equestrian trails throughout the project site. The applicant has designed a multiuse trail system which would allow horses, and has also included an equestrian staging area on the east side of the project near the freeway. At the recent November 15 community meeting, there were a few comments about compatibility of horse trails within a residential development, including maintenance and clean up on the horse trails. 41` Areas where new development is proposed in close proximity to existing large lots: Equestrian Staging Area for trail - system Ranch Headquarters: horse boarding area Attachments: _ ax Attachment 1- Current Site Plan (Presented at Nov. 15 Public Workshop) Attachment 2: Current Lot Layout near San Rafael Road. Attachment 3: Revised Village Center Conceptual Site Plan Attachment 4: 2003 Adopted City Council Affordable Housing Policy Attachment 5: "Principles for Affordable Housing at Eagle Ranch" Proposed by Applicant Attachment 6- May 12, 2011 DRC Meeting Notes- Preliminary Review of Eagle Ranch ITEM NUMBER: DATE: 12-15-11 Attachment 1: Current Site Plan (Presented at Nov. 15 Public Workshop) ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 Aachment 2: Currently Proposed Lot Layout Near San Rafael Road. ttachment 3: Revised Village Center Conceptual Site Plan ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 so ro 0 0 iU C �o E E � L i •` � V � `dye Q �- c w "ro l •/ E E ro o > O N J ro E ° E Q mE 7 p 2 U i d O ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 b r r � r b 1 e C =� > v 0 0 iU C �?C E E � L A � V d Q �- "ro E E ro o > O N J ro E ° E Q mE 7 p 2 U i d O V ?= V I b r r � r b 1 e C =� > v 0 0 3 �?C E E � L A � V d Q ro Z J E mE Q LL cc ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 Attachment 4: 2003 City Council Affordable Housing Policy Interim Inclusionary Housing Policy Adopted by City Council June 24, 2003 Amended by City Council November 25, 2003 Inclusionary Section Interim Policy A. Project Requirements 1. All residential projects that require legislative approval are subject to the inclusionary requirement as follows: a. Projects of 1-10 units: pay in -lieu fee or build units b. Projects of 11 or more units must build units or receive a Council approval to pay in -lieu fees B. Percent Affordable 1. The percentage of units within a project that must be affordable shall be 20%. 2. The distribution of affordable units in single-family land use areas shall be as follows: a. 100% Moderate 3. The distribution of affordable units in multi -family and mixed use commercial land use areas shall be as follows: a. 20% Very Low Income b. 37% Low Income c. 43% Moderate 4. In -lieu fees shall be collected for all fractional units up to 0.499 units, fractional units of 0.50 and greater shall be counted as 1.0 units. 5. All inclusionary units shall be deed restricted for a period of 30 years. C. Exceptions 1. Projects that do not require a legislative approval from the City shall not be subject in the interim policy. 2. Projects that qualify for the State density bonus are exempt from additional inclusionary housing requirements. 3. Second units are exempt from the inclusionary requirement. ITEM NUMBER: DATE: 12-15-11 D. Affordable Housing 1. The exterior design and quality standards for Standards affordable units shall be comparable to those of market rate units. Affordable units may be of a smaller size and utilize less expensive interior finishes. 2. Affordable units shall be distributed throughout a project site and not concentrated in one location. 3. Inclusionary units shall be built concurrently with market rate units. A construction timeline shall be approved by the City Council prior to construction. E. In -Lieu Fees 1. In -lieu fees for units and fractions of units shall be based on 5.00% of the construction valuation of the market rate unit. F. Alternatives 1. The developer may request and the City Council may approve any of the following alternatives to on-site construction or payment of in -lieu fees for inclusionary units: a. Off-site construction b. Land dedication c. Combinations of construction, fees and land dedications G. Incentives 1. As an incentive to provide affordable units, all inclusionary units shall be treated as density bonus units that are not counted as part of the maximum density entitlement of a site. ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 Attachment 5: 'Principles for Affordable Housing at Eagle Ranch' As Proposed by Applicant for DRC Discussion 12/05/2011 Eagle Ranch Affordable Housing Principles & Interpretation of the Interim Inclusionary Housing Policy 1. The City Interim Inclusionary Housing Policy does not apply to the 452 existing Eagle Ranch Colony lots. 2. The City Interim Inclusionary Housing Policy applies only to additional market rate units in excess of the 452 existing lots. 3. The City Interim Inclusionary Housing Policy does not apply to the Highway Commercial Development. 4. The City Interim Inclusionary Housing Policy does not apply to the Resort Development. 5. The City Interim Inclusionary Housing Policy does not apply to the Village Commercial Uses. 6. Units developed on site pursuant to The City Interim Inclusionary Housing Policy do not count as part of the project density or calculation of the inclusionary housing requirement. Very Low Income Affordable Units - Principles 1. Constructing actual habitable units at very low income affordability is acknowledged to be extraordinarily difficult in any market rate financed and developed project 2. Delivery of actual, habitable very low income affordable units is strongly preferred over payment of in lieu fees, even if only very modest numbers of units are actually built 3. In lieu fees paid by the Eagle Ranch developer may be used to develop very low income units on Eagle Ranch Low Income Affordable Units - Principles 1. Constructing actual habitable units at low affordability is acknowledged to be very difficult in any market rate financed and developed project 2. Delivery of actual, habitable low income affordable units is strongly preferred over payment of in lieu fees, even if only very modest numbers of units are actually built 3. In lieu fees paid by the Eagle Ranch developer may be used to develop low income units on Eagle Ranch Moderate Income Affordable Units — Principle 1. Current Economic and Housing Market Conditions in Atascadero do not support this category as an inclusionary requirement as the housing marketplace currently provides for sale and market rate rental units within this affordability range. ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 Attachment 6: May 12, 2011 DRC Meeting Notes: Preliminary Review of Eagle Ranch CITY OF ATASCADERO - DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE Meeting Notes Thursday, May 12, 2011— 3:30 P.M. Development Project Review: EAGLE RANCH Committee Members: RF — Roberta Fonzi, CC, DRC Chairperson BK — Bob Kelly, CC, DRC CW — Chuck Ward, PC, DRC CC — Christian Cooper, PC, DRC SD — Susan DeCarli, Parks & Rec Committee, DRC Committee Discussion of Issues / Questions: BK Vehicle code jurisdiction on private streets / driveways? PD enforcement? BK Building envelopes to avoid trees CW Landscaped medians/roads should be drought tolerant Low water use irrigation Replant with native trees & native plant species to naturalize SD Treatment of large OS areas BK Cattle grazing fencing (location, design, containment?) RF San Rafael Road Connection / extension Ortega Rd. connection? JF - Trail only San Diego Rd. Connection, hazard area? SD Emergency evacuation issue at San Diego is important Also for new neighborhoods with long cul-de-sacs; second accessway RF Concerned with all affordable in one location BK Affordable must look good; not be able to tell affordable from market rate RF/BK Not 100% affordable in one location; must spread throughout project BK Bike paths very important. Look at City of Valencia as example for ped/bike path integration Wants separated Class I paths / instead of Class 11 SD Additional street connections needed (grids approach) Too many dead end roads; many opportunities for connections available RF/CW Likes private streets BK Include bandstand in park for special events, gathering area SD/RF Park / village connection important BK Size of park? What is purpose / use of park? Concerts & entertainment need more parking (like Paso park downtown) ITEM NUMBER: 2 DATE: 12-15-11 RF Park Facilities - who is served? CC/SD Park should be central & active with public access The wide open valley concept is important to project Include trails to oak woodland area by multi -family neighborhood Individual Committee Member Comments: CW Business center retreat location good idea / use High end center for speakers, seminars, corporations = income generator Use decent size trees Good project SD Building envelopes important on large lots (streamline permit processing) Intensify medium size lots for higher density More street / block connections permeability to reduce drive time/VMT Like rural character created by landscaped medians & road sections (LID) Evacuation issues / two way out important CC Like privacy of courts Like overall approach / good preservation effort BK Beautiful project More Class 1 bike ways Cost impact to City; project must be cost neutral/positive Consider & protect existing neighborhoods Traffic impacts to neighborhoods (ex: Atascadero Ave improvements) Public safety impacts / service to new neighborhoods San Rafael connection good for fire dept. access BK Make revenue positive Need commercial early / phasing condition (ex: Dove Creek) Bandstand for concerts / multiuse at park Like early review process RF Great project Building envelopes vs. conservation easements Neighborhoods important / strong sense Existing neighborhoods access points very important (impacts on) Project entrance points are key; give special consideration No gates preferred, keep open Fire safety important Sewer will be expensive / consider septic's on large lots Prefers natural gas over propane Keep rural / Atascadero character Need architectural variety, originally that is unique to Atascadero BK Require many corners on houses (CC&R's to create interesting form) Minimize driveways which require backing out onto to street Encourages side loaded garages with turnaround areas in driveways RF Recess garages on elevations SD Design guidelines to be reviewed by DRC RF Historic / traditional house character RF Street & neighborhood names are important; should be creative BK Likes highway hotel / commercial component Covered bus stops, protected from weather with pullouts GS Worried about design speed issue on collector SD Natural energy conservation in design guidelines .r r Map Features GENERAL MAPELEMENTS RESIDENTIAL AREAS SUMMARY Ranch Boundary 4,500 to 6,500 S.F. Lots Single Family: 600-800 lots Atasca daro City Limit (CorerAtascad.ro 6,500 to 10,000 S.F. Lots Multi -Family: 50-100 units City Limit ith 00 URL 10,000 to 20,000 S.F. Lots Resort Hotel: 30-40 so .11d-) City of Atescadena URL 0.5 Acre to 1 Acre Lots Village Center: 2-5 so (Cot—ho—ithpoijed.—h—b—d.,) 1 Acre to 5 Acre Lots Highway Commercial: 10-15 ac Streams: Intermittent (USGS NHD - N,iti—I Hyd,lphy D-0) 5 Acre to 20 Acre Lots Public Park: 4-7 ac Notes/Sources: Existing Lakes/Ponds Multi -Family Housing Elementary School: 13 so EAGLE RANCH photo from the National Agricultural Imagery Program - 2009. 2,� :,ei-alm data from the NHD (National Hydrography Dataset). COMMERCIAL AND OPEN SPACE AREAS ROADS AND TRAILS Equestrian Staging Area: 1-2 ac L 3� Topographic contour interval is 10 feet. Resort Hotel Existing Ranch Roads Roads -Paved Area: 50-60 ac 4 Boundary, and topo data from existing datandomnation. 5) Feature annotation and peak elevations from the USGS quad data. Village Center Proposed Road ROWS Trails: - T il 12 10ac Alon 6) This map is for ilWsbative purposes only. 10 Highway Commercial Unpaved Trails -O-U. — am& T-1, Open Space: 2,800+/- ac (Estimated Percentage: 80+%) City of Atascadero, CA Scale: 0 1/2 Mile F= Public Park Berman I FE= tary Schoo ass 1 Multi -Use Path Cl- - ir wi,li, —d l.– Conceptual Site Plan 000 1000 _501 5 0 Feet [:033� g Area FL-=] Equestrian Staging F;;;;-1 National Forest Service Connector Troll .4 .1 I November 15,2011 ad Open Space Remainder - Single -k .r r Unpaved trail with picnic areas Class 1 multi -use path Active play area Postal kiosk Decorative paving Commercial plaza Village Commercial (12,000 sf) Commercial loading AREA BY LAND USE Village Commercial Multi -Family Class 1 multi -use path Unpaved trail to connect - multi -family to the village IVIU i-iaiiiiiy (60 units) Playground with picnic area INP% -nxinA tr -n;I Multi -far (60 unit! txisting trees, typ. Unpaved trai I with picnic areas Existing trees, typ. rrm group III 1 creating environments people enjoy® December 8, 2011 ° EAGLE RANCH I COMMERCIAL VILLAGE AND PARK SITE PLAN I � 50, 100,00 200'300'°°°