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COMMUNICATION ACCESS INFORMATION To request a meeting agenda in large print, Braille, or on cassette, or to request a sign language interpreter for the meeting, call Noel Ibalio, Staff Liaison at (510) 215-4330 (voice) at least FIVE WORKING DAYS NOTICE PRIOR TO THE MEETING to ensure availability. 10890 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530 Tel: (510) 215-4330 E-mail: [EMAIL REDACTED] Community Development Department AGENDA REGULAR MEETING OF THE Design Review Board Wednesday, July 2, 2014 7:30 PM El Cerrito City Hall Council Chambers 10890 San Pablo Avenue This Meeting Place Is Wheelchair Accessible Roll Call: Maggie Leighly, Glenn Wood Christophe Laverne, Carl Groch, and John Thompson. 1. Council/Staff Liaison Announcements and Reports Staff and/or Councilmember Lyman may report on matters of general interest to the Design Review Board, Council policies, priorities and significant actions taken by the City Council. 2. Comments from the Public (Each speaker is limited to a maximum of 3 minutes.) 3. Approval of Minutes Approve the minutes of the June 4, 2014 meeting. 4. Board Member Communication/Conflict of Interest Disclosure This time on the agenda is reserved for Board Members to disclose communications from individuals regarding specific agenda items or to state a potential conflict of interest in relation to a specific agenda item. 5. Study Session – San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Applicant: City of El Cerrito, Community Development Department Location: Plan Area (generally along San Pablo Avenue, Central Avenue and Fairmount Avenue) Request: A Design Review Board study session of the Draft San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan. Staff shall present an overview of the Plan and its elements that are pertinent to the Design Review Board’s purview. CEQA: A draft programmatic Environmental Impact Report has been prepared and is currently under review. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Design Review Board Meeting Agenda Design Review Board Meeting 2 of 2 July 2, 2014 6. Staff Communications 7. Adjournment ---PAGE BREAK--- COMMUNICATION ACCESS INFORMATION To request a meeting agenda in large print, Braille, or on cassette, or to request a sign language interpreter for the meeting, call Noel Ibalio, Staff Liaison at (510) 215-4330 (voice) at least FIVE WORKING DAYS NOTICE PRIOR TO THE MEETING to ensure availability. 10890 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530 Tel: (510) 215-4330 E-mail: [EMAIL REDACTED] Community Development Department MINUTES OF THE Design Review Board Wednesday, June 4, 2014 7:30 PM El Cerrito City Hall Council Chambers 10890 San Pablo Avenue Roll Call: Maggie Leighly, Glenn Wood Christophe Laverne, Carl Groch, and John Thompson. 1. Council/Staff Liaison Announcements and Reports Councilmember Lyman provided the Board with a report on the recent actions of the City Council. April 22nd meeting - the Council approved a DDLA for the Eden Housing project, the City budget was presented to the Council, 2-year budget . May 6th meeting – the CIP was presented , projects are programmed and are funded through grants. May 22 Council meeting, a non-smoking ordinance was proposed and Tom Panas was nominated on the Wall of Fame. On June 2, the City Council considered an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision in the 1715 Elm Street project. No decision was made and the item was continued. 2. Comments from the Public No members of the public spoke. 3. Approval of Minutes Approve the minutes of the April 17, 2014 meeting. Motion to approve the minutes: Groch, 2nd: Thompson. Vote 3-0-2. 4. Board Member Communication/Conflict of Interest Disclosure None were reported. 5. Public Hearing – Del Norte Plaza Signs Application: PL14-0062 Applicant: Steve Peterson Location: 11720 San Pablo Avenue APN: 501-261-016 Zoning: TOM (Transit Oriented Mixed Use) General Plan: Commercial/Mixed Use ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Design Review Board Meeting Minutes Design Review Board Meeting 2 of 2 June 4, 2014 Request: Design Review Board consideration to amend an existing sign program for the Del Norte Plaza. The amendment will allow for the addition of a circular panel sign at the top of the freestanding monument sign and redistribute the tenant signs on the monument sign from two to six. CEQA: Exempt, Section 15301 – Class 1, Existing Facilities, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act Senior Planner, Noel M. Ibalio, presented the project and answered questions from the Board. The Board added the following conditions of approval: 1) Eliminate secondary flags 2) Background color on the tenant sign and shopping center identification sign must be of a darker color that complements the color of the framing. 3) The background material must be opaque with white lettering. 4) The frame of the structure must be a bronze or dark gray color. 5) The new circle panel signage must be 3’-6” maximum diameter. Motion to approve the proposed project subject to the conditions of approval: Groch, 2nd: Thompson. Vote 5-0-0. 6. Staff Communications Staff reported that the Specific Plan will be the only item on the July agenda. 7. Adjournment 8:43 p.m. Appeals: A decision of the Design Review Board may be appealed to the Planning Commission, by the applicant or any El Cerrito resident or property owner, through the filing of a written statement and the payment of an appeal fee of $325 with the City Clerk within ten calendar days after the decision date. (The applicant may file an appeal for the cost of half the original permit fee.) Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the Design Review Board regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public inspection in the Planning Division office located at 10890 San Pablo Avenue during normal business hours. ---PAGE BREAK--- H:\COMMDEV\Plans & Policies\SPA Specific Plan\Draft Specific Plan_3.31.14\SPASP DRB Study Session Final.docxPage 1 of 3 Community Development Department - Planning Division 10890 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530 (510) 215-4330 - FAX: (510) 233-5401 [EMAIL REDACTED] DESIGN REVIEW BOARD STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: July 2, 2014 I. SUBJECT Project: San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Applicant: City of El Cerrito, Community Development Department Location: Plan Area (generally along San Pablo Avenue, Central Avenue and Fairmount Avenue) Request: A Design Review Board study session of the Draft San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan. Staff shall present an overview of the Plan and its elements that are pertinent to the Design Review Board’s purview. CEQA: A draft programmatic Environmental Impact Report has been prepared and is currently under review. II. DISCUSSION Purpose The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan is a joint effort between the Cities of El Cerrito and Richmond to adopt a vision for the two and a one-half mile stretch of San Pablo Avenue shared by the two cities. The Plan Area stretches from Cerrito Creek and El Cerrito Plaza on the south to Baxter Creek Gateway Park on the north. The plan area includes both BART stations (El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte) and the surrounding areas. Goals In order to fulfill the purpose of the Plan, the Specific Plan establishes five overarching goals. Each goal then identifies multiple strategies in order to achieve the goal. These strategies are then implemented through the standards and policies throughout the remainder of the Specific Plan. Goal A: Strengthen Sense of Place Goal B: Ensure Return on Investment Goal C: Encourage Practical and Market Friendly Development Goal D: Enhance and Humanize Public Realm Goal E: Catalyze Mode Shift Organization of the Plan The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan is organized into four chapters: Introduction, Form-Based Code, Complete Streets, and Infrastructure Systems. The Introduction discusses the purpose of the Plan, establishes the goals, discusses the regulatory framework, and discusses the process which led to the development of the plan. The Form-Based Code establishes land use and development ---PAGE BREAK--- H:\COMMDEV\Plans & Policies\SPA Specific Plan\Draft Specific Plan_3.31.14\SPASP DRB Study Session Final.docxPage 2 of 3 standards for development in the Plan Area. The Complete Streets chapter establishes standards for the various street types in the Plan Area and the Infrastructure Systems chapter analyzes existing infrastructure and makes recommendations for improvements to accommodate the development envisioned in the Plan. The Form-Based Code will give the Design Review Board authority over certain elements of certain types of projects. The Code will also establish the DRB’s standard for reviewing those projects. Since the DRB’s authority to implement the Specific Plan will derive from the Form-Based Code, for the purposes of this report the discussion will focus on the Form-Based Code. Development Standards The Form-Based Code will regulate new projects based upon which transect zone they are situated in, upon which street type the project site has frontage, and upon the type of land use proposed. The transect zones will establish the allowed land uses, building heights and parking requirements. The street types will establish standards for public street improvements, ground floor setbacks, upper floor setbacks, maximum building length, ceiling heights for ground floor and upper floors, minimum building transparency, and allowed building frontage types. The Transect Zone standards can be found in Section 2.03.02 of the Draft Form-Based Code. The Street Type Standards can be found in Section 2.03.03 of the Draft Form-Based Code. As seen on the flow chart on page 02.01-6, after identifying street type, a series of development standards are identified. These include: 1. Building Layout Standards The Section 2.05.02.02.03: Shadows contains standards for the maximum shadow a project can create. These standards are based upon impacts to adjacent properties. Projects will need to demonstrate that they do not create more than a maximum amount of shadow upon adjacent properties at certain times on the Winter Solstice (December 21). The standards are determined by street type and the adjacent land uses. 2. Articulation Standards Section 2.05.04 contains standards for building articulation, colors, materials and textures, and sustainable design elements. 3. Frontage Types The building frontage types are established in Section 2.05.05. This Section established a menu of frontage types that projects can employ based on the type of street where the project is located. 4. Sustainability Guidelines The Sustainability Guidelines can be found in Section 2.05.04.03 5. Open Space Standards for the design of open spaces are contained in Section 2.06. 6. Landscaping Planting standards can be found in Section 2.06.03 ---PAGE BREAK--- H:\COMMDEV\Plans & Policies\SPA Specific Plan\Draft Specific Plan_3.31.14\SPASP DRB Study Session Final.docxPage 3 of 3 7. Signage Standards for signs are contained in Section 2.05.10. Types of Review The Specific Plan establishes four Tiers of review for various types of projects in the Plan Area. Tier I is intended for small projects such as minor signage, small additions, accessory structures and other projects which do not substantially change the exterior character of an existing building. Tier I projects will be reviewed by the Zoning Administrator. The Tier I process is similar to the current Administrative Design Review process. The Zoning Administrator’s decisions will be appealable to the Design Review Board. When a project has special significance, the Zoning Administrator will have the authority to refer such projects to the DRB for review. Tier II review. Tier II review is intended for new projects which meet all development standards outlined in the Form-Based Code. The Design Review Board will have approval authority over the design components of the project, including exterior building colors, materials, and textures; landscaping; the site plan; building facades and articulation; the relationship of the development to adjacent public rights-of-way; and signage. Tier III review is intended for major projects involving existing buildings, which make significant exterior modifications to a structure or cost more than 50% of the value of the improvements on the property. Under Tier III review, the Design Review Board would be responsible for approving the design components of the project. Tier IV review is intended for new projects which do not meet all standards of the Form-Based Code, but which will implement the goals of the Specific Plan and which will provide an over- arching public benefit. For example, if a project could provide quality public open space beyond what was normally required by clustering development on another portion of the site, Tier IV review could be considered. Under Tier IV, the Planning Commission would hold approval authority over the site plan, the elements of the project which do not meet the standards of the Form-Based Code and the determination of an over-arching public benefit. The Design Review Board would hold approval authority over the remaining design components of the project. Staff will provide an overview of the Specific Plan at the study session and be available to answer questions. The draft Plan is available on the City’s website: http://www.el-cerrito.org/SPASP.