PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT APRIL 21, 2016

Transcription

1 Community Development Department Planning Division 1600 First Street + P.O. Box 660 Napa, CA (707) PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT APRIL 21, 2016 AGENDA ITEM 8.B BOUNTY HUNTER BUILDING PRELIMINARY REVIEW I. GENERAL INFORMATION PROJECT SUMMARY: Preliminary Review of an application to construct a four-story commercial building at First and Main Street. LOCATION OF 1005 and 1025 First Street PROPERTY: APN & 002 GENERAL PLAN: ZONING: DCC, Downtown Core Commercial DCC:PE, Downtown Core Commercial :Parking Exempt AUTHORIZED Taylor Lombardo Architects, Pam Lao Phone: (415) x30 AGENT: 40 Hotaling Place San Francisco, CA STAFF PLANNER: Scott Klingbeil, Senior Planner Phone: (707) LOCATION MAP 1

2 Bounty Hunter Building Preliminary Review # II. PURPOSE The purpose of this study session is to provide a preliminary review of the application for the proposed Bounty Hunter Building at 1005 First Street. This review is intended to provide direction to both Staff and the Applicant regarding the merits of the proposed building and may be a basis for possible modifications to the project. Comments received during this process are intended to serve as guidance only and should not be considered as preliminary support of or opposition to an application. III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The proposed building is a four-story design with a basement that will have a total building area of 27,515 square feet. The 1,705 square foot basement area serves primarily as a service area for storage and mechanical equipment. The 4,655 square foot first floor will be used predominantly as restaurant space with a small retail area. The second, third and fourth floors will be used as office, classroom and conference space. The building design incorporates an angled entrance on the corner of First and Main Street intersection with additional openings along the street level. Awnings are proposed over the street level windows and doors. Outdoor dining is proposed along the west side of the building on the Brown Street right-of-way. This property is located within the :PE, Parking Exempt Overlay and no on-site parking is proposed. FIGURE 1 PROPOSED BUILDING DESIGN 2

3 Bounty Hunter Building Preliminary Review # The project architect describes the proposed building as: The Bounty Hunter Building will be a new 4-story multi-use structure that retains the historic nature of traditional buildings common in the Downtown Napa area, but also introduces a European flair through its natural stone details, arch-top steel doors and windows, cut stone cornices, and classic molding and paneling details. IV. PROJECT CONTEXT The project site is located on the southwest corner of the First Street and Main Street intersection within Downtown. Neighboring buildings include the two-story Winship Building with its office and retail uses to the east across Main Street, a private parking lot and the historic Wells Fargo Bank building to the south, the Brown Street Plaza, and the two-story County Building to the west and the historic two story Allegria Restaurant and one-story retail buildings across First Street to the north. V. ANALYSIS A. GENERAL PLAN AND ZONING The property has a General Plan and Zoning designation of Downtown Core Commercial (DCC). The primary intent of this land use designation and zoning district is to promote the continued development and revitalization of the pedestrian-oriented Downtown area that serves as Napa s unique shopping district, as a neighborhood hub for the residences surrounding it, and as the center of the Napa community. The Downtown Core Commercial land use designation and zoning district reinforces Downtown s identity as a compelling place for shoppers and visitors, requiring development that is in line with Downtown s traditions and preserving its historic heritage. The goal is to provide a mix of land uses (i.e., shops, restaurants, hotels and entertainment in designated areas) that will draw people Downtown during the day, evening and on weekends; develop an improved streetscape to offer visitors a pleasant pedestrian experience; and create a series of outdoor spaces to encourage public gatherings in the city center. The project site is located within the Downtown II Building Form Zone, which is an overlay zone that regulates and governs the basic building shapes and sizes such as height, setbacks and development intensity. The zone has been created to provide for future development that is appropriate for its neighborhood context. The Downtown II zone allows medium to high density development designed to be complimentary to the uses in the Downtown I zone. The Downtown II Building Form Zone does not require front, rear or side building setbacks. Building height is limited to 60 feet as measured from the ground to the midpoint of a pitched roof, or to the parapet of a flat roof. Special design features may extend beyond the height limit, including architectural elements such as steeples and towers. Preliminary review is a process applied to projects which will benefit from early consultation while an application is being prepared for formal review, and this process is 3

4 Bounty Hunter Building Preliminary Review # increasingly encouraged for large-scale projects such as the Bounty Hunter Building Comments received during this process are intended to serve as guidance only and should not be considered as preliminary support or opposition to an application. While the majority of Staff comments on the project have been constructive and largely positive, additional discussion and review of various elements of the project are needed to provide a thorough analysis of the following issues: building height, the design of both First Street and Main Street, the design and size of the loading and service area, pedestrian access and compliance with Building and Fire Department development standards. FIGURE 2 PROPOSED BUILDING DESIGN The Downtown Specific Plan development standards and Design Guidelines will be applied to the review of this project when it is complete and ready for formal review by the Commission. However, Staff has identified issues concerning the scale and mass of the building s First Street façade and the potential to overpower neighboring buildings. Staff is also concerned with the starkness of the building s south façade and a desire to add additional interest within this façade. The Planning Commission should consider the following discussion points in their review of the preliminary site plan and architectural review: 1. Adding an element that defines the base of the building. One approach for achieving this might be to add a projected horizontal band/cornice above the first floor. 2. If the design intent is to replicate a historic stone building, consideration should be given to providing deeper recesses for the window and street level openings. 4

5 Bounty Hunter Building Preliminary Review # Additionally, the stone veneer should be designed so that it appears to be a loadbearing wall. 3. Incorporating a pilaster of two into the north façade so that the elevation contains two- or three-window bay modules, a detail common to the Borreo building and other stone structures. 4. Enlarging window and street level openings on the north elevation to achieve a balance that more closely resembles the balance of the east and west elevations. 5. Add pilasters that would break down the scale of the south façade. 6. Add wall recessions to the south façade that evoke the fenestration applied to the other façades. B. PUBLIC ART The proposed development will involve construction costs of $250,000 or greater, and as such, will need to comply with the Public Art Ordinance, Napa Municipal Code Section The applicant has indicated interest in placing a public art piece on the project site; however the exact art piece has not been determined at this time. VI. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW This preliminary review is not subject to a formal CEQA determination as the preliminary review does not constitute a project. Formal approval of the project will be subject to environmental review in accordance with CEQA at the earliest feasible time prior to approval consistent with CEQA Guidelines Sections and Staff plans to bring back a CEQA analysis of the proposed building to the Planning Commission prior to formal review and approval of the required entitlements. VII. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff supports the Applicant s desire to develop a new commercial building in the downtown. At this point Staff and the Applicant are looking for feedback from the Planning Commission primarily on the building design. The Commission may wish to consider issues of building design, building massing and height, building materials and quality, and area context. Other issues will be addressed in more detail at the time this application is deemed complete and scheduled for a formal public hearing. VIII. REQUIRED ACTIONS No formal action is required by the Planning Commission as this study session is for preliminary comments only. Other issues such as environmental impacts, Zoning consistency and Design Review consistency will be addressed in more detail at the time a future application is deemed complete and scheduled for a formal public hearing. IX. DOCUMENTS ATTACHED 1. Preliminary Plan Drawings and Elevations 5

6 6

7 7

8 8

9 9

10 10

11 11

12 12

13 13

14 14

15 15

16 16

17 17

18 18

19 19

20 20

21 21

22 22

23 23

24 24