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the building has changed significantly and a large, landscaped plaza-type area has been created at _ the main entry of the building. He noted that this plaza entry would incorporate an area for seating and a location for public art. Larry Cannon, 180 Harbor Drive, Suite 219, Sausalito, CA 94965, noted that a lot of changes have been made in the updated drawings that he received this morning. He noted that as you look at the street on the east side of Hopyard Road, most of the buildings are set back behind parking, but all of the fronts and entrys of those buildings are oriented toward the street. He further noted that the Sheraton entry is actually off of Hopyard, and the Marriott is buried back behind the berm. He stated that to him, the Sheraton is much more successful. Mr. Cannon advised that he feels if the tower faces the street and the area can be opened up so that you can actually see the entrance to the building, it would be a reinforcement of the urban design of the street. Mr. Cannon stated that he also feels a person should be able to get out the car and get to the plaza entry without having to walk between two cars. He noted that this design does not allow for this. He suggested that consideration be given to recapturing the parking utilizing compact car spaces. Mr. Cannon recommended that the brick veneer should be included on all four sides of the building. He noted that it has been his experience that planter boxes have never been very successful, but that this is a judgement call. - Mr. Graeser distributed three alternative design drawings to the Planning Commission. Mr. Cannon discussed the three alternatives for the tower entry, noting that he feels alternative C works best. He advised that he is concerned about the highly contrasting brick colors and would prefer to have one color. Mr. Cannon commented on the alternatives for the first-floor windows, noting that the applicant prefers to leave the windows at the 30-inch height. He advised that he understands that and he feels that elevation A works fine. Mr. Cannon confirmed that his main concerns are related to the creation of the pedestrian opening for Hopyard Road and removing parking area to provide pedestrian access to the building, wrapping the entire building with brick, the entryway arch, and the tower orientation. Discussion ensued regarding the impacts on the FAR if parking spaces are removed. Mr. Graeser advised that this site has a different parking requirement than the rest of Hacienda Business Park. He noted that the requirement for this type of office is 4/1,000. He further noted that the rest of the park is at 3.3/1,000. Mr. Graeser advised that if six or seven stalls are removed and an additional two are removed to provide the transferring link at the north parking lot, the ratio would still be at 3.7 or 3.8/1,000. He stated that they do not see this as a pedestrian site, but if they need to remove the parking spaces, they would suggest that the City grant a variance to modify the parking requirements. Discussion ensued regarding the parking requirements for this site. Mr. Pavan advised that staff would have to look at the guidelines. Mr. Graeser advised if the standard were 3.3/1,000 there would be no issue with the floor area ratio if eight parking spaces were eliminated. Commissioner Roberts questioned if square footage would be added ifthe entryway were reoriented. Mr. Graeser stated that as shown by Mr. Cannon, this would be the case. r- PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES August 22, 2001 Page 3