PC 032311 - Laserfiche WebLink

Jon Harvey, Downtown property owner, stated that he checked out the story poles and did not think the proposed building was out of scale. He noted that the building is set far back from the street, and residential homes in R -1 neighborhoods are allowed to and exist as 32 -foot high buildings and higher. He indicated that he believed if the house were existing today, it would not be noticed, and if it were described, a person would have a problem figuring out which building was being referred to. With respect to staff's findings based on the Downtown Specific Plan guidelines mentioned on pages 4 and 5 of the staff report, Mr. Harvey noted that: • Item 1A is not applicable to this type of building or location. As earlier explained by Ms. Stern, this section may refer to buildings on Main Street. • Item 1 B, regarding the use of dormer windows, the elevations have three dormer windows in at least two of the elevations. Mr. Harvey stated that he was also delighted that the project has important green aspects to it. He noted that the project has siting priorities for green building, a true infill project which has achieved parking on -site without outside mitigation and which has furthermore incorporated parking within the building footprint. He indicated that the project contributes to Downtown vitality and that investing and bringing projects to the Downtown should be embraced as best as possible. He added that setting aside the code, zoning, and design guidelines, the project is a quasi residential - commercial project, not fully one or the other, located right at that edge of the commercial - Downtown residential area. He indicated that for projects within these gray areas, some discretion for creativity should be permitted to get the project through the approval process. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. The Commission then proceeded to discuss the questions in Exhibit A. Questions 1 and 2 were considered together: 1. Does the project meet the criteria in the Downtown Specific Plan for three -story structures? 2. Is a three -story structure appropriate for the subject site? Commissioner Olson said yes. Commissioner Pentin agreed with Mr. Harvey that because of where the building is located, Criterion A is not applicable. He expressed concern with the mass and size, especially since it backs up to the rear neighbors, and would like to see more of how the project will look. He noted that overall, he believes the project meets the necessary criteria where applicable. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, March 23, 2011 Page 9 of 21