PC 051315 - Laserfiche WebLink

Continued from April 22. 2015: a. P15 -0142, Larry and Robert Dondero Application for Design Review approval to construct an approximately 4,503- square -foot, two -story commercial building at 725 Main Street. Zoning for the property is C -C (Central - Commercial), Downtown Revitalization, Core Area Overlay District. Mr. Weinstein presented the staff report and described the scope, layout, and key elements of the project. Commissioner O'Connor stated that the building previously approved for the site received a parking credit. He noted that it had a totally different design but had pretty much the same square footage that was all going to be useful space within the building. He pointed out that the current proposal is a 4,500- square -foot building but utilizes areas for dining that, if enclosed, would result in a much larger building. He added that the dining area would put an additional demand on parking and inquired how that would fit into the parking requirement. He further inquired if the Planning Commission has the flexibility to look into that when it considers the parking requirement or to grant a variance based on the original building that was torn down. Mr. Weinstein replied that adding more parking is something the Planning Commission could take into consideration but is not necessarily something staff would recommend. He confirmed Commissioner O'Connor's statement that the parking requirement staff had identified for this project does not take into account the outdoor dining space. He noted that there are competing objectives in regard to providing parking Downtown; the City wants the Downtown to be a really walkable environment and does not necessarily want everybody driving to the Downtown. He indicated that staff realizes that parking is necessary to maintain the viability of the Downtown, and, therefore, seeks the balance and the desire of allocating those uses that are being proposed and to ensure there are not a lot of parking lots Downtown which create voids in the urban fabric that could detract from the Downtown. Steve Otto added that the Pleasanton Municipal Code does not require parking for outdoor dining areas; it specifically talks about square footage of the building itself, which is one space for every 300 square feet. Commissioner O'Connor inquired how much flexibility the Commission has. He noted that no parking is being provided for this particular structure but that at some point, the City will need to invest some dollars some place to give more parking. He indicated that most of what the Commission has seen are small outside patio areas which could accommodate additional seating; however, this proposal has almost 2,000 additional square feet, which is a sizable amount of space if enclosed by walls with a roof over it. Commissioner Nagler stated that he would like to take this further because it really matters for the future development of the Downtown. He asked staff to verify his PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, May 13, 2015 Page 3 of 32