_Minutes_March 24, 2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

San Pedro Square where there was a nice, inviting frontage to bring people into a less visible place from the street. He suggested additional commercial to support the citizens' desires. Commissioner Pace stated it was a transitional property between the Rose Hotel and the housing on St. John Street. He stated commercial was required based on the DSP and the very clear mandate given by the City over time. He suggested the owners and developers determine the project based on an economic standpoint, but transition was necessary and commercial was required. He stated the frontage should be more commercial than residential and he request appropriate parking for residential and ADUs. Chair Brown suggested Lots 10 and 11 have ground floor commercial and stated he would be in favor of considering an active use requirement even though it went beyond what the DSP required. He reminded the Commission that 725 Main Street was a unique commercial/residential space that was vacant. He stated he was looking for a special development but needed to balance the desire with the practicality of ensuring the space was sought after by the business community. He expressed concern with Lot 11, the commercial component, being a residential building with partitions inside not being a practical commercial space. He concurred that the developer was excellent, but he expected a greater commercial presence on the ground floor. Discussion Point #2: Parking, Setbacks, Height, and Site Layout A) Is the overall parking, site plan, and layout of the desired development Option 1 or 2, acceptable? Commissioner Allen reiterated the front facing should be a strong retail, courtyard-oriented space with open air and restaurants. She suggested the developer use mentioned benchmarks to get creative and come up with two or three options for the Planning Commission to vet instead of focusing on just one. She agreed with Commissioner Pace regarding ensuring adequate on-site parking. She discussed the vacant restaurant at 725 Main Street and suggested it was vacant because of its size. She stated people were looking for smaller spaces. She also mentioned that she talked with the City of Livermore's City Planner regarding the Blacksmith Square area and he explained those were small footprint retailers, which created less turnover and surmised that they were more successful. She discussed potential risks of not knowing how successful any design would be until it was developed. Commissioner Gaidos mentioned the Rose Hotel was very tall at three stories and the units to the west were all two stories. He stated he was not opposed to taller units or to development in the rear along the Arroyo but suggested avoiding units near the Pleasanton Hotel. He stated meeting the height of the hotel would not be completely offensive as long as there was open retail at the bottom. Commissioner O'Connor reiterated the need to fully park the project onsite due to limited street parking. He stated it should be at least 80-percent or better onsite parking. Commissioner Pace stated the economic viability was going to be left to the developer, while keeping in mind that the Commission would support commercial. He acknowledged it was in no one's interest to mandate commercial if it was going to be vacant. He expressed excitement about the possibility of the developer coming back with creative alternatives. Planning Commission Minutes Page 9 of 12 March 24, 2021