PC 02/14/96 - Laserfiche WebLink

. . . d. PlJD.81.30.59D. Parkview (A,G, SDanOS COrDoration) Application for Planned Unit Development development plan approval to construct a two- and three-story, 462-unit apartment complex on an approximately 20-acre site located at 5700 Owens Drive (south side of Owens Drive between Rosewood Drive and Tassajara Creek). Zoning for the property is PUD (planned Unit Development) - HDR (High Density Residential) District. Mr. Iserson presented the staff report for the design review approval to construct a two- and three-story apartment complex on a 20-acre portion of Lot 60 located on Owens Drive, bordered by Tassajara Creek and the Alameda County Transit Corridor. The project would consist of 23 two- and three-story buildings to house 462 stacked flat apartments. The project density is 23 units/acre. The parking will be at a ratio of 1.8 spaces per unit, with open, carport and garaged parking. The project also includes many recreational amenities. Access will be off of Owens Drive. The project will be constructed with a contemporary Spanish style architecture and design elements. Twenty-five percent (116 units) of the project will be reserved for lower-income households. For this, the applicants will be seeking fee waivers, which will be decided by the City Council. Staff is basically satisfied with the project, except for the arrangement of parking. There are 1.8 spaces per unit, with 104 spaces as enclosed garages. Staff is concerned that the garages would be tnade into storage areas, which would impact the remaining amount of parking. Staff is seeking to eliminate some of the enclosed garages (24 of the proposed 104 spaces would become open parking). In addition, the application has been conditioned (and accepted by the applicants) to enforce strong management procedures to discourage garages being used for household storage. Conditions would also require conversion of the garages to open parking if severe parking problems develop in the future. The site design incorporates clusters of buildings around common open spaces and visual corridors within the project. The areas with views have only two-story buildings. With regard to staff's concern around the site plan, the applicant tnade several changes to address the open spaces. Some parking spaces have been landscaped and turned into open space, additional landscaping has been added between the project and carports, planter islands have been widened, the walkways from the parking area to the units have been more clearly defined. Staff feels these changes have opened up the site plan. Staff and the reviewing architect feel the buildings are very attractively designed. Further, the carports are designed to eliminate a sense of tnassing and to fade into the landscaping on the site. Staff also noted that Condition 21 should be eliminated because they fmd that with an apartment project, there is no need to require the applicants to post a bond guaranteeing the installation of all common open spaces and recreational improvements, Planning Commission Minutes Page 6 February 14, 1996