PC 11/20/96 - Laserfiche WebLink

. . . Mr. Iserson presented the staff report on the application for a PUD Major Modification and design review approval to allow the construction of an approximately 134,143 sq. ft. four-story office building located on a 5.625 acre site at 5050 Hopyard Road opposite Gibraltar Drive. This project has surrounding land uses of the Signature Center to the south and Maestro's Restaurant to the north. This project generally conforms to the development standards for the Signature Center Business Park. The requested changes are (1) change the permitted uses in the PUD from hotel and retail/financial/ restaurant uses to business, professional and administrative offices; (2) increase the maximum building height to 58 feet and 79 feet for the mechanical penthouse; (3) increase the maximum floor area from 59,000 to 134,143 sq. ft. (the additional floor area would come from the surplus within the business park); (4) adopt a universal parking stall throughout the entire development instead of the full-size and compact-size parking stalls. Staff feels the proposed project is consistent with the surrounding area (the high-rise buildings of Signature Center). Staff noted that this is the last development within the Signature Center area, and even with the increased FAR, it still falls within the original scope of the floor area limitations of the Signature Center PUD development plan. Staff feels the design of the building has mitigated any negative impacts to Hopyard Road regarding massing and scale. It is very comparable to the Signature Center in terms of height and bulk of the building. The proposed "Z"-shaped building configuration gives architectural relief and allows for a significant amount of landscaping. Setbacks range from 105 to 152 feet compared to 126 feet for the Signature Center. A traffic study was conducted for this project. The levels of service for the Hopyard/Owens and Hopyard/Stoneridge intersections would still comply with the City's standard Level of Service D. This project also would have to comply with the funding of the West Las Positas interchange project or other such mitigation measures. Two driveways with deceleration lanes would provide access to the project. A new four-way signalized intersection would align with Gibraltar Drive. The northern- most driveway will need to have line-of-sight studies performed; otherwise it may be configured as an entrance only driveway. The existing median island on Hopyard would need to be modified to allow for two left-turn lanes into the project. Parking is provided at one space per 300 square feet. This meets the PUD development plan requirements. Forty of these spaces are shared with the existing Signature Center parking structure. Staff described in detail the building design and construction materials that tie this project into the existing Signature Center buildings. The "Z" building shape and landscaping add interest and make it visually attractive. Consulting architect, Larry Cannon, reviewed the project. He supports the project and had no comments for improvement. Staff feels the fmdings for the PUD major modifications can be made and recommends the Commission's approval of the application to the City Council subject to the conditions in Exhibit B and Exhibit C. Planning Commission Minutes Page 7 November 20, 1996