still waiting there we go well welcome everyone to the July 5th 2023 meeting of the design
view Commission as a courtesy and technology permitting members the public may continue
to provide live remote oral comment via the city's zoom video conferencing platform however
the city cannot guarantee that the public's access to teleconference technology will be
uninterrupted, and technical difficulties may occur from time to time.
Members of the public desiring to provide comments as part of the meeting are encouraged
to either submit written comments at least two hours prior to the meeting or attend the
meeting in person.
Please refer to the end of the agenda for review options for participating in the meeting.
And also, we're just to let everybody know, this meeting is accessible via Zoom.
So if you go to Zoom.us, the meeting ID is 851-0234-0754, login password is 974-912.
You can also join by phone at 1-669-900-6833.
So with that, welcome, everybody.
Let's do the roll call.
Certainly.
Commissioner Killian?
Here.
Commissioner Valia?
Here.
Vice Chair Kraling?
Here.
And Chair Newsom?
Here.
And Commissioner Case is absent tonight, but we do have a quorum with four.
Is there anything recommended to be added to the calendar?
No.
Okay.
Moving on, public communications.
This portion of the meeting is reserved for comment on items not on the agenda.
Under the Brown Act, the commission cannot act on items raised during public communications
but may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed.
Request clarification or refer the item to staff.
Do we have any public communications tonight?
And I would ask anybody attending via Zoom,
if you wish to provide public comment,
please press the raise hand button in the app
to let us know that you would like to speak.
Not seeing anybody raising their hand.
Well, excellent.
So let's move on to the public hearing.
Looks like we have two items tonight,
one for Shakir Space and Cali Craft
and one for the East Bay MUD project.
Is there a need to reorder those or staff want to do that?
No, we're fine with the order as is.
So let's go ahead with the project number one,
the Shadeland Secure Space Kellycraft Project.
I assume staff has a presentation.
Good evening, commissioners.
Brittany Lenore, assistant planner
with the Community Development Department.
So today we'll be looking at the design review
for the Shadeland Secure Space Kellycraft Project.
So this project was previously presented
to the commission at a study session on September 7th, 2022
and was subsequently presented to the planning commission
on March 23rd and June 8th of this year.
At the June 8th meeting, the planning commission
certified the mitigate negative declaration,
approved the conditional use permits
for the storage and microbrewery uses,
approved the true removal scope
and approved the minor use permit
for the temporary offsite parking for the microbrewery.
Today the Design Review Commission will review the design
for final design review,
which includes signed exception requests.
From there if the DRC approves the design,
the project will go on to obtain
all necessary permits by staff.
That includes the administrative use permit
for the alcohol sales,
as well as any annual temporary activity permits
for music or events like arts and craft spheres.
So at the study session,
The DRC had general feedback on three components
of this project.
The first being feedback related to landscaping
and lighting, specifically to provide lighting details
and to soften the storage building base
by providing additional landscaping.
The second general theme was related to site layout
and maneuvering to look at switching the buildings,
the storage and microbrewery buildings
and to redesign the outdoor seating area
for Cali Craft to make it more obvious
that it's intended for pedestrians only
and not for vehicle access.
I do want to mention that at the Planning Commission,
meaning they did echo these same concerns
or considerations for switching the buildings,
but the finding for a 300 foot separation
between a storage use and a residential kind of prohibited
that and so because it's a finding for the conditional use permit, we would have to request
that the applicant apply for a rezoning or zoning text amendment and that would cause
undue processing time and cost for a project that's currently in compliance with the zoning
code.
And so on to the last kind of group of comments, which was signage.
And the DRC did ask the applicant to redesign the monument sign.
They were supportive of the window sign.
They were not supportive of the Skyline sign, supportive of the Supergraphic, but they did
request to make it, or you guys requested to make it a little smaller and taller.
So here you'll see the changes the applicant has done to landscaping for the storage building.
You can see here on the left of the screen is the previous iteration you saw at the study
session. So the applicant has increased the landscaping immediately along the
building base at the areas where it was possible and that includes along the
building entrances and they also added additional screening shrubs and accent
trees incorporated around the building. A photometric plan was incorporated into
the plan set and shows lighting throughout the site. No lighting is
proposed on the property lines and so that on share ensure that there's no
glare or light spillage onto any adjacent properties. As DRC requested the
applicant has revised the outdoor seating areas for Cali Craft to better
define this area and visually connect the covered seating with the uncovered
outdoor gathering area. You'll see on the new configuration on the right of the
screen. There's additional planters that were incorporated and a combination of
pavers and decomposed granite were also included to distinguish this area. And
you can see here that rolled curb there and it separates it from the drive aisle
and the parking lot better. A few signage details were updated to
respond to DRC's feedback. Here you'll see the primary monument sign that's off
Mitchell Drive. DRC was not concerned with the overall size but more so with
the design so the applicant has updated that design to be more cohesive. The next
sign that was updated was the super graphic on the Cali Craft wall near the
entrance. The DRC liked the idea of the sign but asked the applicant to reduce
the size and make it higher on the wall so they ended up reducing it by 274
square feet, resulting in the sign being 154 square feet.
So, if the DRC decides to approve the signage as proposed, five sign exceptions would apply,
including allowing a total sign area over what is normally allowed, allowing a freestanding
sign to exceed 25 square feet, that's for sign 4, allowing one sign to exceed 50 square
feet for sign six and two freestanding signs on one property. Those are for
signs four and seven and for a wall sign height over 25 feet and that's for sign
one which is a sign at the window for the storage building. In addition to the
changes the DRC requested of the applicant they also did change up the
design of the required sound wall to make it more open and visually
interesting by incorporating a combination of CMU wall, a green wall using vines, and a screen
fence. You will see on the screen the orange line on the site plan denotes the area of the sound
wall. In addition to providing a break of material this combination will allow for future flexibility
for possible access along the sides of the property for pedestrians and bikes.
And so staff does recommend the Design Review Commission approve the design
as proposed and conditioned, and I am here and available for any questions you have.
The applicant is also here and ready with the presentation.
Thank you. Any questions? Me neither. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. Does the applicant have a presentation?
Come on up, introduce yourself, please. Good evening, Chair Newsom,
commissioners. Mike Diakos, Insight Property Group. Good to be here once again this evening.
This is a project and an entitlement that's just about two years in the making.
Staff has really given us a great deal of their time and their review, as well as
engineering department. Numerous departments of the City of Walnut Creek
have been involved in this review of the plans and I really feel that's why
there's such a complete and unique design that's being presented to the
Commission tonight. I want to point out and CJ Rogers my colleague and the lead
architect on the project is here to present design but I want to point out
that community outreach effort was performed prior to going to Planning
Commission and one of the things that we were able to gather was the community
really likes the project they like the design of it they like the layout of the
uses particularly the community garden and dog park community benefits
components of the project but they like that it's very it's been designed to be
very family-friendly. Cali Craft is a very family-oriented business. Children
are allowed at the business. The floor plan that's being presented here tonight
for Cali Craft is roughly four times larger than their indoor space today so
So this is going to be a very secure open space for children to be there with their
families.
With that said, I think this is certainly a design that might set a standard for the
Shailin's community.
And it's a local project as well, and I think that's tough to find today in any city.
So without further ado, CJ.
All right, hello, CJ Rogers, Insight Property Group on the Director Design.
for having us again.
Brittany did a really good job, as usual.
She's going through everything.
She's very, very thorough.
And so I'll try to be as succinct as I can going
through the design.
I don't want to go over the same things more than once.
Our existing site, which we're aware of.
OK, so we are all pretty familiar with the site plan.
You can see the major programming elements
really four major components of this project. We have obviously the storage component with an
ancillary office space, the micro brewery at the top of the page, and then there's a community
garden as well as a dog park, and those are on the flag portion of the lot on the left-hand side.
And the planning of these elements that you see have taken into
response of the neighbor's input as well as future planning to the to the right hand side of the page for for
Ancillary parking as well as the irregular shaped lot of the flag and trying to get access to two major programming pieces that
require as Mike mentioned we have families coming back back there that we want to control and we also trying to operate a storage facility that
has a lot of control and security in mind and
and we keep our operations very tight and clean
and trying to keep those things separate
and make sure that they mix and mingle appropriately.
So this is a zoom in of the southern portion
of the site plan, particularly the storage facility.
And one thing to note here is the major storage components
at the top, the larger building,
which is a three-story building, 37 feet tall.
That's consistent with the Shadelands District.
There's buildings, some of our neighbors
even taller than that one right now.
One major thing to note is that we actually separated out
the leasing office, which is the smaller thousand square
foot box at the bottom of the flag.
And we did that to really create a front door
for the site, because it's a flag lot,
and we wanted a piece of architecture that was consistent
with the scale of the lot and the frontage
that we actually had available to us.
We wanted a front door, we wanted something that's inviting,
and when we get to the renderings,
You'll see how that facade kind of opens up to the street
on Mitchell.
And the other great piece about this,
it also allowed us to integrate some of the supporting space
needed for that dog park.
The dog park, as we went through the design,
became a bigger and bigger piece.
The community really latched onto that.
And to support that space,
we're gonna need restrooms and things,
we're gonna need control,
we're gonna need a manager on site for that,
which secure space is gonna take on.
And we wanted to encapsulate that within that architecture,
thousand square feet and be able to manage that site appropriately so it's
a successful dog park for everyone coming to Cali Craft or coming to walk
their dogs something safe clean and manage very well. On the north side of the
site this is the Cali Craft site plan I'll call it. This is really the
culmination of that flag lot that challenging site that we have and
they're sitting at the back there. After going through a lot of design sessions
with Blaine and his team, you know,
the family component kept on rearing its head,
the diverse amount of customers that come,
and we heard this in the community outreach as well.
As this plan developed in that outdoor space
that you guys had mentioned previously
to develop further and connect it
between the two nodes on that plan,
it really became the anchor point of that flag lot, right?
So when you come into the site,
the customer base that's gonna be outside,
families really became the endpoint and the primary programming piece and
everything kind of spins off of that so this is organized kind of in a linear
fashion and if I was to go from right to left a lot of the supporting spaces the
parking the trash all the maintenance is on the right-hand side away from the
customer and then as you move across to the left we have an indoor space
protected the indoor when it's raining or something you can go on the inside
It's a double-height space, very, very nice.
Great lighting, great windows.
There's a transitional patio that's covered.
You're going to have dappled light.
You saw some of the renderings that come through there.
And then as you progress further,
there's a new experience, completely open.
We have that outdoor bar that really culminates
like a bookend on the site, creates the edge of the project,
and allows a family to come out, have a beer,
have their dog, their kids.
They can walk and play out on the lawn right there.
You can keep an eye on everything.
And the entire site is fenced in.
You can see everything.
It's open, beautiful landscape.
It's comfortable.
And to be able to really enjoy a beer out there,
you need to be comfortable.
You need to be able to watch your kids
and be able to talk and not have a fear
of anything else happening.
So that was something that we focused on
was making sure that that vantage point
of the customer felt like they had enough space,
felt like they're outside,
but they also had control of what they're doing.
as well as Calicraft having control of the operations
and having a safe spot for everyone to come in
and out of the space.
I won't focus too much on the floor plans.
This is the storage facility.
This is a very utility floor plan.
One thing to note is we do have a road
that comes around to access that building.
There's three major loading areas on level one.
You can see where those elevators are at.
And on the south and on the left hand side,
we did incorporate some more landscape buffers there.
And then the very bottom is that smaller office plan
that's on the flag lot.
And you can see the two restrooms
that are opening onto the backside.
Those are extra restrooms and support space
for that dog park that we will manage.
And we imagine those hours are gonna coincide
with the operating hours of the storage facility.
They'll come and lock those.
We don't have any misuse of the facilities
in the off hours, and we're able to lock that,
lock that up and protect it.
second floor and the only reason I included these is one of the topics that came up was that signage and
If you look on the bottom left corner, there's a small little display there
That is in fact the wall where the sign is going to be mounted to which is on the inside
interior space of the the building behind the glass
third story same thing
In the elevations you can see the office at the top the larger facility at the bottom
In my opinion that you know the material choices and we have that we have the material palette here, and we did go through them last time it's
Relatively reserved in terms of the the choice of materials however
I feel it's it's a modern take we're relying on texture and shadow to really help this facade pop
And it also is it's definitely taking a step forward for shade lens
It's a it's a modern approach, but it's not way out on the edge. It's not something. That's crazy
It looks like it fits in, but it's forward-looking, if we could put it that way.
There's a rendering with some of the material call-outs there, and that's that primary corner
coming up the flag lot, and you can faintly see the sign behind the display there.
This right here is the Cali Craft Plan, and just like the site, I was talking about that
parti of a linear floor—linear organization of the program from right to left.
The floor plan itself actually lays out the same.
On the right hand side, you have all of the support spaces.
There's the brewery, the door to the outside for the loading.
They can actually brew that back right hand side.
All the restroom supporting space, the storage, IT, those sorts of spaces are all tucked on
the right hand side.
And on the left, it opens up to a double height space.
And that's where the bar is going to be located as well as all the tables.
And that same theme continues through.
We have those four large garage style doors that open up.
They can close depending on the weather.
But that transitions you out to the patio
that had that screening effect for the roof.
And the idea is to really tie those two spaces together.
And that horizontal plane actually carries
into the interior in terms of evoking
that plane with the lighting.
So we want to continue that datum
and make sure that as you come out,
the ceiling is kind of being lifted away as you go up and you transition further out
and you go out underneath the sun. Here's the elevations of Cali Craft. I think it's very well
composed. There's some balance there with some light pops of material contrast on some of the
fencing. Very interesting shadow play on a background, you know, box building that's housing
a brewery. So, these elevations are a little maybe stark because what I think's missing
in some of these sorts of drawings is the effect that the landscape is actually going
to have, and you saw on the site plan how developed that was on that transitional space.
All of those elevated landscape boxes that are coming up out of the ground are going
to create these really nice intimate spaces below that canopy and creates these other
moments of threshold and living room size scale places to go and have a beer.
And those will influence the way you approach the building and really soften the experience
outside the box.
I think I have a few renderings and that's it.
So this is the approach.
And Brittany had this one on her slide.
You can see the new sign to the right.
And then that appropriately scaled building on the left, which is the secure space office.
The bathrooms are on the backside of that building
with parking adjacent.
Another shot of that.
The glass opening up to the front door.
The new storage facility.
And there's the dog park flunking the parking
in close with the fence.
And the bathrooms are just behind us
in this frame right here.
This is the community garden.
There's another garden in Shailand right now,
looks pretty successful.
Taking a lot of cues from that one
But the hope is to help get an organized infrastructure
to build something that's successful and manageable.
That's where my head's at on this.
In lieu of a free for all kind of space for gardening,
we want to set it up to where we can make sure
it's maintained, easily maintained,
and cared for by the community.
There's the Cali-Craft approach, the canopy,
and you can see in this, I like this view a lot better
than the elevations.
Because of the threshold, you can see the landscape
kind of poking up there in those planters.
Looking from the bar back to the canopy
and you can see how strong that connection really is now
with those planters really in reinforcing that.
That outdoor space is gonna be heavily occupied,
which is great.
There's a patio, you can see those lights
spilling into the space on the interior.
And then looking back, there's that bookend
I was talking about, you can see the lighting
that comes across the top, the landscape and the hardscape
all connect all the way through the building now.
There's no, doesn't get bifurcated with the road
and then just reinforced with that landscape
and that throat has been choked down dramatically.
I don't know if that was evident in the plan.
That throat comes way in, reduces the scale
and really puts an emphasis on this primary axis right here
to get to that outdoor bar on the end.
And then just some interior shots of the space.
You can see how tall the ceiling is gonna be in there.
There's the string lights, the rolled curb.
I think that's it, okay.
That's it from the school parking lot.
I think this image was included showing the increased trees
between us and the school as well as a hedge
that's getting put in and that's evident
on the new landscape plan.
And then there's some other planters
up against the building whereas we're able to sneak
some of those in respecting the existing fire lane.
And Brittany touched on this as the wall,
the signage she touched on.
So that's it.
If you guys have any questions,
me and Mike are here and Brittany.
Thank you for your time.
So do we have any questions for the applicant?
Go ahead, Brian.
I guess a couple minor on the site
and then I have some on the landscape.
And at the front, I was kind of curious on your civil drawings, excuse me, it's showing
a bike lane and there's no detail and it doesn't go anywhere, so I was kind of curious what's
happening there.
You see the bike lane?
Yeah.
Pull up a side plan.
So on your civil plan?
Yep.
I don't have the civil plans in my, I think if you just go to the front, I can point out
where it is.
So there's an existing bike path, as you know,
that comes off the canal, right?
And it comes up in Coleman, it's actually at this site.
There's an existing sidewalk that snakes around the storm,
the storm water management right there on the front
behind the bus stop.
We're maintaining that sidewalk and bike path
on the left-hand side of the flag,
and it snakes all the way up to the Cali Craft site.
There's gonna be a mangate there.
Maybe go to the Cali Craft site.
My question is on the front, go to the front of the flag lot
when you enter the project.
Yep.
So we're actually working with Public Works.
And this will be part of our site development permit
process when we get into plan check.
But we are going to be actually narrowing down Mitchell Drive
by about 12 feet to include a six foot in width bike lane,
as well as an additional six feet to the existing curb,
sidewalk rather.
So Mitchell Drive will actually be narrowed down
by about 12 feet and we're working with Public Works
on the finer details of that as we speak.
Okay, I was just confused
because the way it's shown on your civil,
I mean, it doesn't go anywhere.
It's just like you're taking what normally
probably would have been landscaping
between the curb and your sidewalk
and you're calling it a bike lane,
but it doesn't go anywhere or attached to anything, so.
Yeah, it doesn't.
And the bike lane is actually,
the bike lane being constructed
is actually gonna be contingent upon our neighbor's property.
I guess it would be to the east
as well as to the west being redeveloped.
So the way we kind of look at this,
this is sort of gonna be a dedication of 12 feet,
which would serve as a future bike lane
should those neighbors' properties
be redeveloped at a later date.
There's goals outlined in the general plan
to incorporate a bike lane along Mitchell Drive.
And is there a reason then your path
that goes all the way up to Cali Craft
doesn't connect to the public sidewalk?
You just stop it at the property line, I guess.
You mean the existing bike lane
that sort of is on the west side of the property?
Correct, yes.
Well, the bike lane is actually just going to be along Mitchell Drive, so it's actually
not going to be...
Now I'm talking about the path that takes you from the entry all the way through the
dog park.
Correct.
It's not going to connect there, correct.
So it won't connect out front?
No.
So when people get to it, what happens, they just walk across...
They just keep going.
That's why it's contingent upon our neighbor's properties being redeveloped.
our civil engineers as well as Kimley Horn is also on this call if they'd like
to open. Through the chair, Commissioner Killian may I ask just to clarify so
we're all on the same page, are you by any chance looking at sheet C100 which is
the preliminary site plan? That one or C101. Okay and that's where the pathway
that curves around the the bio retention. Yeah yeah it just seems like you know it
It might work, but it seems like it really hasn't been figured out and there's a lot
of what is that may not occur.
Oh yes, on C101.
Can I approach the applicants?
Sure.
Right.
So the existing bike lane that you're seeing on C101 does not connect to the existing trail
on the western property line heading north towards Cali Craft.
It does not connect there.
This is going to be a bike lane that sort of just serves Mitchell Drive.
but it will not be constructed until the,
our neighboring properties to the west
as well as to the east,
properties are redeveloped,
so there could be a contiguous bike lane
with those properties as well.
That's why it seems a little bit out of place.
But that's an existing sidewalk
that's gonna remain, goes up through.
But it's gonna be widened.
So there's an existing sidewalk.
And is there any reason why it cannot connect
to the public sidewalk?
I mean, why have it in six feet?
Why not connect it to the sidewalk?
You have a continuity there.
This bike line right here,
he's asking why does it connect here.
No, this, you're talking about a sidewalk, right?
Right, right.
Yeah, the existing sidewalk that goes up through your site,
it seems to terminate-
It does connect, and I think right now the line work
that we're looking at from that curved sidewalk
is stopping at the PL.
It currently does connect to the public sidewalk,
will remain.
The big picture here is we are working
to definitely have the bikes be able to come up
into the space, you're gonna ride up along that sidewalk
along the left-hand side.
We have extensive bike parking at Cali Craft
behind the fence and the hope is you can ride a bike
to Cali Craft and come back.
So concerning public works, we'll get through the details
on how to connect that actually out to the street,
but we will maintain at the very least
the sidewalk connection.
You can bring a bike up into the site.
Okay, great.
And then one last site question
before I get to landscaping.
You're two gates that kind of close off
the back end of the storage facility.
You have the vehicle gate and the pedestrian gates.
And I don't see anything on the pedestrian gates
as far as pathways or protection of them.
You just throw them out in the middle of the street.
On the, let's see what she drew on here.
So for the secure space man gates,
we have those for the managers to be able to get in through.
They're usually about six feet off the vehicular gate
and built into the fence.
And the motor will sit within the confines
of the fire lane that comes through.
We usually have a throat that we can choke down on
for the gate to sit down.
And that man gate is usually right behind the motor
for them to get through without having to drive a car,
really for the manager to get in and out.
I guess my question is, along with everything,
none of this is detailed.
And you're not showing an island there,
how that would work.
You're not showing any striping.
You know, are people just gonna be walking out
in the middle of the street?
What happens?
Which gate are you talking about?
Well, the two gates that as you're going north,
and then you're gonna turn east
into the self-storage facility,
and you have gates on either side of the facility?
Yes, the vehicle gates.
And each gate has a vehicle and a pedestrian man gate.
Yeah.
And so I'm questioning the pedestrian gates access to Omen.
Yeah, they're not, those pedestrian gates
are for operations only, for the manager to come in and out
to service a building, to clean it,
for the security guard to come and make its rounds,
but it's not intended for people to be walking up through
with their stuff.
That's why we have a controlled point of access
on the left-hand side of the building
where you can drive your car up.
But only our customers with a key code
will be the ones allowed to open that gate.
And you drive up to the loading doors
on the north or south and load that way.
Okay, now going to landscaping.
First of all, general questions regarding
the community garden and the dog park.
who do you see using those or how are they going to be used by who yeah there's an existing community
garden today on site that we want to maintain and would you Mike do you recall the name of
the group that operates that today the community garden is actually not in operation today the
the lady that was operating at life circumstance has changed and she's no longer operating the
that community garden. Sure, but in your design who do you attend
to use it? It's to be determined. We're going to be reaching out to local
operators, non-profits during the plan check process to
nail down a property manager to manage that piece.
Okay, where I'm leading with this is, I would have assumed from your
conversation before you kind of alluded to the dog park that maybe
people going to the microbrewery might bring their dogs. Sure.
so I question why not put the dog park close to the micro brewery where they could use it
instead of walking half a mile away to it and then going through a community garden that may have
no relationship to the brewery. Yes, no it's a good point. There have been, you know, those
two programming pieces have been a little bit ancillary to the primary focus with the Cali Craft.
There have been discussions with Cali Craft about using the community garden to grow hops
as well. And then concerning the location of the dog park, we had gone back and forth, whether or
not we wanted dogs in the Cali Craft or outside. We'd come to the consensus that to be able to
control it and not put that on Blaine's operations to be able to operate that. We wanted to be able
to have it close to where our manager is going to be and where our security is at. Because we have
the restrooms and there's going to be cleaning and maintenance and should be able to watch
the property with cameras. We wanted it closer to our infrastructure where we
can manage it. We think it's the only way to have a successful dog park is how you
manage and operate it. It's not just about the space so point taken on that
that it's not directly adjacent to to Cali Craft and then the community garden
was placed. It was at the low spot where the bioretention was going in. We had
stormwater. We felt it was the best location on the site at the time and it
was kind of the space in between. And on the community garden, how is it gonna be
a maintenance shed or how's people gonna wear the tools and the fertilizer
everything that you need? How is that going to work? Yeah, so in discussions on
this one, ironically we have a storage facility next door. I say that
respectfully.
So we'd be operating that.
And so we do have the infrastructure in place
with our buildings to be able to own and operate
those types of things to support that space appropriately.
Okay.
And then again, dog park.
Is there gonna be a fence around it?
What's it gonna look like?
Yeah, yeah, there's a fence around it.
There's gonna be a point of control
right in between the leasing office and restrooms.
There's about, I think, 15 feet of sidewalk.
that's where the drinking fountain would be located
in the two-way gate.
They would go in and out of space,
be fully enclosed and controlled,
and there's adjacent parking right there as well.
But none of this is shown on the site plan,
your landscape plan, there's no details or anything.
Yes, currently developing all those.
And your leasing office, you have a 24-foot
by 50-foot concrete pad, what's the purpose of that?
Outside of the?
Outside, yeah.
To the north?
Yeah, that'll be the bench and kind of touchdown space for the dog park.
Multiple benches, touchdown, and we'll probably put the drinking fountains for the dogs right
there as well.
Okay.
I mean, it's not connected to the dog park.
Then you have another 20 feet between the two.
I guess when I'm wandering the landscape plant, it just doesn't seem thought out at all.
it's a green wash and there's no details at all.
Around the storage facility, you did add some landscaping.
I appreciate that, but it's just a green wash.
We have no idea what plants are going in there.
From your renderings, it looks like it's more smaller stuff.
I'm kind of curious why you wouldn't go with some
vertical trees, Italian cypressors or something
to help break it up.
Again, I'm not seeing any of that on the landscape plan.
Your landscape plan didn't address the fencing.
Is that, from your renderings, again,
you're showing some green walls
breaking up the CMU and everything.
I don't see that at all in the landscape plan.
Yeah, that was added in the last round
where the view fences are at.
And we're trying to zero in on the exact type of shrub
that can grow up the wall.
We've discussed using airline cable
or actually fixed green wall structures
that would be bolted to the wall.
and specifically what species would grow on that wall is TBD.
Okay.
And again, on your outdoor space,
and I'll kind of end it here,
there was a rendering that showed
there might be multiple trees,
whether they were in pots or wood,
just brought from the nursery to add some tree,
is that a concept that you're developing?
Or again, because that's not shown on the landscape plan,
your rendering doesn't coincide with the landscape plan.
I love your renderings.
The landscape plan did that, that's great,
but I'm not seeing that at all.
Which pot of trees are you talking about?
Well, it was in your package,
and let's see if I can go to it quick.
The temporary?
Well, A909, for example,
and again, it was for the temporary use.
Again, it just shows trees and big boxes there.
Yeah, I can speak to that.
Is that what the intent is?
Yeah, so we're actually, we're adding, I think it was a 66
trees, brand new trees on site and then condition.
For the temporary use, what we're doing is we're gonna be
purchasing those plants prior during the temporary use,
put them on site and use them for a shade element.
I think we're anticipating about nine months
for this temporary use.
They'll remain in their boxes and then in the final state
we'll get moved and transplanted in their final location.
but those will be the trees for the final project.
Okay, thank you, those are my questions.
Any other questions?
No, I don't have any questions.
Thank you, Chair.
Just a few questions.
When you did the community outreach,
was there any negative feedback
that you can recount from the neighbors?
No, no, there was really no negative feedback.
I think big components of our communication
with the neighbors was one controlling noise.
And one thing that we did,
and this was really self-imposed by Cali Craft,
they agreed to a condition of approval
that all live music that was once being played outside
is now being played inside.
So that's a binding condition of approval.
Cali Craft self-imposed that
during the community outreach process.
and it was very well received by the neighbors to the north.
So that was really the noise component, which was satisfied.
Other than that, there was a comment about children safety.
Currently, the way Cali Craft set up,
they have about a 2,000 square foot indoor space,
an outdoor patio space,
and then sort of a sea parking lot
that's enclosed by a rope with tables and chairs.
But there's some concerns about kids
playing in the parking lot.
This has always been a concern of Cali-Craft operationally.
It's what keeps Blaine up at night.
And they do everything they can
to create a safe atmosphere.
But that was a concern that the community had.
And the way we addressed that is,
like I mentioned previously,
was we've designed a floor plan
that's roughly four or five times larger
than the space Cali-Craft has today.
In addition to that, a significant outdoor patio space,
which is very well confined for children to play
and spend time with their families.
So those were really the two, I would say, concerns
that we resolved.
Great.
The temporary site, has there been any,
because we haven't talked much about the temporary site
and I don't think it merits any large conversation,
just curious of what kind of feedback
have you gotten from planning department
or staff or others, if any?
It's good feedback.
It's certainly an ancillary part of this project,
but it's an important part of this project.
It's really to keep Cali Craft and business operationally.
And I don't think Blaine plans on being 100%,
you know, operationally that he is today
with that temporary space,
but it's a way for them to stay in business
for the eight months while we're building
their permanent building.
So it's very important.
Great, thanks.
You mentioned the Mitchell narrowing.
Is that for the entire Mitchell Drive
or just kind of in front of your property?
It's in front of our property, but as I mentioned,
that narrowing as well as the bike lane will not happen
until our neighbors to the west and to the east
are redeveloped as well.
To sort of make a contiguous narrowing with the neighbors.
So you don't sort of have our property bulging out
where as our neighbor's properties are not.
So that narrowing would happen
once our neighbor's properties are redeveloped.
But it will bulge if, to use your term, in the end at some portion, it's not going to
be the entire Mitchell being narrowed is what I'm hearing from you, the entire street.
It will bulge at the point that our neighbor's properties are redeveloped as well.
So it's really continuous, in line, curb line, if that sort of makes sense.
If I may, I can actually provide some additional information.
What they're proposing
Flash being required to do really for that is consistent with the city's the adopted Shadelands multimodal improvement plan that covers the entire business
park and
Reason for having the neck down in this particular area is because there happens to be a well-used County connection bus stop actually on both
Sides of the street and so to provide a shorter crossing for pedestrians in that area
Including the students of the school next door. Great. Thank you
And then I just had one
follow-up question based on Commissioner Killian's question you were talking about the man gates my question was
Are those those I'm sounds like they're not accessible to the public to open those anyway
That would only be openable by management. Is that correct management and customers during store hours during store hours
Okay, so I believe it's 7 a.m. To
7 p.m. Roughly so only customers through
Access key key card can go in and out of those inside the gate during store hours
Even if you're a paying customer during or non non store hours, you would not have access
Okay
Everything's locked during non store hours the the car gate and the expectation sounds like which makes sense
People are probably rarely gonna walk through they're gonna be driving because they have a bunch of stuff with them. Exactly. Okay. Those were my questions
Thank you. Thank you
Just just a couple more questions here so in this might be a question for staff so this sidewalk
Widening has been mentioned in it the fact that it's going to be deferred till later
How do you how does that happen mechanically? I mean if they're not going to do it now. How how will they be?
How will we not still be forced, but how will that be incorporated and paid for later?
Fortunately, we have a representative from Public Works Engineering Division who can help to answer that question
Excellent, thank you. Hi. Good evening commissioners. My name is Joe Camacho. I'm associate engineer with engineering department
It's it's it's a puzzle
but basically it starts with the multimodal plan that envisions for all of Mitchell Drive to be
Bicycle friendly and we will have bike lanes that will be above the curb
So you have the street and the bicycle lanes will be protected by a curb
And so it'll be a lane for the cyclists
and a lane for the pedestrians.
And they intend to do the whole Mitchell Drive from Oak Grove
Road all the way to the western end.
And we have the Oakmont Senior Housing Project.
That's a larger project on Mitchell Drive.
They have a community benefits.
They agreed to contribute to amount of $1 million
for funding this project.
They have to do this.
$1 million does not include their frontage.
OK.
And every project has to do frontage improvement.
So we're required on the Cali Craft and Safe Space Storage
to do their frontage.
And the idea is that the projects
will come about the same time.
So if it's not possible for any reason
on delay we see that the schedules are far apart, we can consider like an in-leo contribution
of the cost estimate of that frontage improvement, so they will fund the city, the estimate,
and then when the city is ready we will do it all.
Okay, so I hope that responds to your question.
It does, thanks.
All right.
I just want to make sure it happens.
Yeah, if they can do it with their contractor,
that's not out of the realm of possibilities,
but it might be done by the same contractor at once.
Yeah. Okay.
Because I do ride my bike to Cali Craft
and it's a little funky right now, so.
Yeah. Yeah, it will be very nice.
Self-serving.
Thank you.
And I assume the parking is more or less the same
as it is now or better, the parking that they have.
Thank you.
Yes, I don't recall the number right now,
but it's over 100 spaces, closer to 200 spaces.
So it's reducing down a little from current,
but it's what the capacity they need
to service Cali Craft and the security.
But it's better to find.
Right now it's kind of free form, so that's good.
Yeah, it'll be better laid out.
And then it was mentioned, and this might be
for the applicant,
that the dog park is open during the storage hours.
What are the hours that are planned
for the storage facility?
That's 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Okay, so during the daytime, that's good.
Lastly, so food.
So right now, CaliCrap operates with food trucks.
Is the idea that the concession works out of the container?
Or how does that work?
So Blaine Lamberg, CaliCrap.
So, good to see you all again.
So currently we use multiple food trucks.
However, as our business has developed
and gotten more robust,
and we understand our clientele more effectively,
we have specifically honed in on one to two specific vendors
that work within a smaller confine
and will store things more consistently.
Specifically, Jeff Amber from Citizen Pizza,
he also did the menu for child restaurants,
he also did mixed salads.
he will be our primary food concessionaire there.
So really, he will function in a fashion
that's mildly similar to how it is now.
He'll have a more permanent home
where he can store things
so he can produce at a higher volume.
And that's all pretty worked out at this point.
Like, that's gonna be on the drawings
and all the health department acquired stuff
will be on the drawings.
100%.
Okay, all right.
Well, at the onset, it'll run just like we are now,
where it'll be mostly food.
It'll be a food truck atmosphere with health departments
zoned the exact same way that we currently have it.
But are you planning food trucks at all, you think?
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah, we definitely will.
So Jeff will be there Wednesday through Saturday,
and then Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday,
we'll have other folks that are there.
And you have a place planned for that,
and that's on the site plan.
It is, they're parked in the back.
So as the, there's a circle that goes around the building,
they're somewhere in the back
and you can see it on the right.
Okay, right.
That's what I had, thanks.
Absolutely.
Mr. Chairman, can I just bring up,
we haven't really talked about signage.
Oh, sure.
I guess, I would just in,
they're busting through about four or five signs
and I don't mind when there's a reason for it,
like the front entry sign, you know, given visibility.
But again, I question any findings
for the large sign, the caligraph brewing,
you know, that's almost doubles what's required.
And again, while I'm not objective,
to be fair to other applicants and everything,
you know, they don't have to have that large of a sign.
And it's not promoting visibility
coming off the street or whatever.
So again, I'm not all that in favor
of some of these exceptions, just because.
So I don't know if we want a discussion, other people.
Let's, it suggests that we take public comment before
and then we'll come back and make commissioner comments.
That's not, and-
Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean it to be comments.
I didn't know if anybody had questions about it
or was my point at raising this point, but that's fine.
Does anybody have questions, such questions?
Okay, all right, so let's go to
comments from the community.
I assume we have some.
And I would also ask anybody attending via Zoom,
if you're interested in providing a public comment,
please press the raise hand button.
Nobody online is raising their hand.
Okay, anybody in the audience here like to make a comment?
Have you turned any yellow card?
Let's move on to commissioner comments then.
I'll start.
I'm actually in favor of this project
in regards to my questioning.
I just think though that I'm gonna zero
on the landscape, we don't have a landscape plan.
And I would like to request that before we finalize it,
or maybe a subcommittee that you resubmit one
that shows what you're doing instead of just having everything
in a green wash over the whole plan.
There's absolutely no details for the dog park,
the community gardens, for any of your planting areas.
So again, I don't have a clue what you're gonna get
regarding landscaping.
So I think you need to come back and have it updated
with all the changes that you're proposing
and see if it reflects your renderings or not.
But again, for what you submitted,
there isn't a landscape plan.
So I'm not in favor of approving it
without a landscape plan.
And again, as I started to say, the signage,
again, I don't really object to it, but in fairness
with the city's current city sign codes.
I don't know if we can make findings other than we like it.
Again, I could think the entry sign, for example, you know,
you're on a flag lot, you know, maybe some more visibility there
so I could support that and maybe
on the secure space looking into it.
But as you get further into the site, you know,
there's really no reason for that large color craft
to be that much over, and again, you know,
maybe it could go a little bit bigger, but I'm just not
in favor of supporting that, setting more of a president
or what we've told other applicants for the same reason.
So I have a concern about some of the signage.
But having said that, I'm in favor of the project.
I'd like to move it around.
I don't really have any problem
with your site planning, your architecture, your layout.
I kind of question that the layout of the dog park and the community gardens
You know, you really don't have a connection from the residential and I don't know how many people, you know
Are walking their dogs may be walking along Mitchell, but are gonna go that far in
To it to do the dog park and if it's for the Kelly crap people move it up closer to make it convenient for them
and again, I just
You know the community garden it sounds nice and everything but the reality is you know
Unless you have it set up with a maintenance shed and everything the water and the fertilizing and get to it
But again, I question why go into there, you know if you're gonna go in and have a beer
you're not gonna go out there I think get your hands dirty and
Generally if you're going to a self-storage you want to get in and out. So, you know, I think it's just a placeholder
I think there may be
better uses for it
But again, it's not something for me to you know, that's your decision to go forward on it
So I generally am in favor of the project and I'd like to see it move forward
I would just request that maybe a subcommittee or one review the landscape plan. So those are my comments
so I
Think it's a very good project. I think it's
It's got a lot of very attractive ingredients and I like the way it's been put together. I I
I think it goes beyond the functional
and it's bringing a lot of ideas
that I'm sure are gonna be supported by the community,
the dog park, the community garden.
I like all those components.
And then in the massive parking concept
that this project is having that icing on the cake,
which is the brewery, I think it's so fortunate
And I think it's so fortunate the way you connected
the building with the open space,
with the container at the end.
I think it was a lot better than having that road
crossing and breaking that building apart.
I support this building completely.
I will actually, I think that the signage issue
that was brought up by Brian,
I think it's something that it's worth looking into,
but in terms of the site and the planning and the buildings,
I think it's an excellent project.
So just a little bit of background
on my thinking of this project.
You know, when I first came before us
and I heard storage facility in the shade lens,
my initial reaction was, no, doesn't make sense.
But after the first presentation and thinking about it,
and I also, you know, I look at the shade lens
as it become, it never became what it was envisioned to be.
I think about some of these sort of business parks
down in Palo Alto, closer to where I grew up.
And that's all very much thrived in the shade lens,
unfortunately didn't thrive as a business park in my mind.
And so we have all sorts of different uses now,
like medical, which I think is great.
We have the Via Monte, which by the way,
I've gone through that, I've actually eaten lunch there.
And it would be a wonderful place to live.
And that's the one behind the Safeway.
And then we had the very large project come
through the Oakmont.
And again, I thought about, well, we lost the Genome
Institute.
Who the heck is going to come in and take that huge parcel?
What's going to happen there?
It's really good use.
And I'm like, OK, now you have all these people basically
downsizing into all of the senior housing.
they probably need to store stuff.
So why not have that close by for them?
So then all of a sudden it made sense to me.
The other thing is, you guys,
the design team did a really nice job taking something
as what could be a very unattractive use
and made it pretty nice looking.
So you guys won me over on the storage facility
the first time.
We spent a lot of time talking about this project
in the study session.
I want to thank the developer and design team
because sometimes we give input in study sessions
and the developer just basically doesn't listen to any of it
and they just move forwards.
And sometimes as with this project,
the developer and designers,
you took our feedback
and I think you did some really great stuff with it.
I won't repeat the comments that commissioner Valia made
because I agree with them, really changed it
for something even way better
than the initial design in my mind.
That being said, I must have read Commissioner Killian's mind
or vice versa, I was thinking of a condition,
some kind of subcommittee to maybe better connect
the landscape detailed plan to the renderings.
I think that seemed like very fair feedback to me
from Commissioner Killian,
but I don't think it should hold up
design review approval and require another hearing.
And I think, you know, we do this often,
a subcommittee on paint colors or things,
and just kind of go out and look at samples, et cetera.
So, and I think I heard Commissioner Killian
maybe volunteering for something like that
as one of our landscape architects.
I'm happy to opine or participate.
I'm not a landscape architect, but I was thinking of that.
And then maybe perhaps at the subcommittee level,
maybe there could be a further looking at the dog park fence
and some of the other fencing,
just kind of like a final someone to look at it.
I know the city's gonna look at it too, of course.
So all that being said,
I'm very much in favor of the project.
I think it's a really good project.
Well, I missed the initial study session,
but clearly from what I could see audited it,
clearly you guys listened, so that's good.
I agree wholeheartedly with what Commissioner Killian said
about the fact that there needs to be more detail developed
and it needs to be reviewed on some level.
So I support that.
I really support the business.
I've been going there pretty much since they opened.
It's a great resource.
I first started working in the Shadelands.
I moved out here while I was still in college.
I started working the Shadelands in 1984.
And it did have previous lives.
The newspaper was there.
There was lots of things there.
But I thought then and now,
I mean, it never was pedestrian friendly.
There never were any destinations
that you could go for lunch or do things.
And I think this business is a good example
for what can happen in the Shadelands.
And I think we have to encourage that.
I appreciate the work Public Works has done
to create the bike lanes there.
There's a lack continuity with their bike lanes
and there's a real opportunity to get folks using that
instead of trying to use Ignatius or other places.
So I think that's gonna be important
that that gets followed through.
That's all I have in the way of comments and I'm it.
So that's something else, go ahead.
a part of my, may I add to my comment? Yes, you may. I was one time, you may. Thank you,
I appreciate that chair. I forgot to make a comment about the, the signage. Um, I, I recall
discussing, uh, and some of us thinking about the larger Cali Craft sign as more artwork than an
advertising sign and, and felt it was to exude our commissioner who's not here. It was something
that was fun on the side of the building and very unique and so that's why I am personally okay with
the with the large Cali Craft sign and it's actually been reduced a bit because it it's
something unique and fun and not not that everyone would call you know a beer establishment sign
artwork but I think that was sort of the intent to make it artsy thank you for letting me add that.
I'd agree. I'd say opine in a bit more about what the issue with the shade lens is, is it has to
become more pedestrian friendly. There have to be nodes that you can understand. Right now,
you really have to understand that CaliCraft is there. If you're riding a bike, you would even
miss it, or a car or whatever. So there needs to be, in order to develop this into more pedestrian
bike-friendly area, I think it's needed. And I think we all know there needs to be
updates to the signage standards in the city. I think it needs, I think you have
to address things like these graphics which are so important to the way things
are going right now so I have no objections that way. Shall we move on to
a motion? I'd say I'll just start and say, I mean I think, I think it's for me it's
all about the flag lot. It's all about the development of the flag lot. I think there
needs to be, I would support a motion to approve, personally, I think, but I think the landscape
and fencing have to come back to maybe a committee one. That's what I'd say.
All right. I'll make a motion that we approve the secure space Cali Craft project with the
the condition that we have a subcommittee
to review a more detailed landscape plan
to better connect it to the renderings.
And included in that is for that subcommittee
to be able to give opinions on the dog park fencing
and other fencing that's gonna go around both buildings.
And I'm okay with a subcommittee of one.
We've typically had subcommittees of two,
but I'm open to either.
I'm open to volunteering and that's my motion.
But I didn't want to be so specific
that they just addressed the dog part.
My concern was to do a comprehensive landscape plan
with all the typical details of everything on that.
And if that's acceptable, then I'll make a second.
Yeah, that was the intention.
So thank you.
Mr. Chair, if I may just for clarification purposes
in light of the Brown Act,
I would just like to ask the motioner and seconder
if the intent is that it would be an ad hoc committee
of not more than two advisory essentially
to advise staff on approving the final design
consistent with the action being taken tonight
and therefore not require a public hearing.
Yes.
Right?
Yes.
And I believe that historically
when we do our subcommittees, that's what we've done.
My understanding, I just wanted to be ultra clear.
No, thank you for the clarification.
Well said.
Thank you.
Okay, so that's the motion.
Would you like me to take a roll call?
Yes.
Okay, please take roll call.
Commissioner Killian?
Yes.
Commissioner of Lea.
Yes.
Vice chair Kreling.
Yes.
And chair Newsom.
Yes.
And those motion carries.
We're gonna take a five minute break
before moving on to the next thing.
The applicant Najmeh Cholili is here tonight
and the civil architect
and I believe the other members of the team
are available via zoom if needed
and to answer any questions after this presentation.
And just to orient us with the site,
the flag law consists of two parcels
are located along the eastern side of North Main Street directly between Diablosu Brew
dealership and the 680 freeway. The site is currently developed as a corporation yard
facility used by East Bay Mudd. The facility is now readily visible from the street as the site
slopes downhill and is situated well below street level. Access to the site is provided from the
northern end of the site off of Service Road and exit is exit will be from Marby Lane and that is
located in the central part of the site. The project is surrounded by other commercial uses
to the north south and west. The just a little background the property was previously owned by
waste management recycling company and they operated as a corporation yard on the site.
East Bay MUD has been operating at the site since 2015 and in 2019 a new fuel station which included
above ground storage tanks was approved through a staff level design review. And in the service
commercial zone a conditional use permit is required for maintenance facilities. However there
are no use permits on record for the existing facility. So the applicant tonight is requesting
site improvements and also the use permit to legalize the existing use on site which will
ultimately be reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission. And here are photos of
the existing site and as mentioned earlier the facility is now readily visible from North Main
Street or from the 680 freeway which this property backs up to due to the existing mature trees that
provide screening along the perimeter of the site. And here is a site plan that shows all of
of the existing structures on site, which consists of a fuel station that I have provided
a photograph here. And this is still under construction and I believe it will be completed
this fall. And then the existing tire repair shop, the fleet base and the wash area, and
then the administration building, and here is the existing covered storage area. And
Now moving on to the proposed site changes.
The project will demolish the existing three fleet bays
and construct three new taller bays in the same location
and also demolish the existing administrative building
and construct a new building
near the southern end of the site.
The existing covered storage or overhang area
will be demolished and that area will be repaved
for more parking stalls.
And the project also includes a new trash enclosure,
new landscaping, bioretention basins,
site lighting and also security fencing.
And here is a side-by-side look at the existing and proposed site plan.
The admin building in the center of the site
that you see here
will be demolished and reconstructed and located along the southern end of the
site.
And that is shown on the proposed site plan with the arrow.
And the three old fleet bays located on the northern end of the site
will be demolished and rebuilt in the same location.
And then the, sorry, I forgot to put a transition,
but the existing covered storage area
that's on the top right of the existing site plan,
that overhang over the parking structures
will be demolished.
And that area for the parking stalls will be reconfigured
to provide more functional and convenient layout.
And to improve the personnel safety and security on site,
new sliding gates and security card readers will be installed for entry from
Service Road and exit from Marby Lane. And please note that only East Bay mud
vehicles and employees will be allowed to access this facility through the use
of the card readers. So the general public will not have access. And now
moving on to the new buildings. The new administration building will be located
on the upper lot along the south end of the site. The floor plan here includes
workstations, private offices, break room and a meeting room for employees and the
AC unit as seen on the floor plan will be located at the rear of the building
and will not be visible from view. No windows are proposed at the rear
elevation as the locker room and showers are located in that area and additional
trees will be planted around the side and rear of the building to screen the
AC unit and also to add visual interest along the blank wall in the rear
elevation. The building's exterior finish consists of individual insulated square metal
panels with black trim and a black aluminum window system. The building parapet will consist
of similar metal coping with a black trim. The primary building color is bronze. I believe
a bronze or a brownish color with a teal trim color. The materials will complement the existing
uses on site, and the material board has been presented to you tonight, and I believe it's
being passed around.
The break room along the front of the building projects out a few feet than the rest of the
building, and is raised up to 17 feet 2 inches to provide a higher front elevation.
And the portion of the building that's recessed back is at a lower height of 13 feet 8 inches,
and will include metal awnings that will extend over the windows and doors.
The changes in roof line and variation in building height does provide nice articulation
to this building.
And staff does support the architecture and would like DRC's input on the overall design
and layout.
And to ensure the facility's operational reliability, the existing fleets along the north end of
site, which I have included a photo of here, will be replaced with three bays constructed
in the same location.
The other two bays will still remain that are farther to the side of next to the three
fleets that are being removed.
The size of the bays will be essentially the same with an increase in height from 19 feet
to 30 feet for maintenance of East Bay MUD's larger vehicles.
And the height of the existing fleet bays, which are identified as Bay 1 and Bay 2,
will remain 19 feet, which is adequate to repair the smaller vehicles.
And the front elevation of the fleet building will face the 680 freeway and will consist
of roll-up metal doors that are separated by building columns.
And the building consists of insulated metal panels.
And the applicant will revise the elevations when it's back for a final design review.
so the building height does not exceed
the maximum of 30 feet allowed.
I believe the plans show it's a little over 30,
maybe 31, 32 feet, but they're pretty close,
so they'll make sure the plans reflect the accurate height.
And the upper portion of the entire building
is finished with a beige color,
and the lower portion will be finished
with a dark bronze color.
A teal color will be used as an accent.
And there is a two-story storage room
along the northern end of the new building,
know be recessed back a few feet to provide the necessary articulation to
the building. No information was provided on the proposed rooftop mechanical
equipment and if adequate screening would be provided. So the applicant will
provide all of these details at the final design review. Staff is requesting
the Design Review Commission to comment on the overall building architecture and
if any changes are required for the buildings. Staff does support the proposed
design given the nature of the site believe that the design is complementary and it enhances the
site. And here's a quick look at the floor plan of the fleet building and now moving on to the
landscaping. The project will plant a total of seven 15-gallon trees that consist of London Plain,
Coastal Live Oak and Campore trees that will be installed along the new admin building and also
along the parking areas and the planting pallet also consists of shrubs, grasses,
cobblestone mulch, and a variety of other ground covers that will be planted throughout the site.
The bioretention plantings are well placed throughout the site and no trees are being
removed as part of these site improvements. All of the existing trees that you see in this rendering
along the perimeter of the site will remain and staff is supportive of the proposed plant pallet
as it will provide additional screening for the new structures and also enhance the overall
appearance of the site. Staff is however asking DRC's input on the new landscaping and if the
selected tree species is appropriate and these renderings here illustrate the site to what it
will look like once all of the site improvements are in place such as the landscaping, the perimeter
fencing and also the two new buildings along with the existing fuel station and the tire repair
shop that's on site. And included here is a, to the left, is a photo of the existing fencing,
and to the right I have included a photo of East Bay Mud Standard security fencing that's used at
other locations. The existing six foot tall fence, again the photo to the left, that will be replaced
with a new eight foot tall black vinyl coated one inch mesh and non-climbable chain link fence.
This is East Bay mud standard fence design which is designed for providing security
around the perimeter and staff did request the applicant to consider a fence with slats rather
than the open mesh design to be more visually appealing and also to be consistent with the
city's design guidelines that does discourage chain link fencing but however given that this
This is a corporation yard, it's located away from the main roadway, is not visible from
view, abuts the 680 freeway, and is not accessible to the general public due to the card readers
that control access to the site.
Staff doesn't have any concerns supporting the proposed design.
Again, staff would like DRC's input on the perimeter fencing.
And so tonight, staff does recommend that the Design Review Commission provide a positive
recommendation on the conditional use permit request portion of this project
so we can forward it to the Planning Commission and also provide initial
feedback on the architecture, the site changes, landscaping, fencing, and the
color materials palette. And if the use permit is approved by the Planning
Commission, the project will then return back to this Commission for a final
design review. Now with that I conclude my presentation and I will be here for
any questions? Thank you. Thank you. Do you have any questions from the
commissioners? I do have a question. Yeah it's on the existing building what the
one that's going to remain is that also a metal building? The existing fleet
yes. And what is the rating of the buildings? I mean just out of curiosity.
The fire ratings? Yes. I will call up the applicant to address that. Okay so we'll
Okay, sorry. Yes, no problem
No other questions and then let's move on to
Applicant presentations does the applicant have a presentation the applicant does not have a formal presentation, but they'll be here to answer any questions
Okay, and najme
Do we have any questions for the applicant? Yes. Yes. Okay Commissioner Gillian. Do you want to start?
I just have
I don't know if it's a landscape question or not, but your property line toward the
freeway, you're setting your, I guess it's a new security fencing in about 20 feet.
So I was just curious, I didn't see any gates or anything into that area, so who would maintain
that area or have access to all that area, what happens in that zone?
Hi, everyone. My name is Najmej Aloleam. I'm an associate civil engineer with East Bay
Mod. I believe—I don't know if the drawings are showing them, but we do have two man gates.
One is near that existing building to remain, which is a tire shop. And then the other one,
I believe it's around the northeast of the site. And our facilities maintenance staff,
they access the area which is on our property.
Okay, great.
I couldn't find the gate.
So there are a way to get back there and that.
Yes, yes.
All right, great.
There's gate, yeah.
Thank you.
Sure.
That was my question.
And again, to my question, the fire ratings?
I'm just curious.
Randy, are you on the call?
On sheet C003, there's information about the.
If I may ask our staff member Jorge,
If you could please enable me to let people in,
it seems to have been disabled on my computer here.
Or if you could just let in Randy Morgan, please.
Ah, I saw a thumb.
Here we go.
I think I may have just promoted the wrong person in.
Hang on.
The list keeps changing.
Zoom is not our friend always.
Okay, let's see if that works.
If I may, this is Maura Benarans.
I'm also with East Bay Mudd.
On sheet C3, there's a table, the building data matrix,
and it has information on the fire rating
for the buildings.
It depends on the setback from the property line,
so it varies by building.
Right.
And so it's all laid out there
on what fire rating the building will be.
Yeah, Maura, I think I'm on now,
if everybody can hear me, thank you.
Yeah, the Fleet Bays 1 and 2, the existing buildings
is a type IIB.
And we've done a study on what walls
need to be fire rated in that area, in the roof's metal.
And in our new building, Bays 3 and 5,
we intend to keep the type IIB rating.
But we know that there's going to be some fire
separations required.
Yeah.
Thank you.
You bet.
Okay, my first question is I'm looking at the picture
of the existing administrative building.
It's so beautiful, why do you want to get rid of it?
It's just, it's retro.
I'm just kidding.
That's just a tour video tour about it.
Okay, so now the serious question.
Actually, speaking of tour, the one question I did have,
thank you for reminding me chair,
is a lot of times we do like to visit
where the development's gonna go,
just to kind of walk it and look at it.
If any one of us wanted to do that,
would we be able to do that with East Bay Mudd?
Just to, because I know it's a locked facility.
Sure, yes, we can get that in.
Okay, thanks.
My main question from a design perspective,
so I think the new administrative building's really nice.
I like it a lot.
And in particular, I actually like the color palette.
Was there any thought to using the same color palette
on the fleet building bays.
It's strikingly different with the light color on the top.
Not that it's a bad looking color combination,
but the other one looks so nice,
why not maybe harmonize it?
I don't know if you gave any consideration to that.
Randy, can you please respond?
Yes, thank you for that question.
I think the idea was that the maintenance bay,
We were looking as just a cliche form and function.
I mean, it's sized to fit all the requirements internally
with the crane and everything.
And we wanted to, we know we're going
to end up using insulated metal panels, which
have some good features to them, but it could get expensive.
So we kind of kept with the, I mean,
we could change the colors, but I think with the metal type
and how we're going to apply it to the size of the building,
we wanted that to be kind of a utilitarian look,
but some break it up with a couple of tones.
And then when we got to the admin building,
wanted that to be a little bit of an upgrade for the site
itself, kind of the end point of the site
as you drive in is that building.
And so it took on, it was an opportunity
to use more of a metal look, the dark bronze metal that we're
kind of looking with reveals, which
would be a different metal system.
And so you go from a utilitarian building
with some simpler colors.
And then the admin building becomes a different entity,
just a little bit upgraded because it's the office.
And that's kind of the idea.
I'm not opposed to going the other way, but I thought that we could bring in the you know
The fleet bay that we're leaving there. We're gonna paint it and
then try to kind of
Have those two buildings go together and then have the admin building just kind of be an entity into itself
So that was kind of the idea. I make that makes total sense. So thank you. Okay, you bet those were my questions. Thank you
Well, I'm good. I don't have any further questions
Do we have any public comment do we have anybody online the public comment the only people online anymore are just additional members of
the applicants team
Okay, so
Let's move on to Commissioner comments
Like it you know, it's a
You know kind of a utility area that no one's gonna see so, you know, I thought you did a pretty good job for what it is
I don't know if I need to see it again. I know this is a study session, but
I think staff, in my opinion, could handle it for here.
My only request would be on the irrigation,
that the irrigation do a spot drip
rather than the subsurface
where you're essentially flooding everything.
So in the interest of water conservation,
go to a spot drip irrigation system.
Better than that, I'm in favor of the project.
I'm also in favor of the project.
Although I look at the building
and I feel like it could get some adjustments
to make it more one wing, more similar to the other wing.
But it's, I mean, it's your building, it's not my building.
You're talking about the admin building?
Oh, I'm talking about the office building, yes.
Oh, the other one, yeah, I'm not concerned
about the other one.
But this one, I feel like the box could have
a little more geometry, but as I say, it's your building,
it's your design, and it wouldn't affect anybody
if you built it like this.
I think it's a very decent building.
That's my point, I think it's a good building.
Yeah, thank you.
Great, thanks.
No, I think the project looks really nice.
It's a great upgrade to utilitarian use.
I would comment on the fencing
that it's the exact same identical fence
that's just been installed at the perimeter
that Concord Buchanan Airport, so it's identical.
I think it does look better than the existing fence
with the razor wire and the silver color.
So I think that the black,
the airport just finished changing all of it.
So I don't know if they get the same vendor
or what's going on, but considering both uses, right,
you have a kind of a work yard, storage yard, the airport,
you know, utilitarian use, I'm fine with the fence as it is.
Although I do, I thought of the same thing that staff did about, oh, it's chain link,
we usually don't like that, what about putting the slots in?
I think you guys came back with a good response about security visibility.
But again, looking at where this is, I don't think anybody would have any issue with it.
So I'm completely in favor.
I also agree with Commissioner Killian, though I know it doesn't work that way.
It's like I don't know that I need to see this again for a final design review,
you know, to save everybody time and money, but I think it's great.
I mean, I'd have to agree. I think there's not that much here to dislike. I think it's
a great improvement over what was there before. No exceptions here. So how about a motion?
Can we move for a, we don't need a motion.
Okay, but can I, through the chair,
can we request the staff handle it from here
or what is the procedural?
You know, I was actually just starting to look that up.
Just speaking from memory, so there is a provision
in the zoning ordinance that does allow
the designer view commission to delegate authority
for certain projects to staff.
However, that requires a resolution of the Commission, which in taking an action like
that would itself require public notice.
And this was noticed as a study session, not a decision.
So let me just bear with my authorization delegates.
I thought you had all this memorized.
Most of it, unfortunately.
He has the manual.
I knew what page it was on.
That's pretty impressive.
I have a tab.
It's a little unclear.
I do know, though, that the current delegation of authority was done by resolution as well.
And given that this was noticed as a study session, the commission wouldn't have the
ability to take that as an official action.
However, I will definitely—we will review the existing delegation of authority that
that has already been granted by this commission to see if this project, and I don't have
a copy of that resolution with me, but we'll see if there's a way possibly that this could
fit under that, given the interest and direction given by the commission.
So we'll try, and if it's legal, we'll do it.
And if not, let's all just make a mental note here that this would be a good one to move
to the consent calendar.
Yeah.
Okay?
Yeah.
All right.
So it sounds like there's consensus from the commission as to the feedback.
Yeah, I mean there was no feedback. Yeah, right. So exactly
Okay, so
Moving right along
Commission consider considerations. Thank you
So
Do we have any Commission considerations? No, we do not. Okay moving along
Commission members and staff reports or announcements
Secretary, do we have any announcements?
My only announcement would be that
your illustrious Secretary, Chip Griffin,
will be here with you at the next meeting.
We have helped each other out, as you may know,
I'm the Secretary of the Planning Commission
and so we've helped each other out
in being able to accommodate vacations
with our respective families.
And if I have the count correct,
I think I still actually owe him one more meeting,
so I might be back.
Well, I think he did a great job.
I mean, not as good as Chip, but I just did that because Chip's going to go back and watch
this.
All right.
I have no other analysis.
There's a word for that that I will not mention in a public hearing.
All right.
Catch y'all later.
That's, that's, so let's, that's adjournment.
So.
That was loud.