739 Channing Way PRELIMINARY DESIGN REVIEW

Transcription

1 739 Channing Way PRELIMINARY DESIGN REVIEW D E S I G N R E V I E W C O M M I T T E E S t a f f R e p o r t For Majority Recommendations SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 Design Review #DRCP to construct two new detached three-story buildings with 10 dwellings, four live/work units, one office space and 16 offstreet parking spaces on a vacant lot. I. Introduction This project is located on the southeast corner of Channing Way and Fifth Street. It is located in the Mixed-Use Light Industrial (MU-LI) and Mixed Use-Residential (MU-R) zoning district. It was before the Design Review Committee for Preliminary Design Review in August, 2017 where it was continued. A summary from that meeting is further below for your reference II. III. Background This project includes a proposal for 10 new 3 story residential townhouses on the MU-R portion of the lot and 4 new 3-story commercial arts and crafts live/work units and one office unit on the MU-LI portion of the lot. A shared exterior parking court with 16 spaces is also proposed. Project Setting A. Neighborhood/Area Description: The neighborhood of the proposed project is focused around Channing Way and Fifth Street. The eastern portion of the project site, where the residential units are proposed, is zoned Mixed Use Residential. The western portion of the site, where the live work and office units are proposed is zoned Mixed Use Light Industrial. The neighborhood is characterized by single-family homes, and one and two story commercial and light industrial buildings and warehouses Center Street, Berkeley, CA Tel: TDD: Fax:

2 739 CHANNING WAY DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE Page 2 of 6 September 21, 2017 Figure 1: Vicinity Map 739 Channing Way Table 1: Land Use Information Location Existing Use Zoning District General Plan Designation Subject Property North Surface Parking Lot Surface Parking Lot MU-LI: Mixed Use Light Industrial; Residential and Light MU-R: Mixed-Use South Industrial Uses Residential Surrounding Properties MU-R: Mixed-Use East One-Story Dwellings Residential West Surface Parking Lot MU-LI: Mixed Use Light Industrial M: Manufacturing; MMU: Manufacturing Mixed Use MMU: Manufacturing Mixed Use M: Manufacturing

3 DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE 739 CHANNING WAY Page 3 of 6 September 21, 2017 Table 4: Development Standards Standard BMC Sections 23E & 23E Existing MU-LI Portion Proposed Permitted/ Required Proposed M-UR Portion Permitted/ Required Lot Area (sq. ft.) MU-R: 12,500 MULI: 3,800 Total: 16,300 No Change No Change No Change No Change Gross Floor Area (sq. ft.) 0 6,635 7,600 max. 13,826 18,750 max. Floor Area Ratio max max Live/Work Units Total 0 4 N/A N/A N/A Dwelling Units Total 0 N/A N/A max. Office Total 0 1 N/A N/A N/A Building Height Average (ft.) 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A Maximum (ft.) max max. Stories max. 3 4 max. Front (Fifth St.) 0 N/A N/A 10 5 min. Building Rear (west) N/A N/A Setbacks Right Side (ft.) Street Side min. (Channing Way) Lot Coverage 0 66% N/A 42% N/A Usable Open Space (sq. ft.) 0 2,140 1,500 min min. Parking Automobile Residential min. Live/Work min. 0 0 Office min. 0 0 Live/Work & Office Total min min. Bicycle min. 0 N/A Residential N/A Total N/A

4 739 CHANNING WAY DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE Page 4 of 6 September 21, 2017 IV. Project Description A. Requested Use Permits Use Permit with a Public Hearing, under Berkeley Municipal Code (BMC) Section 23A Paragraph B, to eliminate required 5-ft street side yard setback by applying requirements of the MU-LI District to the MU-R District; Use Permit with a Public Hearing, under BMC Section 23E Paragraph A, to construct four new live/work units; Use Permit with a Public Hearing, under BMC Section 23E , to construct 10 dwelling units in the MU-R District. Administrative Use Permit, under BMC Section 23E Paragraph A, to construct an office space less than 3,000 square feet in area; and, Administrative Use Permit, under BMC Section 23E , for construction of fence above six feet. B. CEQA Determination: Categorically exempt pursuant to Section of the CEQA Guidelines ( In-Fill Development ). V. Previous DRC Summary August 17, 2017 Preliminary Design Review was continued with the following recommendations for further design refinement: MOTION (Kahn, Pink) VOTE ( ) Clarke, Jenson absent. Massing / Site Plan Consider flipping the live/work decks and pushing windows back from the west property line. Recommend locating some decks on the Fifth Street side of the residential units for a better scale. Elevations Elevation at the sidewalk near the southeast corner should be more generous. This façade should feel more like a front, not a side. Office elevation at sidewalk appears appropriate. Fence Design Fence height appears to be appropriate except at corner. Recommend reaching out to Transportation to review possible safety issues. Color Palette Material samples are more successful than renderings, but could still be lighter and more upbeat. A brighter color would help to accentuate the other more muted colors in the palette. There appears to be too much of the same wall color. Look at more variation or an accent color.

5 DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE 739 CHANNING WAY Page 5 of 6 September 21, 2017 VI. Design Review Guidelines The City s Design Guidelines are applicable for this project. Excerpts from the Citywide Design Review Guidelines are included below for your reference: Setbacks Street Façade: The street façade of commercial streets should be respected, in order to create or maintain the sense of urban space. Parking and Driveways Garage Entrance: Conflict with pedestrian circulation should be prevented by the proper location and design of auto entrances. Facades Harmony with Surroundings: The proposed design should be in harmony with its surroundings through the coordination of such design elements as cornice lines, eaves, and setbacks with those of existing neighborhood buildings. Articulation: Street faces in general and the ground floor level in particular should include elements of pedestrian scale and three-dimensional interest. Heights: In general, the height of adjacent buildings especially historic structures should be respected in the design of new buildings. Abrupt changes in height may be appropriate, even desirable in certain situations. Walls and Fences: Large, unarticulated expanses of any particular wall material that deaden the pedestrian environment should be avoided. Landscape Parking: Shading of at least fifty percent (50%) of the surface area (as measured at 12 noon on June 21) is encouraged to reduce heat buildup and to improve visual appearance. Sidewalk Areas: should include landscaping that is coordinated with the neighborhood design. The consistent use of one species of tree along a street or block is encouraged. Building Entrances Entrance points should be clearly defined and easily identifiable by pedestrians by appropriate locations and by elements such as awnings, signage, artwork, or changes in paving material to define entry point. Bicycle Parking New developments should provide usable bicycle racks that are visible from a public way and that do not impede pedestrian or auto circulation.

6 739 CHANNING WAY DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE Page 6 of 6 September 21, 2017 VII. Issues and Analysis A. Changes Since the Last Submittal Decks on Fifth Unit plans at the ends of the structure facing Fifth and Channing were reconfigured so upper level decks face Fifth, adding more scale and articulation to the Fifth Street facade. South Elevation at Corner Unit South elevation of corner was further developed with an accent material on the ground floor for added interest and scale. West Elevation Trellis deck covering was eliminated for a more open roof line and less visual impact on the adjacent property to the west. Window into back office space has been reduced. Fences Front yard fences at the corner of Fifth and Channing, as well as at the unit directly east of the driveway entrance, was curved for better safety and less visual impact on the public right-of-way. Materials / Colors Material and color palette was modified in order to better fit within its neighborhood context. More detailed color and material information will be presented at the meeting. B. Issues for Discussion: Neighborhood Context Façade Design, both Residential and Commercial Preliminary Colors and Materials VIII. Recommendation Staff recommends that the DRC discuss the above issues and forward a favorable recommendation on to ZAB with specific direction for Final Design Review. Attachments: 1. Project Plans, received September 06, Correspondence, received August 21, 2017 Staff Planner: Anne Burns, aburns@ci.berkeley.ca.us, (510)