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City Council Meeting November 18, 2013

Conditional Use Permit #6036 & Street Vacation 1727-1787 East Walnut Street and 235 North Allen Avenue “Allen-Walnut TOD Project”. City Council Meeting November 18, 2013. Allen-Walnut TOD Project. Project Description Mixed-use project. 128 Rental Apartments.

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City Council Meeting November 18, 2013

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  1. Conditional Use Permit #6036 &Street Vacation1727-1787 East Walnut Street and235 North Allen Avenue“Allen-Walnut TOD Project” City Council MeetingNovember 18, 2013

  2. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Project Description • Mixed-use project. • 128 Rental Apartments. • 5,000 square feet of commercial space. • 203 parking spaces. • 134 spaces in one level of subterranean parking. • Accessed from Walnut Street. • Two buildings. • West: 15 units in three stories. • East: 113 units in four stories. • Meridith Avenue to be vacated.

  3. Allen-Walnut TOD Project Allen Gold Line Station E Corson St 800 feet N Allen Ave Locust St Project Site E Walnut St

  4. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Vicinity

  5. Allen-Walnut TOD Project Locust St Conditional Use Permit For Housing Permitted “By Right” RM-16 N Allen Ave CG N Meridith Ave ECSP-CG-3 E Walnut St Meridith Ave. Street Vacation

  6. Allen-Walnut TOD Project Conditional Use Permit For Housing Permitted “By Right” N. Allen Ave. E. Walnut St. Meridith Ave. Street Vacation

  7. Allen-Walnut TOD Project Permitted “By Right” Conditional Use Permit For Housing • South Elevation Meridith Ave. Street Vacation • East Elevation

  8. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Looking northeast across Walnut Street

  9. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Looking northwest across Allen Avenue

  10. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Entitlements: • Conditional Use Permit to construct housing on the CG-zoned portion of the site; • Street Vacation of Meridith Avenue; and • Design Review.

  11. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Review Authorities: • Planning Commissionmade recommendation on Street Vacation, Conditional Use Permit, and environmental review to City Council. • City Councilmakes final decision. • Design Commissionwill conduct design review. • Tentatively scheduled for December 10. • Arts & Culture Commission will conduct public art component review. • Preliminary review occurred on October 9.

  12. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Public Art Ordinance. • 1% of the building permit valuation shall be allocated by a developer for a public art component. • Design Commission cannot approve Concept Design Review for the project until submittal of a Public Art Application. • Concept Art Plan must be submitted within 45 days of Concept Design Review. • Final Design Review cannot occur until the Concept Art Plan is approved. • Final Art Plan must be submitted within 45 days of Final Design Review. • 20% of 1% is due upon submittal for building permit plan check.

  13. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Review Authorities: • Arts & Culture Commissionreviewed Preliminary Concept Art Plan on October 9, 2013. • Commission directed applicant to return for Concept Art Plan review prior to submittal of Final Art Plan: • More fully develop art concept to, “…provide complexity and layered meanings beyond aesthetic design…” • Staff is recommending a revised condition of approval #20: • “The project shall meet all requirements of the Public Art Process. The applicant shall submit a formal application for Concept Art Plan for review and approval by the Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission within 90 days of the effective date of this approval.” • Cultural Affairs staff will continue to work with applicant, art consultant, and artist to evolve public art component.

  14. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Planning Commission. • Public Hearing held October 23, 2013. • Voted 8-0 to recommend approval of project and environmental documents. • An addendum was prepared in response to questions about traffic study methodology. • Two speakers voiced opposition to project: • Increased traffic congestion; and • Inadequate on-site parking.

  15. Conditional Use Permit #6036 • Density Bonus • State Law • Senate Bill 1818 • Section 17.43 of Zoning Code • Multi-family or mixed-use project with five or more units (before the bonus). • Affordable categories: • Very Low Income; • Low Income; and • Moderate Income. • Permitted “by-right”. • Comply with all applicable codes and requirements. • Environmental review required.

  16. Conditional Use Permit #6036 • Density Bonus • Maximum density bonus allowed varies:

  17. Conditional Use Permit #6036 • Density Bonus • Developers may request concessions or waivers from development standards in order to provide affordable units. • No deviations from any development standards proposed as part of this project.

  18. Conditional Use Permit #6036 • Zoning Code Compliance: • Residential Density/Density Bonus: • Nine ‘very low income’ units; and • One ‘moderate income’ unit. • Permitted density bonus: • 30 percent, or 33 more units. • 16 percent, or 18 unit proposed.

  19. Conditional Use Permit #6036 • Zoning Code Compliance: • The project is in compliance with other applicable development standards of the Zoning Code including: • Setbacks; Encroachment plane; Height; and Floor Area Ratio. • All applicable development standards will be verified during review of plans submitted for building permit.

  20. Conditional Use Permit #6036 • Zoning Code Compliance: (continued) • Parking for TOD projects:

  21. Street Vacation • Portion of Meridith Avenue to be vacated: • Dead-end terminus. • 80 feet wide and 120 feet from Walnut Street north. • Located between 1727 &1757 E. Walnut St. • Vacated area to be used for: • Occupied by portion of new construction; and • Private driveway to access the site. • Letters of support from adjacent property owners.

  22. Street Vacation • Current Condition of Meridith Avenue: • 17-foot wide sidewalk on both sides; and • 46-foot wide roadway. • Terminates at north end: • Does not comply with Pasadena standards for cul-de-sacs. • Not sufficient turn-around space for public and street maintenance vehicles • Curb ramps at corners do not comply with Pasadena standards for ramps. • 46-foot wide crossing will be replaced private driveway, reducing its width by half.

  23. Street Vacation • Department of Public Works has determined: • No need, present or future, to retain this area for its intended public purpose. • Relinquishing all rights to vacated area will relieve the City from future maintenance responsibilities and any liability associated with the vacated area.

  24. Street Vacation • Department & Agency Comments: • Notice (March 2013) sent to various utilities, other City departments, and County agencies. • Comments received: • Pasadena Water and Power; • Pasadena Public Works; • AT&T; and • Charter Communications.

  25. General Plan & Specific Plan Consistency • General Plan Land Use Element: • Project is consistent with following Objectives and Policies: • Targeted Development (1.1 and 10.1: Targeted Development Areas, 1.2: Specific Plans, 1.3 and 10.2: Transit-Oriented and Pedestrian-Oriented Development, 1.4: Mixed-use); • Affordable Housing (3.1: Exemption for Affordable Housing, 3.2 Density); • Character and Scale of Pasadena (5.7: Enhanced Environment and 5.10 Spatial Attributes); • Job Opportunities (11.2: Employment Diversity and 11.7: Increase Jobs).

  26. General Plan & Specific Plan Consistency • General Plan Land Use Element: (continued) • Project is consistent with following Objectives and Policies: • Housing Conditions (15.1: Sizes and Types, 15.2 Increase Supply, 15.3: Equitable Distribution); • Transit/Pedestrian Coordination (22.1: Urban Design, 22.3: Pedestrian Access); and • Participation(27.4: Consultation) • Neighborhood Meetings hosted at site: • March 23, 2013 • October 12, 2013

  27. General Plan & Specific Plan Consistency • East Colorado Specific Plan: • Specific Plan supports: • Beautifying streetscape; • Increasing supply of multi-family and affordable housing; • Improving multi-modal mobility; • Creating focus areas, or “nodes”, to help establish a sense of place. • Gold Line Sub-area: • Higher density residential projects along Allen Avenue. • Mix of uses, including ground-floor retail/commercial and residential and/or office uses above.

  28. Environmental Review • Initial Environmental Study: • Topic areas with less than significant impacts include: • Aesthetics; • Air Quality; • Geology and Soils; • Greenhouse Gas Emissions; • Noise; and • Transportation/Traffic. • Topic areas with potentially significant impacts: • Cultural Resources; and • Hazards and Hazardous Materials.

  29. Environmental Review • Cultural Resources: • Excavation may reveal archeological / paleontological resources. • Mitigation Measures: • Qualified archaeologist and/or paleontologist retained in order to investigate the resources. • Hazards and Hazardous Materials: • Soils have contamination from previous uses. • Mitigation Measures: • Remediation and disposal of any contaminated soil, asbestos, and lead-based paint on the site, as well as the disposal of the hydraulic hoists from former auto repair use. • Impacts Mitigated to Less Than Significant Level.

  30. Environmental Review • Transportation and Traffic: • Traffic Study. • 7 street intersections: • No intersections would be impacted. • 4 street segments: • Threshold of impact: • 5.0%. • Street segment impacts: • 0.5% to 2.2%. • Less than Significant Impact.

  31. Environmental Review • Transportation and Traffic: • Addendum prepared at Planning Commission’s request: • Methodology used in selecting intersections and street segments to be analyzed; • Explanation of trip generation adjustments (e.g., internal capture of trips between land uses in a mixed-use development, proximity to transit, etc.); and • Increase in street segment impacts to not account for trip adjustments: • Range with adjustments: 0.5% to 2.2% • Range without adjustments: 0.6% to 2.4%

  32. Conclusion • Compatibility Analysis: • Project is compatible with surrounding mix of commercial and residential uses. • Greatest mass of project is located along Walnut Street and at the corner of Allen Avenue and Walnut Street, a prominent intersection in the city. • Lowest mass of project is located adjacent to the existing residences to the northwest of the site: • 40 foot separation.

  33. Conclusion • Compatibility Analysis: • Surrounding area is one in transition: • Away from commercial/industrial uses • Towards a vibrant mix of commercial, retail, and residential uses, as envisioned by the East Colorado Specific Plan. • Project is a part of this transition • Will set high standard to positively influence future development in the years to come.

  34. Recommendation • Staff recommends that the City Council: • Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; • Adopt Findings in Attachment A and Conditions of Approval in Attachment B to: • Approve Conditional Use Permit: to construct housing on a CG-zoned site as part of a TOD project. • Revised condition of approval #20: • “The project shall meet all requirements of the Public Art Process. The applicant shall submit a formal application for Concept Art Plan for review and approval by the Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission within 90 days of the effective date of this approval.”

  35. Recommendation • Staff recommends that the City Council: • Find that the vacation is consistent with the General Plan Mobility Element and is unnecessary for public use for street purposes; • Declare that the City's interest in the vacation is in easement only for public street purposes; and that the land is not owned by the City as fee title; • Adopt a resolution vacating the subject portion of land, in accordance with conditions and recommendations;

  36. Recommendation • Staff recommends that the City Council: • Authorize the City Manager to execute a Condition Satisfaction Contract between the City and the applicants. • Direct staff to file a Notice of Determination within five days.

  37. Conditional Use Permit #6036 &Street Vacation1727-1787 East Walnut Street and235 North Allen Avenue“Allen-Walnut TOD Project” City Council MeetingNovember 18, 2013

  38. Environmental Review • Transportation and Traffic: • Addendum: • Identification of intersections and segments in Traffic Impact Study Area: • Immediately adjacent or in close proximity to the project site; • In the vicinity of the project site that are documented to have current or projected future adverse operational issues; and • In the vicinity of the project site that are forecast to experience a relatively greater percentage of project-related vehicular turning movements.

  39. General Plan & Specific Plan Consistency Locust St N Allen Ave E Walnut St • CG portion: 19,166 s.f. • 1.0 FAR = 19,166 s.f. • Project = 15,100 s.f. • ECSP portion = 64,469 s.f. • 2.25 FAR = 145,055 s.f. • Project = 114,940 s.f. • Draft Land Use Element Map:

  40. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • City’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance • Multi-family or mixed-use project with 10 or more units. • Minimum 15% of total units shall be affordable (low or moderate income units): • % can be reduced for very low income units. • Certain City fees reduced for on-site affordable units. • Option of an in-lieu fee. • 1994-2012 – a total of 993 affordable units were built Citywide: • 15% of all units constructed.

  41. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Density Bonus Law (SB 1818) • Multi-family or mixed-use project with 5 or more units (before the bonus). • Affordable categories (based on total housing cost): • Very Low – total housing cost is 30% of 50% of the Los Angeles County median income. • Low Income – 30% of 80%. • Moderate Income for sale – 40% of 110%. • Moderate Income for rent – 30% of 120%. • Permitted “by-right”. • Comply with all applicable codes and requirements. • Environmental review required.

  42. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Density Bonus Law (SB 1818) • Maximum density bonus allowed varies:

  43. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Concessions & incentives (SB1818) • Multi-family or mixed-use project with a density bonus. • Includes a reduction in a development standard or modification of another Zoning Code requirement: • Results in an identifiable, financially sufficient & actual cost reduction. • Does not include additional density beyond the density bonus. • Number of concessions or incentives vary:

  44. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Concessions & incentives (SB1818) • Affordable Housing Concession Permit: • Public Hearing before the Hearing Officer; appealable to BZA. • Processed like a Minor Variance. • Design review required; environmental review completed. • Specific Findings: • Required in order for the units to be affordable. • Staff hires a consultant to complete a fiscal study to verify concessions are necessary. • Will not have a negative impact on public health, safety, the environment or a historic resource. • Waivers to Development Standards

  45. Allen-Walnut TOD Project • Density Bonus Law (SB1818) • Concessions approved: • Five total: • Floor area (2), floor area & height (1), commercial depth (1) and street setbacks (1) • Locations: • Central District Specific Plan (4) • Fair Oaks/Orange Specific Plan (1) • Number of units in a project: • Total of 25 bonus units, or 22% over density. • Range from one bonus unit to 13 bonus units per project. • No waivers approved

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