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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMISC 03-22 Tower Elements and Signs CITY OF PALM DESERT DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF REPORT REQUEST: Consideration of a request for approval of a height exception (towers to a maximum 57 feet in height and signs mounted above 20 feet in height)to allow the remodel and exterior modification to the former House to Home building located at 72-700 Dinah Shore Drive. SUBMITTED BY: Steve Smith, Planning Manager MEETING DATE E- -o3 APPLICANT: MCA Architects, Inc. al/CONTINUED TOQ—/l O3 1247 Pomona Road, #105 []Corona, CA 92882 PASSED TO 2N0 READING CASE NO: MISC 03-22 DATE: August 28, 2003 CONTENTS: Staff Recommendation Discussion STAFF RECOMMENDATION: By minute motion approve the requested height exception for the tower elements and signs. BACKGROUND: The House to Home building has been empty and for lease for almost two (2) years. No tenants have expressed interest in the 100,000 square foot building. The owner proposes an extensive remodel creating up to seven individual storefronts. Architecture will be contemporary with varying parapet heights and tower elements designed to break up the existing 32 foot high monolithic "big box" structure. As part of the remodel, the owner proposes to take the front (south) 60,000 square feet and create four retail spaces. The rear 40,000 square feet is to become service center purposes. A. Height Exceptions: The maximum height n the PC-3 zone is 35 feet. Section 25.68.230 allows the Council to approve towers up to 60 feet in height. The new facade elements on the south elevation range in height from 33 feet to 38 feet. There are two 48' towers on the southeast and southwest corners and a 57 foot tower on the northeast corner facing 1-10. The southeast and southwest towers will contain signage above the 20 foot level. Section 25.68.730 which normally limits sign height to 20' allows greater height when exceptional circumstances exist due to location or topography if the following findings can be made: 1 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF REPORT AUGUST 28, 2003 • 1. The signs will be integrated into the architecture. 2. The signs will not be detrimental to neighboring businesses or the community in general. ANALYSIS: Based on the success of the existing smaller tenants and the newly completed medium sized retail spaces in the center, the proposed remodel is the appropriate solution to the successful re- occupancy of the large vacant building. With a 1,200 foot setback and a pad elevation 25 feet below Dinah Shore Drive, the building has long suffered from exceptional visibility handicaps. Its visibility from 1-10 is restricted by tamarisk trees and parked railroad cars. To overcome these handicaps the building needs to make a strong architectural statement. The proposed solution which compliments the recently completed buildings was unanimously approve by the Architectural Review Commission. Since there are no specific tenants committed to the project, only sign locations are shown at this time. Each sign will require individual review by the Architectural Review Commission. CONCLUSION: • The existing visibility handicaps and the exceptional architectural challenges of transforming a "big box" to successful storefronts justify the requested height exceptions. The towers and signage locations are appropriately integrated with the overall architecture. The findings for approval can be met. Submitted by: Department Head: C � w Steve Smith Phil Drell O Planning Manager Director of Community Development Approved Approved by: v • [4a z �, 0 Omer Croy Carlos Ort q e4 ip Assistant Ci anager for City Man ger •• Development Services O E� 1 . CD SS/dq C.) y G.\PLANNING\DON NAQUAIVER\WPDOCS\SR\CZ0204-PP02-14.cc H El >4 C 2 C.) A- 1 �a o o � oAa (� •• zw ro V O H H •• •• fro � 44 •rj J4R: W E+ c/adpWElH ) U eel Cr: W (/) c) C>w -1-1 H (11 W >40WICO W ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION JULY 8, 2003 MINUTES should provide parking areas that are easy to get in and out of. Mr. Boyd stated that rather than condense a parking area so that it becomes something that you don't want to see when you come into the project, they created parallel spots along the main street for parking. Commissioner Lopez commented that he doesn't have a good feeling about that idea. There are only 4-5 spots close to the leasing office/clubhouse and feels that they will need more. Diane Hollinger commented that she didn't have Sufficient landscape plans for this project. Mr. Drell stated that the applicant will have to go through a first rough-cut of the water calculations. Commissioner Lopez suggested that they do a vignette instead of doing the whole project to make sure that they're heading in the right direction. Ms. Hollinger stated that she would prefer full plans. Commissioner Gregory stated that the general approach for the landscaping looks good but they have some very serious work to do as far as coming up with a layout and seeing out the water calculations work. Mr. Drell stated that the less area of landscaping you have, the harder it is to meet the calcs. Before they go to working drawings, the applicant needs to come back with a more detailed plan with the water calculations on it so we know where they stand. Action: Commissioner Gregory moved, seconded by Commissioner Oppenheim for preliminary approval with the understanding that the questions identified in the minutes will be addressed before submittal of working drawings. Motion carried 4-0-0-3 with Commissioners O'Donnell, Hanson and Van Vliet absent. 3. CASE NO.: MISC 03-22 APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): MCA ARCHITECTS, INC., 1247 Pomona Road, #105, Corona, CA 92882 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Remodel of existing House to Home to future retail and office/storage. LOCATION: 72-700 Dinah Shore Drive, House to Home ZONE: PC Mr. Bagato stated that this item will have to go to the City Council because there is a tower element that exceeds the 35' height limit. The proposed colors are similar to the colors at Staples. He's recommending a different color for the base. Mr. Drell stated that this could be the same problem that we ran into when we tried to fiddle with G:Planning\Donna Quaiver\wpdocs\Agmin\AR030708.MIN 22 ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION JULY 8, 2003 MINUTES the Staples colors. The applicant needs a different palette. Commissioner Vuksic stated that it's deceiving because when you look at the color elevations they don't jump out at you. Mr. Drell stated that the board has the real color samples and the color elevations use colored pencils. There's a little more brown in the color elevations and that's the direction that they have to go. They should put a little more of the brown into the oranges and the golds. Commissioner Gregory asked if the applicant could be given direction that the colors indicated with the colored pencils is close, but we might need some color chips to verify it. Mr. Drell stated that the commission is to look at the architecture and the color, but there's no landscaping. Commissioner Vuksic stated that it wasn't clear as to what was going on and wondered if the box was there and they're adding stuff to it. Ed Franklin, applicant, stated that the building is existing and used to be House to Home. The building has been on the market for lease since January 2002 and they haven't had one single tenant user interested in the building. The retail environment has drifted away from these large box-type users. The building is approximately 100,000 square feet. They would like to take the front 60,000 square feet of the building and divide it into four different retail tenancies. The back 40,000 square feet of the building, which faces the freeway, will be divided into as many of seven tenancies for light industrial/service center-type uses. What currently is a single tenant building may very well evolve into as much as an eleven tenant building. They're completely open minded about the colors. They want something that works. The building is buried in back of a shopping center with no true surface street exposure and the building is well below grade. The intent of the two towers would provide for signage for the four retail tenants. They're trying to give the site some identities. Mr. Drell stated that two other tenants that have been in the "hole" with you have been successful, i.e. Jet Spas and Office Furniture. They're in a hole behind Costco. Commissioner Vuksic commented that there's no roof plan. He wants to make sure that the forms that are shown will translate into three dimensional forms that will go way back onto the roofs rather than becoming flat facades. He suggested that the cornice detail go around rather than stopping and basically getting sawed off. Vandana Kelkar, AIA, stated that she can do that. Commissioner Vuksic stressed to staff that it's a lot easier to interpret if they have a roof plan. Commissioner Lopez stated that it looks good and he likes the movement. It's quite an improvement; hopefully it works. He asked if there are any planting pockets. Mr. Drell stated that he would like to see a rehab landscape plan at least for the front of the building. Ms. Hollinger stated that the existing trees need to come out. The applicant G:Planning\Donna Quaiver\wpdocs\Agmin\AR030708.MIN 23 ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION JULY 8, 2003 MINUTES needs to enhance the landscaping. Mr. Drell suggested that the applicant meet with Ms. Hollinger to get some advice on rehabilitating the landscaping. Mr. Franklin stated that the rear of the building will be for light service center-type uses and will not be a pedestrian oriented area. With regard to the front of the building, currently there is some landscaping in planters. The economics of this project is not necessarily what the focus of this meeting is, but this type of space is going to ask for 70-85 cents per square foot. This is not a big ticket type of project. They're exceptionally budget conscious. Ms. Hollinger commented that once one of those eucalyptus trees falls down on a car because you didn't take them out, they might re-visit that. The parking lot trees need to come out. Commissioner Vuksic asked the applicant to use something other than metal cap flashing on the parapets. Ms. Kelkar commented that this is a standard method. Mr. Drell stated that people have found other solutions that seem to work. People do great designs and then put a tin can on the top which spoils it. Are the alternatives to cap flashing significantly more expensive? Commissioner Vuksic stated that he doesn't think that it's more expensive. He never uses cap flashing. The Staples building is an example of cap flashing on a building and it's amazing how irregular it is. It picks up shadows and looks awful. Mr. Drell stated that cap flashing tends to "oil can". Everything is nice, clean, sharp and crisp and then you see some aluminum foil wrapped across the top. Mr. Franklin stated that this building is behind Costco and has no surface street frontage at all. Mr. Drell stated that they're going to great efforts to make the building look sharp so why spoil it with the edge? Action: Commissioner Vuksic moved, seconded by Commissioner Oppenheim for preliminary approval subject to (1) submitting revised color samples, (2) submitting roof plans, and (3) wrap cornice detail around to the sides of the building. Motion carried 4-0-0-3 with Commissioners O'Donnell, Hanson and Van Vliet absent. 4. CASE NO.: CUP 03-07 APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): SPRINT PCS, GARY CASSEL, 30802 S. Pacific Coast Highway #K1, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Preliminary approval of revised plans for a 70' tall monopalm for Sprint PCS. LOCATION: 74-6651/2 Highway 111, SCE Substation directly south of Del Taco. G:Planning\Donna Quaiver\wpdocs\Agmin\AR030708.MIN 24 *Pt?' EAST LEFT LA'eE, NEW PRoF 1 L TP-Ea • .. .�'. .._ ._ ��,. ....M....�....- '.. ;�.� ,fit';9•+` View From Monterey N. of I-10— Looking South West. Rec'd 9-9-03 t .6-r- 1 I -•rimarri. sumo!gib . '41111214/11r , a 411a - . . View From Varner Road Looking South to Site Rec'd 9-9-03 • EAST LEFT LANE • New l'Rv'F1 t-!t �+ � � ...I.'its -AL•ut, .. .,.. "� - ax :5a 1/1ew Fni'14 n40 N it): o — /k ook''r\.)G 5-oc,Crti We S7 QQCcl 9 -9--Q3 ,1 t mimmiono II , ilk .,� .. T r ... .� a .0 0..e 'Orvt. 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