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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-02-09 � � PALM DESERT ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES **************************************************************************************************** I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 12:30 p.m. Commissioners Present Current Meetina Year to Date Present Absent Present Absent Wayne Connor X 2 0 Ronald Gregory X 1 1 Richard Holden X 2 0 Richard O'Donnell X 2 0 Frank Urrutia X 2 0 Chris Van Vliet X 2 0 Staff Present: Steve Smith, Planning Manager Daisy Garcia, Senior Code Enforcement Officer Kim Chafin, Senior Office Assistant II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was moved by Commissioner O'Donnell, seconded by Commissioner Van Vliet, to approve the minutes of the January 26, 1999 meeting. Motion carried 5-0. III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. 1 � � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES IV. CASES A. Final Drawings 1. CASE NO.: SA 98-1 (Amendment #1) APPLICANT (AND ADDRESSI: PARAGON SIGNS for DAKOTA $1.35 CLEANERS, 77-650 Enfield Lane, Palm Desert, CA 92211 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Approval of replacement signage LOCATION: 72-790 EI Paseo ZONE: P.C.(3) Ms. Chafin presented the staff report indicating that the Commission previously considered this application on January 12, 1999, and the case was continued because there was no one available to answer questions on behalf of the applicant. Currently, the applicant has two wall-mounted, foam letter signs, with one facing east on Plaza Way and the other facing south on EI Paseo. The copy on both signs reads "CLEANERS," and the letters are 25 inches in height mounted directly onto the parapet, which is approximately 36 inches in height. The applicant also shares a pedestal/monument can sign on Highway 111 with A.G. Edwards, and the green colored copy on one line reads, "CLEANERS," while the brown colored copy on the other line reads "Palms to Pines Plaza." The applicant has changed its d.b.a. from "Dakota Cleaners" to "Dakota $1.35 Cleaners" and now wishes to modify signage to reflect the new name. The proposed copy for the last line of the pedestal/monument can sign maintains the words "PALMS to PINES PLAZA" in brown letters. The second line would feature "$1.35 CLEANERS" in blue copy, and the first line would read "Dakota" in blue script letters centered over the word "CLEANERS" on the second line. Staff would note that the numeral "1" in the "$1.35" is higher than all of the other letters, and suggests reducing the "1" to the same height as"CLEANERS," and the dollar sign and 35-cent symbol be reduced proportionately. Staff would recommend centering "Dakota"over"$1.35 CLEANERS."The applicant indicated this is acceptable. 2 � � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES The proposed copy for the two wall-mounted signs is "$1.35 CLEANERS" in blue, with the height of the "CLEANERS" and the numeral "1" being 24 inches and the height of the dollar sign and the 35-cent symbol being 16 inches. Staff would suggest incorporating the word "Dakota" into these signs by centering it over"$1.35 CLEANERS" and using the same script proposed for the pedestal/monument sign on Highway 111. The applicant has indicated that this could be accomplished by using six-inch foam letters for "Dakota"and 18-inch foam letters for"CLEANERS" and the numeral "1", with the dollar sign and 35-cent symbol reduced proportionately. Staff would also suggest that the sign be centered over the building entry on Plaza Way. The applicant has indicated this acceptable. Staff recommends approval of the proposed revisions with the following conditions: 1. Pedestal/Monument Sign: Reduce the "1" to the same height as"CLEANERS," with the dollar sign and 35-cent symbol reduced proportionately, and center "Dakota" over "$1.35 CLEANERS"; 2. Wall-mounted Signs: Center "Dakota" in six-inch blue foam script letters over"$1.35 CLEANERS," with "CLEANERS" and "1" being 18 inches in height and the dollar sign and 35-cent symbol reduced proportionately, and centering the Plaza Way signage over the building entry. Chairman Gregory expressed opposition to parapet signs in general, and felt that the $1.35 graphic would be adding insult to injury. Commissioner O'Donnell suggested removing the parapet signage completely, but allowing the $1.35 graphic on the monument sign. Commissioner Urrutia asked about the maximum amount of signage allowed on the building, to which Mr. Smith replied that, based on the amount of street frontage, the business could have 50 square feet on the Plaza Way frontage and 52 square feet on the EI Paseo frontage. Don Swindel of Paragon Signs indicated that his client would like direction from the Commission, and if the Commission's wishes are unacceptable, the client will opt to maintain the current signage. 3 �rr' �; ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES Commissioner O'Donnell suggested that the�words "Palms to Pines Plaza" be removed from the monument sign because it is not necessary, with which Commissioner Urrutia agreed and added that he would suggest that the monument sign be revised to delete the words "Palms to Pines Plaza" that the word "Dakota" be increased to seven inches in height, that the word "Cleaners" be eight inches in height, and that the "$1.35" graphic be six inches in height. Commissioner Urrutia suggested that the appearance of the parapet signage could be softened by using a script style similar to that used for the A.G. Edwards business, and that a similar script also be used for the monument sign, with which Commissioner Holden concurred and suggested that the letters on the parapet sign be a maximum height of 16 inches. Action: Commissioner Urrutia moved, seconded by Commissioner Van Vliet, to continue the case to allow the applicant to address the Commission's concerns. The motion carried 5-0. 2. CASE NO.: SA 98-132 APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS� AD ART ELECTRONIC SIGN CORP. for OFFICEMAX, 19603 Figueroa Street, Carson, CA 90745 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Approval of revisions to monument signs on Highway 111 and EI Paseo LOCATION: 73-411 Highway 111 ZONE: C-1 Mr. Drell presented the staff report, indicating that at the January 13, 1999 meeting, the Commission approved the following two OfficeMax monument signs: 4 �wr�' � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES 1. Hiqhway 111 monument. Maximum six feet in height, red routed letters on all copy, opaque stucco background and a continuous red brick cap around both sides of the sign reading "OfficeMax," with the "CopyMax:FurnitureMax" copy in white routed letters with opaque background painted to match the building. 2. EI Paseo monument. Maximum four feet in height with no illumination and deletion of the "swoosh" graphic, with red routed letters on an opaque stucco background and approval to remove the oleanders. The current proposal includes the following: 1. Highway 111 proposed. In order to accommodate a second tenant, i.e., Coco's, the applicant is proposing the Highway 111 monument sign be approved with a maximum height of eight feet. The design, colors and location remain the same as approved on January 13, 1999. The "OfficeMax" copy remains red routed letters with a beige stucco background to match the building and the "CopyMax:FurnitureMax" copy remains white routed letters with a red stucco background. The second tenant sign for Coco's would also be routed letters with an opaque background. 2. EI Paseo monument proposed. The applicant is also requesting the Commission to consider a height increase for the EI Paseo monument sign from the approved height of four feet to five feet. The height increase comes via a finro-foot base in order to bring some visibility ot the sign. The design colors and location of the sign remains the same as approved on January 13, 1999; so the only change occurs in the height of the sign. Regarding the Highway 111 monument sign, staff recommends that the Commission approve the second tenant requested on the Highway 111 monument with routed letters and opaque background to match the top section and elimination of the copy reading "CopyMax:FurnitureMax" to maintain a six-foot height maximum. Regarding the EI Paseo monument sign, staff recommends that the Commission approve the proposed height of five feet with the design, colors and location to remain the same as approved at the January 13, 1999 meeting, i.e., non-illuminated, routed letters, opaque stucco backgrounds painted to match the building. 5 , . � � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES Action: Commissioner Urrutia moved, seconded by Commissioner Connor, to re- affirm its previous decision (January 13, 1999) regarding monument signs for the site. The motion carried 5-0. 3. CASE NO.: TT 27370 APPLICANT(AND ADDRESS� JOHN STEIGERWALDT for LA PALOMA, 73-960 Highway 111, Suite 5, Palm Desert, CA 92260 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT• Final approval of perimeter landscaping LOCATION: South side of Hovley Lane West, west of Portola ZONE: PR-5 Mr. Smith reported that the Commission previously granted preliminary approval, and the applicant has made the requested changes; so staff recommends that the Commission grant final approval. Action: Commissioner Connor moved, seconded by Commissioner Van Vliet, to grant final approval for the perimeter landscaping. The motion carried 5-0. 6 ., � � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES 4. CASE NO.: PP/CUP 99-2 APPLICANT (AND ADDRESSI• MAINIERO, SMITH & ASSOCIATES for THE DAMONE GROUP, LLC, 777 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 301, Palm Springs, CA 92262 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT• Preliminary approval of architecture for a 52-bed senior assisted living complex on 3.77 acres LOCATION: Southeast corner of Monterey Avenue and Hovley Lane ZONE: PR-5 Mr. Smith reported that the applicant seeks approval of a single-story, 60- bed assisted living complex at the southeast corner of Monterey Avenue and Hovley Lane. The site is 3.77 acres and slopes from north to south. The grade change is 10± feet. The surrounding land uses include single-family residential to the north, a CVWD well site to the south, single-family residential to the east, and vacant land to the west. The project takes access from Hovley Lane. The entry aligns with Glenwood Lane to the north. An emergency access driveway is provided from Monterey at the south end of the site. A finro-way, 24-foot wide driveway extends from Hovley Lane around the west side of the building to a 20-space parking lot. Two other smaller parking � areas provide six more spaces for a total of 26 parking spaces on site. The single-story building has been designed to resemble an upscale home with six wings. Each wing houses seven to eight resident bedrooms. The building includes a series of hip roof sections to lower the building appearance. This is combined with an entry tower element facing Monterey Avenue. The main building, while it is single-story, has a total height of 19 feet while the tower element facing Monterey Avenue is 28 feet. While the maximum height in the PR zone is limited to 24 feet, tower elements comprising less than 10% of the building area may exceed the height limit. This tower qualifies under that provision. 7 . . � � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES Staff recommends that the Commission grant preliminary approval. Commissioner Holden asked about the rear setback, to which Mr. Smith replied that it is 20 feet from the existing residences. Commissioner Holden asked about the maximum height of the tower, to which Mr. Smith responded by indicating 28 feet, and added that the maximum height of the ridge line is 19 feet. Marvin Roos noted that the site slopes 13 feet from north to south. Commissioner Van Vliet asked what type of windows will be used, to which Steve Alexander, the project architect, replied that double hung vinyl windows wilf be used. Commissioner Van Vliet expressed concern about the height and architecture of the tower. Mr. Smith asked if the developer has met with the neighbors, to which Mr. Roos responded negatively, but added that a meeting will take place with the neighbors prior to the Planning Commission hearing. Action: Commissioner Holden moved, seconded by Commissioner Urrutia, to grant preliminary approval for a 60-bed senior assisted living complex with direction to include heavy landscaping along Monterey and between the adjacent single-family residences. The motion carried 4-1, with Commissioner Van Vliet dissenting. 8 ,. '� v�i► ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES 5. CASE NO.: MISC 99-1 APPLICANT (AND ADDRESSI• ANDRZEJ W. WEBER, AIA for MR. & MRS. TY SEILS, 74-133 EI Paseo, Suite A, Palm Desert, CA 92260 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT� Approval of over height wall in a side yard LOCATION: 72-795 Davis Road ZONE: R-1 Mr. Smith reported that the request is to approve a remodel of the existing home at 72-795 Davis Road, specifically a tie-in wall to the north property line. Several of the architectural projections encroach into the required setbacks. Architectural projections of this type are permitted to encroach up to six feet into required yards. The garage location and setback will remain unchanged. In order to carry out the architectural theme of the remodeled residence, the wall will exceed the six foot height limit. Staff recommends that the Commission approve the requested tie-in wall in excess of six feet in height. Action: Commissioner O'Donnell moved, seconded by Commissioner Connor, to grant approval of the over height tie-in wall. The motion carried 5-0. 9 .. � � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES 6. CASE NO.: CUP 99-1 APPLICANT (AND ADDRES�• TRAVIS ENGINEERING ,12453 Lewis Street, Suite 201, Garden Grove, CA 92840 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT• Preliminary approval of architectural plans for a drive-thru restaurant (Jack In The Box), convenience store and gas bar LOCATION: Northwest corner of Washington Street and Country Club Drive ZONE: P.C.(2) Freeway Commercial Overlay District Mr. Smith reported that the applicant has requested approval of a Conditional Use Permit for a master plan of development including the above-noted uses. The site is bounded by Washington Street on the east, Country Club Drive on the south, Desert Country Circle on the west and the railway to the north. Access will be taken from Desert Country Circle only where three driveway approaches are located. Jack In The Box, including a drive-thru lane, and the gas pump islands will be located adjacent to Country Club Drive. The northerly portion of the site is shown with an L-shaped building which is proposed to house a repair center. At this time, staff has architectural elevations for the Jack In The Box and the gas pump canopy. These elevations depict an adobe style structure (Jack is nowhere in evidence). The pump island canopy and the building elevations depict prefinished four-foot high metal panels proposed for the canopy. A preliminary landscape plan has been provided. The Freeway Commercial Overlay District requires that 30% of the site area be landscaped. The landscape plan indicates only 16%. Staff recommends that the Commission comment on the appropriateness of the adobe style architecture for Jack In The Box. 10 . , � � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES Carl Hoy of Travis Engineering stated that the objective today is to get a comfort level with the architecture, and noted that the site plan was modified after meeting with Planning staff. The developers understand that the City wants the project architecture to look good from the street and also have coordinated on-site circulation, and the developers intend to carry out the architecture to the drive-thru canopy and trash enclosure, to the extent possible. Commissioner Urrutia asked if the building will also house another business, to which Mr. Hoy responded affirmatively, but indicated that he is not certain which business it will be. Mr. Hoy pointed out that the intent is to landscape the sloped area once an easement is granted by the Public Works Department. Commissioner Holden stated that he doesn't find the architecture offensive in any way, but it would be nice if the gas pump canopy reflected more of the architectural elements of the Jack in the Box. Commissioner Holden expressed concern about the second building which is designated to house a repair shop, to which Jeff Rothbar, the project developer, replied that the intent is to make sure both projects blend together architecturally, and added that the layout of the second building has not yet been determined. Commissioner Urrutia asked if the 16% landscaping shown on the plans pertains only to the Jack In the Box building or to the entire site, to which Mr. Smith replied that it was his understanding that it pertains to the whole site. Mr. Smith noted that the Freeway Overlay District requires that drive-thru areas be screened from the public right-of-way; so staff suggested that the drive-thru be pulled as close to the Washington Street slope as possible, and with that and the appropriate landscaping, it should be possible to provide adequate screening. 11 � � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES Chairman Gregory expressed concern about the ability to meet the 30% landscaping requirement on this property because slopes can't be landscaped as heavily as flat areas, which means that the developer will probably have to give up some building space in order to provide the required landscaping. Chairman Gregory indicated that he doesn't want this project to look like the Cart's Jr. development on the southeast corner of Washington and Country Club. Commissioner Holden suggested that shade trees, benches and outdoor eating areas for be incorporated into the plan and that the parking lot planters be widened to accommodate canopy trees. Commissioner Connor agreed that the parking lot planters should be widened dramatically. Chairman Gregory commented that he has yet to see a successful landscaping on a 2:1 slope, especially with a western exposure in a windy area. Mr. Rothbar indicated that the planter in the rear can be enlarged and shade trees can be incorporated into the plans. Commissioner O'Donnell felt that the tower elements are too high, and suggested that the wooden posts on the upper level be reduced or eliminated. Commissioners Connor, Holden and Van Vliet were in favor of eliminating the wooden posts on the upper level. Commissioner Van Vliet indicated that his main concern is that the stucco be a smooth finish, to which Mr. Hoy responded by confirming a smooth finish stucco will be used. Commissioner Urrutia believed that the canopy should match the Jack in the Box building architecture, and suggested relocating the trash enclosure next to the other trash enclosure to get it out of the line of site and provide the additional benefit of extra room for landscaping. Commissioner Urrutia felt that the building architecture is okay, but the towers are too high. He noted a lack of overhang on the building and suggested a trellis structure with vines in the entry courtyard, as well as a fountain element and benches for outdoor eating. 12 .. �r�r` i,�," ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES Commissioner Urrutia was concerned about the bypass lane for the drive- thru and suggested it be eliminated, which will allow for more landscaping. Commissioner Urrutia felt that the north and east elevations are too stark and need movement, and suggested that the drive-thru lane and pick-up window be covered and made more aesthetically pleasing. Mr. Hoy noted that the tower elements can be lowered somewhat, but not a lot because of the need to screen the rooftop equipment. Action: Commissioner Urrutia moved, seconded by Commissioner Van Vliet, to continue the case to allow the applicant an opportunity to address the Commission's concerns. The motion carried 5-0. 7. CASE NO.: C 98-22 APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS�• ROBERT RICCIARDI &ASSOCIATES for OCEAN PROPERTIES DEVELOPMENT CORP. 75-090 St. Charles Place, Suite A, Palm Desert, CA 92211 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Preliminary approval of two, two-story office buildings LOCATION: Southeast corner of EI Paseo and Highway 111 ZONE: C-1 Mr. Smith indicated that a revised site plan was included in the agenda packets, and Mr. Ricciardi presented revised architectural elevations which showed that the northeast corner of the building had been cut to resemble the cut at the northwest corner, mullions had been added throughout except at the corner glass, and that the building had been jogged back as the Commission requested. Mr. Ricciardi indicated that the fandscape architect, Tom Dosey, is out with the flu; so the landscape plans will be presented to the Commission at a future meeting. 13 ,. `�"" �'" ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES Sam Rasmussen noted that landscape plans will feature three fountains on the west side of Parcel 2 between that area and the main entry. Commissioner Connor asked if different types of materials will be used at the points where the building comes in and out or if the entire building will be stucco, to which Mr. Ricciardi replied that the building will have stucco and cantera stone, with smooth plaster and heavy, two-inch rounded corners to match the corner radius on the existing building. Mr. Ricciardi noted that cantera stone will also be used for the hardscape portions of the landscaping. Mr. Ricciardi indicated that tinted glass (either bronze or grey) with colored mullions will be used. Commissioner Van Vliet commented that he has the same concerns he had when this project was initially presented to the Commission, i.e., the dominance and height of the corner buildings, the hard corners and the failure of the architecture to tie in with the architecture of the existing buildings. Mr. Ricciardi pointed out that rounded edges cannot be achieved with cantera stone. Commissioner O'Donnell believed that the dominance of the corner buifding compared to the building behind it is due to the massing, and added that he likes the idea of using more cantera stone to break up the massing. Mr. Rasmussen commented that the main arch elements could also be treated with cantera stone, and Commissioner Urrutia agreed that the two main entry elements are the focus of the building. Chairman Gregory suggested rounding the tops to blend in more with the existing architecture, to which Mr. Rasmussen replied that every corner on the building will be rounded. Action: Commissioner Holden moved, seconded by Commissioner Urrutia, to grant preliminary approval of the revised architectural plans with the condition that the main tower elements feature cantera stone. The motion carried 4-1, with Commissioner Van Vliet dissenting. 14 ; � � ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 1999 MINUTES Commissioner Urrutia left the meeting at 2:45 p.m. MISCELLANEOUS Chairman Gregory reported that the developer has indicated he is having trouble finding 36-inch box bottle trees to plant on the east side of the Foundation for the Retarded facility, and since the trees are not scheduled to be planted for four months, he would like to know if 24-inch box trees can be purchased now, as they should grow to approximately 30-inch box size by that time. Commissioner Connor commented that it would probably be possible to find some 36-inch box and mix those in with 24-inch box as long as the same quantity of trees listed in the plan are maintained, and the Commission concurred. V. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m. STEPHEN R. SMITH PLANNING MANAGER 15