HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-08-13 4
CITY OF PALM DESERT
ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION
MINUTES
August 13, 2013
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 12:30 p.m.
II. ROLL CALL
Commissioners Current Meeting Year to Date
Present Absent Present Absent
Chris Van Vliet, Chair X 13 1
Karel Lambell, Vice Chair X 14
John Vuksic X 13 1
Allan Levin X 13 1
Paul Clark X 13 1
Gene Colombini X 14
Michael McAuliffe X 10 1
Jim McIntosh X 10 1
Also Present
Tony Bagato, Principal Planner
Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner
Pedro Rodriquez, Senior Code Officer
Diane Hollinger, Landscape Specialist
Christina Canales, Assistant Engineer
Spencer Knight, Landscape Manager
Janine Judy, Recording Secretary
Cancelled meetings: 05/28/13
Ill. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
None
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: July 23, 2013
Action:
Commissioner Levin moved to approve the July 23, 2013 meeting minutes.
Motion was seconded by Commissioner Vuksic and carried by a 7-0-0-1, with
Commissioner McAuliffe absent.
ARCHITECTURAL RE W COMMISSION
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V. CASES:
A. Final Drawings:
1. CASE NO: SA 12-271
APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): CHARTWELL PROPERTIES, INC.
73-061 El Paseo, Suite 200, Palm Desert, CA 92260
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Final approval of
pole sign; The Shops on El Paseo
LOCATION: 73-040 — 73-130 El Paseo
ZONE: C-1, S.P.
Mr. Tony Bagato, Principal Planner, said the sign program for The
Shops on El Paseo was reviewed and approved at a previous meeting
with the exception of the pole signs. There was some concern with
the design location and the Commission went out for a site review.
Staff is concerned with the potential clutter. The pole signs will go in
for individual tenants to create an identity for The Shops on El Paseo.
Staff was also concerned that if this is approved for one tenant it could
apply to other tenants on El Paseo and not be uniform. The Public
Works director is concerned with issuing encroachment permits.
MR. DAVID FLETCHER, Chartwell Properties, said they are marketing
their building and trying to separate themselves from the rest of the
street to create their own mall. They want to make sure that when
people come to El Paseo they will see the signs and know they have
arrived at The Shops on El Paseo. He presented photos of similar
signs for the Commission's review. One was the iconic Beverly Hills
sign as well as the Rodeo Drive sign, The Gardens, and The Galleria.
The Gardens have two monument signs on the corners of each of the
buildings along with post signs which have been allowed to be in the
public right-of-way. The Galleria also has added post signs to
separate themselves out from other projects on the street. Chartwell
Properties is very proud to be a part of El Paseo and they have been a
leading developer for 25 years. The El Paseo Merchants Association
has a limited budget of $250,000 to promote the street. So The
Gardens spend money to promote themselves, and advertising as a
group is more effective than doing it individually. They also have a
number of things they are doing to tie their project together and
separate it from the other buildings. They have new landscape
coming in, the common color of white, and hardscape which includes
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Egyptian limestone that is being placed on the ground in front of each
of their buildings.
Commissioner McIntosh said the character of El Paseo is the
uniqueness and he feels they are losing that. There is a certain
synergy amongst everybody that you might want to take advantage of.
MR. FLETCHER said they want to remain unique and not become just
a mall and still do group advertising and have it still be effective.
Commissioner Levin and MR. FLETCHER discussed the identification
of the shops. Commissioner Levin said The Galleria and The Gardens
is a place you go to and he is not sure that The Shops on El Paseo
need the identification because they are not "a place". MR.
FLETCHER said they are trying to make it a place, and when people
drive down the street and see the signs they will know they have
arrived at The Shops on El Paseo.
Commissioner Colombini feels this doesn't create clutter. He reminded
the Commission of all that Mr. Fletcher's company has done over the
past 25 years. Even with placing the hardscape on the walks is
making a good name for the street. There is no one that knows more
about commercial advertising than Mr. Fletcher. He thought the pole
signs were a good thing.
Chair Van Vliet was concerned that once this is approved for The
Shops on El Paseo, everyone will have the option to put up these
poles signs. MR. FLETCHER pointed out this has already occurred
when the City approved the signs for The Gardens located in the
public right-of-way. Chair Van Vliet said it wasn't a right-of-way issue;
it is the number of signs. He asked how many pole signs The
Gardens has. Mr. Bagato said they have two on El Paseo and two on
the back. There is a difference between directional signs and what
staff would call pedestrian mounted pole signs. If we do something
like this it opens the door for every other tenant to do a pole sign within
a right-of-way. There is some flexibility on the directionals and staff
can work with the applicant on that. In his personal opinion, this kind
of program should be done as a street-wide approach through the City
or the retail district to increase their revenue.
Commissioner Clark complimented the quality of the custom
stonework in sidewalks and suggested a reasonable project
identification could be put in the sidewalks. MR. FLETCHER said a
street-wide sign program for the El Paseo District is great, but The
Gardens is doing their own advertising and are looking to be different
and individual from the other stores. Their goal is not to promote all of
El Paseo.
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ARCHITECTURAL REW COMMISSION ,
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Commissioner Colombini made a motion to accept the ten pole signs
as presented. Chair Van Vliet called for a vote. Motion died for lack of
a second.
Commission Lambell made a motion to deny the request for the ten
pole signs. Commission Levin made the second.
ACTION:
Commissioner Lambell moved to deny pole signs for The Shops on El Paseo.
Motion was seconded by Commissioner Levin and carried by a 5-1-0-2 vote,
with Commissioner Colombini voting NO and Commissioners McAuliffe and
Vuksic absent.
2. CASE NO: MISC 12-130
APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): DALE GARDON DESIGN, 20885
North 90 Place Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Approval of
landscape revisions; The Shops on El Paseo.
LOCATION: 73-130 El Paseo
ZONE: C-1, S.P.
Mr. Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner, said this fagade enhancement
was approved at the end of last year. The applicant cut a hole through
the two buildings creating a pedestrian entrance and the Wolfgang's
portion is complete and they are now starting the interior remodel
phase. The landscaping plan that was approved had ten palm trees;
five on each side of the building. During construction and after
locating the awnings and signage they are finding that the entrance is
cluttered so they are now proposing eight palm trees; four on each
side. Staff is recommending approval.
ACTION:
Commissioner Lambell moved to approve the reduction of palm trees from
ten to eight. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Colombini and carried
by a 6-0-0-2 vote, with Commissioners McAuliffe and Vuksic absent.
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3. CASE NO: MISC 13-207
APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): D.R. HORTON, Attn: Jennifer
O'Leary, 2280 Wardlow Circle#100, Corona, CA 92880
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Final approval of
landscaping plans only for the remaining 87 lots within Ponderosa
Homes Development; Expressions.
LOCATION: Ponderosa Development Tracts 36335, 31490, and
31490-1.
ZONE: P.R.-5
Mr. Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner, said the 87 homes for this project
were approved at the last meeting. What is being presented today is
the landscape which was not a part of that approval. The final
construction plans will come back on August 27. The applicant has
put together a plant palette that staff is approving. The good thing
about this project is a lot of the current plant palette is out there today
so we know it has survived and is a good plant choice. Staff is
recommending approval of the landscape design.
MR. JOE LASCOLA, Summers Murphy Partners, described the project
and presented color enlargements, as well as separate legends.
Commissioner Levin asked the landscape staff if they required some
vertical undulation so it doesn't wind up being flat. Mr. Spencer
Knight, Landscape Manager stated there would be vertical undulation
in the design. MR. LASCOLA said there will be contouring, mounding,
and a combination of boulders and inert materials.
ACTION:
Commissioner Levin moved to approve. Motion was seconded by
Commissioner Lambell and carried by a 7-0-0-1 vote, with Commissioner
McAuliffe absent.
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4. CASE NO: MISC 13-182
APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): GHA COMMUNITIES /
KNIGHTSWOOD VENTURES, LLC, 30-875 Date Palm Drive, Suite C,
Cathedral City, CA 92234
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Final approval of 15
single family homes; Signature Series at University Point.
LOCATION: Cosmopolitan Lane
ZONE: P.R-5
Mr. Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner, presented the construction plans
for the homes on Cosmopolitan. The Commission approved these
plans with conditions at a previous meeting. Those conditions have
been met and the changes appear in the current plans.
The Commission reviewed and discussed the plans.
ACTION:
Commissioner Colombini moved to approve construction plans as presented.
Motion was seconded by Commissioner Vuksic and carried by a 7-0-0-1 vote,
with Commissioner McAuliffe absent.
5. CASE NO: SA 13-246
APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): WEA PALM DESERT LP, c/o
Westfield LLC, 11601 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA
90025
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Final approval of a
comprehensive sign program for the north and south buildings, and
west parking structure; Westfield Palm Desert.
LOCATION: 72-840 Highway 111
ZONE: P.C. (3) S.P.
Mr. Tony Bagato, Principal Planner, said the applicant is requesting
approval of a Comprehensive Sign Program for the recently approved
remodel at Westfield Palm Desert. The signs for this comprehensive
sign program are proposed at three main areas known as the North
Box, South Box, and West Parking Structure. The North Box located
on the parking lot side of Westfield consists of two new tenants: Dick's
Sporting Goods (Dick's) and World Gym (World). The North Box is
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located in an area that is commonly referred to as the back entrance of
the shopping center because it does not have any frontage or
entrances from the public streets. One of the two signs on the North
Box is located at the corner's edge adjacent to the proposed sign on
the north elevation. Since the North Box does not face any public
streets, and only faces the parking lot and a residential area to the
north, staff does not support the request for deviations from the
signage ordinance in this location of the shopping center. In particular,
staff is concerned with the Dick's sign that is proposed with 8' tall
letters that will illuminate white at night.
The South Box is located on the Highway 111 side of Westfield. This
area of the mall was the former Macy's Women's Department Store.
This area is being reconfigured to incorporate an outdoor mall
appearance with four new tenant spaces and a new main entrance
that is designed with the Dick's typical store front and a canopy
structure in front of it. Although the request is asking for larger and
more signs than is allowed, staff does support all signs as proposed.
In addition to the signs proposed on the buildings, the applicant is
requesting approval of two signs on the West Parking Structure. These
signs are proposed for the two tenants in the North Box that are not
visible from Town Center Way because the parking structure blocks
the view of the North Box. These signs may be approved at the
discretion of the Architectural Review Commission (ARC) based on
the comprehensive sign program and a finding that this is a unique
circumstance. Staff does believe that this is a unique circumstance
based on the fact that the parking structure blocks the visibility of the
North Box. Staff does, however, believe that the signs are too large for
the parking structure and recommends these signs be reduced to a
size that the ARC believes is acceptable.
The Commission discussed the 8' tall letters and the hours of
illumination. Commissioner Clark pointed out the residential
neighborhood to the north. A representative from Westfield stated that
currently Cinema Palme d'Or is illuminated and is situated more to the
east and because of the tree coverage you can barely see it. As for
the proposed location of the Dick's sign, the wall is built up high
enough to where the sign will be predominantly obstructed by the wall.
MR. ANTONY RICH, Westfield Development, described the project,
the scale of the property, and the size and location of the signage. He
feels the signs are in proportion to the size of the buildings. On the
west parking structure, those two signs are really only visible as you
are coming up around the corner. It is a very big structure with very
minimal signage on it.
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Mr. Bagato said the signage on the West Parking Structure side will be
visible to the Town Center elevation on the west side. After looking at
line of sight, he felt the Dick's signs will be somewhat screened by the
Macy's building and landscaping with very limited visibility. He's not
too concerned with it other than the size.
MR. RICH discussed the signs for Dick's and World on the north
building where their entry is located. The signs are proportional for
that size of tenant. They may decide to add more landscape to that
area. They made a big effort for this center and they are proud to
continue investing in this property. He addressed the Commission's
concern with the illumination on the north side and said there is no
problem with having the signs turned off after business hours.
The Commission reviewed the signs and discussed their concerns
with the size. Commissioner Vuksic said good signage adds another
layer to the architecture and makes the project look more interesting.
He was also concerned with the 8' letters on the north side, but he
thought the other signs looked great. He was glad these were different
planes because it doesn't look cluttered, but the World sign looks like
it's pinched in there. MR. RICH said they could give World's a 10%
reduction. Mr. Bagato felt the Dick's sign with the 8' letters was
proportionally too big. He suggested 6' letters would work better and
also suggested reducing both of the World signs by 20% and moving
them at least 10' away from each corner. MR. RICH said they will talk
with the tenant regarding those changes.
The Commission discussed the landscape design and suggested that
this be continued giving the applicant time to revisit the lantana and
other designs.
ACTION:
1) Commissioner Lambell moved to approve subject to: 1) Dick's
Sporting Goods (Dick's) letter height on the North Box shall be
reduced from 8' to 6'; 2) the North Box for Dick's and World's Gym
(World's) shall be turned off after business hours; 3) reduce both
World's signs on the North Box by 20%, and move them at least 10'
away from each corner; 4) reduce World's sign on west parking
structure by 10%; and 5) approval of south elevation signs as
proposed. Motion was seconded by Commissioner McIntosh and
carried by a 7-0-0-1 vote, with Commissioner McAuliffe absent.
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2) Commissioner Clark moved to continue the landscape design subject
to revisiting the lantana and other designs. Motion was seconded by
Commissioner Lambell and carried by a 7-0-0-1 vote, with
Commissioner McAuliffe absent.
B. Preliminary Plans:
1. CASE NO: MISC 13-218
APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): D.R. HORTON, Attn: Jennifer
O'Leary, 2280 Wardlow Circle #100, Corona, CA 92880
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Preliminary approval
of new homes - 147 lots: Sonrisa.
LOCATION: Spanish Walk/Gerald Ford
ZONE: P.R.-5
Mr. Tony Bagato, Principal Planner stated this was continued from the
previous meeting subject to conditions recommended by the
Commission.
MR. STAN CHOW, Robert Hyde Architects, said this is vacant land
and the infrastructure is already in. D.R. Horton has resurrected the
plans and re-plotted it. He presented illustrations and described the
plan types and elevation styles with twelve different color schemes.
The Commission and the applicant discussed the AC units, the
paseos, landscaping, vertical elements, and breaking up the mass.
MR. DAN BOYD, Vice President, D.R. Horton, said there is a
combination of elements they are using because you simply can't rely
of landscaping, colors or architecture, so they try to blend in those
elements. The landscaping will break up that vertical element, and the
shading, the structure and the colors are going to break up that
experience of walking through the paseos.
The Commission discussed the header detail and the relief on the
windows for the front elevations. They recommended increasing the
thickness to 2" x 6". MR. CHOW said they do not have recessed
windows on this smaller product, but they could probably accentuate
the trim somehow. MR. BOYD said they will look at the 2" x 6" to
create the reveal at the windows in the front.
Commissioner Clark was concerned with the units to the south and
suggested there be more articulation on the buildings that are adjacent
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to a road or a public right-of-way. Landscape will soften that but he
suggested beefing it up. MR. BOYD said that is something they will
address.
Commissioner Vuksic discussed the exposed rafter tails on the south
and north end. The existing product has 4" x 4" rafters and it looks
good. He suggested the proposed product be increased to 4" x 4".
MR. BOYD said they will make that change.
ACTION:
Commissioner Vuksic moved to approve landscape plans and construction
plans subject to: 1) walls on front elevation shall be increased to 2" x 6" to allow
for a 2" reveal and wrapped around the corner where appropriate; and 2) rafter
tails shall be increased to 4" wide. Motion was seconded by Commissioner
McIntosh and carried by a 7-0-0-1 vote, with Commissioner McAuliffe absent.
2. CASE NO: MISC 13-218
APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): D.R. HORTON, Attn: Jennifer
O'Leary, 2280 Wardlow Circle #100, Corona, CA 92880
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Preliminary approval
of new homes - 65 lots: Esperanza.
LOCATION: Spanish Walk/Gerald Ford
ZONE: P.R.-5
Mr. Tony Bagato, Principal Planner said the construction plans were
continued from the last meeting. Using the Commission's comments,
the applicant has made some minor changes since that meeting. This
is for preliminary approval for the architecture only.
MR. STAN CHOW, Robert Hyde Architects, said the previous
developer built the first phase and then stopped all construction. D.R.
Horton has resurrected the existing plans for this project and is
proposing something that is very close to the existing. He described
the plan types and elevation styles with twelve different color
schemes.
Commissioner Clark said he had the same concerns as he did with the
Sonrisa product with the side elevations facing the public right-of-way.
MR. CHOW said they will provide some architectural feature to
address his concerns. MR. DAN BOYD, Vice President, D.R. Horton,
said they will identify those sensitive conditions with the side
elevations and submit changes to staff.
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ACTION:
Commissioner Vuksic moved to approve. Motion was seconded by
Commissioner Lambell and carried by a 7-0-0-1 vote, with Commissioner
McAuliffe absent.
C. Miscellaneous Items:
None
VI. COMMENTS
The Commission discussed the pole signs for The Shops on El Paseo.
VII. ADJOURNMENT
Upon a motion by Commissioner Vuksic, second by Commissioner McIntosh, and a
7-0-0-1 vote, with Commissioner McAuliffe absent, the Architectural Review
Commission meeting was adjourned at 2:55 p.m.
17
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