HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-08-12 ��•�� CITY OF PALM DESERT
ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION
• MINUTES
August 12, 2014
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 15
Karel Lambell, Vice Chair X 14 1
Paul Clark X 14 1
Gene Colombini X 15
Allan Levin X 13 2
Michael McAuliffe X 14 1
Jim McIntosh X 14 1
John Vuksic X 14 1
Also Present
Lauri Aylaian, Director, Community Development
Tony Bagato, Principal Planner
Eric Ceja, Associate Planner
Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner
Pedro Rodriguez, Code Compliance Supervisor
Janine Judy, Recording Secretary
III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
None
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: July 22, 2014
Action:
Commissioner Levin moved to approve the July 22, 2014 meeting minutes
with minor changes. Motion was seconded by Chair Van Vliet and carried
by a 6-0-2 vote, with Clark, Colombini, Lambell, Levin, McAuliffe, and Van
Vliet voting YES and McIntosh and Vuksic absent.
ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION
MINUTES August 12, 2014
V. CASES:
A. Final Drawings:
1. CASE NO: MISC 14-199
APPLICANT AND ADDRESS: HERB JACKSON, P.O. Box 12665,
Palm Desert, CA 92255
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Final approval of
a single-family home at a proposed height of 18' located on a vacant
lot.
LOCATION: 637-320-030; a vacant lot on the south side of Robin
Road, east of Warner Trail
ZONE: R-E
Mr. Eric Ceja, Associate Planner, reminded the Commission that
this was continued from the last meeting to allow the applicant to
add more articulation to the front of the home and to provide
massing around the windows. He stated that the applicant has
complied with that request. He presented photos of the changes, as
well as the updated roof plan.
The Commission and the applicant discussed the window
surrounds, fencing, and the multi-colored concrete tile. The
Commission was concerned with the color selection for the house
because it was really yellow and requested that the applicant
submit additional color samples for review. Commissioner Clark
suggested to deny the color and the applicant can work with staff
on a color selection.
ACTION:
Commissioner Clark moved to approve subject to: 1) applying multi-color
roof tile as shown on color board; 2) roof vents shall be painted earth
colors to be compatible with roof tiles; staff to review and approve; and 3)
denial of the yellow exterior color - applicant shall work with staff on color
selection. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Colombini and carried
by a 5-0-3 vote, with Clark, Colombini, Lambell, Levin, and Van Vliet
voting YES and McAuliffe, McIntosh and Vuksic absent.
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2. CASE NO: SA 14-234
APPLICANT AND ADDRESS: KAISER GRILLE PALM DESERT,
74-040 Portola Avenue, Palm Desert, CA 92260
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Final approval of
the color for six awnings; Kaiser Grille
LOCATION: 74-040 Portola Avenue
ZONE: C.1, S.P.
Mr. Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner, said this was an awning color
change for Kaiser Grille. He presented photos of the restaurant's
current awning color, as well as the previous awning color. About a
month ago, the owner switched the restaurant from Chop House to
Kaiser Grille. Staff approved the new wall signage and the new
awning color. The orange awnings match the wall signage on
Portola Avenue and Highway 111. However, staff has received a
complaint regarding the color. Mr. Swartz said this building doesn't
scream restaurant and the color draws attention to the building by
giving it some pop. He passed around a sample of the awning
fabric by Sombrella and suggested that if this fabric fades over
time, the applicant should maintain this color and change it out
when necessary. He also pointed out that the awnings were not
tight on the frame and suggested that the applicant talk to the
awning company to have it stretched tight. Mr. Tony Bagato,
Principal Planner, said the code requires that a new color be
approved. When staff saw the original photo simulations without a
sample, it appeared to be similar to the previous awning color. Mr.
Swartz said staff is looking for direction from the Commission.
MR. ERIC MORCUS, owner, said he and his family have owned
restaurants for quite some time here in the valley. At first he was
going to keep the red awnings from the previous restaurant, but
after doing some research on restaurant colors he learned that red
was the wrong color for a fine dining restaurant. He then decided
that orange would be the best color. So when the wall signage was
approved by the City, he decided to go with orange awnings to
match the signage. He pointed out that he did not add any
additional awnings.
Commissioner McAuliffe said the orange is striking. It's a very bold
move and is sophisticated. He thinks the sign is fantastic and the
Portola elevation works really well. The awnings frame the signage
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and don't compete with it. However, on the Highway 111 elevation
there is so many awnings proportionate to the amount of the arcade
and the glass it's shading that the orange is just screaming; almost
to the point that it is competing with the signage. He suggested
looking to their logo in between the text on "Kaiser Grille" and
pulling color cues from it. There is a nice balance with the amount
of orange within that square, as well as a neutral gray. By pulling
some of those colors out of the logo, it will clearly identify this
building as your brand. He thought they could use some of those
colors on the two awnings directly below the signage. He didn't
think orange in itself is the issue; it's just the quantity of it.
MR. MORCUS talked about removing the awnings on Highway
111. Chair Van Vliet asked Commissioner McAuliffe what this
would look like if they were removed. Commissioner McAuliffe said
he actually likes what the awnings do for the building and thought it
wouldn't enhance the building by removing them. He again
suggested using colors from the logo for two of the awnings below
the signage and the other two would be orange; like bookends. The
Commission and the applicant discussed his suggestion.
ACTION:
Commissioner Lambell moved to continue Case SA 14-234 subject to the
applicant choosing another color for two of the awnings based on the
Commissioner's comments. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Clark
and carried by a 6-0-2 vote, with Clark, Colombini, Lambell, Levin,
McAuliffe, and Van Vliet voting YES and Commissioners McIntosh and
Vuksic absent.
3. CASE NO: SA 14-252
APPLICANT AND ADDRESS: TUESDAY MORNING, 6250 LBJ
Freeway, Dallas, TX 75240
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Final approval of
wall and monument signage; Tuesday Morning.
LOCATION: 44-250 Town Center Way#C-11
ZONE: P.C.-(3)
Mr. Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner, presented a proposal for wall
and monument signage for a new Tuesday Morning. He presented
a PowerPoint presentation of the building and the location of the
signage. When the applicant first came to the City, he was
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proposing 30" letters for the front elevation and although it meets
the square footage, staff was concerned with the actual text being
red Arial bold. The applicant then reduced it down to 24". Mr.
Swartz indicated where the signage would be located on the back
of the building and said this is looking towards the mall so the store
will get that traffic. The applicant originally proposed 30" letters on
the back side and staff thought the letters were too large. The
applicant then suggested 24" letters and staff still felt they were too
large. The applicant then decided on 18" letters, which will be
illuminated.
MR. GARY WRIGHT, American Sign, said Trader Joe's has 24"
letters on the rear and Tuesday's would like their letters to be the
same size. Mr. Swartz said part of the issue is the font style and
presented photos of the other stores with different font styles.
Tuesday's could probably get a larger sign if they were willing to
change their font style. However, this is Tuesday Morning's
trademark lettering and that is what they want to go with. He
pointed out that this complies with the sign program for that center.
The Commission reviewed and discussed the placement of the
signs on the building with 24" letters and the color. MR. WRIGHT
said they would prefer 30" letters on the front. He feels they are
being penalized for their font style and not getting the same amount
of signage as the other stores in the center. He pointed out that
they have 115 square feet of linear footage which allows them 82.5
square feet of signage, but they only want to go with 62.5 square
feet of signage, with a 30" letter. Mr. Swartz said another issue is
the uppercase letters in Tuesday Morning compared to the other
stores that have lowercase letters. Mr. Tony Bagato, Principal
Planner, said part of the sign code states that signs have to be
compatible with the building so square footage is not the sole factor
in approving signage. MR. WRIGHT said this font was Tuesday
Morning's trademark font for 800 stores nationwide and they would
not be willing to change for one store. Mr. Bagato said the City can't
restrict a national logo, but we can restrict the size.
The Commission and applicant discussed the linear footage, the
size of the letters, and the style of the sign. MR. WRIGHT said the
applicant feels that 24" letters are just too small and looks dwarfed;
which won't do it justice. He asked if they could meet halfway
between 24" and 30"; around 27" or 28".
Commissioner McAuliffe said he didn't have a problem with the
larger letters on the back of the building since it was such a large
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wall. However, the challenge with the 30" letters is that the
applicant is being penalized by having the font in all caps.
Commissioner Colombini suggested 28" and asked the
Commission how they felt about 28" letters. The Commission didn't
see a big difference between 24" or 28".
Commissioner McAuliffe said the front elevation is very large and
thinks by putting letters that are too small up there would draw a
different kind of attention. He suggested not centering the sign but
placing it lower so the lettering can breathe a little, visually.
Commissioner Colombini again suggested 28" letters and
Commissioner McAuliffe said he would be comfortable with that.
Commissioner Clark said his main concern was color matching the
other signs in the center. MR. WRIGHT said he will have to take a
look at the color criteria for the center and make sure it matches the
colors that have been approved.
Commissioner McAuliffe was concerned with the damage on the
front and rear elevations from the removal of the previous signs.
MR. WRIGHT said he would have to talk with the property owner to
see if they will re-stucco prior to sign installation. Commissioner
McAuliffe said that will need to be considered because to put a new
sign over the damaged area would not look favorably on the new
store.
The Commission and MR. WRIGHT discussed the placement of the
signs on the front and rear elevation.
ACTION:
Commissioner Colombini moved to approve subject to: 1) increasing the
front facade letters to 28" and lowering the sign to be centered over the
front elevation; 2) increase rear facade letters to 24" and lowering the sign:
3) re-stucco front and rear facade prior to sign installation; and 4) match
color of signage to existing sign program. Motion was seconded by
Commissioner Clark and carried by a 6-0-2 vote, with Clark, Colombini,
Lambell, Levin, McAuliffe, and Van Vliet voting YES and Commissioners
McIntosh and Vuksic absent.
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4. CASE NO: MISC 14-259
APPLICANT AND ADDRESS: PREST-VUKSIC ARCHITECTS,
44-530 San Pablo Avenue Suite 200, Palm Desert, CA 92260
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Final approval of
color modifications to an existing building; Flooring Innovations.
LOCATION: 74-527 Highway 111
ZONE: C-1, S.P.
Mr. Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner, presented a color change for
Flooring Innovations. He presented a PowerPoint of the building
and said they are incorporating the colors of the building to match
their logo. He then passed around a color board for review. He also
stated that the signage for this building was previously approved.
Staff is recommending approval.
The Commission reviewed and discussed the colors.
ACTION:
Commissioner Lambell moved to approve. Motion was seconded by
Commissioner Colombini and carried by a 6-0-2 vote, with Clark,
Colombini, Lambell, Levin, McAuliffe, and Van Vliet voting YES and
Commissioners McIntosh and Vuksic absent.
B. Preliminary Plans:
None
C. Miscellaneous Items:
1. CASE NO: N/A
APPLICANT AND ADDRESS: ROTHBART DEVELOPMENT
CORP, 10990 Wilshire Blvd Suite 1000, Los Angeles, CA 90024
NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Design discussion
regarding the last pad building at Desert Gateway Shopping
Center.
LOCATION: Monterey Avenue and Dinah Shore Drive
ZONE: P.C.-(3) FCOZ
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Mr. Tony Bagato, Principal Planner, stated this is a design
discussion for a multi-tenant building on the last pad at Desert
Gateway Center on Monterey Avenue that will go next to Panera
Bread now under construction. The original theme for the center
was a Santa Barbara mission style, which was something they
struggled with. The applicant, Stan Rothbart, mentioned the
potential of changing the design of this last building to be more
contemporary. The plans will come back at a later date along with
the enhanced landscape plan for the corner, which was one of the
conditions when Panera Bread came in. And because this corner is
an entryway to the City, staff wanted a more enhanced landscape
plan for that area.
MR. BRIAN POLIQUIN, Architect, said they were trying to get away
from the same old thing because this building will be out on the
corner and will receive a lot more exposure. This building is a 6,600
square foot multi-tenant building and having a breakup would give a
little more individual identity to each of the tenants. Since this
building is on the corner, they went with a little more playfulness
and a little more play on the colors; not so much of the tans and
browns. They are trying to experiment with color and be more
aggressive. They understand this is very conceptual but wanted to
put the renderings together to give the Commission a three-
dimensional feel for the building. Not only is it the smallest building
on the site, it is the most exposed building on the site and they
believe that with enhanced landscape, it will be more vibrant on that
corner.
Commissioner Lambell said the pop outs and the recessed areas
read well. She thought the height variances in the roof line will
make a huge difference. She agrees that they can be more playful
on the pad because it is very visual from four directions. She and
the applicant discussed the placement of signage on the building.
MR. POLIQUIN said they anticipated sign placement and pointed
out those locations on the rendering. Commissioner Lambell asked
if the tower was four-sided and MR. ANTHONY MOLINA, Architect,
said it is a full tower and not a stage front.
Chair Van Vliet said it looks like the backside of the building is
facing the intersection, which is the most visible area. MR. MOLINA
said these renderings show the inside view. MR. POLIQUIN said
they will work on that elevation.
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Commissioner Clark said there are natural elements that were
pulled in with the other buildings; tile roofs, wood elements, and
trellises. He was a little concerned for this to be completely
different, especially on that corner. They need to bear in mind their
surroundings. MR. POLIQUIN said they will do the roof tiles and
exposed rafter tails. The awnings may be wood with struts.
Commissioner McAuliffe said to respect what was going on in the
center and believes they are headed in the right direction. He said
doing more of the same isn't necessarily an enhancement. He
mentioned that development of the elevation facing the intersection
will be critical. He suggested they show some level of treatment for
the blank wall close to Panera Bread to reinforce the four-sided
architecture because it will be highly visual.
Commissioner Lambell left at 1:35 p.m.
Commissioner Clark reminded the applicants that this is a high
wind area. Commissioner Levin said they would like to see all four
sides when this comes back because this is a highly visual
intersection.
In summary, the following recommendations were made by the
Commission: 1) anticipate the sign placement; 2) consider wood
elements; 3) be respectful of surrounding architecture; 4)
development of the elevation facing the intersection will be critical;
5) show some level of treatment for the blank wall close to Panera
Bread to reinforce the four-sided architecture; and 6) consider the
high winds in this area.
No action taken.
VI. ART IN PUBLIC PLACES UPDATE — Commissioner John Vuksic —July 23, 2014
Commissioner Vuksic was not in attendance. He will give an update at the next
meeting.
VII. COMMENTS
The Commission and staff discussed the notice sent to paint contractors and
local paint stores regarding the City's paint color requirements.
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VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Upon a motion by Commissioner Levin, second by Commissioner Clark, and a 5-
0-3 vote, with Clark, Colombini, Levin, McAuliffe, and Van Vliet voting YES, and
Commissioners Lambell, McIntosh and Vuksic absent, the Architectural Review
Commission meeting was adjourned at 1:45 p.m.
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