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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-23-1984 City Council Minutes MINUTES SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL TIME: Tuesday, October 23, 1984 - 7:30 p.m. PLACE: Cc~nunity Center Meeting Roan, 19655 Allendale Avenue TYPE: Regular Adjourned Meetj~g Councilmembers Callon, Clevenger, Hlava, Moyles and Mayor Fanelli were present at 7:34 p.m. 1. Continued Discussion of Appeal of Denial of Use Permit, Subdivision Approval and Design Review for Office Cc~plex at Southeast Come of Cox and Saratoga Avenues (Appellant/applicant, Owen CcmpanieS) (UP 535, SDR 1539, A 989) Steven Douglas spoke as a representative of Owen Cc~panies. He stated that the project was consistent with the General Plan and the zoning of the area and was less dense than neighboring projects. He presented two alternatives which would result in an area of 105,200 square feet: an entirely single-story alternative and a partially two-story alternative. Colin Russell, also representing Owen Companies, explained further details of the two proposals. He! said that the alterations in the project changed its envirommental effect and its appearance by breaking up the mass and. reducing the size of the buildings. He felt that the size of the lot had never been fairly considered; it was much larger than lots on which other ccmplexes had been built, resulting in a lower density than otheE projects approved in the? area for the last ten years. With respect to Resolution 897, he felt that the setbacks and other amenities prevented the appearance of a ccmmercial focus on Saratoga Avenue, thus' meeting that resolution' s intent. John Pear~e spoke as 'the traffic engineer for the project" ahd preparer of' the Envir6rmental Impact Report. He reviewed traffic figures for the area end impacts of the project on traffic, suggesting various means of mitigating the impact. He then answered councilmembers' questions, noting that the project as proposed would add about 1300 trips per day to the current traffic~ or about 200 cars between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. Residents of the area expressed concern about the additional traffic, particularly at the Cox/Saratoga intersection, which they felt was already overloaded.. They also feared. that traffic' would travel through residential streets to avoid the traffic' light at Cox and Saratoga. In answer to CounCilmember Callon, senior Planner Kerdus stated the traffic' estimates seemed to be reasonable. Mr. Douglas then! said that Owen~ C~n%~anies did not submit a proposal for condo- minions because they felt condominit~ns would be difficult tO markets'in that area. He presented a plan for condc~init~ns, saying that they would be two- story buildings with short setbacks. Councilmembers deliberated on the isSues. Councilmemt~r 'Callon preferred a comnercial project in'the area because it'would generate City revenues, but she recognized that the residents opposed cu~ercial use. She felt single- _ family was not appropriate for the area. She believed the project to be reasonable as re-designed. As to Resolution 897, she noted that Mayor Kraus had voted against it because it ~ras too lenient. However, she pointed out fiat any develop- ment would have some additional inpact on traffic~ The proposed project was reasonable, she fel~t;~]~a better designed than one on the other side of Cox, which had the open space in the back. Councilmember Clevenger expressed concern that the project did not meet the needs of Saratoga either by increasing revenues through a commercial use or . by providing needed housing. The project would increase traffic and affect neighborhood streets, she said, and could set an undesirable precedent. Although the Council had looked at the project in good faith, she felt it should be denied because it provided no benefits for Saratoga. Mayor Fanelli, noting that the Council bad been through General Plan hearings and zoning adjustments with extensive public input, felt that the proposed use was appropriate, but the project needed to be made compatible with the cc~T~nity. She proposed rsmoving all the second stories from the buildings in the original proposal. She felt tfiat the resulting reduction to 90,000 sc?~re feet would reduce traffic i/~pacts and make the buildings more cu~atible with its surroundings. In addition, she proposed keeping the same number of 2-10/23/84 parking spaces and closing off McFarland in scme way SO that the neighborhood would not be SO ~i/npacted by the traffic. Councilmember MDyles felt that the proposed use was appropriate for the site, since that usa had been designated after much public input and discession. He noted that the increased setbacks and lower densities proposed by the appellant with the PA usa as opposed to a condc~un use reinforced the appropriateness of the use. Although he felt the appellant's arglments were plausible, the Planning ~'~ argunents in denying. the application appeared equally plausible. Councilmember Moyles then ccnm~nted that if the appellant had been willing to reduce the project by 10,000 square feet before the Planning Cu~ssion, that action would have been preferable to appealing the project to the Council with such an alteration. He could conceive of voting for Mayor Fanelli's proposal, but preferred to rely on the judgnent of the Planning C~m~ssion and to send the applicant beck to the Culu~ssion SO that they could make a judgment on the altered project. Councilmember Hlava stated that the problem was that the lot was intended as ccnmercial. At the time of the General Plan disCussions, she had favored senior housing for the site, but there was no support for residential outside the ~iate Quito neighborhood. The PA designation, she said~ was a ccmprcmise. She suggested approving the proposal with a reduction of square footage to under 100,000 square feet, no second stories, and the closure of McFarland ibs~ne way. Councilmember Callon pointed out that the Planning Commission's primary concerns bed been the large scale of the site, beth in terms of density and two-story buildings. She felt if the Council'could agree on conditions, the project need not return to the Ccmmlission. Kathy McGoldrick, a Planning Co~ucissioner, stated that some ea~u~kissioners were concerned that the arrangenent of the buildings presented an excessively long facade, even though their configuration as modules caused the facades to be of varied depths frcm a given viewpoint. Councilmember Clevenger stated that, even if the Council agreed .that the project could be approved at 90/000 's~sre feet, the applicant should still be referred beck to the Planning Cul~isSion to determine the configuration of the project. FANELLI/CALLON MOVED TO GRANT THE APPEAL, WITH THE PROJECT HAVING THE ORIGINAL FODTPRINT BUT WITH THE SECOND STORIES REMOVED, ON THE CONDITION THAT THE 423 PARKING SPACES BE RETAINED AND AT LEAST THE EGRESS FROM FEFARLAND BE CIDSED;. RESOLbTION 897 IS MODIFIED TO ALLOW INGRESS AND ~GRESS ON SARATOGA AVENI~ C~FLY AS TO THIS PNDPERTY; THE PROJECT WILL BE RETURNED TO THE PLANNING COFLMISSION FOR REVIEW OF THE CONDITIONS. Passed 3-2 (Clevenger, MDyles opposed). 2. ContinUed DisCuSsion of Ordinance Amending City Code Relating tQ Public' Dances and Dance Halls and Report on Status of Rhett's Licensa Mr. Toppel of the City Attorney' s Office explained the revisions in the proposed ordinance which had been suggested by the Council at the previous meetjllg. CLEVENGER/HIAVA MOVED TO INTRODUCE ORDINANCE AMMqDING CITY CODE RRTATING TO PUBLIC DANCES AND DANCE RAT,Lq. Passad 5-0. City Manager reported that he planned to re-issue a dance hall license to Rhett's, since its current licensa was to expire before the ordinance would be in effect. The license would contain a provision that within la certain'time after the ordinance was in effect the applicant must apply to the Planning Culu~H ssion for a usa permit under the ordinance. Mayor Fanelli explained the Council' s action to representatives of Rhett's and asked if anyone wished to speak. No one from Rhett's rose to speak, and no one else indicated a desire to speak. The meeting was adjourned to a closed session on litigation at 9:23 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Grace E. Cory ~ Deputy City Clerk