Loading...
PC 06-26-91 CITY OF CUPERTINO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA 10300 Torre Avenue Cupertino, CA. 95014 (408) 252-4505 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL STUDY SESSION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION HELD ON JUNE 26, 1991 SALUTE TO THE FLAG: ROLL CALL: commissioners Present: Chairman Mackenzie Vice Chairman Fazekas Commissioner Mann Commissioner Austin commissioners Absent: commissioner Mahoney staff Present: Robert Cowan, Director of Community Development Ms. ciddy Wordell presented a chart to the Commissioners outlining the goals accomplished and the goals to work towards. Ms. Roberta Holliman, Fine Arts commission, stated they had revised their goal to include Performing arts. She stated the Fine Arts Commission's goal is to have the City make a statement saying that the arts are important and this should be reflected in the General Plan. She noted they are working on a policy for performing arts. Chr. Mackenzie noted a trade-off could be that the developer includes a performing arts facility within their building. Chr. Mackenzie suggested the Fine Arts Commission research how other cities spend the money they receive from large developments. Ms. Holliman suggested a portion of the Park Development Fee could be included in the arts fee. She also suggested arts in the parks. Chr. Mackenzie suggested discussing measuring the building vs floor area. He noted there are large developments with space which is not calculated into the floor area space .'. Chr. Mackenzie explained this and stated a two story and four story building could be perceived as the same height. . Mr. Cowan stated it should be FAR vs Volume. Mr. Cowan noted the General Plan is not specific to height limits. Chr. Mackenzie suggested replacing FAR with Volume ratios. He noted the method of calculating how big a building is had become so complex is very hard to understand. Com. Fazekas suggested Gross Floor Area. He noted the Volume Ratio would penalize developers for having atriums. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Special Study Session of June 26, 1991 Page 2 Com. Mann noted it was a better idea to limit the building mass from the pUblic's point of view. Com. Fazekas ßtated the plan for the Grand Blvd. is to reduce the setback and aim for more vertical structures, this would be the perceived mass. Chr. Mackenzie noted the Commission agreed that the outside design of the building is more important than the inside. Corn. Mann stated she would like to see the tall buildings in the same area of town. She stated she would like to maintain what is now in the General Plan regarding this issue. Chr. Mackenzie stated there are two issues. buildings more in a city center and the second and parceling out FAR. One is to keep the is the traffic issue Corn. Fazekas suggested putting high density buildings in areas were there is no housing. Chr. Mackenzie noted he would like to see smaller buildings. Ms. Wordell suggested the following wording: Controlled perceived non-residential building mass by utilizing such techniques as FAR or VR, building envelopes and performance standards. Chr. Mackenzie suggested Gross Floor Area. Discussion ensued on residential buildings. Mr. Cowan buildings. story home explained the setbacks required for second story Com. Fazekas felt the one story roof element on a two is good. Com. Austin objected to huge houses on small lots. Com. Mann suggested more strict design guidelines and have ASAC review these. Phil zeitman suggested the Commissioners should considered height measured from ground level. Chr. Mackenzie suggested staff obtain data on the new homes approved in the last few years regarding setbacks and FAR. He suggested the roof pitch shall be between 3 - 12 and 5 - 12. Mr. Cowan noted the General Plan is not very specific. The Commissioners discussed residential lot size. Chr. Mackenzie suggested enforcing a certain lot size. He stated his goal for the General Plan is to be more prescriptive than what PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES special study session of June 26, 1991 Page 3 it is now. The Commission discussed smaller lots to supply the demand for housing in the Community. Com. Mann suggested 6,000 minimum lot size. Chr. Mackenzie suggested disallowing PD with detached homes. Com. Fazekas felt this would need to be studied, he felt a townhouse project was more massive because of no landscaping, air space, etc. He used the Forum as an example. Corn. Mann felt small single family homes would look less massive. Corn. Austin suggested cluster housing. Chr. Mackenzie questioned if the General Plan should be more specific? Com. Mann stated the revised General Plan could be stricter. Com. Austin concurred. The Commissioners discussed changing the PD zoning. Chr. Mackenzie suggested free standing residential in a PD zone must meet R1 FAR on Net Lot Area and Rl parking. Com. Fazekas stated a goal would be to ensure that residential PD are compatible with surrounding neighborhoods, also ensure that the size, shape, bulk and massing of the units are proportionate to the site. Chr. Mackenzie suggested that free standing residential houses should all be a common standard. He noted the General Plan as is leaves much discretion to the Planning Commission and city council and felt the General Plan should be more specific. Com. Fazekas reiterated his comments on small lots and village type areas. Ms. Wordell suggested second units. She noted it is allowed in the General Plan, but not used. The Commissioners discussed a hotel. Chr. Mackenzie felt a hotel would create City identity which is important. The hotel should be of a high class standard with a certain number of rooms, including conference rooms and a restaurant. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Special Study Session of June 26, 1991 Page 4 Ms. Wordell suggested the Commission could set a goal as to what type of hotel and amenities are needed and refer back to it. Mr. Cowan suggested hiring a consultant to analyze hotel as well as the location for economical purposes. City Center is appropriate for a hotel as stated in Plan. the type of He felt the the General Ms. Bees Jones stated the market will thrive for a hotel. She felt a suite hotel with conference rooms and a restaurant would be a benefit to the city. Ms. Ciddy Wordell suggested a preliminary goal as follows, "Prioritize the development of a full service hotel, where the style, scale, conference facilities, restaurants and amenities contribute its strength and City identity". Mr. Phil reference continues zeitman expressed concern regarding the to the hotel. He stated if non-residential the jObs/housing imbalance increases. height in development The Commissioners discussed the need for a hotel in the city. with regards to height, Chr. Mackenzie stated the number of rooms is not as important as the amenities. ADJOURNMENT : Having concluded business, the Planning commission adjourned at 9:20 P.M. to the next Regular Meeting of July 8, 1991 at 6:45 P.M. Respectfully submitted, ~ M,. RcrWJc4J Catherine M. Roblllard, Recording Secretary Approved by the Planning commission at the Regular Meeting of July 15, 1991 l Ch rman ~ nellus, Clty Clerk