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HomeMy WebLinkAboutASAC Minutes - 12-09-1976CITY OF CUPERTINO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014 Telephone; 252-4505 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ARCHITECTURAL AND SITE APPROVAL COMMITTEE HELD ON DECEMBER 9, 1976, IN THE LIBRARY CONFERENCE ROOM CITY HALL, CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA SALUTE TO THE FLAG The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Sallan at 7:12 PM with the Salute to the Flag. ROLL CALL Comm. present: Bond (8:22), Irvine, Ripplinger, Ch. Sallan Comm. absent: Claudy Staff present: Senior Planning Technician Mark Caughey INFORMAL REVIEW OF PLANNED DEVELOPMENT USE PERMIT APPLICATIONS There were none. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of Regular Meeting of November 18, 1976: Page 5, beginning of next to the last paragraph: Delete "Irvine" and replace with "Claudy". Last paragraph, line 5: Change "northeast" to "southeast corner bordering Mariani property". Page 2, first paragraph under ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: Add "landscape! approaches that emphasize" after "discussing". Page 4, paragraph 2, last 2 lines shall read: "people to check if the quality of the specimens, the placement of the plants, etc., is right for proper maintenance as per the North De Anza Blvd. con ceptual plan guidelines." Page 4, paragraph 8, last word should be "bomanite". Moved by Member Ripplinger, seconded by Member Irvine to approve the Minutes of November 18, 1976, as corrected. HC -181 Page 1 Motion carried, 3-0 HC -181 (MINUTES OF DECEMBER 9, 1976 H -CONTROL MEETING Page 2 POSTPONEMENTS; None. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS 1. Letter of November 15, 1976 from Architect E. Jacobs expressing concern about one of the buildings along Bubb Road and of the general approaches taken by the City. 2. Written response by Mayor Meyers, dated November 23, 1976. Mr. John Sobrato said they were referring to the Zilog building, which is not yet completed. He emphasized they were referring to the back side of the building, where shipping and receiving are located. Once the landscaping is completed this will not show to the neighborhood. He felt the screening would be in within two months. An unidentified member of the audience suggested the site could look good from all four directions. PUBLIC HEARINGS: 1. Application HC -51,392.1 Sobrato—Berg requesting approval of modification of landscaping for the south side of Mariani Avenue east of De Anza Blvd. Mr. John Sobrato, Palo Alto, said that since the staff report went out, the Public Works Department learned of the sanitary line coming west to Mariani Avenue. It is felt that three feet on either side of the bike path should be kept free from any obstructions. Mr. Sobrato said if the City wants to discourage automobile traffic here the surfaced width will have to be reduced. Although cinders would be cheaper to put in than landscaping, Mr. Sobrato was in favor of the latter. He referred to portions of the State Design Manual. After some discussion, it was agreed by Ch. Sallan and Members Bond and Ripplinger that this width should be kept at a minimum. Mr. Sobrato said it has been suggested they change the oaks to box trees. Member Irvine advised the limb structure would be too low with boxed trees. After reviewing the balance of the landscaping plan, the Committee approved Plan C-6, Second Revision. Ch. Sallan asked for comments from the audience. There were none. MINUTES OF DECEMBER 9, 1976 H -CONTROL MEETING Moved by Member Bond, seconded by Member Irvine to close the Public Hearing. Motion carried, 4-0 Moved by Member Bond, seconded by Member Irvine, to approve application HC -51,392.1 with the following conditions: That the staff determine the minimum shoulder area for the bike path. The Committee prefers to have the minimum be zero. If thi: is not legally allowed, a ballard on each side to the west of the manhole shall be placed in the shoulder on each side of the bike path west of the access. The live oak trees may remain at 15 -gallon size but should allow for sufficient overhead clearance above the bike path. Revision 2 of Plan C-6 is approved. Motion carried, 4-0 2. Application HC -51,339.3 - University Property Management (De Anza Center) requesting approval of a sign design for a commercial development located on the east side of De Anza Blvd. approximately 130 feet south of Silverado Avenue. Continued from H -Control meeting of November 18, 1976. Exhibit F, Second Revision, was placed on the bulletin board for review. It was noted the 6' x 4' area of the sign remains the same. Mr. Wayne Egeleston, University Property Management, explained how they have followed the Committee's direction to have this sign conform to the Coco's sign next door and to the materials in the building of this shopping center. He stressed that this proposal gives them identity and a number. Mr. M. Peterson, of Agro Signs, explained the details of the proposed sign. The position of the sign was identified on the plot plan. It will be located on the top of the grassy mound. Coco's is on flat ground. Ch. Sallan said the Committee's responsibility here is to deter- mine whether or not,• design -wise, this is appropriate. HC -181 Page 3 HC -51,392.1 approved HC -181 Page 4 HC -51,339.3 approved MINUTES OF DECEMBER 9, 1976, H -CONTROL MEETING There was a discussion about visibility of the sign if cars are parked along the curb. Member Irvine felt this shopping center sign should look more like Coco's. It should be of slumpstone. It is his feeling that this is all one shopping center, including Coco's. Ch. Sallan did not believe it has been demonstrated that this sign request satisfies the requirements for variance approval. The applicant has stated the reasons are that the shopping center is hard to locate for potential customers and that the businesses in the shopping center do not want to be identified with Coco's. She believes a 3' high x 5 or 6' long sign with the numbers on it would be adequate. Member Ripplinger said the new sign ordinance does not include the base in the computation of the sign area. Member Irvine said the sign should have slumpstone background, 4' high above the crown and 6' long, and it should tie in with the Coco's sign. Mr. Peterson said they would like to use fiberglas that looks just like slumpstone, because he needs to put wires inside. Ch. Sallan pointed out that the submitted proposal is larger than necessar The second issue was that it should tie in with the Coco's sign. The colored slides of the shopping center and the signing in the area were once again reviewed. Members Irvine and Bond agreed the sign should be 5' high from the sidewalk or 4' maximum high above the crown. Mr. Tom Gargano, one of the merchants in this shopping center, said he feels this is a very reasonable sign request. He said everybody in the center agrees there is a need for the sign. Moved by Member Irvine, seconded by Member Bond, to close the Public Hearing. Motion carried, 4-0 Moved by Member Irvine, seconded by Member Bond, to approve HC -51,339.3 with the following conditions: That the sign background shall be constructed with slumpstone to match the Coco's sign, not over 4' above the grass area nor 5' above the sidewalk, whichever is less.- The sign shall not be over 6' in width. MINUTES OF DECEMBER 9, 1976, H -CONTROL MEETING That the sign copy shall be as shown on Exhibit F -- Second Revision as pertains to the copy only. That if a substitute for the slumpstone is requested, it shall come before this Committee for approval; otherwise, it shall be the same color as Coco's. AYES: Members Bond, Irvine, Ripplinger NOES: Ch. Sallan ABSENT: Member Claudy Motion carried, 3-1 Ch. Sallan called a recess at 9:05 PM. The meeting reconvened at 9:17 PM. 3. Application HC -51,227.3 - Measurex Corporation requesting exception to Section 6.041 of Sign Ordinance No. 353 to permit installation of a ground sign on a lot with less than 210 feet of linear frontage on a public right-of-way. Said property is located at the east side of Bubb Road between Stevens Creek Blvd. and McClellan Road. The staff report was reviewed by the Senior Planning Technician. The request was for the exception to the Ordinance and for approval of the low profile sign, located 30' from the building, 7' in from the curb. He noted Measurex will be leasing this building for approximately 2 years, so this request is actually for a temporary sign. Ms. Susan Gillmore, representing Measurex, said half of this building is occupied and signed by Southland 7-il. Colored slides of the site were shown. Member Bond suggested Measurex put a sign on the left-hand side of the fence where the Southland sign is located. Ms. Gilmore said it would be hard to do anything with the tree in front, so it would be hard to see the sign. Ch. Sallan suggested pruning the lower branches so the sign could be seen better. HC -181 Page 5 Ms. Gillmore said there is a constant flow of customers into this building. HC -181 Page 6 HC -51,227.3 denied Approved sign within the Ordinance MINUTES OF DECEMBER 9, 1976 H —CONTROL MEETING Member Bond suggested putting the Measurex name and address in a cabinet and place it on that fence and prune the bottom of that tree in front of it. There should also be numbers in the front and rear entrances. Ms. Gillmore feels this will create confusion as to which portion of the building is occupied by Measurex and which by Southland Corporation. Further, she said they are very concerned about security, with applicants coming to this developmental area. Member Bond suggested a sign in the window of the front door, indicating applicants should go to Corporate offices one block south, at #1 Results Way. Ch. Sallan suggested a sign within the Ordinance, stating Measurex Building 6 on the fence, no bigger than the Southland sign. The tree should be pruned. Since there were no comments from the audience, it was moved by Member Bond, seconded by Member Irvine, to close the public hearing. Motion carried, 4-0 Moved by Member Bond, seconded by Member Irvine to deny application HC -51,227.3 for a free-standing sign on the basis that this Committee finds the applicant can meet their signing needs without variance to the Sign Ordinance. This Committee further finds that a sign saying Measurex Building 6, 10300 Bubb Road, can meet their signing needs in a wall sign configuration in a fence adjacent to the driveway directly to the north of the existing Southland sign. The sign shall be no larger than the existing Southland sign and shall be subject to staff approval. AYES: Members Bond, Irvine, Ripplinger, Ch. Sallan NOES: None ABSENT; Member Claudy Motion carried, 4-0 4. Application HC -51,342.4 - "The Baby's Room" requesting approval of a change of copy on a tenant sign for a shop in the Brentwood Center, located on East Estates Drive at Stevens Creek Blvd. The applicant, Mr. A. Khashab, said he was misled from the beginning by the shopping center. This was a change of copy of an existing sign can. He realized that ignorance is no excuse, however, and was prepared to follow this Committee's recommendation. MINUTES OF DECEMBER 9, 1976 H -CONTROL MEETING Mr. Khashab submitted colored pictures of the subject sign. He said he is a little businessman, just starting a little business. If his request is denied he will remove the sign altogether. He explained the sign is 2' too long and 1' too wide to conform with the Ordinance. Mr. Khashab said he hopes to get the other merchants in this shopping center together to come up with a uniform signing program in the future. There was a discussion on how nonconforming signs should be handled in the future. Ch. Sallan suggested this might be handled like nonconforming ground signs. Mr. Khashab said the laundromat next door has had several new owners but no change of copy in the sign because the use remains the same. He felt the only way to get something accomplished here is to establish a sign program for the shopping center. The Committee reviewed the options available to this applicant, as listed in the staff report. Member Irvine liked Option 2. Suggested wording: The approval is granted until January 1, 1978, at which time the applicant must come in with a sign program consistent with the Sign Ordinance or with special approval. It is not feasible to move this sign down. Since there were no comments from the audience, it was moved by Comm. Bond, seconded by Member Irvine to close the public hearing. Motion carried, 4-0 Moved by Member Bond, seconded by Member Ripplinger, to approve application HC -51,342.4, approving change of copy at this time with the applicant to return on or before January 1, 1978, with a sign plan conforming to whatever sign ordinance is in effect on July 1, 1977. Motion carried, 4-0 5. Application HC -51,402.1 - Terranomics Corporation -requesting approval of site, architecture, landscaping, lighting, grading and signing for a multi -tenant commercial shopping center located at the southeast corner of Portal Avenue and Stevens Creek Blvd. Mr. Merritt Sher, representing Terranomics, said this is all one project gnd they intend to have just one ground sign. Long's Drug is not requesting a ground sign. Great Western is agreeable to a sign on the building. HC -181 Page 7 HC -51,342.4 approved HC -181 (MINUTES OF DECEMBER 9, 1976, H -CONTROL MEETING Page 8 Colored slides of the site were shown . All redwood trees are planned to go along the existing cement wall between this property and the residential. The back of the shopping center building is planned to be 30' from the wall. The existing palms will be regrouped and relocated on the site. The Senior Planning Technician reviewed the staff report. Traffic flow at the bank was discussed. The City's Traffic Engineer has recommended the east apron be one -way -in only, which will somewhat change the on -site traffic flow. Sound attenuation was discussed next. The owners felt the noise at the loading dock will meet the performance standard set by the Planning Commission. The truck entrance at the southwest corner of the property is a matter of concern. The location of the dumpster was discussed. Member Irvine pointed out that trash is a functional thing and the dumpster must be conveniently located for the stores or the trash will end up everywhere but in the dumpster. The Senior Planning Technician reviewed the problem of security and fire trucks that must go behind the building. Security bumps or humps were recommended by the developer. Counc. O'Keefe was in the audience. He said the City Council asked for the proviso that if there should be an increase in crime in the adjacent residential within the first twelve months, that the developer shall take steps to mitigate this problem. Landscape Architect Painter explained the type of embedded gravel to be used along the rear of the building and the ballards at each of the ends. This is the same type material used at the Hewlett-Packard facility. The restaurant/kiosk/savings and loan site was discussed next. It was pointed out they are conceptual in nature at the present time. The pedestrianways will be paved and textured, with warm colors for the concrete. Ch. Sallan was concerned about the servicing of the restaurant. The savings and loan is positioned 37' back from Stevens Creek Blvd. Ch. Sallan would like the applicant to adhere to the 50' setback and not use the averaging concept. Mr. Sher said this was their original proposal but Comm. Gatto suggested they apply the averaging concept and this was approved by the Planning Commission. Member Irvine said he likes the flexibility and the interplay of space. MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 9, 1976 H -CONTROL MEETING I HC-181 Page 9 The architectural elevations were reviewed. The signing will be individual lights set into glu-lams that run the entire length of the covered walkway. The orange tile bulkhead material along the front of the Longs Drug was discussed at great length. There will be individual store fronts that will come in with individual applications for review. There will be a natural clay tile roof on the entire center. Ch. Sallan was very concerned about the choice of colors for the store fronts in the future, if the orange should be approved for Longs. She would like to see an overall plan for all store fronts at one time. She would like the developer to come up with certain criteria. Mr. Sher said they are trying to create a fun -type marketplace. Ch. Sallan agreed with the concept of a unique center, but she wanted to annouce early -on her concern abou a problem area concerning colors of the store fronts. Member Ripplinger said this sounds like a project up by the Sandpiper whe e they put in the walls as the stores are leased -- only nobody has leased very many of them. Member Irvine said quite a bit of control is here, with the roof and overhang, and he was comfortable with it. Member Ripplinger said the orange tile front probably won't be seen from the street. Noting the late hour, Member Bond explained to the applicants and the audience the reasons for the midnight cut-off time. The Committee feels it cannot be objective and give a fair hearing for both the applicant and the City when they are overly tired and cannot function as well as they can earlier in the evening. Ch. Sallan advised the applicant of the need for more detailed landscape plans, etc. Moved by Member Bond, seconded by Member Ripplinger, to continue 1continued. HC-51,402.1 HC -51,402.1 to the next meeting. Motion carried, 4-0 ADJOURNMENT Moved by Member Ripplinger, seconded by Member Bond to adjourn at 12:13 AM to Saturday, December 18, 1976, at 9:30 AM. - Motion carried, 4-0 ATTEST: APPROVED: /s/ Wm. E. Ryder /s/ C. Nancy Sallan, City Clerk Chairwoman