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CC 06-11-01 cuPE InO AGENDA CUPERTINO CITY COUNCIL ~ REGULAR ADJOURNED MEETING 10300 Torre Avenue, Conference Room C/D Monday, June 11, 2001 5:00 p.m. (408) 77%3200 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL ORAL COMMUNICATIONS This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the council on any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are limited to three (3) minutes. In most cases, State law will prohibit the council from making any decisions with respect to a matter not listed on the agenda. STUDY SESSION 1. Review of a request from Compaq Computers to amend the General Plan for a mixed-use development consisting of office, retail and residential uses. The property is located on the'north side of Stevens Creek Blvd., between Wolfe Road and Tantau Avenue. NEW BUSINESS 2. Consider establishing sample voter ballot designations for candidates who have agreed to voluntary campaign expenditure limits, Resolution No. 01-125. ~ SUMMARY CITY OF Agenda No. / Agenda Date: June 11. 2001 CUPE INO SUBJECT Study session to review a request from Compaq Computer Corporation to amend the General Plan for a mixed-use development consisting of office, retail and residential uses. BACKGROUND Compaq Computer Corporation is presenting a conceptual plan for a mixed-use development at their existing, undeveloped site north of Stevens Creek Boulevard between Wolfe Road and Tantau Avenue (see attached project information). The project located on an approximately 26 acre site will consist of about 734,000 square feet of new corporate office space, an 11,000 square foot conference center, 387 housing units and 11,000 square feet of retail space. The applicant seeks permission to initiate a general plan hearing to consider the following modifications to the land use section of the General Plan: / Increase the office allocation beyond the allowable amount in the General Plan by about 201,000 square feet (includes conference center). Altematively, the applicant may request an allocation of square footage from the available office or commercial allocation; v' Allow residential uses (at a density of about 46 units per acre); / Increase height for the development from 45 feet to a maximum of 86feet and to allow encroachment into the 1.5:1 setback ratio in the General Plan. v' Increase the office FAR beyond the allowable amount of 0.33 to 1.10. The purpose of the study session is to: v' Familiarize the Council with the applicant's proposal; v' Provide an opportunity for City Council input; and v' Provide direction to the applicant prior to the formal request to amend the General Plan. DISCUSSION Project Information The project consists of residential and retail uses, a daycare, and a conference center in the 8.5 acre area to the west and north of Finch Avenue, and an office campus on a 15.5 acre portion to the east of Finch Avenue. Residential There are 388 residential units located in two (2) four-story buildings; one to the west, and the other to the north of Finch Avenue. Approximately 177 units will be for-sale townhouses and condominiums, and about 210 units will be rental apartments. The buildings are four stories (51 feet high) around the perimeter and five stories (59 feet high) towards the center. The residential building to the north is lined with retail uses on the ground floor along Finch Avenue. The ground floor of the building to the south is lined with residential units, which have 'brownstone" features Printed on Recycled Paper including front entrances and stoops along Finch Avenue. Open space for the residential portion consists of landscaped courts, one swimming pool for each building, a forty foot landscaped buffer along Stevens Creek Boulevard, and a twenty foot landscaped buffer along the west property line. Parking is provided in podium and underground garages. Retail The retail element is designed around a cimular plaza to the northwest section of Finch Avenue providing a connection to the retail in Vallco Mall. Parking for the retail is accommodated in underground spaces in the first level of the residential garages. The 11,000 square foot conference center fronts onto a central plaza where Finch Avenue curves to the west and is accessible to the office campus as well as the retail uses. Parking for the center is accommodated in an adjacent seven-level parking structure (with a height of 51'-6" feet above grade). The daycare center is located to the northwest comer of the site with vehicular access from Finch Avenue and surface parking spaces for child pick-up and drop-off. The office campus consists of four buildings along Stevens Creek Boulevard, and one building located north of the E-W connector. The office buildings are arranged around internal plazas areas and have access from the E-W connector. Buildings #2 and #5 are four-stories with heights ranging from 58 ft. to 71 ft. Buildings #1, 3 and 4 are five-stories with heights ranging . from 58 ft. to 86 f. The buildings have landscaped buffers ranging from 60 feet to 100 feet along Stevens Creek Boulevard. Parking for the office campus is accommodated in a large underground garage (with separate entrances from each building) and the parking structure adjacent to the conference center. Streetsca~ The streetscape along Finch Avenue and the E-W connector is proposed to be enhanced with diagonal parking (except for certain portion of Finch Avenue), street furniture, lighting and street trees, providing attractive pedestrian links between the various uses and the open space buffers. The project provides a landscaped buffer between the residential and office uses and is connected to a publicly accessible landscaped trail along Calabazas creek (outside creek easement areas) and the drainage channel along Hwy 280 to the Vallco Mall. The project also provides enhancements to the streetscape along Stevens Creek Boulevard with street trees, an open space buffer, water features and a landscaped public plaza (about an acre) in the office ' campus area along Stevens Creek Boulevard. The plaza will be available for City events in the evenings and on weekends. Modifications To Existin~ Ri.clhts-Of-Wa¥ Proposed modifications to the existing rights-of-way include the realignment of Finch Avenue by curving it to the northwest and linking it to Vallco Parkway. The project also proposes the vacation of Vallco Parkway within the project site and a new E-W connector between Finch Avenue to the west and Tantau Avenue to. the east. The existing curb-cut at Finch Avenue 'and Stevens Creek Boulevard will be retained while the Vallco Parkway curb-cut on Tantau will be closed and replaced with a curb-cut for the E-W connector further south along Tantau Avenue. Land Use and Design The applicant has been working with staff and the City's design review architect to address the following issues: · Provide a tight-knit retail element around a circular plaza with connections to Vallco. · Locate office garage entrances away from main E-W connector and enhance pedestrian access to retail, residential, office and open spaces. · Design corporate office and residential buildings (scale and architectural character) to create a high-quality, pedestrian, mixed-use environment along Stevens Creek Boulevard. · Provide an open space buffer between office and residential uses, as well as trail connections along Calabazas creek. · Locate conference center around a plaza with attractive connections to office and retail. · Provide usable courtyards and amenity spaces for the residential development. · Provide adequate landscaped buffer and screening for residential uses from office complex to the west and from Stevens Creek Boulevard. Traffic, Parking, and Circulation The applicant is in the process of completing a Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA) to identify potential impacts to nearby streets and regional transportation systems, and necessary improvements to reduce traffic congestion and maximize safety. The TIA will consider and provide recommendations to address the following concerns: · Provide a traffic calming plan to reduce through traffic and speeding in nearby neighborhoods, and enhance pedestrian safety along; and · Design Finch Avenue and the E-W connector as part of an efficient, attractive circulation system incorporating pedestrian connections to the various uses. · Provide site improvements, contribute to area-wide improvements and incorporate transportation demand management (TDM) techniques to reduce traffic impacts. Criteria for General Plan Amendments The City's Municipal Code Section 20.02.025 contains criteria that the City Council should use to initiate consideration of a general plan amendment. The decision to consider a General Plan Amendment should be primarily based upon the degree to which the amendment will benefit the community and is compatible with the existing General Plan policies and goals. In addition, the amendment should meet at least.one of the following criteria: 1. The amendment appears to support the existing General Plan goals and objectives (although the degree of public benet'~ could not be fully ascertained until the project is fully assessed). 2. The proposed amendment represents an unforseen land use trend that had not been considered. 3. The existing General Plan policy, which precluded the proposed land use activity is based on outdated or inaccurate information. The Cupertino General Plan contain two policies that relate to pedestrian or mixed uses and housing: · Community Identity: Policy 2.1 Diversity of Land Use and Policy 2.2 Heart of the City-The project will create a high-quality, pedestrian-oriented mixed use development including retail, office and residences along Stevens Creek Boulevard. · Housing Variety: Policy 2-13: Full Range of Housing Opportunities and Policy, Policy 2-17 Housing Variation in the Urban Core- The project provides housing units in a mixed-use setting and increases the range of housing opportunities in the Heart of the City Plan area. The applicants believe the project satisfies these policies and incorporates the following amenities to benefit the public: · A daycare facility; · An additional 3% (approx. 12 units) residential units to be designated as BMR units above the 10% City requirement. · Use of the conference center for City functions (about 5-10% of the time); · A large public plaza that can also be used for Civic events; · A publicly accessible open space with connections to a landscaped trail along Calabazas creek (outside creek easement areas) and the drainage channel along Hwy 280 to the Vallco regional center; · An 11,000 square foot retail element around a circular plaza at the northwest section of Finch Avenue providing a connection to the Vallco Mall. · A 20,000 square foot public skateboard park at the northwest portion of Compaq properties adjacent to Hwy 280 (arrangements to be determined). FUTURE STEPS At the time of Council authorization tentatively scheduled for June 18e, 2001, staff will prepare a list of issues to be addressed in the application package. The applicant will have to provide sufficient information in the traffic report to ensure that the circulation system can accommodate project traffic, achieve optimum capacity, and protect neighborhoods from cut-through traffic. If the City Council authorizes a public headng for the general plan amendment, then the applicant will submit development applications to be heard concurrently with the subject general plan, zoning code, and specific plan amendments. The following actions would be necessary: · Amend the General Plan to: increase the square footage allocation and FAR for office space; allow residential uses on the site; increase heights and amend setback ratios for the development; · Amend the Zoning to allow inclusion of retail and residential uses; · Exceptions to the Heart of the City Specific Plan (for height and setbacks); · Use Permit; and · Tentative Map. Prepared By' Aarti Shrivastava, Senior Planner S~D ~'~PROVAL: SUBMITTED BY: ~sec~k~, ~r~r o~ ~ Dave Knapp, City Manager Community Development ATTACHMENTS A. Project Plans G:~Planning~Aarti\Projects\Compaq~Reports\CCSSl .doc Memo: Tuesday, June 5, 2001 To: Mayor James, City Council, Planning Commissioners, D. Knapp, S. Piasecki .; From: Don Burnett Subject: Compaq's 450.000 Sq. Ft. Bonus One of the features of the 1993 Compaq has already used part of this Cupertino General Plan was a 4~50.000 bonus in their existing buildings and square foot office growth bonus for about 350,000 square feet now remain. Compaq (Then Tandem). Since Compaq Development would be concentrated has continued requests for growth even onto about 16 acres of land between beyond this level, I would like to discuss Stevens Creek Boulevard, Vallco this bonus. Parkway, Wolfe Road and Tantau At General Plan FAR development Avenue. (I think it is worth noting that limits 450,.000 square feet of extra part of this land was created by covering growth would require 28 acres of land. over Calabazas Creek, something that This would result in increased value of would be unlikely to happen given at least 28 million dollars, current policies.) On the other hand, this growth would At the standard 0.37 FAR this land bring about 1800 workers into the would accommodate about 255,000 community with all the housing,, traffic, square feet of office space, so it can be power, water and other demands upon seen that the bonus could more than the community in ora_er to support the double the density compared to General workers. There is no question that the Plan standards. General Plan bonus provided Compaq I think it is important to approach with substantial financial benefit while Compaq's development requests aware burdening the community with onerous that they have already been given responsibilities, development rights well beyond C~encral Plan standards. Don Bumctt RESOLUTION NO. 01-125 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CUPERTINO REQUESTING DESIGNATION OF CANDIDATES WHO AGREE TO VOLUNTARY CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURE LIMITS WHEREAS, the City of Cupertino and other cities in the county have adopted voluntary campaign expenditure limits; and WHEREAS, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, upon request, will designate on the sample voter ballot those candidates who have agreed to abide by the such l'nnits; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Cupertino hereby requests that the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters place on the sample voter ballot an appropriate symbol designating candidates for Cupertino City Council who have agreed to abide by the campaign expenditure limit established by the Council. PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Cupertino this __ day of ,2001, by the following vote: Vote Members of the City Council AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: None ATTEST: APPROVED: /s/Kimberly Smith /s/Sandra James City Clerk Mayor, City of Cupertino