HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-02-16 City Council (6)C ty of Palo Alto
Manager’s Report
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT
DATE:FEBRUARY 16, 1999 CMR:150:99
SUBJECT:PC ZONE CHANGE APPLICATION FOR PROPOSED EXPANSION
OF LUCKY STORE LOCATED AT 3445 ALMA STREET
This is an information report and no Council action is required.
BACKGROUND
This report provides information on the status of the requested Planned Community zone
change application for 3445 Alma Street, which has been proposed by Lucky Stores.
Included in this report is information about the completeness of the application, the issues
that remain to be resolved, and the tentative schedule for the public hearing and
environmental review process.
DISCUSSION
The project, as proposed by Lucky Stores, is an application for a Planned Community (PC)
zone modification to: (a) remove approximately 31,798 square feet of existing building (the
Lucky store and the two-story retail building); (b) construct a new Lucky/Sav-On that is
approximately 44,777 square feet (for an increase of 12,979 square fee0; and (c) renovate
the existing single-story, 13,364-square-foot retail building. Such comprehensive site
improvements will also include a reconfigured and re-landscaped parking lot and other
related site improvements.
As of January 1999, the Lucky Stores application was deemed complete. Prior to this
completion determination, staff and the applicant were working towards finalization of
required submittal information and several draft plan reviews. The applicant also held two
neighborhood meetings to obtain feedback on the initial proposal.
Staffand the applicant are continuing to receive and review new and updated information on
the project, in particular traffic and signal studies. Before staff presents the project to the
Planning Commission, the following issues need to be resolved:
CMR:150:99 Page 1 of 3
Public Benefit. A clearer and more complete public benefit assessment needs to be
provided for the project, to justify the requested zone change. In addition to providing
a seating area, the applicant has considered providing public art, traffic calming
devices for Ramona Street, and pedestrian linkage into the site. The applicant has not
yet submitted the full public benefit package.
Parking Requirements. According to the Zoning Code requirements, the proposed
project requires 296 parking stalls. However, the applicant’s proposal accommodates
just 256 stalls. The applicant is seeking a waiver of the Zoning Code parking
standards to allow for this 14 percent reduction in parking. At the neighborhood
meetings, some residents stated that they did not want any parking stalls removed.~
They believed that with fewer stalls, Lucky’s customers would park on the residential
streets. The applicant will be providing a parking analysis of similar facilities in
similar cities to perhaps justify the reduced parking ratio. The applicant also needs
to provide a statement of the alternative methods of transportation that will be
implemented to justify the reduced parking, such as providing transit passes to
employees.
Signal Phasing Study. The applicant is proposing a new traffic signal on Alma
Street, at the entrance to the shopping center. The drat~ Signal Phasing Study
indicates that the proposed signal is too close to the East Meadow Drive signal to be
effective and the new signal may even aggravate existing intersection conditions.
Noise and Views. Staffhas raised concems regarding noise at the proposed delivery
bays. The Department has requested information defining the timing of deliveries and
types of delivery trucks for the existing facility and for the proposed store. A view
analysis from the Ramona apartments to the truck dock bays also needs to be
submitted.
Lot Lines. The. applicant needs to submit a lot line adjustment or lot merger
application now, so that staff may combine the applications.
Maintenance and Security. Staff needs to evaluate the maintenance and security
plans for the Ramona Street pathway (which is proposed to run the length of the new
building between the store and the Emerson neighborhood block wall) and the
outdoor seating area at the end of the pathway. Although this pathway is acceptable
to staff, it is not acceptable to some residents in the surrounding neighborhood
(Emerson Street). Additionally, the Emerson Street residents believe that the seating
area will be a noise generator and the place where people will leave their shopping
carts before walking down the Ramona Street pathway.
CMR:150:99 Page 2 of 3
The following schedule is tentative, and if staff and the applicant can not resolve the above-
mentioned issues within the proposed time frames, then either staff will schedule later dates
for the hearings or staff will move forward with a negative recommendation.
-OBJECTIVE :
First Planning Commission meeting
Start of 20-day public comment period on Environment
Impact Assessment (EIA)
Architectural Review Board meeting
20-day EIA comment period over (if Environmental
Impact Report is not required, proceed to next steps)
Second Planning Commission meeting
City Council meeting
City Council meeting for second reading of ordinance
Ordinance goes into effect
TENTATIVE DATE
03-10-99 Wed
03-12-99 Fri
04-01-99 Thu
04-28-99 Wed
06-07-99 Mon
06-14-99 Mon
07-14-99 Wed
PREPARED BY: Nancy M. Hutar, Contract Planner
DEPARTMENT HEAD APPROVAL:
G. EDWARD GAWF
Director of Planning and Community Environment
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
Assistant City Manager
CMR: 150:99 Page 3 of 3