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CC 05-13-02 C17¥ ~ CUPERTINO APPROVED MINUTES CUPERTINO CITY COUNCIL (Regular Adjourned Meeting) CUPERTINO PLANNING COMMISSION (Special Meeting) Monday, May 13, 2002 CALL TO ORDER At 4:40 p.m. Mayor Lowenthal called the meeting to order in Conference Room C, 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, California. ROLL CALL City Council members present: Mayor Richard Lowenthal, Vice-Mayor Michael Chang, and Council members Patrick Kwok and Dolly Sandoval. Council members absent: Sandra James. Planning Commission members present: Chairperson Charles Corr and Commissioners Marc Auerbach, and Taghi Saadati. Planning Commissioner members absent: Angela Chen. Staff present: City Manager David Knapp, Deputy City Attorney Eileen Murray, Community Development Director Steve Piasecki, City Planner Cynthia Wordell, Senior Planners Aarti Shrivastava and Vera Gil, Parks and Recreation Director Therese Smith, Public Works Director Ralph Quails, and City Clerk Kimberly Smith. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - None STUDY SESSION Joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission to introduce a plan by Prometheus Real Estate Group to redevelop a portion of the existing Villa Serra and Grove Apartments located on Homestead Road near Stelling Road. Community Development Director Steve Piasecki highlighted the staff report, and said that after receiving Council feedback on this conceptual proposal, the applicant will prepare a development proposal that will go through the formal public heating process. He said that staff had met with the Prometheus Real Estate Group over the last year to discuss redeveloping the 336-unit Villa Serra Apartments and the 52-unit Grove Apartments. A master plan was prepared which would have been constructed in phases. Because of changing economic conditions, Prometheus is now modifying the plans to develop only a portion of the site. May 13, 2002 Cupertino City Council & Page 2 Cupertino Planning Commission Piasecki listed the major issues associated with adding higher density in this area, as follows: · Need for public open space, since there are no Cupertino public parks in the area · Bicycle and pedestrian access through the site from Stelling Road to Franco Court and out to Homestead Road · Pedestrian/Bicycle enhancements to the Stelling Road/Highway 280 overpass · Traffic mitigation · Site design relationships and building interface of new four-story buildings with existing older two-story apartments · Long-term site relationship to adjacent commercial centers · Retention and relocation or replacement of existing trees · Reduction of the more affordable market-rate housing stock · Early notice and relocation assistance to tenants displaced by the redevelopment He talked about the impacts on traffic from this and other proposed developments in the area, and said that Council should assume that the proposed Juniper Networks development will occur, which would be a sizeable impact. He also said that the city owns the water pump site adjacent to the Villa Serra property, which may be a potential site for a small park. John Moss, a principle with Prometheus Real Estate Group, introduced his colleague Phil Mater, building Architect Don Sandy, and landscape architect Paul Lettieri. Moss distributed a folder highlighting the Prometheus Group and discussed their other developments in Cupertino. He reviewed the site plan of the original master plan and discussed the underground parking, the recreation area, and "finger parks" in other locations on the site. Moss distributed a Mercury News article about declining rental prices. He introduced their revised concept for an initial phase, which may be all that will be redeveloped for some time. Of the existing 400 units, they would remove some and build others, for a net increase of 264 units. Forty of those would be below-market-rate (BMR) units. Paul Lettieri with the Guzzardo Group discussed the proposed landscape plan. He said the intent was to create a type of city grid with lively streets. Both vehicle and pedestrian traffic would be channeled to the same place, while at the same time they would provide paths for pedestrians and bicycles only. Each podium section would have a garden area on top of the garage. Don Sandy of Sandy & Babcock, the building architect, discussed the parking structures and the streets, which would be tree-lined with parking on one side. The intention is to make it inviting to people inside and outside of the immediate neighborhood. Each center courtyard would serve as a small subdivision with a small recreational amenity such as a spa, a weight room, or a small pool. The large center "town square" would have other recreational amenities. Sandy discussed the architecture, which was a modern interpretation of classic French architecture. He distributed copies of the elevations and an aerial photograph of the site. May 13, 2002 Cupertino City Council & Page 3 Cupertino Planning Commission Kwok asked why the buildings would be four levels high, since land was not a limiting factor in this area. Moss said that it was a matter of unit yield, and although the buildings would be higher than others in the area, there are some significant buffers around the neighborhood. Moss discussed the tenant mix and said they expect that the majority of tenants would be singles, or families with very small children. Sandoval said she was excited about the proposal. She felt this was a good location for a more high-density, urban look, and although there will be traffic impacts, the complex is close to Highway 280. Lowenthal noted that the Juniper Networks development is proposed to be 2 million square feet of office, and it will have a major impact on traffic. Piasecki said that although Prometheus is proposing a different plan than their earlier master plan, the housing units are still identified in the General Plan so there is not a problem in terms of meeting ABAG requirements. However, some problems still not addressed are the interface between the old and new units, and the fact that the amenities shown on the master plan do not appear on this partial plan. He said that Council should be satisfied that this initial phase is acceptable for the long term. Discussion followed regarding options for providing open space for the new development, and building heights in the area. Chang made the following comments: · Some of the units should be designed for families, with facilities and amenities for children and teenagers. · This should be a community, not just a residence for high-tech workers, so desirable features would be lawns, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc. · Units facing Homestead Road should be only 3 stories high. · Some units should be available for sale. Lowenthal made the following comments: · Bicycle paths and the 280 over crossing improvements were needed in the initial phase. · Pedestrian and bicycle traffic should flow through the complex without being fenced off. · Paths and trails should be identified to where they go, and people should feel welcome to use them. · He agreed with a letter Prometheus had submitted for an earlier Council meeting which suggested that the BMR guidelines are not targeting the right population. Lowenthal said the BMR units should target people who are currently working in Cupertino, but right now the concept feels more like executive apartments. · The units should be family-oriented, with tot lots, etc., and some of them should have 3 bedrooms. · Current renters should not be given large rental increases. Also, housing advocates are requesting the housing be preserved at old prices, and that developers are being asked to provide more than 15% as BMR units. · He suggested that Prometheus survey the existing residents regarding tennis courts. May 13, 2002 Cupertino City Council & Page 4 Cupertino Planning Commission · The Planning Department should notice those people who will be impacted by traffic, in a 1000-foot radius from Foothill Blvd. to DeAnza Blvd. · He was in favor of some for-sale units. · Four levels high is acceptable as long as there are other benefits, including trails. Dolly Sandoval suggested that until the master plan is developed, perhaps the Grove Apartments could be demolished and that area be utilized for the neighborhood's open space needs. Charles Corr said he was concerned about how this development will appear on the street. The rendering appears cold, but it should be welcoming and warm. Parks and Recreation Director Therese Smith noted that, with the increased density, Prometheus would need to provide 2 1/8 acres of parkland. Since this area is deficient in open space, she recommended that they provide the land for use by the public instead of an in-lieu fee. The pump site can be used as open space as well but would not meet the requirements of the code. Piasecki agreed that if the project were fully developed, the tenants would demand a fully developed public park. Marc Auerbach made the following comments: · Without a park it is a very sterile area, so it will need a lot of green space. · Family-oriented facilities are needed. · He liked the street structure, and it may be interesting to mirror it on surrounding streets by making them more green and pedestrian-friendly. · This will be a good place for pedestrians and cyclists because there are a lot of support structures nearby, including two markets, a Starbucks, etc. RECESS At 6:00 p.m., the Planning Commission meeting was adjoumed and the City Council was in recess. At 6:40 p.m. the City Council reconvened. COMMISSION INTERVIEWS 2. City Council interviews of applicants for the Planning Commission. City Council members interviewed the following candidates: Lisa Giefer, Michael Mansch, Michael Masunaga, Prabhu Dev, Edward Britt, Gilbert Wong, Shishir Mukherjee, Bernie Nijjar, David Riopel, and David £ggleston. The Council members voted unanimously to appoint Gilbert Wong to the unscheduled vacancy, for a term that will end in January 2005. May 13, 2002 Cupertino City Council & Page 5 Cupertino Planning Commission ADJOURNMENT At 8:10 p.m. the meeting was adjourned. ity Clerk For more information: Staff reports, backup materials, and items distributed at the meeting are available for review at the City Clerk's Office, 777-3223. Televised Council meetings may be viewed live on Cable Channel 26, and may also be viewed live or on demand at wwvw.cupertino.orff. Videotapes of the televised meetings are available at the Cupertino Library, or may be purchased from the Cupertino City Channel, 777-2364. The study session and interviews on May 13 were not televised.