101-Staff Report.pdf
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
CITY HALL
CUPERTINO, CA 95014-3255
(408) 777--planning@cupertino.org
PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item No. Agenda Date: May 24, 2011
Applications: U-2011-03, ASA-2011-04
Applicant: Edgar Elliott (Bay Club)
Owner: Sear & Roebuck Co.
Location: 10101 N. Wolfe Road (APN 316-20-080)
APPLICATION SUMMARY:
1.Use Permit (U-2011-03) to allow a new health club to open at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays and at
6:30 a.m. on weekends.
2.Architectural and Site Approval (ASA-2011-04) for façade, landscaping, parking lot, and
sidewalk enhancements, including a new trash enclosure to service an on-site café, inside a
new health club facility.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission:
Approve the Use Permit (U-2011-03) and Architectural and Site Approval (ASA-2011-04) in
accordance with the model resolutions.
PROJECT DATA:
*The portion of the mall property that is owned by Sears
General Plan Designation Commercial/Office/Residential
Specific Plan Heart of the City (East)/South Vallco Master Plan Area
Zoning Designation P (Planned Development)
Environmental Assessment Categorically Exempt
Lot Size 742,725 square feet/17.05 acres(net)*
Existing Mall (s.f.) 1,202,350 square feet
Existing Sears (s.f.) 257,548 square feet
Proposed Health Club (s.f.)
66,207 square feet
Proposed Sears (s.f.)
191,341 square feet
Existing Parking Stalls (Mall)
4,886 spaces
Required Parking Stalls
4,848 required (1/248s.f. per Mall Master Use Permit)
Building Height
No change
BACKGROUND:
Project Location and Surrounding Uses
The project site is located at the northwest corner of N. Wolfe Road and Stevens Creek
Boulevard at the Vallco Shopping Mall. The proposed project will convert approximately 26%
of the existing Sears building into a health club. The proposed health club (Bay Club) is owned
ASA-2011-04, U-2011-03Bay Club (Western Athletic Club)May 24, 2011
Page 2
and operated by Western Athletic Clubs, a luxury health club chain with nine clubs located in
The surrounding land uses to the north include the AMC theatres, Macy’s and the Vallco Mall.
Comme
are located across Stevens Creek Boulevard to the south. The Portal Plaza center borders the
project site to the west, and the Metropolitan Condominiums, Menlo Equities office complex
and the Rose Bowl development are located across N. Wolfe Road to the east.
Vallco AMC
Rosebowl
MallTheaters
residential
project
East
Sears
Bay
lot
Club
Portal Plaza
Menlo
Shopping Center
Sears
Equities
South parking lot
Auto
office
Center
complex
StevensCreekBlvd
StevensCreekBlvd
FIGURE 1
Property line
Gas
Parking lot area of work
United
station
Marketplace
Furniture
Int./ext. bldgarea of work
Shopping Center
on first level
N
N
N
Public ROW area of work
DISCUSSION:
Project Description
The proposed Bay Club will occupy approximately 26% of the floor area of the Sears building.
Sears will occupy the remaining 74% of the building space. In addition to the typical exercise
and sports activities, the proposed club will also include the following functions:
UseArea
Café (open to the public)3,600 s.f.
Pro Shop (open to the public)1,040 s.f.
Day Spa (open to the public)2,520 s.f.
Nail Salon (open to the public)520 s.f.
On-site Child care (for members only)950 s.f.
Teen Center (for members only)2,910 s.f.
Exterior Building & Site Improvements
In addition tointerior tenant improvements andland use changes, the project also proposes to
following exterior and site improvements:
ASA-2011-04, U-2011-03 Bay Club (Western Athletic Club) May 24, 2011
Page 3
Comprehensive exterior façade improvements (along the portion of the Bay Club’s building
frontage)
Parking lot improvements (resurfacing and re-striping of parking spaces, enhancing the
parking lot pedestrian walkways and landscaping)
Public sidewalk and pedestrian scale lighting enhancements along the Stevens Creek
Boulevard street frontage
Hours of Operation
The General Commercial (CG) Ordinance allows commercial businesses to be open outside of
regular business hours (7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.) with a Conditional Use Permit. Western Athletic
Clubs states that they expect the busiest times of the day to be early in the morning, during the
lunch hour and again during the evening. Consequently, in order to allow their members the
ability to use the facility prior to the start of the workday, the applicant is requesting for a 5:30
a.m. opening time on weekday and a 6:30 a.m. opening time on weekends for the facility.
Traffic, Parking and Circulation Analysis
the traffic generated by the proposed sports club (see Attachment 2). A focused traffic analysis
was prepared since the Sears store generates a minimal amount of traffic during the morning
commute time; however, the health club generates 77 additional A.M. peak hour trips. Since both
uses generate similar amounts of traffic during the evening commute period, a complete traffic
analysis was not required. The traffic analysis concludes that the overall impact to the
intersections studied is minimal and no traffic mitigation is required or recommended.
Parking spaces at the mall are shared by all of the mall uses. The Vallco Shopping Mall has
approximately 1,202,350 square feet of cumulative building area and about 4,886 total parking
spaces. The City’s original approval for the mall prescribed a parking ratio of 1 space per 248
square foot for the mall or 4,849 spaces. The approved parking ratio was developed to
accommodate all allowable uses including stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and fitness clubs.
If all the parking stalls at the mall are considered, their currently is a surplus of 37 parking
spaces.
The mall currently has 999,099 square feet of occupied space (or an occupancy rate of 83 percent).
including the parking areas in the immediately vicinity of the Bay Cl
Club will provide site improvements that will add approximately 80 parking spaces.
The project satisfies the City's requirements in terms of the required number of vehicular stalls;
and dimensions for parking stalls and drive aisles. The proposed project will also add 30 bicycle
parking racks in this area of the mall.
Building Architecture
The proposed façade improvements consist of a minimalistic and modern architectural theme.
New building materials are introduced to provide additional texture and visual interest, such as
aluminum panels at the street level and white integral color stucco panels with aluminum
reveals. Additionally, in order to visually differentiate the Sears façade from the Bay Club
façade, a green screen is proposed with climbing vines on both the east and the south elevations
of the building (see Plan Set).
ASA-2011-04, U-2011-03 Bay Club (Western Athletic Club) May 24, 2011
Page 4
The café proposed at the street level is located in the south east corner of the building. It will
have large openings on both the sides of the building that open on to the sidewalk activating the
street level and adding interest to the corner.
Site Improvements and Landscaping
The project proposes to enhance two parking areas (1 above) immediately
east and south of the building. A new trash enclosure, an accessible path of travel and tree wells
are being added to the east parking lot along Wolfe Road while an accessible path of travel, tree
wells and landscape islands are being added to the south parking lot along Stevens Creek
Boulevard. The project will include the repaving and restriping of the currently unimproved area
at the intersection of Stevens Creek Boulevard and Wolfe Road.
The applicant proposes to plant 110 low and medium water use 24-inch box trees in new tree
wells and shrubs in some of the existing landscape islands in the parking lot.
The project also proposes a new sidewalk along the Stevens Creek Boulevard frontage from the
driveway along Stevens Creek Boulevard to the existing construction fencing on site (identified
) consistent with the requirements of the Heart of the City Specific Plan. The
scale lighting is proposed near the sidewalk to illuminate the path.
Other Departments’ Review
Department, and the Cupertino Sanitary District reviewed the project and have no objections to
the project. Their pre-hearing comments have been incorporated as conditions of approval.
Environmental Assessment
The project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per
sections 15301, (Interior/exterior alterations, demolition of small commercial structures), 15304
(Minor alterations to land), and 15332 (Infill development) of the CEQA Guidelines.
Prepared by: Piu Ghosh, Associate Planner
Reviewed by: Approved by:
______________________________ ___________________________
Gary Chao Aarti Shrivastava
City Planner Community Development Director
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1. Model Resolutions
Attachment 2:
Attachment 3. Plan Set