DRC 03-19-02Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 777-3308
Design Review Committee
March 19, 2002
APPROVED MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE DESIGN
REVIEW COMMITTEE HELD ON MARCH 19, 2002
ROLL CALL
Committee Members present:
Committee Members absent:
Staff present:
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
1. February 6, 2002
Marc Auerbach, Chairperson
Taghi Saadati, Commissioner
None
Ciddy Wordell, City Planner
Minutes of the February 6, 2002 Design Review Committee meeting approved.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS:
POSTPONEMENTS/REMOVAL FROM CALENDAR:
ORAL COMMUNICATION: None
CONSENT CALENDAR: None
OLD BUSINESS: None
NEW BUSINESS: None
PUBLIC HEARING:
Application:
Applicant:
Location:
EXC-2002-01
David Sussman (Cupertino Hotel Associates)
10050 S. De Anza Boulevard
Sign exception to construct two monument signs for a proposed hotel and
restaurant and to exceed the allowed number and size of wall signs in
accordance with Title 17 of the Cupertino Municipal Code.
Design Review Committee
March 19, 2002
Design Review Committee decision final unless appealed
Staff Presentation: Ciddy Wordell, City Planner, stated that she received some
minor changes to the plan set. A new plan set was given to each Committee
member and Ms. Wordell briefly explained what was being proposed and
pointed out the changes. One of the changes for the monument signs is that the
applicant has moved them back behind the property line. In the new set, the font
on the tower sign has changed to give the sign a less basic look. The exceptions
that are needed are to allow for two monument signs, one for the hotel and one
for the restaurant, instead of the one allowed monument sign. The size of the
hotel monument sign exceeds the size that is allowed and the number of wall
signs also exceeds the one wall sign per business. The height of the hotel
lettering also exceeds the maximum. From the beginning of the project, the hotel
and the restaurant were viewed as two separate entities. The name of the
restaurant will not be called the Cypress Restaurant and it is for that main reason
that staff supports the exceptions. Ms. Wordell stated that staff also felt it was
important to have the two lower and two upper wall signs facing both directions.
Staff was concerned with the brightness of the letters on the illuminated tower
sign.
Taghi Saadati, Commissioner, asked questions about the height of the letters on
the wall sign and when the sign will be illuminated. It was stated that the sign
would only be illuminated at night.
Marc Auerbach, Chairman, wanted to clarify that the name of the hotel and the
restaurant were going to be different and wanted to make that a condition of
approval. Mr. Auerbach was pleased to that the monument- signs were set back.
David Sussman, applicant, stated that he has reviewed the existing monument
signs on Stevens Creek Boulevard and discovered that some of them were even
higher than the ones that the Cupertino Hotel Associates was proposing. He
feels strongly about the sign facing west. If someone were traveling from
Saratoga and the sign was not on the west face, the person would have passed
the hotel by the time that they saw the sign. Mr. Sussman explained that the wall
signs were not going to be self-illuminated. The lighting will be coming from the
plant beds. The monument signs are internally illuminated, but only the letters
glow and a little bit of area around the letters. Tamsen McCracken, The Kimpton
Group, stated that one of the important reasons for the two monument signs is
that they will help lesson the traffic congestion if it can be determined where the
hotel entrance is and the restaurant entrance is. They will also help separate the
hotel from the restaurant.
3 Design Review Committee
March 19, 2002
Chairperson Saadati moved to approve EXC-2002-01 with the condition to have
the name of the restaurant on the monument sign to be different from the hotel
name.
MOTION:
SECOND:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
VOTE:
Commissioner Saadati moved to approve EXC-2002-01 as amended
Chairperson Auerbach
None
None
Approved 2-0
Respectfully submitted:
Kiersa Witt
Administrative Clerk
g:planning/DRC Committee/Minutes031902