BACKGROUND

The applicants, 801 Associates LLC, are proposing a conforming Planned Development Rezoning of a 4.3-gross-acre site from A(PD) Planned Development to A(PD) Planned Development to allow up to 194 apartments. The proposed project consists of a single four-story podium building situated over a garage level.

The subject site is currently vacant.  The site was the subject of two previously approved Planned Development Rezonings:

1.      File No. PDC97-046, approved in 1998, to allow up to 158 apartments. A subsequent Planned Development Permit was approved in 2000, but the project was not built. The site design included a driveway and surface parking spaces around the perimeter of the site.

2.      File No. PDC00-123 (and subsequent permit), approved in 2001, to allow up to 196 apartments. The building in this proposal had a larger footprint than what was previously approved, and the maximum height was raised from 45 feet to 50 feet. This proposal took advantage of a recent General Plan Text Amendment that increased the maximum allowed density for parcels with the High-Density Residential designation to 50 dwelling units per acre, and increased the height policy limit to 50 feet for residential buildings in most areas of the city. The perimeter driveway and surface parking spaces were deleted, and the building extended closer to the property lines. The proposed architectural concept was also modified.

The proposed project contains no new design elements that significantly differ from elements of the previously approved proposals. The design of the proposed project is largely a hybrid of the 1997 site plan and the increased density and architectural character of the rezoning that was approved in 2000 (see Project Description and Analysis sections, below). Planning staff considered the new combination of these elements, which were previously approved separately, to be a significant enough change to the project that City Council review was appropriate. However, the proposal is being processed as a conforming rezoning because the change in the project was viewed as substantially similar to what was previously approved by the Council, making a more streamlined review process appropriate.

The existing surrounding land uses consist of two-story multi-family attached residences on the south west sides of the site, commercial retail (Toys ‘R’ Us) on the north side of the site, and a variety of commercial uses to the east of the site across Winchester Boulevard. The subject site is located within the area encompassed by the Winchester Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) Plan.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The proposed project consists of 194 apartment units in a four-story podium building over a partially below-grade parking garage. The project design essentially combines elements of the two previously approved projects on the site. It has the basic site layout and building footprint of the 1997 project, but only two fewer units than the 2001 project. The architectural concept is substantially similar to what was approved in 2001. Please refer to the analysis section, below, for further discussion of the project’s site design, architecture, and conformance to the Winchester SNI Plan.

GENERAL PLAN CONFORMANCE

The proposed project has a net density of 49 DU/AC, which is consistent with the site’s General Plan Land Use/Transportation Diagram designation of High-Density Residential (25-50 DU/AC).

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

Environmental clearance for this project was granted through an addendum to the Negative Declaration adopted for the previous Planned Development Rezoning that was approved in 2001. With a slightly smaller unit count and similar site design, the proposed and previous projects are essentially identical for purposes of environmental review. 

ANALYSIS

Site Design

The proposed building includes some use of four-story elements, similar to the 1997 project but unlike the 2001 proposal, which was all three-story. However, the overall building height is the same as what was approved in 2001, i.e., the 50-foot maximum allowed under the General Plan for residential buildings in most areas of the City.

The City’s Residential Design Guidelines (RDGs) do not differentiate between three-story and four-story buildings for purposes of compatibility with adjacent land uses. The proposed perimeter setbacks (approximately 53 feet on the front, 58 feet on the sides, and 35 feet on the rear) fall within the range of the two previously proposed projects’ setbacks. Staff believes the proposed site design will provide an adequate amount of buffering from the adjacent residential and commercial land uses.

On-site parking for residents and guests is provided at the ratios recommended in the RDGs. Unlike the project approved in 2001, guest parking is provided along the sides of the site, rather than between the front of the building and Winchester Boulevard. As with both of the previous approvals, the primary driveway entrance will align with Magliocco Drive.

Common open space and private open space (balconies and patios) are provided in conformance with the RDGs. 

Architecture

The conceptual architectural of the proposed building is similar to and compatible with the previously approved proposals, and is appropriate for the building’s location and surroundings. However, it may be desirable for the building to have a more defined entry feature visible from the street, and for access to the podium/garage level to be taken from the north side of the building instead of from the rear of the site. These aspects of the final design, as well as the building materials and other details of the conceptual architectural design, will undergo further review and refinement at the Planned Development Permit stage.

Conformance to Winchester SNI Plan

The proposed project will support the implementation of the Winchester SNI Plan by allowing high-density residential development on a high-profile site that is identified in the plan as an underutilized gap in the plan’s major public thoroughfare. Street dedication along the project frontage, sidewalk improvements, street trees, and on-site landscaping will substantially enhance the aesthetic qualities of the immediate surroundings, and will support the Plan’s vision of Winchester Boulevard’s eventual evolution into a transit-oriented development corridor.  

RECOMMENDATION

Planning staff recommends that the City Council adopt an ordinance rezoning the subject site for the following reasons:

1.      The proposed rezoning conforms to the subject site’s General Plan Land Use/Transportation Diagram designation of High-Density Residential (25-50 DU/AC).

2.      The proposed project substantially conforms to the Residential Design Guidelines.

3.      The project furthers the goals and objectives of the City’s in-fill housing strategies.

4.      The proposed rezoning is compatible with existing and proposed uses on the adjacent and neighboring properties.