CITY OF COTATI

MINUTES for the Regular Meeting of the DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE

DATE OF MEETING: July 19, 2001

TIME OF MEETING: 4:30 p.m.

PLACE OF MEETING: Cotati City Hall, Conference Room

201 W. Sierra Avenue

I. CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Leys called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.

II. ROLL CALL

Committee Members Present: Kagan, Rock, Leys

Committee Members Absent: Draper, Davis, LeDoux

Staff Present: Woltering, Brisbine

III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

A. For the Regular Meeting on June 7, 2001

It was moved by Committee Member Kagan to approve the minutes of June 7, 2001, as submitted. Second by Chairman Leys.

Yes: 3 (Kagan, Rock, Leys) Noes: 0 Absent: 3 (Draper, Davis, LeDoux) Abstain: 0

IV. CHANGES TO AGENDA

Consultant Planner Woltering reported that agenda items A & B will need to be continued to August 2, 2001, because of a lack of quorum.

V. MATTERS AT HAND

A. Request for Preliminary Design Review approval to construct a 15,775 square foot, two-story industrial building located at 364 Blodgett Street. The proposed tenant of the building is Endless Knot Rug Co., which imports and sells Tibetan rugs. The use will consist of wholesale sales and warehousing along with corresponding office component

PA# 12/01 Applicant: Endless Knot Rug Company

AP# 046-111-014

Continued to August 2, 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

B. Request for Preliminary Design Review approval to construct a 17,895 square foot building located at 374 Blodgett Street (Lot 5 Kandy Business Park) to be used for electrical motor manufacturing and construction of a 17,255 square foot building located at 368 Blodgett Street (Lot 6 Kandy Business Park) with no tenant proposed at this time.

PA# 11/01 Applicant: Kandy Investments

AP# 046-111-014

Continued to August 2, 2001.

C. Request for Preliminary Design Review approval to construct a 4,600 square foot, single story industrial building at Blodgett Street, the building will have 1,400 square feet of office space and 3,200 square feet of manufacturing space.

PA# 06/01 Applicant: Smith Industrial Building

AP# 046-111-042

Consultant Planner Woltering presented the staff report and recommended preliminary design review approval subject to the suggested conditions of approval.

In response to questions from Committee Member Kagan, Consultant Planner Woltering said that he doesn't believe that the height of the trash enclosure would cause any visibility problems for vehicles entering the site. The handicap space will be for vans with an accompanying handicap ramp. Removal of the stockpiled soil on the site will probably require a grading permit, but Consultant Planner Woltering agreed to report back to the Committee on the exact requirements.

Committee Member Kagan commented that he would appreciate it if plans would show what is occurring on surrounding properties. He suggested that building footprints on adjacent properties would be helpful in order to see how the project blends in with the area.

Vice Chairman Rock requested and received clarification on the proposed location of the office and industrial space within the building. His concern was regarding access to the building from the handicap parking space.

Consultant Planner Woltering responded that at the present time, the property owner does not know whether or not there will be one or two tenants. He said that if there are two tenants, then a second handicap parking space may be necessary.

There was a considerable amount of discussion about the appropriate location for a second handicap parking space should one be required. There was a consensus to add the following condition.

Consultant Planner Woltering recommended that the applicant be requested to work with the adjacent property owner (Rainbo Breads) to remove the existing chain link fence between their properties in the front because it serves no purpose. Eliminating the fence would allow the project to blend with the existing landscaping.

Tom and Aggie Smith, the property owners, were present.

Mr. Smith discussed his project and stated a preference for having just one tenant.

Vice Chairman Rock said that he liked the project. His only concern was the provision for an additional handicap parking space if necessary.

Committee Member Kagan also said that he likes the project and that it blends well with the area. He suggested that the additional handicap parking space (if required) could be located adjacent to the roll up doors, or in the vicinity of parking space #12.

Chairman Leys commented that this is a good project. He suggested that there be consideration given to some variation in the roof line on the east elevation. Vice Chairman Rock suggested that perhaps the variation could occur with color.

Mr. Smith said that they hope to add some skylights and that should help to break up the roof.

Following some further discussion, it was the consensus to add a condition as follows:

Paul Larsen, the project architect arrived. He presented a color rendering of the project and gave a brief presentation.

Chairman Leys reviewed the issues that were discussed and the additional conditions that were recommended by the Design Review Committee.

In addition, Committee Member Kagan suggested that a condition be added as follows:

It was moved by Committee Member Kagan to grant Preliminary Design Review approval for a 4,600 square foot, single story industrial building at 321 Blodgett Street, subject to the following conditions of approval as amended. Second by Vice Chairman Rock.

Yes: 3 (Kagan, Rock, Leys) Noes: 0 Absent: 3 (Draper, Davis, LeDoux) Abstain: 0

Conditions of Approval: (PA# 06/01 - Smith Industrial Building)

Planning:

  1. The color of the metal siding and roof shall be a non-glare shade.
  2. Site details shall be provided including such items as fencing, trash enclosure, lighting, benches (if any) and bike racks, for Final Design Review.
  3. Exterior lighting plans shall be submitted, including illumination that highlights entry points and parking lot areas. No nuisance light spillover or glare onto adjacent properties is permitted.
  4. Detailed landscaping and irrigation plans shall be provided for Final Design Review.
  5. Proposed signs shall be submitted for Final Design Review approval.
  6. A color rendering and materials samples shall be provided at Final Design Review.

    7. Fire Department:

  7. The project proponent shall pay all pertinent plan check and inspection fees.
  8. The project shall be subject to standard conditions for an automatic sprinkler system.
  9. The building shall be fully sprinklered with water flow monitoring in accordance with the requirements of the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District.
  10. The applicant shall install a complete fire alarm system in accordance with NFPA 72.
  11. All exit signs and emergency lighting shall be in accordance with the 1998 California Building Code.
  12. All driveway curbing is to be painted "Red" and labeled in "White" lettering a minimum of 4" tall, NO PARKING-FIRE LANE
  13. A fire department lock box shall be required for this building.
  14. Any tenant improvements that interfere with the fire sprinkler system shall be corrected before this Department allows occupancy.
  15. All addresses on the property shall be properly displayed (twelve-inch numbers minimum) and shall be visible from the roadside in both directions of travel. Each suite shall have either a number or letter on both the main entrance door and any rear doors.
  16. Portable fire extinguishers shall be installed in accordance with the Uniform Fire Code Standards and this Department's requirements.
  17. All permits required by this Department shall be applied for and paid for before any work is started. Fire sprinkler system, fire alarm system, fire hydrant(s) and underground fire water mains all require permits from this department.
  18. A city of Cotati Business License is required for all businesses within the City.

    19. Sonoma County Water Agency:

  19. The project shall be in compliance with the Agency's Flood Control Design Criteria.

Design Review Committee (Added):

20. The parking lot design shall be modified to allow the opportunity for a second on-site handicap parking space in the circumstance that a second tenant would occupy the proposed building.

21. The roof height of the office portion of the building shall be reduced in relation to the warehouse portion to create a visual break in the overall building roofline.

22. The site plan for final design review shall indicate the land uses in the immediate vicinity of the site as well as depict the relative building locations associated with those uses.

D. Selection of two Design Review Committee members to serve on a City Council Ad Hoc Committee for the purpose of evaluating development review procedures.

The Committee consensus was to continue this to the next meeting when more members are present.

VI. REPORTS BY STAFF

Consultant Planner Woltering provided an update on the Cohousing project and showed the revised plans that were approved by the Planning Commission to the Committee members present.

A joint meeting between the City Council, Planning Commission, and Design Review Committee was announced. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 30, 2001, at 7:00 p.m.

The members present hoped to discuss the roles, responsibilities, and coordination/interaction between the City Council, Planning Commission, and Design Review Committee. They also requested clarification on the City's current policies regarding solar energy.

VII. REPORTS BY COMMITTEE

There were no reports by the Committee.

VIII. ADJOURNMENT

Chairman Leys adjourned the meeting at 5:40 p.m.

 

Submitted by:

Kathleen Brisbine

Administrative Secretary