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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4 - Appeal of Admin-ADR 16-24DATE: May 10, 2016 TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commission FROM: Jim Kasama, Community Development Administrator By: Thomas Li, Associate Planner SUBJECT: APPEAL OF THE PLANNING SERVICES APPROVAL OF ADMINISTRATIVE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN REVIEW NO. ADMIN- ADR 16-24 WITH A CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) FOR NEW PAINT COLORS FOR AN EXISITNG 18-UNIT RESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUM COMPLEX AT 816-818 WEST NAOMI AVENUE Recommendation: Deny appeal and uphold approval SUMMARY Ms. Kathy Van Karnes, President of the 810 West Naomi Homeowner’s Association, filed an appeal on behalf of the association of the Planning Services’ administrative architectural design review approval of newly painted exterior colors for an existing 18- unit residential condominium complex at 816-818 West Naomi Avenue. The appellants find the colors to be too intense for the neighborhood. Planning staff visited the site, and found the colors as painted to be appropriate for the style of the building, and for the neighborhood. It is recommended that the Planning Commission deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Services’ approval of the new paint colors. BACKGROUND The subject 18-unit Spanish-Mediterranean style condominiums were constructed in 1981 – see Attachment No. 1 for an aerial photo and photos of the subject property and vicinity. The condominiums were originally painted a cream base color with salmon pink accent panels, as seen in Attachment No. 2 – Photo of the Subject Buildings with the Original Colors. On February 25, 2016, the Code Services Office responded to the appellant’s complaint of new paint colors on the subject buildings at 816-818 West Naomi Avenue, and issued a Notice of Violation to the subject Golden West Naomi Homeowners Association for not having obtained approval of the new paint colors. In response, Ms. Pat Amos, property manager of the subject property, submitted specifications of the colors to Planning Services for review and consideration. Planning Services found the colors to be consistent with the City’s Multiple-Family Residential Design Guidelines, and on March 30, 2016, issued an administrative approval of the new exterior paint colors under Administrative Architectural Design Review No. Admin- ADR 16-24. On April 7, 2016, the President of the 810 W. Naomi Homeowners Association filed a timely appeal of this decision. Appeal of Admin-ADR 16-24 816-818 W. Naomi Avenue May 10, 2016 – Page 2 of 5 PROPOSAL The applicant recently completed the exterior painting of the existing 18-unit residential condominium complex. As previously mentioned, the subject Spanish Mediterranean style buildings were constructed in 1981, and originally painted with a cream base color and salmon pink accents. The colors had faded over the years and in order to keep up the property, the buildings were painted with a Dunn Edwards “Copper Moon” base color and “Santa Fe Sunset” for the accents. These colors are darker than the original finishes. The appellant, Ms. Kathy Van Karnes, President of the 810 W. Naomi Avenue Homeowner’s Association, submitted an appeal letter outlining their issues with the colors – see Attachment No. 3 for the Appeal Letter. The appellant finds the paint colors to be “very loud and stand out in conflict with the other townhouses” in the area; the glare of the red/orange hue reflecting off the building is very unpleasant and reflects heat. They are asking that the red/orange accent areas be changed to a softer, less reflective color to protect the enjoyment of their property. The applicant submitted a letter to defend their choice of colors – see Attachment No. 4 for the Applicant’s Letter. They assert that the colors were selected to add value, beauty, and style that complement the neighborhood. They have included photos of homes in the vicinity with similar colors. ANALYSIS The purpose of architectural design review as stated in the City’s Guidelines (Attachment No. 5) is to promote a desired level of quality development in the City that will provide the following: 1. Contribute to a positive physical image and identity of multiple-family residential development. 2. Foster design that is sensitive to both the site and its surroundings. 3. Provide guidance for the orderly development of the City and promote high quality development. 4. Maintain and protect the value of property. 5. Reinforce the importance of the pedestrian scale and space. 6. Ensure that the architectural design of structures and their materials and colors are visually harmonious with surrounding developments. 7. Encourage improvements that respect or improve neighborhood character. 8. Ensure that plans for the landscaping of open spaces conform to the requirements set forth in the Code, and that they provide visually pleasing settings for structures on the site and on adjoining and nearby sites and blend harmoniously with the natural landscape. Appeal of Admin-ADR 16-24 816-818 W. Naomi Avenue May 10, 2016 – Page 3 of 5 9. Encourage excellence in architectural design to enhance the visual environment of the City, preserve and protect property values, the character of the community, and mitigate against degradation and depreciation. 10. Promote and protect the health, safety, comfort and general welfare of the community, to promote the standards of appearance in the community and encourage the appropriate use of land within the City. The interpretation and implementation of the design guidelines is to be based on the above purposes, and projects should meet the intent of the above purposes. The guidelines are not intended to impose any overriding style, a limited color palette, or any artificial theme; rather, they are intended to promote positive design characteristics. With regard to building colors, a key issue is the avoidance of color schemes that clash with the predominant use of color on the street. Based on the first images that staff viewed, it did appear that the “Santa Fe Sunset” accent color was too bold. But, in reviewing additional images, planning staff found that the color appears very differently depending on the camera, monitor, printer, time of day the photo was taken, viewing angle, etc. Therefore, planning staff visited the site to review the colors of the subject buildings in person. It was the consensus amongst planning staff that, although the accent color is somewhat vibrant, it is acceptable, and consistent with the style of the buildings and the colors in the neighborhood. Staff noted that the neighboring property to the west has a similar trim color, but it is used only on smaller trim features. Also, the colors blend with the commercial center across the street. It is recommended that the Commissioners visit the site and neighborhood to see the colors in person prior to the meeting. FINDINGS Staff finds the proposed colors to be consistent with the City’s Multiple-Family Residential Design Guidelines (Attachment No. 5). The following four guidelines address building colors:  The architectural treatment of buildings and structures and their materials, textures and colors shall be visually harmonious with existing buildings and structures, and surrounding development, and shall enhance the appearance of the area. (p.9)  Architecture and landscaping design elements shall be considered in their overall visual design to be harmonious and attractive. Review shall include: materials, textures, colors, illumination, and landscaping. (p.9)  Garish, non-harmonious or out-of-character colors should not be used on any building face, or roof visible from the street or from an adjoining site. Exposed metal flashing or trim should be anodized or painted to blend with the exterior colors of the building. (p.10)  A balanced color palette should be kept using the correct proportions between the lighter “base colors” and the brighter “accent colors” on each building. Buildings with large walls should have a subtle base color. The base color on smaller Appeal of Admin-ADR 16-24 816-818 W. Naomi Avenue May 10, 2016 – Page 4 of 5 buildings or those with more elaborate detail can use slightly stronger tones. In general, earth tone wall colors should be predominant including off-white, cream, or light pastels, avoiding the strong pink and salmon hues. (p.11) Planning Services found that the colors are consistent with and complement the colors found in the surrounding developments. They are consistent with the style of the subject buildings, match the terra-cotta, curved-tile roofing, and the accent color replaces the previous salmon pink color in the same proportions that it was on the subject buildings. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS The proposed project qualifies as a Class 1 Categorical Exemption for an existing facility with no expansion of use under the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines. Refer to Attachment No. 6 for the Preliminary Exemption Assessment. PUBLIC COMMENTS Public hearing notices for this appeal were mailed on April 28, 2016 to the property owners and tenants of those properties within a 100-foot radius of the subject property. As of May 4, 2016, staff has not received any public comments on this project. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Planning Commission deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Services administrative approval and find that the project is exempt per Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION Approval of Appeal If the Planning Commission intends to approve the appeal and overturn the Planning Services administrative approval of the design, the Commission should approve a motion to approve the appeal and deny Admin-ADR 16-24 and state specifically how, based on the record, the proposed design is not consistent with the City’s Multiple- Family Residential Design Guidelines. Denial of Appeal If the Planning Commission intends to deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Services administrative approval of the design, the Commission should approve a motion that finds the project is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and that denies the appeal and upholds the approval of Administrative Architectural Design Review No. Admin-ADR 16-24, stating that the paint colors are consistent with the City’s Multiple-Family Residential Design Guidelines. Appeal of Admin-ADR 16-24 816-818 W. Naomi Avenue May 10, 2016 – Page 5 of 5 If any Planning Commissioner, or other interested party has any questions or comments regarding this matter prior to the May 10, 2016, Planning Commission Meeting, please contact Associate Planner, Thomas Li by calling (626) 574-5447, or by email to TLi@ArcadiaCA.gov. Approved: Attachment No. 1: Aerial Photos with Zoning Information & Photos of Subject Property and Vicinity Attachment No. 2: Photo of the Subject Property with the Original Colors Attachment No. 3: Appeal Letter Attachment No. 4: Applicant’s Letter Attachment No. 5: Multiple-Family Residential Design Guidelines Attachment No. 6: Preliminary Exemption Assessment Attachment No. 1 Attachment No. 1 Aerial Photo with Zoning Information & Photos of Subject Property and Vicinity 816-818 West Naomi Avenue 1,642 sq. ft./unit 37,780 sq. ft. View of the Subject Property with the new paint colors Closer View of the Subject Property with the new paint colors View of the Adjacent Property to the East (Appellant) View of the Adjacent Property to the West View of the commercial retail center across the street to the northwest Attachment No. 2 Attachment No. 2 Photo of the Subject Property with the Original Colors Photos of the Subject Buildings in their Original Colors Photo courtesy of Google Map Street View Attachment No. 3 Attachment No. 3 Appeal Letter Attachment No. 4 Attachment No. 4 Applicant’s Letter DATE:April29,2016 TO:JimKasama,PlanningCommission FROM:GoldenWestNaomiHomeownersAssociation SUBJECT:GoldenWestNaomiBuildingColors AFFIRMATIVEDEFENSE 1.GoldenWestNaomiHomeownersAssociation(GWN-HOA)assertsthatitscolorswere selectedinamannerthatservedtoaddvalue,beauty,andstylethatcomplementsits neighborhood. PursuanttoCityofArcadia,MunicipalCode,Division5.-ArchitecturalDesignReview, 9295.-Purpose,"TheDesignGuidelinesdonotseektoimposeanoverridingstyle,a limitedcolorpalette,oranartificialtheme,butseektopromotethepositivedesign characteristicsexistingthroughouttheCity. PursuanttoCityofArcadia,MunicipalCode,Division5.-ArchitecturalDesignReview, 9295.2-HowtoUsetheDesignGuidelines,"Ownersofpropertiesshouldstrivetobe creativeandinnovativeandlookbeyondfranchiseorboilerplatearchitectural,signage andlandscapearchitecturaldesigntreatment. 2.GoldenWestNaomiHomeownersAssociation(GWN-HOA)assertsthatitsownersactedin amannertoavoidhavingtheirpropertyindisrepair.Insteadofallowingthebuildingsto deterioratewithcracks,paintchippinganddiscoloration,thehomeownerschoseto maintainedtheirpropertyinpartbyfillingandrepairingcracks,andpaintingtheirbuildings. BecauseoftheMaintenanceperformed,paintingtheirbuildings,GWN-HOAavoided publicnuisanceassetforthinCityofArcadia,MunicipalCode,Division5.-Architectural DesignReview,9402.3-Definition.,2.Buildingswithdeterioratingorpeelingpaintthat allowstheexteriorbuildingcoveringstodeteriorateortopermittheeffectsofsunand waterpenetrationsoastoencouragedecay,dryrot,warpingandcracking; 3.Thereareanumberofhomes,buildings,anddwellings,withintheneighborhoodofGWN- HOA,thatarepaintedwithdifferentandmuchmorevibrantcolors.AssuchtheGWN-HOA acceptsthesecolorsaspartofthecommunity,anddoesnotseektoaskforacolorchange, simplybecausethecolorsmaynotbetoourliking. Enclosedarepicturesofsaiddwellings,alongwithapictureofGWN-HOA CityofArcadia,MunicipalCode,Division5.-ArchitecturalDesignReview,9295.- Purpose,"TheDesignGuidelinesdonotseektoimposeanoverridingstyle,alimited colorpalette,oranartificialtheme,butseektopromotethepositivedesign characteristicsexistingthroughouttheCity. GoldenWestNaomiHomeownersAssociation 816-818WNaomiAve.#19-Arcadia,CA91007 DENYAPPEALOFCOMPLAINANT Basedontheinformationpresented,GoldenWestNaomiHomeownersAssociationrequests thatthePlanningCommissiondenythecomplainantappeal. Respectfully GoldenWestNaomiHomeownersAssociation 816-818WNaomiAve Arcadia,CA91007 Contact PatAmos SeniorClientAdvisor GreenerRealEstate PropertyManagementforGoldenWestNaomiHOA Office:(818)864-4707 Email:pat@GreenerRealEstate.com Encl:5Pictures (1GWN-HOA,4OtherDwellingsinNeighborhoodwithvibrantcolors) GoldenWestNaomiHomeownersAssociation 816-818WNaomiAve.,Arcadia DwellingsintheNeighborhoodwithVibrantColors 6810TempleCityBlvd.,Arcadia 6747SGoldenWestAve.,Arcadia 6518SGoldenWestAve.,Arcadia 6522SGoldenWestAve.,Arcadia Attachment No. 5 Attachment No. 5 Multiple-Family Residential Design Guidelines Attachment No. 6 Attachment No. 6 Preliminary Exemption Assessment CITY OF ARCADIA 240 W. HUNTINGTON DRIVE ARCADIA, CA 91007 PRELIMINARY EXEMPTION ASSESSMENT (Certificate of Determination When Attached to Notice of Exemption) 1. Name or description of project: Administrative Architectural Design Review No. Admin-ADR 16-24 for new paint colors on an existing residential condominium project. 2. Project Location – Identify street address and cross streets or attach a map showing project site (preferably a USGS 15’ or 7 1/2’ topographical map identified by quadrangle name): 816-818 West Naomi Avenue 3. Entity or person undertaking project: A. B. Other (Private) (1) Name Golden West Naomi Homeowner’s Association (2) Address 816-818 W. Naomi Avenue, Arcadia, CA 91006 4. Staff Determination: The Lead Agency’s Staff, having undertaken and completed a preliminary review of this project in accordance with the Lead Agency's "Local Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)" has concluded that this project does not require further environmental assessment because: a. The proposed action does not constitute a project under CEQA. b. The project is a Ministerial Project. c. The project is an Emergency Project. d. The project constitutes a feasibility or planning study. e. The project is categorically exempt. Applicable Exemption Class: Class 1 – Section 15301 f. The project is statutorily exempt. Applicable Exemption: g. The project is otherwise exempt on the following basis: h. The project involves another public agency which constitutes the Lead Agency. Name of Lead Agency: Date: April 11, 2016 Staff: Thomas Li, Associate Planner