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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes April 19, 2012
<br />Page 6 of 13
<br />said his company, which has worked with the City on a proposal for the subject site for two years,
<br />initially considered a mixed -use, high- density project that combined ground -floor retail with
<br />residential above. A developer, he said, must acknowledge each particular site's shortcomings
<br />and play to its long suit. This site encompasses 1.7 acres, and to achieve density in such a small
<br />area would mean going up about four stories. When retailers that could flourish in this site were
<br />approached, he said, none were willing to go into a tight, dense project, in part due to the
<br />difficulty of getting trucks in and out to service their facilities.
<br />In addition to problems with tenant acceptance, parking became a "demon," he said, and
<br />ultimately the "death knell" for the mixed -use, high- density thinking. To have adequate parking
<br />of 1.5 spaces per residential dwelling unit, plus 3 -4 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet for
<br />retailers would necessitate underground parking. He said the cost of building underground
<br />parking facilities, which runs $35,000 per parking space, killed the economics of the project.
<br />When the high- density mixed -use approach proved infeasible, his team came back to the City
<br />with a proposal similar to what's being presented tonight. He said that outreach, including
<br />participating in numerous community meetings, and working with City staffover the past two
<br />years, led to a project that creates an architectural statement and fills the space with tenants that
<br />San Leandrans will find creative and exciting. He said that while the City doesn't have the
<br />population base to support high end retailers like Tiffany, Ferragamo, Gucci, it can support a
<br />multiplicity of "specialty class" retailers. He cited Peet's and Fresh & Easy as examples.
<br />He noted that the combination of specialty architecture and a specialty -class tenant mix have
<br />already produced 90% occupancy for the project, and he expects 100% before groundbreaking.
<br />Mr. Irmer introduced his design development team: Principal architect Kevin James, who is chief
<br />operating officer of MCG Architects in San Francisco; and landscape architect David Gates,
<br />principal of Gates & Associates, a landscape architecture, urban design and land planning firm
<br />located in San Ramon.
<br />Mr. Jamesstimated participating in about a dozen outreach meetings with local businesses,
<br />community representatives and staff. He said the proposed project speaks to solutions that stem
<br />from suggestions and concerns expressed.
<br />A lot of thought went into the detail components of this project, Mr. James said. Its four -sided
<br />architecture, which uses various natural materials and a palette of natural colors, also incorporates
<br />variety in terms of detail that adds interest for ground -level pedestrians as they move through the
<br />project as well as vehicular traffic. He said that the entire East 14th Street frontage is activated.
<br />Mr. James described the project, with two buildings and a small parking field, as intimate.
<br />Typically, commercial projects specify 4 -5 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet, he said, whereas
<br />the Village Marketplace would have 3.8 spaces. He noted, however, that the project is designed to
<br />be accessed by bicyclists and pedestrians, too, including people crossing over from commercial
<br />locations on the west side of East 14th Street. Accordingly, bike racks are conveniently and
<br />strategically located throughout the project, and the design takes into account various pedestrian
<br />interfaces, including street -front plazas. The main plaza on East 14th Street, west of the Fresh &
<br />Easy building, is what Mr. James called a "social gathering spot" with tables and chairs and a
<br />child - friendly interactive mist fountain set in a generous 4,000- square -foot area where shoppers
<br />and passersby may linger and mingle. A smaller outdoor plaza features graces the corner at West
<br />Juana Avenue.
<br />Noting that this "jewel on East 14th Street" attends to every quality aspect, Mr. James pointed out
<br />the clay barrel tile roof, cornice moldings and corbels that range from concrete to exposed large -
<br />timber rafters, accent lighting for architectural interest as well as safety, integrated clerestory
<br />windows in several places to simulate a two -story structure, and a 40 -foot icon tower that
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