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Memo to City Council -2-February 2, 1984 <br />it with a store for the retail and wholesale sales of plants and flowers, <br />florist supplies, and related items. In the event Mr. Shinoda does not proceed <br />with such a development, the site will be developed by the Gemtel Partnership <br />as part of the overall shopping center. In any event, the entire site will be <br />integrated in terms of parking, circulation, overall design and appearance, etc. <br />Principal access to the site would be from major driveway~ opposite Fargo <br />Avenue on the Washington Av~mue frontage and opposite Tropic Court on the <br />Lewelling Boulevard frontage. There will also be secondary driveways from <br />Lewelling Boulevard as indicated on the stte plan. Parking will be concentrated <br />primarily in the center of the site, with the commercial buildings grouped <br />around it. Total parking on the site is 1,420 spaces for 282,800 sq. ft. of <br />gross floor area. This results in a ratio of 1 space for each 199 sq. ft. of <br />gross floor area which is just under the San Leandro parking requirement for <br />retail sales of 1 space for each 200 sq. ft. This amount of parking should be <br />quite adequate for this type of center. The perimeter of the site and the ends <br />of aisles, etc. within the site will be landscaped. Loading and service areas <br />are concentrated primarily between the long building parallel to the Nimitz <br />Freeway and the freeway itself. The site is a very prominent corner and is <br />especially visible from the freeway because at this location it is elevated <br />above the grade of the center. <br />It should be noted that the San Lorenzo Japanese Christian Church, a separate <br />parcel located on the north side of Lewelling Boulevard, will remain in its <br />present location and be surrounded by the center. The church has reached <br />agreement with the developer to provide for an access to the church parking <br />from the shopping center entry driveway next to the church property in lieu ·of <br />access directly to Lewelling Boulevard. <br />SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS AND COMMUNITY CONCERNS <br />The Final EIR, which accompanys th-is memorandum, includes a discussion of the <br />various potential impacts of this project on the community. These are summa- <br />rized in the green summary pages of the Draft EIR which is bound into the Final <br />EIR. The two most important concerns considered by the Planning Commission in <br />its review of the project were the appropriateness of the commercial land use <br />and the traffic impacts of the project on the vicinity. <br />With respect to land use, the Planning Commission concluded that this type of <br />commercial use was the most appropriate use of the site given the site's <br />·limitations and the comparison of impacts discussed in the EIR. The very high <br />noise levels, air quality concerns, and peaking characteristics of residential <br />traffic make the site inappropriate for the higher density residential use <br />which would be necessary to economically develop the property. Developments <br />of the site with corrmercial office space as an alternative use also has serious <br />drawbacks. Offices would also be sensitive to the high noise levels on the site <br />and, more important, the extreme peaking characteristics of office employment <br />traffic would result in more severe impacts on the abutting streets and freeway <br />interchange system. Of the potential alternatives, retail commercial use would <br />53