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sr-032409-8bRedevelopment Agency Meeting: March 24, 2009 Agenda Item: ~"'PJ To: Chairperson and Redevelopment Agency From: Eileen Fogarty, Director of Planning and Community Development Andy Agle, Director of Housing and Economic Development Subject: Bloomingdale's -Proposed Remodel of Existing Macy's Building Recommended Action Staff recommends that the Redevelopment Agency (Agency) review and approve the proposed remodel of the existing Macy's building as a Bloomingdale's department store and adopt findings that it conforms to the Downtown Redevelopment Plan, Sections 410 and 422. Executive Summary Federated Department Stores, the parent company of Macy's and Bloomingdale's, proposes to convert the Macy's at Santa Monica Place into a contemporary Bloomingdale's store. The proposed remodel involves interior and exterior improvements to the existing 151,000 square foot building. As the proposed project is a remodel of an existing department store within the Downtown Redevelopment Project Area, the Agency must review the proposed project for consistency with the Downtown Redevelopment Plan. Specifically, the Agency must make findings that the plan conforms to §410 which states that architectural alterations "...be safe and sound in all physical respects, and be attractive in appearance and not detrimental to the surrounding uses," as well as §422 that the remodel be: ...in accordance with architectural, landscape, and site plans submitted to and approved by the Agency" and consistent with objectives of the Plan "to create an attractive and pleasant environment" through "consideration to good design, open space, and other amenities to enhance the aesthetic quality of the Project area." To assist the City and the Agency with its review, this staff report summarizes the key elements of Bloomingdale's proposed design, which incorporates the City Council's direction to create a gateway to the City enhancing the downtown experience. Direction from City staff, the Planning Commission and the Architectural Review Board's (ARB) and recommendations provided at the joint study session conducted on January 21, 2009 have all helped shape the project. The Bloomingdale's design teams and PCD design review staff have worked together collaboratively throughout apre-submittal design review process to address the following key design issues related to achieving the City's objectives: • Developing a significant gateway corner • Creating a pedestrian experience • Providing significant transparency and glazing • Reducing appearance of mass If approved by the Redevelopment Agency the project will proceed with the Architectural Review Board process for approval of building colors and materials, and landscaping. Background The project site is located on the southeast corner of the downtown block at the intersection of Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue, across the intersection from the proposed light rail terminus station site. The zoning is C-3C, Downtown Overlay District, and is within the Agency's Downtown Redevelopment project area. The existing building was constructed in the 1980s as an anchor store to the adjacent indoor mall. As was typical of mall design at that time, entrance to the store is from the mall rather than the street, with minimal integration into the surrounding context. In contrast, the remodeled Santa Monica Place Mall, currently under construction, will integrate into the downtown by extending towards Third Street Promenade and providing pedestrian oriented entrances on all four sides. The Bloomingdale's site is in a significant location. The corner at Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue is an entrance into the Santa Monica downtown, and along the main access to the historic Santa Monica Pier. This site will become an even more active gateway when the anticipated Light Rail is completed. The Bloomingdale's proposed designs must address: • Developing an iconic gateway corner - in recognition of the importance of the Colorado Avenue and 4th Street intersection as an entrance to the downtown 2 core, the. design must anticipate the Light Rail station and the significant increase in pedestrian traffic on the opposite corner of the intersection in the future. • Pedestrian experience -creation of an external pedestrian entrance to meet the intent of the City's pedestrian orientation standards and the development of appropriate proportion of transparency at the ground level. • Significant transparency and glazing -both at the street level to provide pedestrian interest and at the upper levels to provide aplace-making corner element while reducing the massive appearance of the current building. • Visual reduction of mass - designing a transition to the third floor on both facades to provide reduction in massing • Transitions between materials -the building finishes and their context with specific attention to the importance of the unique layer of suspended metal disks (sequin layer). Project Design The proposed project design provides a dramatic improvement to the existing Macy's fagade, representing extensive efforts on behalf of Bloomingdale's and their Architect, Kevin Kennon, to address input from City staff, Planning Commission and ARB. Corner Entrance The project creates a right angle corner entrance with a significantly different silhouette from the current diagonal configuration. Challenged by the six foot grade differential between the sidewalk and the first floor, the design has improved significantly from an early iteration which did not have an exterior entrance or pedestrian level transparency. 3 Throughout preliminary design review the City's design team and the Bloomingdales architect have worked on transparency and pedestrian orientation in providing a corner entrance with a significant architectural statement that addresses the important urban location directly across the intersection of 4th Street and Colorado Avenue from the future light rail station. Pedestrian orientation and Transparency The existing Macy's building does not provide pedestrian orientation and has minimal transparency at the base. A series of planters and two display windows create a very narrow sidewalk interrupted by service entrances. The proposed design removes the existing planters, providing a wider sidewalk along Colorado Avenue, and provides for a series of "vitrines" and display windows, which add transparency at the ground level. The designers have responded to the request of staff, and the Planning Commission and ARB to provide significant sized vitrines which can be used as display windows or portals into the store to meet the intent of the pedestrian orientation standards. Third Floor-Visual Reduction in Mass Because Bloomingdales will occupy only the first two floors, and Macerich will utilize the third floor for Santa Monica Place use, the design requires that there be distinct differentiation between the first two floors and the third floor. This is accomplished through a small step-back, glazing and the inclusion of a sunshade at the upper level. 4 October 29 concept, November 14 The principle elements which have been successfully addressed through the cooperative design review process are: • Providing a dramatic entrance and increasing transparency at corner, reducing use of spandrel glass • Reducing the appearance of building mass at the third floor • Providing display windows and vitrines at the pedestrian level. At the January 21, 2009 joint meeting of the Planning Commission and ARB, the City's design staff developed a list of issues and recommendations that were to be addressed prior to Council and Agency review. The primary concerns were improving the third floor and highlighting the corner element to fully realize the urban design context of this important corner. The Bloomingdales design team has responded with the following design which further refines both the upper floor and corner. Remaining design details to be addressed at the Architectural Review Board are: s 1. Sequin layer refinements, and interface with windows. 2. Landscape plan, including proposed landscape pedestrian amenities and tree planting per approval for Santa Monica Place 3. Transitions between building materials at windows; edges, and setbacks Environmental Analysis This project is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA, Section 15301, Existing Facilities. Further, a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), prepared in August 2007, which analyzed the potential environmental impacts of the Santa Monica Place Remodel Project, a considerably larger remodel project, determined there were no significant impacts that could not be mitigated. Public Outreach A community meeting was held on March 9 for which a notice was published in the Santa Monica Daily Press. Prepared by: Sarah Lejeune, AICP. Principal Planner Dileen Fogarty Director - Plann to Council: Ewell Andy Agle, Director Housing and Economic Attachments A. Project Findings B. Proposed Project Designs s ATTACHMENT A FINDINGS BY THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA THAT THE APPROVED BLOOMINGDALE'S PROJECT CONFORMS TO THE DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT PLAN The Redevelopment Plan for the Downtown Redevelopment Project ("Plan") provides in §422 that: No new improvement shall be constructed and no existing improvement shall be substantially modified, altered, repaired, or rehabilitated except in conformance with architectural, landscape, and site plans submitted to and approved in writing by the Agency....The Agency-shall not approve any plans that do not comply with this Plan." The Agency finds that the approval of the Bloomingdale's Project on March 24, 2009 ("Project"), complies with the Plan and, more particularly, with the following Plan provisions: 1. Plan §303 provides that the development of a major commercial retail center in the Project area "...is intended to create a unified shopping district by linking the dispersed business centers of the central downtown area and to provide overall continuity between the central business district and the Civic Center areas of the City." Consistent with Plan §303, the Project enhances- the intent of the Plan by integrating with the surrounding context including Santa Monica Place, the central business district, the Civic Center area and the anticipated Light Rail Station. 2. Plan §322 provides: "All development in the Project area must conform to this Plan and all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and must receive the approval of appropriate public agencies." Consistent with Plan §322, Project conditions require that all development must receive the approval of appropriate public agencies, including, but not limited to, the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department and Architectural Review Board. 3. Plan §402 provides: "Except as inconsistent with this Plan, all development in this [Project]. area shall be in accordance with standards set forth in the Santa Monica Municipal Code as now exists or as hereafter amended.. As a limitation on the size of buildings, the ratio of gross floor area of buildings to the area of the parcels upon which they are situated shall not exceed 4 to 1; the amount of land which may be covered by buildings shall not exceed 90 percent; and the height of buildings shall not exceed 12 stories. Parking shall be provided in the ratio of 4 spaces for every 1,000 square feet of gross commercial area." Consistent with Plan §402, the Project is in accordance with the requirements of the Santa Monica Municipal Code in relation to height, number of parking spaces and use. In particular, the Project complies with the development standards for the Downtown Overly District (C3-C), in which it is located, and which designate a limit of 4 stories, 56 feet in height, and 2.5 FAR. The Pro]ect also satisfies the specific floor area, land coverage and parking requirements imposed by Plan §402. 4. Plan §410 provides: "Any existing structure within the Project area which the Agency shall approve for retention and rehabilitation shall be repaired, altered, reconstructed, or rehabilitated in such a manner that it will be safe and sound in all physical respects, and be attractive in appearance and not detrimental to the surrounding uses." s Consistent with Plan §410, the Project will be safe and sound in all physical respects, and be attractive in appearance and not detrimental to the surrounding uses. The Project must satisfy the Building, Electrical, Plumbing, and other Codes of the City (Plan §408). As set forth above, the Project enhances the adjacent Santa Monica Place Mall, downtown business district and Civic Center area by redesigning the currently interior oriented building into a pedestrian oriented department store. The Project addresses design goals of developing an iconic gateway corner, building transparency at the ground level, visual reduction of building mass and unique building finishes and facade materials. 5. Plan §422 provides: "No new improvement shall be constructed and no existing improvement shall be substantially modified, altered, repaired, or rehabilitated except in accordance with architectural, landscape, and site plans submitted to and approved in writing by the Agency. One of the objectives of this Plan is to create an attractive and pleasant environment in the Project area. Therefore, such plans shall give consideration to good design, open space, and other amenities to enhance the aesthetic quality of the Project area." Consistent with Plan §422, the Project will create an attractive and pleasant environment in the Project area through good design to enhance its aesthetic quality, including addressing the context of this gateway corner to the City by providing a significant corner entrance, reducing the appearance of building mass at the third floor, and providing pedestrian oriented display windows and vitrines at the ground level. 9 Additional attachment available in the City Clerk's Office.