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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 1996 0702 CC SPC ITEM 07BITEM TO: The Honorable City Council FROM: Paul Porter, Senior Planner DATE: June 25, 1996 (CC meeting of July 2, 1996) SUBJECT: CONSIDER REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF LANDSCAPEMARDSCAPE PLANS FOR MAJOR MODIFICATION NO. 1 TO CPD 90 -2 ON THE APPLICATION OF AMERICAN STORES PROPERTIES, INC. Background: The City Council adopted Resolution No. 90 -729 approving the following on the application of Urban West Communities on November 19, 1990: a. Major Modification No. 3 (PC -3) to allow designated Community Focus area to include approximately 11 acres of commercial land uses instead of approximately 7.5 acres of Neighborhood Commercial uses and 4 acres of community use. b. CPD 90 -2 for a Neighborhood Shopping Center consisting of a 45,000 sq. ft. market, 60,400 sq. ft. retail, 5,000 sq. ft. medical office, and 12,000 sq. ft. of restaurant uses for a total of 122,400 sq. ft. C. LDM90 -2 (Vesting Tentative Map), a subdivision to create a 11.77 acre parcel and a 11.69 acre remainder parcel. On September 10, 1992, Minor Modification No. 1 to CPD 90 -2 was approved changing condition No. 3 to allow an extension to "use inaugurate" the project to December 19, 1994 and granting the Director of Community Development the ability to grant one additional one (1) year extension of the "use inauguration" date. On December 22, 1994, the Director of Community Development sent a letter to the Castillo Company, Inc. approving a one year time extension to December 22, 1995. Resolution No. 95 -1164 approving 90 -2 for reduction in size of the to 118,783 sf. was adopted by the PP05:07:96 /3:40pmA:\5JUN96.CC Major Modification No. 1 to CPD shopping center from 122,400 sf. City Council on December 6, 1995. yd On June 5, 1996, the City Council approved Minor Modification No. 1 to CPD 90 -2 on the application of American Stores Properties, Inc. for phased construction, and clarified to the applicant that the request for a drive -thru for the pharmacy and other drive -thru accesses for the shopping center are prohibited. As part of the approval of the minor Modification, temporary landscaping will be installed with irrigation in the area of the the future shops as well as the pad areas. Pursuant to the Condition imposed on the Minor Modification, commencement of construction of Shops 1 and 2 shall be "use inaugurated" prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for either the drug store or the market. Completion of the shop buildings will be completed within six months of issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for either of the major tenants, the applicant will be required to obtain a performance bond guaranteeing completion of the shop buildings. Discussion Condition No. 38 of Major Modification No. 1 to CPD 90 -2 requires that the landscape plans for the shopping center be approved by the City Council and the building areas not being constructed be landscaped. The condition states is as follows: Submittal of Landscape Plans 38. Prior to issuance of a Zoning Clearance, a complete landscape plan (3 sets), together with specifications shall be submitted to the Director of Community Development. The landscape plans shall be approved by the City Council. a. A maintenance program shall be prepared by a State Licensed Landscape Architect, generally in accordance with the Ventura County Guide to Landscape Plans, and shall be submitted to the Director of Community Development for review and approval prior to issuance of a grading permit. b. The landscape plan shall include planting and irrigation specifications for manufactured slopes and all common areas proposed to be maintained by the Owners' Association. C. Earthen berms shall be provided (with concurrence with the Director of Community Development) to screen views of parked vehicles from Tierra Rejada Road and Mountain Trail Street. d• In the area of future buildings not under construction, turf and irrigation shall be installed. PP05:07:96 /3:40pmA: \5JUN96.CC 2 e. The final landscape plans shall be in substantial conformance with the conceptual landscape plan submitted with the application. f. The applicant shall bear the cost of the landscape plan review, installation of the landscaping and irrigation system, and of final landscape inspection. g. The landscaping and planting plan submitted for review and approval shall be accompanied by a deposit as specified by the City of Moorpark. Additional funds may subsequently need to be deposited to cover all landscape plan check and inspection fees. h. The landscaping shall receive final inspection by the City's landscape architect prior to occupancy. i. The City's landscape architect shall certify in writing that the landscape and irrigation system was installed in accordance with the approved Landscape and Irrigation Plans. j. The final landscape plans shall include landscaping specifications, planting details, and design specifications consistent with the following requirements: i. The landscape plan shall include the final design of all sidewalks, barrier walls, street scape elements, urban landscaping and pedestrian paths within the project limits. ii. A 50 percent shade coverage shall be provided within all open parking areas. Shade coverage is described as the maximum mid -day shaded area defined by a selected specimen tree at 50 percent maturity. All plant species utilized shall be drought tolerant, low water using variety. iv. Landscaping at site entrances and exits and any intersection within the parking lot shall not block or screen the view of a seated driver from another moving vehicle or pedestrian (PD). V. Plantings in and adjacent to parking areas shall be contained within raised planters PP05:07:96 /3:40pmA:\5JUN96.CC 3 surrounded by six -inch high concrete curbs. vi. Landscaping shall be designed so as to not obstruct the view of any exterior door or window from the street (PD). vii. Trees shall not be placed directly under any overhead lighting which could cause a loss of light at ground level (PD). viii. Earthen berms and /or low walls shall be provided to screen views of parked vehicles from access roads. ix. Backflow preventers, transformers, or other exposed above grade utilities shall be shown on the landscape plan(s) and shall be screened with landscaping and /or a wall. X. A sufficiently dense tree planting plan emphasizing tall growing trees and /or shrubs shall be designed. The size of trees shall be as follows: 40% - 15 gallon, 30% - 24 inch box, and 30% - 36 inch box size. xi. A coordinated tree planting program shall be developed which will provide a dominant street tree within the components of the proposed development. xii. Irrigation shall be provided for all permanent landscaping, as identified in the approved landscape plan. The applicant shall be responsible for maintaining the irrigation system and all landscaping. The applicant shall replace any dead plants and make any necessary repairs to the irrigation system consistent with the landscape plan approved for the development. xiii. Exotic plants which are known to spread beyond their original plantings and invade native habitats such as Pampus Grass, Spanish Broom, and Tamarisk shall not be used. xiv. Landscaping shall not cover any exterior door or window. (PD) xv. Landscaping at entrances /exits or at any intersection within the parking lot shall not block or screen the view of a seated driver PP05 :07:96 /3:40pmA:\5MN96.CC 4 from another moving vehicle or pedestrian. (PD) xvi. Prior to final inspection of the buildings, permanent irrigation shall be provided for all permanent landscaping (tree replacement, common area landscaping, and erosion control landscaping). The applicant shall be responsible for maintaining any irrigation system and all landscaping. The applicant shall replace any dead plants and make any necessary repairs to the irrigation system consistent with the landscape plan approved for the project. Preliminary Comments by City's Landscape Consultant Regarding Applicant's Conceptual Landscape Plans Staff received conceptual landscape plans from the applicant which were reviewed by Mr. David Barwick, the City's landscape consultant. Mr. Barwick made the following recommendations prior to the applicant's submittal of the attached landscape plans: 1. Provide earthen berms to screen views of parked vehicles from Tierra Rejada Road and Mountain Trail Street. 2. Provide landscaping with turf or a combination of turf, shrubs and ground cover and irrigation in pad areas of buildings scheduled for later construction. 3. Make provisions that no trees shall be planted closer than 5 feet to any hard surface or wall. All trees planted within 8 feet of any such surface or wall shall be provided with an independent root irrigation system and have root barriers placed between the tree and any such surface or wall. 4. Tree planting for screening from the adjacent residential areas may impact the views from the residences to nearby mountain vistas. In particular, the residents on Clearwood and Sagewood Drives could potentially be impacted. 5. The tree planting plan should be coordinated with the electrical engineering plan to avoid placing trees which might block the lighting pattern. 6. The irrigation plan shall be designed in compliance with the County of Ventura Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance unless specifically exempted. 7. The applicant shall comply with other conditions of approval as established by the City. PP05:07:96 /3:40pmA :\5JUN96.CC 5 B. Although the trees selected for property line screening are fairly fast growing, it will take several years for them to provide the required screening. Therefore, it may be necessary to increase the box size or supplement the screening with tall scrubs at closer intervals. Landscape Plan The applicant submitted the formal landscape plans for review on June 10, 1996. Mr. Carlson (the applicant's landscape architect) states that there are four components which describe the landscape plans. They are: 1) Trees of the perimeter and the parking lot, 2) Ground plane treatments, 3) Rear slope treatments, and 4) Irrigation. 1. Trees Perimeter trees are selected to reflect the shapes of existing street trees. State mandated water conservation requirements do not allow the use of the exact same varieties of street trees as those found on Tierra Rejada Road and Mountain Trail Street (Redwoods, Liquid ambers, and other more water intensive types). The perimeter trees are placed in groups to create planting compositions and to allow views into the site. Visual access is important to retail tenants. The entrances are framed by rows of Flowing Locust trees and the street trees are Canary Island Pines and Western Redbuds. Weeping Willow trees are 24 inch box or larger. Root control barriers and deep watering devices are used on trees in narrow areas. Parking lot trees are selected for their large shade area. At maturity they reach a 45 foot diameter spread. Light standards are placed between and below the trees to ensure consistent illumination. Flowering Silk Trees make up half of the parking lot trees. The other half are evergreen Oak trees similar to near -by native species. Coral trees and Standard Oleander trees complete the total of approximately 65 parking lot and building area trees. All trees are in 24 inch box size, or larger. Special plantings of tall and elegant Queen Palms occur in front of the buildings where visibility signs is a consideration. These will form a vertical background for the parking lot trees. 2. Ground Plane Treatments The perimeter landscaping consists of public sidewalks meandering through low growing flowering ground covers. At driveway entrances special pavements and geometric shapes reflect the colors and textures of the building architecture. Annuals are to be planted in high use areas. PP05:07:96 /3:40pmA:\5JUN96.CC 6 Low mounding and shrub rows screen the parking lot. Lawn is used infrequently due to state water budget requirements. Unused building pads will be landscaped until construction begins on them. All ground covers are in 1 gallon size and all shrubs are in 5 gallon or 15 gallon sizes. 3. Rear Slopes Trees on the rear slopes have been selected and arranged to block the view of the shopping center from the adjacent residences without blocking the view of the horizon beyond. Bailey's Acacia is the primary slope tree. It is a fast growing, flowering, evergreen tree with a broad and a flat canopy and will create a wide screening effect over the slope without blocking distant views. Red Iron Bark, a Eucalyptus tree is also used as a secondary tree in the same areas. All of the trees are in 24 inch box size. The ground plane of the rear slope is planted with large ornamental shrubs and with 1 gallon size ground covers. Jute mesh is used for additional erosion control. 4. Irrigation The irrigation system represents the latest technology and uses a total of 64 valves to automatically irrigate the entire site. It is designed to comply with state mandated water budgeting requirements. Landscape Consultant's Review of Submitted Landscape Plans On June 14, 1996, David Barwick commented on the submitted landscape plans. His comments are attached for the City Council's information. Of Mr. Barwick's comments, staff would like to bring the following comments to the Council's attention: 1. Bougainvillea are subject to frost damage in this area. Many of them do not survive and others look bad for several months. 2. Some of the parking lot islands are much to tight for Oaks which may exceed the dimensions of any root barriers placed to curb surface root growth. Smaller trees are recommended in these areas. 3. 6' wide concrete mow strips should be used to divide turf from shrub or ground cover. PP05:07:96 /3 :40pmA :\5JUN96.CC 7 M> 4. Since there is no specific time frame for future construction, the pad areas shall be considered as permanent landscaping features and be maintained by watering, weeding, and fertilization until such time that construction begins. To often these areas are neglected and become weed infested and unsightly. 5. Plant materials alone are not sufficient to provide adequate screening of parked vehicles from view. The applicant should provide either a wall of sufficient height together with landscaping, or a berm together with landscape to achieve this purpose. Recommendation: Review and approve the attached landscape /hardscape plans subject to the landscape architect making the changes requested by Mr. Barwick and the City Council. Attachments: 1. Letter from David Barwick dated June 14, 1996 2. Landscape /hardscape drawings PP05:07:96 /3:40pmA:\5JIIN96.CC 8 �� r David H Barwick Landscape Architect #264 826 Links View Dr. Simi Valley Ca 93065 (805) 581 2159 City Of Moorpark Department Of Community Development 799 Moorpark Av. Moorpark CA 93021 Attention: Paul Porter June 14, 1996 RE: American Stores Properties Inc. Tierra Rejada Rd & Mountain Trails St. 1st Review of Construction Plans 1st review of construction plans indicate the following: 1. In order to comply with the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, the following items need to be submitted in a package form. A. Water conservation concept statement I Odeded B. Calculation of the maximum applied water allowance OK C. Calculation of the estimated applied water use OK D. Calculation of the estimated total water use Q$ E. Landscape design plan OK F. Irrigation design plan OK G. Irrigation schedules Needed H. Maintenance schedule Needed I. Landscape irrigation audit schedule Needed J. Grading design plan OK K. Soil analysis (agronomic) Needed L. Certificate of substantial completion ( to be submitted after completion of the project) - 2. Make provisions for screening of irrigation and fire sprinkler backflow devices by plant materials and /or walls. 3. As a matter of information, Bougainvillea are highly subject to frost damage in this area. Many don't survive, others do but look bad for several months. 4. Show parking lot lighting standards on planting plan and avoid placing trees, which at maturity or sooner may block the lighting pattern. 5. Some of the parking lot islands are much too tight for Oaks which may exceed the dimensions of any root barriers Placed to curb surface root growth. Smaller trees recommended for these areas. '�� : 41 American Stores Properties Inc. Continued Page 2 6. Use 6" wide concrete mow strips to divide turf areas from shrub or ground cover. 7. Since there is no specific time frame for future construction, the pad areas for Shops Y & 2, Pads A, B, C, D will be considered as permanent landscaping features and be maintained by watering, weeding, fertilization until such time as construction begins. Too often these areas are neglected and become weed infested and unsightly. 8. Plant materials alone are not sufficient to provide adequate screening of parked vehicles from view. Provide either a wall of sufficient height together with landscaping, or a berm together with landscaping to achieve this purpose. 9. Provide rain sensing override devices as required by the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. d