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2009 08 05 ALRC MinutesMINUTES ARCHITECTURE & LANDSCAPING REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING A regular meeting held at the La Quinta City Hall 78-495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, CA August 5, 2009 10:04 a.m. CALL TO ORDER II. III. IV A. This regular meeting of the Architecture and Landscaping Review Committee was called to order at 10:04 a.m. by Planning Manager David Sawyer who led the Committee in the flag salute. B. Committee Members Present: Ray Rooker and David Thoms C Committee Member Absent: Jason Arnold Staff present: Planning Manager David Sawyer, Associate Planner Jay Wuu,and Secretary Monika Radeva. PUBLIC COMMENT: None CONFIRMATION OF THE AGENDA: Confirmed CONSENT CALENDAR: Staff asked if there were any changes to the Minutes of July 1, 2009. There being no comments or corrections it was moved and seconded by Committee Members Rooker/Thoms to approve the minutes as submitted. AYES: Committee Members Rooker and Thoms. NOES: None. ABSTAIN: None. ABSENT: Committee Member Arnold. V. BUSINESS ITEMS: A. Site Development Permit 2008-907 a request submitted by Pyramid Project Management, LLC. for consideration of Architectural and Landscaping Plans for the PGA West Golf Villas; a 54-Unit residential development consisting of single-family attached duplex units and community center located at PGA West; west side of PGA West Boulevard, south of Avenue 54. Associate Planner Jay Wuu presented the information contained in the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. Architecture and Landscaping Review Committee Minutes August 5, 2009 Committee Member Thoms said he agreed with staff's recommendation td address the size of the proposed water feature for the project. He said he did not find it appropriate to introduce such a magnificent water feature at a time that called for conservation. He suggested that the applicant use a different type of architectural focal feature. Committee Member Thoms said he liked the fact that the proposed units had a common sideyard wall. He noted there was sufficient space between the units to allow for greater deviation in the setbacks of the homes and he encouraged the applicant to do so in order to get away from having all of the homes in a row. Committee Member Thoms also recommended that the applicant be more creative with the driveway designs. He noted that he found the overall site plan to be very well designed in terms of the streets, the entrances, the turnaround, etc. Committee Member Rooker said he agreed with Committee Member Thoms' comments regarding the property setbacks and the driveways. He found it as a nice diversification between the units. Committee Member Rooker said he was supportive of the proposed fountain and he did not find it to be out of scale in relation to the rest of the project. He mentioned he found the character and the design of the fountain to be inconsistent with that of the adjacent guest house. Committee Member Rooker noted he found the proposed parking spaces to be limited. As there wasn't room to put additional parking spaces, he recommended the applicant accentuate the connectivity between the clubhouse and the parking area to the north. Committee Member Rooker commented that the overall site had a total of 52 living units proposed and only one swimming pool. He suggested smaller swimming pools be introduced that were equally pedestrian-friendly to all of the living units. Committee Member Rooker noted that the proposed architectural design was very sophisticated, but he questioned its use in the desert area and at PGA West. He explained that the present architectural styles in the PGA West Community consist of Traditional Mediterranean with stucco build-outs, trims and wood, or a sophisticated horizontal contemporary style. He expressed his concern about introducing the proposed architectural style with the P:\Reports - ALRC\2009\10-07-09\ALRC_MIN_8-5-09_Approved.doc 2 Architecture and Landscaping Review Committee Minutes August 5, 2009 flat-top roofs which are normally associated with economical construction and building, as well as the material pallet, as he found them to be inappropriate for PGA West. He outlined a few of the major differences between the existing and the proposed styles in color and architecture. Committee Member Thoms noted he disagreed with the comments made by Committee Member Rooker regarding the proposed architectural style. He said he found the existing architectural styles at PGA West to be boring; as everything looked the same. He commented that the introduction of a different architectural style in that community would offer a welcome variety, especially considering that the project was not very big. Committee Member Thoms said he did not find it necessary to have additional pools as suggested by Committee Member Rooker. Committee Member Thoms explained that if additional pools were incorporated into the project, the cost for their maintenance would result in higher homeowner dues. He also reiterated his earlier comments regarding the proposed fountain. He strongly encouraged the applicant to try to introduce some variety in the setbacks of the homes. Planning Manager Sawyer asked if the applicant's representatives would like to respond to the any of the comments made by the Committee. Mr. Ken Hoeppner, Vice President for Pyramid Project Management, LLC., One Post Office Square, Suite # 300, Boston, MA, introduced himself. He said the proposed water feature could definitely be replaced with a different architectural feature. He noted the suggested changes regarding the setbacks and the driveways could be addressed and adjusted. He discussed the pros and cons of having one big pool versus many little pools in relation to cost, function, maintenance and use, and noted their research was supportive of the one big-size-pool concept. Mr. Hoeppner explained the reasons this architectural style was chosen was because the project's goal was to create a vibrant and active community and the applicant wanted to complement it by bringing in some personality, color and light with the architecture. P:V2eports - ALRC\2009\10-07-09\.4LRC_MIN_8-5-09_Approved.doc 3 Architecture and Landscaping Review Committee Minutes August 5, 2009 Mr. Forrest Haag, Landscape Architect for Forrest K. Haag, ASLA, Inc., 1254 N. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA, introduced himself and said he had been working on PGA West since its acquisition in the early 80's, late 70's. He gave a brief overview of the architectural background of PGA West and explained the intent of the architect and how it would tie in with the existing project. He mentioned a few possible issues that might arise with changing the setbacks on a few of the units, depending on the location. Mr. Hoeppner added that in order for the project to be competitive in the market place, the applicant had to keep in mind that cost associated with certain customizations, such as the variations in the setbacks, might outweigh the benefit of it. He elaborated that this was aduplex-type project and customization was not an established characteristic. Committee Member Thoms questioned Mr. Haag's comment regarding possible issues and/or inability to adjust the setbacks on certain lots. He explained his recommendation was to make the adjustments only a few feet because even aone-foot adjustment would make a difference. Fie noted he was pleased to hear that the applicant was willing to consider the use of a different type of focal feature in lieu of the proposed water fountain. Michael Olson, AIA, Principal for Z Design Group, 1877 Broadway, Boulder, CO, introduced himself and talked about some of the challenges involved in trying to create a project within an existing, and already established, architectural environment. He explained what the applicant's request was and how the design team hoped to achieve it. He elaborated on the numerous types of materials the team had considered, such as the use of stone to create a strong indoor/outdoor feel and how it grounded the clubhouse to the site and tied it in with the beautiful Santa Rosa mountains, etc. He said the team had chosen a darker color palette for the materials used to better blend them in with the surrounding natural environment. He talked about the difference between the already existing and the proposed architectural styles. Committee Member Thoms commented on the choice of darker colors as he thought they might be too dark and heavy in comparison to the rest of the project. He indicated that shifting the setbacks might help lighten the darker colors a bit through the P:\Reports - ALRC\2009\10-07-09\ALRC_MIN_8-5-09_Approved.doc 4 Architecture and Landscaping Review Committee Minutes August 5, 200Ei movement of the homes as well as getting away from the monotonous feel of the tract homes. There being no further discussion, Committee Member Thoms moved to adopt Minute Motion 2009-007, recommending approval of Site Development Permit 2008-907, with the following recommendations: 1) Replace the proposed water fountain with a different type of architectural focal feature. 2) Adjust the property setbacks of the homes to create some movement. 31 Use a more creative design for the driveways. Planning Manager Sawyer noted the above motion did not pass due to the lack of a second. Committee Member Rooker moved to adopt Minute Motion 2009- 007, not recommending approval of Site Development Permit 2008- 907, due to architectural inconsistency of the proposed design with the existing project. Planning Manager Sawyer noted the above motion did not pass due to the lack of a second. There being no other motions, Planning Manager Sawyer said the project would be scheduled for the next regular Planning Commission Meeting. He noted the minutes from this meeting would be included and would reflect the discussions and concerns of the Committee for the Planning Commission's consideration. B. Site Development Permit 2009-911 a request submitted by Pyramid Project Management, LLC. for consideration of architectural and landscaping plans for the expansion of the PGA West Private Clubhouse located at PGA West; west Side of PGA West Boulevard, south of Avenue 54. Associate Planner Jay Wuu presented the information contained in the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. Committee Member Thoms said he liked the project, didn't have any concerns with the proposed parking, and that there were a lot P:\Reports - ALR.C\200900-07-09\ALRC_MIN_5-5-09_Approved.doc 5 Architecture an~i Landscaping Review Committee Minutes August 5, 2009 of elevations on the site plan. The only comment he had was on 'the aisles in the parking lots. He found them to be too long and suggested reducing them a bit. Committee Member Rooker said he did not have any concerns regarding the parking or the proposed water feature, he found it to be appropriate and within scale for the project. Committee Member Rooker said he had major concerns regarding 'the entry way courtyard. He said he was disappointed with the Fact that it no longer had a Porte cochere entry way, which was a very elegant element, as well as providing much needed shade in 'the extreme desert heat. He referenced page F-2 from the site plan and noted it did not indicate any plants for the courtyard. Mr. Haag said what was envisioned was container planting as it would sit higher in relation to the cars and would provide more visual impact and would be less likely to get run over. Committee Member Rooker said the proposed architectural design was extremely complicated in comparison to the existing style which was extremely simple, and he did not find it complimentary. He addressed different architectural features on the proposed buildings and explained why they were inconsistent and not complimentary to the existing project. Michael Olson, AIA, Principal for Z Design Group, 1877 Broadway, Boulder, CO, introduced himself and explained the reasons that guided them in deciding on the design, materials and color palette. Mr. Ken Hoeppner, Vice President for Pyramid Project Management, LLC., One Post Office Square, Suite #300, Boston, MA, provided additional detail regarding the applicant's request and the approach the team took to fulfill that request. Committee Member Thoms said he did not see a problem with introducing a different type of architectural style in PGA West. He strongly recommended the Landscape Architect keep the center area, which was addressed by the applicant as the courtyard, as simple as possible. He suggested the use of a large scale specimen with contours which could become a unique feature identified with the clubhouse. P:\Reports - ALRC\2009\10-07-09\ALRC_MIN_8-5-09_Approved.doc 6 Architecture and Landscaping Review Committee Minutes August 5, 2001 General discussion followed regarding different landscaping alternatives for the courtyard area. There being no further discussion, Committee Member Thoms moved to adopt Minute Motion 2009-007, recommending approval of Site Development Permit 2008-91 1, with the recommendation to simplify the courtyard landscaping. Planning Manager Sawyer noted the above motion did not pass due to the lack of a second. Committee Members Rooker moved to adopt Minute Motion 2009- 007, not recommending approval of Site Development Permit 2008- 911, due to architectural inconsistency of the proposed design with the existing project. Planning Manager Sawyer noted the above motion did not pass due to the lack of a second. There being no other motions, Planning Manager Sawyer said the project would be scheduled for the next regular Planning Commission Meeting. He noted the minutes from this meeting would be included and would reflect the discussions and concerns of the Committee for the Planning Commission's consideration. VI. CORRESPONDENCE AND WRITTEN MATERIAL: None VII. COM~IIITTEE MEMBER ITEMS: None. VIII. PLANNING STAFF ITEMS: None. IX. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, it was moved and seconded by Committee Members Rooker/Thoms to adjourn this meeting of the Architecture and Landscaping Review Committee to a Regular Meeting to be held on September 2, 2009. This meeting was adjourned at 1 1:10 a.m. on August 5, 2009. Respectful) sub fitted, _~. MONIKA RADEVA Secretary P:\Reports - ALRC\200900-07-09WLRC_MIN_8-5-09_Approved.doc 7