Design Commission to Hold Advisory Review on Residential Project

The Design Commission will conduct an advisory review of a planned development that proposes the construction of a new two-to-five-story, 213,826 square-foot, 206-unit residential project with subterranean parking at 444 N. Fair Oaks Ave. and 425 N. Raymond Ave.

The meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Commission will also be asked to advise the Planning Commission as to whether the architectural design of the proposed PD is contextual and of high-quality pursuant to the city’s zoning code.

“The purpose of this review is to provide “recommendations to the Commission and Council on aesthetic and urban design issues related to architecture, landscaping, site plan, and related aesthetic issues, as well as historic preservation” related to a proposed Planned Development,” according to a staff report.

Due to the proposed increase in residential density over what is allowed by the General Plan land use diagram for the Raymond Avenue portion of the site, the zoning code requires the Design Commission to review the project prior to its consideration by the Planning Commission to advise the commission as to whether the architectural design of the proposed PD is contextual and of a high-quality.

Properties surrounding the project site include commercial, industrial and office buildings ranging between one and three stories in height along Fair Oaks Avenue and residential buildings between one and two stories in height along Raymond Avenue, with the exception of the four-story Villa Raymond building at the southwest corner of East Villa Street and North Raymond Avenue.

Nearby designated historic resources include the Raymond Summit Historic District immediately east of the project site. The Raymond Villa building has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

A preliminary consultation was conducted for the project in November 2019. Since that time, the project has been substantially redesigned, including, at the Fair Oaks Avenue portion of the project.

Changes include placement of all parking underground, breaking up of the building massing into distinct components, articulation of lower-scaled volumes adjacent to lower-scaled adjacent development, consolidation and relocation of open space to the interior of the property.

The meeting can be viewed at:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81591349012