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Loft proposal needs better parking plan
Application still in early stage after study session
By Erin Mayes
Planning commissioners said at an April 24 study session that a proposed loft development on S. First Street, near the water tower, still needs a little more work before the application is formally considered by the commission.
The new lofts are still in the early stages of development, but commissioners said at the meeting that South Bay Development Company needs to revise the parking plan for the 33-unit development, because there isn't enough parking.
Community Development Director Sharon Fierro said that the lofts will emulate the building that once stood at that location: a large brick warehouse that was torn down after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
The new development will look like a warehouse that's been converted into living space, with high ceilings and windows.
An underground garage is in the plans, although it is not set in stone.
"It's not a real development project yet," Fierro said. "There are some schematics, but it's not anything that's ready to be approved."
Parking lifts are an option that might solve one of the problems, although Fierro said the lifts are expensive and the planning commission would prefer not to use them. Parking lifts are hydraulic devices that would allow two cars to park in the same spot by lifting one car up on a platform, while parking another below it.
"When you don't meet a parking requirement, one solution is to reduce the size of the project," Fierro said. "Or, make the parking area larger."
This was the second time a study session was held on the project, which would consist of one- and two-bedroom units. Fierro said that the city council came to a similar conclusion several months ago, when they also told the planning commission to revise the parking situation.
Whether or not a lot of parking is necessary is another question. The lofts, if they are built, would be near the future site of the downtown light-rail station, scheduled for completion in 2005.
Now it's just a waiting game, when it comes to finding out if the loft project will ever become a reality.
"The next step is for them to go back and look at those recommendations," Fierro said. That may be a while, she added, because, "Right now things have slowed down so much in the development community."
The area near the water tower is zoned for planned development, which allows flexibility in design, Fierro said. One of the next steps in the development process is to get input from the neighbors in the surrounding area, but no meeting dates have been announced yet.
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Campbell, California
