2018-12-05 DRC Final Minutes CITY IS OF ORANGE
DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE
MINUTES — FINAL
December 5, 2018
Committee Members Present: Tirn McConnack - Chair
Anne McDermott—Vice Chair
Mary Anne Skorpanich
Carol Fox
Robert Imboden
Staff in Attendance: Bill Crouch, Community Development Director
Marissa Moshier, Historic Preservation Planner
Robert Garcia, Senior Planner
Chad Ortlieb, Senior Planner
Ashley Brodkin, Associate Planner.
Simonne Fannin, Recording Secretary
Administrative Session — 5:05
Chair McCormack opened the Administrative Session at 5:05 p.m. and inquired about
Policy/Procedural Information.
• Staff will notify the Committee with a date for Council Chambers technology training
within the next week.
• At this time, staff is unsure as to whether the December 19 meeting will occur.
• Chad Ortlieb provided an update on the status of the Metrolink parking structure which
should be completed in February.
o The Committee asked if the brick area around the sign had been changed. Mr.
Ortlieb stated the contractor is fixing it at their cost.
o The Committee stated they noticed a sample of the grout between the precast
panels. Since the beginning, the Committee has been concerned about large joints.
Mr. Ortlieb stated the majority of the construction is precast panels; when it came
to the towers, the brick is hand applied. It is anticipated that the joints between the
panels will fade over time, tone down, and blend in.
o The Committec asked about the paseo that connects to the rail station. Mr. Ortlieb
responded staff is reviewing a plan for the parking lot at the corner of Lemon and
Chapman. He believes, at this time, the plan is only for the lot portion and the paseo
improvements will come in later. Ms. Moshier stated the City did a paseo study
that anticipated a potential private development on the block between Atchison and
Cypress. A public alley would be used between Cypress and Leinon as a potential
paseo to add on to the parking structure after it is completed.
o The Chair askcd about the size of tree wells for street trees around the parking
structure. Mr. Ortlieb stated the City Council approved something smaller than
what the DRC ultimately wanted. There are various utility lines running under the
sidewalk so the tree wells have been pushed back further onto the property rather
than being in the sidewalk area.
• Ms. Moshier introduced Department's new Associate Planner, Ashley Brodkin. Ms.
Brodkin provided the history of her background.
• Committee Members provided edits to the November 7, 2018 minutes.
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Final Meeting Minutes for December 5, 2018
Page 2 of 9
Committee Member Skorpanich made a motion to close the Administrative Session of the
Design Review Committee meeting.
SECOND: McDermott
AYES: McCormack, Imboden, Skorpanich, McDermott, and Fox
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
MOTION CARRIED.
Administrative Session adjourned at 5:24 p.m.
City of Orange—Design Review Committee
Final Meeting Minutes for December 5, 2018
Page 3 of 9
Regular Session —5:35 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
Committee Members McCormack, Imboden, Skorpanich, MeDermott, and Fox were present.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Opportuniry for Members of the public to address the Design Review Committee on matters not
listed on the Agenda.
There were no speakers.
CONSENT ITEMS:
(1) APPROVAL OF MINUTES: NOVEMBER 7, 2018.
Committee Member Skorpanich made a motion to approve the November 7, 2018 minutes as
emended in the Administrative Session.
SECOND: Imboden
AYES: McCormack, Skorpanich, McDermott, Fox, and Imboden
NOES: None
ABSENT : None
ABSTAIN: None
MOTION CARRIED.
City of Orangc— Design Review Committce
Final Meeting Minutes for December 5, 2018
Page 4 of 9
AGENDA ITEMS:
Continued Items: None
New Agenda Items
(2) DRC NO. 4899-17 — MS INTERNATIONAL
• A proposal to demolish four existing industrial buildings and a storage shed and develop a new
81,000 SF industrial building.
• 2105 N. Batavia Street
• Staff Contact: Robert Garcia, (714) 744-7231, r a�a(a�Cityoforange•org
• DRC Action: Recommendation to Planning Commission
Robert Garcia, Senior Planner provided an overview of the project consistent with the staff report.
He stated the square footage on the agenda should be corrected to 86,069 SF.
Michael Vock, architect far MS International added they created a warehouse building that will
also include the corporate headquarters offices.
Bharesh Gandhi, MS International, provided a history of the company.
Chair McCormack opened the ineeting for public comment; there were no speakers so he closed
the public coininent portion of the meeting and brought it back to the Committee.
Committee Member questions:
• Committee Members asked if the height of the corner element is allowable. Mr. Garcia
stated it is allowed because it is an architectural eleinent and is less than 25% the square
footage of thc total building.
• The Committee asked about the tree sizes on sheet L3. Mr. Vock statcd those are shown
as the installed hcight; they will mature and grow.
• The Coinmittee asked about the relationship to the building that is on the other side of the
tracks. Mr. Vock responded that the current building on Batavia is predoininantly a
warehouse, but it contains corporate offices and some outside sales. The showroom and
storage will remain in the older building. The corporate headquarters offices and additional
storage will move to the new building. They have already worked with the railroad and
created a railroad crossing connecting both properties; all traffic will remain on site.
• The Committee asked if there was an intention to keep a separate identity between the two
buildings. Mr. Vock stated they wanted a stronger element with a corporate look on the
new building.
• The Coinmittee asked if the railroad gates will stay closed at all tiines. Mr. Vock responded
the gates are there for ramp security and will be closed at night.
• The Coinmittee stated that normally with an application like this they receive cut sheets
with light fixtures, light poles, fences, trash enclosures etc. Mr. Vock stated they do not
have cut sheets. The trash enclosure is drawn to detail on sheet SB 1.
• Committee agreed the corner elements are beautiful and asked if there are any columns that
support the roof. Mr. Vock stated the building is a concrete tilt up, and the front offices
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Final Meeting Minutes for December 5, 2018
Page 5 of 9
will have a different roof. The front will be a column based floor and structure;the columns
will be inside the glazing. They are still in the design phase and haven't done the working
drawings yet.
� The Committee asked if the front glass is mullionless. Mr. Vock explained the location of
the mullions in the glazing.
• The Committee commented that the rendering only shows the corner element and does not
show the extent of the west elevation; there is a whole section of the north side that is not
shown on the rendering.
• The Committee is concerned about the length of the building because it has a consistent
pattern throu�hout the entire length of the fa�ade, especially on Che south side and asked if
the applicant considered some breaks to make it appear less dominant. Mr. Vock explained
there is a panelized paint scheme, but the purpose of this building is for warehouse use.
Mr. Vock stated they did not render the south elevation; however it has landscape screening
that complements the architecture and conforms to the drought tolerance requirements. He
is amenable to include different colors or paint schemes or even a different pattern in the
cast panel. The Committee stated that they do not like to solely rely on landscaping to make
a building ���cll dcsi<�n�d.
• The Committee asked about the finished surface of the corner element and how is it treated.
Mr. Vock stated the first two panels are concrete tilt-up panels that wrap around from the
south side then it transitions to metal Alucobond panels with mullions in some of the areas;
the glass will be supported from the interior of the building. There is a horizontal element
that is a canopy and accent piece.
• The Corninittee asked about the depth of the canopy. Mr. Vock stated it is approximately
2 feet but varies because of the angle along the west side.
• The Committee asked if there was any infornlation on fencing. Mr. Vock stated a portion
will be a block wall and the remainder will be a wrought iron gate that will be open during
business hours.
• The Committee is concerned that the HVAC units could be large and visible on the roof.
Mr. Vock stated they will screen the equipinent and will confornl to the City standards in
the inost aesthetic way, but it has not bcen detailed yet. Only the offices will be air-
conditioned and the units can place it behind the parapet.
• The Committec asked about the water drainage from the roo£ Mr. Vock stated it is sheet
flow on to a common drain to the street or the landscaping.
• The Coininittee inquired about the access doors with gravel in front of them. Mr. Vock
stated those are access doors use only by the Fire Department; the doors have no hardware
on them.
• The Committee asked if this project has a required tree count. Mr. Garcia stated no. The
project originally had enough trees to meet the commercial code; however,the Community
Services Departnlent recoinmended reducing the count to allow the trees to grow. One of
the Committee Meinbers felt the planting areas are not large enough to accommodate larger
trees. Larger trees would allow the required tree count to come down. Mr. Crouch stated
staff can relay the comments to Community Services.
Committee Member comments:
• The Committee agreed it is a very attractive building and is very elegant for an industrial
building. It is very contemporary and a huge upgrade for the neighborhood.
• The Committee has questions as to how it relates to the context.
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Final Mecting Minutes for December 5, 2018
Pagc 6 of 9
• The corner, which is at an intersection of two streets, is very blank and has no features
compared to everything else. Some Committee members would like to see a different way
of addressing the corner on Grove and Batavia. Mr. Vock stated they had to place the tront
of the building at the opposite corner due to parking and accessibility of the site.
� A Committee member commented that the plantings have a lot of pink and magenta in the
landscape which will clash with the red on the building and recommended making sure the
landscaping coordinates with the colors that have been chosen on the building.
• Some Committee members are concerned about the long expanse of the building on Grove
Avenue.
• The Alucobond and other materials need to be called out on the elevations.
• The word "sign" should be removed from the color legend to avoid confusion. Mr. Garcia
stated the sign would be approved administratively.
• The Committee recommended that the trash enclosure be constructed of painted stacked
bond block.
• The Committee wants to ensure that the HVAC is not visible from the street and would
like to see a line of sight drawing.
• There seems to be a misunderstanding on the part of the applicant as to what the
Committee's role is; the Committee's comments are not a criticism, they are expressing
uncertainty about what has not been presented to them. Mr. Vock stated he is frustrated
because he went beyond what the client wanted and they are trying to do the right thing in
pushing the envelope on what llas been done in that neighborhood.
• A Committee member stated projects go to the Committee for a discretionary review. The
Com�nittee's questions do not doubt the design or its intent; it is siinply asking questions
about eleinents that are not on the drawings. It is not the intention to have the project
redesigned; it is to keep going with the design that they have proposed and bring the details
back to the DRC so they know what they are approving.
• Committee feels they can move the project ahead and create a list of things for the applicant
to bring back to tlle DRC with dctails prior to obtaining building permits.
• The Coin�nittec discussed the lack of windows in the officc and lunchroom area.
• The Cominittec feels the simple long fa�adc could possibly improve with differences in
paint colors and should be explored.
• A Comnlittee member discussed creating interest by recessing the storefront window
system in the opening to create a shadow. The applicant stated that causes issues with
waterproofing.
• Another exterior paint color could be added to create more interest. Mr. Vock agreed to
explore adding more color.
• The south side of the building has a fair amount of deciduous trees.
• Although all of the lights are on 25 foot poles, the wattage is diffcrent and one is in conflict
with a tree. There should be a consistent tree and lighting cadence on the north elevation.
A Committee menlber recommended creating planting diamonds to equalize growing
conditions for trees on the north side of the property.
• The planting edge should be more architecturally and evenly spaced on the north side.
• The Coinmittee recommended using a multi-trunk Rhaphiolepis or Crepe Myrtle tree to
reduce monotony.
• The Committee is concerned about the quantity ofwater from the roof eroding the
landscape area; rocks could be added to slow the water down before it reaches the
landscaping.
City of Orange—Design Review Committee
Final Meeting Minutes for December 5, 2018
Page 7 of 9
• The Committee is supportive of approving the project with the condition that the applicant
would come back to the DRC for specific items prior to the issuance of permits.
• The materials for the underside of the white canopy material need to be called out.
Summary of discussion for items to return to the DRC:
• Details for fencing and railings.
• Will trash enclosure get painted or will it be a stacked bond or running bond.
• Glazing treatment.
� Details on lighting above the side of the building from an exterior perspective.
• HVAC screening material and location.
• Coordination of landscape plan versus site lighting, as well as the diamonds along the
parking curve so that there is a solid integration.
• Consideration be given into breaking up the fa�ade with paint or texture.
• Consideration of incorporation of multi-trunk trees; perhaps the Crepe Myrtle.
• Remove "sign" from the color legend.
Committee Member Imboden infot-med the applicant that the Committee will approve the item this
evening with conditions that specific items must return to the DRC for approval prior to the
issuance of the building permit. This allows the applicant to move on to the next approval body.
Should the applicant decide that he wants to change something, it should be included in the
drawings that are brougl�t back to the DRC so they can approve the changes.
Committee Member Imboden made a motion for a recomn7endation to the Pla�uling Commission
for DRC No. 4899-17 finding the project consistcnt as dcscribed in the staff report and in
compliance with the conditions and findings in the staff report. The following items shall be added
as conditions:
1. Thc following elements shall return to the DRC for review prior to the issuance of building
perinits:
• Design intent for fencing and railings throughout the project
� Additional infonuation on thc glazing system at the front of the building
• Site and building extcrior lighting
• Intention for HVAC screening at the rooftop
• Stronger coordination of exterior lighting with landscape and the planting diamonds
along the perimeter of the parking area
• Additional details on the exterior metal paneling system to be used on the building
• Details for the metal wrapping on the canopy
• Inclusion of�nulti-trunk trees, possibly Crepe Myrtle, in the landscape plan
2. The trash enclosure shall be constructcd of a stackeded bond block.
3. The word "sign" shall be removed from the color legend on sheet A.1
4. The applicant shall reconsider treatment of the long north and south building fa�ades; the
Committee recommends more break up rather than a continuous treatment along that
fa�ade.
The Committee also made the following recommendation:
City of Orange—Design Review Committee
Final Mceting Minutes for Decembcr 5, 2018
Page 8 of 9
1. The applicant should consider the sustainability of the landscape in relation to the drainage
from the building.
Mr. Crouch stated that MS International is an important source of mudstone (soapstone) for
historic properties and is a useful resource for restorations of kitchens under the newly amended
Mills Act program.
Committee Member Imboden wants the applicant to know that they are in support of the direction
they are going to; they just need the details.
SECOND: Skorpanich
AYES: McCormack, Skorpanich, McDermott, Fox, and Imboden
NOES: None
ABSENT : None
ABSTAIN: None
MOTION CARRIED.
City of Orange—Design Review Committee
Final Meeting Minutes for December 5, 2018
Page 9 of 9
ADJOURNMENT:
A motion was made to adjourn at 7:24 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled on
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
MOTION: Fox
SECOND: Skorpanich
AYES: MeCormack, Skorpanich, Imboden, McDennott, and Fox
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
MOTION CARRIED.
Meeting adjourned at 7:24 p.m.