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City Council Meeting Minutes May 1, 2012 Page 11 of 17 2. That the modification or waiver is warranted by the design and amenities incorporated in the development plan, and the needs of residents for usable or functional open space and buffer areas can be met. This is an infill redevelopment project on a platted parcel of land, with no public use dedication requirement. The applicant proposes areas of usable common park area (through granting of a public easement). In addition, the applicant proposes to dedicate ROW for South Boulder Road for an expanded sidewalk/multiuse-trail. Since there is no public land dedication requirement, the public easement and ROW dedication are in excess of the public use requirement and may be considered sufficient to grant the requested modifications and waivers. Building Height, Bulk, and Mass: The highest points and largest building mass would be on the interior of the site. The majority of the buildings which front on South Boulder Road are two stories in height (28') with the exception of Centennial Drive where Buildings A and C are three stories (38') in height. The 40' parapet height is internal to the site on Building A, providing an effective focus to the Entry Drive vista from Jefferson Avenue. The rest of the 3 story development is 38' in height, 3' above the buildings' allowed height of 35'. The mass and form of the proposed development present human scale buildings adjacent to public streets. Scaling the buildings down in this fashion enhances the pedestrian environment at the street level. The Planning Commission Action: The Planning Commission conducted four public hearings for the proposed Safeway redevelopment (February 9th and 23rd, March 8th, and 22nd). After numerous staff and applicant presentations and hours of public testimony, the Planning Commission voted (5-1) recommending denial of the project. The original submittal to the Planning Commission included 195 residential units and 10,000 SF of commercial development. During the March 8th Planning Commission hearing, the applicant reduced the residential program 15 units to 180 units. On March 22, 2012, the Planning Commission voted to approve Resolution No. 1, Series 2012, which recommended denial of the proposal. Staff recommended the City Council conduct a public hearing, receive public testimony, and remand this project to the Planning Commission for further analysis regarding the revised application, the changes in density and building heights. If the application is remanded to the Planning Commission, it would hold an additional public hearing and thereafter return another recommendation to the City Council and City Council would then hold an additional public hearing. If Council desires to remand the proposal back to the Planning Commission, it will be scheduled with the required 15-day public notice. APPLICANT PRESENTATION Jim Loftus, Loftus Development, Inc., 2595 Canyon Blvd., Ste 200, Boulder, CO stated with the amount of public comment expected, they will move directly into their presentation by their architectural firm and traffic engineer. A representative from EPS, who did the economic study, will be available for questions.