This chapter of the Specific Plan describes more precise design
requirements to be considered during the Design Review for each of
the four planning areas which comprise the Home Depot Specific Plan.
A Tentative Map for Planning Areas 1 and 2 was initially submitted
with the Home Depot Specific Plan. The Tentative Map was reviewed
and approved with the Specific Plan. Planning Area 1 consisted of
the Home Improvement Center lot and a wetlands open space lot. Planning
Area 2 was subdivided into residential lots along the extension of
Scott Place and an open space lot. The boundary lines of Planning
Areas 1, 2 and 3 were subsequently reconfigured by a boundary adjustment
plat to meet the requirements of the U.S. Army Corps 404 Permit. The
new configuration provided Planning Area 1 as the Home Improvement
Center, Planning Area 2 became the Upland Open Space lot, and Planning
Area 3 was redesignated from Commercial-Light Industrial/Open Space
to Wetlands Open Space.
A complete Design Review package was submitted and reviewed
concurrently with the Specific Plan for Planning Area 1, the Home
Depot Home Improvement Center. A Design Review permit was approved
for Planning Area 1 in conjunction with the Specific Plan approval.
The design requirements specified in this chapter for Planning Area
1 have been incorporated into the project site plan and building plans.
No development plans were available for Planning Area 4 during the period when the Specific Plan was being prepared and reviewed. Any future development within Planning Area 4 will require the approval of a Design Review permit. Depending upon the proposed use, the approval of a Minor or Major Conditional Use Permit may also be required (refer to Chapter III, Section F). This chapter provides general design guidelines for Planning Area 4 which shall be considered by the decision-makers during any Design Review or Conditional Use Permit review.
The Specific Plan provides complete zoning standards for each of the four planning areas in Chapter III (Section F, Land Use Regulations).
1.
Site
Design
The overriding concern of the Home Depot Site Plan is to minimize
impacts to Encinitas Creek and its associated wetlands. A wetlands
protection fence 5 feet in height will be erected along the perimeter
of the parking lot where it is adjacent to the wetlands. Nuisance
water treatment ponds will be established within the wetlands to preclude
contamination of the creek and related wetlands habitat. The graded
hillside behind the Home Improvement Center will be contour-graded
and intensively landscaped to restore the chaparral habitat. Due to
its proximity to the Home Depot building, much of the slope will not
be readily visible from offsite locations. The Home Depot Site Plan
is shown on Exhibit IV-1.
If Gnatcatcher mitigation is addressed through the on-site mitigation
alternative, the common boundary between Planning Area 1 and Planning
Areas 2 and 3 will be adjusted slightly to parallel the access drive
behind the enlarged Garden Center to allow for additional parking
spaces and screening landscape adjacent to the 7-foot sound attenuation
wall along the easterly property line.
Development of Planning Area 1 will include ultimate right-of-way
grading for El Camino Real to the south in Planning Area 2. The slope
will be constructed at a gradient of 3:1 and revegetated with native
chaparral plantings.
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2.
Architectural
Style
A modern, contemporary theme has been chosen as the architectural
style for the Home Depot building. This style is in keeping with the
mixture of architectural styles which have evolved along the El Camino
Real corridor of Encinitas. The north elevation (facing the parking
lot and Olivenhain Road) and west elevation (facing El Camino Real)
are illustrated by Exhibit IV-2.
The selection of building materials which has been chosen for
the Home Depot facilities is in keeping with the contemporary architectural
style. Primary materials will include concrete, stucco, metal and
clay tile. The building shell is of concrete tilt-up construction.
The shell will be colored in off-white or ivory shades.
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Plaster finished pavilions with parapet roofs will be
located at the southwest and northwest corners of the building. A
third pavilion will be located on the north elevation facing the parking
lot. The parapets will be a lighter tone of brown in contrast to the
darker brown tones of the pedestrian arcades. The lower column area
(3-4 feet) and roof caps of the pavilions will be painted a green
tone. The intent of these features is to add interest to the building
elevation and provide an additional layer of relief to the building
mass beyond the pedestrian arcades.
An entry feature will be located at the main customer entrance
on the north building elevation. The feature will help to provide
building relief and guide customers to the building entrance near
the Garden Center. The entry will include plaster finished concrete
columns colored to match the pavilions. Like the pavilions, the entry
will feature a parapet roof with green accents at base and cap.
A pedestrian arcade will run along the north side of the building
between the corner pavilion and the main entry structure. The arcade
will be supported by plaster finished cement columns. The arcade roof
covering will be clay tile. The tile pattern is referred to as the
"El Camino blend," which consists of multiple hues of red, brown and
tan, will complement the brown tones of the arcades and pavilions.
The arcade will provide shoppers shade and protection from inclement
weather.
The Garden Center will be enclosed by a wall which will be 12
feet in height on the north elevation and 20 feet in height on the
east and south elevations. The wall will consist of plaster finished
cement columns colored to match the main entry and pavilions of the
building. Open wrought iron screenwork will be located between the
columns. The intent is to allow some transparency while maintaining
building security. A portion of the north wall will consist of a greenhouse
structure where plants will be displayed.
Rooftop equipment located on the Home Depot building consists
of evaporative coolers and skylights interspersed and arranged in
a regular, uncluttered grid pattern throughout the entire roof area.
There are no exposed air ducts or pipes. The only other piece of rooftop
equipment is a roof-mounted data communication satellite dish consisting
of a solid fiberglass dish 6 feet in diameter, white in color, and
mounted on a simple pipe mast. The top of the dish is approximately
9 feet above the roof surface. The antenna is located about 150 feet
east of the west building face and 40 feet north of the south building
face (approximately 250 feet from the east edge of El Camino Real
and 1,000 feet south of Olivenhain Road). All rooftop equipment is
screened from ground-level sight lines by the parapet wall around
the perimeter of the main building.
There are approximately 25 evaporative coolers, each about 4
feet by 4 feet by 5 feet in height. Each cooler has a simple metal
housing with a uniform pattern of small louvers covering all sides
of each unit. The standard factory finish is light gray.
There are approximately 150 roof skylights, each 4 feet by 8
feet with a white plexiglass dome about 18 inches in height. The standard
factory finish for the skylight frame is a light silver-gray mill
finish aluminum.
The standard roof cap sheet is gray-to-off-white in color and
will be minimally reflective. This color blends well with the color
of the cooler housings as well as the aluminum frames and white domes
of the skylights so that there is a uniform gray-to-off-white color
to the roofscape. As an allowable alternative the roof cap sheet and
parapet walls may be of a warm neutral shade of tan or soft green.
The cooler housings and skylight frames may be painted to match so
that they blend with the roof surface.
3.
Landscape
The Home Depot Landscape Plan illustrated on Exhibit IV-3, includes four landscape zones. The El Camino Real Streetscape Zone extends southerly along El Camino Real from the north end of the Home Depot parking lot to the southwest corner of the Specific Plan area. The Commercial Area Landscape Transition Zone includes the Home Depot parking lot and the area around the Home Depot building and Garden Center. This zone interfaces with chaparral slopes to the south and the wetlands area of Encinitas Creek to the north. The wetlands area includes two zones. The Wetland Zone consists of the existing freshwater/brackish water marsh area and the willow riparian woodlands along the Encinitas Creek drainage. The Wetland Zone is bordered to the northeast and the southwest by the Wetland Restoration Zone. The Wetland Restoration Zone consists primarily of disturbed wetlands which will be revegetated and enhanced as a result of the implementation of the Home Depot Landscape Plan. The Nuisance Water Treatment Wetlands are also located in this zone. The four landscape zones are delineated on Exhibit III-3 in Chapter III.
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El Camino Real Streetscape
Within the right-of-way adjacent to the Home Depot site, the
5-foot wide sidewalk shall be located adjacent to the curb. The 5-foot
wide landscaped parkway shall be improved with street trees, groundcovers
and a permanent irrigation system in order to present an attractive
streetscape edge.
The landscaped set-back located between the right-of-way and
the parking lot ranges in width from 15 feet to 24 feet. The landscaped
setback adjacent to the public right-of-way will consist of berms
a maximum of 3 ft. high with slopes having a maximum gradient of 4:1
and planted with low shrubs, ornamental grasses and trees to screen
views of the parking area.
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Trees are to be a combination of deciduous and broad-leaf evergreen
species, and the mix is to be weighted with a slightly higher proportion
of deciduous trees closer to the creek. Trees are to be planted in
informal groupings. The minimum number of trees will be equal to the
required number of trees if planted at an average of 40 ft. spacings
along the street frontage.
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Groundcovers within the parkway and landscaped set-back area
are to consist of a combination of native groundcovers and grasses.
Portions of the sidewalk south of the Home Depot site will be adjacent
to a cut slope resulting from the widening of El Camino Real. These
3:1 graded slopes will be planted with drought-tolerant plant material
identified in the Zone Six planting palette.
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The streetscape treatment adjacent to the Home Depot
is shown on Exhibit IV-4.
A landscaped parkway is desirable along El Camino Real. However,
south of the Home Depot site, the steep slope conditions preclude
the addition of a parkway. Instead, a five foot wide sidewalk lies
adjacent to the curb, and on the east side of the sidewalk, the slopes
shall be planted with native chaparral species where grading occurs.
Areas that will be graded and planted adjacent to the natural open
space zone shall have temporary irrigation systems installed to assist
plant establishment. The streetscape treatment for the area south
of the Home Depot is illustrated by Exhibit IV-5.
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Parking Lot
Ornamental flowering trees are to be aligned along the main
circulation areas to provide a defined entry theme. Throughout the
parking lot, trees are to be planted in planting areas with a minimum
interior width of four feet, and surrounded with a six inch concrete
curb. Groundcovers (identified in the plant palette for Zone Three)
are to be planted beneath all trees. All planting areas are to be
irrigated.
The Home Depot parking lot is to be planted with canopy trees,
with a minimum of one 24-inch box tree for every six parking spaces,
distributed throughout the parking area, as required to meet the City
of Encinitas Zoning Ordinance. In addition to the parking lot trees
landscaped parking lot islands and landscaped borders around the parking
areas provide a total parking lot landscaped area of approximately
31,400 square feet or about 17.5 percent of the 4.1 acre parking lot.
Crosswalks will be located in front of the main customer entrance
and the two customer exit doors. The driveway area in front of the
entrance and customer exit doors shall be paved with portland cement
concrete. The east and west three feet of each pavement section shall
be stamped concrete to encourage users of shopping carts to stay within
the confines of the cement area. The edges of the cement area may
be enhanced by white or yellow paint on the stamped concrete area
in order to alert motor vehicle operators of the pedestrian crossings.
The paving treatment areas and crosswalks are illustrated on
the Home Depot Site Plan, Exhibit IV-1. The Home Depot main entry
at Woodley Road is shown on Exhibit IV-6.
Since the roof of the Home Depot building is visually prominent
for some existing and potential future residences, the Landscape Plan
has addressed locations where shrubs and trees are to be located for
screening purposes. Torrey Pine trees will be planted on the upper
ridgeline of Planning Area 2 between the Home Depot building and the
existing homes along the north side of Scott Place. The tree locations
are illustrated on Exhibit III-2. In a similar manner, trees selected
from the Landscape Zone 4 plant palette will be planted at the southeast
corner and along the easterly property line of Planning Area 1 to
help screen the Home Improvement Center from residents to the east.
The plantings are shown on Exhibit IV-3.
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Plant material massings of primarily native and indigenous
species in natural looking, informal groups will occur as perimeter
planting. Massing of the vegetation will allow views to the wetland
corridor.
Wetlands
The existing freshwater/brackish water marsh areas and willow riparian woodland areas shall be enhanced through a program of selective removal of exotic species and revegetation under the supervision of a qualified biologist/horticulturist (Zone One). Newly created wetland areas (Zone Two) will be revegetated utilizing the plant palette prescribed in Chapter III. The nuisance water treatment wetlands area adjacent to the Home Depot parking lot will contain marsh type vegetation which has, in conjunction with a sand filtration system, the capacity to treat water contaminants typically found in storm runoff. For additional information regarding landscape treatment of the wetlands area refer to Chapter III, Section D, Wetlands Program.
4.
Signage
Signage for the Home Depot site will consist of wall signs located
on the west and north elevations of the Home Depot building and a
freestanding entrance sign located at the main entrance to the project
at the intersection of El Camino Real and Woodley Road. All signage
has been designed to complement the architectural style and materials
of the Home Depot building. Each sign will be internally illuminated.
Signage for the Home Depot north elevation is illustrated by Exhibit
IV-7. The main customer entrance which faces the parking lot includes
individual letters spelling out "The Home Depot." The individual letters
are underlined by a smaller cabinet sign.
One sign is located on the west building elevation. It will
consist of individual letters spelling out "The Home Depot." The sign
is shown on Exhibit IV-8.
A freestanding sign will be located at the north side of the
main entrance driveway. The double faced sign will be mounted on a
cast in place concrete base with stucco support columns. The columns
will be brown and the base will be green to match the colors of the
Home Depot building. The entrance sign is illustrated on Exhibit IV-8.
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In addition to the permanent signs described above,
three types of temporary signs shall be allowed at the Home Depot
site:
a.
One
non-illuminated, temporary construction site sign, not to exceed 40
square feet in area. The sign shall not exceed a height of 8 feet.
The sign may be located along the El Camino Real frontage and may
be either freestanding or mounted on a temporary construction fence.
The sign shall be permitted only for the duration of the construction
period.
b.
One
Grand Opening banner not to exceed 64 square feet. The banner may
be displayed on the north building elevation during the first 45 days
of store operation.
c.
A
seasonal sales banner may be displayed twice yearly on the north building
elevation. Each banner shall not exceed an area of 64 square feet
and may be displayed for up to 30 days.
5.
Lighting
"Box-style" luminaires are recommended in efficient groupings
in order to provide even illumination of the Home Depot parking lot
and driveways. The light standards shall have a cut-off point above
75 degrees vertical. High pressure sodium lamps are recommended. The
mounting height of the light fixtures is to be approximately 18 feet
and the average spacing is approximately 85 feet. A typical parking
lot lighting fixture is shown on Exhibit IV-9. The light standard
color is dark brown and the steel post is set on a raised concrete
footing of approximately two feet, which has a light sand-blast finish.
Light shields shall be adjusted to ensure no undesirable light spill
occurs into the wetlands area or beyond the property lines.
The Garden Center will be illuminated by luminaires located
on poles along the east fence of the outdoor area. The lights will
shine downward into the Garden Center from a height not to exceed
25 feet. The fixtures shall include shields adjusted to assure that
no direct light glare will be visible from offsite. Security lights
will be located on the building wall in the loading dock area at a
height of approximately 16 feet above the loading dock well. Security
lights will also be located on the south building wall at a height
of approximately 14 feet above finished grade.
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A temporary construction easement is required for grading of
the north-facing slope at the north boundary of Planning Area 2 adjacent
to the Home Improvement Center. The purpose of the easement is to
allow for grading of the slope to reduce encroachment of the Home
Depot into the wetlands area.
Development of Planning Area 1 will include grading for ultimate
right-of-way width along El Camino Real in Planning Area 2 (in addition
to the slope grading in Planning Area 2 noted above). Development
of Planning Area 1 will require full concrete curb, gutter, sidewalk
and median improvements in conjunction with the widening of El Camino
Real along the entire Planning Area 2 frontage.
Any areas within Planning Area 2 which are cleared during construction of the Home Depot or the widening of El Camino Real shall be revegetated and returned to the natural state upon completion of construction utilizing the plant palette for Landscape Zone Four - Open Space and Conservation Zone, described in Chapter III.
Two of the Landscape Zones described by the Landscape Concept Master Plan (Chapter III, Section C) are found in Planning Area 3. The willow riparian woodlands and marshlands of Encinitas Creek are located in Zone 1, the Wetland Zone. No development will occur within this zone. Any areas of this zone disturbed during the development shall be revegetated utilizing the Zone 1 plant palette described in Chapter III.
Two areas of disturbed wetlands located between Zone 1 and potential
development areas are a part of Zone 2, the Wetland Restoration Zone.
The intent of this zone is to restore the disturbed wetland area along
Encinitas Creek to the same level of quality found in Zone 1. Nuisance
water treatment facilities may also be located within this zone.
1.
Site
Design
Planning Area 4 includes approximately 10.5 acres, of which about 1.5 acres are potentially developable. The potential development area is shown on Exhibit II-2 in Chapter II. Land uses allowed in Planning Area 4 either by right or by special use permit include a wide variety of commercial and light industrial uses which are described in Section F of Chapter III. Any development within Planning Area 4 will require Design Review approval.
Access to the development area will be directly from Olivenhain
Road.
Development in Planning Area 4 will be adjacent to the wetlands
along Encinitas Creek. Storm runoff from development will empty into
the creek. In order to protect the creek and wetlands from silt and
other contaminants some form of nuisance water treatment shall be
incorporated into the site plan to the satisfaction of the authorized
agencies.
While no specific development plans were available when the
Specific Plan was being prepared, development regulations are included
in the Specific Plan which will determine the general character of
development. Considering the maximum area of development to be approximately
1.5 acres, the maximum allowable lot coverage (40 percent) would be
about 26,000 square feet, the minimum landscaped area (15 percent)
would be about 9,800 square feet, and the maximum bulk floor area
(0.75 floor/area ratio) would be 49,000 square feet. These numbers
would be proportionally reduced if a smaller area is developed. Several
other factors should be considered in the design and review of the
planning area site plan(s):
a.
A wetlands protection fence as described in Chapter III will be required in areas where development is located adjacent to wetlands.
b.
The
westerly 150 feet of the planning area is within an SDG&E utility
easement. Development within the easement will be limited to parking,
driveways, outdoor recreation areas, horticulture and public utility
facilities.
c.
The
area immediately to the east of the development area is designated
for a future public park. Development in Planning Area 4 shall be
designed to minimize impacts to the park.
d.
Future
traffic on Olivenhain Road may generate significant noise impacts
for development near the roadway. It may be necessary to incorporate
special noise attenuation measures into the designs for this area.
2.
Architectural
Style
A precise architectural style for Planning Area 4 is not prescribed
by the Specific Plan. The style of the buildings along Olivenhain
Road should be compatible with the future park to the east and wetlands
immediately to the south. Architectural designs will be considered
during Design Review for Planning Area 4.
3.
Landscape
Four of the Landscape Zones described by the Landscape Concept Master Plan (Chapter III, Section C) are found in Planning Area 4. The willow riparian woodlands and marshlands of Encinitas Creek are located in Zone 1, the Wetland Zone. No development will occur within this zone. Any areas of this zone disturbed during the development of the planning area shall be revegetated utilizing the Zone 1 plant palette described in Chapter III.
Two areas of disturbed wetlands located adjacent to Zone 1 are
a part of Zone 2, the Wetland Restoration Zone. The intent of this
zone is to restore the disturbed wetland area along Encinitas Creek
to the same level of quality found in Zone 1.
Zone 4, the Open Space and Conservation Zone constitutes the
third landscape zone. This zone includes hillside areas at the southern
end of the planning area. Any areas of this zone disturbed during
the development of the planning area shall be revegetated utilizing
the Zone 4 plant palette.
The development area is located within Zone 5, the Olivenhain Road Commercial Area Landscape Transition Zone. Landscape plans for this area shall draw from the plant palette found in Chapter III. Planning Area 4 landscape plans shall also incorporate the water conservation measures found in the Landscape section of Chapter III.
