Apartment Complex Proposed for Wendy's Site Clears Another Hurdle

The developer of a mixed-use apartment building appeased the Planning Commission on Monday with new landscaping and design plans, but one commissioner criticized the developer’s proposal for small office storefronts.

The project, which would replace the Wendy’s on El Camino Real, calls for 51 apartment units, nine office or retail units along the ground floor and two levels of parking.

At a , the owner of the Travelodge located next to the project complained that the plan lacked landscaping.

Edwin Law, principal of Pinewave Development, said the updated layout moves the front driveway back five feet to make room for landscaping. “There is landscaping now all around the building,” he said.

Commissioner Lorrie Kalos-Gunn said she wanted to see deeper earth colors instead of tan stucco building.

Using a building in San Francisco that Kalos-Gunn suggested as a model, Law showed commissioners the new color scheme that incorporates reddish and yellow colors on the apartments and a brownish slate material around the base.

“I like the colors,” Kalos-Gunn said. “I like the combination. It is lively and it gets rids of that commercial box look.”

Although Commissioner Wayne Lee said he liked the design, he still wants to see the developer sell larger retails spaces instead of smaller offices ranging from 1,100 to 1,300 square feet.

“I am really against having small units,” Lee said. “We have an overstock of that downtown and in that area.”

Chairwoman Catherine Quigg said the layout wouldn’t stop one buyer from purchasing several or all of the units, but Lee said it would be harder to subdivide.

Christina Ongerth, who co-owns the Travelodge with her husband Barry, asked that the project be built a minimum of 10 feet from the north property line.

“Anything less than 10 feet does not give sufficient space between the new construction and the current Travelodge for maintenance of the three-story Travelodge wall which runs the entire length of the property from El Camino to California Drive,” the letter said.

The owners also requested that construction not start before 8:30 a.m. during the week and end by 6 p.m. daily.

Law said there is five-foot setback between the garage and Travelodge and 10 feet between the residential portions. He said the construction times seem reasonable for outdoor heavy machinery, but requested later construction times for indoor construction.

After the meeting, Law said he thinks there is a market for medical and dental office condominiums since the project is located close to the hospital.

Quigg asked that the developer bring back plans for landscaping in the atrium, exterior lighting, garbage collection and traffic circulation for construction.

City Planner David Petrovich said the project should return to the commission after six weeks, when the environmental analysis is completed.