Revision

Congregation Beth El

Revised Plan Drawings [for ZAB]

MARCH 8, 2001

Site Plan (approved by ZAB 3/8/01; denied by LPC 3/5/01)

Congregation Beth El

Memo to City of Berkeley

FEBRUARY 22, 2001

To: City of Berkeley, Zoning Adjustment Board

From: Congregation Beth El

Date: February 22, 2001

Re: Congregation Beth El Use Permit Application

A. APPLICATION CHANGES. After considering the comments of ZAB members during the hearings and meetings on the use permit application of Congregation Beth El, and after conferring with City staff, we submit the following changes to our application.

1. Building modification. Revised Site/Roof Plan and Floor Plans as identified on the revised drawings sheets A2.0 and A2.1 dated February, 2001, and distributed and explained at the ZAB meeting on February 8, 2001. Revised Oxford Street and Spruce Street elevations consistent with the Site/Roof Plan and Floor Plans revisions will be submitted to ZAB at its meeting on February 22, 2001 (sheets A 2.2 and A 2.3). Revised south and north elevations consistent with this revision will be submitted to ZAB prior to its meeting on March 8, 2001. These revised plans respond to the suggestions by ZAB's Design Review Committee on February 2, 2001 as confirmed by comments of ZAB members on February 8, 200 1. The primary changes reflected in these revised plans are the following:

a. School wing. The configuration of the school portion of the building has been revised to remove the wing closest to and parallel to Oxford Street, to widen the eastern leg of the building, and to put some of the square footage from the deleted wing under the chapel. These modifications result in the following: Smaller footprint. Lot coverage is reduced to 22%, by approximately 1250 square feet from 22,250 to approximately 20,950 square feet. Smaller building. Approximately 2 100 square feet removed. Reduction of approximately six percent (6%) from 34,891 to approximately 32,800 square feet. Reduced street frontage on Oxford Street to residential scale of 36 feet. This is only 11.6% street frontage. Expand the play area/courtyard for the nursery school students and to permit improved public view of the Monkey Puzzle tree from Oxford Street.

b. Spruce Street. The Spruce Street frontage has been modified in several ways: the articulation of the building is increased to create the appearance of distinctive structures for the different uses; also, the building's distance from Spruce Street is increased in places. The social hall, kitchen and study room are rearranged so that the former approximate 125 foot frontage is reduced so that the part of the building closest to Spruce Street is approximately 65 feet long and only one story high (kitchen/storage) while the remaining two story spaces are set back an additional 12 feet (social hall and study). These modifications result in the following: Reduced building mass along Spruce Street. Increased architectural vocabulary of building reflecting function, e.g. more distinctive form of sanctuary and lower scale school, kitchen, and study room.

c. Roof The roof has been changed from a shed-type roof to a gable form of roof. In addition, the accent elements have been strengthened over the sanctuary, social hall and chapel. Finally tile roof ridge line has been moved from the outside edge of the building to the middle of the building. These modifications result in the following: More variety in roof form. Lower profile of roof viewed from off of the site, reducing the appearance of the building mass. Residential scale and appearance viewed from the Oxford Street frontage.

2. Landscape Plan. Revise the Landscape Plan to follow the suggestions of the Design Review Committee as follows:

a. Continue the riparian-type plantings proposed for the open portion of the creek along the culverted portion of the creek instead of the ornamentals identified in the application submitted.

b. Replace the cypress trees along the southern boundary of the property with trees and other plantings more appropriate to the location. The replacements should provide appropriate screening while not casting excessive shade, and should have a root system and limited amount of dropping appropriate for the proximity of the house adjacent to the south.

c. In the proposed parking area, remove trees that are not precious specimens and replace with natives in more appropriate locations to better accommodate parking and parking-related concerns.

3. Landmark Commission Suggestions.

a. Our application proposed demolishing three of the four buildings on the site and relocating one small white shack, without knowing whether the shack had historic value. During the EIR process, the City's consultant concluded that the shack had no significant value as an historic or architectural resource. For that reason, we now propose to demolish the small white shack, rather than to relocate it.

b. Our application proposed retaining (repairing or replicating) the Oxford Street concrete retaining wall without knowing whether the wall had historic value. (The concrete retaining wall is different from the ornamental metalwork on top of the western fence. The ornamental metalwork will be retained.) During the EIR process, the City's consultant concluded that the wall had no significant value as an historic resource. We now propose (in cooperation with the City since the wall is on City property) to repair or replace the wall with a fence which allows views from the sidewalk on Oxford Street into the creek area below. (See also section C.2, below, describing our desire to use a portion of this wall for a public work of art.)

c. Our application proposed retaining the row of cypress trees along the southern boundary of the property. Since the application was filed, a neighbor spoke at the Design Review Committee (DRQ suggesting removal of trees. Our neighbor adjacent to the property on the southeast corner wrote to ZAB and to Congregation Beth El urging removal of the trees because he considers them to be a nuisance. The DRC suggested that the cypress trees could be eliminated and replaced with more appropriate trees and other plantings. As described in section 2.b., above, we propose doing so.

B. PARKING ALTERNATIVES. Most ZAB members expressed their preference that the drive and parking not be located above the buried culvert. In response to these suggestions, we have prepared two modified parking plans. We are not, however, proposing either modification as a replacement for our proposal in the application. The features of the two modified plans (Labled Parking Alternatives I and 2) are:

1. Parking-Alternative 1:

a. Driveway and all parking spaces are not located over the culvert. Some parking spaces are closer to Berryman Path.

b. 27 total spaces including 6 tandem spaces.

c. 21 non-tandem spaces, equal to the 21 non-tandem spaces in our application.

d. All parking spaces are outside of the drip lines of the oak trees.

2. Parking Alternative 2:

a. Driveway and all parking spaces are not located over the culvert. Some parking spaces are closer to Berryman Path.

b. 33 total spaces including 6 tandem spaces.

c. 27 non-tandem spaces, more than the 21 non-tandem spaces in our application.

d. All parking spaces are outside of the drip lines of the oak trees.

C. CLARIFICATIONS/RESTRICTIONS, PROPOSED BY BETH EL. To clarify or expand on some elements of our application, and in response to comments made by ZAB members and members of the public, including our neighbors, we represent to the City of Berkeley, as follows:

1. Use of property.

a. We will not permit non-members of the Congregation to rent or license the social hall or other portions of the property.

b. We will endeavor to coordinate non-worship activities and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs with unusually large attendance with the organizers of the Live Oak and Himalayan Fairs in an effort to avoid scheduling these activities at the same time as those fairs.

c. Our hours of operation will be no longer than 7 a.m. to I I p.m. with the following exceptions: Worship services. Currently there only two annual worship services extending beyond I I p.m. One occurs about one week prior to Rosh Hashana (New Year) and the other on the eve of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Camp Kee Tov. Currently 1st and 2nd grader campers sleep overnight at Beth El, on four separate nights spread out over the summer. We will not extend this sleepover to older campers.

2. Recognition of History of Site and Its People . The re-building of our synagogue and school at this new location creates a unique opportunity to create public art depicting the history of the site and/or themes important to many of our citizens. We intend to work with the City to create public art along Oxford Street, Berryman Path, or another appropriate location. As described in the attached letter, we envision the project as a community-wide effort that may reflect the history of the property and/or other appropriate themes

Letter to the Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board

From Congregation Beth El

February 22, 2001

Re: Public art at 1301 Oxford Street

Our vision for Beth El's new synagogue is to make it a place that will support and enhance everything that is important to us as a congregation. In other words, we want it to be a home for prayer, for learning, for meeting, and for community service.

Until now, Beth El's service to the community has consisted primarily of caring for those in need. Of course, in our new location, we will continue to reach out to those who need help. But on Oxford Street, we also plan to add another element of community service by encouraging public art on and near the site.

We are discussing many ideas for how best to do that in a way that honors Berkeley's culture, priorities and style.

Tonight, I'd like to outline some of the elements of our public art discussion to date:

    • We would like to work with the City to replace the crumbling wall on Oxford Street. Our initial plan was to propose an art wall that visually celebrates some of the outstanding achievements of our city and its diverse population.

    • But after listening to ZAB member Deborah Matthews at your last meeting, it occurred to us that, alternatively, it might make more sense to devote a portion of the wall (and/or an area adjacent to Berryman Path) to depicting the history of events and people associated with the Oxford Street site. Of course that would include recognition of Napoleon Byrne and his home, the Berryman family, the first freed African Americans in Berkeley, the Chinese Alliance Church and other important elements of the site's past. Since the wall is on City property, we are prepared to work with the appropriate staff to make it a landmark and to integrate it with the pedestrian and auto gates and the landscaping along Oxford Street.

    • We also intend to work with the City to modify the concrete wall in a way that creates a space for public viewing of the restored creek from the sidewalk on Oxford Street

    • And another idea we are quite excited about is to recreate the outline or footprint of the Byrne mansion in the entry court paving.

Of course it is not possible or appropriate for us to present you with a plan for any public art projects at this point in the discussion. But we can say that we intend to consult and work with City staff and with other knowledgeable individuals and groups, including houses of worship, so 1301 Oxford Street will become a place that makes us all proud of our heritage.