Planning commission approves Toyota dealership design, tree removals and sign exception in North Downtown

Walnut Creek City Planning Commission on Aug. 28 voted 7-0 to adopt a revised resolution finding the Toyota of Walnut Creek dealership project exempt from CEQA and approving final design review, a tree removal permit and a sign exception for a two-story dealership to be built at 2150 North Broadway and 1275 Pine Street.

The approval advances a redevelopment the City envisioned as part of the North Downtown Specific Plan and related amendments approved in May 2024, city staff said. The commission’s action clears permitting for a new showroom, service center, rooftop inventory parking and associated streetscape and stormwater work in the city’s Makers Row and Mixed Use Special District overlays.

Simmer Gill, senior planner with Walnut Creek City, told commissioners the project “will be located at 2150 North Broadway and 1275 Pine Street” and that it was part of the North Downtown plan amendments. Staff recommended approval after an earlier Design Review Commission recommendation and after the applicant revised the plans to respond to several design comments. The commission’s adopted resolution also includes a condition requiring the applicant to provide actual material samples for final verification.

The project proposal and key details

The applicant proposes a two-story, approximately urban-prototype Toyota dealership with a sales showroom facing North Broadway and a service reception and repair entrance on Pine Street. Steven Scanlon, who represents Toyota Walnut Creek, said the project began in 2018 and described the proposal as “our first phase of a multiphase development in Downtown Walnut Creek.”

Project components described in staff and applicant presentations include: - Sales showroom and customer entry on North Broadway; service reception and three customer service lanes on Pine Street. - A fully enclosed second-floor service shop with 47 service bays, parts storage and offices; staff and inventory parking on the rooftop. - A total of 293 parking stalls proposed, of which 110 are dedicated to inventory storage. - New pedestrian walkways and street-front improvements: an 8-foot sidewalk on North Broadway and a 5-foot sidewalk on Pine Street, plus new street trees and stormwater treatment features.

Design, materials and landscaping

The building elevations will use metal ACM panels, stucco accents and a beige-brown stone veneer; staff noted the Design Review Commission had encouraged more material variety and additional texture to avoid a monolithic façade. The revised plans add a metal louver, adjust window locations and shorten an outdoor patio area on Pine Street to accommodate operational needs. Staff’s packet notes the applicant changed a previously proposed gray stone veneer to the current beige-brown option and must submit a final sample for approval.

An on-site arborist evaluated six trees; five are proposed for removal (four palms and one other landscape tree), and the city arborist approved retaining an existing live oak along North Broadway due to its health. The applicant will plant replacement landscaping, including several 36-inch-box trees and groundcover; civil engineering testimony said one street tree was removed from plans to accommodate required stormwater treatment and existing underground utilities.

Sign exception, height and CEQA finding

The applicant requested a sign exception for a 22-square-foot illuminated blade sign to be mounted about 29 feet 6 inches above grade. Staff reported total proposed signage of 191 square feet (49 square feet for the primary sign facing North Broadway and two additional logo signs of roughly 35 square feet each), which is under the 200-square-foot maximum for a single ground-floor business in the city’s sign ordinance. Staff recommended and the commission accepted the exception, finding the blade sign’s placement maintains pedestrian scale while improving wayfinding for the separate sales and service entries.

Most of the building meets the city’s 35-foot height limit; a northeast portion reaches about 40 feet because of a roughly 6-foot slope from pad to sidewalk. The community development director was granted authority in the resolution to approve a minor height adjustment in cases that involve unusual deviations in existing grade.

Staff determined the project qualified for a CEQA Class 32 infill exemption (site less than five acres, existing development on-site, utilities present and no significant traffic or noise impacts identified). The city’s traffic engineer reviewed a memo concluding less-than-significant traffic impacts; staff also confirmed parking and FAR standards are met.

Public and commissioner questions

Commissioners pressed the applicant and staff on operational details, pedestrian safety, lighting, rooftop screening and noise. Alan Baltazar of Gensler, the project architect, said the second-floor service shop “is fully enclosed, so noise is contained in this room” and described interior mitigations: CMU walls lining the shop and enclosed service bays. Civil engineer Christian Bell said the project adds stormwater treatment and maximizes available sidewalk width while avoiding conflicts with existing utilities.

A public commenter, Patricia Caunde, asked about vehicle cleaning and security at the storefront glazing. The applicant responded the facility will not have a drive-through car wash but will use a mobile-style detailing operation for new-car preparation, and that bollards will protect storefront glazing where parking stalls sit directly in front of the building.

Continued operation and inventory

Scanlon said the existing dealership at 2100 North Broadway will continue to operate while the new facility is built and that temporary inventory will be stored at existing sites during construction. The applicant estimated roughly 170 employees will work at the new facility; Scanlon said the current staff count at the existing facility was about 167.

Vote and next steps

Commissioners voted 7-0 to adopt the revised draft resolution, determine the project exempt from CEQA under Class 32, and approve final design review, tree removals and the sign exception. The resolution uploaded to the city website includes conditions requiring final material samples, lighting cut sheets that show downward-directed fixtures to minimize glare, and the screening design for the rooftop parking and transformer enclosure.

The commission’s approval clears the primary discretionary permits; building permits, final utility coordination and installation of the approved streetscape and stormwater work remain as implementation steps and will proceed under the city’s standard permit process.