Design review board weighs Hansel Ford service building; board urges durability, clarifies accessibility

A concept design for a new Hansel Ford commercial truck service building drew Design Review Board feedback Wednesday about materials, color and long-term durability.

Roberto, a planning staff member with the City of Santa Rosa Planning & Economic Development Department, told the board the proposal is “to construct a new 13,770 foot square foot commercial truck service building for the Hansel Ford of Santa Rosa” on a parcel located behind the existing dealership with vehicle access from Corby Avenue. The site is zoned IL, the city’s light industrial district, and the proposed land use, “vehicle services, major repair/bodywork,” requires an approved minor conditional-use permit; because the building exceeds 10,000 square feet it also requires major design review.

Board members said the project’s scale and configuration are broadly appropriate for the industrial area but pressed for design details and operational clarifications. Board member Drew suggested the exterior colors be reconsidered if the applicant intends a bright Ford-blue scheme: “If the rendering you’re showing is that it’s going to be blue and that’s your plan, I would maybe reconsider that.” Drew said a more neutral gray or off-white would better match adjacent industrial buildings, which the board’s guidelines encourage.

Architect Shawn Montoya and applicant representatives said the building will use metal siding, roofing and roll-up service doors; the service bays will be accessed from the north and the parking configuration on the northern half of the lot will remain unchanged. The presentation showed a 14-bay service area, a small office, break room, bathrooms and a dedicated fluids room. The Planning Department noted the project is being built in partnership with Ford Motor Company and that some subsidy and program constraints drove the building height and the need for additional bays.

Board members also recommended minor but practical changes. Drew recommended the design team ask the metal-building fabricator about adding modest overhangs at roof edges: “Providing a foot overhang on all four sides with that roof is just gonna… make it less of a maintenance nightmare long term.” He said overhangs help reduce water intrusion at roof joints and wind-driven rain at gables.

Questions from the board also covered operations. Applicant representatives said used oil and other fluids will be stored in the building’s dedicated fluids room until removed under the dealership’s existing waste-handling program. The applicant said janitorial and employee trash services would be provided as part of Hansel Ford’s existing operations at the main dealership. The applicant added that mini-split mechanical units (small outdoor condensers) were anticipated to serve the office/break-room areas and would be placed at grade and tucked out of public view, not on the roof.

Board members raised accessibility and building-code issues. A board member noted that California does not allow a vertical access exception to the CBC for mezzanines; new mezzanines typically must be on an accessible route, which can require an elevator. The board asked the team to confirm whether the proposed mezzanine will trigger that requirement and to show how any accessible route would be provided when entitlement materials are submitted.

On landscaping, the applicant presented a preliminary, low-water-use palette and said final planting plans would be prepared by a landscape architect. Board members encouraged the use of low-water native plantings and suggested the team treat corner planting areas as opportunities for small habitat or pollinator-friendly pockets that could be highlighted in the project narrative.

The Planning & Economic Development Department and the applicant did not take formal action at this concept stage; the project will return with entitlement-level materials, including a minor conditional-use permit application and the required major design-review submittal. The Planning Department provided contact information for staff and told the applicant to follow up with the planning reviewer and to supply more detailed design drawings for the board’s next review.

Notes and next steps: the project team said the building will be metal-clad and that service trucks will enter from Corby Avenue; the applicant emphasized the building is not customer-facing and that the main customer interactions will remain at the dealership’s existing facility. The board requested that the entitlement submittal clarify exterior colors and materials, include details on roof-edge treatment or overhangs, confirm the mechanical-equipment locations and show how any mezzanine will comply with accessibility rules.