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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report for Special COM 04-16-19Carmel Plan Commission COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE – Special Meeting April 16, 2019 Department Report 1. Docket No. 18110008 DP/ADLS: ZP Investments, LLC. 2. Docket No. 18110009 V: The Bridges PUD (Z-550-11) – Sections 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 and Exhibits 6, 7, 8 – Architectural Style: Prairie Style required, Modern style requested The applicant seeks site plan and design approval with a variance for a new, 5 story (93’6” tall) office building totaling about 120,000 sq. ft. and 5 story (57’ tall), approximately 470 space parking garage on 7.51 acres. The site is located at the southeast corner of Illinois Street and Fidelity Way (south of 116th Street). It is zoned PUD within the Bridges PUD (Z-550-11) and is not located within any overlay zone. Filed by Brian Tuohy of Doninger Tuohy & Bailey LLP on behalf of the owner, ZP Investments, LLC. *Updates to the Dept. Report are noted in blue text Project Overview: The Bridges PUD identifies this site as the Corporate Office Use Block, as this site is adjacent to other office buildings located along the US 31 Corridor in the Fidelity Plaza office complex. To the north of the site across Fidelity Way is the Heartland Hall Daycare facility, to the east are two office buildings, one 2 story and one 6 story. To the southeast is the new KAR building and parking garage (currently under construction), and to the west across Illinois Street is where the bulk of the Bridges development is located, with the Market District grocery store, Get Go gas station, and other retailers filling out the completed Commercial Amenity Use Block of the PUD. Southwest of the site, and directly south of the Market District, is the Office and Residential Use Block of the PUD, which is currently undeveloped. Please see the Petitioner’s Information packet for more details. PUD (Planned Unit Development) Standards this project MEETS: • Permitted Use within Corporate Office Use Block • Minimum tract size for DP: 3 acres required, 7.51 acres proposed • Minimum Building Setback from Illinois: 20’ required, 40’ proposed • Minimum side/rear yard setbacks: 15’ required, 150’+ proposed for Building • Minimum Building Height when not adjacent to 111th St.: 38’ or 3 floors required, 93’6” tall & 5 floors proposed o Please note “adjacent” is defined in the PUD as any building within 200’ of the centerline of the noted road right-of-way • Maximum Building Height when not adjacent to Springmill Rd. or 111th Street: 150’ allowed (if 70% of a building is occupied by a single tenant), 93’6” tall proposed • Minimum Building Gross Floor Area when not adjacent to Springmill Rd. or 111th Street: 15,000 sq. ft. required, approximately 23,000 sq. ft. proposed • Maximum Building Gross Floor Area: n/a • Minimum distance between buildings: 30’ required, n/a • Site access from Illinois Street required and proposed • Landscaping requirements pending approval • Number of parking spaces: 1/300 GFA is required = 400 spaces, 484 +/- is proposed • Off street loading areas required and proposed on the east side of the building • Solid waste/recycling/other service areas shall be placed to the rear or side of buildings and fully enclosed: these facilities are proposed within the east side of the first floor of the building • Bicycle parking : 6 short term spaces required, 16 spaces proposed • Bicycle parking: 20 long term spaces required, 30 spaces proposed • Showers and changing facilities required for buildings greater than 30.000 sq. ft.: this is proposed on the first floor, as part of the gym. • Sidewalks are provided as required PUD Standards NOT MET, therefore variance has been requested: • Sections 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 and Exhibits 6, 7, 8, which all describe and illustrate how the building must comply with the Prairie Architectural style, the chosen style for the Bridges PUD. The Petitioner has requested a modern style. Site Plan and Parking: The building will be placed at the northwest corner of the site, in an L shape, brought up to the intersection of Fidelity Way and Illinois Street. The proposed parking garage will be located along the east property line, and pulled up to Fidelity Way. The rest of the site will left undeveloped, with the exception of improvements to supplement this project such as the driveway, sidewalks, and retention pond at the south end of the triangular site. The undeveloped areas could be developed 2 at some point in the future, as well as connect with other potential redevelopment sites within the Fidelity Plaza Office park immediately adjacent (east) to this site. The Corporate Office Use Block of the PUD does allow for a high concentration of office development between Illinois Street and Meridian Street and encourages coordinated development with adjacent properties. The PUD calls for large, multi-story buildings, and does permit a small amount of retail and entertainment uses, which would be considered accessory to office uses. However, please note that there are no retail or entertainment uses proposed within this development at this time. If additional buildings were proposed in the future, the Petitioner would need to return to the Plan Commission for a DP Amendment. Approximately 470 parking spaces will be provided in the 5 story tall parking garage. There will be approximately 14 spaces along the street/entrance drive through the site. There will also be two drop off locations. When entering from the north on Fidelity Way, the first drop off area will be for delivery trucks, strategically placed by the mail room and other “back of house” type uses including mechanical and trash rooms. The second drop off/pull off area will be for guests and employees, prior to leaving the site or finding a parking space elsewhere on the site. The PUD requires 1 parking space per 300 sq. ft. of gross floor area. This means that 400 spaces are required. Above grade, structured parking facilities are permitted by the PUD. They must be designed on all sides to have architectural features compatible with the associated principal building. Through the use of concrete, glass stair towers, and metal screens/fins, the garage design complements the office building. Engineering: In discussions with the Engineering Dept., appropriate space is planned for potential round-a-bouts at the intersection of Fidelity Way and Illinois Street, as well as the entrance to the site further south on Illinois Street. Detention has been planned for at the south end of the site, and is designed to hold capacity for the site at future build out, if that were to occur. Active Transportation: Multi-use path (10’ wide) is proposed along Illinois Street from Fidelity Way all the way down to the entrance to the KAR site, which is where this parcel ends. A secondary sidewalk connection will also be provided to the KAR site from the path, in addition to KAR’s proposed sidewalk leading to their front door. A 5’ wide sidewalk will be installed along Fidelity Way, to the edge of the property line. Internal sidewalks will be constructed in front of the parking garage leading down to the entrance off Illinois Street, as well as around the building and providing a walking loop around a greenspace area. Short term bicycle parking will be provided at the corner of Fidelity Way and Illinois Street, outside of the main entrance to the building. This entrance leads through the building to the inside corner of the L shaped building, where additional short term bicycle parking will be provided near the outdoor seating area and entrance. Long term, protected bicycle parking will be provided inside the parking garage on the first floor, adjacent to the entrance where the stairs and elevator are located. In total, 46 spaces will be provided – 16 short term (8 racks) and 30 long term (15 racks). A bike fix-it station has also been added near the protected garage spaces as requested. Architectural Design and Requested Variance: The proposed design of the building is reflective of a modern style, with glass as the primary building material. It will be 5 stories tall, with the 5th story set back from the 4th story, in order to allow for variation in the building façade and to have outdoor patio spaces. Samples of the proposed glass have been provided, and showcase a solid color (white was on the sample, final color TBD) to hide the structural elements of the floor, then a gradient pattern going down the glass about a foot or so to blend the solid color into the clear glass of the windows. The gradient portion will not be recognizable to people passing by, only up close might someone realize it is patterned glass. The gradient will also provide a sort of sun shade for the occupants of the building, without having to install addition interior window treatments. Located on the east side of Illinois Street, this parcel is separated from the rest of the Bridges PUD. The Petitioner desires to build a modern facility to attract and retain a workforce as it prepares for future growth. For this reason, the Petitioner felt the need to break away from the Prairie Architectural Style as is required by the Bridges PUD. A more modern designed building is compatible with the existing and proposed office buildings along the US 31 Corridor and within the MC zoning district, which is adjacent to this site. The Department is supportive of the variance request to not follow the Prairie architectural style. 3 The design of the parking garage is for an open floor plan with aluminum screens of varying depths spaced around the building. The latest design has changed to incorporate more “movement” into the façade through the varying depth and height of the fins, with emphasis at the corners to provide more dynamic views as one drives by the garage. Glass is included in the design for the stair towers and on the pedestrian bridge located at the second level for covered access to the building. Lighting: Site lighting will include up-lighting on the building, street lighting, pedestrian scale lighting/bollards, and lighting within the parking garage. The PUD requires for all exterior lighting to be architecturally integrated with the style of the building, material and color. Additional details are needed to see where all lights are proposed and what the footcandle measurements are at the property lines. Landscaping: The landscaping for this site will be unique, with a combined planting and hardscape plan that will enhance the campus feel of the project. A mix of concrete and pavers will be used in a striped pattern to differentiate the pedestrian area from the vehicular areas. A large center green space will be provided, with stone masonry wall around the exterior to define the space, as well as a sidewalk and lighted bollards. Street trees will be provided along Illinois, Fidelity Way, and the internal street/driveway, including in front of the parking garage. There is one large tree at the south end of the site that will be protected and preserved. It is 60’+ tall Sycamore tree. Other than this tree, the site is relatively free of vegetation. The Petitioner continues to work with Daren Mindham, Urban Forester, on final approval of the landscaping plan. Signage: Signage will be submitted at a later date for Administrative ADLS Amendment approval. When signage is submitted, the Bridges PUD only allows wall signs for Office Buildings. No ground or roof signs are permitted. 75 sq. ft. will be allowed for main wall signs, per Exhibit 14, the Sign Area Chart. Additionally, 30 sq. ft. wall signs will be allowed at each of the pedestrian entrances. Incidental signs, which are three square feet in area and less than three feet tall, are also allowed, if part of an overall site wayfinding plan. March 19 Public Hearing Meeting Recap: The Petitioner discussed the proposed project, showing images of the site and surrounding area as it exists today. Multiple images and vantage points of the proposed building, including views at a distance from US 31 and Illinois Street, were shown. Clarifications were provided that the building will be constructed primarily of two kinds of glass, a clear glass, and a white glass in-between the floors to hide structural elements. Two members of the public spoke about the project, with concerns for proximity to nearby residential subdivisions, the architectural style variance, height of the building, number of parking spaces in the proposed parking garage, and the design of the parking garage. The Plan Commission members had concerns about the design of the proposed parking garage, asked for clarifications on building materials, that the Petitioner add a bike fix-it station, look into other amenities like an adult playground or an urban garden, provide an image that shows this project and the Market District, and how the building will be lit at night. The Plan Commission sent this item to the Commercial Committee meeting on Thursday, March 28, 2019 for additional review, with final voting authority coming back to the full Plan Commission. March 28 Commercial Committee Meeting Recap: Mr. Tuohy opened the presentation, speaking generally about the site and noting that the residential neighbors to south and southwest are about 1,400-1700’ away from this building. The south vacant parcel of the Bridges development will eventually fill in with other buildings, further blocking the views north to this site. Mr. Boardman then took over the presentation to discuss details about the architectural design of the building and garage. A more detailed landscaping plan was shown, specifying where evergreen trees are located, which is primarily along Illinois Street. The circular greenspace will be about a third of an acre, with edging and places to sit along the perimeter, and passive recreation opportunities available in the center of the space. In designing the garage, Mr. Boardman explained that the inspiration comes from the linear nature of a forest of aspen trees. The fins on the garage become the “trees” and the spaces in-between the trees become the negative or blank space behind it within the garage. The parking garage now has a bike fix-it station added near the long term bicycle parking spaces within the garage. Short term bicycle spaces are located at the northwest entrance to the building and the southeast entrance to the building. 4 The building is designed as an all glass building, with a gradation of color provided at the floors, to shield the view of the support structure (floors) and blend seamlessly into the clear glass windows. Samples of the glass were shown to the committee so they could visualize this gradation of color. The Petitioner desires to have a unique headquarters at this site that will complement other buildings in the overall corridor. They will also provide additional jobs and patrons to support the businesses within the Bridges PUD and the City as a whole. The Committee members had varied opinions about the overall project. One was very supportive of the overall design and believes it fits well within the overall Meridian Corridor. Others were more concerned about the variance request to stray from the Prairie style architectural requirement of the Bridges PUD. Members felt that this building proposal has a stark white appearance. One recommendation was to add more evergreen trees to soften the “white-ness” of the building. Another asked if other colors could be used to tie this building into the Prairie style better, and make a better transition to the other buildings of the Bridges PUD. The Petitioner stated that might be possible, and they would look into that. They also mentioned that they would still like for their brand to be present in their building design, similar to what other businesses have done in the past. This project was forwarded to the May 9 Commercial Committee meeting for further review. The Petitioner would look into other colors for the building and provide additional views to show this building and the Market District building together. Update since March 28 Commercial Committee meeting: The Petitioner has studied the color of the building, made adjustments to the design of the garage, and also created more images to show what the building would look like adjacent to the Market District building. More detailed plans and images of planting around the building and site are included in the updated packet. A new landscaping plan showing additional evergreen trees has been provided. 66 evergreen trees are now proposed, compared to 17 previously proposed. A Special Commercial Committee meeting was scheduled to review this project, at 5 PM on Tuesday, April 16. This was requested in order to keep review of the project moving forward so as to not lose valuable time between the March 28 and May 9 Committee meetings. The Petitioner will present all updates to the Committee members at this time. DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns: • Urban Forester sign off needed • Lighting details are still needed as mentioned above. Recommendation: After all comments and concerns are addressed, the Department of Community Services recommends the Commercial Committee votes to send this item back to the full Plan Commission on April 16, 2019 with a Positive Recommendation.