HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 08-06-191
Carmel Plan Commission
COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE
Tuesday, August 6, 2019 Department Report
1. Docket No. 19050012 DP/ADLS: Mayflower Alt, LLC
The applicant seeks site plan and design approval for a new office and warehouse building on 5.80 acres. The
building will be 84,240 sq. ft., 37’ tall, and will have 91 parking spaces provided. The site is located at about 9800
Mayflower Park Drive (just north of 4400 W. 96th St.). The site is zoned I1/Industrial and is not located within
any overlay zone. Filed by Seth Alt of Alt Construction.
*Updates to the report are written in blue
Project Overview:
The Petitioner proposes to construct a new office and warehouse facility. All parcels surrounding this site are zoned I-1.
The neighboring buildings are all also office/warehouse type buildings. This site is part of the Mayflower Park Industrial
Complex (Lot 2, Block 7), established under Docket Nos. 74-97 PP/SP and 57-97 DP in 1997. The site has been vacant
since the Mayflower Distribution Center was demolished in 1998. Please see the Petitioner’s Information packet for
more details.
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Standards this project MEETS:
I-1/Industrial:
• Permitted uses: Storage/distribution facility and General
Office (precast office/warehouse – 84,240 sq. ft.)
• Minimum Front Yard Setback: 15’, 111.3’ proposed
(west)
• Minimum side yard: 5’ required, 83.9’ (north) and 50.5’
(south) proposed
• Minimum rear yard: 15’ required, 179.9’ provided (east)
• Maximum lot coverage: 90% allowed, 67% proposed
• Maximum Building Height: 60’ allowed, 38’2” proposed
Article 5 – Development Standards:
• Lighting plan meets 0.3 footcandle
maximum at property lines
• Bicycle parking: 8 spaces required and
provided
• Pedestrian connectivity: Paved walkway
from the road to front door provided
UDO Standards NOT MET, therefore adjustments need to be made/clarifications needed:
• Vehicular parking: One space per employee required, 91 spaces provided, however, the number of employees is
unknown
Site Plan, Parking and Engineering:
The site is currently vacant with only two driveways going through the site and a pond along the west property line. The
proposed site plan will remove the existing driveway cutting through the center of the site. The entrance at the south end
of the site will remain, and become a joint entrance for the new building and the existing building to the south (home to
Bell Techlogix and Gateway Classic Cars of Indianapolis). A new pond will be constructed along the north property line.
The building will be set in the middle of the site, about 111 feet from Mayflower Park Drive on the west, which meets the
minimum 15’ front yard requirement. Parking will be located on the west and east sides of the site. The 5’ side yard
requirements are met on the north and south and the 15’ rear yard setback is met on the east. The proposed plan meets lot
coverage requirements with 67% proposed and up to 90% coverage allowed. Drainage for this site is planned to go into
the new pond on the north end of the site, with three rain gardens proposed along the west border of the site. The
Petitioner is still working with the Engineering Dept. on addressing their review comments.
Access to the site is from Mayflower Park Drive, which is currently a private street. The Petitioner hopes that this new
building will encourage the neighboring property owners within the Mayflower Industrial Park to invest in maintenance of
this road. The site plan has been laid out to allow for 91 parking spaces. The warehouse category of the UDO requires one
space per employee. At this time, the building is a speculative building for office/warehouse tenants with the capability
and flexibility to provide office, distribution, manufacturing and warehousing to potential 6 tenants. Petitioner, please
provide more insight on the potential number of workers in this building and how the parking needs will be met.
Active Transportation:
Sidewalks are proposed on the west side of the building, which will be the front entrance to the tenant spaces. A sidewalk
has now been provided to connect these entrances to the path along Mayflower Park Drive. However, a sidewalk is still
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needed to connect to the property to the south. Bicycle parking racks are now provided near the front door. One space per
10,000 sq. ft. is required for office uses. This means 8 spaces (4 racks) are required. Petitioner, please provide updated
plans to address these items.
Architectural Design:
The proposed building will be constructed of pre cast panels on a steel frame. The main building color will be tan with
darker accent areas to create the look of a base and a cornice. The building will have minimal windows, concentrating
them on the west façade at the tenant entrances. The north and south elevations will have no windows, but a stair-stepping
effect in the height of the building, decreasing as the building moves east. The east elevation will have pedestrian
entrances as well as multiple truck docking bays. This site is not in any overlay zone, therefore there are no architectural
requirements for this building to adhere to. However, Staff is confident that this building as designed will fit in and
complement the buildings in the surrounding area.
Lighting:
Building mounted lights will provide the overall site lighting. 10 fixtures are proposed around the building. No parking lot
pole lights are proposed. The site photometric plan meets UDO requirements of 0.3 footcandles at the property lines.
Landscaping:
New plantings are proposed along all property lines, as well as in the parking lot islands. This site is currently grassy with
some trees along the east site border. These trees should be saved, and can be counted towards the required number of
trees for that perimeter bufferyard. The Urban Forester has not yet approved the plan and is awaiting revisions.
Signage:
Two potential wall sign locations are shown on the elevations. Mayflower Park Drive is a private street, and therefore, no
signage is permitted by right. Variances would be needed to have signage not facing a street frontage. Any signs proposed
would still need to meet size requirements of the UDO. Walls signs are allowed to be up to 70% of the height and 85% of
the width of the spandrel panel area. A ground sign could be up to 75 sq. ft. and 6 feet tall. We are awaiting revisions to
show the full spandrel panel areas to determine compliance with the Sign Ordinance.
July 16 Plan Commission meeting recap:
The Petitioner gave an overview of the existing site, which is in the far southwest corner of Carmel. The proposed
building would be accessed through Mayflower Drive, which is a private street. The Petitioner has discussed working with
the other owners of the street to improve its condition. They expect to work with staff to meet alternative transportation
requirements. The Petitioner has made adjustments to comply with CFD requirements and altered the precast panel
heights to enhance exterior building design. Plan Commission members asked if there were any residential areas nearby
(no, only east of Michigan Road), if the pond is a retention pond has a naturalized edge (yes), if the pavement for path is
at grade (yes), if they can pay into the Thoroughfare Plan instead of building a path (yes), and whether the number of
parking spaces would be adequate. Staff said the proposed parking should suffice and Adam DeHart added that tenants
will have to commit to a number of employees during the tenant finish permitting process. It was forwarded to the
Commercial Committee meeting on Thursday, August 6, with final voting authority.
DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns:
The Dept. will continue to work with the Petitioner on the remaining review comments. Some outstanding comments
include:
1. Engineering Dept. approval
2. Fire Dept. approval
3. Potential number of workers needed
4. Sidewalk connection to the south
5. Urban Forester approval
6. Signage details
Recommendation:
The Dept. of Community Services recommends the Commercial Committee reviews this item, then continues it to the
Sept. 3, 2019 Commercial Committee meeting.