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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 09-23-195 CARMEL BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS DEPARTMENT REPORT SEPT. 23, 2019 (V) Franciscan Orthopedic Center of Excellence. The applicant seeks the following development standards variance approvals: 3. Docket No. 19080001 V UDO Section 2.40 Height -Max. 18’ accessory structure height allowed; 51’ parking garage proposed. 4. Docket No. 19080002 V UDO Section 5.07.D.3 Massing- At least 2 primary buildings required; 1 multitenant building and 1 parking garage proposed. The site is located at approximately 10800 Illinois Street. The site is zoned MC/Meridian Corridor. Filed by Robert Hicks of Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C. on behalf of Meridian Development Services, LLC. General Info: The applicant would like to construct a 4-story tall, 236,231 sq. ft. orthopedic hospital, surgery center, medical office building, and 664-space parking garage with skybridge, on 10.8 acres. The Petitioner seeks variance approvals related to the parking garage: for its height and the fact that it is not a primary building. Please see the Petitioner’s informational packet for more detail on the variance requests. This site consists of 10.8 acres of vacant land, with a Vectren gas main line easement (60’ wide) running diagonally through the center of the site. Across Illinois Street to the west is the Spring Mill Place subdivision (zoned S-2). North of this site is the “north parcel,” which was recently rezoned to MC under Docket No. 18030016 Z and is also owned by Franciscan/Methodist Sports. The Meridian Suburban subdivision (zoned S2) is also north of this site, and, most, if not all of the homes have been purchased by Franciscan/Methodist Sports. Meridian Corridor (MC) District analysis: The purpose of the MC district is to further develop and build out the US 31 Corridor. Quality development of mixed use sites is encouraged. The goal is to transition the corridor to a more pedestrian friendly area, with public transit options and mixed use development opportunities that can share parking and provide day and evening activities and vitality. The MC is not intended to be in conflict with suburban residential areas. However, it can be adjacent to these areas with proper transitions. Appropriate transitional elements are considered the tapering of building heights, staggered building facades, and the use of landscaping buffers. Through the rezoning process for the north site, the Petitioner agreed to commitments that would guide development for both sites. The Petitioner was also encouraged by City Council members to find a way to purchase the properties in the Meridian Suburban neighborhood. After many months of negotiations, the Petitioner was able to purchase most, if not all, of the homes in that neighborhood. Site Plan: This site has a unique feature to work around - the 60’ wide Vectren gas line easement. This easement runs diagonally through the site from west to east, and no buildings can be constructed over this easement. Roads may only be constructed perpendicular to the easement. The hospital and MOB are placed to the south of the Vectren Gas easement. The proposed parking garage is placed to the north of the gas easement, 100’ away from the nearest residential property line. The proposed parking garage will have 664 parking spaces over 4 levels. Hospital parking ratios are one space per bed plus one space per employee. 23 beds and an estimated 55 employees will work in the hospital, therefore requiring 78 parking spaces. The MOB is classified as Professional Office, and requires one space per 300 sq. ft. This MOB will have 120,000 sq. ft., therefore requiring 400 parking spaces. Architecture: 6 The hospital and MOB will be constructed as one building and have a seamless design and transition from the 4-story portion to the 3-story portion. The proposed materials are precast concrete panels as a base and accent walls, glass for the majority of the north façade and for windows around the building, formed metal wall panels (with a design pattern/reveals) for the main façade material besides glass, and smooth metal panels as accents around the windows. The hospital portion of the building, which is closer to US 31, will be 70’ 2” to the top of the 4th floor. There will be an EIFS screen wall for the rooftop mechanical equipment. It will extend to a height of 80’ 8”. The MOB portion of the building, which is located closer to Illinois Street, steps down to three stories tall at 50’ high. The mechanical screen for this portion of the building extends to 66’8”. The color of the materials will be primarily gray, blue and limestone (tan). The parking garage is designed to complement the primary building and uses the same precast concrete panels (limestone/tan color) and formed metal panels (dark gray color) as screens for the facades of the garage. It will appear to have the scale ad massing of a primary building. In-between the formed metal panels will be perforated (40% open) formed metal wall panels with horizontal metal ribs in a silver color. The garage will be completely enclosed with these two types of panels on the west, north, and east sides. The south façade of the garage will have a more open design, with about 2’ of space in-between the silver perforated panels. The garage will be 41’ 7” tall to the stop of the screen and 50’ tall to the top of the elevator/stair tower access. There is also a skybridge proposed to connect the parking garage to the primary building. It will be located about 30’ above grade, and the top of the bridge will reach 50’ tall. The bridge is proposed to be made entirely of glass, with a combination of spandrel and clear vision glass and diagonal white structural beams. Height variance: In the MC Zoning District, the maximum allowed accessory structure height is 18 feet, and 51 feet is proposed for the parking garage. This is a variance request of 65%. As stated above, the parking garage is designed to complement the primary building, and it will also have the appearance and massing of a primary building. The garage will be 41’ 7” tall to the stop of the screen and 50’ tall to the top of the elevator/stair tower access. The Planning Dept. is supportive of this variance request, as the garage will be designed and built to appear as a primary building. Massing variance: At least two primary buildings are required for wide lot widths, covering at least 75% of the lot’s width. One multi-tenant building and one parking garage are proposed (a parking garage is considered an accessory structure), at about 32% lot width coverage. The Meridian Corridor Architectural Standards state that lots that are 300 feet wide or greater shall have at least two principal buildings, cumulatively covering at least seventy-five percent of the lot’s width. Two or more principal buildings may be joined by a single- to two-story enclosed or un-enclosed structure setback from the principal building’s front facade and designed to be complementary to the principal building’s facades. The Planning Dept. is supportive of this variance request, as the garage will be designed and built to appear as a primary building. The Petitioner addressed all planning/zoning review comments, and the Planning Dept. supports these variance requests. Petitioner’s Findings of Fact: Please refer to the petitioner’s Findings of Facts included in their info packet. Recommendation: The Dept. of Community Services (DOCS) recommends positive consideration of Docket Nos. 19080001-2 V.