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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 10-28-198 CARMEL BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS DEPARTMENT REPORT OCT. 28, 2019 (V) Napleton Kia of Carmel. The applicant seeks the following development standards variance approvals: 2. Docket No. 19090008 V UDO Section 5.39.H.2 Two signs allowed, Six requested. 3. Docket No. 19090009 V UDO Section 5.19.F.1 Reduced number of trees in west & south perimeter bufferyards. The site is located at approximately 4600 E. 96th St. (with access from Randall Dr.), in East 96th Street Auto Park Subdivision, Block A. The site is zoned B3/Business and SFHA/Special Flood Hazard Area. Filed by Jim Shinaver of Nelson & Frankenberger on behalf of Napleton of Carmel Imports, LLC dba Napleton Kia of Carmel. General Info & Analysis: The Petitioner proposes to construct a new auto dealership facility. The two variances requested relate to exceeding the number of allowed signs and reducing the number of required trees. Please see the Petitioner’s informational packet for more detail on the variance requests. All parcels surrounding this site are also zoned B3 and are not in an overlay zone. To the west are Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Napleton Hyundai, and Napleton Maserati/Alfa Romero/Fiat. To the immediate north are three 1- story tall office buildings, and further north is the Williamson Run residential subdivision. To the east beyond Carmel Creek is the East 96th Street Auto Park comprised of Tom Wood Lexus, Tom O’Brien Chrysler/Jeep/ Dodge, Audi Indianapolis, and Tom Wood Jaguar/Land Rover/Volvo. South of this site is 96th Street and the former HH Gregg store in Indianapolis. The proposed site plan shows the building situated in the middle of the site, with parking all around it. Access to the site is from Randall Drive to the west. 201 parking spaces are provided, where 68 are required. The parking spaces will mostly house inventory vehicles. The front door of the building faces 96th Street to the south. There is a service entrance on the west side of the building and a delivery entrance on the east side of the building. This site is located in the flood plain and is adjacent to the Floodway of Carmel Creek to the east. Fill in the flood plain is required to build on this site; therefore offsite mitigation will be required. The Petitioner is in discussions with King of Glory Church to purchase land for their offsite mitigation. They will submit plans to the Engineering once the land purchase has been finalized. Signage: Six signs are currently proposed, where only two signs are allowed, since the site is located on two street frontages. Two Napleton wall signs, two Kia wall signs, one Service wall sign, and one ground sign are proposed. All signs will need to meet size requirement of the Sign Ordinance. Walls signs are allowed to be up to 70% of the height and 85% of the width of the spandrel panel area. The ground sign can be up to 6’ tall and 75 sq. ft. in area; the proposed ground sign will be 22 sq. ft. and 5’ tall. The ground sign will include a masonry base. (The Petitioner does have an option to utilize exempt signage: traffic directional signs that are no taller than 3-ft. and no larger than 3 sq. ft.) The Planning Dept. is not supportive of 6 signs as proposed. It might also be helpful to the Board if the Petitioner produced some renderings that show what will actually be visible from 96th Street as people drive by. (Planning Staff thinks it might be tough to see the west facing wall signs with the Enterprise building to the southwest.) The Planning Dept. does not support the request for number of signs, as proposed. However, Planning Staff can support an amended sign package, as listed in the Recommendation below. Landscaping: The Petitioner requests a reduction in the number of trees planted within the west and south perimeter bufferyard areas. For the South Bufferyard along 96th Street, 16.8 shade/evergreen trees, 2.8 ornamental trees, and 42 shrubs are required. The Petitioner proposes 1 shade/evergreen tree, 0 ornamental trees, and 43 shrubs. And, for the West Bufferyard, 20.2 shade/evergreen trees and 50.4 shrubs are required. 9 The Petitioner proposes 0 shade/evergreen trees and 98 shrubs. This site is adjacent to Carmel Creek, which has a significant tree canopy along the east border of the site, and is part of the Floodway. The Petitioner proposes to save trees within the Floodway; however, all trees outside of that classification are proposed to be removed. Planning Staff requested additional measures be taken to protect trees up to where the back of the parking area curb is proposed. This could save anywhere from a 5’-20’width of additional trees and provide additional protection/buffer to the creek.(The Urban Forester has now approved the landscaping plan, with the understanding that variances are needed.) The Planning Dept. is supportive of the variance request for reduced number of trees, especially if the Petitioner is amenable to revisiting the additional tree protection issue along the east property line at construction phase, and that condition of approval is listed in the Recommendation below. Petitioner’s Findings of Fact: Please refer to the petitioner’s Findings of Facts included in their info packet (for the tree plantings variance). (The BZA attorney will write up the negative findings of fact for the sign variance.) Recommendation: As proposed, the Dept. of Community Services (DOCS) recommends negative consideration of Docket No. 19090008 V for the number of signs. However, Planning Staff is willing to support an amended sign package that shows one of the two modifications: 1. On the west elevation, add a smaller Kia logo to the proposed Service sign location/area for it to become one sign, remove the larger Kia logo sign, and keep the Napleton sign; OR 2. Stack (or put side by side) the Kia logo sign and the Napleton sign to make it one sign, but also remove the ground sign from the proposal. And, DOCS recommends positive consideration of Docket No. 19090009 V for the reduced number of trees, with the condition that Napleton revisits the potential for additional tree protection along the east property line as part of the construction phase.