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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 03-17-205 CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION DEPARTMENT REPORT MARCH 17, 2020 3. Docket No. 19120006 PP: Legacy Townhomes– Primary Plat Docket No. 19120007 ADLS: Legacy Townhomes– ADLS The applicant seeks primary plat and site & architectural design approval for 142 lots (single-family attached) on 12 acres. The site is located south 146th Street and west of Community Drive. It is zoned Legacy PUD/Planned Unit Development (Z-501-07). Filed by Jim Shinaver of Nelson and Frankenberger on behalf of Lennar Homes of Indiana. Project Overview: The petitioner is proposing to build new townhomes in the Legacy PUD District. The Legacy PUD permits this use as attached dwellings and requires not only primary plat approval, but also ADLS approval for review of the design. The project is located north of Cherry Creek Blvd. and west of Community Dr. To the east of the site is the Play School at Legacy, South is an unbuilt section of The Grove at the Legacy, and north is undeveloped land. Please see the Petitioner’s Information packet for more details. PUD requirements the project MEETS: • Minimum front yard • Minimum perimeter yard • Maximum height of building • Permitted building materials • Required window openings • Each entry will have a covered stoop Primary Plat, Site Plan, Parking and Engineering: This primary plat includes 142 townhome units in 22 buildings, common areas, sidewalks, guest parking, and private streets. The Legacy PUD specifically allows for private streets with approval from the Plan Commission. There is currently only one way in and one way out of the development by way of Equality Blvd. In the future, the subdivision will connect to the south through 2 other streets, however The Grove at the Legacy Subdivision will need to be completed to build those street connections. The drainage will be handled through a master planned swale to the south of the property that is shared by other developments. Only part of the swale is built today, and it is not on the land included in this project. Therefore, the subdivision would not be able to get their stormwater permit until there are plans to build the drainage swale. The minimum amount of parking required is 1.5 spaces per dwelling. The subdivision meets this requirement by providing garages for all units, driveways behind the garages, and 36 guest parking spaces. There will also be on street parking along Equality Boulevard, which the developer enlarged per the request of staff. Active Transportation: A 12’ bike promenade is required along Larson Drive per the PUD. This path will eventually connect 146th Street with Cherry Creek Blvd. Sidewalks are provided throughout the townhome development along the public and private streets to connect common areas as well as provide access to the guest parking. Staff has requested short term bicycle parking at a rate of 0.1 spaces for each bedroom. Architectural Design: The proposed townhomes incorporate 2 main materials; brick and siding. Both are permitted materials in the PUD. The front elevations of the townhomes alternate the material between units from brick to siding. The rear loaded townhomes have brick along the garage level in the rear, but rest of the rear façade is siding. All the backs and all of the sides of the front-load townhomes have siding as the only material. This makes for a very plain rear façade. The Department would like to see more variation on the rear elevations by adding more brick and using different colors for the siding to increase the architectural aesthetic. This is especially important for the 8-plex buildings that have long facades and for the backs of the rear load townhomes as the back will face the front of another townhome. Windows are provided on every level on every façade, per the requirements of the PUD. A small pediment is located above the front entry doors to act as a covering for the stoops. 6 Lighting: Lighting will be provided with streetlights and wall mounted lights on the fronts and rears of the townhome units. The Department would like to confirm that the acorn style street lights have a downlight reflector in the top of the acorn to reduce light loss and light pollution into the homes and the night sky. Landscaping: Landscaping is provided per the requirements of the PUD for townhomes. Trees and shrubs will be planted along the front elevations of the townhomes that abut a public street. The Department would also like to see some additional landscaping added to the rears of the townhomes with rear load garages. This will help screen the a/c units in the back and soften the look of the rear facades that are across the street from front facades. There are some trees proposed in the common areas, but perhaps some more trees and some shrubs could be added near the guest parking areas. Signage: Entry column signs will be provided at the main entrances to the subdivision and will complement the other signs in the Legacy development. DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns: The Dept. will continue to work with the Petitioner on all the review comments as this project moves onto Committee review. A few of the outstanding comments include: - When will the drainage south of the property be built? - When will the streets connect to the south? - Add Short term bike parking. - The Department would like to continue to work on tweaking the architecture to reduce the amount of siding and enhance the overall aesthetics. - Please confirm the street lighting type to reduce light pollution. - Add landscaping to the rear elevations of the homes with rear load garages. - Add landscaping near the guest parking areas - Where will mailboxes be located, and will there be pedestrian access to the mailboxes. Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Plan Commission sends this item to the Residential Committee meeting on March 31, 2020 for further review and discussion.