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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 05-19-208 CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION DEPARTMENT REPORT MAY 19, 2020 I. New Business 1. Docket No. PZ-2020-00029 ADLS: North End Town Homes The applicant seeks ADLS approval for 46 new townhomes north of Smokey Row Rd. The site is located at approximately 444 W Smokey Row Rd. It is zoned UR/Urban Residential. Filed by Rebecca McGuckin of Old Town Design Group. Project Overview: The petitioner is proposing to build 46 new townhomes in the North End development which is located north of Smokey Row Rd and just east of Meridian St. and Rohrer Rd. The property is zoned UR/Urban Residential which permits single- family attached dwellings. The Primary Plat for this project was recently approved by the P lan Commission in 2019 and the Secondary Plat is currently being reviewed by the Technical Advisory Committee. Please see the Petitioner’s Information packet for more details. Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) requirements the project MEETS:  Permitted Uses  Max building height – 3 stories, 3 proposed  Min. rear setback - 0’ allowed, 5’ proposed  Parking areas shall be behind the building in a garage.  Urban Residential Architectural Standards  2 windows per unit on upper floor facades Site Plan, Parking and Engineering: The Primary Plat for this project was recently approved by the P lan Commission in 2019 and the Secondary Plat is currently being reviewed by the Technical Advisory Committee. This ADLS request is mostly looking at the architectural design of the townhome buildings. Active Transportation: Sidewalks are provided throughout the townhome development along the public streets. Short term bicycle parking spots are shown in other areas of this North End development, but more bicycle parking spots should be shown near these townhomes. The UDO requires short term bike parking at a rate of 0.1 spaces for each bedroom. Petitioner, please add more short term bike parking spaces. Architectural Design: The proposed townhomes have a very unique design that incorporates elements of an old farmhouse. The main materials include lap siding and board and batten with a brick water table shown at the bottom of the building on all four sides. The front elevations have a mix of front porches, covered balconies, and covered stoops. Likewise, that backs of the town homes are broken up with some units having enclosed, outdoor rooms that protrude slightly over the garages. The front elevations also include a mix architectural details that vary from unit to unit. Some units have shutters, some have a bay window, and in fact the type of window varies from unit to unit. All of these details create a very aesthetically pleasing building design with variation from unit to unit and building to building. Overall the Dept. is supportive of the proposed architecture. One area we would like to discuss further is the use of white as the main color on all of the buildings. The color looks nice and appropriate for the farmhouse style building, however, with 11 town home buildings in this development, it might be too much. We would like to see some other colors proposed for some units or for some buildings on the whole. This will help break up the stark white look and provide more variety. Lighting: Lighting will be provided with streetlights and wall mounted lights on the fronts and rears of the townhome units. Petitioner, please submit a lighting plan with this ADLS approval that will show the type of street lights and the foot candles for the town home area of the development. 9 Landscaping: A typical landscape plan for the foundation plantings around the town home buildings is provided and has been approved by the Urban Forester. Native species are being used that will help reduce outdoor water use and encourage pollinators and benefit plant diversity. The petitioner has stated that additional landscaping in the common areas and the street trees are being reviewed with the Secondary Plat for this development. Signage: No signage is proposed at this time and so an ADLS Amendment will be required to approve the signage for the development at a later date. DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns : The Dept. will continue to work with the Petitioner on all of the review comments as this project moves onto Committee review. A few of the outstanding comments include: - Please submit a site plan that is just for this town home ADLS that shows measurements and setbacks, etc. - Please submit a lighting plan that shows the type of street lighting and the foot candles for this town home area. - Please add more short term bike parking spaces within the town home area. - The Department would like to see some options for other colors for some units or buildings. This a very large scale development to propose all of the buildings to be all white. Some more variety is needed. - 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 in June for further review and discussion.