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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 05-26-2015 CARMEL BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS DEPARTMENT REPORT TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 (V, SUA) Carmel Library Expansion. The applicant seeks the following special use amendment & development standards variance approvals: 6. Docket No. PZ-2020-00030 SUA UDO Section 2.09 Permitted Use, Institutional Special Use Expansion. 7. Docket No. PZ-2020-00042 V UDO Section 2.10 Maximum 35’ building height permitted, 51’ 9” requested. 8. Docket No. PZ-2020-00044 V UDO Section 2.10 Maximum 35% Lot Coverage allowed, 62.1% requested. 9. Docket No. PZ-2020-00045V UDO Section 5.02.B Minimum 25’ Parking Garage setback behind library building face as accessory structure along 4th Ave SE required, 0’ requested. 10. Docket No. PZ-2020-00046V UDO Section 5.19.F Minimum 30’ landscape buffer along east/side property line required, 5’ requested in some areas. 11. Docket No. PZ-2020-00047 V UDO Section 5.30 Minimum 511 parking spaces required, 407 requested. Docket No. PZ-2020-00051 V UDO Section 1.07.E Transportation Plan Compliance, 90’ right of way Collector Street required, 40’or 56’ ROW Residential Street requested for 4th Ave SW. The 6-acre site is located at 55 4th Ave SE and is zoned R2/Residence. Filed by Timothy Ochs of Ice Miller LLP. General Info - The Petitioner seeks Special Use Amendment approval to renovate and expand the existing main library branch, which received prior BZA approvals under Docket nos. UV-2-0-97, V-21-97, and V-22- 97. (The 1997 petitions were for the library institutional use, for increasing the height from 25-ft to 50-ft, and to allow a parking lot to be located on a separate parcel across the street to the west.) A parking garage with skywalk/ pedestrian bridge will also be added as part of the current proposal. The detention pond west of the site will be upgraded. The parking lot west of the library will remain as-is, for now. (The surface parking lot will be rezoned to C1/City Center in the near future.) The proposed renovation will add a 238-space parking garage south of the existing library building. All the surrounding parcels of land are zoned R2/Residence, except for the parcel located northwest of the subject parcel, and it is owned B3/Business. Carmel High school is located to the north, the Carmel Library Parking lot is located to the west, Carmel Elementary School is located to the south, and a church / Montessori school is located to the east. Special Use Amendment approval is required so the existing library can expand by greater than 10% in the R2 zone. Per the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), Special Use proposals shall generally be considered favorably by the BZA Board. The requested development standards variances relate to building height, lot coverage, parking garage setback, number of parking spaces, and the 4th Ave SE street right of way. Please see the petitioner’s informational packet for more details. Technical Review -The Technical Advisory Committee reviewed the technical aspects of the project and site at their May 20 meeting. Some items discussed were drainage, landscaping, traffic flow and connectivity, utilities, police/fire access, and more. The TAC Members had no major issues with this proposal. The Petitioner continues to follow up with each TAC Member to address the outstanding review comments. Architecture/Design-The building will be comprised of mostly brick, metal panel, and glass windows. The design of the renovation and improvements will complement and enhance the existing building. 16 Site Plan & Active Transportation – The renovations will improve how the building interacts with Main Street and with 4th Ave SE. Also, a parking garage and pedestrian skybridge will be built and connect to the main building. Additional meeting spaces will be created inside and outside the building, and they can be programmed with events. They will 70 bike parking spaces (35 racks), which will include 40 inside the garage and 30 outside near the entrances to the Library. Additional 4th Ave SE street right of way will be dedicated to the City, pursuant to the Transportation Plan requirements. (The City Engineer continues discussions with the library regarding the street construction.) Lighting - Lighting for the site will be parking lot lighting, lighted bollards, and building exterior lighting. Landscaping - The site will have additional landscaping added to supplement what currently exists along the perimeters of the site and as well as around the building foundation. Signage - The site is allowed two identification signs, since it has two street frontages - 4th Ave SE and Main Street. The Petitioner continues to work with the Planning Dept. on the proposed signage. Variances and Special Use Amendment: Building Height: A maximum 35’ building height is allowed, and 51’ 9” is requested. The existing building is around 37 feet tall today, with certain architectural features extending up to 50-ft height. The Parking Garage will be around 38’4” tall at its tallest point. Lot Cover: A maximum 35% Lot Coverage is allowed, and 62.1% is requested. The Planning Dept. is supportive of this request, as the Petitioner is working with the Carmel Engineering Dept. to address all stormwater/drainage requirements. Garage Location: The subject site is a corner lot with two front yards. A minimum 25’ setback behind the library building face, as accessory structure along 4th Ave SE, is required, and 0’ is requested. The front face of the parking garage will line up with the front face of the main library building, along 4th Ave SE. Placing the garage in this location will also move it furthest away from the single-family homes located east of the site. East Bufferyard: Since a few single-family residential homes lie east of the site, a minimum 30’ landscape buffer along east/side property line required, and 5’ is requested in some areas. # Parking Spaces: A library land use is not listed in the parking ordinance. The closest comparable land use to use when looking at required parking is a Public Service Facility or Government Facility land use or a Post Office land use. UDO Section 5.30 provides that if a use is not listed that you utilize a use that has the most similar characteristics of parking demand. For a Public Service Facility or Government Facility, the parking ratio requirement is 1 space per 250 square feet. For a Post office, the parking ration requirement would be 1 per 500 square feet plus 1 per employee (this seems like it might be the closest match, with people coming and going). The square footage of the library is 127,670. At 1 per 250, this would require 511 spaces. At 1 per 500, this would require 255 plus 1 per employee (max 107), which is 362 spaces. The parking garage and parking lots will provide 407 spaces. A minimum of 511 parking spaces is required, and 407 are requested. This is a variance of 104 parking spaces. A lot of the visitors to the library will be walking or biking from the adjacent high school and middle school. The Library has operated at this location for over 23 years and knows how much parking they need to provide. However, the elementary school just to the south of this site will have an overflow parking agreement with the Library, so we want to make sure that there is enough parking and that it is not already spoken for. 17 4th Ave SW Width: The UDO requires Transportation Plan Compliance, and a 90’ wide right of way for a Collector Street is required for 4th Ave SE, but a 40’or 56’ wide ROW Residential Street is requested. This request is similar to what Carmel Clay Schools requested for the new Carmel Elementary School to the south, and the BZA approved a 56-ft ROW for that petition. The Petitioner will have discussions with the City Engineer regarding the future street improvements. They are required to build the required street segment/improvements along their frontage (or pay into the Non-Reverting Thoroughfare Fund for what it would cost to construct it). The Planning Dept. is supportive of this reduced street right of way request, as long as the Library pays for (or constructs) the street. Library Use Expansion: Since the existing building is expanding by more than 10% of what was originally approved in 1997, Special Use Amendment approval is required, per UDO Section 2.09. The Planning Dept. is supportive of the special use amendment request. The existing library sits near the high school and elementary school, and it is located just east of Old Town. It makes sense to keep the library in this location. Special Use Process - UDO Section 9.09 - Per the Unified Development Ordinance, Special Uses shall generally be considered favorably by the Board of Zoning Appeals, except in cases where the Board of Zoning Appeals finds the proposed Special Use obviously inappropriate as a result of special and unique conditions determined as a result of the review procedure established herein. Criteria, Basis of BZA review: 1. Topography; 2. Zoning on site; 3. Surrounding zoning and land Use; 4. Streets, curbs and gutters and sidewalks; 5. Access to public streets; 6. Driveway and curb cut locations in relation to other sites; 7. General vehicular and pedestrian traffic; 8. Parking location and arrangement; 9. Number of parking spaces needed for the Special Use; 10. Internal site circulation; 11. Building height, bulk and setback; 12. Front, side and rear yards; 13. Site coverage by building(s), parking area(s) and other structures; 14. Trash and material storage; 15. Alleys, service areas and loading bays; 16. Special and general easements for public or private Use; 17. Landscaping and Bufferyards; 18. Necessary fencing; 19. Necessary exterior lighting; 20. On-site and off-site, surface and subsurface storm and water drainage; 21. On-site and off-site utilities; 22. Dedication of streets and rights-of-way; 23. Proposed signage (subject to regulations established by the Sign Ordinance); and 24. Protective restrictions and/or covenants. 25. Need for lifeguards and other supervisory personnel, in respect to a private recreational development or facility (does not apply) Basis of BZA Approval or Rejection: a. The physical suitability of the premises in question for the proposed Special Use. b. The economic factors related to the proposed Special Use, such as cost/benefit to the community and its anticipated effect on surrounding property values. c. The social/neighborhood factors related to the proposed Special Use, such as compatibility with existing uses and those permitted under current zoning in the vicinity of the premises under consideration and how the proposed Special Use will affect neighborhood integrity. d. The adequacy and availability of water, sewage and storm drainage facilities and police and fire protection. e. The effects of the proposed Special Use on vehicular and pedestrian traffic in and around the premises upon which the Special Use is proposed. Comprehensive Plan - The Land Classification Plan within the Comprehensive Plan contains the Appropriate Adjacent Land Classifications Table. It is important to note that the Comp. Plan contains an Appropriate 18 Adjacent Land Classifications Table, which shows the Best fit vs. Conditional Fit land uses. “B” stands for Best Fit and “C” stands for Conditional Fit, meaning it is appropriate when the more intense development is installed with sensitivity to the adjacent land classification. The library is considered an Institutional Node. It is a Best Fit adjacent to other Institutional Nodes, such as the high school, the elementary school, and the church. The surrounding homes can be considered Urban or Suburban Residential uses. The library is a Conditional Fit when placed next to Suburban or Urban Residential Uses. Institutional Nodes are considered a Conditional Fit adjacent to residential uses, meaning it is appropriate to place the library land use adjacent to residential uses when the more intense development (library) is installed with sensitivity to the adjacent land classification (houses). The Planning Dept. thinks that the library expansion project can be installed with sensitivity adjacent to the homes, by using setbacks, buffers, landscaping, and good architecture, the proposed expanded use can fit into the context of the neighborhood. Planning Staff’s Final Comments: The Petitioner will address all planning/zoning review comments, and the Planning Dept. supports the special use amendment and development standards variance requests. The Petitioner also continues to work with the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Members to address remaining technical review comments about the project, and Planning Staff thinks those can all be addressed by the Petitioner. Petitioner’s Findings of Facts: Please refer to the petitioner’s Findings of Facts included in their info packet. Recommendation: After all comments and concerns are addressed, the Dept. of Community Services (DOCS) recommends positive consideration of Docket Nos. PZ-2020-00030 SUA, PZ-2020-00042 V, PZ-2020-00044 V, PZ-2020- 00045 V, PZ-2020-00046 V, PZ-2020-00047 V, and PZ-2020-00051 V , with the conditions that the library comes to an agreement with the City Engineer regarding construction of their 4th Ave SE road segment, and that the Petitioner addresses the TAC Members’ remaining review comments, before applying for a building permit.