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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 09-03-201 Carmel Plan Commission RESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE Thursday, September 3, 2020 Department Report 1. Docket No. PZ-2020-00069 (PUD): Ambleside Point PUD Rezone The applicant seeks PUD rezone approval to allow a new development consisting of single-family detached and attached residential. The site is located at 2135 W 146th Street on approximately 56.5 acres. It is currently zoned S-1/Residential. Filed by Jim Shinaver with Nelson & Frankenberger, LLC on behalf of Hoffman Developer, LLC. *Updates to the Dept. Report are written in blue Project Overview: This proposed PUD seeks to create a mixed residential neighborhood of single-family homes and townhomes. There will be 30% open space and tree preservation designed into the neighborhood. Currently the property is zoned S-1, which allows for a maximum density of 1 lots/acre and the petitioner is proposing a maximum of 4.6 lots/acre. Surrounding residential subdivisions are Saddle Creek to the west, south, and east, and Autumn Wood Farms to the northeast. North of the development is 146th Street. Please see the petitioner’s information package for more information. Comprehensive Plan Analysis: This area is shown as Vision 2020 Plan Very Low Intensity in the current Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan). Very Low Intensity Residential is generally characterized by single-family detached housing with densities between 1.0 and 1.3 units per acre. South, east, and west of the project the land is also classified as Very Low Intensity Residential on the Comp Plan, but the adjacent subdivision themselves are more similar to the classification of Suburban Residential as they have a density of about 1.78 lots per acre. To the north is land in Westfield’s jurisdiction. The proposed subdivision would fall under a mix of classifications of Suburban Residential, Urban Residential, and Attached Residential. Suburban Residential is considered a best fit next to Suburban Residential. Urban and Attached Residential are considered a conditional fit next to Suburban Residential. Conditional Fits are deemed appropriate when the more intense development is installed with sensitivity to the adjacent land classification. This development is doing that through the tree preservation on the west side, the pond as further buffer on the south, placing larger lots around the perimeter, and having an additional buffer behind the homes along the east side. There are many other Policies and Objectives of the Comp Plan that the PUD helps fulfill, such as: 1. Be very sensitive to connectivity and transitions between adjacent areas. Discourage unplanned or harsh contrasts in height, building orientation, character, land use, and density. 2. Local streets should be designed to connect to existing (when practical) and future neighborhoods so that existing connected streets do not become overburdened 3. Continue to encourage a variety of housing options to meet the needs of the marketplace. 4. Enhance a bicycle- and pedestrian-connected community through expanded installation of multi-use paths, sidewalks, bike lanes, and off-street trails. 5. Conservation subdivisions and innovative residential community designs that protect vegetation, slopes and are non-monotonous in terms of architecture and material selection are preferred. Please note that the C3 Plan states that the Land Classification map should not be construed as representing the precise location of land classifications but used as a foundation for support and influence with land use and development form decisions and zoning map changes. The Land Classification Map does not establish the right to a certain density or intensity. The C3 Plan is a broad-brush approach to future land planning. Each development proposal should be reviewed with consideration of all sections of the C3 Plan in addition to site features, context, design standards, transition, buffering, and development standards. Additional Analysis: Site Plan: The site plan consists of a mix of residential uses from townhomes along busy 146th, and then transitioning down to 50 ft. wide, alley loaded single-family lots with larger 65 ft. wide single-family lots around the perimeter. The petitioner adjusted the site plan based on comments from the Plan Commission and the adjacent residents. There is now a larger central green space, the quaint grid style blocks for Area B have been changed to long blocks with some homes 2 facing the green space, and the pond on the south side has been reduced. The blocks in Area B will be broken up with alley access and pedestrian access points. The PUD allows for up to 260 total dwelling units and 4 vehicular access points are proposed. 2 access points will be from the 146th St. frontage road, and 2 will be from existing right-of-way connections to the neighboring residential subdivision. Staff has also requested that an additional stub street be located to connect to the undeveloped property to the west to allow even better access and connectivity for everyone if that property develops in the future. A large tree preservation area is planned along the western border and will have a dog park and a walking trail meandering through it. Stormwater drainage is accommodated by utilizing and shifting an existing pond in Hamilton County right-of-way, through a central pond, and through a pond on the south that will connect to the existing pond in Saddle Creek through the county legal drain that flows into the pond today. Petitioner, please consider requiring the pond to be landscaped with native aquatic plants for a more natural rather than engineered appearance. There will be sidewalks along all the streets, and the proposed street cross section for the subdivision will meet the City’s requirement at 56 ft. wide. This allows for 5 ft. sidewalks and 6 ft. tree lawns on both sides of the street, as well as parking on both sides of the street. Street Connectivity: The UDO and Comp Plan require that new developments connect to existing stub streets (built or platted). Street connectivity between subdivisions is important in creating a high quality of living for all residents and has been a policy and requirement of the City for decades. It is a policy that has been in place for a long time because it is good planning. Connecting stub streets helps provide several access points instead of funneling everyone onto 1 road which causes added congestion and traffic. Connected streets spread out trips; gives residents in neighborhoods more flexibility and options for travel; connects neighborhoods so that kids can easily and safely get to a friend’s house in an adjacent subdivision; and decreases multiple trips down the same street for buses, the postal carrier, trash trucks, and other delivery services (which means less trips past people’s homes.) On top of that, it provides better access for police and fire to respond to a situation in an emergency. If police and fire are limited on which streets connect, then we are forcing them to take a potentially longer route to respond to an emergency. If there is an accident and a street is blocked, connected streets allow for people to leave the neighborhood another way. In planning we don’t look at connecting to residential streets as creating “through traffic” or “cut through” traffic. We look at it as utilizing the existing City owned and maintained infrastructure to benefit the most people and reduce larger impacts for the whole community. There are a plethora of examples of previously approved subdivisions connecting to existing or future subdivisions and living in harmony (Saddle Creek Sec. 3 and Westmont/Carmel Clay, Stanford Park and Ridge at Hayden Run and Lakeside Park, Glen Oaks and Claybourne, Ashmoor and Shelbourne Estates, Wexley Chase and Hayden Run, Aberdeen Bend and Wexley Chase, Weston Ridge and The Park at Weston Place and the Village at Weson Place, Huntington Chase and Sutton Place.) This project should not be treated differently. Public streets are owned and maintained by the City and they serve a greater purpose to the community than just to provide access to an individual person’s house. By connecting the streets from Ambleside into Saddle Creek, we are serving the community as a whole and not just the 12 homeowners that may live off of the street from Megan Dr. to 141st Street or the 8 homeowners that abut Beaument Blvd. If one of these access points is closed, then those trips would be pushed to a different access point, thereby putting more pressure on fewer streets, instead of spreading out the vehicle trips. Ambleside Point is a residential subdivision connecting to a residential subdivision and the number of new cars that might use the existing streets will have a minimal, according the Traffic Analysis completed by a Professional Engineer. Will it be a change for current residents at Saddle Creek? Yes, any new subdivision will present a change to the area. But all change is not bad and based on the number of units proposed and typical traffic patterns, the Ambleside Point neighborhood will not increase traffic on the existing streets to a detrimental degree. Active Transportation: 5 ft. sidewalks are proposed on both sides of all streets. A pathway will be installed along the western north/south road and will connect all the way from 146th Street down to the southern edge of the property. There is a 10 ft. path along 146th Street and petitioner has agreed to connect a path across the frontage road to the path along 146th St. Architectural Design: The PUD has been updated with specific architectural requirements based on the Village of WestClay (VOWC) architectural guidelines. The style of architecture in the VOWC is very aesthetically pleasing with a diverse mix of homes that follow the desirable traditional neighborhood design with front porches, garages in the back, pedestrian friendly streets, and high level of architectural detail. The VOWC architectural guidelines will lend itself well to this 3 neighborhood that is also following some traditional neighborhood design aspects with some alley loaded homes, smaller lots and front setbacks, and pedestrian friendly residential streets. However, some items have been removed from the VOWC guidelines that staff would like to see added back in to this PUD as well as a few other tweaks made. There is also an anti-monotony clause in the PUD to limit repetition of front building elevations, siding color, and masonry color. The townhomes along the 146th Street frontage road and those interior to the site will be 3 stories with a maximum height of 40 ft. The townhomes will face 146th Street and be alley loaded. Historic Home: There is an existing home on this property that is marked on the Carmel Historic Preservation Architecture Survey as a Contributing building. The home is a 1.5-story, 2-bay house in the vernacular style, built ca. 1847. The Historic Preservation Commission is still evaluating the condition and quality of the existing home, and the petitioner has been working with Indiana Landmarks to discuss the options for saving the home. Landscaping: The PUD requires a minimum of 30% of the subdivision to be common area. This is made up through pond areas, a large central common area, and a tree preservation area with a dog park as shown on the Concept Plan. The minimum width of the tree preservation on the west side was reduced from 15 ft. to 10 ft. and staff would like to see it remain at 15 ft. Per the request of staff, a shade tree will be required in the rear yards for Area A to help increase our urban forest and provide the residents with all the benefits trees bring. We would also like to see a tree required in the rear yards of Area B. Tree preservation is provided as a buffer to the Autumn Wood Farms neighborhood and additional evergreen trees will be planted to buffer Saddle Creek to the east. Petitioner, please provide a tree preservation exhibit to include in the PUD or label it on the Concept Plan. There appear to be some additional trees that could be preserved along the southern edge of the property, just east of the road. Petitioner, please look at requiring as much of these to be preserved as well. Signage: All signage shall comply with the UDO. Public Comments: The Dept. has received about 112 letters from concerned citizens as well as petitions opposed to converting the existing green space in platted right-of-way into a city street. The common concerns that have been brought up include: - Increased vehicles using the public streets in their neighborhood - The number of units proposed - Constructing a street on the platted stub street that is currently a green space - Concern of future Ambleside Point residents using Saddle Creek common areas and amenities. - Drainage and maintenance of shared pond - Concern that this development would cause a negative impact on property values - Fear of increased crime - Impact on wildlife - Impact on schools Throughout this process we hope the developer, staff, and/or plan commission can discuss these concerns and make changes where feasible and provide further explanations where needed. July 21, 2020 Public Hearing Recap: The Petitioner went over the proposed project layout, enhanced architecture, street connections, transitions, and Comp Plan. The President summarized the comments from the letters opposed to this project so far. Neighbors spoke at the meeting opposed to the project for the reasons listed above. The Plan Commission members commented on the density, tree preservation along the south, the grid street system (some liked and some did not), monotony mitigation, more specific architectural standards, buffer, and open space. The Plan Commission forwarded this item to the Residential Committee meeting, with the full Plan Commission having final voting authority. August 4, 2020 Public Hearing Recap: The petitioner presented some updates since the Plan Commission meeting. They met with the Indiana Landmarks regarding the Historic Home to discuss moving it. They have hired a company to do a survey regarding the bald eagle, and they hired an Arborist to do a survey of the trees along the south perimeter and he found some trees they should try to save. Traffic was discussed by the Traffic Engineer who completed the Traffic Analysis and by the City Engineer. There isn’t enough traffic to require improvements to the streets out there. Drainage was discussed and petitioner has redone the site layout to reduce the pond size on the south to save more trees. Other changes made include only single family homes 4 along the eastern border, added common area down the middle of the site, reduced the number of lots to 260, and added a dog park and playground area. The petitioner also showed other properties he’s developed with transitions and hasn’t seen property value degradation or crime. They will submit a condensed version of the VOWC Architectural Guidelines that will apply to the site. The item was continued to the September Residential Committee meeting. DOCS Comments/Concerns: The Dept. continues to work through the PUD, site plan, and architectural review comments with the Petitioner. Some key items that still need addressed include: - Add stub street to the west to allow connection if that property develops. - Reduce some of the lots by the dog park and tree preservation area to save more trees and reduce effects of the dog park on those lots. - Alterations are need to the Architectural Standards, including: o Increasing number of windows on the sides. o Requiring the same level of architectural details on all 4 sides of a home. o Requiring minimum number of front porches with a minimum size of 8 ft. deep. o Adding some details from the VOWC guidelines that were removed. - Continue to work with the Carmel Preservation Commission on the Historic Home. - Approximately what percentage of trees are being preserved onsite? - Increase tree preservation width along the west side. Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Committee discusses this item and then continues it to the Residential Committee meeting in October for further review and discussion.