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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 09-15-209 CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION DEPARTMENT REPORT SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 2. Docket No. PZ-2020-00076 DP/ADLS: Avant Phase II The applicant seeks site plan and design approval for a multi-family building with 94 apartments. (14 townhome plots are also shown on this DP, but additional applications will be filed for Secondary Plat & ADLS approval at a later date.) The building is 135,243 gross sq. ft. and 4 stories/55’4” tall. The overall site is 3.82 acres in size. It is located just north of 12890 Old Meridian Street (Avant Phase I) and is zoned PUD (The District Z-587-14). Filed by Steven D. Hardin, Esq., with Faegre Drinker, on behalf of Edward Rose Development. *Updates to the Report are written in blue Project Overview: The Petitioner proposes to construct the second phase of the Avant multi-family apartment development. Also included in this development plan are 14 lots for future townhomes. To the immediate south of this building is the open space/pond area for the entire PUD development. To the west are townhomes and the Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel. All land west and south are zoned PUD, part of the same “The District” PUD. North is the Olivia mixed use development, zoned UC/Urban Core. To the east across Old Meridian Street is the Meridian Design Center commercial buildings, home to Bru Burger and Rise restaurant, under construction currently and zoned UC/Urban Core. Please refer to the Petitioner’s informational packet for more details. Planned Unit Development (PUD) Standards this project MEETS: • Permitted uses – Multiple Family Dwellings and Attached Dwellings • Minimum building height – 28’ and 2 occupiable floors required, 4 stories proposed • Max. building height – 70’ allowed, 55’4” proposed • Minimum Front Yard – 4’ required and 15.5’ south and 16’ east proposed • Maximum Front Yard – up to 20’ allowed • Minimum building footprint – 2,000 sq. ft. required; 33,520 sq. ft. proposed • Max. building footprint – up to 200,000 sq. ft. allowed • Side Yard setback – 4’ required, 10.3’ proposed on north • Rear Yard setback – 5’ required, about 350’ proposed • Bike parking – Short Term – In compliance with UDO – 0.1 space per bedroom required, 150 bedrooms proposed, 15 spaces required, 16 spaces provided • Bike parking – Long term – in compliance with UDO and 1/3 of required spaces shall be covered – 75 spaces required and 80 proposed (40 through Bike Garage and 40 through individual garages) • Parking – 1 space per unit (94 units) – 94 spaces required, 151 spaces proposed (131 surface and 20 garage) • Adjacent/adjoining parking lot to the north now interconnected by internal driveway. • Architectural requirements – o Building must have a base, middle and top o Permitted materials – brick, fiber cement siding, stone, glass, storefront, metal and metal panels o Variety of building materials and design elements to create a pedestrian scale o Secondary facades finished in colors compatible with the colors of the Primary Façade o Building entrances defined o Rooftop equipment screened o Fiber cement not installed between ground and bottom of first floor windows o All upper level units have balcony • Lighting complies with footcandle requirements and is of uniform design • Signage complies with UDO • Trash enclosure compatible with the principal building PUD Standards NOT MET; therefore, variance must be requested or adjustments made: none. 10 Site Plan and Parking: The proposed apartment building is very similar to what was shown in the PUD concept plan. It is a large (slightly modified) L Shape structure pulled up to the corner of Fairfax Manor Drive and Old Meridian Street. Parking is tucked behind the building with 131 surface parking spaces and 20 first floor garage spaces, that can be rented by the residents. On-street parking is also existing/provided along both streets. There are 6 spaces directly in front of the apartment building on Fairfax Manor Drive and 12 spaces in front of the future townhomes. There are 20 spaces along Old Meridian Street. Vehicular access will be primarily from Fairfax Manor Drive. A secondary access point to Grand Vue Drive is provided at the far west end of the property, behind the future townhomes proposed to the west. (Grand Vue Drive connects to Main Street and is lined with townhomes.) The site plan also shows where 14 townhomes are proposed to complete the streetscape of Fairfax Manor Drive. These are intended to follow the development pattern of the other townhomes in Grand & Main. They will have garages accessed from the rear (north) and front doors opening onto Fairfax Manor Drive. The design of these townhomes has not yet been completed but will return to the Plan Commission for approval at a later date. The dumpster enclosure is provided in the middle of the site, at the end of the driveway into the parking area from Fairfax Manor Drive. This will be a large compactor and enclosed in a brick surround. The Petitioner has provided an updated design for the exterior of the dumpster, that mimics the brick patterns on the building. Staff is supportive of this enhancement, as it will be a main view as one enters the site. Vehicular Connection to The Olivia development: When The District PUD was originally brought before the Plan Commission in October of 2013, The Olivia was not yet submitted as a project. Staff worked with the Developer, Edward Rose, at that time and said a vehicular connection between this site and that site (to the north) would be required per the Old Meridian District masterplan. The Developer agreed to show the connection on their Concept Plan and wrote a requirement for connectivity into their PUD (Section 6.4). When The Olivia project came through a few months later, that Developer, Keystone Group, was told the same thing – that a connection to the south (the District) is required. At that time, this parcel was not fully planned yet, and Keystone Group did not want to put in a connection that didn’t work with the future development on the District side. Keystone Group committed to providing a vehicular connection point, location to be determined and agreed upon with Edward Rose, and had it recorded at with Hamilton County on October 27, 2014. The commitment states they will work with the landowner to the south upon approval of a Development Plan for the south adjoining parcel. That time is now, and there is hesitation to comply with their commitment. A vehicular connection will provide for cross-site access and inter-connectivity, similar to the Michigan Road Overlay Zone and other districts. It will be helpful in allowing residents, delivery services, and trash trucks to safely and conveniently travel between properties rather than have to go back out onto Old Meridian Street. The Petitioner has now provided a proposed location for a connection point in roughly the middle of their north property line on the site plan and will construct this as shown. It is wide enough that they could still use that area as parking spaces until such time that Keystone Group complies with their Recorded Commitment and provides the connection on their side. Engineering: Detention and water quality for this project is handled through the large pond to the south of this proposed building. The large pond was master planned for the entire Grand & Main project. The Petitioner will continue to work with the Engineering Dept. through construction plans approval phases. Active Transportation: This development will provide the missing pieces of the Grand and Main project pedestrian network. 5’ wide sidewalks will be provided along Fairfax Manor Drive to connect to existing sidewalks. A10’ wide concrete sidewalk will be provided across this frontage along Old Meridian Street. The Petitioner has adjusted the site plan to show the connection to the vehicular entry to The Olivia. There are grade and utility issues to overcome in order to install this path connection, which will require additional study. Staff is supportive of allowing additional time to work through these issues and will recommend this improvement be a condition of approval of the project. First floor units will have sidewalks connecting them to the sidewalks along Old Meridian Street and Fairfax Manor 11 Drive. A sidewalk will be provided from the rear entry of the building across the parking lot to connect to the Olivia site to the north. When the Olivia was built, the developer installed a sidewalk connection up to their south property line. This pedestrian connection will now be completed, providing an alternative way to reach Main Street. The Petitioner has adjusted the site plan to provide a fully protected walkway (with landscaping on each side) as requested by Staff. Exterior short-term bike parking (4 racks/8 spaces) is provided on the southeast side of the building and now also proposed on the interior of the site, with an additional 4 racks/8 spaces. A bike garage with room for 40 bikes is provided at the northwest corner of the building. This garage space will also have a bike repair stand for residents to work on their bike if needed. Residents can also utilize their garages on the first floor to store their bikes. The bike parking now complies with UDO requirements. Architectural Design: Avant Phase II is designed to complement the existing Avant apartment building to the south. It will not be an exact match but will have similar features and design style (guided by PUD requirements). It will have many of the same materials, including the use of oversized masonry units, brick, fiber cement siding/panels, metal panels, and metal wire mesh for the balconies. Similar to Phase I, the ends of the buildings will have focal elements with the larger mixed red fiber cement panels. Balconies or outdoor spaces will be provided for all the units. The oversized masonry units will range from the first floor up to the third floor, depending on which side of the building one is looking at. The PUD requires masonry materials as a base and does not allow for fiber cement to go all the way to the ground. Off white and dark gray colored fiber cement panels will be used on the fourth floor on all sides and in the rear on the second through fourth floors. The red fiber cement siding will be used at focal points of the building, primarily the corners. The Petitioner studied the proposal by Staff for additional red siding areas on the interior side of the building and decided to go ahead and make those changes. The interior side now has two “columns” of the red siding material to help break up the façade. Lighting: Site lighting will match Avant Phase I with LED street lights and parking lot lights proposed. Down lights will be installed along the face of the building under canopies. First floor units will have a sconce light on their patio. No other building accent lighting is proposed. The photometric plan meets the 0.5 footcandle limit along the property lines. Landscaping: Street trees will be provided along Old Meridian Street and Fairfax Manor Drive. Trees will also be installed along the north property line, which will help to enhance the view between the parking lot of the Olivia and this project. Building base plantings will be provided around the exterior of the building where there is not communal plaza/patio space. First floor units will have landscaping at their individual lawn/patio areas similar to Avant Phase I. There will be an outdoor amenity green space/patio area on the north end of the project. This will include an additional sidewalk to the rear of the property, outdoor seating area and grass area. The Urban Forester has not yet approved the landscape plan. Signage: Three signs are proposed for Avant Phase II. This project is a Residential Complex and is allowed one sign per entrance at 50 sq. ft. per the UDO. All three entrance signs are 48.77 sq. ft. A Spandrel Panel will still need to be identified, and Staff is working on that with the Petitioner. The south Entrance is proposed to have two signs, similar to the entrance for Avant Phase I. August 18 Plan Commission meeting recap: The Petitioner gave an overview of the project, stating the apartments are ready for approval now, and the townhomes will return later. The architecture was highlighted, affirming it will be the same quality and finish as Avant Phase I. The Petitioner will continue to work through outstanding items in the Staff Report and will be ready for Committee. Plan Commissioners had questions regarding landscaping between sidewalk and curb (wanting there to be a place to step out of vehicles), if the detention pond/amenity was completed as approved, if there has been a study on if apartments are needed, the interconnection between this project and The Olivia to the north needs to be looked at and completed, what amenities are provided in this building, where proposed color enhancements are recommended, and clarifications on the sidewalk connections mentioned in the Dept. Report. The Commission voted to send this item to the Commercial Committee meeting on September 1st, and to return to the full Plan Commission for a final vote. 12 Amenity and Pond area Below is an aerial photo taken on August 5, 2020 and the approved landscape plan drawing for the pond area. Looking closely at the two images, and from visiting the site, it appears that nearly everything has been installed per this plan. After speaking with the Petitioner, they noticed the plan previously included below was not the final approved plan from the Urban Forester. That plan has now been inserted below. The only difference are some missing pavers along Old Meridian Street, which the Petitioner intends to install. The fountains, overlook and boardwalk area, seating areas, shade structures, landscaping, etc. has all been installed. It is a very large space that could benefit from time to allow the trees to mature and help “fill in” the space. In the picture below you can also see the pool amenity area that would be available to the residents of the new building. September 1, 2020 Commercial Committee recap: The Petitioner discussed the project and addressed a few concerns from the Department Report. They do plan to install some pavers in front of the open space along Old Meridian Street. A representative from Keystone Group was present and asked to speak regarding the vehicular connection between the Olivia and this project. They are in support of having the pedestrian connection, however, are concerned with a vehicular connection and how it will impact their site. One Committee member pointed out that this was a commitment they made to the Plan Commission when the project was approved. Another Committee member expressed concerns about Keystone Group falling short on other commitments. The Committee felt it was important that the vehicular connection be made. They also were complimentary of the architecture. A motion was made to send this item back to the full Plan Commission with a favorable recommendation with a condition for the sidewalk connection on Old Meridian Street being worked out. 4-0 in favor. DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns: Staff has discussed with the Petitioner the issues of grade, utilities, and possible encroachment onto Keystone Group’s property to make the full pedestrian connection at the north end of Old Meridian Street. The Petitioner has agreed to continue to work with Planning Staff, the Engineering Dept., Utility Dept., and Keystone Group on making this pedestrian connection with ADA access to The Olivia’s vehicular entrance. Additional time is needed to fully study all utilities in this area and what it would take to adjust or relocate if necessary. Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Plan Commission votes to Approve this project this evening, conditioned upon reaching a solution with the City on constructing the sidewalk connection (to The Olivia’s vehicular entrance) along Old Meridian Street.