Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 01-05-211 Carmel Plan Commission RESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Department Report 1. Docket No. PZ-2020-00155 PUD: Albany Village PUD The applicant seeks PUD rezone approval to allow a new subdivision consisting of single-family detached and single-family attached residential. The site is located at 14407 Shelborne Rd. on approximately 36.7 acres. It is currently zoned S-1/Residential. Filed by Jim Shinaver and Jon Dobosiewicz of Nelson & Frankenberger on behalf of the Logan Group, LLC. *Updates to the Dept. Report are in blue. Project Overview: This proposed PUD seeks to create a residential neighborhood of single-family detached homes and single-family attached homes and 25% open space. Currently the property is zoned S-1/Residential. Surrounding the site are other residential properties that include: Tallyns Ridge Subdivision to the east; a large estate lot and Albany Place Subdivision to the south; a large estate lot and land recently purchased by Carmel Clay Parks to the west. North of the development is the 146th Street frontage road and then the enlarged 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 subdivisions themselves are more like the classification of Suburban Residential which typically has densities between 1.4 and 4 units per acre. The property to the west could be considered Estate Residential and to the north is land in Westfield’s jurisdiction. The proposed subdivision would also fall under Suburban Residential with a density of 2.29 units per acre. This would be considered a best fit next to the other Suburban Residential neighborhoods and the Parks and Recreation land and a conditional fit next to the Estate Residential. Conditional Fits are deemed appropriate when the more intense development is installed with sensitivity and transitions to the adjacent land classification. The Albany Village neighborhood is providing many transitions to the surrounding developments through perimeter buffering along Shelborne Rd. and the 146th St. frontage road.; tree preservation on the east and south side; and placing the single-family detached lots adjacent to the existing single-family neighborhoods. 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. 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 nice mix of single-family detached and single-family attached dwellings. The PUD allows for up to 82 total dwelling units and 3 vehicular access points are proposed. The main entrance will be from Shelborne Rd. with 2 other access points from existing public street connections to the neighboring residential subdivisions. Staff has continually requested that an additional street connection be made to the 146th St. frontage 2 road to give direct access for residents to that road and to provide more options for emergency vehicles to get to their destination in an emergency. The Developer has declined to make this connection because they worry that people will use the subdivision street to access the 146th St. frontage road from Shelborne Rd. While some people may decide to use the new public street to access the frontage road, we do not see it being an issue as most people will choose the direct access to the frontage road from Shelborne Rd. The route through the subdivision will not be as efficient a choice because drivers will have to slow down on the residential street, watch for parked cars and people pulling out of driveways, and have to stop to turn right once they reach the frontage road. The Engineering Dept. has also asked for this connection and the UDO supports this connection. Section 7.28 of the UDO requires developments with 40 or more lots to have at least 2 access points from a perimeter street. It goes on to say that the Planning Administrator may require 1 additional access point for every 40 lots in the development, including the first 40 lots. Since there are 82 lots proposed, this would add up to a total of 4 access points and only 3 are proposed. At this time, the Department is not inclined to support the PUD moving forward without the connection to the 146th St. frontage road. Stormwater drainage is accommodated through 2 detention ponds on the site which will be landscaped with native, aquatic shoreline vegetation. 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. Active Transportation: 5 ft. sidewalks are proposed on both sides of all streets and a 10 ft. path will be installed along Shelborne Rd. The Carmel Alternative Transportation Coordinator requested a sidewalk be installed on the south side of the 146th St. frontage road, but the developer has not shown this on the plans. There will be a 6 ft. crushed limestone path installed within the common area along the gas line easement and there is also path shown along the south edge of the property. This will provide a nice amenity to the neighborhood and make better use of the gas line easement. The development will also connect to the path along the new 146th St. via a crosswalk and path connection. Architectural Design: The PUD requires all dwellings to comply with the architectural standards. The standards for the detached dwellings are modeled after the neighborhood to the south, Albany Place. A brick or masonry wainscot is required on all facades for all the homes and 50% of the fronts of the detached homes will be brick or stone. 2 windows per floor per façade will be required and all the dwellings will have front load garages. Because all the garages are front load, the Dept. has requested that the garages be setback 15 ft. from the front of the homes. This will help reduce the prominence of the garage and make the front entryway the focal point. By way of example, this is a requirement in the Old Town Overlay and in the Sunrise on the Monon PUD. We would also like to see a minimum number of front porches required with a minimum depth of 6 ft and a total area of 30 sq. ft. This is the minimum recommendation from the City’s Residential Design Standards and Guidelines. For the attached dwellings, the petitioner has added some requirements to enhance the side and rear elevations of the two-family dwellings. The Dept. would still like to see a front design that is more creative and not two mirror image units attached. For example, could one unit have a front load garage and one have a courtyard loaded garage so that only one garage door faces the street. Landscaping: The PUD requires a minimum of 25% of the subdivision to be common area. This is made up through the pond areas, the gas line easement, and some smaller green spaces as shown on the Concept Plan. The Dept. has asked the Developer to add some other features to the ponds like an overlook or viewing area so that the residents can interact with the ponds more as an amenity. A 10 ft. wide tree preservation area is required along the east and the south perimeters. There are minimum landscaping requirements for each lot as well, including trees in the rear yard. The petitioner has also added a requirement to have 8 shrubs planted in the front yards of the two-family dwellings to create a hedge and help hide the driveways. Staff would suggest these be setback at least 5 ft. from the front property line so that they do not block people’s views as they back out of the driveway. Signage & Lighting: All signage shall comply with the UDO. The lighting section of the PUD was recently changed and now only requires street lighting in the right-of-way at the street intersection with Shelborne Rd. Per the UDO, The Dept. would like to see this changed to require streetlights at all intersections. 3 November 17, 2020 Public Hearing Recap: Petitioner gave an overview of the project. Several neighbors spoke with concerns about the development, including: the lot sizes proposed which are smaller than surrounding properties, retention of mature trees, lack of entrance onto Old 146th St, and the total number of units proposed. One neighbor spoke in favor of the project and the architecture standards and understood the constraints of the site. Plan Commission was in support of the connection to 146th Street and suggested adding a stop sign to help slow traffic down on the internal road. They also wanted to see a more creative design for the attached homes as well as views of the sides and rears and suggested a side load garage design. In addition, they brought up questions about streetlights, additional amenities, additional tree preservation, 4-sided architecture, a mowed path or play area in the pipeline easement, and a mid-block crossing across Shelborne Rd. to the park. The item was sent to the Residential Committee. December 1, 2020 Residential Committee Recap: Petitioner discussed tree preservation on site, concern with connecting to the 146th St. frontage road, the architecture of the homes and the sides and rears, crosswalk connection to the park across Shelborne Rd., and a crushed stone path in the pipeline easement. The committee still had several concerns, including the architecture of the attached units (front and back); wanting the connection to the 146th St. frontage road; the view from Shelborne Rd. and 146th St; porch enhancements; crushed stone can be hard to maintain; are garages large enough; and request to have an area for children to play. The item was discussed and then continued to the January 5, 2021 Residential Committee. 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: - Connecting the street to the 146th St. frontage road to allow better access and connectivity. - Requiring a sidewalk along the 146th St. frontage road. - Adding some additional architectural requirements for the single-family detached homes such as garage offsets, a minimum number of front porches, and a larger front porch required. - Providing a more creative design for the attached dwellings. - Adding some other features to the ponds like an overlook or viewing area so that the residents can interact with them more as an amenity. - Ensuring hedges in the front yards do not block people’s views as they back out of their driveway by planting the shrubs at least 5 ft. from the front property line. - Require streetlights at all intersections. Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Committee discusses this item and then continues it to the Residential Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 for further review and discussion.