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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 04-20-21 8 CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION DEPARTMENT REPORT APRIL 20, 2021 1. Docket No. PZ-2021-00003 PP: Asherwood Primary Plat 2. Docket No. PZ-2021-00008 SW: Waiver – UDO 6.09: 600 ft. Max, Cul-de-sac Length, 4,230 ft. requested. 3. Docket No. PZ-2021-00009 SW: Waiver – UDO 7.26: Private Streets Not Permitted, Private St. requested. 4. Docket No. PZ-2021-00010 SW: Waiver – UDO 7.28: Two Access Points from a Perimeter Street Required, Only One Access Point requested. The applicant seeks primary plat approval and design standards waiver approval for 41 lots on 85 acres. The site is located at 10110 Ditch Road. It is zoned S-1/Residential. Filed by Brett Huff with, Kimley-Horn on behalf of Gradison Design Build. Project Overview: This proposed primary plat seeks to create 41 single-family lots of at least 1 acre in size. There will be a minimum of 15% open space and private streets and a gated entry. Surrounding the site are single family properties zoned S- 1/Residential. Please see the Petitioner’s Information Packet for more details. UDO Standards this project MEETS: - Min. Lot widths of 120 ft. - Min. Lot areas of 15,000 sq. ft. - Max. Density of 1 lot/acre - Tree Preservation - 25 ft. Perimeter Landscaping UDO Standards this project does Not meet, therefore Waivers have been requested: - Maximum cul-de-sac length of 600 ft. required, 4,230 ft. requested - Private Streets not permitted, Private streets requested - Two access points from a perimeter street required, only one access point requested - Minimum 25% Open Space required, 15% open space requested Site Plan and Engineering: The subdivision has one entrance from Ditch Road with a gated entry, and one new private street that winds through the site to end in a cul-de-sac. Private streets are not permitted without a waiver approval from the Plan Commission. The UDO limits cul-de-sac lengths to 600 ft., and the developer has requested a waiver to allow a longer cul-de-sac and only 1 access point because there are no stub streets to connect to and minimal frontage along Ditch Rd. The Dept. suggested a connection could be made to Summerlakes Drive, but that is a private street and not something the developer or the Summerlakes neighborhood are interested in. There are 2 detention ponds planned and about 15% open space. All of the lots will have a minimum area of 1 acre due to the deed restrictions that are tied to this property. The large estate mansion on the property will remain on at least a 16 acre lot. The proposed street cross section for the subdivision was originally to be 56 ft. wide, which is the minimum required in the UDO. The 56 ft. width 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. A well-intended suggestion came from the Plan Commission that this private right-of-way width could be reduced, and the sidewalks and tree lawns could be in easements on the private lots. This was suggested because there is a 75 ft. front setback required under the Deed Restrictions on the property, but the zoning only requires 40 ft, and so if the lots extended closer to the street, then that setback wouldn’t seem as far. However, even private streets are required to meet City standards, and that includes the minimum width and cross section. If the neighborhood ever decided to petition the City to take over the private streets (which has happened in the past) having the sidewalks and tree lawns on the private lots would cause an issue and the City would not maintain those. The Dept. does not support the reduced right-of-way width and thinks in the long run it is better to have the sidewalks and tree lawns in a 56 ft. right-of-way. Active Transportation: 5 ft. sidewalks are proposed on both sides of all streets as is required. A 10 ft. wide asphalt path is required along Ditch Road, but the petitioner has requested to contribute the cost to design and construct the path to the City’s Non-reverting Thoroughfare Fund instead of building the path. That would allow the City to build the path at a 9 future date. There are utilities and an existing berm with mature trees along Ditch Road which makes it challenging to locate the path in the right-of-way without removing a portion of the existing trees and fence. Architectural Design: This is a proposal for just a primary plat for single-family homes and no architectural requirements are proposed. Some of the lots along Ditch Road will have their rear elevations toward Ditch Rd., but there will be a 25 ft. wide common area along the street with perimeter landscaping. Lighting: A Street light is proposed at the main entrance intersection and others will be placed at significant bends in the internal road. To meet the UDO standards, at least 2 dusk till dawn lights will be on each residence. Landscaping: The subdivision is providing open space through tree preservation and conservation areas, perimeter landscaping, and passive recreation common areas. The UDO requires a 25 ft. wide landscaped common area along Ditch Road to help buffer the views of rears of homes and provide a nice landscaped area along the road, and the petitioner is meeting this. 2 ponds are proposed, but these will not count toward the open space because the developer is not meeting the requirement for the ponds to have a 25 ft. wide buffer area planted and maintained as a wildlife habitat and designed to allow persons to walk around the perimeter. Due to the deed restriction requiring 1 acre lots, the subdivision is only able to provide 15% open space, instead of the required 25% and so a waiver has been requested to allow this. While 25% open space is not being provided in common area, the large estate mansion is being preserved on its own 16-acre parcel. The Department is supportive of this waiver. Signage: There will be an entrance sign incorporated into the subdivision wall that is adjacent to the main entrance. No dimensions have been submitted for the sign at this time, however all signage is required to follow the standards in the UDO. March 16, 2021 Public Hearing Recap: Petitioner presented the layout of the proposed subdivision and discussed the restrictive covenants that go with the property. There were 3 letters submitted for the public hearing. Plan Commission comments and questions included: roads should be built to City standards even if private, did Fire Dept. review the length of the cul-de-sac, path requested from the gate to Ditch Road path, what are the difficulties with building path along Ditch Rd., there are drainage problems in the area especially to the north, and how many existing homes do not comply with covenants. The Plan Commission (PC) voted to send this item to the Residential Committee with PC having final vote. March 30, 2021 Residential Committee Meeting Recap: Petitioner presented a recap of the proposed subdivision and addressed the items from the Dept. Report. The entry wall will be 8 ft. tall, but it will not be the full length of the subdivision. There is an existing fence along Ditch Rd. which will remain. The petitioner chose not to do native plantings along the pond because they don’t think the residents will want that look and the developer has struggled with establishing native landscaping in the past. A Committee member said he has seen it done well and there are professionals that have 30 years of good experience with native plantings. The Committee asked for 6 ft. sidewalks since they aren’t building a path along Ditch Rd., who will install the crosswalk proposed, and who will maintain the stormwater pipes in the private streets. Petitioner stated they will install the crosswalk and can use a City standard decorative pole and the HOA will main the streets, but the stormwater pipes will still be public and maintained by the City if there is an issue. Petitioner is still working with the Engineering Dept. on the drainage, signage will be installed at the entrance to direct visitors to the call box, the roundabout entry radius is enough for buses and emergency vehicles. Committee voted 2-1 favorable recommendation. DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns: 1. The Dept. recommends keeping the sidewalk and tree lawn within the private street right-of-way. Private streets are typically not allowed, and one criterion to allow the waiver for private streets is for the streets to be designed and installed according to City standards. If the neighborhood ever decided to petition the City to take over the private streets (which has happened in the past) having the sidewalks and tree lawns on the private lots would cause an issue and the City would not maintain those. Recommendation: After all comments have been addressed, the Department of Community Services recommends the Plan Commission votes to Approve this item.