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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 07-06-21 Carmel Plan Commission COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE Tuesday, July 6 , 2021 Department Report 3. Docket No. PZ-2021-00040 DP/ADLS: Mexican Restaurant at Legacy. The applicant seeks site plan and design approval for a new restaurant. The site is located at 7299 E 146th St. between Community Drive and Beallsville Drive. It is zoned PUD (Legacy Z-501-07). Filed by Tami Lakes of Versatile Construction Group, LLC on behalf of Don Rigo Properties LLC. *Updates to the Dept. Report are in blue. Project Overview: The applicant seeks approval for a new restaurant. This site is located in -between the recently approved Yellow Dog Veterinary Office (east) and the existing three retail buildings at the corner of Community Drive and Hopewell Parkway (west). South of this site are the Legacy Towns and Flats I residential homes. All surrounding sites mentioned are zoned Legacy PUD. North of the site across 146th Street are residential homes located in Noblesville. Please see the Petitioner’s Information Packet for more details. PUD Standards this project MEETS: Exhibit 10 Commercial Building Table: • Minimum Side Yard Setback – 0’ required, 58’ proposed • Minimum Rear Yard setback – 5’ required, 1 43 ’ proposed • Minimum building height – 1 story required and provided • Maximum building height – 60’ allowed, 25’ proposed • Windows are pedestrian scale • Parking behind and to the side of building • Walls and Rooflines are broken up/not greater than 60’ before a change in plane or material Exhibit 14 Uses: • Restaurant without drive thru allowed in Village Core Exhibit 10 Architectural Standards: • Pedestrian scale detailing • Mechanical equipment screened • Relationship and use of materials visually compatible with surrounding area • Primary entrances are defined and articulated • Stucco/EIFS not used within 8’ of ground PUD Standards NOT MET; therefore, Variances are required: • Docket No. PZ-2021 -00105 V: Front Yard setback – 15’ required, 30’ requested: Variance approved • Docket No. PZ-2021 -00106 V: Parking – 77 spaces required; 70 spaces provided: Variance approved • Docket No. PZ-2021 -00100 V: Signage – 2 signs allowed; 3 signs requested: Variance denied Site Plan, Parking Variance, and Engineering: The site has been designed with the building pulled up to Hopewell Parkway, with parking located to the side of and behind the building to the north. Access into the site will be a shared driveway from Hopewell Parkway with the parcel to the west. The driv e has already been constructed for the first 140’ or so by the parcel to the west. Cross access easement will be provided both west and east, with a coordinated access to the vet office to the east at the northeast corner of the site. The dumpster will be completely enclosed and designed to match the building. It will be placed on the east property line and will align with the dumpster for the vet office next door. 70 parking spaces are proposed and are 9 short of UDO requirements (One space 2.5 patron seats + 1 space per employee on the largest shift requires 79 spaces). A variance has been requested and approved for this shortage by the Board of Zoning Appeals at their June 28, 2021 meeting. However, due to the interconnected nature of the overall development, Staff is supportive of utilizing shared parking and cross access easements to make up for the shortage. Stormwater and detention for this site have been master planned with the Legacy PUD. The Petitioner continues to work through Engineering Dept. rev iew comments. Setback Variance: The Legacy PUD specifies a maximum front yard setback of 15’. After internal review and discussion, it was determined that orienting the building towards Hopewell Parkway, rather than 146th Street, would foster a more interactive pedestrian environment. However, due to a 7’ landscape easement and a 15’ wide utility easement, the building could not be placed at the required 15’ maximum. The request is for 30’ back from Hopewell Parkway. Due to these site restrictions, the Dept. is supportive of the Variance request. This variance was approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals at their June 28, 2021 meeting. Active Transportation: A 5’ wide sidewalk will be provided along Hopewell Parkway. Path is already constructed along 146th Street. The petitioner will construct a new sidewalk that will connect the site from 146th Street through the west portion of the parking lot, to the front door, then to Hopewell Parkway. Sidewalks will also be provided around the building for easy access from the parking to the front door, to the outdoor patio area, bicycle parking, and to the dumpster. Four bicycle racks will be installed, providing eight parking spaces, which meets the ordinance requirements. Architectural Design: The proposed building will be constructed of stone, brick and stucco/EIFS. The main entry will face west towards the neighboring retail buildings and Community Drive. Staff has worked significantly with the Petitioner to modify the design of the building to have consistent features that will be complimentary to the surrounding area. We believe this has been accomplished while still respecting the overall look and feel desired by the Petitioner. The large double door with arched window feature as well as sidelight windows will provide a very open and inviting entry. The theme of arched windows will carry around the building, with some bricked in where it is not suitable for windows to be placed (such as the kitchen). A patio with a large outdoor fireplace feature will be at the SE corner of the building, providing architectural interest and pedestrian activity towards Hopewell Parkway. Wood trellis features break up the upper stucco/EIFS portion of the building and provide important architectural details to the façade. The Petitioner has added the additional wood brackets on the tower elements, which really enhance the façade details. Lighting: Site lighting is proposed with three parking lot pole lights at 20’ tall. Decorative wall sconces are proposed all around the building as well as string lights over the patio on the east side of the building. There are still wall pack style lights proposed facing north and west. If the Petitioner would like to wash the building with light, perhaps a ground mounted light would be more appropriate. Staff is still not in favor of the additional wall pack lights, as they are not located over exit doors nor are decorative. The Legacy PUD requires a maximum of 0.5 footcandles at the property lines. The lighting plan has been revised so that this limit is now met. Landscaping: The site will have street trees installed along both Hopewell Parkway and 146 th Street. Trees will also be planted around the building and in the parking lot islands. Some building base plants are proposed; however, most are located around the perimeter of the site due to sidewalks and the patio adjacent to the building. The Urban Fo rester has approved the proposed landscape plan. Signage: Two signs are allowed for this site because the property faces two Street Frontages: East 146th Street and Hopewell Parkway. Three signs are proposed for this site, one facing each of the Street Frontages, north and south, and one facing west. A variance was requested for a third sign; however, the BZA did not approve this request at the meeting on June 28, 2021. The north and south facing signs meet the UDO standards for height (70%) and width (85%) at about 84.62 sq. ft. each. June 15, 2021 Public Hearing Recap: The Petitioner gave a brief presentation of the building and site plan, speaking of all the improvements made thus far working with Staff. The Plan Commission members had questions about the overall Legacy plan for this area and concern over the requested parking variance. Staff explained that as parcels come in to be developed, we are working to create a cohesive plan with good pedestrian connectivity. The Plan Commission voted to send this to the Commercial Committee meeting on July 6, 2021 and gave the committee final voting authority. DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns : 1. Engineering Dept. approval 2. Lighting plan removal of wall pack style lights – possible change to ground mounted lights for architectural lighting of the building Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Commercial Committee votes to Approve this item this evening, subject to final Engineering Dept. approval and addressing remaining Project Dox review comments.