HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 07-19-221
CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION
DEPARTMENT REPORT
JULY 19, 2022
1. Docket No. PZ-2022-00090 DP/ADLS: Lakefront Ct. Lot 2 Medical Office Building
The applicant seeks site plan and design approval for a multi-tenant medical office building on a 0.95 acre vacant
parcel. The site is located at the southwest corner of Carmel West Drive and Lakefront Court. It is zoned M-
3/Manufacturing Park District. Filed by David Rausch with David Rausch Studio LLC, on behalf of the owners.
*The petitioner mistakenly sent notice to the neighbors through first class mailings without a certificate of mailing. The
Plan Commission’s Rules of Procedure requires a certificate of mailing (though state code does not), so the rules will
need to be suspended for this item to be heard.
Project Overview:
This project is seeking DP/ADLS approval for a new medical office building with 2 tenants. 1 tenant will be Chegar
Fascial Plastic Surgery, and the second tenant has yet to be determined. This site is located on Lot 2 of Block 11 of the
Science & Tech Park, which was originally subdivided in 2004. First Financial Bank is located to the west, Carmel
Orthodontics is to the southeast, and a new one-story medical office building is to the southwest. Across the street to the
north is Midwest ISO. All are zoned M-3/Manufacturing Park District and are also a part of the Science & Tech Park.
Please view the Petitioner’s informational packet for more detail.
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Standards this project MEETS:
• Front yard setbacks – 20’ required, 22’ north, 22’ east, 86’ south provided
• Rear yard setback – 20’ required west property line, 66’ provided
• Building height – 50’ tall allowed, about 20’ provided
• Maximum lot coverage – 80% allowed, 58% proposed
• Parking – 27 spaces required, 32 spaces provided
• Bicycle parking – 4 spaces required and provided
• Landscaping – Urban Forester has approved the plan
• Signage – one sign per tenant per street frontage allowed and 2 facing east and 1 facing north proposed
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Standards NOT MET: None.
Site Plan, Parking, and Engineering:
The building is located on a corner parcel at Carmel Drive and Lakefront Court and has 3 frontages. The parking will be
located behind the building, so it won’t be along Carmel Drive. 32 parking spaces are provided and only 27 parking
spaces are required for a professional office building. The building will be set back 22 feet from Carmel Drive at its
closest corner and then steps back on the east part of the building due to a drainage, utility, and sewer easement. The
building has a slight L shape, with the main entrance on the south side of the building near the parking. The dumpster
enclosure is located to the west of the building, will face inward/south, and will be heavily landscaped to provide
screening. The dumpster enclosure can accommodate trash, recycling, and a generator. Stormwater was master planned
for this site back in 2004, and the large pond at the corner of Guilford Road and Carmel Drive is utilized.
Active Transportation:
There is a 5’ wide sidewalk existing on Lakefront Court that goes all the way around the street/cul-de-sac, connecting
back to Carmel Drive. Along Carmel Drive is an existing asphalt path. There will also be 5’ wide sidewalks along a
majority of the perimeter of the building. A new 5’ wide sidewalk will be added to connect the path along Carmel Drive
to the sidewalk along the building. Bicycle parking will be provided to the southwest of the front door, with room for four
spaces.
Architectural Design:
The proposed building is one story in height, constructed primarily of brick with fiber cement panels that will look like a
wood screen system. This faux wood screen will extend above the roof line in some areas and will also act as a screening
for the rooftop mechanical units. The overall height to the top of the roof is 19’11”. Each side of the building has a
multitude of windows with sunshades and all windows are finished with precast concrete headers at the top as well as on
2
the sill at the bottom. The tops of the windows will have a spandrel windowpane. The dumpster/generator enclosure will
be finished on all sides with similar materials to the main building with a brick base and the faux wood screen. This site is
located in the M-3 district and is not located in any overlay zone; therefore, there are no architectural standards to evaluate
this building against. There is a variety of architectural styles in the area with some modern buildings, some residential
style office buildings, and some more traditional style office buildings. The Department believes this well-designed
building will fit in fine with the surrounding area.
Lighting:
Site lighting will be provided through parking lot pole lights, which will be LEDs, have full 90 degree cut off lenses, and
will be 22.5’ tall. There isn’t much other exterior lighting shown on the building except for a hanging pendant light near
the main entrance on the south side of the building. Petitioner, will there be any other site or architectural lighting?
Landscaping:
The site will be extensively landscaped, with a 15 ft. bufferyard along the north perimeter, a 10 ft. bufferyard along the
west and a 5 ft. bufferyard along the east and south. Building base landscaping and a few parking lot islands are provided,
with extra materials planted to screen the dumpster enclosure. The Urban Forester has approved the landscape plan.
Signage:
One sign per tenant, per street frontage is allowed for a 1-story, multi-tenant building. The site is considered to have 2
frontages for signage purposes because although Lakefront Ct. curves, it is only 1 street. Therefore, 2 signs are permitted
to face Carmel Dr. and 2 may face Lakefront Ct. The petitioner is only proposing 1 wall sign to face Carmel Dr. and 2
wall signs to face east to Lakefront Ct. No ground signs are proposed. The Chegar wall signs will be 29 square feet, and
the future tenant sign size has not been determined yet, but the spandrel area has been shown. The wall signs will meet
the size requirements of the UDO. Additional information is needed regarding the sign package including the
mounting method, lighting type, and any other specs that owner deems necessary for future tenants.
DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns:
1. Will there be additional architectural lighting?
2. Additional signage information needed as mentioned above
3. Final sign off of the development plan will be needed from the Engineering Dept.
Recommendation:
The Department of Community Services recommends the Plan Commission votes to suspend their rules of procedure to
vote to approve this item this evening, subject to addressing the remaining concerns listed above.