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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 02-07-23 3 Carmel Plan Commission COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE Tuesday, February 7, 2023 Department Report 2. Docket No. PZ-2022-00224 OA: BJ's Wholesale Club-146th & Keystone PUD Amend The applicant seeks to amend the PUD to add accessory uses and update various other development standards requirements to construct a BJ’s Wholesale Club building. The site is located at 14480 Lowes Way. It is currently zoned PUD: Z-344 - 146th & Keystone Ave. PUD. Filed by Marc LaVoie, PE, of BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. *Updates to the Report are written in blue Project Overview: The Petitioner proposes to amend the current 146 & Keystone Ave. PUD to allow for a new user, BJ’s Wholesale, to occupy the remainder of the site. Lowe’s occupies the north portion of the property, and the south portion has two restaurants and a vacant parcel at the southernmost portion. US 31 and Keystone Parkway have had many improvements around this site, providing greater access to and from 146th Street. Danbury Estates residential subdivision is located across Lowe’s Way to the east, zoned R-4/Residential. To the southeast across Lowe’s Way and separated by Cool Creek is the Laura Vista Subdivision, zoned R-1/Residential. Please see the Petitioner’s Information packet for more details. PUD (Planned Unit Development) Standards this project MEETS: • Permitted Use: Retail • Minimum tract size: 5 acres required, 8.5 proposed • Min. Building Height: 14’ required, 39’4” proposed • Minimum Gross Floor Area: 15,000 sq. ft. required; 101,826 sq. ft. proposed • Maximum FAR is 0.7: 0.27 proposed (101,826 sq. ft./8.5 acres) • Architectural Design Requirements: o Minimum of 3 building materials required, brick, stone, precast concrete panel, and EIFS proposed o 8 eternal corners minimum required, 12 provided • Lighting Plan: No changes proposed to Section 9 • Loading berths: No changes proposed to Section 11.2 • Rooftop Mechanical equipment screening: No changes proposed to Section 11.4 • Cart Corrals: No changes to Section 11.5 • Maximum Parcel Coverage allowed: 30% for retail permitted, 22% proposed • • Landscaping: o Greenbelt: New 0.15-acre area shown along Keystone Parkway to preserve existing landscaping and vegetation – minimum of 30’, 30’ was also required in existing PUD. Please note that much of the previous greenbelt has been acquired by INDOT for ROW for road improvements. 0.37 acres is now proposed as a new no-mow area at the south end of the site. This will help clean run-off and pollutants before getting to the creek. o Parallel roadways: previously required 10’ planting area adjacent to Keystone, proposal now is to have the 10’ area adjacent to Lowe’s way, about 16’ proposed currently o Section 7.2.C. – Building base plantings – concept plan/site plan has been modified to meet PUD requirements o Parking lot landscaping – 6% required, 7.2% proposed Existing PUD Standards NOT MET, therefore NEW PUD standards proposed or items unknown: • Minimum Building Setback: New proposed distance is 60’ from ROW, 90’ previously required, 65’ proposed with concept plan • Architectural Design Requirements: Golden Section – PUD has been altered to state the main entrance design must meet the Golden Section, and an exhibit has been provided to illustrate this. • Parking requirements: UDO would require 1/200 sq. ft. of floor area = 509 spaces, 407 spaces proposed, PUD proposed change to allow the 407 shown on the concept plan. • Outside Storage of Refuse or Merchandise: Changed to only allow propane tanks as overnight outside storage and allows daily merchandise to be displayed adjacent to the front entrance. However, daily merchandise may not remain overnight. Meaning if something is brought out, it must be placed back inside the building overnight. • Signs: PUD has been updated to more closely resemble what the UDO would require, as well as still provide ample identification similarly to what was previously allowed by the original PUD language. Staff is supportive of the proposed changes. 4 • New PUD sections: o Bike Parking to follow UDO requirements o Overnight parking – not allowed except for trucks actively unloading at the loading docks o Offsite Roadway Improvements: adding dedicated right lane out of the round-a-bout, right turn only at south end of site, adjustments to 146th St. & Lowe’s Way intersection to improve traffic flow Concept Site Plan: The proposed concept site plan has the BJ’s building at the east side of the site, oriented west with the main entrance visible from US 31 and Keystone Parkway. The main vehicular entrance into the site from Lowe’s Way will remain as is constructed today, with a few proposed enhancements to accommodate additional vehicles. For example, BJ’s would construct a right turn lane at the round-a-bout going southbound on Lowe’s Way to aid in dispersing traffic. They also propose to add a right-out (only) cut at the south end of the site (to Lowe’s Way), for large trucks to have a secondary way out of the site. A fueling station and an indoor tire sales and service area are proposed as part of this PUD Amendment. Currently, Auto Service or Filling Stations are not allowed as primary uses in the PUD. The PUD also references Accessory Uses allowed in the B2 District would be allowed here. However, neither of these uses are allowed as accessory uses in the B2 District. So, the proposed PUD amendment would allow for these uses: auto service (meaning tire sales and service inside the building) and auto filling stations, to be accessory uses to the primary use of the retail building. Staff has worked with the Petitioner regarding the placement of the filling station, as we had concerns regarding the proximity of a filling station to Cool Creek, which runs directly south of the property. The Petitioner is proposing additional safety measures against fuel leaking and spilling, which are comparable to the precautions taken by the gas station at 146th and River Road. The Engineering Department has reviewed these proposals in detail and offered suggestions regarding additional measures. The Petitioner has stated they are continuing to work through these items with the Engineering Department. The fueling station and associated underground tanks are now proposed to run north/south at the SW corner of the property. The pumps and all aspects of the gas component are located more than 500’ away from the residential neighborhoods to the east, which complies with the recent City Code amendment restricting gas stations to be within 500’ of residential areas. Architectural Design: Staff has been working with the Petitioner on the design of the building to enhance the exterior design to be unique, have four-sided architecture, and be context sensitive. We worked to create symmetry throughout the facades and designate feature areas to break down the scale of the structure. The building will be constructed of pre-cast concrete panels, with brick inlay, a stone base, and a textured upper area (so it is not plain concrete walls) to give additional character (below the cornice line). A theme across most BJ’s buildings is a diamond shape as an accent. We encouraged them to use this design element around the building as an additional feature, and it has been incorporated into bump out/tower elements around the building. Faux windows have also been added to each façade at the upper levels, which help to give additional character and break up the scale of the building. The main entrance on the west elevation has been updated to include more brick and awnings over the two sets of entry doors. This addresses the concerns of proper proportion and design aesthetic of this main entry feature. The rear of the upper parapet walls have also been altered to appear like fronts, rather than blank walls. The awnings around the building have also been modified to all be the same color, as requested. Signage: Signage shown on the Concept Plan elevations is now directly tied to the PUD language. Main identification signs are provided on the West, North, and East around the main entrance to the building. Supplemental signs are provided on the West and South in reference to other services provided at the building. Signage square footages relate to the architectural spandrel panel areas where they are proposed. This keeps signage in line with what the UDO would require. Staff is in support of the proposed signage changes to the PUD. January 17, 2023 Public Hearing recap: Petitioner went over project details, outlining the work that had been done with Staff prior to coming to the Plan 5 Commission. They advertised for and held a neighborhood meeting for any neighbors interested in the project. No one came to that meeting. The Petitioner is proposing additional road improvements in the general area, to aid in traffic flow and existing traffic concerns. Plan Commission members talked about the placement of the gas station, asked for a recap of what changes had made already to the concept plan, requested views of the building/site from Keystone Parkway headed north, and if there were concerns about traffic coming into the site from the south. The Plan Commission voted to allow the Commercial Committee to have final voting authority to send to City Council. DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns: Staff has two remaining comments that can continue to be worked on/addressed as the project proceeds to City Council level, and if approved, at the DP/ADLS level. The first is the additional gas station underground storage tanks protective measures. We recommend that the Petitioner continue to work with the Engineering Department to provide the highest level of protection possible for a proposed fuel station adjacent to Cool Creek. The second is the layout of the vehicular entrance into the site, and its proximity to the main pedestrian entrance into the building. It is offset, which requires an immediate right turn/curve to head down the main drive aisle in front of the building. Because this is a concept plan, the final location for the entrance can still be adjusted. We recommend the Petitioner continue to work through this entry alignment, for the safest possible arrangement. Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Commercial Committee votes to send this item to the City Council with a Favorable Recommendation.