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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 06-01-231 Carmel Plan Commission RESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE Thursday, June 6, 2023 Department Report 1. Docket No. PZ-2023-00014 PUD: Andrews PUD Rezone The applicant seeks PUD rezone approval to allow a new neighborhood consisting of 46 townhomes and 14 two- family dwellings. The site is located at 4411 E 146th Street and is zoned R-1/Residence. Filed by Jim Shinaver and Jon Dobosiewicz of Nelson & Frankenberger on behalf of Schafer Development, LLC. *Updates to the report are written in blue. Project Overview: The Petitioner proposes to rezone the subject property to a PUD classification to allow for the construction of 46 residential townhomes and 14 two-family dwellings. The site is located along busy 146th Street. To the north is 146th St. and then an electrical sub-station and a self-storage business. To the west is a landscaping business and to the east is a tree and lawn care company and a large lot single family home. To the south and south east is a residential neighborhood. Please see the Petitioner’s Information packet for more details. Comprehensive Plan Analysis: • The Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) provides a guide for development and a common vision for the City. • The Policy Goals and Objectives of the Comp Plan calls for such things as a variety of housing types, a mixture of land uses, and promoting housing options to support aging in place. • It also guides development to protect single-family neighborhoods from dissimilar adjacent uses with respect to scale of buildings, lighting, noise and other incompatible impacts. • Some other objectives from the Comp Plan that can been seen in this project are: Prioritize installation of street amenities including benches, street lights and street trees that make walking more convenient and desirable for all ages, Support local food and agriculture by expanding community gardens, and Consistently require street and multi-modal connectivity between adjacent developments, to improve residential mobility options, as well as improved access for delivery, maintenance, and emergency vehicles. • Under Development Patterns in the Comp Plan, this area is classified as East Neighborhoods which can have characteristics including lot sizes from 1/8 to 3 acres; building coverage between 20% to 55%; 2.5 story heights; front yards, gardens, porches, stoops; and residential uses. • Because this site is along 146th St, it falls into the Typical Corridor classification as well. • Typical corridors are “Primary E/W and N/S routes that provide connectivity to community assets throughout the City. These corridors are based on adjacent patterns and serve as transitions between places. They allow expanded housing options and limited commercial as long as they are consistent with the character of adjacent patterns.” • Building a residential neighborhood adjacent to another residential neighborhood is a compatible land use. • Townhouses are a good fit for this site as it would keep a residential use in the area and offers a moderate density development that is only 2 stories and a similar height to what is allowed in the current zoning. • The 2-story height of the homes, the large setback to the south, and the landscaped buffer area allows for a sensitive transition from the 2-story single-family homes to the south to this neighborhood and then 146th St. Additional Analysis: Site Plan: Site Plan, Parking, Engineering • Two proposed entrances to the site, one from 146th St. and one from the stubbed right-of-way to the south. • The UDO requires new developments to connect to existing platted stub streets. • The UDO also requires developments with 15 or more lots to have at least 2 access points. • Two additional stub streets to the east and west are planned to allow future connectivity. • Connections between neighboring residential developments is extremely important. 2 • Connected streets will help provide several access points instead of funneling everyone onto 1 road and causing added congestion and traffic. • Connectivity is also important to ensure sufficient access for emergency vehicles and other public services. • In planning, we don’t look at connecting to residential streets as creating “through traffic” or “cut through” traffic. We look at it as utilizing the existing City owned and maintained infrastructure to benefit the most people and reduce larger impacts for the whole community. • However, traffic is a big fear of the neighbors. Staff would recommend the petitioner consider and thoroughly analyze some alternative street designs for the internal streets that would help naturally slow traffic down and discourage people who don’t live in the area from regularly going through this neighborhood. • One example of an alternate street design is called a Woonerf. The FHWA defines a Woonerf as “a common space created to be shared by pedestrians, bicyclists, and low speed motor vehicles. They are typically streets without curbs and sidewalks, and vehicles are slowed by placing trees, planters, parking areas, and other obstacles in the street.” By thinking outside of the box, the developer might be able to come up with a creative design for this street cross section that is a unique asset for this neighborhood. • A traffic impact study was submitted by the petitioner, with a follow-up traffic memo. • The traffic memo looked at 4 scenarios for the number of vehicles during the AM and PM Peak Hour that would use Arrowwood Dr. and Wellswood Bend from this development. • The highest number of vehicles for Arrowwood Dr. was 9 vehicles per hour during the AM Peak Hour and 6 vehicles per hour during the PM Peak Hour. • The highest number of vehicles for Wellswood Bend was 10 vehicles per hour during the AM Peak Hour and 17 vehicles per hour during the PM Peak Hour. • The layout of the development includes townhomes along the borders of the site with front load garages. • Two-family attached dwellings are clustered in the middle of the neighborhood with rear load garages. • 60 total lots are proposed for a density of 4.31 lots/acre. This would not be considered high density. • The current R-1 zoning would allow 40 lots or 2.9 lots/acre. • Common area is planned through a retention pond in the southeast corner and a large open space to the north along 146th St. • All homes will have driveways long enough to accommodate guest parking. • Some tree preservation is shown in the buffer areas around the project and the northern common area. Active Transportation • Sidewalks are required on both sides of the street and short-term bike parking is also required in the PUD. • The Department would recommend a path or sidewalk connection from the cul-de-sac to 146th St. Architectural Design • The PUD includes Architectural Character Imagery for both home types along with Architectural Standards. • Each unit will be distinguishable from adjacent units but will be compatible in style and materials. • Maximum building height of 2 stories, all buildings shall have a masonry wainscot and the front wainscot material shall be the same on the sides and rear, and any porch shall be 6 ft. deep and 30 sq. ft. • The homes along the north perimeter will have an enhanced rear elevation. • An ADLS approval will also be required to approve the final design of the homes. Landscaping • Open space is provided on the site through the detention pond and the northern common area along 146th. • In the northern common area, there will be a dog park and a community garden. • A transmission line easement runs within the northern common area and will be kept in a natural condition. • Per the Department’s request, a minimum of 10 trees per acre shall be provided in common areas. Petitioner, please require this to be 10 new, native, shade trees. 3 • Foundation plantings on each lot and street tress will be required. • A 10 ft. bufferyard is proposed along the east perimeter, 15 ft. along the west, and 30 ft. along the south. • Native vegetation areas shall be provided along the perimeter of the pond. Petitioner, please label this on the Concept Plan. Signage The PUD requires that all signage shall comply with the UDO. May 15, 2023, Plan Commission meeting recap: The Petitioner gave an overview of the project and how it is supported by the Comp Plan. Many letters of remonstrance had been sent to the Plan Commission and several people spoke at the meeting. The main concerns from neighbors included: the project’s density, not an age restricted community, existing and future drainage concerns, traffic using the public streets in the other neighborhoods, street connection to the cul-de-sac of Gray Oaks Ct., and construction traffic. Plan Commission members had questions about age restricted or not, additional amenities if families might live here, additional buffering to the south, guest parking, architecture enhancements, and wider traffic patterns in this area. Other suggestions from the Plan Commission included a larger dog park area with water available for dogs, storage shed for community garden, more landscaping in the rear yards, and a playground area. The Plan Commission members voted to send this item to the Residential Committee meeting, with the Plan Commission having the final voting authority. DOCS Remaining Comments/Concerns: The petitioner has made many changes to the site layout and PUD standards based on Dept. feedback. The Dept. continues to review the PUD and work with the Petitioner on all the review comments. Some of the outstanding comments include: 1. Add a path or sidewalk connection from the cul-de-sac to the path along 146th St. 2. Consider a different internal street design that would naturally slow down traffic, such as a Woonerf street. 3. Provide a front and rear elevation that shows a 6-unit townhome building. 4. Tighten up some of the architectural standards and setback standards. 5. Specify that the 10 trees per acre in common areas will be new, native, shade trees. 6. Open Space calculations need to better align with UDO standards for calculations. 7. Add a water source to the Community Garden Area. 8. Label the pond overlook on the Concept Plan. 9. Make the full southern bufferyard a tree preservation area to allow additional trees to fill this area in. Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Plan Commission discusses this item and then continues it to the Residential Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 for further review and discussion.