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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDepartment Report 07-25-231 Carmel Plan Commission COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE Tuesday, July 25, 2023 Department Report 1. Docket No. PZ-2022-00172 PUD: Conner Prairie – PUD Rezone. The applicant seeks PUD rezone approval for a west side expansion of Conner Prairie to include a farm to table restaurant, a White River Education Center, Lodge hotel, cabins, a modern farm, parking, walking trails, and more. The site is located at the southeast corner of 146th Street and River Road and is zoned S-1/Residence. Filed by Jon Dobosiewicz and Jim Shinaver of Nelson & Frankenberger on behalf of Ken Alexander, Site Master Plan Manager for Conner Prairie Museum, Inc. *Updates to the report are written in blue. Project Overview: The Petitioner proposes to create a new PUD to implement the goals and projects outlined for the future success and growth of the Conner Prairie Museum from its 2018 Site Master Plan (following the 2017 Conner Prairie Board of Directors commissioned study) on the west side of the White River. A series of 25 projects is envisioned to take this area into the next 25 years. Surrounding this property to the west across River Road in Carmel is the Legacy PUD, with commercial uses and a church along River Road. Further south within the Legacy PUD are neighborhood developments: Prairie at the Legacy, the Overlook at the Legacy, and the Meadows at the Legacy. Prairie Trace Elementary School is located at the southwest edge of Conner Prairie’s land, across River Road, and is zoned S-1. East across the White River are residential developments and the Conner Prairie Museum in Fishers. Please see the Petitioner’s Information packet for more details. Comprehensive Plan: The Carmel Comprehensive Plan (adopted with amendments by City Council on 10-3-22; amendments pending Plan Commission approval 10-18-22), has identified this area under the White River Development Pattern. The purpose of this development pattern is for “a clean, ecological, historic, connected, and active asset for the residents of Carmel and greater region to experience, reside in, and enjoy.” This purpose statement contains many of the goals that Conner Prairie has for the area. It calls for enjoyment of the area in a responsible manner. Much of the site is within the floodway and floodplain of the White River, which means it cannot be developed. The buildable areas are located primarily along River Road. General permitted uses envisioned by this White River Development Pattern include parks, institutional, educational, hospitality, and retail uses. Open space characteristics would include riverfront, greenways, natural trials, riparian corridors, parks, and courtyards. The Petitioner would like to use this area in a unique way to offer educational opportunities and the facilities to support those educational purposes. Small scale retail uses that fit within the vision and goals of the Conner Prairie institution could provide additional desired amenities. Hospitality offerings would allow this area to be more campus-like and attract visitors to come to the area and stay, supporting the local economy. Restaurants would also fall under the hospitality umbrella, a service that could further the educational component of the vision, by using the food farmed on the land within an on-site restaurant. Existing Zoning Classifications: The existing zoning classifications of the site is part PUD (Legacy Z-501-07) and part S-1/Single family residential. The portion of the site within the Legacy PUD is labeled on the Concept plan as Open Space. Within the Open Space Use Block, the following uses are allowed: amenity area, community center, health/fitness facility, public park, and artificial lake or pond. Temporary allowed uses include construction facility, outdoor display, outdoor theatre, outdoor sales, seasonal outdoor sales, and outdoor special event. The S-1/Residential classification primarily allows for single family dwellings, but also allows for public parks and general agriculture by right. Special Use approvals can be requested in front of the Board of Zoning Appeal (BZA) for the following uses: commercial greenhouse, plant nursery, raising of non-farm or exotic animals, education (preschool/elementary/secondary/university), water management and use facility, county club, private recreational facility, and riding stables. 2 Site Plan, Parking, Active Transportation, and Engineering: The site is divided into two proposed zones for development. Zone 1 is at the north end of the site, and is called the Food, Farm, and Energy Experience. This is intended to be a programed space that would require ticketed entry. Zone 2 is at the south end of the site and is called the Land, Water, and Energy Innovation District. This zone stretches from the residential neighborhoods of the Legacy PUD to Prairie Trace Elementary. The main entrance into the site is proposed to align with the existing Community Drive and River Road intersection. Although the site plan shown in the petitioner’s information packet is conceptual, the floodway and flood plain areas significantly limit development to the land adjacent to River Road. The Petitioner is partnering with Carmel Clay Parks to provide an enhanced and expanded trail network. Public and private trails will be provided throughout the campus, and there are plans for a bridge to connect Carmel and Fishers through Conner Prairie’s land. The Engineering Department has no concerns with the proposed PUD rezoning but has made comments in Project Dox regarding water quality preservation easements, and UDO Section 7.10 (Easement standards) and Section 7.13 (Flood Hazard standards) compliance. PUD Document: The Department continues to work with the Petitioner on the text of the PUD, so that it is truly customized to fit the mission of Conner Prairie’s west expansion. The Department’s goal is to ensure that the PUD provides a framework for future growth and development that is respectful of the surrounding residential uses and natural environment. Updates to the PUD are summarized below: • Numerous edits and additions were made to take development standards out of the Definitions section. • Defined “Contemporary Prairie style architecture” as well as updated character images. • Hotel clarified to be “Eco-Lodging/Boutique Product” and allowable rooms reduced to 70. • Cabin use limited to 25 cabins. • Maximum parcel coverage reduced to 15%, which means 85% of the real estate is to be Open Apace area. • Signage has been adjusted to be exempt within Zone 1 that is not visible from the street right-of-way. This applies generally to programing and identification signage for exhibits. • All Zone 2 signage will be reviewed and approved by DOCS. This includes any retail, office, and eco-lodging tenants. • The lighting section has been expanded to focus on Dark Sky goals and to consider the impact lighting on the environment. • Bike parking was added into the general parking requirements section. • Long term bike parking storage is required within each building (minimum of 2 spaces). • Two public road cuts and two private road cuts onto River Road are proposed. • Sidewalks section has expanded to provide more details regarding public and private pedestrian circulation. • Stormwater maintenance section has been vastly expanded upon. • “Franchise-style” architecture is prohibited in Zone 2. • Permitted building materials list have been alphabetized and reduced to include only materials appropriate to the “Contemporary Prairie Style” architecture. May 23, 2023 Committee meeting recap: The Petitioner gave a detailed presentation regarding the changes and updates to the proposed PUD, as outlined above. Plan Commission members raised the following questions: lot coverage percent (15% of the entire acreage), landscaping buffer (working with Urban Forester to have naturalistic buffer), location of proposed bridge to connect across the river (shortest span away from residents), method of future hotel approval (Special Use through BZA), increased traffic, amount of parking, the general purpose/daily life (farming – crops and potential animals, museum, education – wind and solar technology, White River Ecology Center – for educational purposes in partnership with Carmel Clay Parks or a university), drainage method – use bio-swales, location of trail (through the site and still TBD because of tree preservation and final site design), and why the requested building height does not match the Comprehensive Plan (tree preservation and reduced impact on natural area, programming of interior space). Discussions continued to lay out a plan for future meetings – typically will be on the 4th Tuesday of each month, except for June – it will be on the 4th Thursday. 3 June 29, 2023 Committee meeting recap: The Petitioner provided an updated info packet and went into detail on the proposed changes to the PUD based on feedback from the Committee and Community. Below is an abbreviated list. The Committee decided that the July meeting will go over architectural requirements. • Site access: One main point of access at Cherry Creek Road, other secondary points of access • Eco-lodging: Location, number of rooms, and method of approval • Commercial Intensity: Limited overall allowable square footage, reduced Innovation Center Building size to minimize tree removal • Parking: Utilizing shared parking, breaking up vast-ness with bioswales, land bank parking for future need • Building heights: Eco-lodge at 2 stories and Innovation center (office) at 3 stories, all others 1 story • Lighting: Further explained purpose of dark sky friendly goals • Landscaping: Enhancements provided to create natural buffers and provide screening of parking/headlights • Misc.: Stormwater enhancements encouraged such as bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs, etc. Update for July 25, 2023 meeting: Changes to the PUD to be reviewed along with architectural sections include the following: • Maximum square footage added for Cabins • Limitations for small-scale power generating plants to only serve on-site facilities • Public Service facilities would be limited to communications • Overflow parking for events on east side of river now prohibited • Additional parking reductions • Details provided for Overlook at Legacy HOA plantings DOCS Remaining Comments: Discussion of the architectural requirements is anticipated at the July meeting. The Petitioner has consistently been working with the Department on making changes to the architectural language and imagery to provide a cohesive view of what the character of the PUD will be. Remaining items are few, mostly pertaining to ensuring consistent language within the PUD document as it moves to the next stage of this approval process. Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Committee of the Whole reviews this item and then sends it back to the full Plan Commission with a Positive Recommendation.