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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes COM 04-10-23 ,AYL. / _ Cityor M01i1„_,..) 1 Cannel Plan Commission COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE Monday, April 10, 2023 Meeting Minutes Location: Cannel City Hall Caucus Rooms,2nd Floor, 1 Civic Square,Cannel,IN 46032 Members Present: Joshua Kirsh(Chair),Leo Dierckman,Christine Zoccola Members Absent: Adam Aasen Staff Present: Aliza Shalit(Sign Permits Specialist),Mike Hollibaugh(Director of DOCS),Alexia Lopez(Planning Administrator) Legal Counsel: Ally Lynch-Mcgrath Time of Meeting: 6:00 PM 1. Docket No.PZ-2022-00238 ADLS: Tru Hotel Carmel. The applicant seeks design approval for a new, five story, 126 room hotel on 1.13 acres. Development plan approval was granted under Docket No. 19060018 DP and Use Variance approval was granted under 18050007 UV. The site is located at 12164 N. Meridian Street, immediately north of the Ritz Charles.It is zoned MC/Meridian Corridor and is not within any overlay district. Filed by Nathan Winslow of American Structurepoint on behalf of the owner,Dora Hotel Group. Petitioner:Nathan Winslow(American Structure Point) Presented updates: addressed all the site related elements, dumpster closure location,parking island modifications to be more amenable to vehicular circulation. Satisfied technical requirements:traffic flow and parking lot.Our goal is to minimize disruption to what is already constructed there. Changes: Landscape,parking, circulation,bicycle parking Iupdate,working on exterior long term bicycle parking requirement—looking for some locations where long-term bicycle parking could fit internal to the building,and we have potential locations for external bicycle parking. Department Report:Alexia Lopez: Architecture was worked on to be able to come back to Committee,but there are still some outstanding items. They made site changes and resubmitted. Reviewers still have to finalize that review. • Parking: The original development plan had a certain number of parking spaces and it's now down 9 spaces, this was an outstanding question—can you add 9 more spaces to the agreement with Ritz, if so,the combined parking adds up and it's allowed on the Meridian Corridor Zone. We would like you to accommodate 9 long term bicycle parking spaces or a variance would be required. • Glazing: The MC requires 60%minimum glazing on the first floor, so it that can't be accommodated it will require a variance. • Architecture questions: color bands,they changed and reduced the brightness and seeing that these are now not too bland and what would happen to these in the future if the hotel changes or a different use comes in,could these be changed. Framing these color details out so it looks more like an architectural feature in the building, which on the renderings looks like it is done on the north and south elevations.Other examples of Tru Hotels where this is a nice architectural feature,almost like a mural on the building. • Lighting: Questions regarding the lighting for this feature,are they going to be up-lit,downlit,how will it look at night. We are recommending it stays at committee until all these can be addressed. Committee Comments: Kirsh: —Discussed parking situation. Concerns about the number of spots the other hotel has procured from Ritz,how many spots people from Ritz may be using at the other hotel and number of spots Ritz's vehicles are using.Ritz has Ichanged their parking lot,removing some spots.Brought up possible under parking,which already exists to a degree. Opportunity to open up to a public discussion on parking. Dierckman: Is there an agreement with the medical building?I would like to see a copy of the document. Zoccola: As far as parking,when the original plan was approved for parking what was the original plan for parking, 1 Commercial Committee Meeting Minutes 4-10-23 was there supposed to be a parking garage?Why are we short?Alexia Lopez: Based on the original development plan there were a number of spots on the site plan(133 for hotel and office)plus a shared parking agreement with Ritz for the remaining spots. This site plan has 124 spaces total between office and hotel. We are wondering if that is accommodated in the agreement with the Ritz. Where they put the drop-off takes up some of the preexisting spaces. Dierckman: Is there a formal written document between the medical use and this hotel.Alexia Lopez: I didn't see that in the file,but it was in the minutes of the meeting.Nathan Winslow:there is a very extensive legal document,I can upload that.Kirsh: The reason for public dialog is because there is also an agreement between Ritz and the hotel on the south side.My understanding is that the agreement may have been shortsighted and there may be some issues. Ritz parking at hotel and that the factors used to come up with numbers of spots needed may have been short sighted. Dierckman: 10 spaces the issue.Kirsh: I think it's more.Dierckman: What is the agreement with the Ritz?Mike Hollibaugh: Why are we opening that?Kirsh: I am nervous about agreeing to a new parking scenario on top of a failed shared parking scenario.Mike Hollibaugh: Shouldn't Vince be nervous and not you?What is the issue?That there is going to be a parking problem 1 or 3 or 5 times a year?Kirsh:No,I worry about a weekly parking problem. Dierckman: I have seen it on occasion,not weekly. What is the required number and what is the current agreement. Sounds like 10 spots.Mike Hollibaugh: That is my understanding.Dierckman: Room counts vs number of spaces? How many rooms do you lose if we require you to account for the number of spaces.Vince Dora: It is a 1 to 1 ratio, 10 rooms.Dierckman: You are going to adjust your parking or cut rooms.Zoccola: I see what your concern is,it is more like the entire site parking issue. Is there an opportunity to find 10 more spaces?Vince Dora: We need to work on it. I struggle to figure out why it's our job to solve the parking problems for three other businesses.We when came to this understanding that our parking agreement was adequate for what we needed. Kirsh: Do I understand that you need 151 spaces, 126 for rooms,25 for employees.Vince Dora: Yes,but I would also add that unlike office buildings and other day uses,the highest use of occupancy is at night when employees are not there as much(housekeepers, managers). I do not believe that the 151 spaces are true for the hotel. Kirsh: That is how you come up with 133. Vince Dora: It would be 133. Kirsh: You are still 10 short of 122?Vince Dora: But I don't have 10 employees at night. Kirsh: You are proposing 133 spots to cover the spread,correct?Nathan Winslow: We are down 9 spaces on what the agreement was based on.Alexia Lopez: Originally the agreement was 133 and now they are at 124.Kirsh: You are short 10 spots to make it to 133.You want us to come down from 151 to 133,but now you want us to come down to 124?Vince Dora: I would also say that I was on the phone with Cornerstone who manages the office building next door,they have called the doctors occupying that building to ask if they have a parking problem,and the answer is that they have never had a problem. The users that own the parking have no issues. Dierckman: But the original hotel was not 5 stories,it was 4 stories.Vince Dora: That was back in 2017 when I was the only one working on the entire site, then I was asked by city officials to modify and said there would be parking agreements in place, so there could be another use there.Aloft was the master developer that bough the site from the old owners,redeveloped it with city approvals and put the hotel and medical office there and put the cross parking in place,then we bought that hotel pad from them. Dierckman: With the increase in height approved.Zoccola: The Hyatt hotel uses mostly the Ritz parking lot?Is that in that letter?Vince Dora: I can't speak to that.Kirsh: That is my understanding.Kirsh: Why can't you have a shared agreement with medical building.Vince Dora: I would have to look; I cannot answer that right now. Alexia Lopez: The office and the hotel that is the 133 from both with the shared parking agreement with Ritz. Dierckman: Every pot is taken in that agreement.Alexia Lopez: There is a lot of parking there. Showed parking breakdown.Kirsh: Worried at creating a nuisance. Ritz occupies parking with their vehicles(8 vehicles,but they are occupying 35 spots with those vehicles). If that was cleaned up or there was an agreement with the medical building,I would not be concerned any more. 124 instead of 151.Dierckman: Do you want to make it denser or find 10 spots. Alexia Lopez: The comment came up based on the ordinance and the original plan review determined that they met that needing 133 onsite,but they don't meet that now.Find 10 more with the Ritz,which is what we would hope,but there is also the option of getting a variance for that requirement. Zoccola: Exterior of the building has improved and I don't want it any brighter. I thought the part that stuck out with the logo was going to be metal and lit,but when I looked at the diagrams it said EIFS.Vince Dora: It is metal,we took the lighting elements out based on previous comments.Zoccola: Are all the lights facing down?Vince Dora: We have down lights on the exterior of the building to highlight some of the brick and color panels and also in the landscaping hub to showcase the trees. Zoccola: Where we run into trouble is with the up lighting for the neighbors. Vince Dora: You can see it is very minimal along the sides,we don't have any on the west face of the building 2 Commercial Committee Meeting Minutes 4-10-23 towards the neighborhood or Illinois St. The checkerboard is not inlayed with lighting,but it is framed as inset Icolumns so it can be easily replaced or updated.Dierckman: How many rooms on each floor?Vince Dora: Close to 30.Dierckman: Can you do garage parking underneath?Vince Dora: That was attempted,and the city was going to look at providing TIF,but the with the cost,the city changed their mind.Zoccola: Asked about location of Elm trees and lower-level bushes.Are the lower-level bushes evergreens?Nathan Winslow: Yes.Viburnum,Willow wood,and American Elm trees.Kirsh: #5, 6,4,2 have been taken care of.Did we get to the required percentage of glazing? Vince Dora: No,we will have to seek a variance on this,that glazing percentage is more typical for office buildings, and I have guest rooms with privacy issues and back of house areas that should not have windows or fake window showing commercial washers/dryers or break rooms through them.Kirsh: The last issue is parking.Do we want to vote on this now,or push to May meeting?Dierckman: Can't vote yes on this.Zoccola: As opinion from petitioner. Vince Dora: I feel we are adequately parked.Variance. Kirsh: You will be requesting a variance on the parking and glazing.Zoccola: We are not the final vote tonight,this goes back to the full Plan Commission,there is time to work out parking issues.Dierckman: It is a serious problem. People don't like to walk, so the instantly park on the street. I hesitate to add to a problem that I know it already exists. Building looks better,not perfect,but better.Kirsh: When this goes back to the full Plan Commission, if you can work on the parking, it will set us up for a better full Plan Commission meeting.Vince Dora: If we are doing our jobs right,the Ritz and our hotels are additives to each other. There will be times where the customers would be shared. Kirsh: I would not use that language. It does not resonate with the commissioners.It may be true,but it may not help.Dierckman: Having the hotel should be positive for the Ritz,ask them to have the trucks offsite with agreement with the city of Carmel,with a legitimate place to park.Vince Dora: Cornerstone has asked them to move,they are supposed to move.I am happy to go and try this. Alexia Lopez: The ordinance allows shared parking offsite within 800-ft off the building footprint. So,when looking at the aerial and there is a connection with the next parcel.You may be able to reach out to this office for the extra spaces.Dierckman: That will not resolve the problem of not having enough parking. Only removing the vehicles from Ithe site will free-up parking. A Motion made by Leo Dierckman and seconded by Christine Zoccola to continue PZ-2022-00238 ADLS: Tru Hotel Carmel to the next Commercial Committee meeting.Approved 3-0. 2. Docket No.PZ-2023-00005 DP/ADLS: III Corporate Headquarters The applicant seeks site plan and design approval for a new,4-story office building with covered parking on 19 acres.The site is located at the SW corner of 111th Street and Meridian Street.It is zoned MC/Meridian Corridor and is not within any overlay district. Filed by Brian Tuohy with Tuohy Bailey Moore LLP on behalf of Irving Materials,Inc. Petitioner: Brian Tuohy: Recapped the site location.Just under 20 acres. • Long term Bicycle location: exhibit shows 14 spaces towards the east end of the subsurface garage.Pointed out additional,closer-in bike parking spaces near the entryway,this is the employee entry to the building. Kirsh: What kind of bike racks are these?Eric Rowland: The interior ones will probably be a wall mounted type rack system. • Provide examples of concrete panels and what the vertical and horizontal textures and finishes look like: Eric Rowland:A modular precast system will be used; it is intended to have integral insulation in the precast panels as well. Modular system of 9'/6'/3' panels with alternating embossed patterns. The texture and the finish are intended to be concrete,but there will be ribs in the panels,some will be horizontal and some vertical ribs. In the larger panels there will also be an inset of aluminum framing like what is in the window 111 system to brink that metallic texture across the precast panels themselves.On the garage level there will be an extruded aluminum louver system adjacent to the panels(silver extruded aluminum). Tuohy: This addressees two of the Staff comments,one on the exterior and the second was the louvers and aluminum posts. • Rendering of the building at night from 31: produced rendering. • Adding Trees along the east side to help buffer the view of the garage and along Meridian St.: 3 Commercial Committee Meeting Minutes 4-10-23