HomeMy WebLinkAboutProject Narrative
15 April 2024
Planning Department – City of Carmel
1 Civic Square
Carmel, Indiana 46032
RE: Everwise Credit Union - 10920 N. Michigan Road
To Whom It May Concern,
The Redmond Company is proudly presenting the proposed development plans for the newest
branch of Everwise Credit Union (“Everwise”).
Introduction
The proposed development is located at the southwest corner of Michigan Road (US-421) and
West Pointe Drive. The 1.15 acre site is currently undeveloped and zoned as B-3. The proposed
facility is a single-story, 3,400 SF building for Everwise Credit Union, a financial institution local
to the Indianapolis area. The building includes a lobby, restrooms, break room, and secure
employee workrooms. Additionally, the site will house a dumpster enclosure and transformer
screen.
Business Operations
Everwise Credit Union is a financial institution with several locations throughout the Indianapolis
metro. Formerly known as Teacher’s Credit Union, they strive to provide excellent service to their
members. Part of this service is providing access to drive-up Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs).
The site includes two ITMs on the west side of the building. The drive-up area of the site has four
lanes – one for the night deposit, two for ITMs, and one for a bypass lane.
Entitlement Strategy & Timeline
Everwise will comply with the local approval process by submitting the required documents to
the Technical Advisory Committee, Plan Commission, Commercial Committee, and the Board of
Zoning Appeals.
They anticipate receiving municipal approvals in the summer of 2024. Single-phase construction
is planned to begin in early 2025. The facility is anticipated to be open and operational in the Fall
of 2025.
Site Plan
The site is arranged in such way that the main entrance of the building is oriented to the
intersection of West Pointe Drive and North Michigan Road. The entrance to the site is on the
west, off of Redd Road, and is a shared access with the daycare center directly to the south. No
additional curb cuts will be part of the project.
Sidewalks are included throughout the site to provide access from all three street frontages with
a clear path to the main entrance of the building. Additionally, Everwise will be providing bicycle
parking near the main entrance of the building as required.
There are two sections of vehicle parking. On the east side of the building, with easy access to
the main entrance, there are (13) parking stalls for members with one of them being van
accessible. On the west end of the site, there are (16) parking stalls for employees with access to
the secure employee entrance on the west side of the building.
On the west side of the building, there are four drive-up lanes. One is used for access to the night
deposit. Two are used for ITMs, and the one on the far west is intended as a bypass lane. There is
room on the site for (4) vehicles to queue in each lane.
In the Northwest corner of the site, there is a dumpster enclosure and the proposed transformer.
Both are screened by a masonry wall with materials matching the principal building. Additionally,
the dumpster can be accessed by a locking gate with cane bolts.
Architecture
Everwise Credit Union and their design team have modified the Everwise prototype to conform to
the design requirements of the US 421 Overlay District as required by the City. We have chosen
to explore a design that compliments traditional Italianate architecture.
The general form of the building is a simple box, with some minor setbacks added for safety
and/or to provide a place for material transitions.
The entrance is accented with a simple rectangular canopy-style roof with a decorative cornice
around the perimeter. The canopy wraps around the corner of the building and is anchored on
each end by split-face block pilasters. This element is intended to be a twist on the small, covered
porches that are consistent with the Italianate style.
The exterior of the building is constructed using glass, brick, split-faced concrete block, and EIFS.
The split-faced concrete block wraps the entire perimeter of the building, is topped with a cast
stone sill band, and serves as a solid base to visually anchor the building to the ground. The
primary material is a charcoal-colored brick, which stretches from the top of the cast stone sill
to the bottom of the EIFS accent band. The EIFS is a stucco-look feature that gives the illusion of
a decorative cornice to provide a distinct “top” to the elevations. Also included on all sides of the
building are corbels – or brackets – that are one of the defining characteristics of the style.
There are windows on all sides of the building. These windows are tall, stretching from the floor
to the ceiling on the interior. They are wider than is common in Italianate architecture, but the
expanse of the small, punched openings is broken up by mullions dividing the individual windows
into three panes. The windows are spaced evenly along the facades and are topped by two soldier
courses of light gray brick. The soldier courses sit proud of the main brick veneer, and they are a
nod to the window hoods and pediments that are a staple of the style.
The roof line is simple: a straight parapet with a decorative EIFS band giving the appearance of a
cornice. On the roof is a mechanical screen that is intended to resemble a cupola – or belvedere
– which is a very popular and signature element in Italianate architecture. To maintain adequate
airflow, framed metal louvers have been included in the mechanical screen. These louvers have
been arranged to align with the windows of the façade below and are intended to give the illusion
of the panoramic windows that are typical of a traditional cupola. The material of the screen wall
is a thin brick matching the primary material of the rest of the building. Thin brick is used in lieu of
modular to reduce the structural loads on the roof.
Lastly, the lobby is an ode to the all-glass conservatories that were popular during the time of
Italianate architecture. True conservatories are entirely glass with cast iron structure which give
them a light, dainty feel. The lobby of the building is tall and was originally a glass box – more like
a traditional conservatory. Stone pilasters have been added to break up the large expanses of
glass and keep with the rhythm of openings in the style. Even with these pilasters, however, there
is still a significant amount of glass in this area. This is where the nod to the conservatory lies: the
large amount of glass in the lobby allows an abundance of natural light to flood the space and
gives Everwise an area to entertain their members and their guests.
Conclusion
Everwise Credit Union is excited for the opportunity to submit their new facility to the Plan
Commission to be considered for this site. They will provide a valuable addition to the Carmel
and Zionsville communities, and their building will contribute to the architectural interest of the
US-421 overlay district.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any additional questions.
Sincerely,
Miranda R. Seals, AIA, NCARB
Architect
The Redmond Company