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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDept Report 10-15-243 CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION DEPARTMENT REPORT OCTOBER 15, 2024 2. Docket No. PZ-2024-00164 SW: Fields Market Garden Parking in Floodplain Waiver – UDO 7.13.D: No Parking in Flood Hazard Area, Gravel Parking Lot with 14 spaces requested. 3. Docket No. PZ-2024-00169 ZW: Fields Market Garden Gravel Parking Waiver – UDO 5.28.E.1: All Parking Lots Shall be Paved with Hot Mix Asphalt or Concrete, Gravel requested. The applicant seeks a design standard waiver and a development standard waiver related to the parking lot for the Fields Market Garden at the North End development. The site is located at 270 W Smoky Row and is zoned UR/Urban Residential. Filed by Rebecca McGuckin with Old Town Companies on behalf of the Owner, Fields Market Garden, LLC. Project Overview and Analysis: The Petitioner seeks two subdivision waivers to allow parking in the floodplain and a gravel parking lot for the expansion of an urban farm. The property is zoned UR/Urban Residential and has a use variance to allow the urban farm. The Primary Plat has been approved for this project. Please see the Petitioner’s Information packet for more details. Site History: • The ADLS for the site, greenhouse and additional buildings was approved in November of 2023. • A waiver to allow parking in the floodplain was approved in January of 2024. • The petitioner had agreed to use an impermeable pavement since they were adding a parking lot in a floodplain. This would have allowed stormwater to be filtered and infiltrate into the ground instead of just running off directly into the nearby creek. • Since the approval, the petitioner has worked with the Engineering Department and changed the permeable pavement to a gravel parking lot with a French drain surrounding 2 sides. • This was not what was approved with the original waiver, so the petitioner is requesting a new waiver for the parking in the floodplain without the permeable pavement. • The gravel parking lot also triggered the request for another waiver since asphalt or concrete are required for parking lots. Parking in Floodplain Waiver: • The UDO does not permit parking to be built within a Special Flood Hazard Area. • All of the new parking lot will be within the floodplain and a small part of it will be in the floodway. • In fact, most of the farm site is within the floodplain. • The petitioner originally proposed grass pavers as a permeable surface for the parking lot to help with stormwater infiltration. • Now they are requesting to install gravel with a french drain around the east and south sides of the lot. • The Engineering Dept. has reviewed this design and approved it. Gravel Parking Waiver: • The UDO requires parking lots to be paved with asphalt or concrete. • The petitioner is proposing gravel instead. • The French drain around the edge should help allow some infiltration and the petitioner believes the gravel to be more durable than grass pavers. Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Plan Commission suspends its rules of procedures and votes to Approve these items this evening.