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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDept Report PCC 04-01-251 Carmel Plan Commission COMMITTEE Tuesday, April 1, 2025 Department Report 1. Docket No. PZ-2024-00241 ADLS: Gramercy – Multi-family (Section C). 2. Docket No. PZ-2024-00242 DP: Gramercy. The applicant seeks ADLS approval for the Multi-family (Section C – 13.49 acres) buildings within the overall development. The applicant also seeks Development Plan approval for the overall (19.33 acres) urban residential project with townhomes, multi-family, and mixed-use buildings. The site is and is located at the southeast corner of City Center Drive and Kinzer Avenue. It is now zoned PUD/Planned Unit Development – Gramercy (Z-493-06). Filed by Patrick Sowinski of Kimley-Horn on behalf of Erik Dirks of Buckingham Properties, LLC. *Updates to the report are written in blue. Project Overview: The Petitioner is bringing phase 1 of the new Gramercy development for review and approval. This proposal lays the groundwork for where each type of housing unit will be built. For the multi-family section, it will blend 4 existing and 9 new buildings into the central part of the development. Townhomes are proposed along to front along City Center Drive. For reference, north across City Center Drive are single family homes zoned R- 2/Residential. To the west is the Gramercy West single family and townhome development (Z-630-18). East are the original Gramercy apartment buildings. Please see the Petitioner’s Information packet for more details. Planned Unit Development (PUD) Standards this project MEETS: Section 4: Design & Development Standards, Uses • Site Plan proposed follows master plan • Parking: 1.3 spaces per multi-family dwelling unit required (404 units proposed) = 525 parking spaces required, 530 spaces provided • Streets proposed follow master plan • Building designs generally follow Exhibit D: Architectural Character Imagery (see below for requested alterations) • Multi-family uses allowed as proposed • Maximum building height: 50’ allowed, 41’ proposed Section 5: Accessory Buildings • Maintenance building, trash enclosure and mail kiosk are all architecturally compatible with primary buildings Section 6: Landscaping • Complies with PUD requirements Section 7: Lighting • Acorn style top light poles will be provided as streetlights, max height at 18’ which complies with 25’ or less requirement • Style matches existing lights in Gramercy West Section 8: Parking • Bike parking – Short term shall comply with UDO: 0.1 spaces per bedroom (552) = 55 short term spaces required, 72 spaces provided • Bike Parking – Long term shall comply with UDO: 0.5 spaces for each bedroom for units without garages (534) encouraged = 267 recommended, 167 spaces provided Section 9: Signage • Ground sign and clubhouse sign are proposed PUD Standards NOT MET: None. Site Plan, Parking and Engineering: • The proposed site plan closely follows the concept plan approved as part of the PUD. • Three existing apartment buildings and one garage will be removed for the new buildings. • Some of the existing roads and parking areas will remain as part of the new site plan. • A minimum of 1.3 parking spaces per dwelling is required = 525 spaces required 2 o 474 surface spaces o 18 garage spaces (new) o 5 garage spaces (existing) o 33 on-street spaces o Total = 530 spaces provided. • The Engineering Department is actively working with the Petitioner to address all review comments. Active Transportation: • A multi-use trail will be constructed on the west side of the property, adjacent to the new park. This will line up with the existing trail constructed by Gramercy West. • Bike parking requirements must comply with UDO. • Multi-family dwellings require: o Short term: 0.1 space per bedroom  552 bedrooms = 55.2 spaces required, 72 provided o Long term: 0.5 spaces for each bedroom for units without garages  18 garages are provided.  552 beds – 18 beds (for garages) = 534 beds x 0.5 = 267 long term spaces recommended  167 long term spaces will be provided • 160 within a retrofitted car garage • 7 covered long-term spaces at NW dumpster enclosure. • Short term bike parking spaces will be in front of each building and adjacent to common areas. • The plan has extensive pedestrian connectivity, providing sidewalks around each building, connecting main entrances and units to perimeter sidewalks. Architectural Design: • The building designs submitted were nearly identical to the approved character images in the PUD. • Architectural review comments have been addressed: o Brick has been added back to the second floor except at balconies. o Soldier course brick detailing has been added back as headers for doors and windows. o Material transition details have been provided. o Gutter and downspout colors have been revised to match primary building color. • The Clubhouse building is 1.5 stories tall (about 26’). o It is designed with a brick first floor and siding accents on the upper story portions. o The south elevation opens to the pool and amenity area. • Garage buildings will have a brick wainscot, fiber cement siding, and a pitched roof. • A Maintenance garage is also proposed and will be designed to have the same brick wainscot, fiber cement siding and pitched roof as the other accessory buildings. o It will have one garage door opening and one large overhang/portico area. o Pedestrian doors and windows will also be provided on two of the elevations. • A trash enclosure is proposed, it will be constructed of dark brick and pre-finished steel gates. • A mail kiosk building will be constructed out of fiber cement siding and will have a pitched roof. Lighting: • Lighting must comply with the standards of the original Gramercy PUD. • Acorn-style top lights will be provided throughout the development as streetlights. • A bar light is proposed for the future Clubhouse mural and will be shown on an updated lighting plan. • Wall mounted lights will be small, round fixtures, with up and down lights for building accents. The size of the fixture is 4” in height. • The same style of round fixture will also be proposed with a single direction (down) in some areas. 3 Landscaping: • Landscaping must comply with the standards of the original Gramercy PUD, and all general landscaping requirements have been met. • This first phase will include the new park, which is located on the west side of the property. Improvements include 2 shelter structures, sidewalks, and bike racks. • An additional tree has been added to the southwest corner of the pickleball courts. • Engineering has requested for native planting signage indicating no spraying/mowing limits be added. Signage: • Signage must conform to UDO standards. • A Ground sign is proposed. It will meet the 50 sq. ft. requirement. • A Clubhouse sign is proposed. It will meet the 20 sq. ft. requirement. • At the Clubhouse, a mural is proposed. Petitioner, please note that this mural will need a separate ADLS Amendment for approval prior to installation. February 18, 2025 Public Hearing recap: • The Petitioner gave an overview of the project. • Neighbors spoke to voice concerns about: o The width of Kinzer Ave. – feels too narrow and unsafe o Gramercy West has many unresolved issues – streetlights out, crime, dead trees, flooding, etc. • The Petitioner addressed the concerns: o Kinzer Ave. was designed to make people drive slower o Buckingham is working on a park/kids play area o They will investigate the concerns at Gramercy West and report back to the PC on how those issues will be fixed • PC Members had questions/concerns about: o Ensure that prior sections (Gramercy West) are dealt with appropriately o Sidewalk connectivity o Address long term bike parking o Amount of green space preserved or provided? o What is happening with Section B buildings?  Those buildings will be vacated and renovated  The new design will complement the apartment buildings under review currently • PC voted to send to the PC Committee on March 3, 2025 with the final vote back at full Plan Commission. March 4, 2025 Committee meeting: TABLED to April 1, 2025 DOCS Remaining Comments: • Overall, the development plan and design of the apartment buildings match what was shown in the PUD. • All major concerns have been addressed. • The Petitioner will continue to work with Staff until all ProjectDox comments are addressed. Recommendation: The Department of Community Services recommends the Plan Commission Committee sends this item back to the full Plan Commission meeting with a Favorable Recommendation on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.