Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes PC 04-17-07A TOMO 1 W o Carmel /NDIANN CARMEL PLAN COMMISSION April 17, 2007 Minutes The regularly scheduled meeting of the Carmel Plan Commission met at 6:00 PM, April 17, 2007 in the Council Chambers, City Hall, Carmel, Indiana. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Members present: Leo Dierckman, Jay Dorman, Wayne Haney, Kevin Heber, Brian Mayo, Rick Ripma, Carol Schleif, Madeleine Torres, Susan Westermeier, thereby establishing a quorum. DOCS Staff Present: Matt Griffin, Christine Barton Holmes, Rachel Boone. John Molitor, legal counsel was also in attendance. The minutes of the March 20, 2007 meeting were approved as submitted. There were no announcements from either Legal Counsel or the Department. Leo Dierckman reviewed the process for public hearing for the benefit of the public. H. Public Hearings: 1H. Docket No. 07020003 DP /ADLS: Carmel Orthodontics The applicant seeks to construct a 2 -story medical office building on 2.59 acres. The site is located on the southwest corner of Carmel Drive and Guilford Road, and is zoned M3. Filed by Ashton Fritz of Schneider Engineering for Carmel Orthodontics. Paul Reis, attorney, Bose, McKinney Evans appeared before the Commission representing the applicant. Also in attendance: Dr. Ronald Miller, Carmel Orthodontics; Ashton Fritz, site engineer; Tony Grimes, project architect, Ratio Architects; Gary Murray, Schneider Engineering. The applicant is seeking approval to construct a two -story medical office building located within the Carmel Science Technology Park at the southwest corner of Carmel Drive and Guilford Road. The site is zoned M- 3; permitted uses in the M -3 District include professional offices, therefore, no rezone is necessary. The building has been designed by Ratio Architects. The building elevations were shown with various building materials to be used. The windows are masonry, aluminum frame. The building materials can be discussed in greater detail at the Committee level. The trash enclosure is complementary in design and nature to the building being proposed. S P1anCommission /Minutes/PC /2007apr 17 ONE CIVIC SQUARE CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417 The sign package for the building is "Carmel Orthodontics" on the side of the building; the secondary sign is for a second tenant, also on the wall. There will be a directory sign for future tenants. A small sign will be located on Carmel Drive. The addressing for this site has been discussed with Bill Akers, Communications for the City. The addressing identification is very important for this facility. The patients coming to this location need to know exactly where the building is located and the addressing is very important. Bill Akers asked that if a Carmel Drive address were utilized, signage should be easily identifiable by emergency vehicles. Hence, the petitioner is proposing the additional sign. The petitioner is working with the DOCS Staff regarding the size of the sign, and if necessary, will seek a variance. The petitioner has included the floor plans of the building as well as the site plan. The most prominent feature is a large retention pond. The landscape plan shows no plantings along the southern property line. By way of explanation, there is a legal drain that runs the south side of the property as well as numerous drainage easements. The large retention pond serves as a retention basin for a large area within the Carmel Science and Technology Park. As such, the rules for drainage easements promulgated by the County and City Engineering do not allow for plantings. However, along the south there is an existing, very mature stand of trees —those will be completely undisturbed. The trees will remain and provide buffering for the properties to the south. The landscape plan has been submitted and approved by Scott Brewer, Urban Forester, and no additional changes are anticipated. The proposed lighting fixtures for the project were shown as well as the photometric plan that complies with the Ordinance. Public Comments/Favorable None General Public Comments/Unfavorable: Susan Sarawick, Lenox Trace Condominiums, 11760 Glenbrook Court, expressed concern regarding the tree preservation/buffer between the proposed Orthodontics building and the residential community at Lenox Trace. Also concern regarding traffic impact, since traffic is currently being diverted from 116"' Street onto Carmel Drive between Guilford and Meridian Street. Public Hearing Closed. Rebuttal, Paul Reis: The trees will be completely undisturbed. The design for traffic along Carmel Drive is more than adequate to handle any traffic generated by this particular building. 116"' is scheduled for completion prior to the development of the proposed project. Department Comments, Matt Griffin: The Urban Forestry Dept. has approved the petitioner's plan for landscaping. DOCS has nothing additional at this stage and recommends this item be forwarded to the Special Studies Committee on May 1, 2007 for further review. Kevin Heber had questions regarding a ground- mounted flood light shown on the drawings. Matt Griffin responded that it was probably up- lighting for the building itself —the photometric plan does not show a lot of light spillage. The lighting should be explored at the Committee level. Jay Dorman heartily endorsed the trash enclosure presented. Additionally, while the intent is not to disturb trees, sometimes thins happen in the course of construction. If some trees next to Lenox Trace happen to be disturbed, there should be some ratio in place whereby whatever is destroyed would be replaced with an S:/ P1anCommission /Minutes/PC /2007apr17 2 ONE CIVIC SQUARE CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417 agreed -upon planting. Also, the parking looks like it comes really close and this should be explored. Even though there is a traffic light at Carmel Drive and Guilford, and City Center and Guilford that should slow traffic, when exiting this development onto Carmel Drive, particularly making a left turn, it is hopeful that the developer will allow cars to stack in a left turn lane as opposed to those wanting to turn right to exit the development—hopefully the width of the roadway will accommodate. Perhaps the volume of traffic would make it an issue that would need to be addressed. At any rate, the petitioner and Department should review this situation. Carol Schleif: "This is a very attractive project, thank you." Docket No. 07020003 DP /ADLS, Carmel Orthodontics was referred to the Special Studies Committee for further review on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 in the Caucus Rooms of City Hall. 2H. Docket No. 07030001 Z: 10212 -10218 North Michigan Road Rezone The applicant seeks to rezone 8.91 acres from I1 to B2 to allow for medium density commercial retail development. The site is located at 10212 -10218 North Michigan Road and is within the US 421/Michigan Road Overlay. Filed by Joseph Calderon of Bose McKinney Evans LLP for Thomas English Retail Real Estate LLC. Paul Reis, Bose McKinney Evans, 301 Pennsylvania Parkway appeared before the Commission representing the applicant. Also in attendance: Tom English— developer. The proposed project along Michigan Road will re- develop some existing sites. Mr. English will be re- developing for a variety of commercial uses. The rezone from I -1 to B -2 will bring the property in line with the uses contemplated in the Overlay Zone as well as the Comprehensive Plan. The I -1 zoning district actually allows for retail uses, but it also allows for a lot of other uses that are not compatible with the re- development of the overall corridor. The initial conceptual plan is shown in the informational booklets, however, the ADLS and Development Plan will be refined when the petitioner returns following the rezone of the site. Members of the public were invited to speak in favor of or opposition to the petition; no one appeared and the public hearing was closed. Department Comments, Matt Griffin: The Department has no comments at this stage. The Rezone to B -2 from I -1 will limit the list of uses and the Department supports the rezone. The Department recommends review by the Special Studies Committee May 1, 2007. Brian Mayo questioned why the petitioner would go through the process of changing the zoning if the current zone already allows the proposed use. Paul Reis responded that there are other things in the B -2 zone that could be used on the site that are not in the I -1 zone. The I -1 zone is a pretty intensive district. The intent is that there will be more retail possibility of a hotel; some other uses commonly found within the B -2 district versus an industrial district are much more intense. S P1anCommission /Minutes/PC /2007apr 17 ONE CIVIC SQUARE CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417 Jay Dorman questioned access to /from the site 421 there is no rear entrance at all? Paul Reis responded in the affirmative, there is no rear access at all. Matt Griffin said the Department would require access easements going north or south so that in the future, there could be an access street that runs parallel to 421 through the properties. Susan Westermeier made formal motion to suspend the Rules of Procedure in order to bring this item to a vote this evening, seconded by Rick Ripma, Approved 9 -0. Susan Westermeier made formal motion to forward Docket No. 07030001 Z, 10212 -10218 North Michigan Road Rezone to the City Council with a positive recommendation, seconded by Rick Ripma, approved 9 -0. I. Old Business 11. Docket No. 07010009 DP /ADLS: Sunrise of Carmel The applicant seeks to construct a 4- story, 150,802 square foot independent and assisted living facility on 4.10 acres. The site is located at the northeast corner of Old Meridian Street and US 31, and is zoned B6 within the US 31 Overlay. Filed by Mary Solada of Bingham McHale LLP for Sunrise Development, Inc. Docket No. 07020006 Zoning Waiver: Sunrise of Carmel The applicant seeks a waiver to increase the Floor Area Ratio from 0.70 to 0.84, a 20% increase, in the construction of a 4 -story continuing care facility with underground parking. The site is located at the northeast corner of Old Meridian Street and US 31, and is zoned B6 within the US 31 Overlay. Filed by Mary Solada of Bingham McHale LLP for Sunrise Development, Inc Mary Solada, attorney, Bingham McHale, 2700 Market Tower, Indianapolis appeared before the Commission representing the applicant. Also in attendance: Tim Hedges, Sunrise Communities, Tim Fennel, BeeryRio architects, and Gary Murray, Schneider Engineering. This particular docket had public hearing in February and was reviewed by the Special Studies Committee on March 6th and March 29 The petitioner received a favorable recommendation from the Committee on March 29 The site is located at the northeast corner of US 31 and Old Meridian. The petitioner is proposing a 140 -unit senior facility78 assisted living units, and 62 independent living units. There are two, four -story buildings with an underground parking garage. The petitioner is seeking approval this evening for Development Plan/ADLS, and a Zoning Waiver to increase the Floor Area Ratio by 20 Because the site is on two thoroughfares, both of which require a fair amount of right -of -way, it constrains the site in terms of available land for S:/ P1anCommission /Minutes/PC /2007apr17 4 ONE CIVIC SQUARE CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417 development. Right -of -way easements as opposed to dedicated right -of -way are not included in the land included for calculation; hence the request for the Zoning Waiver. This particular site is at a junction that is busy in the sense of development but also busy in the sense that there are two plans that sort of meet in terms of the City's goals for the US 31 corridor and also some of the great things that are now happening along the Old Meridian Street corridor. At this juncture, the petitioner had to review carefully with the Department and with the Committee how they best combine the goals of both of those Districts. The petitioner meets the US 31 Overlay requirements and has added some "architectural embellishments" to the buildings that add somewhat to the urban village atmosphere that is consistent with what is being developed north on Old Meridian. The petitioner has also refined his ideas about how residents of the proposed facility would best utilize open space such as further emphasizing walking paths, patios, gazebos, resident gardens, making use of the outdoor area along 31, and creating more green area by installing a pervious paver material that will allow grass to grow on top. This is significant because it would meet the requirements of the Fire Dept. in terms of emergency access, but it would also look like a lawn so that more green space is captured that way. The petitioner has already received the Fire Department's approval of this proposal. Since the petitioner has appeared at Special Studies Committee, two things have happened. The lighting plan has been finalized and distributed this evening; the other is that the petitioner has committed to trash pick -up within the parking garage areaa site plan shows how this area will be accessed. Committee Report, Susan Westermeier: Is the Department comfortable with the lighting plan and the changes for trash pick -up? Matt Griffin responded that the trash pick -up situation is OK, and the lighting plan complies with the Ordinance and is not a problem. Susan Westermeier commented that this is being changed from suburban residential to more of an urban feel, demonstrated by more detail and more patterns -the pitch of the roof, the gables, the porches, and more brick color differentiation— things that really make this project look a little better and requested by Carol Schleif. Susan said she still had problems thinking that this site was the best place for this development. It could probably be considered a transition from the office buildings to commercial. The Committee voted unanimously to move this forward with a positive recommendation. Department Comments, Matt Griffin: There are no outstanding issues at this time and the Department is recommending approval. Jay Dorman asked for a determination of the color of the metal roof. Tim Fennel, Beery /Rio Architects, responded that the metal roof is a gray -ish color; more a steel gray than a blue -gray. S:/ P1anCommission /Minutes/PC /2007apr17 5 ONE CIVIC SQUARE CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417 Jay Dorman asked for clarification of the process —the request for a zoning waiver rather than a variance. When does a petitioner request the use of a waiver as opposed to a variance? Jay said he had received an extensive email from John Molitoras long as the petitioner is within 35% of range of change, the Plan Commission is not required to send it to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Are there other instances- -any comments from the attorney? John Molitor responded that it is fairly routine for developers to ask for waivers up to 35% maximum when there is a standard that can be measured, quantitative or dimensional as the Ordinance reads. This allows the developer to work out a development plan with the Committee that is hopefully a win -win for both the community and the developer. Whereas, when the BZA is involved, it is more an adversarial proceeding and the developer must prove to the BZA that he is entitled to a variancea win -lose situation. Susan Westermeier made formal motion to approve Docket No. 07010009 DP /ADLS, Sunrise of Carmel and Docket No. 07020006 Zoning Waiver, Sunrise of Carmel, seconded by Kevin Heber, APPROVED 9 -0. 2I. Docket No. 07020012 Z: 1328 -1440 W. Main Street Rezone The applicant seeks to rezone property from OM /SU and S2 within the US 31 Overlay to B6 within the US 31 Overlay. The site is located at the NE corner of US 31 (Meridian) and W. Main Street and is zoned Old Meridian Special Use (OMSU), S2, and is within the US 31 Overlay. Filed by Eugene Valanzano of Baker and Daniels for Browning Real Estate Partners and the City of Carmel Jamie Browning, 6100 West 96 Street appeared before the Commission representing the applicant. The site is approximately 27 acres located at US 31 and 131S Street. The property is currently zoned Old Meridian Special Use and S -2, within the US 31 Overlay Zone. The petitioner is requesting a rezone to the B -6 Business District. There is a conflicting zoning standard at this location where the underlying zoning is residential and the US 31 Overlay does not allow residential. Special Studies Committee Report, Susan Westermeier: The Committee voted unanimously to approve the rezone; details of the development would be seen when the petitioner returned for Development Plan and ADLS approval. There is nothing that can be done at the US 31 location because it is owned by the State. Department Comments, Matt Griffin: No concerns at this time —the Commission will see again at the Development Plan/ADLS stage. The Comprehensive Plan supports this and the zoning code encourages it as well. At this time, the Department is recommending that item be forwarded to the City Council with a favorable recommendation. Susan Westermeier made formal motion to forward Docket No. 07020012 Z: 1328 -1440 West Main Street Rezone to the City Council with a positive recommendation, seconded by Rick Ripma, Approved 9 -0. S:/ P1anCommission /Minutes/PC /2007apr17 6 ONE CIVIC SQUARE CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417 Open Commission Comments: Jay Dorman wanted to remind the Commission of two items that should be maintained as open items on the Agenda or a firm date established for a future Agenda: The US 31 Overlay enhancements regarding utilities, panels on roofs, parapets, etc. and a checklist /matrix for developments to be used by the Commission. Matt Griffin responded that the US 31 Overlay Amendments are packaged into an Ordinance and would be coming forward for up- dating soon. The checklist /matrix is currently being drafted and will be completed in the near future. Carol Schleif: "Michigan Road also Matt Griffin: Yes. There was no further business to come before the Commission and the meeting adjourned at 6:47 PM. Leo Dierckman, President Ramona Hancock, Secretary S P1anCommission /Minutes/PC /2007apr 17 7 ONE CIVIC SQUARE CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417