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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo fm Director - US 31 Overlay Regs (PC Memo)City of Carmel DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES Date: July 15, 2011 To: Carmel Plan Commission From: Mike Hollibaugh Re: Woodland Terrace CCRC Docket Nos: 11020013 DP /ADLS 11030006 ZW The U.S. Highway 31 Corridor Overlay Zone has been a successful tool for guiding the growth and development of our City's principle commercial corridor. Many of the design standards in that ordinance were written, or re- written to address development issues south of Main Street, where the majority of development was occurring in the late 1990's. While it is clear the Justus parcel falls within the Overlay Zone, the approval process for the Woodland Terrace project (and previous projects here, too) has illustrated how challenging it can be to regulate design with words only. In the case of Woodland Terrace there are a number of the design provisions in the overlay that do not cleanly apply to the real estate, partly due to its location without frontage onto US 31, partly due to the odd lot configuration, partly due to the nature of commercial /institutional development. Because of this, DOCS has made a handful of ordinance interpretations as the petition has required which appear in need explanation due to questions about the projects' compliance I would like to provide some clarification on how Staff has applied the Zoning Ordinance, as it applies to the provisions of the U.S. Highway 31 Corridor Overlay Zone below: (1) Orientation of buildings with its longest axis parallel to the "adjoining street (2) Location of parking must be to the "rear" and "sides (3) Siting building consistent with the setback line of the underlying zoning; (4) The definition of CCRC. (1) Orientation of Building: The purpose and intent paragraph of the overlay ordinance (Section 23B.08: Height and Yard Requirements) states the desired outcome, but it is the actual development standards that are used to implement the purpose and intent which is /was to further restrict strip type development, and ensure high aesthetics by pulling buildings up to Meridian Street, and perimeter streets, with their longest axis parallel to the adjoining highway or street, with parking located to the sides or rear. It is complicated in that the Justus site faces U.S. 31, but does not have direct frontage onto it. The Department has found that the Woodland Terrace building placement honored the intent of this provision by: Locating the building so it fronts onto the dominant street right -of- way(Smoky Row); The building has been placed so its longest axis is parallel to the adjoining streets. The site design places the building so that it is the dominant feature of the development visible from US 31 and Smoky Row The landscaped courtyard will be an attractive feature visible from the Smoky Row The garages buildings will screen parking areas and break up large areas of asphalt ONE CIVIC SQUARE Page 1 CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417 (2) Location of Parking Areas. We believe this provision (in the purpose and intent) is to help prevent large expanses of pavement from being the dominant feature of new development, such as with the retail parking lot at Hamilton Crossing East. It is also intended to be complementary with the building orientation provision, to create a commercial corridor where the emphasis is on attractively designed buildings and landscaping as opposed to oceans of asphalt. In this instance, staff has determined that parking is located behind the Woodland Terrace front building facade (that faces toward Smokey Row Road) and to the side and rear, and is respectful to the goals of the City and the overlay zone. In considering this, staff looked at projects approved previously by the Commission, and attached aerial photos of projects to help illustrate this. Since adopting this provision in 1997, the Plan Commission has approved a number of projects where buildings are sited toward the highway with parking located behind. When looking at aerial photos of projects, such as with the Indiana Heart Hospital at 106` Street Illinois, and Opus /Capital Group at Carmel Drive Penn, one can find parking lots located between primary buildings and streets in a manner like that proposed by Woodland Terrace. What we have found over the years is the amount of site area needed for parking automobiles is far greater than the area needed for buildings making it practically and economically unfeasible to line a site's street frontage buildings so no parking is visible. Until the economics of development in the corridor demands a more intense use of the land, via taller buildings and /or structured parking and lined by buildings, the amount of surface area required for parking autos will commonly create situations such as with Woodland Terrace where, while the building is pulled up to the street and parking located behind, with a need to use the balance of the site for parking (that will cause some to be seen from the street). AERIAL PHOTO Examples US 31 Corridor Parking Opus /Capital Group Carmel drive and Penn ONE CIVIC SQUARE Page 2 CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417 (3) Front Yard Setback: The petitioner is seeking a zoning waiver to have the front building setback be 40 -ft instead of 60 -ft or 20 -ft. This is a zoning waiver request to clarify the front yard building setback, since the US 31 Overlay Zone requirements are unclear as to what the front setback is, as it does not call out a build -to line specifically for Smoky Row Road. The Department has been in support of this request in that allows for increased tree preservation as required in the overlay ordinance (Section 23B.02.C(4)). The Department is currently reviewing the proposed amended plan as it relates to this matter but remains supportive, especially if additional, overall preservation of trees on site is a result. (4) CCRC land use: The CCRC definition was amended into the definitions chapter of the ordinance in 2009 based upon issues and experiences from reviewing a number of CCRC projects. The use of CCRC was not added to Appendix A: Schedule of Uses, as it was determined then, and continues to be that a Continuing Care Retirement Community land use is a form of Nursing, Retirement, or Convalescent Facility land use, thus it has not been necessary to add the CCRC land use to the Schedule of Uses. Their respective definitions are: COMMUNITY, CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT (CCRC). A place where three (3) or more levels of continued care are provided to senior citizens, including but not limited to: independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing/memory care. It can include independent apartments, detached or attached cottages, and nursing home rooms in a congregate building, as well as support services and facilities. and NURSING, RETIREMENT OR CONVALESCENT FACILITY. A home for the aged or infirm in which three (3) or more persons not of the same immediate Family are housed and provided with food, and /or care for compensation; but not including hospitals, clinics, or similar Institutions devoted primarily to the diagnosis and treatment of the sick or injured. Included are limited care apartments, suites for the elderly, and assisted living and nursing homes. As provided in Appendix A: Schedule of Uses, a Nursing, Retirement or Convalescent Facility is a permitted use in the B -6 Zone, and is not a prohibited use within the U.S. 31 Overlay Zone. I hope this is helpful to you. Please call or email with any questions or comments mhollibaugh @camel.in.gov, or 571 -2422. ONE CIVIC SQUARE Page 4 File: PCMEMO 2011 0708 Woodland Terrace US 31 Overlay Regs CARMEL, INDIANA 46032 317/571 -2417