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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDept Report CARMEL BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS DEPARTMENT REPORT JANUARY 29, 2013 7-13. (V) St. Vincent's Women's Center The applicant seeks the following development standards variance approvals for a new medical building. Docket No. 12120006 V ZO Ch. 23B.08.01(C)(1) 90 ft build-to line, further setback requested Docket No. 12120007 V ZO Ch. 23B.12(A) No parking between the build-to line & US 31 Docket No. 12120008 V ZO Ch. 27.03.02 Straight concrete curb on parking islands Docket No. 12120009 V ZO Ch. 25.07.02-04(b) Wall sign not facing right-of-way,west Docket No. 12120010 V ZO Ch. 25.07.02-04(b) Wall sign not facing right-of-way, east Docket No. 12120011 V ZO Ch. 25.07.02-04(d)(2) 6' max ground sign height, 8'10" proposed Docket No. 12120012 V ZO Ch. 25.07.01-05(e) Directional signs max 3 sq. ft. The site is located at 13500 N Meridian Street. It is zoned B-6/Business within the US 31 Overlay Zone and OM-MM/Old Meridian Mixed Medical. Filed by Paul Clendenen with St. Vincent Carmel Hospital, Inc. 9 1 84_.4 I-o � it .may a"S ,y i +,,` i', ` . n°_.. r}+'� --• General Info: Os }toam t .r �„,� ,, t 4f-p, --e;!',-;::=1_„,,s1:- "::1: .:.. The Petitioner is requesting variances to `'1 LE! , �9 ,'' = ;' .+ permit a 4 story,96,703 square foot building %,,,:,...K ,''� ' 4' p�M ,'.,=V ''4, ' '' `' *` addition at the St. Vincent Hospital. Two of �_e, �,r�~ -;,`----�, � t. �, the variances are from the US 31 Overlay y r . a ..1g r #' _ 2y ; ye requirements,one is from the parking island ='” r: t "x _ '" requirements and four are from signage �J..--•' � p,°'`.• � �s � � � ,�t�t.�t,: �.4�� ,;,, requirements. Please refer to the '� ". ' .` p.r .- e-. .' i. '' etitioner's •information packet for more q( °"` .1 details.bi qty Analysis: ' �* r'S,r iwt, Er, ' ` giy,:. r _e 12120006 V: 90 foot build-to line. -4`'E f r "`�''"lin N t . t F.. y a , , t' The US 31 Overlay requires buildings to be =' - :4 .V,. ran : , {A.,i A¢ w,.�` built at a distance of 90 feet from US 31 right- �i�� ; ,, rte, `�; o. . ,', of-way. The goal of this requirement is to �� 41 . • d 8 V6) �r' t' ,rrr.} of � al -,-',v,:4 align buildings along the edges of a parcel 1 ' 4f � . ` % ` z t,7.,:ti toward the public right-of-way to create a �, .D. _� ' 4 ��0 �y'_� _ �� streetscape that is visually appealing and has a �'; ' Is P` sense of enclosure. The current hospital was built before the 90 foot build-to line requirement of the overlay was in place,but the petitioner is trying design this addition to meet all of the current requirements. However,the current setback of the hospital limits the setback of the addition and they will not be able to meet the 90 foot build-to-line. The new building addition will actually enhance the streetscape as it will be closer to the build-to-line than the hospital is today. The 30 foot greenbelt will also remain in place to help soften the edge of the site. This variance should not have a detrimental effect on surrounding properties or the community. The Department is supportive of this variance. 12120007 V: No parking between the build-to-line and US 31. Parking between the hospital and US 31 exists today. This addition will eliminate some of that parking and bring the building closer to US 31. There will still remain some parking in front of the building because the building addition is not able to be brought all of the way up to the 90 foot build-to line. By having some parking in front of the building the current parking and traffic configuration will be maintained. It would be a practical difficulty to build the addition all the way up to the 90 foot build-to line and it would disrupt the current flow of parking. This variance should not be detrimental to surrounding properties or the community. The Department is in support of this variance. 13 12120008 V: Straight concrete curb on parking islands. The petitioner is requesting this variance due to the design of their stormwater quality and drainage systems. This will allow a stormwater collection system that is more environmentally friendly. It should not have a negative effect on surrounding properties or the community and the curbing will only be eliminated on a portion of the parking lot. In addition,the plantings within these islands will improve the aesthetics of the parking lot by adding some additional greenspace to the paved parking area. The Engineering Department has not voiced any concerns with eliminating the curbing around the parking islands for stormwater quality. The Department is supportive of this variance. 12120009-10 V: Wall signs not facing ROW,west and east The new building addition will be placed in front of an existing medical office building. Two signs are currently on this building for St. Vincent Women's Breast Services and Vein Solutions. These two signs will be removed. There is an existing sign to the west for the St. Vincent Bariatric Center of Excellence which will remain on the existing building as it will not be affected by the new building addition. The Petitioner proposes to add three main St. Vincent Women's Center signs to this new building addition. One will face north towards US 31.This sign is allowed and fits the size and height requirements of the Sign Ordinance.The two other signs will be placed on the east and west facades to more easily be seen by traffic on US 31 traveling north and south bound.These two signs will also meet the size requirements of the Sign Ordinance. Other smaller signage will be placed above the archways for smaller retail type uses. Other than these mentioned,no other signage is proposed for the building addition. The Department is in support of the variances because the existing signs being removed are essentially being replaced on the east and west facades of the new building. Only one additional sign is requested. 12120011 V: Ground sign height The proposed ground signs will exactly match the design of the existing ground identification signs on the site. This is done to retain continuity in branding,design and familiarity to the patrons of the hospital. The design of the sign causes it to go taller than what is allowed by the Sign Ordinance. There is a lot of"white space"or blank space on the sign so that patrons can easily read the information on the sign. It also has an accent piece that makes it go taller than what is allowed. The Department has previously supported variances for the other ground signs that are taller than permitted, and the Department felt it was appropriate to support them again.This new building addition has been treated as if it were the only building on the site,so that all variances and approvals necessary to build this building would be together in one file. This will help to keep track of the information and make sure that nothing is overlooked. That is why a new variance is needed for these two additional ground sign height variances,instead of using the current variances which are only applied to the existing ground signs. 12120012 V: Directional sign size and height The proposed directional ground signs are 16 sq. ft. and just over 4' tall. The Sign Ordinance calls for directional signs to be 3 sq. ft. or less and 3' tall or less.The proposed signs exceed both these requirements. However,the proposed directional sign is the same size and design as the other directional signs on the site. The design mimics the larger ground identification signs and helps to remind to patrons that they are still in the right area,as well as to reinforce the image and brand of the hospital campus. The directional signs also need to be larger in order to help patrons see and read the signs, as they have much more information to convey than just enter/exit. It is for these reasons that the Department supports this variance request. Petitioner's Findings of Fact: 12120006 V: Build to line. 1. The approval of this variance will not be injurious to the public health,safety, morals,and general welfare of the community because: locating the building so that it is set back from the 90' build to line(like all existing buildings on the campus)will maintain a consistent and uniform orientation of all buildings on the campus. 2. The use and value of the area adjacent to the property included in the variances will not be affected in a substantially adverse manner because: the building will be connected to other existing buildings on the campus improving user functionality and maximizing the remaining open space on the campus. 3. The strict application of the terms of the Zoning Ordinance to the property will result in practical difficulties in the use of the property because: if the building is built on the 90'build to line,the vehicular site circulation will become more difficult and circuitous. While the building could be connected to other buildings via a longer than planned connector,such an attribute is not efficient,economical or aesthetically pleasing. 14 Petitioner's Findings of Fact: 12120007 V: Parking between build-to-line and US 31. 1. The approval of this variance will not be injurious to the public health,safety, morals,and general welfare of the community because:the parking will be screened from US 31 and will not affect the US 31 right-of-way or traffic on US 31. 2. The use and value of the area adjacent to the property included in the variances will not be affected in a substantially adverse manner because: the parking spaces and aisles will be constructed and configured in a manner to improve vehicular circulation on the campus. 3. The strict application of the terms of the Zoning Ordinance to the property will result in practical difficulties in the use of the property because: parking spaces are needed most to the north of the north wall of the building because this parking area is located in closest proximity to the building's main entrance. If parking is eliminated in this area,patients will be inconvenienced by having to park further away from the building's entrances. Petitioner's Findings of Fact: #12120008 V—Straight concrete curb on parking islands 1. The approval of this variance will not be injurious to the public health,safety, morals,and general welfare of the community because: the elimination of the curbing will reduce the storm water sheeting and runoff in the parking area and provide for a more environmentally efficient and friendly method of collection and dispersal of storm water. 2. The use and value of the area adjacent to the property included in the variances will not be affected in a substantially adverse manner because: The elimination of the curbing will not cause the stormwater from the parking area to affect in any way the adjacent properties. 3. The strict application of the terms of the Zoning Ordinance to the property will result in practical difficulties in the use of the property because: The required curbing prevents the stormwater from flowing freely into the landscaped parking islands and causes the stormwater to be collected in greater volume for detention presenting a practical difficulty in the detention and dispersal of the stormwater form the parking area in an environmentally efficient manner. Findings of Fact: #12120009-10 V—Wall sign not facing right-of-wav,west and east 1. The approval of this variance will not be injurious to the public health,safety, morals,and general welfare of the community because:Although the facades on which the wall signs are to be placed do not directly abut US 31, the east and west facades are oriented to the northbound and southbound traffic of US 31. The placement of these signs will not have any negative effect or impact on the safety of travel on US 31 nor on the public health,safety, morals or general welfare of the community. 2. The use and value of the area adjacent to the property included in the variances will not be affected in a substantially adverse manner because: the proposed placement of the wall signs is consistent with wall signage on the other multi-tenant,multi-level buildings in the area and will not in any way affect the use or value of the adjacent area. 3. The strict application of the terms of the Zoning Ordinance to the property will result in practical difficulties in the use of the property because: Due to the location of US 31 and the orientation of the new building addition to the highway,requiring a wall sign to be placed parallel with US 31 impedes visibility. The wall signs should be oriented toward US 31 from the east and west facades to have the most impact on the motoring public and best readability. Findings of Fact: #12120011 V—Ground sign height: 6' allowed,8'10" proposed 1. The approval of this variance will not be injurious to the public health,safety,morals,and general welfare of the community because:the ground identification signs will be a benefit to the general public and to the community by providing identification of the new building and the new entrance to the development from Main Street. 2. The use and value of the area adjacent to the property included in the variances will not be affected in a substantially adverse manner because: the ground monument signs are consistent in height with similar ground identification signs in the area and with the ground signage on the St. Vincent Cannel Hospital campus. Therefore,the new signs will not affect the use and value of the adjacent area in an adverse manner. 3. The strict application of the terms of the Zoning Ordinance to the property will result in practical difficulties in the use of the property because: a. The ground monument sign at the new entrance must be located at least 70' from the centerline of Main Street and therefore,visibility of the sign is critical to the identification of the entrance to the development from Main Street. Without the increased height,this sign will be significantly less visible to the clients,patients and visitors of the hospital. Failure to see the sign will cause such people to most likely travel to Old Meridian 15 Street and access the development from the main St. Vincent hospital entrance which is much less convenient and could be confusing to patrons. b. The ground monument sign near the new building will identify many and varied services and occupants in the new building. Without the increased height,this sign will not be able to identity all necessary services located in the building due to the removal of the wall signs for other tenants with the construction of this new building addition. Findings of Fact: #12120012 V—Directional signs exceed size and height allowed 1. The approval of this variance will not be injurious to the public health,safety, morals,and general welfare of the community because: the wayfinding directional signs will benefit the public by providing directional information regarding the various building and health services available on the campus thereby contributing to safe travel.The addition of new wayfinding directional signs to the existing ones on campus will not be injurious to the public health, safety,morals,and general welfare of the community. 2. The use and value of the area adjacent to the property included in the variances will not be affected in a substantially adverse manner because:the wayfinding directional signs are identical to the existing wayfinding directional signs on the campus and therefore would not affect the use and value of the adjacent area in an adverse manner. 3. The strict application of the terms of the Zoning Ordinance to the property will result in practical difficulties in the use of the property because: a new entrance and long entrance driveway is being constructed from Main street to the main building campus. Without the additional wayfinding directional signs,visiting motorists will have difficulty locating the varied buildings and services available on the campus,or may become confused thinking they are lost when they have just not reached the destination yet. Recommendation: The Dept. of Community Services recommends positive consideration of Docket Nos. 12120006 V thru 12120012 V. 16 •