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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem IV PLAN COMMISSION STAFF REPORT APRIL 6, 2021 ITEM IV: GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN & SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN APPROVAL FOR A MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT LOCATED AT 1745 OREGON STREET GENERAL INFORMATION Property Owner: Smith School Lofts, LLC Applicant: Corey Wallace: Wesenberg Architects Action(s) Requested: The applicant requests approval for a General Development Plan (GDP) and Specific Implementation Plan (SIP) for a multi-family development. Applicable Ordinance Provisions: Planned Development standards are found in Section 30-387 of the Zoning Ordinance. Property Location and Type: The subject area is zoned Institutional District with a Planned Development Overlay (I-PD) and consists of a 2.32 acre parcel containing a vacant school building, with frontage on Oregon Street, W 18th Avenue, and Arizona Street. The site was previously used as Smith Elementary School. The surrounding area consists predominantly of residential uses along with commercial uses to the northeast. The 2040 Comprehensive Land Use Plan recommends Community Facility uses for the subject area. Subject Site Existing Land Use Zoning Vacant school I-PD Recognized Neighborhood Organizations N/A Adjacent Land Use and Zoning Existing Uses Zoning North Residential NMU South Residential SR-9 East Residential & Mixed use SR-9 West Residential SR-9 Comprehensive Plan Land Use Recommendation Land Use 2040 Land Use Recommendation Community Facility ITEM V: GDP SIP 1745 Oregon St. 2 ANALYSIS In November 2019, the site was rezoned from Institutional District (I) to Institutional District with a Planned Development Overlay (I-PD) to assist in redevelopment of the property and provide some flexibility of zoning requirements. The applicant is requesting General Development Plan (GDP) and Specific Implementation Plan (SIP) approval to renovate the existing vacant school site for a multi-family residential use. Use The proposed development will include 31 apartment units with a total of 47 bedrooms (1.5 bedrooms per unit) for a density of 13.4 dwelling units per acre. The proposed multi-family use is not permitted in the Institutional District (I). A base standard modification (BSM) is needed to allow for the proposed multi-family (apartment 21-36 units) use. The proposal was discussed at a Plan Commission workshop on January 5, 2021. Plan Commission was supportive of the proposed site use and concept plans. The plans were also brought before the City’s Landmarks Commission in January and February 2021. The Landmarks Commission also voiced support for the proposed plans. Staff is supportive of the requested BSM as conversion of the existing building to apartment units is an appropriate use of the site and is compatible with the surrounding moderate density residential land uses and commercial uses to the north. The multi-family use is relatively consistent with the 2040 Land Use Recommendation of Community Facility. Site Design/Access ITEM V: GDP SIP 1745 Oregon St. 3 The site will have two accesses from Oregon Street for a two-way driveway running through the site for access to 43 surface parking spaces and 30 one-vehicle garage spaces. The total impervious surface ratio for the site will be 53%, which is under the maximum of 60% for the Institutional district. The total number of parking spaces meets the minimum of 2 spaces per dwelling unit containing 0-2 bedrooms, plus 0.5 spaces per additional bedroom over 2 bedrooms per unit, and one space for every three dwelling units. Required Provided Parking Spaces Minimum: 72 73 Impervious Surface Maximum: 60% 53% Minimum Provided Street Side Setback (Oregon St.) 25 ft. 13 ft. (parking lot), 18.4’ (garage) Front Setback (W 18th Ave.) 30 ft. N/A (existing building) Street Side Setback (Arizona St.) 25 ft. N/A (existing building) Side Setback (north) 7.5 ft. N/A (existing building) Side Setback (west) 7.5 ft. 15.4 ft. Rear Setback (north) 25 ft. 12.4 ft. The applicant is requesting BSMs for reduced parking lot and garage setbacks from the street side (Oregon St.) and rear (north) property lines. Staff is supportive of both the requested BSMs as they are necessary to provide sufficient parking area for the tenants. Additionally, moving the parking further east (toward Oregon St.) provides additional separation from the adjoining residential properties to the west. An approximate 2,100 sq. ft. grassed recreation area on the northeast side of the site will meet the minimum recreation area requirement of 200 sq. ft. plus 25 sq. ft. per bedroom. Code- required pedestrian access is provided for access to both Oregon Street and W. 18th Avenue. The site plan does not show the code-required bicycle parking spaces. A minimum of 4 bicycle parking spaces shall be provided. This can be addressed during the Site Plan Review process. A rendering of the dumpster enclosure was provided and will be constructed with a 6’ tall brick veneer exterior to match the building. Storm Water Management/Utilities The applicant has been in contact with the Department of Public Works regarding storm water management for the area. The applicant has been made aware that the site will be subject to water quality requirements as there will be greater than 20,000 sq. ft. of disturbance. The final storm water management plans will be approved during the Site Plan Review process. The Department of Public Works also noted that the paved terrace along W 18th Ave. will need to be removed and replaced with grass. This will also be addressed during Site Plan Review. ITEM V: GDP SIP 1745 Oregon St. 4 Landscaping Points Required Points Provided Building Foundation *Not required by code* 635.6 623 Paved Areas 215 (64.5 tall trees, 86 shrubs) 92 (30 tall trees, 2 shrubs) Street Frontage (Oregon St.) 495 (247.5 medium trees) 500 (30 medium trees) Street Frontage (Arizona St.) 144 (72 medium trees) 150 (0 medium trees) Street Frontage (W 18th Ave.) 277 (138.5 medium trees) 350 (0 medium trees) Yards 151 215 TOTAL 1,282 1,930 ITEM V: GDP SIP 1745 Oregon St. 5 Building Foundation As the existing principal building footprint is not being expanded, the landscaping ordinance does not require current foundation landscaping points to be met. However, the applicant has provided building foundation landscaping in accordance with current requirements which will serve to enhance the appearance of the site and offset requested base standard modifications. The proposed building foundation landscaping point total is slightly shy (12.6 points) of the point requirement of 40 landscaping points per 100 linear feet of building foundation. Exchanging some of the perennial plantings for shrub points will achieve the minimum point requirement. Paved Area The paved area requirement of 50 landscaping points per 10 parking stalls is not being met, according to the provided landscape schedule. The code further specifies 30% of all points will be devoted to tall trees and 40% will be devoted to shrubs, which is also not being met. The applicant can exchange the provided medium trees with the tall trees shown along the street frontages to accomplish this point requirement. Yard landscaping points can be reallocated to meet the minimum shrub point requirement. One code-required parking row end tree is also missing on the plan. Staff is recommending that a deciduous tree be added to the parking row end cap to meet this requirement. These items can be addressed during Site Plan Review. Street Frontage Code requires 100 points per 100 feet of street frontage. The landscaping ordinance also specifies that 50% of the required points must be devoted to medium trees. The landscape plan is meeting the total point requirement for all three frontages, however it is not meeting the 50% medium tree requirement. Staff is recommending a BSM to waive the medium tree point requirement on the Oregon Street frontage as several existing mature shade trees are being maintained along that frontage. Staff is recommending that medium trees be added/exchanged along the Arizona St. and W 18th Avenue frontages to meet the 50% requirement. All street frontage landscaping will need to be placed within the property and not located in the public right-of-way (terrace). Yards Code requires 20 landscaping points per 1,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area. This requirement only applies to new building areas, which in this case are the parking garages. The provided yard landscaping points exceed this requirement. Bufferyards Code requires a 0.2 opacity bufferyard along the west property line for the new parking/garage areas, as the property abuts an SR-9 zoning district. The bufferyard requirement may be met with a 10’ setback along with 6’ solid fencing. The applicant is requesting a BSM to allow the bufferyard with no fencing and a 15.4’ setback to the garage building. Staff is supportive of this BSM as the back (west) wall of the garage will serve the same purpose as solid fence and screen the parking area from the neighboring residential properties. The applicant has also included shrubs along the back of the garage to “break up” the appearance of the wall (prefinished metal lap siding). This BSM was also discussed at the workshop, with Plan Commission voicing ITEM V: GDP SIP 1745 Oregon St. 6 support provided landscaping is included to break up the façade. Staff is recommending a condition that 100 evergreen tree/shrub points be provided along the west side of the garage. Signage Signage plans have not been included with this request, however the landscaping plan appears to show a ground sign placed along the Oregon Street frontage near the W 18th Avenue intersection. The sign appears to be slightly encroaching into the 25’ front setback. Staff is recommending a condition that all signage meet the 25’ setback along with multi-family signage standards, which limit ground signs to 25 sq. ft., 5’ high, and 25 sq. ft. of wall signage per façade. Signage may be addressed under a separate building permit. Site Lighting The applicant submitted a photometric plan for the site. The lighting levels meet the .4 foot- candle minimum requirement for parking areas, with no more than .5 foot-candles of light trespass at the property line with the exception of the southern driveway entrance which exceeds the maximum lighting level by 0.1 foot-candle at the right-of-way line. Staff is supportive a BSM to allow the increased lighting level at the right-of-way line as it will result in slightly increased lighting at the public right-of-way and will not negatively affect neighboring properties. The plan did not include a rendering of the light pole/fixture. The height of the fixtures will be limited to 20’ and must be full cut-off fixtures. Building Facades ITEM V: GDP SIP 1745 Oregon St. 7 ITEM V: GDP SIP 1745 Oregon St. 8 Final building elevations have been submitted for the project. The applicant notes that the renovation of the building does not significantly change the current exterior of the building. Modifications to the exterior include removing an exterior envelop that leads to the basement on the south façade, restoring some of the basement windows that were previously removed, and restoring the north and west entrance canopies by removing steel columns and replacing them with masonry columns. The proposed renovation also includes upward extension of a portion of the existing gymnasium to match with the existing (two-story) height of the rest of the current gymnasium area. Interior renovations include apartment units on both stories, resulting in added windows to the exterior of the façade. Due to the new windows, much of the existing brick veneer is anticipated to be removed and matching brick veneer will be installed after the new window openings are created. Staff does not have concerns with the proposed building exteriors as they will be providing consistent materials with that of the existing building. As proposed the renovations will be compliant with exterior design standards, which require alterations to existing buildings to match or be substantially similar to materials of the existing building. As previously noted, the Landmarks Commission also reviewed the plans and were supportive of the renovation plans. Overall Site The applicant is requesting BSMs related to land use, specific landscaping requirements, as well as setback reductions. To offset the BSMs, the applicant has exceeded the overall landscaping point requirement for the site. The materials used for the renovation will also serve to preserve the appearance of the original building. Staff is comfortable that the applicant has adequately offset the requested BSM and the overall site is complimentary to the surrounding area. FINDINGS/RECOMMENDATION/CONDITIONS In its review and recommendation to the Common Council on an application for a Specific Implementation Plan, staff recommends the Plan Commission make the following findings based on the criteria established by Chapter 30-387 (C)(6): (a) The proposed Planned Development project is consistent with the overall purpose and intent of this Chapter. (b) The proposed Planned Development project is consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and other area plans. (It is the responsibility of the City to determine such consistency.) (c) The proposed Planned Development project would maintain the desired relationships between land uses, land use densities and intensities, and land use impacts in the environs of the subject site. (d) Adequate public infrastructure is or will be available to accommodate the range of uses being proposed for the Planned Development project, including but not limited to public sewer and water and public roads. (g) The proposed architecture and character of the proposed Planned Development project is compatible with adjacent/nearby development. ITEM V: GDP SIP 1745 Oregon St. 9 (h) The proposed Planned Development project will positively contribute to and not detract from the physical appearance and functional arrangement of development in the area. (i) The proposed Planned Development project will produce significant benefits in terms of environmental design and significant alternative approaches to addressing development performance that relate to and more than compensate for any requested exceptions/base standard modifications variation of any standard or regulation of this Chapter. Staff recommends approval of the General Development Plan and Specific Implementation Plan with the findings listed above and the proposed following conditions: 1. Base Standard Modification to allow an apartment (21-36 units) use within the Institutional District (I). 2. Base Standard Modification to allow reduced street side setback (Oregon St.) to 13’ for parking lot and 18’ for garage, where code requires a 25 street side setback. 3. Base Standard Modification to allow reduced rear (north) setback to 12.4’, where code requires a 25’ rear setback. 4. Base Standard Modification to allow reduced street frontage landscaping devoted to medium trees along the Oregon Street frontage to 30 points, where code requires 250 medium tree points. 5. Base Standard Modification to allow 0.2 opacity buffer yard (west) at 15.4’ width and without 6’ tall solid fencing. 6. Minimum 100 evergreen tree/shrub landscaping points shall be provided along the rear (west) side of western garage to “break up” the wall. 7. Final lighting, landscaping and storm water management plans shall be reviewed and approved by the Department of Community Development. 8. Final signage plans shall be compliant with multi-family residential signage standards. 9. Base Standard Modification to allow front (south) entrance lighting to exceed 0.5 foot- candles at the property line.