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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-03-23 - MinutesCITY OF Tay e ARKAANNSAS Planning Commission March 23, 2015 5:30 PM City Administration Building in Fayetteville, AR, Room 219 MINUTES Members: Tracy Hoskins - Chair, Ron Autry - Vice -Chair, Ryan Noble — Secretary, William Chesser, Kyle Cook, Craig Honchell, Porter Winston, Janet Selby, and Sarah Bunch City Staff: Andrew Garner — City Planning Director, Jesse Fulcher — Senior Planner, Quin Thompson — Planner, Cory Granderson — Staff Engineer, and Kit Williams —City Attorney 1. Call to Order: 5:30 PM, Tracy Hoskins 2. In Attendance: Craig Honchell, Ryan Noble, William Chesser, Janet Selby, Kyle Cook, Tracy Hoskins, Porter Winston, Sarah Bunch Absent: Ron Autry Staff: Andrew Garner, Quin Thompson, Corey Granderson, and Kit Williams 3. Consent Agenda: Approval of the minutes from the March 9, 2015 meeting. VAC 15-4986: Vacation (2991 LABORDITE DRIVE/CRYSTAL SPRINGS SUBDIVISION PH. III, 246): Submitted by RIVERWOOD HOMES, LLC for properties located at 2991 LABORDITE DRIVE. The property is zoned RSF-4, RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY, 4 UNITS PER ACRE and contain approximately 0.07 acres. The request is to vacate a portion of an existing 35' utility easement. PPL 15-4988: Preliminary Plat (MARK MILLS LN. & WINDSWEPT DR./SUMMIT PLACE SUBDIVISION, 329): Submitted by BLEW & ASSOCIATES for property located at MARK MILLS LN. & WINDSWEPT DR. The property is zoned RSF-4, RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY, 4 UNITS PER ACRE and NC, NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION and contains approximately 16.58 acres. The request is for a 45 lot single-family subdivision. Motion: Commissioner Cook made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Commissioner Chesser seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed with a vote of 8-0-0. Mailing Address: 113 W. Mountain Street www.fayetteville-ar.gov Fayetteville, AR 72701 4. New Business: CUP 15-4957: Conditional Use (502 W. MAPLE STREET/PI BETA PHI HOUSE, 445): Submitted by DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS, INC. for property located at 502 W. MAPLE STREET. The property is zoned RMF -40, RESIDENTIAL MULTI FAMILY, 40 UNITS PER ACRE and contains approximately 1.62 acres. The request is for additional parking. LSD 15-4956: Large Scale Development (502 W. MAPLE STREET/PI BETA PHI HOUSE, 445): Submitted by DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS, INC. for property located at 502 W. MAPLE STREET. The property is zoned RMF -40, RESIDENTIAL MULTI FAMILY, 40 UNITS PER ACRE, and contains approximately 1.62 acres. The request is for construction of an approximately 42,000 square foot, 37 unit sorority house with associated parking. Quin Thompson, Current Planner, read the staff report. Jay Young, applicant, said that the sorority was expanding to provide enhanced meeting and gathering spaces for the [97] residents and the 400 members living off campus. He said the expansion would not increase the number of resident members much, and added that the proposal provides more parking in less area than the current parking lot. He said that the proposed lot would provide 22 compact spaces, and that he preferred not to mark all of the [substandard dimension] spaces as compact. He said that the project would shield all light from neighboring properties and would provide LED parking lot lighting in the center of the lot. He added that there would be zero up -lighting or side -lighting on the building. He said a screen wall at the parking lot was being provided, that it would reduce noise, and that mechanical equipment would be screened with a masonry wall to reduce impact for a neighbor. He said that the circle drive was a 'legacy' feature where girls can be easily picked up at their front door, that it would provide ADA access for the elderly handicapped. He said that the proposed circle drive is a safety feature. He added that grade changes between the building and Wilson Street were challenging to resolve for ADA design. Public comment: Phyllis Head said she has been resident at 402 Ila Street for 30 years, and that she liked the neighborhood and sororities, and that she was in support of construction, but that she did not support the large amount of gathering space for members. She presented a petition signed by 30 neighbors who were opposed to the variance requests. She said that this was a case of too much development on the site, and that the project should be redesigned to meet City development ordinances. Sam La Foy said he is a neighbor at 601 Wilson Street. He had concerns about the parking lot design, saying that the members do not drive compact cars, but typically large SUVs. He asked about the masonry screen wall construction, whether it would be CMU [Compact Masonry Unit, aka cinder block]. He said that pedestrians routinely walk down Wilson Street in the roadway, and that the area is a 'funnel' for pedestrian traffic. David Russell said that he lives at 126 W Prospect, and that his daughter is a member of the sorority. He said that he was strongly in favor of the circle drive, which he felt would provide safety in an area with significant traffic. He said that there would be more congestion without the circle drive. Frank Head said that he felt that a few comments should be made about the neighborhood. He said that the Sterling Frisco parking garage has added a lot of vehicle traffic, to the [Maple and Wilson] intersection. He felt that a traffic study should be undertaken to assess impacts of this development on the neighborhood. He said that he took exception to the applicant's assertion that the parking lot of the sorority was low traffic area, with cars moving infrequently. He said that parking for the off -campus sorority members needs to be addressed, adding that every event held at the sorority brings hundreds of vehicles to the neighborhood. He said that to approve the project before more consideration of these issues would not be appropriate, and that he believed that most neighbors were in agreement on this point. Joel Hersh, a neighbor, said that there is a continuing problem with parking in the area. He noted that the proposal was reducing parking spaces while increasing the number of residents. He calculated that 20 residents would not be provided with parking, and that no provision had been made in the proposal for visitors. He discussed the ordinance [Ord. 5558] which provides protected resident parking on Ila, but causes parking issues to be pushed to Louise Street and Wilson park. He suggested an expansion of the residential parking zone to cover a larger area of the neighborhood. Joelle Drusoe, neighbor, said that she had concerns about the parking lot variances, saying that the members drive large vehicles not small ones. She added that a parking lot with 65% of spaces below standard dimensions was inappropriate. She said she was concerned with tree removal on the site as well. She added that she supports the variance for the circle drive. Sheryl Horton, Pi Beta Phi member, said she was in support of the circle drive, and added that the proposal would not increase the number of people coming to the facility, but would allow more room for the current number. Steve Frankenburger asked where those residents who were not provided a parking space would park. He said that the parking area is too small. He added that when he hears the terms 'enhanced gathering space' he understands that to mean 'partying'. He said the proposal is a disaster for the neighborhood, and asked about the level of sound attenuation he should expect from the screen walls and the decibel level the mechanical equipment would emit. Susan Lancaster, Pi Beta Phi house director, said she loved the neighbors and neighborhood and supported the circle drive due to safety and tradition. She said many residents attend night classes and that she appreciates the safety in not having her residents dropped off in a parking lot. The house also receives deliveries at the circle drive she said. She said the she tries to police the parking that currently occurs on grass areas [adjacent to the circle drive] and added that a parking space is a privilege at the house that is earned. Brenda LaRoche, Pi Beta Phi board member, said that the development is not an event center, but a home. She said the sorority was expanding out of the basement, and that currently there is not enough space to study. She said that men hide in the bushes and said the circle drive would provide a measure of safety. Laurie Kimbrough, said the development would provide for the girl's safety, and that the sorority strives to make them into productive citizens after college. Janessa Bailey, Pi Beta Phi Co-chair of the building project, said that the function of the house would not change, but that the proposed facility would provide space for the members to have dinner together and to study. She said that she agreed that the circle drive would provide safety. She said that the facility would house new women every year, and that towing and ticketing would be internally policed. She said that there would be a beautiful brick wall along Ila Street, and that they would plant dogwoods to beautify the street if the neighbors wanted that. Tim Hudson, neighbor, said he shared concerns about the parking and traffic with the proposed development. He said he is a 15 year resident of the area and has no problem with the sorority, but that traffic impact has increased in recent years. Melinda [?], Pi Beta Phi member and neighbor, said that there is not additional Pi Beta Phi parking area available on an undeveloped lot across Wilson Street. She said she felt the proposed circle drive was an important feature. No more public comment was presented. Tracy Hoskins, Chair, asked the applicant about the construction of the proposed screen walls. Jay Young said that the walls would be brick at the parking area and concrete block at the chiller. Hoskins asked about a traffic study. Jay Young said that one had not been done. He added that the numbers of parking and visitors would not change with the proposal. Hoskins asked about parking for the gathering space. Jay Young said that no parking was proposed for the gathering spaces. He said there is not room on the site to provide parking for 400 members. Hoskins asked about the decibel levels expected by mechanical equipment. Jay Young said that 'quiet' units were being considered. He said he would share that information when units are selected. Hoskins asked the Urban Forester about tree preservation. Ken Eastin, Urban Forester, said that the proposal would remove below the minimum required canopy and provide mitigation trees to achieve minimum requirements. Hoskins asked if those would be 2" caliper trees. Eastin said that they would be smaller than existing trees, but would be better planted and would grow quickly. Hoskins asked if Dogwood would be allowed. Eastin said that he would not recommend that species in this location as they would likely get burned [by sun]. He said the policy is to mitigate with shade trees. Hoskins asked for staff comment on circle drive. Chief Harley Hunt, Fire Marshal, said that he was present to answer questions, and added that the applicant had initially proposed a design that did not meet code requirements, but had changed the design to meet fire code with the addition of grass fire lane. He said the circle drive is not required by code, but if it is built it must meet requirements. Hoskins asked if the current design met Fire Code. Hunt replied that it did meet code. Craig Honchell, commissioner, said that he had no issue with the circle drive, and asked how much parking would be allowed in the fire access lane. Jay Young said that zero parking would be allowed in the circle drive/fire lane. Honchell asked what would happen if parking did occur there. Andrew Garner, City Planning Director, said that the Fire Marshal could ticket cars parked illegally in the fire lane. Hunt added that Fire Marshal and police departments would work together. Honchell suggested the neighborhood work to expand Ordinance 5558. He said the neighborhood is bearing the burden of this type of growth and that he was not in favor of the project without further study. William Chesser, Commissioner, asked if the development could be built without the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) allowing increased parking? Thompson replied that yes, code only required one parking space per sleeping room, in this case the requirement is for 37 parking places so the development could be approved without the CUP, but that this would negatively impact the neighborhood in staff opinion. Chesser expressed concerns about providing a grass paving system as part of a fire access where parking already occurs on the grass and asked for staff opinion. Thompson replied that grass pave meets requirements, but that staff was concerned that it would provide a ready parking area that would be difficult to police. Hunt said that the Fire Marshal's office handles parking issues in-house and sometimes with the Fayetteville Police Department(FPD), but prefers to work with the property owner to resolve issues. Janet Selby, Commissioner, said that she supported the circle drive and the development as no additional people would be on site. She did express concern with the parking screen wall and suggested that it might be taller than 42 inches. Garner said that wall taller than 42 inches has been shown to decrease safety in a parking lot, because it obscures the view. Sarah Bunch, Commissioner said that she felt a taller wall would be oppressive. Kit Williams, City Attorney said that the FPD agrees that a lower wall is safer. Kyle Cook, Commissioner, said that he supported the use and that he agreed that the facility would not increase traffic impact. He added that this [development] is not an ideal situation, and that he had not supported the variance for the loop drive, but had reconsidered and now felt that it is a good idea. He asked if parking was being reduced with the proposal. Thompson replied that parking is being reduced slightly from present. Cook commented on maintenance requirements for the proposed pervious paving systems, and that he hoped City staff would follow up to make sure that they were performing correctly. Young said that the proposed parking lot was larger than the existing lot, but that it would decrease the existing number of spaces by two (2). Hoskins asked the applicant how many stories were proposed in the new facility Young said that there were three above grade and one story below grade. Motion: Commissioner Winston made a motion to approve CUP 15-4957 with conditions as recommended by staff. Commissioner Selby seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed with a vote of 8-0-0. Motion: Commissioner Winston made a motion to approve LSD 15-4956 with conditions as recommended by staff, except the Commission granted the variance for the circle drive. Commissioner Selby seconded the motion. Upon roll call the motion passed with a vote of 7-1-0. Commissioner Honchell voted `no'. Election of Planning Commission Officers for 2015. Chair: tie between Hoskins and Bunch Vice -chair: tie between Autry and Chesser Secretary: Ryan Noble was elected Run-off election at next PC meeting for chair and vice -chair 5. Reports: No reports 6. Announcements: Subdivision Committee meets this Thursday, April 2, 2015. 7. Adjournment Time: 9:15 PM 8. Submitted by: City Planning Division 7