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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/15/2006CITY OF APPLE VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION MINiJTES MARCH 15, 2006 1. CALL TO ORDER The City of Apple Valley Planning Commission meeting was called to Order by Chair Tom Melander at 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Tom Melander, Keith Diekmann, Jeannine Churchill, David Schindler, and Tim Burke Members Absent: Thomas Helgeson and Frank Blundetto Staff Present: Acting Community Development Director Tom Lovelace, City Attorney Sharon Hills, Associate City Planner Kathy Bodmer, Associate City Planner Margaret Dykes, City Engineer Colin Manson, and Planning Intern Jeff Thomson 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Melander asked if there were any changes to the Agenda. There being none, he called for approval of the Agenda. MOTION: Commissioner Churchill moved, seconded by Burke, to approve the Agenda. The motion carried 5-0. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MARCH 1, 2006 Chair Melander asked if there were any changes to the minutes. Commissioner Churchill made the following amendment to the minutes: Agenda Item 7A - DeVos Accessory Structure Variance -The motion on page 4 does not state whether it passed or not. The following should be added: The motion passed 5-0. MOTION: Commissioner Churchill moved, seconded by Schindler, to approve the minutes of the March 1, 2006, meeting, as amended. The motion carried 4-0, with Commissioner Burke abstaining. 4. CONSENT ITEMS None. 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. The Village at Founders Circle (formerly Harmony Commons) -Consider Proposed Subdivision of a Mixed-Use Project into 5 Lots and One Outlot; Site Plan/Building Permit Authorization for 3 Buildings with 197 Residential Units and Approximately 52,000 sq. ft. of Retail; and Site P1anBuilding Permit Authorization for the Grand Stay Hotel, a 78-room Hotel with 11,000 sq. ft. of Retail Chair Melander opened the public hearing with the standazd comments. Associate City Planner Margaret Dykes presented the request from Pedersen Ventures for preliminary plat subdividing 19 acres into 5 lots and one outlot, site plan building permit authorization for three buildings with 197 residential units and approximately 52,000 sq. ft. of commercial uses, and site plan building permit authorization for the Grandstay Hotel, a 78-unit hotel with 11,000 g.s.f. of retail. Dykes reported that the property is currently platted into four outlots. The property owner has submitted a preliminary plat for The Village at Founders Circle that shows the subdivision ofthe property into five lots and one outlot. The lot areas and configurations conform to the City's subdivision ordinance. The plat shows the dedication ofright-of--way for Founders Lane as is required, and the dedication of a north-south aligned street between 152"a Street W. and 153`a Street W., which the applicant is calling Founders Boulevard. The street will have a planted boulevard separating travel lanes. The applicant is proposing angled on-street parking spaces on this road, in addition to one-way travel lanes. Motorists parking in the angled pazking will back out into traffic. There is sufficient right-of--way for all~ublic roads, including atwo-lane roundabout shown in the intersection of 153` Street W. and Founders Lane. The City's Traffic Engineer has reviewed the plan and states the roundabout is appropriate for this development. Private streets and/or drives will handle the remaining internal circulation of vehicles. The proposed plan will require maintenance of these areas. Dykes reported that the City Engineer has reviewed the plans and states that there will need to be significant work done on the details of the plan. However, in general, the plan appears to be feasible. The grades for the hotel should be modified so that 153`a Street W. will not need to be completely reconstructed. In addition, there are a significant number of details that will need to be worked out prior to the approval of the plan, including the phasing of road construction for the roundabout, the construction of the underground garage for the Landmark Building, snow storage, location of sidewalks relative to City right-of--way, and the construction of on-street pazking. Dykes reported that the Triangle piece, the proposed Lot 1, Block 1, and formerly called Landmark Corner, will have three mixed-use buildings on the site similar to the design proposed for Harmony Commons. Retail uses and a bank are shown on the street level and 3-4 stories of condominiums will be located above the retail. The site plan shows that the three buildings will actually function as one building. The buildings will have 197 residential units on four floors and approximately 52.000 sq. ft. of commercial uses on the ground level floor. The Landmark Building will be a 5-story building located on the southwest corner of 153`d Street W. and Galaxie Avenue. The Concourse Building will be a 4-5 story building located on the comer of 153rd Street W. and Founders Lane. The Southport Building will be a 4-5 story building located on the corner of Founders Lane and Galaxie Avenue. There will be a common plaza for residents of the buildings located above the retail parking lot. The plaza will have stairs leading from it to the street-level sidewalks on Founders Lane. The 15,000 sq. ft. plaza will provide amenities such as a pool, a gathering room for use by the residents, pergolas, and decorative paving to enhance the livability of the buildings. The retail level shows a bank with athree-lane drive-thru on the corner of 153`d Street W. and Galaxie Avenue. The City's Public Works Director is very concerned about the location of the bank drive-thru entrance. He believes that the potential for vehicles to back up onto 153rd Street W. will cause significant traffic delays for traffic traveling westbound. The planned development ordinance will also require a Conditional Use Permit, which limits drive-thrus to no more than one drive-thru lane and one ATM service lane per lot. It should also be noted that drive-thru lanes may not have direct access from arterial or collector streets. Dykes stated that based on these conditions, it appears that the bank drive-thru does not meet the conditions listed in the planned development ordinance. The City's Natural Resources Coordinator has reviewed the landscape plan. He stated that more detail is needed in order to complete a thorough analysis of the plan. The property owner must also submit a materials list that shows landscaping materials that equal at least 2.5% of the cost of the building materials based on Means Construction Data. The buildings will be combinations of brick,. stucco, and stone. Each building will have different combinations of these materials and different colors will be used on each building to create a different feel for each corner. The buildings all meet the height requirements of the planned development ordinance. It appears that the building materials comply with the ordinance and the requirements of the Central Village Plan. The plan shows an underground parking garage that will have 346 parking spaces and 174 covered surface spaces for a total of 520 off-street parking spaces. It appears that parking is sufficient for the proposed uses. The plan shows threeright- in/right-out only access driveways on 153rd Street W., one right-in/right-out only access driveway on Founders Lane and one right-in/right-only access driveway n Galaxie Avenue. The entrances on both Founders Lane and Galaxie Avenue are to the surface lot only. There is also a bank drive-thru entrance on 153rd Street W. and an entrance to the surface lot, in addition to entrance/exit lanes to the underground garage. A truck loading bay abuts the ramp entrances. Dykes stated that staff is very 3 concerned about the number of vehicle entrances on 153`d Street W. and the proximity of the truck loading bay to the entrance ramp. The City's Traffic Consultant did a previous review of the sketch plan and was concerned about sightlines and general circulation in the surface parking lot. Some of these issues have been addressed by the applicant but there are still outstanding issues. The applicant will need to address these issues as per the Traffic Consultant's comments. The Grandstay Hotel is to be constructed on Lot 2, Block 2, north of the Triangle. The building meets all required setbacks. Access to the site is gained from driveways along Founders Boulevard and the private driveways on the north and east of the lot. The site requires 113 parking spaces and 129 are shown on the plan. The surface parking must be screened from all streets with masonry walls as required by the Central Village Plan. Approximately 5801inear feet of masonry screening wall for the parking lot must be installed. The hotel is a 4-story building with 78 rooms and approximately 11,000 sq. ft. of retail uses on the ground floor. The retail uses will face 153rd Street W. The trash enclosures shown on the plan must be screened with masonry walls and constructed of the primary building materials used for the hotel. The City's Natural Resources Coordinator reviewed the plan and has a number of concerns about the species chosen for the site. The plan must be revised to address his comments. The elevations show a mix of brick and stone veneer, and EFIS, with EFIS being the primary building material. The City must determine if EFIS is an acceptable building material, and if so, an amendment to the planned development would be required. Chair Melander requested that staff define EFIS and stucco and some of the issues associated with using them long term. Commissioner Churchill stated that the roundabout needs to be well signed, especially since it is proposed to be two lanes. Churchill also commented that building signage will have to be reviewed and that staff might have to be more creative and flexible with this development. Commissioner Diekmann asked if there were any plans to break up the right-in/right- out only on to Founders Lane. Dykes stated that there are none. Diekmann also asked how the stairs going from Founders Lane to the pool would be private and how would the pool suffice with parking located underneath it. Dean Dovolis, representing the applicant stated that the plan is based on creating urban spaces that create a sense of community. Dovolis stated that the roundabout is important in the concept. He stated that the pool area will be private and will be controlled. Pictures of a similar project in Stillwater were shown as an example. Commissioner Diekmann questioned whether it might be appropriate for some of the retail to be switched to the 153~a Street W. side of the development. Rod Linquist, representing the Grandstay Hotel, gave a brief synopsis of the hotel and its amenities. Lindquist stated that they are very excited about developing in Apple Valley and are anxious to start. Chair Melander asked if anyone from the public would like to address the Commission, and if so, they may do so at this time. Mark Zweber, a principal in the nearby Legacy Shops, commented that this appears to be a very ambitious project. Zweber would like to know more detail about the construction schedule and whether or not 153r8 Street W. will be closed at any time during the development. Chair Melander stated that staff will have more details related to construction at the next meeting. Rick Petersburg, of Dunn Bros.. Coffee, stated that he is concerned that the project will have an adverse affect on his business. He feels his business is already suffering due to the recent bump-out parking installed along Galaxie Avenue and the elimination of two-way traffic on 153rd Street W. Now he is growing more concerned with the roundabout proposed to be installed and the length of construction time in the area. Petersburg wanted to know if staff could provide more detail on construction time and what roads, if any, would be closed. Matt Brinza, with DJR Architects, stated that the developers of the Grandstay Hotel plan to break ground around October if the plan is approved. Brinza stated that the total buildout for this phase of the plan would be 2007. Eric Pedersen, of Pedersen Ventures, stated that he anticipates the hotel will begin construction mid-year, and the triangle portion of the plan around October or November of this year. The timeline to get the underground parking up to grade will occur around mid 2007, with the residential units built in 2008. Pedersen anticipates that all road work will be done in 2006. Pedersen stated that staffis opposed to closing 153`a Street W. and that the developers will work around it. Commissioner Churchill stated that staff needs to be sensitive to the existing businesses and provide alternative access to them during construction. City Engineer Colin Manson stated that the main goal is to keep the area intact during construction. A staging plan will be developed for access to existing businesses and general access for the public. Chair Melander closed the public hearing with the standard comments. 6. LAND USE/ACTION ITEMS None. OTHER BUSINESS A. Legacy South Apartments Sketch Plan -Review of a Proposed Four-Story Apartment Building Associate City Planner Margaret Dykes presented a sketch plan from The Hartford Group fora 4-story, 95-unit market-rate apartment building to be located on a 2.45 acre platted lot southwest of the intersection of Founders Lane and 153' Street W., in The Legacy of Apple Valley Dykes reported that the footprint of the building is approximately 37,430 sq. ft. The density is 39 units per acre. The zoning district allows for a maximum of 47 units per acre. The building is 48 feet tall, and the maximum building height for the zoning district is 55 feet. The maximum number of stories is 4. The building requires 171 parking spaces and the applicant has indicated there will be 220 constructed on the site, of which 124 will be located in an underground garage, 40 will be covered, and 56 will be surface spaces. The building and parking areas meet all required setbacks and comply with the zoning code. Dykes stated that each unit will have a balcony. The Central Village Plan requires private space for each unit in multi-family residential buildings. A pool and plaza area are shown on the plan, however, it does not show connections to sidewalks or pedestrian paths, which is required in the Central Village Plan. There are three driveway accesses -two from Founders Lane and one from 153rd Street W. These accesses will need to be reviewed by the City's Traffic Engineer in order to ensure that the location of the driveways will not adversely impact traffic on these roads. Dykes reported that the elevations show that the building will be composed of stone veneer and astucco-like material, which the applicant says will be Hardie Panel. The building does not show much differentiation of materials as is required by the Central Village Plan. The applicant has indicated that different colors will be used throughout the exterior elevations to help break up the massing. A mansard roofline is also shown, which is a different architectural finish for the Central Village. Dykes reported that the master plan for The Legacy of Apple Valley that was approved in 2003 indicated that the site was going to be reserved for senior-only apartments. The City had anticipated a 132-unit senior-only apartment when the master plan was approved. An issue that needs to be addressed is whether there is enough of a mix of types of residential developments in the Central Village to provide for lifecycle housing as required in the Central Village Plan. Commissioner Churchill asked if the subject parcel was designated specifically in the Central Village Plan assenior-only housing, and if so, would the plan have to be amended. Dykes responded that she doesn't think the plan would have to be amended. Commissioner Schindler commented that he thought the Central Village Plan was explicitly defined because the purpose of the plan was to create a mix of housing opportunities. Schindler is wowed that the plan might wind up with too many apartment buildings. Acting Community Development Director Tom Lovelace stated that the Commission should also be mindful that the Tuscany Apartments will be located directly to the south of the proposed development. Commissioner Burke reiterated Schindler's concerns about the potential for too many apartments in the Central Village Plan. Commissioner Diekmann asked staff for the most current statistics on the City's population trends. Dykes stated that the age of the population is trending older. There also appears to be a lot of young people or old people and not a lot of middle age. Diekmann stated that if this is the case, he would like to see more senior housing. Commissioner Churchill suggested that staff gather more information on buildings that are senior-only versus mixed-use apartments in the City. Churchill is concerned that the City have adequate housing reserved for seniors. Churchill also wants to know if there are other opportunities for senior housing within the City or the Central Village Plan. Frank Janes, representing the applicant, stated that the proposed apartments will be market driven and could turn into condominiums at some point. Janes emphasized that the plan is market driven. Dyke stated that if the City is responding to the market in regards to development, it will be hard to accomplish the goals of the City. Commissioner Diekmann asked for clarification of apartments vs. condominiums. Dykes stated that it is a platting issue. Commissioner Melander requested that the applicant have colored renderings for future meetings. B. Legacy Apartments North Sketch Plan Review -Proposed Revisions to Allow Three Commercial Buildings to become Mixed-Use Buildings Consisting of First Floor CommerciaUOffice and Three Upper Floors of Apartments Associate City Planner Kathy Bodmer presented the sketch plan request from Legacy Holdings/Hartford Group. The sketch plan review is an amendment to PD-739 to revise commercial buildings into mixed-use buildings with office, retail and residential uses. The applicant is also requesting site plan review building permit authorization to construct 3 mixed-use buildings containing approximately 60,000 sq. ft. of retail/commercial space and 129 apartment units. Bodmer reported that the Legacy of Apple Valley North adopted in Apri12004, showed two 2-story commercial/office buildings flanking Fresco Terrace, totaling 76,000 sq. ft. of office/commercial space. In addition, the building on Lot 2, Block 10, was expected to have 28,000 sq. ft. of commercial space with a bank drive-thnx teller. In total, these three buildings would have had 104,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and no residential dwellings. Bodmer stated that the adopted plan for the entire Legacy of Apple Valley North contained a total of 506 residential. units and 222,000 sq. ft. of retaiUoffice/commercial space. The petitioners have indicated that the market for professional and general office space is saturated and not viable at this time. They wish to revise the plans to construct three buildings with retail on the first floor with three stories of apartments above. The applicant indicates that the new plans contain a total square footage of just less than 60,000 sq. ft. of retaiUcommercial space and 129 apartment units. The amendments would result in a loss of approximately 44,000 sq. ft. of commerciaUoffice space in the development and convert primarily office uses to retail uses. In addition, 129 new units of residential dwellings will be added to the development, making the density of the three lots range from 32.3 to 39.1 units/acre. Building. coverage on the lots range from 34 to 39%. The maximum surface area of 70% indicated by the applicant will need to be verified. Bodmer reported that staff is concerned with available surface parking. While the buildings provide excess underground parking for the apartments, they are significantly short of the total amount that would be needed. Surface parking is lacking on the site. The West Fresco Terrace building is short 13 spaces, the East Fresco Terrace building is short 22 spaces and the Foliage Avenue building is short 45 spaces. Some on-street parking along 153`d Street W. and Fortino Street will help offset the shortage but parking needs to be reviewed in more detail when formal application is made. Exterior elevation drawings show that building exteriors will be constructed of veneer brick and stucco with some stone veneer on the Foliage Avenue building. The decorative roof elements at the ends of the buildings contain mansard style rooflines. This architectural style is a different style than what had been approved. The plans indicate that the roofing material will be an architectural roof panel. Staff is recommending that the applicant provide a sample at the time of formal application. In relation to the discussion held earlier on Legacy South Apartments in regards to the need for apartments, Bodmer suggested that perhaps the applicant should have a market study done to convince the City that apartments are necessary. Chair Melander stated that he is concerned that the City will not have enough head of household jobs and that it would be challenge for him to approve more housing. Commissioner Churchill questioned if there has been enough interest by businesses to locate in Apple Valley and that perhaps we need to see what the trend is in surrounding areas. Commissioner Schindler asked what was the original plan for the proposed lots. Bodmer responded that originally the plan was for 2-story office buildings. Schindler recommended that staff determine how much office space is vacant occupied in Apple Valley presently. Commissioner Diekmann stated that he is concerned about the aesthetics of the buildings. He suggested that the applicant differentiate the buildings and make them aesthetically pleasing. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Commissioner Churchill moved, seconded by Schindler to adjourn the meeting at 9:29 p.m.