SITE PLAN REVIEW
SP-04-25-04: Lake View Villas at Alvamar, a site plan for a 16-acre, 108 unit, multi-family residential development located on the northeast corner of Lake Pointe Drive and Clinton Parkway. Submitted by Peridian Group for Grisamore Group, developer; Timber Villas Development, LLC., property owners of record.
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Current Zoning and Land Use:
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RM-1 (Multiple-Family Residence) District; undeveloped.
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Surrounding Zoning and Land Use:
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PRD-1 (Planned Residential District) to the east, undeveloped property, approved for a planned single-family residential development known as the Ridge at Alvamar. |
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A (Agricultural) District to the south (south side of Clinton Parkway); Corps of Engineers property. |
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PCD-1 (Planned Commercial District) and RM-2 (Multiple-Family Residence) District to the west, undeveloped property. |
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A-1 (Suburban Home Residential) to the north; existing platted single-family residential lots, some scattered residential development to the far north. |
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Site Summary: | |
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Gross Area: |
16.16 acres |
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Proposed Building Coverage: |
164,279 SF |
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Proposed Pavement Coverage: |
154,272 |
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Open Space: |
385,622 SF |
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Total Number of Dwelling Units: |
108 (4-plex units with 2 bedrooms per unit) 9 Large 4-Plexes 18 Small 4-Plexes |
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Proposed Density: |
6.68 du/acre |
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Off-Street Parking Required: |
162 spaces; Parking Group 2 based on 2-bedrooms per unit (1.5 spaces per unit) |
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Off-Street Parking Provided:
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288 residential spaces and 21 off-street spaces clustered around clubhouse 9 Large 4-Plexes =36 x 4 = 144 parking places provided 18 small 4-Plexes = 72 x 2 = 144 parking places provided Large 4-Plexes have four parking places per unit (two in the garage and two in the drive) Small 4-Plexes have two parking spaces per (one-car garage and one space in the drive) |
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Staff Recommendation: Planning staff recommends approval of the site plan subject to the following conditions:
1. Provision of a revised site plan to include the following changes: a. Provision of a minimum of 4 additional city standard dumpster locations per staff approval; b. Revision of the site plan to remove general note number 12 referring to curb-side pickup service. c. Provision of additional off street parking along the access aisle, per staff approval; d. Provision of a parking summary on the face of the site plan; e. Removal of driveways from the 25’ setback for buildings 1 and 9; f. Removal of Building 9 or relocate to eliminate encroaching drives g. Provision of a note on the face of the site plan that states, “No occupancy until all of the site improvements including the main access drive, grading and landscaping are complete”. h. Removal of note on face of site plan referring to parking along the main access drive; i. Revision of the driveway entrance to not exceed a 30’ width per the approval of the City Engineer. 2. Provision of public improvements pr the approval of the City Stormwater Engineer prior is release of the site plan to Neighborhood Resources for issuance of a building permit; 3. Provision of a photometric plan prior to release of the site plan for issuance of a building permit; and 4. Execution of a site plan performance agreement.
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C. STAFF REVIEW
The subject property is located on the north side of Clinton Parkway and on the east side of Lake Pointe Drive. The area is in the far western portion of the City of Lawrence. The subject property is surrounded by undeveloped parcels including county residential lots to the north. The subject property is part of a recently platted area that extended Lake Pointe Drive to the north as a collector street. The proposed site plan is for the development of homes that consists of four-plex units and a connected internal parking lot/driveway system.
The proposed development is not shown or intended to be a phased. Therefore, all site improvements are recommended to be installed prior is issuance of occupancy permits for individual buildings within the development. This will assure that major elements such as the vehicular circulation are in place prior to residential occupancy.
Access to the proposed development
is accommodated from Lake Pointe Drive, a collector street. No direct access to
Clinton Parkway is contemplated or allowed for this development.
It was
noted in the review that the intersection of the development with Lake Pointe
Drive is limited to a 30’ maximum driveway. The site plan must be revised to
comply with this standard.
Access within the proposed development is provided via an internal drive network including shared driveways to buildings. A detailed discussion of is issue is provided in subsection (b) of the staff report in the findings section.
Staff recommendations reflect both minor technical changes as well as substantive design changes which are discussed below.
D. Findings
Per Section 20-1432 staff shall first find that the following conditions have been met:
(a) That the proposed use is a permitted use in the district in which the property is located;
The subject property is zoned for multi-family development including single-family, duplex, attached housing and apartment type units. The proposed development is described as a “pinwheel-four”. This type of housing is characterized by clustered units sharing one or more common walls and a common driveway. Units are oriented toward each other rather than facing a common street or drive. The proposed development is well below the maximum permitted density of the district.
(b) That the proposed arrangement of buildings, off-street parking, access, lighting, landscaping and drainage is compatible with adjacent land uses;
Building Arrangement
The proposed development is oriented internally. Individual units are oriented in a mirror type fashion so that usually only four units face each other. Units do not face a common green space or amenity within the development. The subject property is surrounded by a variety of different zoning districts including commercial and higher-density residential development to the west. Single-family uses are proposed to the north and east reflected by existing platted residential lots to the north and a pending Planned Residential Development to the east. The provision of land use transition within the development is critical to the overall neighborhood character. The most intensive land use adjacent to the subject property is Clinton Parkway, which borders the south property line. A future commercial and multi-family development is anticipated, but not yet planned, on the west side of Lake Pointe Drive. The challenge of this review is that the property immediately surrounding the subject is undeveloped at this time.
The subject property is irregularly shaped and makes defining the building setbacks difficult. The proposed development conforms to a uniform 30’ peripheral setback with the exception of that area along Clinton Parkway. The minimum yard setback in the RM-1 (Multiple-Family Residence) District is 25’ for both the front and rear yards.
Dense screening along the public street frontage (Lake Pointe Drive) will benefit the proposed development by shielding the traffic activity and noise from the proposed residential development. The south side of the proposed development is encumbered by an exclusive utility easement along most of the Clinton Parkway Frontage. The applicant will need to execute an encroachment agreement for work within the easement and will limit the ability to provide screening of any type in this area. Building 8 is located on the back side of the easement resulting in an extraordinary setback from Clinton Parkway. Building 9 is not encumbered by the gas line easement. This unit is set back only slightly more than the required setback for the district from the south property line. The driveway for Building 9 and Building 1 encroach into the 25’ setback to provide access to the units. Any parking along the driveway in this area would violate the parking setback requirements established in Article 12.
The purpose of this finding is to establish compatibility between the proposed and the abutting properties. In this project the abutting properties to the north and east are characterized as low-density residential development. The site plan has been revised during the review to narrow the interior access aisle and shift buildings farther away from the north property line. This has increased the amount of rear yard along the north property line. Grading has also been revised to reduce the number and type of retaining walls along the north property line.
Staff provided the applicant’s representative additional transitional recommendations including building type, orientation, and size reduction along the north and east property lines to accommodate the minimum separation from the abutting properties. The site plan, as proposed, does not address compatibility between abutting land uses. [See staff discussion below.]
Off-Street Parking, Access and Lighting
As noted, the proposed site plan includes 21 parking spaces located around the clubhouse area. The site plan complies with the minimum parking requirements for the residential units with the garage and driveway parking.
The main interior access aisles have been reduced from 30’ to 25’ to increase the building separation from the north property line. This has reduced the amount of off-street parking within the development that would be guest parking. The individual driveways are not designed for guest parking. The driveways provide alley type access to multiple units as a shared facility and are generally only 12’ wide. Staff anticipates off-street parking will occur along the driveways in the abutting grass areas. Driveways providing access to the individual units are not proposed to be curbed. Staff anticipates parking on unimproved surfaces within the development and therefore recommends the site plan be revised to establish additional designated off-street parking areas within the development.
The Sanitation Division has indicated that the proposed development is unacceptable in terms of proposed service access. Staff recommended the applicant revise the site plan to provide multiple locations for dumpsters. This element is not necessarily consistent with residential design in newer neighborhoods; the use of dumpsters can regularly be found in older neighborhoods with conventional alleys.
Staff recommends the plan be revised to provide additional designated off-street parking spaces within the development and expand some of the poly cart storage areas to accommodate residential dumpsters.
The proposed site plan includes a “street lighting detail” that will be located along the primary access aisle within the proposed development. The purpose of this fixture is to light the access aisles within the proposed development. The proposed fixtures will be maintained by the property owner. It is not a public street light.
(c) That the vehicular ingress and egress to and from the site and circulation within the site provides for safe, efficient and convenient movement of traffic not only within the site but on adjacent roadways as well;
Access to the site is provided via a single curb cut to the abutting collector street (Lake Pointe Drive). Access to individual units is accommodated via a series of connected access aisles (25’ to accommodate two-way traffic) and regular driveways (about 12’ wide). The proposed development is consistent with the TIS prepared for the overall area known as Lake View Addition, which included a traffic study and analysis of the Clinton Parkway intersection. The only vehicular connection to the adjacent street network is provided along Lake Pointe Drive. Direct access to Clinton Parkway is prohibited. The property abuts other platted or planned residential lots to the north and east in such a way that streets or drives cannot be extended.
It was noted in the review comments, the north side of the development did not comply with minimum fire access requirements. In response to this deficiency, the site plan was revised to indicate that the buildings, along the north side (Buildings 9-22) will be provided with sprinklers.
The Sanitation Division noted that because of the arrangement of the development, dumpsters will need to be combined to specific locations to minimize the impact of service vehicles within the development. This will provide safer access within the development. Staff recommends the site plan be revised per staff approval to address this issue.
Section 20-1209 (a) states that “No part of a parking area other than the access way shall be located within 25 feet of a street right-of-way in the RS, RM, RM-D (Duplex Residential) District RD (Residence-Dormitory) District, or PRD district.” The driveway access to Buildings 1 and 9 are located in this setback. Building 9 is squeezed into the southeast corner of the development. It is likely that parking will occur along the narrower driveways unless off-street parking is provided within other areas of the development. The access aisle was reduced from 30’ to 25’ in an effort to provide better separation and transition between the proposed development and the platted lots to the north and the east.
The proposed driveways are very narrow (12’ in several areas). This will require attention on behalf of the residents and drivers to accommodate the two-way traffic to individual units.
· Units with direct access to the interior access aisle include Units 2, 23, 24, 25 and parts of 26.
· Units 10, 11, 12, 26 and 27 are accommodated with access to the shared driveways with a 20’ alley style access way which is an extension of the driveways.
· Units 1, 3-9, 13-22, and parts of 24 and 25 are accessed with the 12’ driveway to the main access aisle, the longest of which is unit 9 located in the extreme southeast corner of the subject property.
Efficiency
of the circulation is not a significant design element because of the need to
provide both access aisle and individual driveways unique to this type of
housing. Staff recommends the site plan be revised to accommodate off-street
parking locations within the interior of the development and to provide
dumpsters throughout the development to comply with
Sanitation Division
concerns for access.
(d) That the site plan provides for the safe movement of pedestrians within the site;
The proposed development is residential in character and includes sidewalks along the access aisle that rings the clubhouse area and provides pedestrian connection to Lake Pointe Drive at the vehicular access with a secondary pedestrian access at the north end of the development. Sidewalks are provided on both sides of the main entrance to Lake Pointe Drive and connect to the adjoining sidewalk network along the public street. Adequate pedestrian connections are provided in the interior of the development and provide connectivity to the adjacent public sidewalk network.
(e) That there is a sufficient mixture of grass, trees, and shrubs within the interior and perimeter (including public right-of-way) of site so that the proposed development will be in harmony with adjacent land uses and will provide a pleasing appearance to the public. Any part of the site plan area not used for buildings, structures, parking, or accessways shall be landscaped with a mixture of grass, trees and shrubs;
The proposed site plan includes a variety of landscape materials both within the development and along the periphery of the development. The proposed units do not have conventional buffer yards as detached housing does.
The common driveways serve as a type of courtyard in the fronts of the larger buildings. The smaller building will use this area to provide the required off-street parking for each unit along with the single-car garage parking.
The internal access drive is shown to be planted with trees to mimic a public streetscape. The site plan was revised to remove proposed vegetation in the northeast corner of the development that is a dedicated drainage easement.
The purpose of this finding is to ensure the “proposed development will be in harmony with adjacent land uses and provide a pleasing appearance to the pubic…” The proposed landscape addresses the public appearance of the proposed development along the adjacent street right-of-way. Staff met with the applicant to address the land use transition concerns that cannot be accomplished only through the provision of landscape. Building setback and size must also be considered to establish harmony between the proposed and adjacent properties. The difficulty is that the abutting properties are not yet developed. Therefore, individual residents are not identified as having an interest in the proposed development. Staff specifically recommended the following changes: reduction of the size of buildings along the north portion of the development (use the smaller building in the rear and the larger building along Lake Pointe Drive), reduce the width of the access aisle to shift the development to the south, and consider reducing the number of units proposed to allow for more flexibility in building placement. As noted, the development has been shifted to gain an additional 5’ along the north and east property lines.
(f) That all outdoor trash storage areas are screened and are in accordance with standards as prepared by the Department of Public Works;
The proposed site plan designates several locations for trash storage (noted as 8’ by 10’ poly cart storage pads). The proposed plan contemplates a residential type service. Pad sites are shown at the end of driveways where residents would place can or poly carts. A dumpster area is shown on the back side of the development near the clubhouse. The Sanitation Division has indicated that multiple dumpster locations are needed in the interior of the development for service. This development will not be provided with residential “curb-side” service. The addition of dumpsters will keep large piles of trash or excessive cans from accumulating at the end of the drives and will keep the City trucks on the main part of the drive and not on the individual driveway in the southern portion of the development.
This is a less aesthetic option, but provides for the greatest maneuverability of large trucks within the site. It will also limit the impact on the driveways by heavy trucks. Staff recommends the site plan be revised to provide additional dumpsters within the development that are accessible from the main portion of the interior drive and avoid access to the individual driveways.
(g) That the site plan takes into consideration existing improvements or physical alterations that have been made to prepare the site for development.
The immediately surrounding area is not developed. The subject property has been platted and zoned for development. Public improvement plans have been submitted to the Public Works Department for construction of Lake Pointe Drive, as well as the extension of water and sanitary sewer service. These improvements must be completed prior to development so that the residential construction activity does not impede the progress of the public improvements to serve this area.
E. CONCLUSION
As noted in the staff findings, the proposed building arrangement does not address compatibility between abutting land uses. The proposed development is zoned for multi-family uses and allows for a maximum density of twelve (12) dwelling units per acre. The site plan, as proposed, results in a maximum density of 6.68 dwelling units per acre.
Compatibility to the north: The area to the north is not within the city limits. The north area is platted as a large lot single-family residential subdivision and is located in the urban growth area. This area is expected to be annexed into the city in the future. Upon annexation the property would be rezoned to a city zoning designation. It is not unreasonable to anticipate that these larger lots could be reconfigured (lot split) into smaller residential parcels. While lot size could be reduced, the maximum density is still expected to be very low-density residential (1-5 dwelling units per acre). Detached single-family lots are characterized by individual front, side and rear yards. The proposed site plan does not include conventional yards, but relies on building setbacks to establish a buffer or transition area between the A-1 District to the north and the subject property.
As noted above, the proposed development is set back a minimum of 30’ from the rear property line consistent with the RM-1 (Multiple-Family Residence) District requirements. Likewise side- yards must be set back a minimum of 5’ depending on the orientation of the subject “lot” to an abutting lot. Horizon 2020 recommends a compatible transition from low-density residential development to more intensive land uses that include back to back relationships and increased perimeter setbacks that “are equal to or greater than the perimeter setbacks of the abutting low-density residential uses” (Residential Policy 6.1(c)). The Plan recommends the use of topography and “creative and extensive use of landscaping and berming techniques.” A combination of building size and setbacks along with landscaping are required to address the land use transition issues between the proposed development and the adjacent properties. Staff recommends specific revisions to the proposed site plan to comply with the site plan requirements and comprehensive plan land use recommendations.
The following design options are provided to articulate staff’s conditions of approval and provide direction to the applicant in recommended revisions:
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1. Eliminate Building 9 and reconfigure the units to increase spacing around the exterior of the development to provide accessible green spaces, off-street parking, and conveniently placed dumpster locations. 2. Change Buildings 3, 4, and 23 to the larger structure and reduce buildings 17, 19 and 21 to the smaller building type so that there is a transition from larger to smaller buildings across the site. 3. Provision of additional parking around the center clubhouse area and include an additional dumpster location on the eastern side. |
Staff did not specifically recommended elimination of Building 9 for density reasons. Staff is not opposed to the proposed density. If there is an alternative engineering solution that allows for the total number of buildings (27) to remain, every opportunity to accommodate the density should be considered.