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HomeMy WebLinkAbout17-3944 ExF NarrativePROJECT NARRATIVE FRESHWATER CONDOMIUMS REZONING FROM B-4 TO RPUD We are excited to take the next step in our proposal for a high-end market rate condominium adjacent to the newly remodeled Freshwater Office Building. After listening to the feedback we received on our concept plans from the Planning Commission, City Council and the Neighborhood meeting we incorporated changes that we heard as being desirable for the project. Condominiums rather than Apartments Reduce Density High--End Market Rates High--End Quality Reduce Traffic Impact We are proposing to develop a 40 unit high-end condominium building (See Exhibit A1). This removes 10 units from our original concept plan, thus reducing the density and traffic. Traffic will be further reduced as our expected homeowner will be a retired higher-income resident who will likely have a seasonal home and who typically do not contribute to the higher AM and PM peak traffic flows. Due to the reduced units we are also able to reduce the number of required parking stalls from 100 to 80 (84 provided). It is our intent to keep the 51 underground stalls and remove the 16 surface stalls along County Road 19. This will provide us with 84 stalls, four over the city standards. We will replace the 16 stalls with additional berming and landscape. The reduction of surface stalls will also reduce the hardcover and ponding. The additional four stalls could also be removed if the city desires more green space over parking. To accommodate this type of housing and keep a financially viable project we were able to use the same code-complying building footprint but adjusted the floor plates to accommodate larger more expensive residential condominium units. However, to meet the higher-end market demands the rooms will need 9-foot ceilings, which increases the proposed building height from our concept plan from 31 feet to 36 feet in front and 54 feet to 58 feet, 8 inches in back (See Exhibits A2-A3). Although height was noted at all three forums it did not appear to be of great concern to the residents attending the neighborhood meeting. We had invited 59 neighboring property owners to the meeting and 25-30 attended. Out of the attendees we received 12 comment cards which only five noted a concern about height. Condominium preference and traffic were the two highest listed concerns. (See Exhibits B1-B4). Council Exhibit F 17-3944 At the neighborhood meeting we demonstrated, through drone aerial photography, how the height of the building will be screened by existing trees from the few neighbors beyond the wetland in back of the building. The photography showed that the existing trees are taller than the proposed building thus blocking views. We also proposed to add evergreen trees to provide a more year round screening. (See Exhibits C-G) Comparable Height Waivers We have seen similar height waivers relating to the Orono Woods Senior Living and Stone Bay Condominiums. Both developments are similar to ours as they utilized the existing topography to minimize grading impacts and created varied heights. Orono Woods (See Exhibits H1-H4) has three stories at the main entrance of the building and then drops down to two stories on the east as the topography rises. An exposed underground garage element was also created as part of the project. The front of the building also includes a taller architecture element and pitched gables. Our review of the City’s architectural plans found that the front of the building consists of several elevations. At the garage door location, the top of the roofline is 36 feet. The top of the roofline at the front entrance is 48 feet, with an additional 10 feet to the top of the tower for a total height of 58 feet. Stone Bay Condominiums (Exhibits I1-I6) are more closely related to Freshwater as the front is three stories and then drops toward the back. The side of the building has three stories with an exposed underground garage element along the base. Stone Bay also abuts up against a wetland with views from neighboring residential properties. We did not find any architectural drawings at the City for Stone Bay but with a 3-story front with a pitched roof and a 3-story plus exposed garage on the side, it appears that Stone Bay is even a taller building than Orono Woods. The proposed Freshwater building will have a front of building height of 36 feet and a rear of building height of 58 feet, 8 inches along the penthouse. The penthouse portion of the building will be stepped back from the front building line and located in the northeast corner of the building. The penthouse roofline will be in line with the height of the Freshwater office building with a height of 54 feet. By using a flat roof design we matched the roofline of the office building and minimized the height associated with a pitch roof. Neighboring Resident Visibility Not only are the buildings taller at Orono Woods and Stone Bay but the neighboring residents are closer than our proposed Freshwater building. At Freshwater, our closest neighbor is 383 feet with the other residents at the respective distances of 706 and 557 feet. The homes behind Orono Woods are 175, 182 and 263 feet (see Exhibit H4). The closest home at Stone Bay is 122 feet with minimal screening by trees. (See Exhibit I6). By preserving existing trees and adding evergreen trees the visual impact to neighboring residents will be minimal and comparable to other neighborhoods adjacent to business and multi-family zoning districts. Traffic Westwood’s traffic engineer reviewed the impacts of a 40-unit condominium building to the existing traffic volumes and the proposed County Road 19 improvement plans (See Exhibit J). In review of the Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Manual, Ninth Edition a 40- unit building will add 232 vehicle trips per day (116 entering and 116 exiting trips) and could increase the traffic volume by 3%. This increase is well below traffic volume standards for this classification of road (A-Minor Expander) which is designed for a traffic volume of 10,000- 15,000 vehicles/day. The AM peak volume for the proposed building is estimated at 18 trips (3 trips entering and 15 trips exiting) while the PM peak would be 21 trips (14 trips entering and 7 trips exiting). However, as noted above, our expected resident will be a retired empty nester with a second residence that will typically not be driving during AM or PM peak hours. The proposed County Road 19 improvement project will relieve traffic back-up in this area. The proposed plan will reconstruct County Highway 19 (Shadywood Road) to a three lane section (one lane in each direction with a center two-way left turn lane). This alignment would increase safety and mobility along Shadywood by allowing left turning traffic to enter the center lane while allowing through traffic to proceed on by. Thus, with the proposed improvements the added vehicles from our site will not adversely impact traffic volumes in the area. Neighborhood Compatibility The Freshwater Condominiums are designed both architecturally and physically to be compatible with the surrounding area. We are seeing a revitalization in the Navarre area with several buildings being remodeled and updated. The fresher look and image from these buildings reflect a more contemporary design of flat roofs and modern architectural elements. We are complimenting this look with our Freshwater Office Building and proposed condominiums. The Freshwater Condominiums and Office building will provide a nice transition along the County Road 19 corridor from residential neighborhoods to the city guided commercial and higher density district. Entering Navarre from the south the Freshwater Condominiums will be set back away from County Road 19 nestled into the trees then gradually stepping closer to the corridor in conjunction with the Freshwater Office building. The flat roofline will add to this transition as it minimizes the jaggered roofline and view shed of pitched roofs. (See Exhibit G) We believe that our proposed design is best suited for the site and neighborhood. The condominiums are strategically placed into the existing grade rather than altering the site with extensive grading. The height in the back side of the building is created solely because the site slopes away from County Road 19. By using the existing grade we are best able to preserve the existing topography and vegetation that would otherwise be removed. Rezoning The proposed rezoning from B-4 to RPUD is in conformance with the City’s comprehensive plan which anticipates development of this site to include a mix of uses, including condominiums and apartments. The overall gross density we are proposing is 12.66 units per acre and the overall net density is 15.63 units per acre. We understand that an RPUD may have some flexibility to zoning standards which can be incorporated into the new zoning district. In preparing our site plan we worked hard to incorporate existing zoning standards and aimed to avoid requesting numerous deviations from the code ordinance. The only deviation we are requesting is to the city’s height standard. In support of our request, we hope that we have demonstrated the minimal impact of the building height by strategic planning of the building footprint location, using existing grades, tree preservation, additional screening, architectural design elements that match surrounding buildings and minimal views. The addition of the Freshwater Condominiums will provide a housing option to the Navarre area that doesn’t currently exist for Orono. It is exciting to see the revitalization of the Navarre business district and we are glad to be a part of that growth with the updates to the Freshwater Office building. It is during the improvement project that we heard from aging local residents who are looking for housing other than single-family homes to move into. They want to stay in the Navarre area and to enjoy the shops and restaurants with their friends. The business owners will also benefit by having a larger customer base, especially one with local ties and disposable income. We hope that the City Council can support our plan as one that meets the City’s comprehensive plan and vision for the area with desired needs of residents and businesses. We look forward to be part of this community and welcome your comments of our plans and rezoning request.