HomeMy WebLinkAboutA003 - Council Action Form dated September 27, 2016 c
ITEM #: 34
DATE: 09-27-16
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT: REZONE OF 2728 LINCOLN WAY, 112 AND 114 S. HYLAND AND 115
S. SHELDON AVENUE FROM RH (RESIDENTIAL HIGH DENSITY) AND
O-UIW (UNIVERSITY WEST IMPACT OVERLAY) TO CSC
(CAMPUSTOWN SERVICE CENTER)
BACKGROUND:
This proposed 1.8 acre development site is made up of seven properties south of
Lincoln Way between Hyland and Sheldon Avenues. The proposed request is to
rezone four of the development properties to the Campustown Service Center
zoning district from RH and O-UIW to allow for development of all seven
properties. The remaining three properties along Lincoln Way are already zoned CSC
(See Attachment A — Location Map). The properties currently have a mix of commercial
uses, a gas station and multi-family housing. Approximately 0.6 acres of the area is
currently used for commercial uses and 1.2 acres is zoned for residential high density.
On August 9, 2016 City Council approved a Minor LUPP Amendment (Attachment B —
Existing Land Use Designation) for the development site to the Downtown Services
Center land use designation to allow for the associated changes needed to pursue their
development concept for construction of a mixed use development.
During preliminary meetings the developer described an interest in a mixed-use
development concept consisting of a 20-room hotel, a small amount of commercial
square footage, a residential lobby, leasing offices, and approximately 500 bedrooms
and amenity space, all within a 75-foot six-story building. The developer desires CSC
zoning for the site to maximize the development potential of the site with mixed use
development similar to what has been built recently along Lincoln Way near Lynn
Avenue. Although the site has a mix of CSC and RH zoning, the differences between
the two zones in setbacks, heights and parking necessitate a change to CSC to develop
the site as one project to meet the developer's interests rather than as multiple projects.
Development in CSC allows for urban development with no building setbacks,
commercial uses on the ground floor and apartments above, and reduced parking
requirements of one parking space per apartment unit, with no required parking for
commercial uses. The maximum height will be 75 feet within CSC zoning compared to
existing RH-O-UIW zoning height limits of 45 feet.
The attached addendum includes a description of the rezoning request and analysis of
the rezoning proposal, including conformance to the LUPP policies. Analysis of the
request contemplates the suitability of the specific site for the proposed mix of uses, as
well as the Goals and Policies of the LUPP (Attachment F). The suitability has been
evaluated through use of the RH Evaluation Tool Checklist as directed by the City
Council on January 27, 2015 when apartment uses are part of a project. Although the
request is ultimately for a commercial zoning district, the predominant use on this site is
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intended to be housing. Staff also notes that the Planning and Zoning Commission and
the City Council both recently reviewed a text amendment option for CSC zoning related
to this project proposal that will allow for residential on the ground floor when across
from existing residential zoning.
The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed this request at its September 7t"
meeting. The Commission heard comments from neighborhood residents and property
owners concerning the lack of parking in the area and the potential for increased on-
street parking demand, the lack of transition from the CSC zoning allowances for 75 foot
buildings compared to the residential neighborhood to the west, and for adequate
sidewalk widths along the project site to support urbanized development. With these
concerns, there were also comments focused around the desire to coordinate the
project with the completion of the Focus Area studies of Lincoln Way Corridor study.
The Commission's discussion then focused on the specific concerns of the compatibility
of the project and difficulties with infill development for a CSC zoned site on the edge of
Campustown. After a failed motion to approve the rezoning, the Commission voted
4-3 to recommend the City Council not approve the rezoning and defer action
until the results of the Lincoln Way Corridor Study are available.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. The City Council can approve the request for rezoning from Residential High Density
(RH) with the University West Impact Overlay (O-UIW) to Campustown Service
Center (CSC).
2. The City Council can approve the request for rezoning from Residential High Density
(RH) with the University West Impact Overlay (O-UIW) to Campustown Service
Center (CSC), with conditions.
3. The City Council can deny the request for rezoning Residential High Density (RH)
with the University West Impact Overlay (O-UIW) to Campustown Service Center
(CSC), if the Council finds that the City's regulations and policies are not met.
4. The City Council can defer action on this request and refer it back to City staff and/or
the applicant for additional information.
MANAGER'S RECOMENDATION:
In this case, the RH checklist shows that, as an existing infill opportunity, the site is able
to be served with existing infrastructure and access to existing transit. The site scores
high on the tool because of its proximity to a variety of daily services and employment
centers, including the ISU campus. The site also scores high on supporting economic
development with the opportunity for a mixed use development type on the property.
Individual site layout and design issues will need to be considered in more depth when
site plan details are available, but the project concept articulated by the applicant will
take advantage of the full height and parking allowances provided for by the CSC
zoning district.
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Staff notes that residents to the west of this site continue to be concerned about
traffic levels for through traffic in this area and parking issues that are present in
the neighborhood. Comments also call out concerns about the height and
setback differences between CSC zoning and the abutting residential zoning to
the west. Input from the Campustown Action Association to date has been
generally supportive of adding commercial square footage to Campustown with
the information that is currently avaliable about the developer's plans.
Although there have been a large number of apartments constructed within Ames over
the past three years (over 1,000 additional beds within Campustown alone), staff
believes there is still a need to provide for apartment housing to meet projected
demand. Adding student housing across from campus is a positive for adding overall
apartment supply that would meet unique student demands and have the potential to
relieve pressure on other apartment buildings further from campus that may then be
available for other types of occupants. It is still critical that the development of this
site meets the commercial and pedestrian character of the core of Campustown
as a transition site between commercial areas to the east and residential areas to
the west. The developer desires to enter into a development agreement with the City to
address some of the design issues and support creation of an Urban Revitalization Area
for the site to allow for property tax abatement. However, these issues are not
addressed as part of the rezoning request and would be part of a subsequent action.
Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council
accept Alternative #1, thereby approving the request for rezoning from
Residential High Density (RH) with the University West Impact Overlay (O-UIW) to
Campustown Service Center (CSC).
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ADDENDUM
Existing Land Use Policy Plan. The LUPP designation of the entire subject area is
Downtown Service Center. This designation applies to the entire area lying south of
Lincoln Way from S. Hyland Avenue to Lynn Avenue (Campustown). An LUPP map of
the immediate area can be found in Attachment B. Back in 2006 this area was rezoned
to a new CSC zone separate from downtown, created from what was previously known
as the Downtown/Campustown Service Center (DCSC) zone.
The LUPP indicates the Downtown Services Center designation as "specialized
business services, governmental services and retail commercial uses that are
associated with highly intense activities and central location. Specialized mixing of
activities, parking and design provisions may apply. Floor area ratios are 1.0 and
higher."
Existing Uses of Land. The subject site is currently a mix of small commercial uses
and small multi-family housing. The properties to the north, directly across Lincoln Way,
contain the mix of uses. The property to the south is all multi-family housing. Properties
to the west are either single-family owner occupied or rental properties with some
duplex and small multi-family housing options. The property to the east of the subject
sites are owned by the Collegiate United Methodist Church.
Existing Zoning. The existing zoning of the subject property is Residential High
Density with the University West Impacted Overlay. The developers on the project are
seeking rezoning to CSC which is supported under the newly designated Downtown
Services Center Land Use designation of the LUPP. The proposed area for rezoning to
CSC is reflected in Attachment D.
Infrastructure. Access to existing sewer and water infrastructure is available to the site
from both Lincoln Way and S. Hyland Avenue. Public Works had received general
information from the developer regarding sewer loading information for the
development. The assessment of capacity in west Ames found there are projected
deficiencies in the main trunk line along Lincoln Way when accounting for planned and
proposed development.
One of the distinctive elements of Campustown is the larger sidewalks that are present
to meet the pedestrian demands of the area. The subject site currently has an 8-foot
shared use path sidewalk along its Lincoln Way frontage with no on-street parking as
exists in the core of Campustown. Staff does not believe parking will be added to
Lincoln Way along this site, but that the sidewalk does need to be widened to fit the
character of the proposed project as a large mixed use building and the needs of the
community for comfortable and safe walking and biking in this area. The change to
CSC would reinforce the need to look at a wider sidewalk compared to other zoning
districts.
A storm water management plan will be required to meet minimum City standards for
storm water quantity and quality. At this time detailed storm water plans have not been
developed, but it is intended that techniques such as underground detention will likely
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be required to meet minimum City standards. Public Works will review and approve
such requirements prior to approval of the Minor Site Development plan for the project.
Traffic/Access. The development site has frontage on Lincoln Way, S. Sheldon and S.
Hyland Avenue. It is anticipated that parking for the site for both residential and
commercial uses will be from S. Hyland and S. Sheldon. No access is planned from
Lincoln Way for the project.
Staff believes that reviewing localized effects of operations near the site and accessing
the site is a priority for understanding the potential traffic impacts of development. A
traffic study is usually triggered when at least 100 peak hour trips are added to the
transportation network. The scope of evaluation then depends on the specific types of
trips, nearby operations, and potential for project specific impacts. Public Works
Department has requested a specific evaluation of the projected trip generation to
scope a traffic assessment for the project. A review of traffic and any future evaluation
requirements for traffic impact will need to be completed prior to project approval.
RH Site Evaluation Matrix
The RH Evaluation Tool is an evaluation of a specific site's attributes based upon the
principles of the Goals and Objectives of the LUPP. With this request there are minimal
details available to complete the checklist regarding design of the project. However,
location/surroundings, transportation, housing types and opportunity for mixed use
would rank high for this project based on location of the project near campus and
commercial development areas and the site being located on a major transit route. If the
Council believes that potentially adding additional student housing is desirable and that
the design controls of the CSC zoning district and potentially a development agreement
support redeveloping the site, the RH matrix indicates this could be a good site for such
an intense use. The developer seeks CSC because of the intensification benefits of the
CSC zoning with reduced setbacks and lower parking requirements compared to other
zoning categories. The RH Checklist, as completed by staff, is included as
Attachment G.
Public Notice. Notice was mailed to property owners within 200 feet of the subject site
and a sign was posted on the subject property. As of this writing, no comments have
been received since the noticed was mailed. Comments described above were from
previous steps in the project's review and initiation with the City Council.
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Attachment B
Land Use Policy Plan Map
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Attachment D
Proposed Zoning
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Attachment E
Rezoning Plat
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Attachment F
Applicable Regulations
• Land Use Policy Plan (LUPP) Goals, Policies and the Future Land Use Map:
The Land Use Policy Plan (LUPP) Future Land Use Map identifies the land use
designations for the property proposed for rezoning.
• Ames Municipal Code Chapter 29, Section 1507, Zoning Text and Map Amendments,
includes requirements for owners of land to submit a petition for amendment, a
provision to allow the City Council to impose conditions on map amendments,
provisions for notice to the public, and time limits for the processing of rezoning
proposals.
• Ames Municipal Code Chapter 29, Section 809, Campustown Service Center,
includes a list of uses that are permitted in the CSC zoning district and the zone
development standards that apply to properties in those zones.
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Attachment G
RH Site Evaluation Tool
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Evaation Matrix
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Location/Surroundings
Integrates into an existing neighborhood with appropriate interfaces and
transitions
High=part of a neighborhood, no significant physical barriers, includes transitions; X
Average=adjacent to neighborhood, some physical barriers, minor transitions;
Low=separated from an residential existing area, physical barriers, no transitions
available
Located near daily services and amenities (school, park,variety of commercial)
High=Walk 10 minutes to range of service;
Average=10 to 20 minutes to range of service; X
Low= Walk in excess of 20 minutes to range of service.
*Parks and Recreation has specific service objectives for park proximity to
residential
Creates new neighborhood, not an isolated project (If not part of neighborhood,
Does it create a critical mass or identifiable place, support to provide more X
services?)
Located near employment centers or ISU Campus (High=10 minute bike/walk or 5
minute drive; Average is 20 minute walk or 15 minute drive; Low= exceeds 15 X
minute drive or no walkability)
Site
Contains no substantial natural features on the site (woodlands, wetlands, X
waterways)
Located outside of the Floodway Fringe X
Separated adequately from adjacent noise, business operations, air quality (trains, X
highways, industrial uses, airport approach)
Ability to preserve or sustain natural features X
Housing Types and Der:;ign
Needed housing or building type or variety of housing types X
Architectural interest and character X
Site design for landscape buffering X
Includes affordable housing (Low and Moderate Income)) X
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Adjacent to CyRide line to employment/campus
High=majority of site is 1/8 miles walk from bus stop; X
Average= majority of site 1/4 mile walk from bus stop;
Low= majority of site exceeds 1/4 miles walk from bus stop.
CyRide service has adequate schedule and capacity
High=seating capacity at peak times with schedule for full service X
Average=seating capacity at peak times with limited schedule
Low=either no capacity for peak trips or schedule does not provide reliable service
Pedestrian and Bike path or lanes with connectivity to neighborhood or commute X
Roadway capacity and intersection operations (existing and planned at LOS C) X
Site access and safety X
Flu" lic UtHftief!S rvic s
Adequate storm, water, sewer capacity for intensification
High=infrastructure in place with high capacity
Average=infrastructure located nearby, developer obligation to extend and serve X
Low=system capacity is low, major extension needed or requires unplanned city
participation in cost.
Consistent with emergency response goals
High=Fire average response time less than 3 minutes
Average=Fire average response time within 3-5 minutes X
Low=Fire average response time exceeds 5 minutes, or projected substantial
increase in service calls
lnves an nt/Ca alysa
Support prior City sponsored neighborhood/district investments or sub-area X
planning
Creates character/identity/sense of place X
Encourages economic development or diversification of retail commercial (Mixed X
Use Development)
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