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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAtt 3 ITEM: 6 DATE: 09/19/18 COMMISSION ACTION FORM SUBJECT: ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT TO REVISE THE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL (NC) ZONING DISTRICT. BACKGROUND: The City Council received a request from Fareway Stores Inc. to consider initiating a Zoning Text Amendment in relation to the Neighborhood Commercial zoning standards for their Downtown store location. Fareway has an interest in redeveloping the site of their Downtown store located at 619 Burnett. Fareway owns the entire block bounded by Burnett Avenue, 7th Street, Clark Avenue, and 6th Street. Fareway's goal is to redevelop the block with a new medium-sized grocery store of approximately 24,247 square feet placed along Burnett Avenue, with the front of the store facing west and with abundant parking located on the west half of the site. City Council reviewed the request at its August 14th meeting and agreed to proceed with changes identified by Fareway and staff and to consider a rewrite of the NC zoning district. The existing Fareway store is 20,720 SF and has existed at this location since 1969. The location of the store is beneficial to the surrounding neighborhoods and is very walkable and convenient location for many in the City. However, the current building is nonconforming in many regards to its building location and site improvements. Fareway looks to reinvest in the site by replacing the current store with a modern Fareway store. The current store is intended to remain open during the construction of the new store. There are a number of issues for siting a grocery store in the NC zoning district due to the overall size of the site and the fact that the site encompasses street frontage on four sides. These issues necessitate a review the NC zoning standards. Although initiated on behalf of Fareway, any changes would apply to all NC zoning properties in the City. Fareway representatives provided a letter dated June 18th requesting City Council to consider zoning changes in support of their redevelopment of the Downtown store location. A Staff report was provided to Council on August 14, 2018 identifying eight standards that are an issue for the proposed Fareway redevelopment and asking for City Council consideration fo changes. Six of these standards that are,an issue for the proposed redevelopment are included within the Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zoning district standards. The requested changes are a combination of issues with the Fareway site as a four street sided lot along with other preferences of Fareway for their development plans. The list of NC standards related to the Fareway request include: • Maximum Lot Area of 100,000 square feet • Maximum front yard setback of 60 feet • Minimum front yard setback of 10 feet 1 • Parking prohibited between the building and the street • Prohibition on outdoor display and sales • Maximum signage size of 16 square feet, except up to 32 square feet when facing an arterial street In addition to these standards, Council initiated related amendments for remote parking and alternative landscape plans that are part of separate actions by the Commission. CURRENT NC ZONING REGULATIONS: The NC zoning district is a unique zone created in 2000 to address isolated commercial sites scattered throughout the City that did not fit within the other commercial districts of the City. It is considered a small scale neighborhood-friendly commercial' district zoning; however, sometimes its use is as a catch-all when other zoning was not deemed appropriate. For this reason, it is sometimes difficult to find characteristics that reflect the majority of the district properties and to consider the ramifications of changes. The stated purpose of the district (found in Section 29.801(1)) speaks to this relationship: "The Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zone is intended for small areas in or near residential neighborhoods. The zone encourages the provision of small-scale retail and service use for nearby residents. Uses Parcels are restricted in size to promote a local orientation and to limit adverse impacts on nearby residential areas. Development is intended to be pedestrian- oriented and compatible with the scale of surrounding residential areas. Parking areas are strictly regulated, to promote compatibility with the character of surrounding residential development and the intended pedestrian orientation of the uses." The difficulty in evaluating redevelopment proposals that rely on changing standards is the balancing of citywide expectations with individual project interests. Therefore, in preparation for this amendment, staff undertook an extensive evaluation of the areas and parcels making up each NC area. The intent was to determine what impacts changes to the district standards might have on existing parcels, but also to understand what attributes might be enhanced through a rewrite of the NC zoning district. Currently, there are eight NC district areas around the City. There are 56 parcels zoned NC- this is fewer than most of the other districts in the city. These include: north of Downtown between 6th and 7th Street, the corner of 6th/Grand Avenue, the corner of 24th/Grand Avenue, 35th/ Grand Avenue, the corner of Creekside and S 16th St., the corner of S. Hazel and Lincoln Way, properties on West Street, and the Florida Ave/Reliable Street area. Each grouping of NC sites varies in size, from the smallest with less than an acre to the largest encompassing 11.45 acres. The total acreage of all NC zoned properties is 29.3 acres. Sites within each district also vary in size, from approximately 3,000 square feet for a site on West Street to the Fareway site, which totals 100,800 square feet. The majority of parcels include small buildings with building footprints less than 2500 SF that predate the establishment of the district. Due to the age of the sites, many of the sites have nonconformities. All eight NC zoning groupings have residential uses abutting them on at least two sides, although many are completely surrounded by residential zoning. 2 PROPOSED AMENDMENTS: The proposed changes are divided into base zone standards related directly to the Fareway request. The changes are proposed in response to the Fareway request and are intended be responsive to the request while ensuring that the intent of the district is maintained with the new standards. The second set of changes are related to design issues and signage. Staff has highlighted options for other changes to clean-up the administration of the zoning district and to add design requirements consistent with how other similarly situated zones are written, specifically Convenience General Service (CGS), where the north Fareway store is located. A full draft of all changes is included as Attachment 'A'. Base Zoning Standards • Maximum Lot Area of 20,000 square feet, 30,000 square feet, and 100,000 square feet and approval with Special Use Permit— In many zones it is common to have a minimum lot area. It is uncommon to have a maximum lot area- This standard is unique to the NC zone and is believed to be directed at ensuring large retail uses do no locate in or adjacent to neighborhoods. Exceeding the maximum lot area has not previously been a concern in NC. Currently, no lots exceed 100,000 square feet; it is only through the assemblage of multiple properties that causes this to occur. The Fareway lot size is expanding to include the entire block. This increase is needed to support the redevelopment of the site, while keeping the existing store operational. Staff supports eliminating the max lot area in regards to all sites and uses. Staff recommends establishing a special use permit requirement that includes a more discretionary review of larger projects based on a site size threshold of 20,000 square feet. The 20,000 square foot threshold is based on the current zoning site size limit of 20,000 square feet for a single building. Requiring discretionary review with larger projects is consistent with the intent of the prior zoning, but allows for more redevelopment options with larger sites. It will be incumbent upon the review process to ensure scale, use, and design address the intent for the zoning district. • Maximum street lot line setback of 60 feet— Similar to prohibiting parking between the building and the street, the maximum street lot line setback of 60-feet encourages buildings to be sited closer to the street than they might be otherwise. The difficulty with the Fareway site is that with an entire block encompassing four street frontages, one or more of the frontages will necessarily result in a setback of more than 60-feet. The intent of the standard is met when the building is located with a street and corner relationship, but the maximum setback will still be exceeded. Therefore, staff recommends changing the standard to front lot line setback which would allow the building sides to be setback from a street with the front located near the street. The parking location issue is addressed separately. • Minimum front yard setback of 10 feet — The standard for front setbacks in residential areas is generally 25-feet. Commercial front setbacks vary from 0-feet in urban areas 3 of the city to 20-feet in suburban areas. A front yard setback of 10-feet provides room for both front yard landscaping and architectural projections from the facade while creating a street edge. Due to unique site conditions, staff supports changes to the minimum setbacks to address the different context of the diverse NC zoned sites. Staff recommends that a reduction to five feet be allowed where enhanced design interest is added. This will enable constrained sites, such as Fareway, to have a means to implement a smaller setback. Additionally, staff recognizes the importance of a primary public building entrance connection at the front street facing facade. As an incentive to promote pedestrian-oriented design preferences, staff is also recommending a zero setback if the primary street facade includes a primary public entrance. • Parking prohibited between the building and the street—This is an important criteria in supporting a pedestrian-friendly and walkable district purpose of the zone. Encouraging buildings located near a street creates accessibility and interest without the interruption of parking and automobile focused design. The difficulty with the Fareway site is that with four street frontages, the building automatically results in at least one building frontage having parking located between the building and the street. Staff has addressed this unusual situation by an exception allowing parking between the building and the street when the site is bounded by more than two streets. With the wording of this standard, typical corner lot would still require a building at the street, it is only if there are three or four street frontages that an allowance for one side is permitted. • Prohibition on outdoor display and sales — Outdoor display and sales have a mixed pattern of applicability to commercial zones. It is prohibited in many commercial districts and limited to Plants and Produce in others. Section 29.405 (b) provides regulatory guidance for outdoor display areas, where permitted. In the discussion of the issues with the City Council, it was the consensus of the Council that the outdoor sales be limited to ensure items like fireworks are not allowed. In response to Fareway's request, Staff recommends that the current prohibition of outdoor display and sales be relaxed in the NC district, by allowing the outdoor display of plants and produce only, as is allowed in other zoning districts outside of Highway Oriented Commercial zones. • Maximum signage size of 16 square feet, except up to 32 square feet when facing an arterial street — Signage is purposefully limited in NC due to proximity to residential use. Fareway has requested a change to allow for their typical corporate "sign package" which would include two signs on a facade and a size allowance of up to 120 square feet per sign. At the initiation of the text amendment in August, staff was asked to consider the compatibility of the signage request with other sites throughout the City. The current NC standard is 16 square feet for each wall sign with an increase to 32 square feet for walls facing arterial streets. The City utilizes these sizing standards in other size sensitive zones. Most zones, such as Highway Oriented Commercial have not individual sign limitation. However, for comparison the North Ames' Fareway store 4 located within a CGS zoning district is limited to 16 square feet but allows an increase to 70 square feet for signage facing arterials. However, CGS zoning limits signage to a maximum of two signs per tenant space. The installed signage in North Ames is smaller in size than the current allowance. Staff supports some modification related to the unique conditions of the larger site and larger building. It is appropriate for larger buildings to be allowed larger signage or increased signage while ,maintaining some proportionate relationship to the architecture. There are many instances where overly large lettering is forced upon a building facade, resulting in signage that looks inappropriate and out-of-scale. Additionally, viewing wall signage near a property line from a sidewalk is much different than viewing the same signage across a large parking lot in a shopping center. Currently within the NC zoning, wall signage is only limited in location (street facing walls) and in size- but not in number. This would be a non-issue with smaller buildings, but is and issue with larger buildings. Staff recommends that the standard restrict signage to a maximum of two facades, with the allowance that one additional wall sign of 70 square feet would be permitted for buildings exceeding 10,000 square feet. This would keep the standard as it is for smaller buildings, but would allow for an additional larger sign for larger buildings. Staff has also clarified the signage lighting standard that is intended to control internally illuminated signs. It is now clearly stated that external lighting, direct or indirect is required, rather than a reference to down lighting. Additional Proposed Changes. The following are additional changes proposed by staff beyond those requested by Fareway: • Minimum Lot Frontage —Although the 60-foot lot frontage is not an issue for Fareway, 50 feet is the typical lot frontage for all residential zones as well as several commercial districts. Staff believes that a 50-foot frontage standard is a more common standard and is more compatible with the adjacent residential uses. • Maximum Building Coverage — Staff supports the increase of the maximum building coverage from 35% to at least 40%. A 35% maximum is common for single family uses, but considered low for commercial districts intended for buildings on small sites. The 40% threshold maintains consistency of scale with residential zoning allowances for uses other than single family dwellings. • The Addition of Architectural Standards — At the time the NC zoning was written the City had not established design standards for commercial zones. Over time changes have been made to write newer zoning districts, such as CGS, and institute design criteria that express the interest of the City supporting quality design features. Not all zones include design requirements; however, they are most appropriate when issues of compatibility and meeting the intent and purpose of the zone are a concern. 5 Design standard could be utilized within NC to promote neighborhood compatibility and pedestrian-friendly development. These standards would provide clearer direction on expectations in addition to the general criteria of the Special Use Permit process. For example, through the use of architectural standards, massive stretches of blank walls can be broken up through detailing, and fenestration (openings such as windows). Larger buildings can include features to give the appearance of smaller shops, rather than simply a big box. These features together address the massing and scale of a building and increase its visual interest. Of the various commercial districts within the city, NC can realize the most gain in implementing architectural standards. Staff proposes to utilize the requirements of the CGS zoning district that were written in 2010 as the basis for NC zoning design standards. Although CGS zoning is written as suburban style shopping center district, many of the standards are appropriate for larger scaled commercial buildings that could be built in NC zoning. Staff proposes the design standards only apply to buildings with facades exceeding 60 linear feet and they do not require one specific design style. An alternative to facade length threshold could be a square footage related to the Special Use Permit process. The design standards address the following: o Exterior Building Materials. o Fagade Treatment. o Roof Design. o Pedestrian Circulation. o Lighting Requirements. ALTERNATIVES: 1. The Planning & Zoning Commission can recommend approval of the text amendments as presented herein to the Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zoning district for changes to the base zone standards and inclusion of new architectural standards. 2. The Planning & Zoning Commission can recommend approval of the text amendments only related to the Fareway request for the NC base zone standards. 3. The Planning & Zoning Commission can recommend alternative language to the proposed text amendment. 4. The Planning and Zoning Commission can request additional information and defer making a recommendation. 5. The Planning and Zoning Commission can recommend the City Council decline to approve any changes to the NC zoning district. RECOMMENDED ACTION: The proposed changes are designed to accommodate the interest of redeveloping the Downtown Fareway site, which is a unique site within the context of NC zoning. However, the changes in site size and setbacks do allow for potentially larger redevelopment to occur in 6 other areas of the city as well. To mitigate this, staff believes a public review process, such as Major Site Plan or Special Use Permit, is essential for reviewing larger sites. The proposed changes are an appropriate balance struck between the reductions in limitations regarding lot size, setbacks, signage, and parking with the goals for limited size development within the district. The proposed additional design standards provided greater detail on expectations for appropriate development in these areas and is consistent with other smaller scale commercial zoning districts. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the Department of Planning and Housing that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommend approval of Alternative #1, which is for the Planning & Zoning Commission to recommend to the City Council approval of the Neighborhood Commercial (NC) Zone amendments to Table 29.801(3), along with the addition of Architectural Standards, Pedestrian Circulation Standards, Lighting Requirements, and amendments to the Signage Regulations. 7 ATTACHMENT `A' Draft Changes to NC Zoning Standards with strikeout and underline Sec.29.801.NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL ZONING STANDARDS. (1)Purpose.The Neighborhood Commercial (NC)zone is intended for small areas in or near residential neighborhoods.The zone encourages the provision of small-scale retail and service use for nearby residents. Uses are restricted in size to promote a local orientation and to limit adverse impacts on nearby residential areas. Development is intended to be pedestrian-oriented and compatible with the scale of surrounding residential areas. Parking areas are strictly regulated,to promote compatibility with the character of surrounding residential development and the intended pedestrian orientation of the uses. (2)Permitted Uses.The uses permitted in the NC Zone are set forth in Table 29.801(2) below: Table 29.801(2) Neighborhood Commercial(NC)Zone Uses USE CATEGORY STATUS APPROVAL APPROVAL REQUIRED AUTHORITY RESIDENTIAL USES Group Living N Household Living Y SDP Minor Staff Short-term Lodgings N OFFICE USES Y SDP Minor Staff TRADE USES Retail Sales and Services-General Y SDP Minor Staff Retail Trade-Automotive,etc. N Entertainment,Restaurant and Recreation Y SDP Minor Staff Trade Wholesale Trade N INDUSTRIAL USES Industrial Service N INSTITUTIONAL USES Colleges and Universities N Community Facilities Y SDP Minor Staff Social Service Providers Y SDP Minor Staff Medical Centers N Parks and Open Areas N Religious Institutions Y SDP Minor Staff Schools N TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND UTILITY USES Passenger Terminals N Basic Utilities Y SDP Minor Staff 8 Y, only as s an Commercial Parking accessory use for SDP Minor Staff remote parking pursuant to Section 29.406 18 Personal Wireless Communication Facilities Y SP ZBA Radio and TV Broadcast Facilities N Rail Line and Utility Corridors N Railroad Yards N MISCELLANEOUS USES Commercial Outdoor Recreation N Child Day Care Facilities Y SDP Minor Staff Detention Facilities N Major Event Entertainment N N,except convenience stores in combination Vehicle Service Facilities with gasoline service and SP ZBA car wash,by Special Use Permit. Y=Yes:permitted as indicated by required approval N=No:prohibited SP=Special Use Permit required:See Section 29.1503 SDP Minor=Site Development Plan Minor:See Section 29.1502(3) SDP Major=Site Development Plan Major:See Section 29.1502(4) ZBA= Zoning Board of Adjustment (3)Zone Development Standards. The zone development standards for the NC Zone are set forth in Table 29.801(3)below: Table 29.801(3) Neighborhood Commercial(NC)Zone Development Standards DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS NC ZONE Maximum FAR 0.70 Maximum site development size 20,000 sf,sites greater than 20,000 sf require a Special Use Single Building Permit according to Sec. 29.1503 Maximum m Lot A,.e.. Neighbor-heed lie., meFeial Center e 30y,000-4 Maximum Let Area for-We existing Buildings and D.e 100,000 sf(with a .al by Special_T Jse P ffmit a eFdi fig te See.i9.1503 Minimum Lot Frontage 69-50 ft. Minimum Building Setbacks: ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ................ ......e bed bipe Primary Facade with a Primary 0 ft , public pedestrian entrance ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Side ee Primary or Secondary Facade with 9-10 ft.,may be reduced to 5-feet with approval of Special no nrimary public pedestrian entrance Use Permit-where there is enhanced design interest with features such as windows,building relief, high quality 9 10 d.Fenestration such as windows or doors, along no less than 30 percent of the length of the facade. Windows must not be more than four feet above the finish floor elevation and must either allow views into the interior space or be a display window, and e.Projecting structures such as arcades, arbors, or awnings,with a depth of 10-feet along no less than 40 percent of the length of the facade. (ii)Architectural features mgy protrude into setbacks. (c)Roof Design. In order to look similar to other existing residential dwellings, architectural elements shall divide the mass of a large building into smaller identifiable pieces. All buildings shall incorporate one or more of the following: (i)Roof elements commonly found on unattached or attached single-family dwellings, such as pitched roofs equal to or steeper than 6.12 gables dormers or cupolas with a durable high- quality surface, such as architectural shingles, standing seam metal or tile; (ii)Variations in roof forms and also variation in height of roof elements; and/or (iii)Parapets concealing flat roofs or single-slope roofs, having a variation in height including a three-dimensional cornice. (iv)Roof forms that correspond to and bring attention to elements and functions such as entrances, arcades,porches, building corners and/or focal points. (v)Flat roofs shall not be permitted for any structure with a residential use; (5)Pedestrian Circulation. (a) Site design shall include a pedestrian pathway system on the perimeter and within the site to support neighborhood access from surrounding areas and transit stops on its periphery: (b)An on-site sidewalk shall connect the street to a primary pedestrian entrance of the primary structure on the site. On corner lots, on-site sidewalks shall connect both streets to a primary pedestrian entrance of the building; and (c) Where two or more buildings are on the same lot or on adjacent lots, on-site sidewalks shall connect at least one pedestrian entrance of each building. (66,)Signage Standards.The sign standards for the NC Zone are set forth below: (1)No signs aFeFmitte.a :,, the Neigl,ber-heed!".,,, finer-esi l R IC) zoning dickr-iet o ept these signs Laa)(2-)The only types of signs permitted in the Neighborhood Commercial (NC)zoning district are wall signs and monument signs. LbX-)Size restrictions. Q(a)A wall sign is a sign that is displayed by being affixed to the outside of an exterior wall of a building in which at least one business is located. Wall signs shall be affixed to only those walls that face a street,with a maximum of two facades with signage.A wall sign shall be no larger than sixteen square feet, except that a wall sign may be up to thirty-two square feet in size if it is on a lot that abuts an arterial street, and the wall sign faces the arterial street. One additional wall sign per eligible facade of up to 70 square feet is permitted buildings exceeding 10,000 sq. ft. ii (b)Monument signs shall be no larger than sixteen square feet, excluding the base; and no more than one such sign is permitted for each principal building on a lot.A monument sign is not permitted on a lot that is not the site of a principal building. If the principal building is on a lot that abuts an arterial street,the monument sign may be as large as thirty-two square feet, excluding the base. 11 (cl(44 Height restrictions.The maximum permissible height for a monument sign is eight feet, including the sign base;that is,the top of a monument sign shall be no more than eight feet above the grade of the site on which it is erected.However,the height of a monument sign, including the base, may be up to twelve feet if the sign is erected on a lot that abuts on an arterial street. L41-(5)Lighting restrictions.The lighting of both wall signs and monument signs shall use external direct or indirect lighting sources,without the use of up lighting. lighting be ^eeated dewnwafd• If the sign faces an abutting residential lot, or a residentially zoned lot that is separated from the site of the illuminated sign by only one street,the face of the illuminated sign shall have a dark background. (7)Lighting Outdoor lighting shall comply with Section 29.411 and also comply with the following: (a)Types of outdoor lighting prohibited: (i)Bare lamps; (ii)Neon fiber optics rope,L.E.D. or other types of strip style lighting; (iii) Illuminated translucent materials; (iv)Illuminated striping or banding; and (b)Pole mounted lights exceeding 25 feet in height. (cc) General floodlighting of buildings is not permitted. Lighting may be used to highlight specific architectural features such as building entrances, provided that the light output shall be directed totally to that specific architectural feature. faParking Requirements.All parking is required to be provided on-site as required in Table 29.405(2). 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