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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA002 - Commission Action Form dated August 19, 2020 ITEM #: 5 DATE: 08-19-20 COMMISSION ACTION FORM REQUEST: REZONING FROM AGRICULTURAL (A) TO PLANNED RESIDENCE DISTRICT (F-PRD), A PRELIMINARY PLAT, AND A MAJOR SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR DOMANI AT 2200 OAKWOOD ROAD BACKGROUND: The property owner, Pinnacle Properties Ames. LLC, requests the rezoning of a parcel comprising 23.784 acres. The parcel is addressed as 2200 Oakwood Road. It also has frontage along street stubs for Suncrest Drive and Cottonwood Road (in two places). The site was annexed to the City in 2019 and is zoned Agricultural (A). The applicant is requesting rezoning to Planned Residence District (F-PRD) with a Residential Low Density (RL) base zone to allow for a single-family residential development with mostly zero-lot-line homes. (See Attachment A for Location and Existing Zoning Map and Attachment C for Proposed Zoning Map.) There will be 63 residential lots: 51 zero-lot- line lots and 12 custom-built sites at the south end. The proposed plan also includes a resident clubhouse with swimming pool, five common area outlots. and one subdivision sign outlot at the corner of Oakwood Road and Green Hills Drive. The land for Domani is primarily used as a farm field, with a small amount as farmyard, adjacent to an old farmhouse on Oakwood Road. The City's Christofferson Park abuts the property along most of the development's eastern edge. The western edge is primarily bordered by single-family homes developed as part of the Suncrest Subdivision in 2002-2006. Several of the abutting properties along the western edge of the site have extended their rear yard use onto the subject property. The proposed rezoning to a PRD allows for the developer to propose different housing types than allowed by standard zoning and request variations to base zone standards in support of the different housing types. PRDs are also intended to include open space and/or amenities not typical of a standard base zone development. The zero-lot-line homes are not typical of a standard base zone nor is proposed reduction in lot size. there by necessitating the PRD. Of the 51 zero-lot-line homes. 27 will be smaller than 6.000 square feet, the minimum lot size for the comparative base zone of RL. Although smaller than detached single-family home lots. the lot sizes are larger than single-family attached minimum lot sizes that would be permissible under FS-RL zoning. The zero- lot-line homes will be placed at one side lot line. then be setback back at least 10 feet on the opposite side to create a 'courtyard." or private patio space for the homeowner. Homes abutting the external boundaries of the development will comply with standard setbacks requirements. Attachment l' depicts the house layout plan for the subdivision. The Major Site Development Plan (MSDP) for Domani contains the site layout, including placement of the non-residential buildings. pedestrian and vehicular circulation, parking. stormwater detention/retention, open space and amenities, and landscaping. The I MSDP accompanying the PRD request will be the controlling plan for development of the site and its specific uses upon approval of the PRD. The Preliminary Plat controls for lot layout and public improvements. The project includes common open space of approximately 32% (outlots and the clubhouse lot. excluding right-of-way and residential lots). Combined with the patio and usable yard areas of the homes, the overall open space is 41%. This exceeds the 40% open space standard of the PRD. Due to the developer's concept of smaller lots with common area maintenance, the plan includes a proposed reduction in front and rear yard setbacks. Typical front yard setbacks would be 20 feet for a house and 25 feet for its garage in the FS-RL zoning district. The applicant proposes front yard setbacks of 20 feet or more for most homes and 8 feet for five lots at the south end of the development. The proposed clubhouse is approximately 10 feet from Green Hills Drive and 15 feet from Suncrest. Based upon past PRDs. setbacks along public streets within a new development may be reduced as proposed. Side and rear setbacks at the development perimeter will be the same as those of the base zone. RL. This includes a minimum of 6 feet for a one-story home. 8 feet for a two- story home. and 20 feet for a rear yard. Much of the perimeter of the development is drainage outlot or street (along Christofferson Park) and a minority of lots are situated along the perimeter of the site abutting other developed property. Two lots on the west side of the development on Suncrest Drive have 8-foot setbacks, one lot on Cottonwood Road on the east side has an 8-foot setback, six lots at the north end have 20-foot rear setbacks, and one lot (Lot 35) has a setback of 20 feet affecting its easternmost corner. Domani will extend and connect an existing street (Green Hills Drive) and three street stubs (Suncrest Drive and, in two places, Cottonwood Road). The development will create a new street stub at the south end, oriented for a future extension to Cedar Lane. An extension to the south was not required due to the location of an existing pond south of the site. The extended Green Hills Drive will border Hans Peter Christofferson Park and will provide pedestrian connections to the park from the west and south. The Christofferson Park parking lot will be modified to accommodate the extended Green Hills Drive. Modifications to the Park were reviewed by Parks and Recreation staff and the Parks and Recreation Commission. A condition requires an agreement with the developer prior to final plat approval on completing these improvements at the developer's cost. Domani's extension of the street stubs for Cottonwood Road and Suncrest Drive will create pedestrian access from existing neighborhoods to move eastward. In addition to pedestrian crossings at the street intersections. the applicant is providing mid-block connections across Green Hills Drive between Cottonwood Road and Suncrest Drive and between Suncrest Drive and Oakwood Road. The applicant has also designed connections to Christofferson Park that currently can only be accessed off Oakwood Road. The development of Domani will be broken into three phases (See Attachment G — Site Plan — Phasing Plan). The first phase will include the northern part of the property, plus several drainage outlots. It will also include a temporary sales trailer at the east side of the property, at the end of the current street stub for Cottonwood Road. This structure will serve as the sales office for the development until the clubhouse is constructed, which will then serve as the sales office. The second phase of development will complete the zero-lot-line homes and the final phase will be the 12 custom home lots. The Clubhouse is required to be under construction prior development of the 2nd phase and completed prior to the third phase. The Domani site sits between developed stormwater systems to the west and east. Water flows from the west through the site to the east, primarily towards the Wessex Apartment development. The City has mandatory stormwater management design requirements to control water quality and quantity related to new development. The City's standards are part of Chapter 5B of the Municipal Code. City staff, the applicant, and the applicant's engineer worked extensively to address regional drainage in relation to the site for drainage to Christofferson Park and the neighborhood to the west. The overall design includes conveyance of water from development to the west through to a detention pond on the east side of the site where it is then released to east. There is a separate detention pond in the north part of the development that diverts water to a storm sewer that goes north. This north pond design is beneficial to managing stormwater in the City's park. Off-site improvements with the park also benefit the connection of the system along the south side of the Wessex Apartment development. A drainage lot west of the subject property, south of homes along Cottonwood, has experienced problems with drainage in the past, based upon neighborhood input to the developer and previously to City staff. The City commissioned a study of the area in 2013 to review the performance of stormwater measures. The homes on the south side of Cottonwood Drive have been particularly affected by drainage problems. The drainage lot takes water from the nearby Ringgenberg neighborhood and conveys it east to the subject property where is connects to a field tile line. The applicant's engineer has analyzed the existing conditions and determined that the homes on the south side of Cottonwood Road are generally either at or below the modeled 100-year flood elevation of the current storm water conveyance measures on that lot. This system was designed and built with the prior subdivisions and does not meet current standards. The proposed Domani stormwater plan creates a new conveyance channel in Outlot D to pass water through to the east and then further downstream and off site. The applicant's design facilitates water conveyance improvements through the Domani site and meets the Chapter 5B requirements to treat and detain water, as well as provide for protection of homes in relation to the water surface elevations of the storm water features. This is of particular concern for the lot abutting the site at 2218 Cottonwood Road where the current code will require 3 feet of protection between the home and the new storm water feature. The applicant accomplishes this through the excavation of the channel and a berm along the common property line. The proposed stormwater design does not change the flood elevation of any other property that is upstream of the Domani property impacted by water flowing into and through the adjacent drainage lot as it is not directly connected to the Domani site due to diversionary berm on that lot. On-street parking will be provided throughout the neighborhood. As part of the extension of Green Hills Drive, the developer is redesigning the parking lot for Christofferson Park to provide for greater safety. Enhanced on street parking bays are proposed near the clubhouse. Each home will have a minimum of two required garage parking spaces. Homes with at least 20 feet of front yard setback can accommodate additional driveway parking. The proposed clubhouse is viewed as an accessory use and no off-street parking is recommend by staff for the use. The site is centrally located and walkable by the residents. There is on street parking adjacent to the site. A complete analysis of the development with the F-PRD Development principles, supplemental development standards, and Major Site Development Plan criteria and other zoning standards is included in the Addendum and Attachments. See Attachment D, Findings Regarding Planned Residence District (F-PRD) Development Principles,- Attachment E, Findings Regarding Planned Residence District (F-PRD) Supplemental Development Standards; and Attachment F, Findings Regarding Major Site Development Plan Criteria. ALTERNATIVES: 1. The Planning and Zoning Commission can recommend that the City Council approve the follow three requests for the property at 2200 Oakwood Road: A. Rezoning of the properties from Agricultural (A) to Planned Residence District (F-PRD) with a base zone of Residential Low Density (RL). B. Approval of the Preliminary Plat, subject to the following conditions: i. Label Outlot C; ii. Adjust trees where the sidewalk has shifted at the Cottonwood Road & Green Hills Drive intersection; iii. Add exterior setback lines for lots on Suncrest Drive (Lots 23 & 36), Cottonwood Road (Lot 1), Green Hills Drive (Lots 58-63), Green Hills Drive and Oakwood Road (Oakwood side of Lot 63), and Green Hills Drive (Lot 35 starting at the common lot line of Outlot C and Christofferson Park); iv. Remove striping for the parallel spaces along the northbound (east) side of Green Hills Drive; v. Correct all instances of"Cottonwood Drive" to "Cottonwood Road;" vi. Prior to final plat of each addition, provide a street tree, streetlight, and driveway plan to ensure adequate space exists for on street parking and trees; vii. Prior to final plat, enter into a development agreement with the City addressing improvements on City property and right-of-way, including timing, specifications, and developer's financial obligations. C. Approval of the Major Site Development Plan, subject to the following conditions: i. Label Outlot C; ii. Include the 20-foot setback line, as measured from the shared property line with Christofferson Park, to Lot 35, iii. Remove striping for the parallel spaces along the northbound (east) side of Green Hills Drive; 4