Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Amended Major Site Development Plan for 2205 Green Hills Drive RESOLUTION NO. 14-474 RESOLUTION APPROVING AMENDED MAJOR SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR 2205 GREEN HILLS DRIVE FOR THE CITY OF AMES,IOWA WHEREAS,Civil Design Advantage,LLC,(CDA),on behalf of the Green Hills Retirement Community,is requesting approval of a Major Site Development Plan to amend the existing Green Hills Community Planned Residential Development(PRD); and, WHEREAS,Green Hills originated as a retirement community as part of a conceptual master plan with the nearby Gateway Hotel in 1979, and the residential tower and health center was built in 1985-86; and, WHEREAS,the overall complex has gone through four major expansions since the original development,with the last revision in 2011 to expand the health services on the campus and for site improvements for its residents; and, WHEREAS, the existing complex includes ownership homes, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities; and, WHEREAS,the following list summarizes the proposed uses and changes to the existing Site Plan to accommodate the next phases of development: revision to the current health care center administrative area and main entrance to accommodate a proposed residential expansion;four-story, 32-unit addition on east side of the existing high-rise building for a new independent senior living wing; four-story,20-unit future addition to the independent living expansion on the east side of the existing high-rise building for a new independent senior living wing addition;one-story addition and renovation on southeast side of existing tower for a new 6,500 square foot commons area to include a theater, game room, auditorium, and library; increase of 36 surface level parking spaces (14 of which are future expansion)in the area of the new main entrance for the campus;increase of 52 new underground parking spaces for the independent living wing and future expansion; and, a 67-space employee parking lot expansion of the north parking lot located across from the recent memory care addition; and, WHEREAS,the applicant has proposed a phasing plan for the PRD,which includes multiple phases for all the proposed amendments as described:Completion of the North Detention Pond work — 1 year(following completion of the City project to clean out the existing pond);north Parking Lot Expansion — 1 to 2 years; Independent Living 32-unit Addition with parking — 1 to 2 years; Commons Addition and Remodeling— 1 to 2 years; future Commons Remodeling—3 to 5 years; Independent Living 20-unit Addition with parking — 3 to 10 years; and, future Commons 6,500 square foot amenity space Phase—5 to 10 years; and, WHEREAS,the applicant has noted that the proposed phasing plan is established as a means of allowing for the center to create new living units first as a means to fund the future projects noted in the plan; and, WHEREAS, while this approach is understandable, staff notes an initial concern that the intent of the PRD is to allow for a unique development type that allows for a blend of housing types, opens spaces and amenities that typically could not be developed in standard base zones; and, WHEREAS, the concern was that 52 new living units are being added without the benefit of new amenity spaces until much further along in the phasing plan; and, WHEREAS, the applicant believes that the amenities included with the 2011 amendments (i.e.,wellness center and pool)are supportive of the proposed expansion as well,and that the phasing plan is appropriate for the scale of intensification that is proposed; and, WHEREAS, the new development does not detract from the overall site plan approach and design of the development that has already been built in the sense that low density is maintained to the south and the new development is intensification of mid-rise buildings to the north with existing taller buildings; and, WHEREAS, it is noted that while most of the new development area is within a vacant area of the site,the proposed parking lot addition does impact the natural wooded area of the campus to the north and consideration should be given to the extent of clearing needed for the parking area and the landscaping proposed along a natural feature of the site; and, WHEREAS, the new expansion and parking lot areas will also decrease the overall open space percentage of the Green Hills development from the previously approved Major Site Plan. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that the amended Major Site Development Plan for the Green Hills Community Planned Residence District Zone, as submitted, is hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 26th day of August, 2014. Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor Introduced by: Goodman Seconded by: Corrieri Voting aye: Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Goodman,Nelson, Orazem Voting nay: None Absent: None Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 26" day of August, 2014.