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Home My WebLink AboutA6 Item #: 3 Date: 09-28-16 CITY OF AMES DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND HOUSING REPORT TO THE ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MEETING DATE: September 28, 2016 REQUEST: To allow reduction in the off-street parking space dimensions to be less than the required full sized vehicle depth. DEVELOPER/CONTRACT PURCHASER: Kevin McGraw, River Caddis Development LOCATION: 2700, 2702, 2718, 2728 Lincoln Way, 112 and 114 S. Hyland Avenue, and 115 S. Sheldon Avenue ZONING: "CSC" - Campustown Service Center, (Zoning Pending) BACKGROUND: The Developer of the 1.8 acre site is in the process of seeking a number of related entitlements for the development of a large mixed-use student housing project for the 2700 Block of Lincoln Way. The development proposal consists of ground level commercial uses and a hotel lobby along Lincoln Way. The Sheldon frontage includes commercial uses, apartment lobby and leasing offices, bike valet, and the entrance to the parking structure. The Hyland ground floor frontage includes the hotel rooms and the access to the surface parking area of the project. All of the parking is located to the south behind the building in the aforementioned surface lot and underground parking structure. Residential apartments are proposed on the 2"d to 6th floors of the building. Parking in the CSC zoning district is required for all of the residential uses at a rate of 1 space for every apartment and hotel room. The commercial uses have no required parking. The developer requests the parking space dimension exception to allow for additional sidewalk walk width along the Lincoln Way frontage that otherwise would not be able to be accommodated by the developer with the proposed project. APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS: Chapter 29, Section 29.406(9)(c) of the Municipal Code, states: ". . . In circumstances where a strict application would result in unnecessary practical difficulties, the Zoning Board of Adjustment may, after notice and hearing, authorize such specific, limited exceptions to the [above] table of dimensions as it shall find warranted and consistent with: (i) protecting landscaping features, and; (ii) adequate space for maneuvering of trucks, vans and full sized 1 passenger vehicles. No exceptions shall be allowed for any other feature of the off street parking rules." REQUESTED EXCEPTION: To be allowed to reduce the required off-street parking dimension to 9' by 18' from the required full sized vehicle depth of 19 feet. FINDINGS: 1. The contract owner/developer is developing the seven properties noted above to allow for the construction of a new mixed use commercial and student housing development on the combined 1.8 acre site. The applicant has all seven parcels currently under contract and is in the process of rezoning the property to the Campustown Service Center zoning district. 2. The proposed redevelopment of the site will remove the existing small commercial and multi-family residential buildings on the property and develop a new six-story building with commercial space and a small boutique hotel on the ground floor, with 6 stories of apartments above. A surface parking area is proposed on the south side of the overall property with additional underground parking to serve the apartment units. 3. The applicant is allowed by Section 29.406(9)(b) to have 20 percent, of the required parking spaces, as compact spaces, which measures eight feet in width and 16 feet in depth. As proposed the project requires a total of 179 parking spaces. The applicant is providing 181 parking spaces on site, with a total of 31 being compact spaces. The compact spaces are located in both the underground parking structure and the surface lot. 3. The proposed development includes the required 5-foot L2 landscape screen along the west property line of the Hyland Street frontage, and the required 5-foot L3 screen along the south property abutting an existing apartment development. 4. Lincoln Way currently has 10-feet of existing right-of-way for a shared use path between the curb line and property line of the site. Campustown sidewalks along Lincoln Way are generally wider than 10 feet to support high pedestrian traffic levels and to support commercial storefronts. The City Council and city staff have both requested that the sidewalk with along Lincoln Way be increased by as much width as possible to create a sidewalk which is in keeping with the goals of Campustown as a walk able urban environment with commercial uses. With the revision of the parking stalls to 18 feet in depth from the required 19', the developer is able to gain an additional three feet in width in the pedestrian sidewalk along Lincoln Way by shifting the whole building south an additional three feet. ANALYSIS: The Zoning Ordinance states that an Exception shall meet the following standards: 2 1. The exception is warranted and consistent with protecting landscaping features. The request supports City goals for widening of sidewalks along Lincoln Way. Due to the layout of the site of meeting commercial square footage and depth interests and the apartment configurations with some surface parking and some underground parking, there was a difficulty in widening the Lincoln Way sidewalk and meeting the development goals. Without the exception, the developer would have to consider replacing surface parking spaces with additional underground parking spaces to create additional space to adjust the building location along Lincoln Way. Such as change is expensive and not able to be accomplished by the developer to meet the interest of widening the Lincoln Way sidewalk. Granting this exception has no impact on the landscaping associated with this project. The applicant has provided a Landscape Plan, which identifies the proposed perimeter parking lot landscaping to an L2 standard along the west side of the surface parking lot and landscaping to a L3 standard along the south property line. The L2 and L3 standards do allow for use of fencing in combination with vegetation to meet the intended screening goals. Staff finds that the reduced stall dimensions will not cause difficulties for vegetation growth or survival along the south property line due to potential additional vehicle overhang from the reduced stall depth. The intent for screening will not be affected by the change in stall depths. Therefore, staff believes that this request is consistent with this standard. 2. The exception is warranted and consistent with adequate maneuvering of trucks, vans and full-sized passenger vehicles. There is no change to the required aisle width for this development. The developer's engineer has reviewed this proposed development plan, and he believes there is adequate maneuvering space for the three types of vehicles. A graphic of the parking lot maneuvering has been provided in the application documents. The engineer has also provided a list of parking stall requirements for other communities to demonstrate that a 9' by 18' parking space is not unique to this type of development and is typical in other communities. Parking space design is often a function of intended services levels of ease of use based on the combination of stall width, depth, and aisle width. These factors affect the ease of making turning movements. The City's current dimensions are typical of requirement for high-turnover parking spaces in surface parking lots. In this case the uses is not a high-turnover environment and the adjusted dimensions will still provide for reasonable access to the parking spaces to ensure that they are usable. Therefore, staff believes that this request is consistent with this standard. 3 ALTERNATIVES: 1. The Zoning Board of Adjustment can approve this request for an exception to Section 29.406(9)(c) of the Zoning Ordinance to allow for a smaller (9' by 18') parking stall dimension than required. 2. The Zoning Board of Adjustment can deny this request for an exception to Section 29.406(9)(c) of the Zoning Ordinance to allow for smaller (9' by 18') parking stall dimensions than required. 3. The Zoning Board of Adjustment can refer this request back to staff and/or the applicant for further information. DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION: The Zoning Ordinance allows for an exception to parking space dimension to be granted by the Zoning Board of Adjustment when the exception is warranted due to practical difficulties and as long as landscape features are protected and adequate space for maneuvering of trucks, vans, and full sized passenger vehicles is provided. Staff strongly supports the goal of widening the sidewalk with along Lincoln Way and believes this interest warrants consideration of the stall depth reduction. Staff believes these two criteria are met with this plan. Furthermore, compliance with all other standards such as landscaping, setbacks, and infrastructure improvements to current ordinance standards are planned for this parking lot improvement project. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the Department of Planning and Housing that the Zoning Board of Adjustment accepts Alternative #1. This will approve the request for an exception to Section 29.406(9)(c) of the Zoning Ordinance to allow for smaller (9' by 18') parking stall dimension than required. 4