Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes 05/17/20231 MINUTES OF THE CITY OF AMES PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AMES, IOWA MAY 17, 2023 The Regular Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order by Chairperson Mike Sullivan at 7:02 p.m. on May 17, 2023 in the Council Chambers at 515 Clark Avenue. Commission Members present were Julie Winter, Mike Clayton, Mike Sullivan, Jon Emery, Mike LaPietra, and Matthew Voss. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Moved by Emery, seconded by Clayton, to approve the Agenda for the meeting of May 17, 2023. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion passed. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE MAY 3, 2023 MEETING Moved by Voss, seconded by LaPietra, to approve the Minutes of the May 3, 2023 meeting. Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion passed. PUBLIC FORUM Chairperson Sullivan opened the public forum and closed it when no one came forward to speak. PUBLIC HEARING ON A REZONING WITH MASTER PLAN FOR 4098 E. 13TH STREET City Planner Justin Moore presented the staff report and stated the applicant was requesting to rezone the property from Planned Industrial “PI” with the Northeast Gateway Overlay “O- GNE” to General Industrial “GI” and remove the O-GNE overlay with a Master Plan. The site was at one time the location of a proposed regional mall and the overlay was in place to preserve options for design compatibility with that purpose. Mr. Moore said the request to change to GI zoning is to allow for greater use of the site with the proposed building allowance. The Master Plan proposal shows two large warehouse buildings and a future site that will be divided off and have two small buildings on it. On the Master Plan, staff is stipulating that the buildings on the larger lot remain for warehouse use and the smaller site is restricted to industrial service and office use. Mr. Moore said the site will be served with water that currently exists along East 13th Street and sewer will be constructed later this year. Storm water detention will be provided on the southwest side of the lot. The land north and east of the site is outside the City limits; a land use analysis indicated the future land use for the land to the east is an employment classification and the land to the north would be RN-4 which would allow for a mixture of residential type uses. Planning Director Kelly Diekmann stated Master Plans for commercial or industrial sites are different than residential Master Plans in that some elements of a site plan are present and 2 they have a more detailed plan, however, it cannot be concluded that what is proposed is the exact grading plan for the site; rather it is meant to show the intent of the layout, setbacks, access points, and in general how the site is expected to develop. Michael Sullivan asked staff to explain why the request to remove the O -GNE overlay was acceptable in this situation. Mr. Moore said in this situation, staff felt the requirements placed on the Master Plan addressed the spirit of the O-GNE with the design intent and given that the property is already an industrial zone, taking it to another industrial zone was not seen as a major issue. Mr. Moore added the O-GNE was meant to address the look and feel of a shopping center. Matthew Voss asked if the removal of the overlay was mainly for the use of the property. Mr. Moore said the removal of the overlay would help the use somewhat, however, with the intent of the overlay, staff did not see the necessity for it. Mr. Diekmann added by agreeing to remove the overlay, the Commission would be facilitating the shown proposal. The proposal could possibly be done under the overlay, but there would be many things done to the buildings that are not normally required for this type of project. Julie Winter asked about the 40 foot setback on the north side. Mr. Moore said proposed landscaping and storm water treatment will be between the parking lot and the street, and he added that the setback on the west side is 50 feet and the east side is a minimum of 175 feet. Ms. Winter asked if the landscaping requirement in the GI zone is 15%; Mr. Moore confirmed 15% is the minimum requirement. Mike LaPietra asked if the southwest corner of the site was the water detention area. Mr. Moore confirmed it was the general location. Mr. LaPietra asked of the 15% of the site that is not developed, how much of that would be retention. Mr. Moore said the 15% minimum requirement must be green space or landscaped area, so if there is water in the detention pond, the surface of the water would not count toward the minimum landscape area. Mr. Diekmann added stormwater treatment features can count if they are dry, but not a wet pond. Mr. Emery asked if the O-GNE was planned for a one building site and if the new designation is what allows multiple buildings. Mr. Moore replied the O-GNE is more about the full design requirements for the previously proposed regional mall and the GI zoning is what allows the buildings to be arranged on the site and utilize the site for more room for the buildings. Mr. Diekmann added if the zoning stayed as PI, regardless of the overlay, there would be a 20% open space requirement, and to achieve a more eff icient footprint, the developer would have probably done one larger building. By having a little more square footage, they were willing to break it into two buildings to divide up the site and address some of the massing issues in the area. Mr. Sullivan asked staff to speak to how the use fits under the employment category in the Ames Plan 2040. Mr. Moore said the GI zoning district is intended for the employment category and the uses of industrial, business and jobs are all compatible with it. 3 Ms. Winter asked if a traffic study had been done considering the potential residential use on the north side. Mr. Moore said the applicant stated their use would generate 25 trucks per day, which is acceptable. John Gade with Fox Strand at 414 S. 17th Street addressed the Commission. He stated he represented the developers, and they are very excited about the project and believe it will fill a need for the community and local businesses that need storage. He said the request for the rezoning is to allow the applicants to maximize the buildable footprint on the lot instead of having to buy more land. They are agreeing to the conditions and requirements of staff and the buildings will be architecturally attractive rather than just a big square building. Mr. Gade added they have completed a traffic impact study which shows that no turn lane improvements are needed along 13th Street, but at the City’s request, they will be installing a 12 foot lane along the frontage of the property. Chairperson Sullivan opened public comments. Mark Gannon of 3613 Stagecoach Road stated he manages the land north of the proposed development and said the owners of that land are considering voluntarily annexing it to the City. He asked if road improvements were planned and, if so, would it affect them financially by increasing their taxes. Mr. Gannon expressed concern about water drainage problems from the north where water flows into a ditch and frequently goes over the road, and he stressed that the impact to the surrounding properties should be taken into consideration. Mr. Sullivan closed public comments when no one else came forward to speak. Mr. Gade stated management of the water is paramount and they cannot cause detriment to the neighbors. He said they will be adding a storm sewer along the East 13th Street right- of-way and will be filling in the ditch that Mr. Gannon referred to and making it an urbanized section with curb, gutter and storm sewer. Mr. Diekmann said at this stage staff does not have the development details, and an actual stormwater management plan will be included with the subdivision of the site which will spell out the specifics of what quantities of water are being addressed and the methods they are being treated and controlled. Mr. Clayton asked Mr. Gade if the storm sewer being installed would address the water concerns expressed by Mr. Gannon. Mr. Gade said it would, in addition to all the on-site storm sewer improvements being done. Moved by Winter, seconded by Clayton, to recommend that the City Council approve the request to rezone the property located at 4098 East 13th Street from “PI” (Planned Industrial) with the O-GNE (Northeast Gateway Overlay) to “GI” (General Industrial) with a Master Plan removing the O-GNE (Northeast Gateway Overlay) with the following conditions: A. Finalize Master Plan details generally consistent with Attachment D, limitations described within the Addendum of this report, and to include building material and façade design elements prior to City Council approval of the rezoning.