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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes 8-14-20191 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT AMES, IOWA AUGUST 14, 2019 The Ames Zoning Board of Adjustment met, pursuant to law, in regular session at 6:01 p.m. on August 14, 2019, in the Council Chambers of City Hall with the following members present: Kyle Perkins, Amelia Schoeneman, and Rob Bowers. Members not present were Aladdin Al Katheri and Ronald Schappaugh. Assistant City Attorney Jane Chang and City Planners Eloise Sahlstrom and Justin Moore were also present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Moved by Perkins, seconded by Bowers, to approve the Minutes of the meeting of June 26, 2019, as written. Vote on Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. CASE NO. 19-06 SPECIAL USE PERMIT – CCRC OF AMES LLC, NORTHRIDGE VILLAGE, 3301 STANGE ROAD Public Hearing on application for a Special Use Permit to allow the construction of a Memory Care Building at Northridge Village, a senior living facility in the FS-RM (Suburban Residential Floating Zone, Residential Medium Density) Zoning District: City Planner Eloise Sahlstrom stated that the zoning for this area is Floating zone, Residential Medium. The proposed memory care facility will include 16 beds. The number of beds was approved back in 2013 with the master plan. This will be a one story facility. The architecture is similar to the other buildings on campus. The sidewalks will tie into the sidewalk network. The design includes landscaping that is in accordance with the requirements of City code. There is one tree on the property that will be shifted so as not to conflict with a light pole. Staff supports this request for a Special Use Permit. The reason it does have to come before the Zoning Board of Adjustment is because of the RM zoning that says this use always requires a Special Use Permit. Every change to the plan has had to come before the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Board Member Schoeneman asked if the condition on the garden pavilion was the same condition that is recommended by Staff for the memory care unit. Planner Sahlstrom stated that it is the same condition. The garden pavilion wasn’t going to require a letter of occupancy, but the memory care unit will. Therefore, before they can get their occupancy, they have to show that the easements have been recorded. Jordan Anderson, Scenic Development, 2114 West Sheridan Street, Olathe, KS, was sworn in and testified under oath. Mr. Anderson stated that Northridge Village has an independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing campus currently. There is no memory care on campus at this time, so when individuals develop Alzheimer’s, they have to be transferred to a different facility. Northridge would like to keep the residents on the same campus rather than sending them somewhere else. Scenic Development has done a lot of research on memory care because this has been an issue for projects that we have across the United States. These small buildings that look as much like a house as possible really have a calming effect on individuals with 2 Alzheimer’s and are really effective in keeping residents in a happy state. The memory care facility will be staffed with a four residents to one staff member ratio. Primarily those will be universal workers overseen by a registered nurse. Universal being that they will cook, clean, and provide care making the residents feel like part of the family in the house-like setting. No comments were made from the public. Moved by Perkins, seconded by Bowers, to adopt ORDER NO. 19-06, thereby approving the request for a Special Use Permit to allow the construction of the Memory Care Facility within the Northridge Village continuum of care campus in the FS-RM Zoning District at 3301 Stange Road and the following condition: a. All easements for public utilities on site will be recorded prior to the City issuance of a certificate of occupancy. Roll Call Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. CASE NO. 19-07 EXCEPTION – DELTA OMICRON HOUSE CORPORATION, 120 LYNN AVENUE Public Hearing on application for an exception to allow reduction in the off-street parking drive aisle width to be less than the required 24-foot width: City Planner Justin Moore introduced the request and reviewed the site plan, project description, applicable law, and Findings of Fact and Conclusions. Planner Moore stated that the request for the drive aisle width exception is being brought by Delta Omicron House Corporation at 120 Lynn Avenue. The zoning in this area is High Density Residential. It is also in the University East Impact Overlay District. The site is a .61 -acre site which the owners are in the process of seeking site plan approval on. The project will also require a demolition permit once the site plan is at an approvable state which will be considered by the City Council prior to final approval of the demolition permit. The proposed development is a three story, 66 bed sorority house. There is parking located on the east and south sides of the building. The drive aisle in question runs along the south side of the house off of Lynn Avenue. The requested exception is for reduction in the required drive aisle width from 24 feet to 22 feet. This is in order to accommodate the developer’s desire for the proposed house as well as to meet the required zoning setbacks, landscape planter beds, and minimum required parking stall depth. The parking stalls that are proposed are a 17-and-a-half-foot deep stall. They abut a seven-foot- wide landscape planter along the south side. The seven-foot depth is the minimum required to have healthy vegetation and healthy trees. The proposed twenty-two-foot drive aisle runs to the east almost to the property line. The analysis is based on the ability to adequately maneuver trucks, vans, and full size passenger vehicles. The fire department has deemed that the proposed drive aisle is wide enough to accommodate a fire truck and also to accommodate the turnaround of that fire truck at the back with a three-point turn. The proposed drive aisle width is adequate to the maneuvering of most trucks or full sized vehicles. This is not a site that will have day to day public access like commercial or busy industrial sites will. It is residential primarily designed for sorority members who live there. There will be the occasional delivery truck or garbage truck. However, traffic 3 levels like a standard commercial retail site are not anticipated. Recommendation from staff is in support of the request for the exception. Ms. Schoeneman asked to see an aerial image of the property. She also asked what the current width of the drive aisle is. Planner Moore presented an aerial image, but could not recall the current width of the drive aisle. Mike Pell, 701 53rd St, Des Moines, IA was sworn in and testified under oath. Mr. Pell stated that in looking at the existing site plan, the drive aisle, the parking in front of the house, all are non - conforming currently. The only thing that can’t move is the property limit even thought that was considered as well. There is a need to have a certain number of beds, because it’s financially viable so that the numbers work. Delta Omicron has to have a certain number of parking stalls per number of beds. It was decided to take two feet of the drive aisle width when no more could be taken off the building. This is a nice site plan and it will add not only to the neighborhood but it will add significantly to the experience that the students will have during those four or five years of college. The Board recessed at 6:19 pm and reconvened at 6:20 pm. No comments were made from the public. Moved by Bowers, seconded by Perkins, to adopt ORDER NO. 19-07, thereby approving the request for an exception of the zoning ordinance to allow reduction in the off-street parking drive aisle width to be less than the required 24-foot width to 22 feet. Board Member Schoeneman commented that she appreciated knowing that there are non- conforming issues with the property currently and that the applicant also looked into adjusting the property lines as an option. Roll Call Motion: 3-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Perkins, seconded by Schoeneman, to adjourn the meeting at 6:22 p.m. _____________________________ _____________________________ Jacque Higgins, Recording Secretary Amelia Schoeneman, Chair