Board of Zoning and Planning Members. Justin A. Milam, AICP, Planning Officer. Positive recommendation of a rezoning to City Council.

Transcription

1 To: From: Board of Zoning and Planning Members Justin A. Milam, AICP, Planning Officer Prepared for Meeting Dated: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 Subject: Action Requested: Master Plan Objective: BZAP review and recommendation regarding a request by Mark Catalano, Fairway Realty, 1515 W. Lane Avenue, Suite 10, Columbus, OH 43221, to rezone 3426 Tremont Road, also identified as Parcel Numbers , and , from R-1b (One-Family Residence District) to RCD-2 (Community Development District) in order to accommodate a proposed six-building, 11-unit condominium development called London Court. Application OR Positive recommendation of a rezoning to City Council. Land Use Enhance redevelopment and revitalization that is appropriate to Upper Arlington I. Request Summary: This application requests a positive recommendation from the Board of Zoning and Planning (BZAP) to City Council for a rezoning/zoning map amendment of 3426 Tremont Road from the R-1b, One-Family Residence District, to the RCD-2, Community Development District. The rezoning would allow Fairway Realty to construct a six building, 11-unit condominium development ( London Court ) at the site. Per the City Attorney s Office, this is the only BZAP review required by the UDO for this particular type of development. Development or Site Plan review is not required because the project is not a commercial development and only involves one- and two-family buildings. Should the Board vote to recommend this rezoning, Council is scheduled to consider the application at the March 4 Conference Session, March 11 meeting, and March 25 meeting (vote). Once City Council votes on the proposed rezoning, a 30-day referendum period follows, and then building permits could be submitted. The applicant first introduced the concept at the January 7, 2013 BZAP Work Session (see minutes). The Board appeared to be supportive of the proposed site plan and elevations, but requested that stone be added on the building s exterior. The Board also questioned what discussions have occurred with the adjacent neighborhood and wanted to ensure there was support. In early 2012, a Primrose School child daycare center was proposed at the site; but was later withdrawn because it was determined that a child day care center was not a permitted use in the R-1b zoning district.

2 II. Site Description/Current Zoning: The subject site, 3426 Tremont Road, consists of three parcels ( , , and to be combined) which total 1.7 acres located at the southeast corner of Tremont Road and London Drive. The site has 419 feet of frontage along the east side of Tremont Road and 200 feet of frontage along the south side of London Drive. The property is currently developed with a one-story, 1,992-square foot single-family home built in The house has an attached two-car garage with access from Tremont Road and a two-space parking pad in the front yard. There is a platted 80-foot building setback line along Tremont Road and a 40-foot building setback line along London Drive. A five-foot wide utility easement exists on the east side of the property, where a six-foot tall wood fence with ivy exists today. The site contains a number of mature trees in the Tremont Road front yard which would be removed. Figure 1: Bing Maps Bird s Eye View of 3426 Tremont Road, looking north The site is surrounded by single-family homes, all zoned R-1b, One-Family Residence District. Further to the northeast along Tremont Road are The Ohio State University Golf Course (zoned R-1b, 325 feet away), Trouville condominiums, and City of Upper Arlington Municipal Services Center (both zoned RCD-3, Community Development District). Further to the southwest along Tremont Road are two vacant commercially-zoned properties (O, Office District), two two-story commercial office buildings (zoned O), a PNC Bank branch (zoned B-1, Neighborhood Business District), and a Get Go gas station (zoned B-1). These buildings are approximately 300 feet from the subject site, while the Five Points intersection (Tremont Road, Fishinger Road and Northwest Boulevard) is approximately 800 feet away to the southwest. Onstreet parking is prohibited on Tremont Road, but permitted on London Drive. The current R-1b zoning allows single-family dwellings in low-to medium-density residential neighborhoods. Permitted uses generally include, but are not limited to: single-family residential, two-family residential as a Conditional Use, institutional, cultural, recreation and limited day care as a Conditional Use. 2

3 III. Proposal/Notification: The proposal would rezone the 1.7 acre site to the RCD-2, Community Development District, so that 11 upscale, empty-nester condominiums could be constructed in six separate buildings (five two-family dwellings and one one-family dwelling, see Figure 2). Each unit averages around 2,600 square feet in size and contains a first floor master bedroom/bathroom. Floor Plan A features three bedrooms, while Floor Plan B features four, each having approximately 700 square feet of space on the second floor. At their highest point, each building is 25-6 tall. All 11 units would be accessed from an interior private road and feature an extensive privet hedge around foundation and patio areas. Figure 2: Proposed site plan for London Court Article 4.04(D) requires that the applicant notify all property owners within 300 feet of the area proposed to be rezoned at least 10 days before the BZAP hearing date. It also requires the City to publish a hearing notice in a newspaper of general circulation at least five days before the BZAP hearing date, and to also post on the City s website. The applicant notified all property owners within 300 feet on January 22, the City published the BZAP agenda online on February 8 and in the UA News on February 14, and a London Court project page was created on the City s website on January 25. Prominent neighborhood stakeholders were ed project details on January 25 and February 14, and the City posted information on its social media outlets. Notice of the City Council meetings will be published in the Columbus Dispatch February for the March 4 City Council Conference Session, March 11 Council hearing and March 25 Council hearing/vote. Staff posted two Notice of Zoning Hearing signs at the site on February 11, one along each street frontage. To date, Staff has not received any direct communication or response from neighborhood stakeholders, but has heard indirectly that support exists. 3

4 IV. Proposed Zoning/Master Plan: The purpose of the Community Development District is to allow residential uses in medium-to high-density residential complexes. Permitted uses generally include, but are not limited to: single-family and two-family residential, institutional, cultural, recreation, limited day care, apartment hotels, adult care facility retirement home, and funeral homes. [The applicant is proposing 6.47 dwelling units per acre, and permitted uses of one and two-family dwellings with attached garages only. *Note- the applicant originally submitted an application to rezone to the RCD-3 District. After examining Table 5-A of the UDO, the application was amended to rezone to the RCD-2 to allow for the single one-family dwelling.] The zoning text for developments within the Community Development District are drafted by the developer and reviewed/approved by both BZAP and City Council. The applicant has submitted a three page development standards text for the London Court project. It restricts the use of the property to one and two-family dwellings with attached garages only. Setbacks for all buildings are 15 feet from right-of-way along Tremont Road and London Drive, and ten feet from the side (east) and rear (south) yard areas. Total number of units is a minimum of six and a maximum of 12. Total height of the proposed two-story buildings is not to exceed Minimum parking standards are two spaces per unit and cross parking with London Court neighbors is permitted. A five-foot wide sidewalk will be installed within the London Drive right-of-way. Landscaping will be per the direction of the City Forester, but will have solid privet hedges along the building s foundation and patio areas with substantial landscaping on the east and south sides of the property. Stormwater management and all engineering issues are to meet the requirements of the City Engineer, and an association will care for the maintenance of open spaces and other community aspects. No accessory structures are permitted. All buildings will consist primarily of a stucco finish with asphalt shingles on pitched roofs. The site plan and all elevations will be consistent with the sample homes plans submitted to the City by Stock & Stone Architects. Figure 3: Proposed elevation of one of three buildings along Tremont Road The proposal complies with a number of objectives noted in the recent Master Plan update. One main goal of the plan is to facilitate the provision of a full-range of housing that is well-built and well-maintained, and that uses old and new housing stock to accommodate people of all ages in a setting convenient to their needs. Objective #5 states: Rezone Kingsdale and areas with revised land use guidelines to incorporate higher density housing options, and includes a strategy: Identify, assemble and promote potential parcels as possible sites for new construction to address community housing demands, modeled after the principles of Livable Communities. Also, an objective of the City s Community Appearance section of the Plan requires a high-quality exterior appearance of residential structures, including adopt 4

5 residential design guidelines that require multi-family structures to be architecturally compatible with their environs and continue to require that new multi-family structures use masonry or stone in their faces and require pedestrian orientation and amenities. The last objectives states: vinyl and stucco are examples of materials that will be discouraged- in applying this standard, the design of buildings will be appropriate to their location and neighborhood. V. Summary/Recommendation: The RCD, Community Development District, has helped formulate such Upper Arlington developments as Trouville, Concord Village, Kenbrook Hills, Mansions, and Slate Run- all outstanding residential neighborhoods with high-quality housing. The proposed London Court development would be the latest RCD project, and would fill a gap between the Westwood Acres neighborhood to the east and the Dover Heights neighborhood to the west. It brings 11 tastefully-designed condominiums, which help meet numerous Master Plan objectives by providing additional housing options in Upper Arlington. The proposed site plan and architecture have been carefully studied as to minimize impacts on adjoining properties, blend with surrounding single-family homes, and to create an outstanding streetscape along Tremont Road and London Drive. The net density of the proposed development is 6.47 units per acre, well below what would be permitted in any other residential district which permits both one- and two-family dwellings. Staff has met with the applicant and his architects to discuss the proposed architecture and stucco exterior material. Given the proposed design with superior detailing, the solid landscaped privet hedges around the foundation and patio areas, and slopes of the roof, it is challenging to find optimal locations for the addition of brick and/or stone to the façade. Staff is supportive of the proposed architecture and feels that the lack of brick and/or stone is offset by the outstanding design. Staff is also comfortable with the proposed building locations along Tremont Road, as they are somewhat in line with those at Trouville to the northeast. Given the aforementioned factors, Staff believes that BZAP should supply a positive recommendation of the rezoning application to City Council. The standards of approval for a rezoning (Article 4.04(C)) have been listed below with Staff comments italicized for the Board s reference. 1. That the zoning district classification and use of the land will not materially endanger the public health or safety. The proposed zoning district, residential use and site plan will not materially endanger the public s health or safety. The buildings have been located outside of site visibility triangles and have adequate Fire and Police Division access; 2. That the proposed zoning district classification and use of the land is reasonably necessary for the public health or general welfare, such as by enhancing the successful operation of the surrounding area in its basic community function or by providing an essential service to the community or region. The addition of 11 condominium units will add needed housing options to the Upper Arlington community without reasonably impacting existing facilities and services; 3. That the proposed zoning district classification and use of the land will not substantially injure the value of the abutting property. Abutting property owners will see their existing fencing and landscaping along their property lines preserved, and then enhanced with additional 5

6 landscaping to further mitigate views. The roof designs of each building have been examined to reduce the massing and bring the scale more in line with the single-family homes in the area. The units average 2,600 square feet in size and are projected to sell in the $400,000 range; 4. That the proposed zoning district classification and use of the land will be in harmony with the scale, bulk, coverage, density, and character of the area the neighborhood in which it is located. The proposed London Court project will complement the Trouville neighborhood to the northeast along Tremont Road. The proposed zoning district development standards were crafted using other RCD development and the existing R-1b standards as a guide; 5. That the proposed zoning district classification and use of the land will generally conform with the Master Plan and other official plans of the City. The proposal conforms with many aspects of the recently updated Master Plan, particularly by improving the City s housing stock; 6. That the proposed zoning district classification and use of the land are appropriately located with respect to transportation facilities, utilities, fire and police protection, waste disposal, and similar characteristics. The proposed use is located along Tremont Road, which readily provides access to all necessary utilities, fire and police protection, as well as vehicular and pedestrian transportation facilities. The City Engineer is comfortable with the applicant s approach toward stormwater management, and believes that an appropriate and adequate stormwater management system can be designed, constructed and implemented for the proposed development. A Stormwater Management Permit will be needed from the City Engineer for both water quality and quantity per State requirements; and 7. That the proposed zoning district classification and use of the land will not cause undo traffic congestion or create a traffic hazard. Per the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual (8 th Generation), each condominium unit typically adds 8.5 trips per day to the roadway network. With the addition of 93.5 trips in and along the Tremont Road/Five Points, Staff believes there is no significant impact expected from the additional volume from a traffic engineering standpoint. Attachments: Rezoning Application OR with proposed development standards text BZAP Work Session minutes, January 7, 2013 Elevations submitted on February 14, 2013 by Stock & Stone Architects 6

7 Figure 4: Looking southwest from the Tremont Road/London Drive intersection Figure 5: Looking northeast from the southwest corner of the property Figure 6: Looking along the east (side) property line, showing existing fencing/screening 7