COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT 222 Lewis Street (715) 425-0900 River Falls, WI 54022 FAX (715) 425-0915 www.rfcity.org CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL AGENDA DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE October 14, 2013 City Hall Foster Room 2:00 pm APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES NOTE: Minutes of August 12, 2013 Design Review Committee meeting PUBLIC COMMENTS Non-Agenda Related Topics CURRENT PLANNING PROJECTS 1. Consideration of a resolution approving the River Valley Professional Office Building site plan located at 215 S. Second Street, City of River Falls, Wisconsin. ADJOURNMENT Council members may be in attendance for informational purposes only. No official Council action will be taken. Notification: River Falls Journal, October 11, 2013 Post: City Hall Bulletin Board October 11, 2013
MINUTES DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE Monday, August 12, 2013 2:00 p.m. Foster Room, City Hall 222 Lewis Street CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL David Cronk called the meeting to order at 2:00 pm. Committee members present at roll call: Chair David Cronk, Amy Halvorson, Dave Dintemann, Chris Blasius, and Jeanne Zirbel. Members absent at roll call: Mark Paschke, Bill Warner, and Todd Schultz (Schultz arrived at 2:18 pm). Staff present at roll call: David Hovel, Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer; and Michael Centinario, Management Analyst. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES 1. Minutes of May 13, 2013 Motion by Blasius, second by Zirbel, to approve the May 13, 2013 meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 5-0. PUBLIC COMMENTS Non-Agenda Related Topics There were no public comments for non-agenda items. ACTION ITEMS 1. Multi-tenant sign review 127 N. Main Street Hovel presented the multi-tenant sign proposal for 127 N. Main Street, its relationship to the City code, and the Committee s desire for uniformity in Downtown signage. The Committee wants to discourage multiple signs irregularly located along building fronts. Halvorson stated that an issue is that some multi-tenant buildings are currently using all of their allotted signage; there is no sign area available for new businesses when locating in multi-tenant buildings. Cronk stressed that it is important for the Committee to follow the City s code, not necessarily take action based on personal opinion. Design Review Committee Minutes 1
Kent Forsland, 127 N. Main Street property owner, believed that tenants that occupy the most space should be afforded the most visibility in terms of signage. If all the space was equal, the signs would be equal size, but sign size should be relatively proportional to the amount of sign space leased by a business. Ultimately, the Committee agreed that they would like to approve of multi-tenant building sign areas, as opposed to individual business signs. The owner could distribute sign area within the approved sign space as deemed fit by the owner and would not need Committee approval for individual tenant signs if located within the designated sign areas. Schultz joined the Committee meeting at 2:18 pm. Blasius asked if the changeable copy sign along Maple Street would be removed. Forsland confirmed that the plan is for the changeable copy sign along with the old Ben Franklin sign to be removed. The Committee identified general sign areas on the 127 N. Main Street building sign graphic. Committee members initialed the graphic to signify their approval. Motion by Halvorson, second by Dintemann, to approve the general policy requiring sign uniformity for multi-tenant building signs and the multi-tenant sign areas at 127 N. Main Street. Motion carried 6-0. 2. Mural 127 N. Main Street Forsland expressed his support for the mural designed by David Markson. Hovel stated that one concern that the Business Improvement District (BID) Board had was that the mural should be maintained and that they would set some money aside to help maintain the mural. The BID Board approved the murals. City staff believed that an agreement should be in place to ensure the maintenance of the murals. The agreement would indicate who pays for maintenance and that if the murals are not maintained the City or the BID could step in and maintain the sign at the property owner s expense. Halvorson stated that the BID Board did discuss the issue, but the precise details of such a maintenance agreement have not yet been worked out. Placing a lien on the property for the mural maintenance was mentioned as an option. Halvorson encouraged Forsland to follow up with Jolene Larson for additional information. Markson presented the mural design process, the design itself, and requested feedback from the Committee. The Committee agreed that the mural design will be a valuable visual asset to the Downtown. Zirbel suggested that an article be included in the paper educated residents on the mural design. Design Review Committee Minutes 2
Markson asked what groups he should approach for ideas on the rear mural facing the Riverwalk, which depicts points of interest along the Kinnickinnic River. There is some flexibility in rear mural s content. Blasius stated that the Chamber of Commerce would like to be involved. Hovel added that Buddy Lucero, Community Development Director, may wish to comment on the design. Schultz mentioned the Kelly Creek Preserve, which is owned by the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust. The Committee briefly discussed other potential areas. Motion by Schultz, second by Dintemann, to approve the murals at 127 N. Main Street, subject to the condition that a maintenance agreement be executed between the property owner and the BID Board to ensure the murals are maintained for a minimum of 10 years. Motion carried 6-0. OTHER BUSINESS Committee members wanted to know the status of the wayfinding project. Hovel explained that the City Council did not prioritize the wayfinding project in the budget. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Zirbel, second by Blasius, to adjourn the Committee meeting at 3:04 pm. Motion carried by unanimous consent. Respectfully submitted: Michael Centinario, Recording Secretary Design Review Committee Minutes 3
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT (715) 425-0900 222 Lewis Street FAX (715) 425-0915 River Falls, WI 54022 www.rfcity.org DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE October 8, 2013 for October 14, 2013 Meeting STAFF REPORT FILE: REQUEST: LOCATION: River Valley Professional Office Building To construct a new professional office building 215 S. Second Street, River Falls, WI PIN #: 47-246-1014-600 APPLICANT: OWNER: Tom Nelson/Mark Paschke, Frisbie Architects River Valley Suites, LLC PURPOSE: Review a request to construct a professional office building at 215 S. Second Street. BACKGROUND: The property at 215 S. Second Street is zoned B-1 General Commercial and is within the Downtown Overlay District. Specifically, the property is within the district s Transitional District. The use of the property has been a non-conforming duplex the building did not meet minimum building code standards for a duplex. A permit has been issued to raze the existing structure and garage and the razing has been completed. The site plan has been reviewed and conditionally approved by City staff. One condition is that the Design Review Committee approves the site plan. SURROUNDING LAND USE AND ZONING: Properties to the North, South and West are zoned B-1 General Commercial with commercial uses.
Design Review Committee Staff Report October 8, 2013 The property to the East is zoned B-2 Limited Commercial with an institutional use (Ezekiel Lutheran Church). ANALYSIS: The applicant is proposing to build a new commercial building that would be 50 by 91.5 feet and designed to accommodate two businesses. One tenant will be River Valley Physical Therapy. The other tenant has yet to be determined. The main entrance faces the city parking lot to the south (side yard). The proposed front yard setback is approximately 5 feet from exterior wall to property line. There will be 8-parking stalls with access from the alley (See attached building plans submitted). Staff reviewed the proposed plans in relation to the Downtown Overlay District ordinance (Section 17.68) and noted the following issues: 1. The building is setback approximately 5 feet from the property line along Second Street. The code requires a minimum of 10 feet (Section 17.68.100A.1.b.) 2. The building s main entrance is oriented to the south towards the City parking lot, although there are a number of entrance-like features incorporated in the east façade towards S. Second Street. The code requires that the main entrance face the street, in this case S. Second Street. Staff has incorporated a condition of approval requiring the applicant to revise the site plan so the minimum 10 foot setback is maintained. Although the main entrance is technically to the south of the building, staff believes that the design elements incorporated along the S. Second Street façade meets the intent of the ordinance and will not be a detriment to the overall character of the Downtown District. Staff is not recommending site plan revisions pertaining to the entrance design. INTERDEPARTMENTAL REVIEW: Staff routed the development proposal to various departments as part of the staff-level site plan review. All comments have been forwarded to the applicant. FINDINGS OF FACTS: 1. The application is complete. 2. There are a number of zoning code and Downtown Design Plan standards that pertain to this development, including: a. Section 17.68.100 A.1.b. Building Setbacks. At least 65% of the front façade of each building, where possible, shall meet the established building façade line on the block where it is located. If no consistent building façade line is present, front facades shall be setback from the inner edge of the sidewalk from a minimum of (10) feet to a maximum of (20) feet. Page 2 of 3
Design Review Committee Staff Report October 8, 2013 b. Downtown Design Plan Setback Objective: Where an established building façade line is present on a block face, buildings should meet that line for at least 65% of the length of their front façade. If no consistent building façade line is present, front facades shall be set back from the inner edge of the sidewalk a minimum of 10 feet. c. Section 17.68.100 A.7.e. Façade Transparency. Where commercial or office uses are located on the ground floor a minimum of 25% of the ground level façade fronting a public street and a minimum of 15% of the ground level on side and rear facades shall consist of either windows or door openings which allow views into and out of the building s interior. d. Downtown Design Plan Façade Transparency Objective: To complement existing patterns of openings on traditional commercial buildings and bring in the streetscape and enhance security by providing views into and out of buildings. e. Section 17.68.100 A.8.a. Front Entries. The main entrance shall face the street, with secondary entrances to the side or rear. f. Downtown Design Plan - Front Entry Objective: To establish the visual importance of the primary street entrance, and to ensure those entries contribute to the visual attractiveness of the building and are readily visible to the customer. g. Municipal Code Section 17.68.100 C. Signs. All signs in the downtown design district are regulated and are allowed only by sign permit. 3. Except for the conditions that are included in the staff recommendation section of this report, the site plan meets the above referenced design standards. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Based on the findings of fact staff, recommends that the Design Review Committee approve the Certificate of Design Review application and the attached resolution for the River Valley Professional Office Building site plan, located at 215 S. Second Street, subject to the following conditions: 1. Prior to the issuance of a building permit the building footprint shall be adjusted to meet the minimum front yard setback. 2. A sign permit must be issued prior to the installation of any exterior signage. ATTACHMENTS 1. Resolution 2. Site Plan Sheets Page 3 of 3
RESOLUTION No. DRC 2013-01 DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE RESOLUTION REGARDING RIVER VALLEY PROFESSIONAL OFFICE BUILDING LOCATED AT 215 S. SECOND STREET, CITY OF RIVER FALLS, WISCONSIN WHEREAS, the Design Review Committee reviews Certificate of Design Review Applications in accordance with the River Falls Municipal Code, Chapter 17.68; and WHEREAS, Thomas Nelson submitted an application to construct a new professional office building at 215 S. Second Street, which is located with the Downtown Design Overlay District; and WHEREAS, on Monday, October 14, 2013 the Design Review Committee found that the development is consistent with the City of River Falls Downtown Design Plan and the design guidelines established in Section 17.68 of the City Code, with two contingencies. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Design Review Committee approves the Certificate of Design Review for the River Valley Professional Office Building located at 215 S. Second Street, subject to the following conditions: 1. Prior to the issuance of a building permit the building footprint shall be adjusted to meet the minimum front yard setback. 2. A sign permit must be issued prior to the installation of any exterior signage. Dated this 14 th day of October, 2013. ATTEST: David Cronk, Committee Chair Lu Ann Hecht, City Clerk