Board of Zoning Appeals Staff Report December 1, 2015
Department of Planning and Building
Town of McCordsville
Project: Brookside Senior Living Facility, BZA-15-006
Petitioner: McCordsville Senior Living, LLC
Location: The property is located along the southside of CR 900 N, approximately ¼ mile west of CR 600 W. The property is addressed as 6311 W CR 900 N, McCordsville, IN 46055.
Request: The petitioner’s request seeks a variance from Section 4(3)(a) of the Villages at Brookside PUD Ordinance No. 060915 to allow a 2-story main building.
Staff Review: Background: In June of 2015 the Town Council approved an amendment to the Villages at Brookside PUD to allow senior living facility on the subject site. The PUD Amendment included various standards relating specifically to the senior living facility, because the previous Villages at Brookside PUD Ordinances did not address such a use. Staff worked extensively with the petitioner during the spring and early summer to draft the PUD Amendment that would ultimately be approved. Since, the approval of the zoning, the petitioner has worked with staff to go through the primary plat, Development Plan, and Secondary Plat processes. The petitioner has received approval at each of those stages, and is currently finalizing the drainage design.
Existing Conditions: The site is undeveloped; however, the petitioner has been issued a grading permit, and site work in accordance with that grading permit has commenced.
Surrounding Land Use & Zoning: The surrounding land uses are as follows:
· North: Across CR 900 N is property zoned R-1, and is un-developed.
· East: The undeveloped property to the east is part of the Villages at Brookside PUD, and is zoned for commercial development.
· South: These properties are mixed with undeveloped fields and single-family homes. The properties are zoned Villages at Brookside PUD.
· West: The Deer Crossing subdivision is immediately adjacent. Deer Crossing features single-family homes.
The petitioner is requesting a variance to allow the entire main building to be a two-story structure. The PUD requires a one-story portion to be oriented to the west of the two-story portion. The exact language reads: The assisted/memory care facility shall be limited to 45 feet in height as measured per the requirements of the McCordsville Zoning Code. The single-story portion of the assisted/memory care facility shall be situated to the west of any two-story portion of the building.
Staff Comments: During any rezone process, staff works closely with the petitioner to craft standards that are appropriate, context sensitive, in keeping with the Comprehensive Plan, and ensure the final product will be the same as what was presented to the Council and public during the various meetings. This is especially true during a PUD rezoning. The initial plan for the main facility, called for the assisted living portion to be two-story, and the memory care wing to be one-story. During our initial review of conceptual plans, we noted that the two-story portion was to the west, and the one story portion to the east. Upon noting that we began discussions with the petitioner to see of the building could be flipped so that the taller two-story portion could be positioned to the east, closer to future land uses that we presume will be commercial uses. That would allow the one story portion to be located on the west side, closer to the less intense single-family residential uses in Deer Crossing. The petitioner agreed to that change, and therefore, we included the requirement in the PUD Amendment Ordinance.
As the petitioner has continued to further their design work on the project, they found a need to increase the size of their main facility, which produced a need for a full two-story building, and this variance request.
It is important to note that the petitioner has taken care to include screening and buffering elements for their Deer Crossing neighbors. Fencing and landscaping will be provided along the length of the shared property line. Additionally, in some locations existing trees are being conserved, and mounding is being added where grade and site conditions allow. All of the garden apartment buildings will be one story, and they have been located on the site, so that they are between the main facility and Deer Crossing.
Staff is supportive of this variance request. Staff requested the “one-story to the west” language, because at the time, the design of the building only called for a portion of the building to be two-story. Since, the building could be flipped and allow the one story portion to be to the west (closer to Deer Crossing) we felt it was our responsibility to request the change, and include the language. However, if at the initial design, during the rezone process, it had been a full two story building; staff would have still supported the rezone petition. This variance case is simply, seeking a variance from a narrowly worded PUD standard based upon the expected design of the building at a very early stage.
Decision Criteria: The BZA has four (4) options in considering this request; the Board may approve, approve with modifications, deny, or continue this petition.