CITY OF FENTON
301 South Leroy Street ¨ Fenton, Michigan 48430-2196 ¨ (810) 629-2261 ¨ FAX (810) 629-2004
FENTON PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
City Hall Council Chambers
Thursday, December 17, 2015
7:00 P.M.
Commissioner Morey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Stickel, Riggs, Morey, Yeotis, Bancroft, Thompson, Grossmeyer, Ogger,
Absent: Carpenter
Others Present: Mike Reilly, Building/Zoning Administrator, Carmine Avantini, CIB Planning
MINUTES
Motion by Grossmeyer, supported by Stickel to approve the minutes from the November 19, 2015 meeting.
MOTION CARRIED, ALL AYES
OLD BUSINESS
FINAL SITE PLAN REVIEW – PSPR15-00013 Riverview (LaJoice Properties LLC). Approximately 3.78 acres, 225 W. Caroline St., located at the southeast corner of Adelaide St. and Caroline St., zoned CBD, Central Business District/PUD, Planned Unit Development.
At this time, Mr. Avantini gave a summary of comments from previous review letters as well as comments from Mr. Reilly, Building Official of Fenton:
1. Special Land Uses. The Planning Commission reviewed and approved special land uses for both the parking structure and retail over 18,000 s.f. at the November meeting. Approved.
2. Downtown Plan. The proposed building layout closely matches that shown on the Development Plan Map in the Downtown Master Plan. Standard is Met.
3. Bridge Details. Since plans and approvals for the pedestrian bridge and associated pathways have not been finalized yet, details will have to be submitted for review with the construction documents. Construction Plan Review.
4. Building Height. The application proposes a building that is both five (5) and six (6) stories in height, with a maximum height of 89’8”, based upon the ground floor level for the tallest building (facing Caroline St.). The five (5) story building facing Adelaide has a building height of 74’8”. Section 15.01 of the ordinance states that there shall be no height limit for a building in the CBD with a finding that it “will not be detrimental to the light, air or privacy of any structure of use currently existing or approved for construction.” The building must also maintain a floor to area ratio of four to one, which is met. Our previous review indicated that the building has been designed and located to minimize the impact on uses that are most susceptible to light, air, and privacy issues. As a point of comparison with elevations, the Cornerstone Building will only be approximately nine (9) feet lower than the Riverview elevation that faces the Shiawassee River and N. Leroy Street. Standard is Met.
5. Building Materials & Design. Section 36-2.20, Non-residential design requirements, calls for buildings to “possess architectural variety” and use “durable building materials which provide an attractive, quality appearance.” Both of these requirements have been incorporated into the design of the building, while emulating some of the Prairie-Style architectural features of the Community Center. Standards are Met.
6. Signs. As with other projects, a permit is issued for each sign once an application is made. It is likely that Planning Commission review will be needed for some of the requests. Future Sign Permits Needed.
7. Streetscape. The Caroline Street streetscape details will be shown on the construction plans to ensure that it matches the recently completed Downtown streetscape improvements. Construction Plan Review.
8. Lighting Plan. A photometric grid has been provided indicating that the intensity levels are acceptable. Specific light fixtures are also noted and final light selections and locations must be shown on the construction plans. Construction Plan Review.
9. Parking Lot Lane Widths. The parking lot utilizes lane widths of 24 feet, which is the standard width required in most zoning ordinances. The City of Fenton requires a width of 26 feet but rather than create a separate set of urban standards for the downtown, a decision was made several years ago to utilize the waiver mechanism in the downtown PUD and review each request on a case-by-case basis. The proposed 24 foot lane width provides a good balance between the need for on-site parking and vehicular safety once in the lot. Waiver Recommended.
REVISED SUBMISSION ITEMS
1. Parking Space Requirements. At the previous Planning Commission meeting, the applicants indicated that it was their desire to provide all needed parking on-site, even though the ordinance allows the use of public spaces within 500 feet of the site. Please note that the revised layout provides a total of 385 parking spaces instead of the indicated 361. The following is a table provided by the applicant indicating that due to differing hours of operation and peak demand, sufficient parking is available on-site.
It should be noted that the ordinance requires 2.5 spaces for a 3 bedroom unit; 2 spaces for a 2 bedroom unit; and 1.5 spaces for a 1 bedroom unit. The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Parking Generation Manual indicates that for these types of housing units, the Average Peak Period Parking Demand is 1.2 parking spaces per unit, which is lower than the number required by the ordinance. Please keep in mind that suburban parking demand for condominiums is higher than for urban locations, since many residents in urban locations choose to own one vehicle or none at all. Recognizing that there may be unusual times of the year when the proposed on-site parking might not handle the demand, there is sufficient public parking located within 500 feet of the site. The presence of a pedestrian bridge will allow access from both sides of the Shiawassee and encourage joint use of lots. Also of note, seven (7) barrier-free spaces are required in the parking structure and one (1) additional one is required in the surface lot. Standards Are Met.
2. Entryway Relocation. The entryway at the southern end of the property has been relocated farther to the south, allowing for more acceptable grades into the site. The concrete sidewalk must still be extended across the entryway apron. All of the other comments in our previous review letter dated 11/12/15 have been addressed with the new design. The revised entryway must be reviewed and approved by the City’s traffic consultant, Mr. Pete LaMourie. Traffic Consultant Review.
3. Property Requirements. The proposed plan includes the purchase of City property, the combination of applicable parcels, and the removal of the house at 219 S. Adelaide. These must all be conditions of approval, along with an access easement along the southern property line. Approval Conditions.
4. Utility Requirements. Although likely covered under the City Engineer’s review, the following items must be conditions of approval: 1)the storm sewer along the north property line must be relocated by the developer; 2) all remaining utility lines must be verified; and 3) any unused utility lines must be removed and capped at the property lines. Approval Conditions.
5. Buffer Zone and Landscaping Requirements. The two changes from the original review include: 1) extension of the frontage landscaping southward along Adelaide Street, due to the relocation of the Adelaide entryway farther to the south; and 2) elimination of the street trees in the parking lot islands, as recommended by the City engineering consultant, OHM, due to the presence of underground detention. We mentioned in our previous review letter that the goal for the site along Adelaide Street is to provide attractive landscaped frontage. Likewise, the goal for Caroline Street is to have a formal streetscape matching that for the downtown. These treatments are different from buffers, which are intended to screen incompatible uses. We also indicated that the interior of the project is well-landscaped and meets the intent of the Downtown Design Guidelines, since it is an urban project. Some of the ordinance landscape standards, such as the number of required street trees, have not been met but there is a significant amount of compensatory landscaping provided at the building foundation and water’s edge, along the Shiawassee River. The parking lot island trees have been replaced with a variety of shrubs. In addition, the same landscaping treatment along Adelaide must be extended the additional length of frontage south to the new entryway. Overall, this is a well-designed landscape plan that accentuates the features of the building and site in an urban, pedestrian-friendly environment. Waivers Recommended.
6. Other Approvals. The proposed site plan must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate city departments, consultants, and agencies.
RECOMMENDATION
Based upon the above comments, we recommend approval of the site plan for the Riverview (LaJoice) mixed-use project conditioned upon the following items:
1. A Planning Commission waiver allowing 24 foot wide parking lot lane widths;
2. The purchase of City property, the combination of applicable parcels, removal of the
house at 219 S. Adelaide, and an access easement along the south property line;
3. The storm sewer along the north property line must be relocated by the developer; all
remaining utility lines must be verified; and any unused utility lines must be removed
and capped at the property lines;
4. A Planning Commission waiver allowing the replacement of buffering requirements
along Adelaide Street, with more formal frontage landscaping, and along Caroline
Street, with a streetscape matching that for downtown;
5. A Planning Commission waiver allowing the replacement of some of the street trees
along Adelaide St. and Caroline St. with formal frontage landscaping around the
building;
6. The same landscaping treatment along Adelaide being extended the additional length of
the frontage south to the new entryway; and
7. Review and approval by the appropriate city departments, consultants, and agencies.
Mr. Reilly added that this project has been looked at hard and fast and the developer and owner have gone out of their way to get us this information and their efforts are much appreciated. He would urge the Planning Commission approval of this project.
Mr. LaMourie, Progressive Engineering, traffic consultant, added that the developer has addressed the five items they had concerns with:
The previously proposed substandard intersection/driveway offset on Adelaide Street between Ellen Street and the south site driveway has been corrected to an acceptable distance. That will help result in much better traffic operations during peak hours by providing adequate storage length for left-turn vehicles at those two intersections.
The access point on Adelaide Street to/from the parking structure has been widened slightly to provide two outbound lanes (relocated southern Adelaide driveway retained that required configuration).
Although final grading is not complete, it appears from these current drawings and applicant statements that any/all surface parking spaces will have cross grades of less than 5%.
The plans now call for re-striping Adelaide Street along the site’s frontage to provide a center left-turn lane. That includes a slight widening of Adelaide Street itself between Ellen Street and the south site driveway with related curb and storm sewer adjustments. This improvement is equally important to the improved offset noted above in order to maintain smooth peak hour traffic operations in the area.
The proposed Caroline Street driveway has been revised to a two-way operation —important as that will result in better dispersion of site traffic onto the street system. Any loading/unloading on that driveway is expected to occur only during short, off-peak periods that should not unduly affect patron/employee traffic flows.
The only minor change to the plans that we recommend is to shorten the defined northbound left-turn lane on Adelaide Street at Caroline Street by about 30 feet to 40 feet. In conjunction, that will allow a lengthening of the center turn lane skip/solid markings that will provide increased storage for southbound left vehicles turning into the parking structure driveway. That can be addressed in subsequent construction drawing reviews.
Commissioner Morey asked if Mr. LaMourie would elaborate more on what should be done with the intersection of Adelaide and Caroline Streets. Mr. LaMourie stated the city, in conjunction with the developer, should strongly consider adding a southbound left turn lane on Adelaide at Caroline to line up with the northbound turn lane. It is always good to line up those kind of left turn lanes which makes it more efficient and safer. The signal would have to be updated also.
Mr. Nick Mendenhall, Schonsheck, Inc., thanked everyone for working on getting this project approved. They are very proud of this project and with the comments from the city’s consultants it has become an even better and safer project for the community to enjoy years to come. He introduced Mr. Chad Menard, the architect for the project from Nor Architects. Mr. Menard when over the layout of the building, materials that will be used and how the building will blend into the community and surrounding areas.
Mr. Mendenhall also added that they will comply with all of the request made by city consultants, including widening Adelaide and providing a new walk bridge over the river for pedestrians.
The floor was opened to the public for comment:
1. Donna Anderson, 403 S. East Street, stated she supports this project and wants it to be successful, and loves everything about it. But, she would rather see something more historic rather than the modern type building.
2. Rob Sage, 109 N. Adelaide, stated he is still concerned about the pilings and foundation of the building and was wondering if the developer had any answers yet.
Mr. Mendenhall stated they will know more once they begin working on the construction plans, these are only the site plans. They do know they will have two foundations and they expect to go down at least 50 feet. As far as how many piles they will have, he is not sure but will know once the construction plans are done. As far as water runoff, the site is in a hole so he is not concerned about water running off to adjacent properties and there will probably be a pump station put in somewhere on the property that will go into the Shiawassee River.
Mr. Reilly added that their foundation designs will be engineered and will have to be in conformance with the State Building Code and reviewed by the city engineer. Also, other agencies, DEQ, Genesee County Soil Erosion, etc., will have permits that have to be pulled and approved. All bases will be covered.
Commissioner Grossmeyer wanted to add that this project does meet the design guidelines that were called for in the Downtown Master Plan. Commissioner Thompson added at first she thought the building was a little overwhelming too but as we go through the designs and how well thought-out this project is, she believes it will become a great complement to the area. Commissioner Yeotus stated when the Community Center was first built, people thought that building was too modern and it has now blended very well into the community.