Advisory Planning Commission

CITY OF COLLEGE PARK ADVISORY ADVISORY PLANNINGPLANNING COMMISSIONCOMMISSION 4500 KNOX ROAD COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND 20740 TELEPHONE: (240) 487-3538  FACSIMILE: (301) 887-0558 ADVISORY PLANNING COMMISSION Approved Minutes of Meeting July 6, 2017 – 7:30 P.M. City Hall – Council Chambers Members Present Absent Lawrence Bleau x James McFadden x Rose Greene Colby x Christopher Gill, Chair x Kate Kennedy, Vice Chair x John Rigg x Denise Mitchell x Also Present: Planning Staff – Terry Schum, Miriam Bader and Theresheia Williams; Attorney – Susan Cook I. Call to Order: Christopher Gill called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. II. Approval of Minutes: Kate Kennedy moved to adopt the minutes of June 1, 2017. John Rigg seconded. The motion carried 6-0-0. III. Amendments to Agenda: There were no amendments to the agenda. IV. Public Remarks on Non-Agenda Items: There were no Public Remarks on Non- Agenda Items. V. CPV-2017-03 Variance to Construct a House, Garage and Driveway Applicant: Michael J. Meadow Location: 7501 Dartmouth Avenue Christopher Gill explained the hearing procedures and placed witnesses under oath. Miriam Bader summarized the staff report. The applicant is requesting a variance to construct a house with covered porches, garage and driveway. The property is rectangular with a width of 65-feet and a length of 100-feet. The lot is currently undeveloped. The proposed improvements include: a two-story house, one-car garage and a 560 square-foot single driveway. The immediate neighborhood is predominately zoned R-55, single-family residential in the Old Town College Park Historic District. The architect is trying to comply with the Old Town College Park Historic District Guidelines by providing a narrow driveway. A concept plan was reviewed by the Local Advisory Committee (LAC) and presented and approved by the Historic Preservation Committee (HPC) in September, 2013, but it expired in 2015. Advisory Planning Commission Minutes July 6, 2017 – Page 2 If the Old Town College Park Historic Guidelines were not followed, the garage could be attached at the front of the house, reducing lot coverage by 320 square feet. Front porches are also encouraged for new construction in the Guidelines. Removal of the proposed covered front porch would reduce lot coverage by an additional 230 square feet for a total reduction of 550 square feet. Granting the lot coverage variances will strengthen the intent, purpose and integrity of the Old Town College Park Historic District Guidelines by allowing compliance with the Guidelines. Constructing a neo-traditional historic home attractive to owner-occupants will help address a City goal of increasing homeownership and will address the imbalance of renters to owners in the Old Town neighborhood. Staff recommends approval of the requested variance contingent upon HPC approval of the Historic Area Work Permit (HAWP). Miriam Bader submitted the staff report, Exhibits 1-6 and the PowerPoint presentation into the record. John Rigg asked if there has been any recent new construction in the area which has not been compliant with the HPC? Miriam Bader stated no, they would not be approved for the HAWP. David Kacar, Architect, testified that the proposed design is an American Classic 4-Square design style compatible with the Old Town Historic District. He stated that with this design, there will not be garages up front and cars lining the street. This design has the opportunity for becoming unique to the neighborhood. He stated that anything built on these lots would have to be relatively small. He stated that he hopes that the APC approves the requested variance. Michael Meadow, applicant, testified that he grew up in College Park and fell in love with the area. He stated that there are several homes in College Park with the same design and thinks that his home will fit in with the neighborhood. Christopher Gill asked what would be the impact of not being approved for the variance? David Kacar stated that the house footprint would only be 700 square feet. Most people need at least 1,000 square feet to be comfortable. The porch and garage would have to be moved to the front of the house and would not be approved by the HPC. Also, you would not have the character of the house. John Rigg asked the applicant if he will be residing in the house? Michael Meadow stated yes, he will be moving in as soon as it is completed. Advisory Planning Commission Minutes July 6, 2017 – Page 3 Commissioners reviewed the criteria that need to be met before the variance can be granted and determined that: 1) There is an extraordinary situation associated with the property in that the proposed new home is subject to the Old Town College Park Historic District Guidelines which recommend that narrow driveways and garages be built in the side and rear yards of the property and porches be incorporated into the design. These requirements add to the total lot coverage of the property. 2) The strict application of the Zoning Ordinance will result in a peculiar and unusual practical difficulty to the applicant by preventing compliance with key elements of the Old Town Historic District Guidelines and precluding standard amenities for single family homes such as a garage and porch. 3) Granting the lot coverage variance will not impair the intent purpose or integrity of the Master Plan and will promote compliance with the Old Town College Park Historic District Guidelines John Rigg moved to approve the variance because the request meets the criteria for granting the variance for the reasons stated above. James McFadden seconded. Motion carried 6-0-0. VI. CPV-2017-04 Variance to Construct an addition Applicant: Richard and Adele Ellis Location: 4608 Beechwood Road Christopher Gill explained the hearing procedures and placed witnesses under oath. Miriam Bader summarized the staff report. The applicant is requesting a variance to construct a small addition to provide a handicapped accessible bathroom. Section 27-442(c) Table II of the Prince George’s County Zoning Ordinance prescribes a maximum lot coverage of 30 percent in the R-55 zone. The property is rectangular with a width of 60-feet and a length of 129-feet for a total square footage of 7,740 square feet. The lot is improved with a 2-story, 1,450 square foot single-family home that was built in 1936, with a detached garage at the end of a long shared driveway. The applicant proposes constructing a 1-story framed addition along the side of the house behind an existing addition. The proposed addition is only 63.50 square feet and intended to add a handicapped accessible bathroom on the first floor. A recent medical condition has reduced the mobility of one of the homeowners. They would like to build the bathroom on the first floor so that the homeowner is not forced to use the second floor or basement bathrooms. Staff recommends approval of the requested variance. Miriam Bader submitted the staff report, Exhibits 1-5 and the PowerPoint presentation into the record. Christopher Gill asked if the entire lot coverage is included in the shared driveway? Miriam Bader stated, yes. James McFadden asked if there were any issues with the side yard setback? Advisory Planning Commission Minutes July 6, 2017 – Page 4 Miriam Bader stated that the house with the addition meets the side yard setback. John Rigg asked if the neighborhood has similar homes with detached long driveways? Miriam Bader stated yes, it’s very common in this neighborhood Adele Ellis, applicant, testified that they have lived in College Park since 1979 and love the Calvert Hills neighborhood. She is very involved in the community and loves her neighbors and would hate to have to move, which they will have to do if the variance is not approved. Ms. Ellis stated that she and her husband are long- time residents of the City who want to age in place in their neighborhood. Christopher Gill asked if the covered side porch is the original? Miriam Bader stated that it was there before the property was purchased. Commissioners reviewed the criteria that need to be met before the variance can be granted and determined that: 1) There is an extraordinary condition associated with the property that contributes excessively to lot coverage. The existing detached garage constructed in 1936 prior to the Zoning Ordinance is located at the far northeast corner of the lot with a 150-foot long driveway that totals 1,464 square feet (19% of the lot). This is a shared driveway with the adjoining property thereby limiting the ability of the Applicant to make changes to the driveway. 2) The strict application of the Zoning Ordinance will result in a peculiar and unusual practical difficulty to the applicants by preventing the construction of an accessible bathroom on the first floor needed to accommodate the limited mobility of one of the Applicants. 3) The variance will not substantially impair the intent, purpose or integrity of the Master Plan. The proposed addition will be located behind an existing enclosed porch and will not be visible from the street. The existing lot was built prior to the current Zoning Ordinance and is over lot coverage by 4.66% Lawrence Bleau moved to approve the variance because the request meets the criteria for granting the variance for the reasons stated above. John Rigg seconded. Motion carried 6-0-0. VII. Update on Development Activity Terry Schum reported on the following: Quality Inn Redevelopment Project – A Notice was received that an application for a Preliminary Plan of Subdivision for the redevelopment of the site was submitted to M-NCPPC for review. The project is for up to 85,000 of retail, 398 multifamily units and a parking garage, and will also require a Detailed Site Plan review. No plans have been received at this time. Advisory Planning Commission Minutes July 6, 2017 – Page 5 Metropolitan Project – This project is at Baltimore Avenue and Cherokee Road for proposed architectural changes to the 85 townhouses at Metropolitan. The proposed change is to add more square footage to all the townhouses, creating four-stories, which gives you a partial room and an outdoor space. This is a staff-level review at M-NCPPC and City staff expressed a preference for the previously-approved architecture. A public hearing may be requested so that the community may weigh- in. City Hall Site – The City Council is moving forward for approval in hiring a Development Project Manager for the process of combining the City and University properties for building a new City Hall. The firm is out of Baltimore with headquarters in Boston that have a lot of experience with this type of project. VIII. Other Business: Annual Report - Commissioners reviewed the draft Annual Report and voted to add the following comments about the Zoning Rewrite to item IV:  Exclude driveways constructed of pervious or porous materials from the lot coverage requirement.  Seek quality, compatible renovation of existing properties or infill development. Staff will include the changes indicated in the Annual Report and forward it to Chris for approval before submitting the final to the Mayor and Council. Fence Ordinance – The City Council is taking a public input on the fence ordinance at their July 11, 2017 worksession at 7:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for the residents to give their comments on the fence ordinance. X. Adjourn: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:43 p.m. Minutes prepared by Theresheia Williams