Planning Commission

Attachment 1 Planning Commission Work Session – May 27, 2020 Sign Ordinance Issue: Shall the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) be amended to: 1. Update sign regulations to allow for additional building signage for multi-story buildings of three or more stories? 2. Increase the proportion of signage permitted per building side in the Commercial, Industrial, and Planned Development Districts? 3. Differentiate building signage standards for non-residential and mixed-use buildings vs. residential buildings in the Commercial and Planned-Development Districts? 4. Update the freestanding sign standards in all Planned Development Districts? Objective: Review and provide feedback on the proposed changes in preparation for the June 10 public hearing.  Planning Commission Work Session – May 27, 2020 Sign Ordinance Background: General Building Signage In 2019, business community stakeholders requested consideration of changes to the sign ordinance to allow for additional signage per building side and for more signage overall for buildings with multiple floors in the Commercial and Planned Development-Commercial Districts, PD-C. Residential Building Signage As residential projects are being developed in the Commercial and Planned Development- Commercial Districts (Valley Run and Silver Collection as examples), it is appropriate to update the code to maintain building signage in residential developments at a residential scale. Freestanding Signage in Planned Development Districts In anticipation of the proposed Veterans Affair Clinic (an institutional use) in PD-MC and current neighborhood development in PD-MU, changes to the code should be considered to permit overall “development signage” and address the oversight currently in the code, which precludes signage for institutional and residential uses.  Planning Commission Work Session – May 27, 2020 Sign Ordinance General Building Signage Current Ordinance: Commercial and Industrial Districts: 1.5 square feet of building signage per 1 linear foot of building front (the primary building front), up to 200 square feet per building side. Planned Development Districts: 1 square foot of building signage per 1 linear foot of building perimeter (the entire distance around the building), up to 200 square feet per building side.  Planning Commission Work Session – May 27, 2020 Sign Ordinance General Building Signage Issue: Larger buildings and multi-tenant buildings are limited by the 200 square feet per building side. There is no additional signage granted for multi-story buildings. Requested Change: 1. Update the 200 square foot per side maximum to 250 square feet or 25% of the total building signage allowed, whichever is greater, per building side. 2. Allow an additional 0.25 square feet of signage per building front/perimeter for multi-story buildings with three or more stories.  Planning Commission Work Session – May 27, 2020 Sign Ordinance Residential Building Signage Requested Change: Limit signage on residential buildings to 0.3/0.5 square feet per 1 linear foot of building perimeter/front (depending on the district), up to 50 total square feet.  Planning Commission Work Session – May 27, 2020 Sign Ordinance Freestanding Signage Current Ordinance (“Development Signage”): [1] A freestanding sign not to exceed 1,000 square feet in sign panel area or 175 feet in height, which may be illuminated. [2] A monument sign at a major entrance 52 feet in width. The sign shall not exceed 60 feet in height (excluding architectural treatments). The sign shall not exceed 200 square feet, except that up to 30 users in the development may each have up to 130 additional square feet of space on the monument sign as an off-premises sign. [3] A monument sign at each existing major intersection at the boundary of the parcel, not to exceed 15 feet in height and 250 square feet in sign area.  Planning Commission Work Session – May 27, 2020 Sign Ordinance Freestanding Signage in Planned Development-Commercial Issue: 1. Some PD-C Districts could be much smaller than the recommended 150 acres and large development scaled signage would be out of scale with the development. 2. The code allows for taller signs than currently exist in the PD-C. 3. A major entrances is not consistently defined throughout the sign ordinance. 4. Monument signs present additional bulk and mass near the street that other types of freestanding signs do not. Requested Change: 1. Preclude large scale signage in smaller PD-C districts (less than 150 acres). 2. Reduce the tallest permitted sign from 175 feet in height to 150 feet in height (Central Park sign along I-95 would still be permitted). 3. Define major entrances as public streets with right-of-ways that are greater than 70 feet in width. 4. Allow for all styles of freestanding signs, not only monument signs.  Planning Commission Work Session – May 27, 2020 Sign Ordinance Freestanding Signage in Planned Development Mixed-Use and Medical Campus Current Ordinance: §72-59.6B permits freestanding signs for commercial, industrial, or retail properties that may not exceed 15 feet in height or 200 square feet in size. Issue: 1. Overall “development signage” is not addressed in the PD-MU and PD-MC Districts. 2. The code currently precludes signage for institutional and residential uses. Requested Change: 1. In districts of at least 20 acres, allowing a freestanding sign at a major entrance on a public street right-of-way greater than 70 feet in width. The sign shall not exceed 30 feet in height. The sign shall not exceed 200 square feet. Up to 100 square feet of the total sign area can be used as off-premises signs for uses within the district. 2. In districts of at least 20 acres, allowing a freestanding sign at each existing major intersection at the boundary of the district, not to exceed 15 feet in height and 100 square feet in sign area. 3. Signage on individual parcels would be updated to be consistent with the PD-C standards – generally one sign per parcel, 10 feet in height and 100/150 square feet in size.  Planning Commission Work Session – May 27, 2020 Sign Ordinance Objective: Provide feedback on the proposed changes, as appropriate. General Building Signage Residential Building Signage Freestanding Signage in Planned Development Districts Questions?  Attachment 2 Greenchip Inc. Special Use Permit & Special Exceptions for a Recycling Center SUP 2020-03, SE 2020-01 Overview Issue– Recycling Center at 10 Harkness Boulevard. Zoned I2. Recycling Center Any facility in which used materials are separated and processed prior to shipment to others for reuse in the manufacture of new or reconstructed products. • Requires a SUP in I2 • Subject to 13 use standards, has requested Special Exceptions from 4 Recommendation: Approval Location Greenchip Inc. • “Electronic equipment recycling business” per narrative • Receive equipment; sort items; destroy hard drives, wipe data, break into components; material is recycled or sold to third-parties • Narrative: “Equipment is manually disassembled and component parts are segregated…some component parts loaded onto conveyor belts for sorting. Commodities are stored together…before being sent to downstream vendors for recycling”. UDO Definition: Recycling Center Any facility in which used materials are separated and processed prior to shipment to others for reuse in the manufacture of new or reconstructed products. Exception Requests 72-41.4.E.1, requiring a recycling center to be on a parcel with an area of at least 5 acres. The parcel is 3.85 acres 72-41.4.E.2, requiring a recycling center to be at least 250 feet from any residential zoning district. Structure is approximately 30 feet from property line adjacent to residential zone 72-41.4.E.3, requiring no part of a recycling center other than a free standing office be located within 50 feet of a lot line. Structure is approximately 30 feet from property line 72-41.4.E.9, requiring a recycling center within 500 feet of a property in a residential zoning district not be in operation between the hours of 7PM-7AM. Applicant wishes to restrict deliveries to between 7am-7pm but allow work inside the structure outside of those hours. Conditions for both SUP and SE 1. The use shall be developed in substantial accordance with the application dated February 12, 2020, including the General Development Plan; 2. The use shall be limited to the operation of a recycling center for electronic equipment disassembly, data wiping, assessment, refurbishment and recycling, with limited outdoor storage of baled commodities, as described in the application; 3. The use shall commence within 24 months of the date of adoption of this resolution. The use is permitted only so long as it continues and is not discontinued for more than 24 months; 4. Deliveries shall be limited to the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; 5. Outdoor storage shall be limited to a 2,000 square foot area as shown on the Generalized Development Plan. Staff Recommendation Recommend approval to the City Council, with conditions The Planning Commission Public Hearing on June 10th , with a vote on June 17th  Attachment 3 Terry Coley Special Exceptions for an Accessory Dwelling Unit SE 2020-02 Overview Issue– Request for a Special Exception at 1306 Graham Drive, zoned PDR. Accessory Dwelling Unit A secondary dwelling unit established in conjunction with and clearly subordinate to a principal dwelling unit, whether part of the same structure as the principal dwelling unit, or as a detached structure on the same lot. • Use not listed on the ‘Table of Common Accessory Uses’ • Use request is frequent enough that a Special Exception, rather than Zoning Administrator review, is the appropriate path • Subject to condition Recommendation: Approval Location Overview • Single family detached dwelling • Applicant wants to add living space for her mother • ADU would be located in the basement, with living, eating, sleeping, bathing, and cooking space all inside the house Use is not listed in Table of Common Accessory Uses. Uses not include may be approved on a case by case basis by the Zoning Administrator. However, requests for ADUs are common. Special Exception is best path for review until this is addressed with a text amendment. Condition for approval 1. Together, the occupancy of the principal dwelling unit and the accessory dwelling unit shall not exceed the definition of a ‘family’, as defined in City Code. Note: The current definition of a Family, as defined in City Code §72-84 is: One person or two or more persons related by blood, adoption or marriage, living and cooking together as a single housekeeping unit, with no more than two boarders; or a group of not more than three unrelated persons living together as a single housekeeping unit. Condition would limit impact to that of a single family dwelling, which already permits a family as defined. 1. Why Accessory Dwelling Units? • Housing is evolving • Current dichotomy of single family homes vs. multi-family garden apartments is not compatible with City neighborhoods. • Empower people to address housing needs • Historical pattern of missing middle / innovative housing in City neighborhoods 4. Define an accessory dwelling unit and apply appropriate controls: Staff Recommendation Recommend approval to the City Council, with condition The Planning Commission Public Hearing on June 10th , with a vote on June 17th