Redevelopment Commission

TOWN OF GILBERT REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Minutes of March 20, 2019, 6:30 p.m. Municipal Center, Council Chambers 50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert, Arizona 85296 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Tyler Hudgins, Chair Ryan Hamilton, Vice Chair Tyler Jones, Commissioner Boe Bigelow, Commissioner COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Peter Sciacca, Commissioner COUNCIL PRESENT: Scott Anderson, Councilmember STAFF PRESENT: Jennifer Graves, Deputy Director, Economic Development John Baird, Assistant Town Attorney Ashlee MacDonald, AICP, Senior Planner Stephanie Bubenheim, Planner II CALL TO ORDER: Chair Hudgins called the Redevelopment Commission meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Jennifer Graves called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. COMMUNICATION FROM CITIZENS Chair Hudgins opened the floor to the public for any comments or communications on items not on the agenda. The Commission’s response is limited to responding to criticism, asking staff to review a matter commented upon, or asking that a matter be put on a future agenda. There were no communications from Citizens. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS 1. Meeting Minutes – Consider Approval of the Meeting Minutes of February 20, 2019. MOTION: Tyler Jones moved to approve the meeting minutes of February 20, 2019, seconded by Boe Bigelow. The motion passed 4-0. STUDY SESSION 2. Study Session Discussion - DR18-178 Scott Residences: Site plan, landscaping, grading and drainage, elevations, floor plans, lighting, and colors and materials for approximately 0.22 acres, generally located on the north side of Vaughn Ave, east of Elm St, and zoned Multi-Family/Low (MF/L).  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission March 20, 2019 Page 2 of 5 Planner Ashlee MacDonald reviewed the duplex project located on the north side of Vaughn Avenue east of Elm Street. There are condos to the north and the lot immediately to the west is part of that condominium project. The Aspire Heritage site is the large parcel farther to the east. There is one other duplex development on Vaughn Avenue. In 2017, Town Council adopted some new regulations for the Heritage District, specifically for a multi-family zoning district. The applicant has provided the minimum setbacks required for the Heritage District. Each unit will provide 2,100 square feet of livable space in three stories. There is private open space located at each level. The site will be accessed off Vaughn Avenue with a shared primary drive and a two-car garage for each unit. On-street parking is provided and meets the requirements for guest parking as well as parking for the units. As the project is in the multi- family zoning district, the parcel cannot be subdivided, although a condo plat would be allowed. The open space is required to be common open space, and the applicant has altered the design to remove walls that created individual backyards. Unique metal features were added to delineate the space as well as provide some privacy while still meeting the intent of the code. The project meets the minimum landscape requirements and includes Mulga Acacia, Live Oak and Chinese Elm trees. Some exiting trees on the site will be maintained. In response to staff comments, the applicant has provided updated elevations that were not included in the agenda packet. Staff felt that the Hardie board did not translate well to the contemporary design and asked that some be removed to simplify the look. Staff also asked for some articulation to identify the front door locations and the applicant added arches. The colors and materials were reviewed, including the standing seam metal roof, Hardie board, metal railings, CMU block, and wainscoting. Staff is seeking feedback from the Redevelopment Commission regarding the overall building design and the Hardie board versus stucco. Questions/Comments from the Commission: Vice Chair Hamilton liked the overall design and agreed with staff on the Hardie board. He preferred the updated elevations provided in the presentation. Commissioner Bigelow liked the Hardie board and has seen it on a few projects. He felt it did look contemporary with a smooth finish. He also liked the smooth detail on the stucco as well as the arches on the front elevation. He felt the design was different and unique. Chair Hudgins agreed with Commissioner Bigelow’s comments regarding the Hardie board, although he did like the updated simplified design with the stucco. He felt there were a few places where the Hardie board could be incorporated, such as the top portion of the front elevation to match the rear, and the center portion of the side elevation. He thought the Hardie board brings a good feel to the design, although it was a bit overdone on the first draft. Overall, the updated design looked better, although he felt some Hardie board could be included. Commissioner Jones agreed and felt there should be some Hardie board to break it up and provide some texture to the larger sections of the building. He would like to see something in between the two designs. Ms. MacDonald asked whether the Commission liked the gray Hardie board or if they would prefer that it match the main color of the building.  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission March 20, 2019 Page 3 of 5 Commissioner Bigelow noted that the colors in the drawings and what is actually built can be very different. He did not mind the gray, although he did not want the Hardie board to pop any more than it already does. He noted the newest drawings included corrugated metal on the side elevation, although he felt the Hardie board looked better in that area. He asked if the body color was a salmon pink. Ms. MacDonald stated it was more of a beige color. Chair Hudgins did not mind the gray color, although he would like to see some alternatives. He felt the gray Hardie board was fine if it is not overdone in the design. Commissioner Jones agreed and liked the contrast in colors. He would be in favor of keeping the gray or another contrasting color. 3. Study Session Discussion - DR18-221 HD SOUTH: Site plan, landscape, grading and drainage, elevations, floor plans, lighting, colors and materials, for approximately 2.28 acres, generally located at the southwest corner of Gilbert and Elliott Roads, and zoned Public Facilities/Institutional (PF/I). Planner Stephanie Bubenheim reviewed the project at HD South for an expansion of the existing Historical Museum. The existing building will have the paint updated. The existing storage building at the southwest corner of the site will remain, although some of the ramadas will be removed to incorporate a new 6,500 square-foot building which will serve as a multipurpose room with a kitchen, bathrooms, and conference rooms. The center courtyard in between the two buildings will be redesigned and the landscaping will be updated. There is a Gilbert Leadership Class 27 project to the northeast of the existing museum building. That project is not shown on the site plan, although staff has asked that it be shown in future submittals. That project will be approved administratively. There is an existing parking lot on site with one access point off of Elliot Road. That parking lot does not accommodate the amount of people visiting the museum. There is a shared parking agreement to the west with Gilbert Public Schools. The landscape plan focuses on updating the courtyard area with water features and planters. Some landscaping will be added to the north side of both buildings. Staff requested that the Heritage approved landscape palette be followed more closely. Some accents plants that are not on that list would be acceptable to staff. There is a required landscape setback on the west side of the building that will need additional landscaping. The courtyard will have two entrances featuring donated pavers. One entrance will come in from the west just south of the new building and the second is along the north in between the two buildings. The colors and materials focus on a Mission style. The main body will be a frosty white on the main museum building with a secondary color for the new building. The design pulls materials and ideas from the surrounding buildings. The CMU block was pulled from the Gilbert Public School building and will be used to break up the massing. The main entrance archways will be used as the main entrance into the courtyard. Two of the arches will have green screens. The east elevation incorporates archways and sculpted columns seen in the main building. The long, tapered windows are seen in the Gilbert Public School buildings. The intent is for the design to compliment the main building, but not to fully copy the Mission style architecture. Staff would like to see the corners of the building rounded and suggested  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission March 20, 2019 Page 4 of 5 incorporating some simple stepped columns. The existing building has more ornate columns. Staff felt the proposed wall sconce lighting did not meet the Mission style architecture. Staff is requesting input from the Redevelopment Commission on the overall articulation of the building, the elevations, materials, and the landscape palette. Questions/Comments from the Commission: Commissioner Bigelow agreed that the existing building needed to be updated and was excited about the project. He asked what types of events the multipurpose rooms might be used for. Ms. Bubenheim stated those rooms could be used for extra museum exhibits or they could be rented out to the public for social events or small weddings. Commissioner Jones felt the frosty white color seemed to have a blue sheen, although it may just appear that way in the printed materials. He suggested making sure it is the right shade of white to go with the Mission style. He would like to see an opportunity to add a mural in a tasteful way, especially given the purpose of the building. Ms. Bubenheim stated the Gilbert Leadership project would provide improvements on the northeast corner of the building including a pergola and a wall with a mural. Commissioner Bigelow noted the school building next door was a cool color of white. He appreciated that the project pulled in elements from the surrounding buildings. Vice Chair Hamilton was excited about the project and liked the idea of incorporating details from the surrounding buildings. He agreed with staff’s comments to have a little more integration with the Mission style, but not a lot. Otherwise, he liked the design. Chair Hudgins felt this will be a great step for the Museum. He appreciated the design and liked the metal screening on the side and front. He agreed with the comments from the other Commissioners. He encouraged the applicant to look closer at the plant palette to keep it consistent with the downtown. Commissioner Jones asked what the circles were in the courtyard on the drawing. Ms. Bubenheim stated those were tables. Commissioner Bigelow asked if the courtyard would be open for public use 24/7 or would the gates be closed during certain hours. Ms. Bubenheim will check with the applicant, although she did not believe it would be open to the public 24/7. It would be used for events or for those attending the museum. COMMUNICATIONS 4. Report from the CHAIR on current or future events. There was no report. 5. Report from COUNCIL LIAISON on current or future events. Councilmember Anderson noted that the downtown has been busy and the new parking garage is now open. He noted a new architectural feature downtown which has received mixed feelings. He was referring to Joe Johnston’s Topo food stand featuring a gopher on top. Councilmember Anderson loves it and felt it will be an icon for the downtown. There has been a lot of activity this past week with public events and there are more coming up with the Kapow Superhero Run and Global Village Festival.  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission March 20, 2019 Page 5 of 5 Details on those events and more are on the Town website. He appreciated the Commission’s hard work with everything that has happened in the downtown. It is looking very good even though there is a lot of work going on. Chair Hudgins also liked the gopher and reported that the burritos at Topo were very good. 6. Report from COMMISSIONERS on current or future events. There were no reports. 7. Report from STAFF LIAISON on current or future events. There was no report from Staff. ADJOURN With no further business before the Commission, Chair Hudgins adjourned the meeting at 6:53 P.M. ___________________________________ Tyler Hudgins, Chair