Architectural Commission & Historic Preservation Commission

City of Oconomowoc “Special” Architectural Commission Meeting Minutes March 22, 2017 Chairman Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:01 pm. Members Present: Kent Johnson, Anne Nelezen, Paul Schultz and Jeremy Flint Members Excused: Kurt Schrang Staff Present: Jason Gallo, Kristi Weber, Sarah Kitsembel, Robert Duffy, Mark Frye, Ald. Shaw, Ald. Rosek, Ald. Zwart and Chris Dehnert 2. Approve Minutes of March 8, 2017: Motion by Flint to approve the March 8, 2017 minutes; second by Nelezen. Motion carried 4 – 0. 3. Mills Fleet Farm – Discuss building plans located at the NE Corner of I-94 and WIS 67/Summit Avenue in the Pabst Farms Town Centre: Gallo explained this request is for review of the plans for a Mills Fleet Farm consisting of a “big box” retail store and separate convenience store/car wash/gas station to be located in the Pabst Farms Town Centre. This area is part of a general development plan (GDP) that was created in 2008 and last amended in 2014. Gallo referred to a map of the GDP and said the proposed retail store is larger than what was shown on the map and a different retail building will be exchanged to accommodate the convenience store/car wash/gas station. A certified survey map will also be necessary to create the site. Gallo noted in 2014 an ordinance was approved for the General Development Plan which included specific architectural requirements for large scale developments. There are also sections of the municipal code which apply to this specific development area. Copies of the ordinance and those sections of the Municipal Code were provided to the applicant and members prior to the meeting. Stephen Perry Smith and Adam Almquist of Stephen Perry Smith Architects, Bill Niemann of Pabst Farms Development, Curt Mauer of Commercial Horizons (Developer) and Mike Angland of Widseth Smith Nolting (Mills Fleet Farm architect) were all present. The proposed building will be a 218,628 sf “big box” retail store with an outdoor materials yard, automotive area and loading docks. The main building height ranges from 23’ to 32’ tall. Smith said they took the store prototype and updated it by incorporating elements from the Pabst Farms development. Materials include both ribbed and smooth precast white cement panels; thin veneer coppertone colored brick; EIFS by the main entrance and on the 2-story glass display areas; aluminum framed glazed windows; and an orange accent color along the coping and on the silo. Additional building details include an arcade of arches with brick columns by the main store entrance; full length glazed storefront glass display areas; corner, intermediate and main entrance tower elements on all four elevations; and a 64’ 8” silo. There will be an outdoor storage area (with a guard house) which includes a decorative ornamental fence on the northeast corner facing the parking lot, and a screened “Baxter” wall on the side facing I-94 consisting of a 16’ tall wall capped with a sloped standing seam shed roof and intermediate opaque screening elements so the area will be fully screened from public view. There will be an automotive department on the east elevation, and loading docks and trash compactor on the south elevation which will be screened from view with wing walls. Angland noted that deliveries are unloaded not dropped off. A 4900 sf convenience store/car wash/gas station will be located off Pabst Farms Boulevard along the main entrance to the Fleet Farm retail store. Materials will be the same as the main retail store and includes arched details, glass doors, and a standing seam slope roof. The gas canopy will include a cornice detail with orange banding. The dumpster enclosure will be located on the southwest side of the gas canopy and consist of ribbed precast walls and composite doors. Lighting for the convenience store/car wash/gas station, throughout the parking lot and on the main retail store will consist of ornamental light fixtures, wall lanterns and pole mounted fixtures which are throughout the Pabst Farms retail development. Parking lot light fixtures will match existing, however they will be LED. Niemann confirmed that they will be updating the existing fixtures in the Pabst Farms Marketplace to LED as well. Lastly the whole property will have landscaping throughout including the main parking lot, along the outdoor storage area, around the convenience store/car wash/gas station and dense landscaping and mature evergreen trees immediately south of the building along I-94. Angland said the silo is the marketing image of Fleet Farm which they feel strongly about and intend to install at all their stores. Smith added there will be a designated drive for entrance/exit of semi-trucks on the west side of the building. S:\Committees - Commissions\Architectural\Minutes\2017\ACmin 3-22-17.doc Architectural Commission Meeting 2 March 22, 2017 Weber requested the location and proposed heights of all venting should be included on updated plans for the next meeting. In addition, all venting should be screened or colored to blend in with nearby materials. Gallo questioned the location of the kerosene pump, and Angland said the pump would be located on the same side as automotive. They will include it on the plans for the next meeting. Johnson said the silo stands out and noted it’s a branding piece. He was concerned with the two-story glass display windows and that people may think they can enter there. He suggested adding a white knee wall to make the area look less like an entrance. Johnson thought overall the design of the building follows code requirements and includes detail. Flint said when comparing the updates on this building to the Minnesota prototype you can see changes have been made to this building due to its location in Pabst Farms. He said they have done a lot by adding masonry to it. Flint said metal on gas canopies is usually very thin and Smith suggested they could add a cornice to it. Flint also asked that the dumpster enclosure match others within the Pabst Farm development. Schultz said more details should be added to the building such as stone, a pitched roof or gables like other buildings in Pabst Farms. He suggested the curves reflected on the corner towers could be included on the other towers. Overall Schultz thought the building was too modern and wouldn’t vote in favor of it because of the lack of details like other Pabst Farms buildings. Smith said he had planned to add a standing seam metal hip roof but removed it because of safety concerns over snow/ice sliding off of it. Angland agreed and said this was a serious concern for Fleet Farm due to issues at their other stores. Smith said adding a gable wouldn’t look right due to the scale of the building, and the color red would conflict with the orange on the building and in the signage. He said they added similar brackets from other Pabst Farms buildings but other details won’t look right on this building. Gallo pointed out the square bracketing and requested Pabst Farms ornamental brackets and also the same with the building cornices. Schultz suggested adding a gable to the cornice area of the middle tower unit and have it turned so ice/snow would fall onto the main roof area. Smith suggested adding more profile to the tower elements and include more traditional scrollwork detail to make them look less modern. Johnson agreed the design looks modern and suggested adding more detail to the corners and consider looking again at the roof. Gallo questioned the location of rooftop mechanicals, and Smith said the units will be placed as far back from the edge as possible. However, the units may be seen the farther back you are from the building so they may have to screen them. Flint said the units will definitely be visible going over the bridge on WIS 67 and suggested adding articulation to all elevations and being strategic in location of the units. Nelezen left at 6:25 pm. Angland said moving the rooftop units and adding parapets could help. They will try to address this issue before the next meeting. Smith said they will recreate the view from the bridge on a computer program to see what they need to change with the rooftop units to reduce their visibility. Flint suggested making the middle tower unit larger on the south elevation. Alderman Matt Rosek of the 3rd District where this retail development will be located, shared his concerns with the solid gray walls on the south and west elevations and suggested they should be broken up more. He said the other elevations look good, the silo is out of place, and there is no walking path in the parking lot. He said creating connectivity is very important and missing in other areas of the development. Angland suggested creating a walking path to the convenience store/car wash/gas station and said this provides an opportunity for Mills Fleet Farm which is all about their customers. Flint requested the soft scape be placed close to the building on the facade and more dimension added to the tree islands along the façade. He added the area by the front entrance is very tight and should be bumped out more for the safety of pedestrians and could be used for traffic calming. Flint also preferred a solid wall instead of the ornamental fencing to block the view into the outdoor materials yard. Angland noted the yard will have items like hay, water tanks, etc., and Flint said City ordinance requires that these types of items be fully screened. Mauer said when you add a solid wall it makes the building look larger, but when you add screening or fence, it doesn’t look quite as large. Anglund suggested using arborvitaes and Smith said they will work with their landscaping planner to see what can be done. Gallo questioned the location and design of the guard house. Angland showed a drawing to the members of the proposed guard house and said it will be an 8’ x 10’ building. He will include the details of the guard house in the plans for the next meeting. Flint pointed out the silo is a branding element which is not protected under City ordinance. Smith will make all updates and plan to come back with updated plans for the next Architectural Commission meeting in April. 4. Mills Fleet Farm – Discuss signage plans for the building located at the NE Corner of I-94 and WIS 67/Summit Avenue in the Pabst Farms Town Centre: Staff requested input from the members on the proposed signage for the development, including a master sign plan and individual tenant signage for the Fleet Farm. The Pabst Farms Master Sign Plan was adopted in 2010, and a copy of it was provided in the background. The applicant is proposing a main monument sign along I-94 for Pabst Farms which lists individual tenants; a secondary monument sign for Pabst Farms which lists individual tenants on WIS 67 directly south of the main entrance to Pabst Farms; a monument sign for Mills Fleet Farm S:\Committees - Commissions\Architectural\Minutes\2017\ACmin 3-22-17.doc Architectural Commission Meeting 3 March 22, 2017 located north of the convenience store/gas station/car wash and a smaller monument sign for Pabst Farms at the entrance from Pabst Farms Blvd. Each of the monument signs will have a stone base with landscaping around it. Mills Fleet Farm is also requesting signage on their proposed retail building. The main sign on the building will be 54’ – 3” LED backlit channel letters. The letters will appear black during the day and be illuminated bright white at night. The individual department signage will be internally lit on raceway painted to match the precast stone in either black or white. After discussion, the members agreed the signage should be black so it stands out against the white precast stone. Gallo questioned the green color in the Pabst logo of the smaller monument sign for Pabst Farms. Smith said the color of the Town Centre logo is always green, and that each area of the development has its own color logo. Gallo asked if the background on the main monument sign for Pabst Farms will be opaque, and Angland said they will make sure it is. Gallo said that tenant signage can be any color font or logo, which Flint was concerned could be an issue if there are multitudes of color. Gallo had no issue with color in tenant signage but said the background should be dark. Niemann said they have to allow some branding as this could be the catalyst which spurs additional development. He said Pabst Farms is in agreement with the proposed signage. Gallo said address numbers must be added to the signage by the convenience store/gas station/car wash and all signs should have landscaping around the base. Weber noted the sign package for Pabst Farms is separate from the sign package for Fleet Farm. She questioned if there will be neon bands around the gas canopy, and Angland said he was aware neon is not allowed and the lights will be shielded. Gallo questioned if there would be signage in the 2-story glass display areas on the Fleet Farm building. Angland said the glass has images on it, but they would not do this if it counted as signage. Flint showed a picture from the Minnesota store which showed imagery, and Gallo said he would have to see it as it may be considered more art and not signage. He requested more information on the digital signage included on the monument sign by the gas station. He said there are special requirements for digital reader boards including approval by the Architectural Commission. Angland said the digital signage will be reduced to 18” and he will coordinate it with staff. 5. Adjourn: Motion by Schultz to adjourn at 7:12 pm; second by Johnson. Motion carried 3-0. Chris Dehnert, Deputy City Clerk S:\Committees - Commissions\Architectural\Minutes\2017\ACmin 3-22-17.doc