Planning Commission-Work Session & Regular Meeting

Minutes Westerville Planning Commission Work Session April 24, 2024, 6:00 p.m. City Council Chambers, 21 S. State St. The Westerville Planning Commission met for a Work Session on Wednesday April 24, 2024 at 6:00 pm, in City Council Chambers at 21 S. State Street. Members present were Kimberly Sharp, Steven Munger, Audrey Carmichael, Council Member Aaron Glasgow, Jill Murphey, Michael Anderson and Chairman Dave Samuelson. Staff members in attendance were Secretary Jeff Buehler and Deputy Clerk Jennifer Kitchen. WORK SESSION PC 2024-08: CONCEPTUAL PLAN REVIEW FOR A NEW 42,500 SQUARE-FOOT INDOOR RECREATION/ ENTERTAINMENT/ RESTAURANT FACILITY ON A 3.2-ACRE TRACT IN THE PLANNED DEVELOPMENT (PD) DISTRICT; LOCATION: SOUTHEAST CORNER OF CLEVELAND AVENUE AND POLARIS PARKWAY; APPLICANT: KEVIN NOWAK. Chairman Samuelson said there was one item on the agenda and it is a Conceptual Review. This is an informal discussion to share first thoughts on a preliminary application. He indicated this work session would end by 6:30 pm. Chairman Samuelson said Planning and Development staff would provide a brief overview of the application. The applicant would then be asked to come forward to present their remarks and hear the comments from the Commission members. Mr. Buehler was invited to make his presentation. He stated this is a conceptual plan review, there is no vote, disposition or public comment. Mr. Buehler explained that this is intended to provide an informal setting to talk with the applicant and the emphasis is on providing feedback. Mr. Buehler said he would make his presentation as brief as possible. The subject site is the southeast corner of Polaris and Cleveland Avenue, adjacent to Kepler on the east side. This was originally zoned as part of the Altair development, but when the City bought the area between Cleveland Avenue and Africa Road it essentially became part of Westar Place. The applicant is seeking feedback on the development that is known as Parcel A, which is about 3.5 acres of the 4-acre site. The applicant is proposing a 30,000 square-foot facility that would house a combination of recreational uses, entertainment, restaurants and all of those with both indoor and outdoor components. The building would front on the ponds and be located towards the north property line with primary access being off of Kepler Crossing, with a secondary access point being shared with the parcel to the south on Altair Parkway. This use would have early morning hours to late evening hours seven days a week. Mr. Buehler stated that this site was originally viewed with three restaurants to compliment the adjoining retail that was originally envisioned in the original plan, the Altai Development also originally envisioned an entertainment use farther to the east on Parcel B2. Although this is a change that is proposed tonight, staff believes the foundation is there in the plan between the restaurants and the entertainment uses for this use and we believe it would be a complimentary use to the surrounding development and one that is not already represented in the community. The plan that is proposed here has some similarities to the original plan as well as some as-built conditions that we can talk about if the Commission members would like to. Mr. Buehler stated he would like to say a few words about the architecture before turning it over to the applicant. This is a different form and use and naturally the architecture follows, and credit to the applicant as they have been very diligent in trying to respond to staff comments and find the balance with what is already developed in the area and it has  Westerville Planning Commission Minutes April 24, 2024 Meeting Page 2 taken several renditions to get to where we are today. The proposed building does have a variety of elements including different materials, elements, colors, design motifs, roof lines and so forth and the slides shown represent what was in your packet. Staff has recommended using a darker color where you see the cream color, as well as some real or cultured stone instead of the stamped stone shown in the exhibits. Mr. Buehler added that subsequent to the packet, the applicant has gone back to the drawing board and modified the elevations further so we have some additional elevations and renderings for you to consider tonight - some really rich renderings that are useful because in elevation view this building is hard to appreciate because of all of the different turns and plane changes. He stated that he thinks the renderings do a good job of helping to understand what is being proposed and he’ll let the applicant talk about that further. Mr. Buehler commented that staff does feel the use is ok relative to the zoning and comparable to the original vision, and the architecture continues to improve. Mr. Buehler concluded his presentation and turned it back over to Chairman Samuelson. Chairman Samuelson invited the applicant to the podium and asked him to introduce himself. The applicant, Jonathon Trenski, gave a brief introduction of Smash Park. He explained the history and what types of family fun are involved within Smash Park: duck pin, axe throwing, a ton of different offerings that are good for both young and old. He believes it is a great offering and would be a great amenity to the City. Mr. Trenski stated he’s been very appreciative with the communication from the City and how helpful everyone has been with trying to make sure Smash Park fits the business park theme while also trying to maintain their brand and concept. He thinks this is the fourth iteration and is hopeful that we’re close, but would like to thank everyone for their time and efforts with this. Mr. Trenski said he will now turn it over to Kevin Nowak to talk in detail about the design and answer any questions. Kevin Nowak with Arco-Murray stepped up to the podium and introduced himself. He is the general contractor that has been working from conception to this fourth iteration and would also like to thank everyone for their time and for the feedback tonight. Mr. Nowak asked to show the slides illustrating versions 1 through 4 of the site. He said it is important to note that pickleball is a very up-and-coming sport, it is very trendy. There are several of these types of restaurant/ bar/ entertainment type venues coming across the country and Smash Park is trying to come out with their brand and as a newer start-up entertainment concept we want to make sure we’re being true to this up and coming brand. He stated they came in with the ideal brand and it just didn’t fit with the surroundings, which is understandable, and we’ve really worked with staff and with doing our best to respect the City, the Altair text, and really blend in while still maintaining our fun Smash Park brand. Looking at the beginning concept to where we are now: version one was very loud, version two was much quieter and more toned down, version three was trying to get closer to the earth tones, and version four is hopefully much closer in the color scheme after another phone call with staff. Mr. Nowak feels this fourth version meets the criteria a lot better for several reasons: the earth tones, the 360-degree architecture especially with the pond element, the materials are much more aligned with the text including the dimensional stone, and we’ve removed the high intensity painted colors and we now only have the trim of the yellow and blue which is iconic to the Smash Park brand. Mr. Nowak stated he doesn’t want to talk too much to allow ample time for member comments and he is available for questions. He said they are really excited to be here and to build, he thinks it will be a very exciting and fun development. Mr. Nowak ended by saying they do plan on making a formal submission to be on the June meeting agenda.  Westerville Planning Commission Minutes April 24, 2024 Meeting Page 3 Ms. Sharp inquired as to how many jobs Smash Park would bring to Westerville - to which Mr. Nowak replied it would bring around one hundred jobs to this location. Ms. Sharp stated that she knows they are very aware of the market analysis telling you this region has a lot of pressure for both housing and job growth. She stated of course this is a prime location for growth overall so her comments are mostly focused on the pressures of the community. She thinks the use being presented is perfectly fine and very welcome. Ms. Sharp stated that personally, as a city planner she thinks this is prime location for mixed use and definitely higher density. She inquired as to whether they have ever built inside a building with other things over top of it, but this is a well-connected corner with a lot of other things around it and she could imagine this use inside of a building with either multi-family or other uses above it. She stated that we have a lot of pressure for more jobs and more housing, this is a huge growing area and for these places to be active at night, additional housing would make everything more active at night. Mr. Munger asked to return the slide of the site plan. He stated that overall the building is sited pretty well, the primary frontage is on Polaris and we understand the pond is going to push it back pretty far from Cleveland Avenue and it does an ok job at fronting the north/south connector (Keppler Crossing). Mr. Munger wants to echo Ms. Sharps’ comments regarding higher density. He states that the Commission has been pretty consistent with pushing for higher density in this area of development. Mr. Munger feels, in his opinion, that we are putting way too much parking throughout this whole area, part of the master plan of this whole area was to rely on some street parking and some shared use parking. He stated that when you go out to these sites after development, they are primarily empty parking lots and he would try to encourage them to slim back on their parking spaces and perhaps even look into reciprocal parking agreements with other nearby businesses. With respect to the architecture, Mr. Munger stated they are kind of hampered by their desire to have long, clear spans internally and he has a problem with this specifically as it relates to the Polaris Parkway frontage. He stated it is completely plain without any glazing or without any other breaks or reveals in it. Mr. Munger suggested they take a look at the (Westerville) Community Center because they have similar use internally, but they have done a nice job with trying to break-up the exterior to get natural light. Mr. Munger would like to encourage them to not be a straight line that starts at one end and ends at the other, but more adequately fits with the intention of the text behind the area. Mr. Munger stated that he didn’t mind some of the bright color on the earlier renderings, but understands he is probably in the minority as far as the Commission goes. However, this is such a radical departure from the other buildings on Altair, although that may not be a deal breaker, as it stands today may be a hard sell for him. Mr. Munger stated that he loves the use, he thinks it’s a great use for that corner and he would be really excited to see that here, it just needs some more development of the building elevations and we always want to encourage higher density use in this area of town. Mr. Nowak asked to add a comment, with regards to the windows on Polaris it is difficult because that is where the pickleball courts are and for game play and users, they don’t want any natural light. As far as that goes, the users do not like to have any type of glass on the pickleball courts. Mr. Munger countered with suggesting they could even consider frosting the glazing in this case. It is more about getting the reflectivity of the glazed material out there and letting a little bit of that natural light in even if it’s not direct light or direct vision. Mr. Munger said he thinks they have an opportunity to maybe achieve the same result without the direct views and possible distractions. Ms. Carmichael stated she is simply speaking as a community member, but she didn’t have a good feeling about the north facing elevation and Mr. Munger has now explained what was missing in her mind and she seconds his concerns there and she likes the new color scheme. Ms. Carmichael also stated that she feels as if this design doesn’t reflect the other buildings that already exist in this area, specifically the diagonals seem a bit excessive. She commented she loves the use and inquired whether or not access to the restaurants was only available with a membership to the venue.  Westerville Planning Commission Minutes April 24, 2024 Meeting Page 4 Mr. Nowak replied with there is no membership required, the restaurants are all walk-up and open to the public. He stated that a lot of the users will come in and eat, there is a really nice bar and then there is duck pin bowling, axe throwing, darts, karaoke, etc. and so many people will come in for all of those things and not even think about pickleball. Ms. Murphey stated that she is ecstatic about the use for the area and all the entertainment it will bring for families, but also for businesses in the area to take outings to. She stated she will defer the architecture comments to Mr. Munger, but also echo Ms. Sharps comments on the push for high density in this area. Mr. Anderson commented that this is a great concept and he is really excited for the use. He added that having some more entertainment options is a fantastic thing for Westerville. Mr. Anderson stated he would also echo some of the previous comments, one being density is certainly something on the table here as well as reduction of parking. He would even advocate for circulation of ride-share drop off and pick up as well as bicycle connectivity, he believes these would be stellar additions to the plan. Mr. Anderson also identified the Community Center as an interesting example of there being windows that don’t let in direct natural light. He continued that glazing the windows might be an interesting way to accomplish that, especially with a little bit more height to the building. Council Member Glasgow stated that hopefully without sounding like a broken record, he is also very excited about this use and everyone that he has spoken to is excited about this use. He wanted to thank them for working through the different versions and thinks they have done a great job working through them to this point. Council Member Glasgow noted he is not an architect so he goes with his gut and his initial thought was that there is a lot of parking, a lot of blacktop. He stated that he’s not sure what exactly can be done about that, but it is worth looking into to see if there is anything that can be done about it because it is a lot. Council Member Glasgow commented that the building does look a little different than the others our there, but it is also a different use and he understands because of the constraints of this use, it may end up having to look a little different than the rest. He appreciates them working to make it as compatible as they can. Chairman Samuelson started by saying that when they come back to formally apply, they may face a challenge with signage because of how the building faces on the two roads and how much signage you may end up requesting and the size of the signage. Chairman Samuelson commented that in terms of the parking, his initial look at that was that’s an awful lot of parking, and then to see that sea of parking off to the east and he doesn’t know what the arrangement could be for shared parking or reduced parking, but that is something he would be curious about. As for the density, Chairman Samuelson thinks it’s an interesting idea to put something like residential use above this type of facility, but he is also concerned about the level of noise and patterns of activity. Chairman Samuelson said he would be interested in learning more if the applicant has any information regarding this, such as their peak patterns or trends during the course of a day. He stated that overall, he does like this idea and is appreciate of them working with staff and working through the number of renderings that they have so far. Chairman Samuelson said there are about eight minutes left of the Conceptual Review. He asked if any of the Commission members had any other comments or questions, and if the applicant had any question or anything to add. Mr. Nowak replied that he had two items. First, regarding the parking comments, he does agree that it does look like a sea of parking, but in the other two pre-existing locations the ideal parking situation is about two-hundred stalls and for this development we have about one-hundred and seventy stalls. He stated that he understands the concerns and they are willing to take another look at reducing some parking and inquiring into the aspect of shared parking across the street. Mr. Nowak wanted to add that this proposal is  Westerville Planning Commission Minutes April 24, 2024 Meeting Page 5 already less parking than their other two sites that are in operation. He also wanted to address the comments regarding the multi-family use above the venue, he stated that at this time that is not something they have considered. He continued that perhaps in the future that would be something to look in to, but not at this time. Chairman Samuelson stated that it would still be helpful to look at their patterns and trends, even in terms of the possibility of shared parking. Mr. Nowak stated that their busiest times will be the opposite of the day businesses in the area, during the business day will be their most quiet and will get much busier in the evenings and on the weekends. That being said, he feels like that would bode well for both developments to look into shared parking and use of land. Mr. Munger stated very frankly that the challenge we have in this whole area is that us as a City have missed an opportunity throughout this entire site. We have made something very conventional, where we had a much better opportunity, and we have continued to pave it to an inch of its life when we had an opportunity to make something much more walkable. We made walkable streetscapes with them never having the chance to be used for walking. Mr. Munger stated that we need to be very careful about deviating from the original intention, which was to try to create a walkable community, by over parking it. Mr. Nowak asked for clarification that for the architecture - the diagonals were a major concern and incorporating glass on the Polaris Parkway frontage are the two major points. Mr. Munger answered by suggesting Mr. Nowak take a look at the Community Center. They had a lot of the same issues and were able to incorporate improvements in a satisfactory manner. Ms. Sharp stated she would also like to suggest that even though Mr. Nowak hasn’t experienced putting this use within a mixed use, maybe he can look at a couple that have done that and just how proforma it works out. Especially if they work out more positively in the end for the developer, she would think they would at least be interested. Mr. Nowak concluded by thanking the members for their time and stating that this was extremely helpful. Westerville Planning Commission Regular Meeting April 24, 2024 6:30 p.m. Regular Meeting City Council Chambers, 21 S. State St. The Westerville Planning Commission held a Regular Meeting on Wednesday April 24, 2024 at 6:30 pm, in City Council Chambers at 21 S. State Street. Members present were Kimberly Sharp, Steven Munger, Audrey Carmichael, Council Member Aaron Glasgow, Jill Murphey, Michael Anderson and Chairman Dave Samuelson. Staff members in attendance were Secretary Jeff Buehler and Deputy Clerk Jennifer Kitchen. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 28, 2024, REGULAR MEETING Ms. Sharp moved and Council Member Glasgow seconded for the Approval of the Minutes as presented. Yeas: Ms. Murphey, Ms. Sharp, Mr. Munger, Ms. Carmichael, Council Member Glasgow, Mr. Anderson and Chairman Samuelson. Nays: None Abstentions: None The motion unanimously carried (7-0). PUBLIC HEARINGS None SUBDIVISION REVIEWS None MISCELLANEOUS None ADJOURN There being no further business, Chairman Samuelson entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:41 p.m. ADJOURN JEFF BUEHLER Dave Samuelson, Chairman Jeff Buehler, Secretary