Title
Ordinance - Public Hearing and First Reading of an Ordinance Approving a Change of Zoning from PD Planned Development District to PD Planned Development District for Retail, Restaurant, and Other Commercial Uses, to also Include an Auto Repair Garage on Approximately 0.71 Acres Located at 3121 E. Broad Street; John Davis of Brakes Plus on Behalf of Will Tolliver of LG Broad Cannon LLC (ZC#19-007)
Requested Action
To consider the subject zoning change request.
Recommendation
The Planning & Zoning Commission held a public hearing on June 17, 2019, and voted 5-1 (Weydeck voting no; Knight absent) to recommend approval with the condition that the applicant remove the topographical and utility information from the Site Plan, correct the Landscape Plan to provide for a 10’ landscape buffer with appropriate plantings adjacent to the west property line and a 20’ landscape setback adjacent to Broad Street, and correct the wall sign locations on Page 1 of the Sign Plan. Some of the commissioners expressed concerns about the proximity of the auto repair use adjacent to the existing Costa Vida restaurant and its outdoor patio, particularly as it relates to noise and visibility, but the applicant stated that Brakes Plus uses muffled tools and the developer has been in contact with Costa Vida and they did not have objections to the use. Furthermore, the property developer believed this to be the best use for this particular lot.
Description/History
The subject property consists of approximately 0.71 acres located at 3121 E. Broad St. on Lot 2 of the Broad Street Marketplace shopping center. The applicant is requesting to improve the lot with a Brakes Plus auto repair garage. An auto repair garage is not a permitted use in the approved planned development (PD) for this shopping center; as such, the PD will require a major modification to allow this use on this particular lot and the provided exhibits (site plan, elevations, landscape plan, and sign plan) will govern the use and improvement of this lot.
Site Plan
The applicant is proposing a 4,915 sq. ft. single-story auto repair garage facility (Brakes Plus), which will include eight service bays oriented on the eastern portion of the building, as well as an office and waiting area situated in the southwestern part of the building. The public entrance into the waiting area will be located on the west side of the building and sidewalks will be located on the southern and western portions of the building to provide access from the parking lot. Employee entrances will be located on the north elevation of the building and will also be accessed by sidewalks.
The site will have its primary access point at the northeast corner of the property, connecting to the main east-west drive aisle serving the outlots of the Broad Street Marketplace development. An additional access point at the southeast corner of the property will connect directly to the Costa Vida restaurant to the east. To serve pedestrians, a sidewalk connection will be made directly into the site from the sidewalk along Broad Street.
The site will provide 20 parking spaces, which is double the Zoning Ordinance requirement of 10 parking spaces, based on the calculation of 1 parking space per 500 sq. ft. of floor area that has been established for auto repair garages.
The applicant will provide a trash enclosure in the northwestern portion of the property, which will be screened in accordance with Section 7301.B of the Zoning Ordinance. Sidewalk connections will facilitate employee access to the trash enclosure. The applicant also notes that all equipment will be designed and screened in accordance with Section 7301.A of the Zoning Ordinance. The applicant has also specified that there will be no outside storage of materials and no outside storage of vehicles awaiting repair outside of normal business hours.
Elevations
The provided Elevations show two color varieties of concrete block as the primary building material (60%), with two color varieties of manufactured stone and three color varieties of EIFS comprising much of the rest of the building materials, at 12.7% and 23.8% respectively, with the stone primarily forming the corner columns of the building and both the EIFS and manufactured stone highlighting the main entrance of the building. Metal flashing and a canopy feature will also accentuate the building. The architect has provided tables showing the building materials calculations on each elevation and has demonstrated that the building as a whole will be 72.7% masonry and 27.3% non-masonry. The building will feature a flat roof design with parapet walls. The height of the parapets will mostly vary between 22’ and 24’, with the southwestern corner of the building (where the main entrance is located) rising to 28’. The building includes a series of wall plane recesses and projections, however the depth of the recesses/projections on the east elevation (where the service bays are located) are 2’ shallower than what is typically allowed in Section 4600 of the Zoning Ordinance, which specifies 4’; the applicant is requesting a deviation from this requirement. In lieu of the 4’ recesses/projections, the applicant will provide a canopy feature over the center portion of this elevation. The overhead doors for the service bays will all include windows and the southwestern corner of the building will also feature an abundance of windows near the main entrance. The trash enclosure will include concrete block to match the building.
Landscape Plan
As indicated in the Landscape Plan, the applicant will provide a 10’ landscape buffer along the west side of the property (adjacent to the high school) and a 20’ landscape setback along the south property line adjacent to Broad Street. A landscape buffer with trees already exists on the east (between Costa Vida and this lot) as well. In addition, a 6’ masonry screening wall has already been built along the west property line adjacent to the high school. In the 20’ landscape setback along Broad Street, three red oak trees will be planted. In the west landscape buffer, seven Chinese elm trees will be planted, with shrubs in between. In addition, the parking lot will be screened by shrubs and the parking lot will also include two cedar elm trees in landscape islands (1 for every 10 parking spaces). The trash enclosure area and transformers will also be screened by shrubs.
Sign Plan
The applicant has provided a Sign Plan showing the specifications for the proposed signage on the property. In lieu of a monument sign, the applicant will have two walls signs. The wall signs will be of equal size (16’ in width) with one on the south elevation (facing Broad Street) and one on the west elevation (facing the high school property). The signage, particularly as it relates to quantity, location, and size, is in compliance with the standards for C-2 zoned properties as established in Section 7100 of the Zoning Ordinance.
Summary
While an auto repair garage was not included as an approved use in the original planned development, the proposed building and its landscaping and signage mostly complies with the regulations of the planned development and/or C-2 zoning, aside from a slight deviation to the architectural requirements.
Prepared By
Lisa Sudbury, AICP
Interim Director of Planning
817-276-4227