DATE: 10/15/2014
TO: Franklin Municipal Planning Commission
FROM: Catherine Powers, Director of Planning and Sustainability
Subject
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PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of Resolution 2014-55, To Be Entitled, "A Resolution Approving A Development Plan For Nichol Mill Lofts PUD Subdivision, Located At 427 Nichol Mill Lane, By The City Of Franklin, Tennessee (10/23/14 FMPC 6-1; 11-11-14 WS)."
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Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to provide information to the Franklin Municipal Planning Commission (FMPC) concerning a resolution for a development plan for Nichol Mill Lofts PUD Subdivision, located at 427 Nichol Mill Lane.
Project Information
COF Project Number: 4564
Applicant: Greg Gamble, Gamble Design Collaborative
Owner: Thomas Sidwell, Nichol Mill Trust
Background
As you are aware, this project was deferred by FMPC at the July meeting to allow time for staff, Brentwood and the developer to provide a solution to the closing of the median cut on Mallory Lane. Staff has researched a number of possible options and feels the one presented in the revised Development Plan provides the best traffic control and safety measures for the residents of the development and convenience of the surrounding merchants.
Because of the desire to leave the median cut open while providing safe ingress/egress, this project will not meet the strict interpretation of the Zoning Ordinance related to internal and external connectivity.
In regards to internal connectivity, Section 5.10.4 of the Zoning Ordinance allows for relief due to existing development patterns. As this is an already built and dense area, this fact along with safety issues related to the median cut, the existing development pattern makes meeting the required connectivity solution impractical. The same is the situation for external connectivity and cross access.
Staff Comments
The parcels proposed for development are some of the few remaining vacant properties near the Mallory Lane corridor. The properties encompassed by the proposed PUD are currently zoned General Commercial (GC) and are proposed to be zoned to Specific Development-Residential 58. 8 (SD-R 58.8).
During preliminary meetings, it was noted that the medical office building to the east has a parking demand that exceeds the amount of available parking spaces. The Nichol Mill Lofts applicant has considered a shared parking agreement with the adjacent medical office use. A shared parking arrangement has not been agreed upon at this time, and the applicant is proposing a plan with parking that meets the needs of their site only. If a shared parking agreement with the medical office use is desired in the future, the Zoning Ordinance allows for such parking arrangements to be approved administratively, upon review of supporting analyses and documentation.
Staff has worked closely with the applicant to ensure that adequate transitional features are provided with this proposed development plan since the proposed use, mass, height, and scale of the development is not compatible with nearby existing uses and structures.
The plan has been revised during the review process as follows:
1. The building setbacks on each side are within 25% of the average setbacks of existing structures on the same block face. This equates to a 28' setback on the south; a 25' setback on the north; a 53' setback on the east; and a 70' setback on the west.
2. The LSR onsite is 0.29, which is compatible with the required LSR on General Commercial-zoned lots to the east (0.30) and the required LSR on Light Industrial-zoned lots to the west (0.20). Some of the landscape area is provided via internal court yards, however. The LSR on the perimeter of the site is 0.23.
3. The height of the proposed structure is 4 stories (50 feet). The applicant has provided a height study of adjacent structures, which shows that the proposed height is marginally higher than that of the adjacent medical office building and Academy store.
4. Wall offsets, changes in building materials, and general building articulation have been utilized to break up the scale of the building mass.
Modifications of Design Standards (approved by FMPC on 10/23/14), for informational purposes only
1. Request to increase the maximum building length of any attached residential building from 200 feet to a length of 450 feet.
The applicant is requesting a modification of standards to increase the maximum permitted building length from 200 feet to 450 feet. The urban design intent of this PUD requires a longer building façade since the building spans nearly the entire block. With the additional architectural detailing and façade variation that is proposed, the building will have the appearance and feel of multiple building fronts along the street. Staff will carefully review the proposed architecture at site plan stage to ensure that the façade is varied along the street-fronting sides of buildings. Since the modification of this standard is essential to the design intent of this PUD and since the facades will be well articulated along the streets, staff recommends approval of this modification of design standards.
Project Considerations
1. At site plan, applicant shall provide a highly developed, detailed plan for the formal open space illustrating how the space performs at the human scale with site amenities, while also serving surface detention and water quality. If the intent of all these items/requirements cannot be met within the area identified on the development plan, a revision to the development plan may be required to reconfigure the open space areas and/or water quality features.
Recommendation
recommendation
Staff recommends favorable recommendation to BOMA.
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See attached pages for a list of staff recommended conditions of approval.
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS:
1. Fifteen (15) half-size copies of the Development Plan shall be submitted to the Department of Planning and Sustainability by 9am on the Monday after the Planning Commission meeting in order to be placed on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen agenda.
2. If the plan receives BOMA approval, the applicant shall upload the corrected plan to the online plan review website (https://franklin.contractorsplanroom.com/secure/) and submit one (1) complete and folded set and a .pdf file of corrected development plan to the Department of Building and Neighborhood Services (Suite 110, Franklin City Hall). All revisions to the approved plans shall be "clouded." With the resubmittal, each condition of approval/open issue in the online plan review system shall contain a full response from the applicant as to the satisfaction or completion of that condition.
3. The city's project identification number shall be included on all correspondence with any city department relative to this project.