DATE: December 14, 2018
TO: Franklin Municipal Planning Commission
FROM: Josh King, Principal Planner
Amy Diaz-Barriga, Current Planning Supervisor
Emily Hunter, Director of Planning and Sustainability
Subject
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PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration Of Resolution 2018-105 - A Resolution Approving A Revised Development Plan For Avalon Square PUD Subdivision With 7 Modifications Of Development Standards (MOS 1-6: Retaining Wall Height; MOS 7: Retaining Wall Material), For The Property At The Intersection Of Cool Springs Boulevard And East McEwen Drive”. (12/20/18 FMPC 7-1; 1/08/19 WS)
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Project Information
COF Project Number: 6790
Applicant: Philip Piercy, Catalyst Design Group
Owner: Joe Parkes, Parkes Development Group
Background/Staff Comments
A concept plan for this site was approved via Ordinance 2004-61, with final approval occurring at the September 15, 2004 Board of Mayor and Alderman meeting. The original concept plan was approved for 172 attached residential units in the northwest quadrant and 341,850 square feet of commercial space across all four quadrants of this proposed development. This revision to the plan proposes 122 attached residential units in the northwest quadrant and 492 multifamily units interspersed the retail and commercial buildings in the southern half of the northwest quadrant, a difference of 442 dwelling units. A total of 420,875 square feet of commercial/retail/office space is proposed, a difference of 79,025 square feet from the original approved concept plan, with 306,100 square feet occurring in the mixed use portion of the northwest quadrant, separated from the existing single family residential neighborhoods.
Envision Franklin recommends a Neighborhood Mixed Use design concept for all four corners of the intersection of East McEwen Drive and Cool Springs Boulevard.
“The Neighborhood Mixed-Use design concept provides a diverse mix of high-activity uses with a connected and walkable block layout. These centers and corridors should have coordinated development patterns at a pedestrian scale, with high-quality architecture, plazas, sidewalks, and pedestrian and bicycle amenities to activate the street and connect these gathering places to the residential neighborhoods they support.”
“Large developments should be master planned in order to achieve a cohesive design for the entire site. Building setbacks adjacent to streets should be minimal to create an active street environment with wide tree-lined sidewalks that encourages pedestrian activity. Where internal drives are used to organize buildings and pedestrian movement, setbacks to internal drives should be minimized wherever possible.
Buildings and their main entrances should be oriented toward the street. Double frontage, reverse frontage, and flag lots are discouraged. Buildings, where feasible, should be sited or designed to create public spaces, such as a formal open space,
pedestrian plaza, courtyard, outdoor seating area, etc., that are easily accessible from adjacent streets or sidewalks. New and infill development is encouraged to provide a variety of housing types and should be designed so that duplexes, single family
dwellings, and townhouses are located on the periphery in order to transition to existing single-family neighborhoods.”
This development meets the intent of Envision Franklin by including a mix of housing types including residential above retail, multifamily residential, and townhome residential units. The most intensive of these units are interspersed into a mix of neighborhood scale retail buildings and uses. The townhomes are clustered and placed closest to the existing residential neighborhoods of Ashton Park and Village at Avalon. Less intensive retail uses are placed on the south side of East McEwen Drive adjacent to the existing Garden Club Court neighborhood.
Building setbacks along the internal street network are minimal and setbacks along the existing exterior roadway network are compatible with the existing built environment. While specific architecture is not being approved with the development plan, the applicant and their architect have illustrated how the intended building forms provide the active streetscape environment along East McEwen Drive and Cool Springs Boulevard.
Modification of Standards Requests
MOS 1: Location “A”:
City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance 5.6.4(2)(a) specifies a maximum retaining wall height of 16 feet if divided into two walls. The applicant has requested two walls (10’,8’) with a maximum total height of 18 feet in two walls. As grading must be kept to a minimum under the TVA line easement staff and the applicant agree there are no other solutions other than a MOS for this location.
Staff Recommends Approval of Modification of Standards #1.
MOS 2: Location “B”:
City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance 5.6.4(2)(a) specifies a maximum retaining wall height of 16 feet if divided into two walls. The applicant has requested two walls (10’,7’) with a maximum total height of 17 feet in two walls. As grading must be kept to a minimum under the TVA line easement staff and the applicant agree there are no other solutions other than a MOS for this location.
Staff Recommends Approval of Modification of Standards #2.
MOS 3: Location “C”:
City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance 5.6.4(2)(a) specifies a maximum retaining wall height of 16 feet if divided into two walls. The applicant has requested one wall (18’) integrated into the refuse center building with a maximum height of 18 feet. The structure will be highly visible from East McEwen Drive as there is no landscape buffer or buildings to be placed in front of this highly visible corner.
Staff Recommends Disapproval of Modification of Standards #3.
MOS 4: Location “D”:
City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance 5.6.4(2)(a) specifies a maximum retaining wall height of 16 feet if divided into two walls. The applicant has requested two walls (9’,8’) with a maximum height of 17 total feet. The placement of the traffic signal and the minimum vehicle stacking required for that intersection necessitated the driveway length and size preventing the applicant from meeting the retaining wall height.
Staff Recommends Approval of Modification of Standards #4.
MOS 5: Location “E”:
City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance 5.6.4(2)(a) specifies a maximum retaining wall height of 16 feet if divided into two walls. The applicant has requested two walls (10’,7’) with a maximum height of 17 total feet. Maintaining the structural stability of the existing fire station lot and the required minimum roadway intersection spacing requirements on Cool Springs Boulevard condensed the land needed to comply with the Zoning Ordinance standard.
Staff Recommends Approval of Modification of Standards #5.
MOS 6: Location “F”:
City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance 5.6.4(2)(a) specifies a maximum retaining wall height of 16 feet if divided into two walls. The applicant has requested two walls (12’,12’) with a maximum height of 24 total feet. The required minimum roadway intersection spacing requirements on Cool Springs Boulevard and East McEwen Drive necessitated a retaining wall to construct any driveway entrance into this quadrant of the development. The staff and applicant agree the retaining walls are a way to minimize the disturbance to the existing hill and the existing residential units in Avalon along Beauchamp Circle, Guinevere’s Retreat Ct., and Countess Nicole Ct.
Staff Recommends Approval of Modification of Standards #6.
MOS 7: Wall Composition Material
City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance 5.6.9(2) specifies segmental retaining walls shall match one of the primary colors of the retaining wall. The applicant requests to use pre-split rock retaining walls in lieu of segmental block. Engineering staff has no objections over the long-term stability or drainage issues with the use of this material over segmental blocks. Planning staff does not have sufficient information on the appearance or aesthetic of these walls to recommend approval of this deviation from our current standards.
Staff Recommends Disapproval of Modification of Standards #7.
Staff’s review and recommendation of the retaining wall modification requests have been influenced by the existence of a concept plan for this site that was approved long ago, prior to the presence of retaining wall height and material zoning standards. Staff considers this a special case.
Project Considerations
Project Considerations are not conditions of this approval, but are intended to highlight issues that should be considered in the overall site design or may be required when more detailed plans are submitted for review. These items are not meant to be exhaustive and all City requirements and ordinances must be met with each plan submittal.
Architecture is not approved at Development Plan stage but should stay consistent through site plan and permitting stage.
All City of Franklin specifications, guidelines and ordinances must be adhered to at the site plan stage. No exceptions will be allowed based on entitlements if our regulations cannot be met in the construction plan set. No additional modification of standards shall be granted during site plan. The applicant must come back to the Board of Mayor and Alderman in order to request any additional modification of standards.
The applicant is providing a connection to the edge of the property for an extension of Highbury Rise as a pedestrian, emergency gate, or full vehicular connection should the residents of Ashton Park or the BOMA desire to make this connection.
Recommendation
recommendation
Recommend approval to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
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See attached pages for a list of staff recommended conditions of approval.
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS:
1. The applicant shall upload the corrected plan to the online plan review website (<https://franklin.contractorsplanroom.com/secure/>). 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.
2. The city’s project identification number shall be included on all correspondence with any city department relative to this project.