DATE: February 20, 2019
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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Berry Farms Reams Fleming Tract PUD subdivision, Development Plan, Revision 2, (Ramsey Headquarters), A Revision to 650,000 Square Feet of Office and Conference Space in 4 Buildings on 45.17 Acres, North of the Intersection of Reams Fleming Blvd and Pratt Lane.
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Project Information
COF Project Number: 6896
Applicant: Dustin Scruggs, Gresham Smith
Owner: Winston Cruze, Matt 5:14-16 LLC.
Background/Staff Comments
This item was deferred at the February 28, 2019 FMPC meeting, at the applicant’s request.
The Original Concept Plan for Berry Farms Reams Fleming Tract PUD Subdivision was approved via Ordinance 2006-17 at the 7/11/2006 BOMA meeting. The Concept plan was amended once in 2016, administratively, for the area surrounding the current Ramsey Corporate HQ site. The revised Development Plan being proposed does not alter the current entitlements of 400 multi-family units, 1,365,100 SQFT office, and 847,600 SQFT of commercial space across the entire 238-acre property. The 650,000 SQFT of office space remains in place for Lots 1, 102, and 103 as shown on the Development Plan revision.
Based on initial scoping meetings with City Planning and Engineering staff, Section 2.4.2 (11) (b) qualifies for a FMPC only development plan revision through:
Section iv- Changes in building heights, or number of stories, which impact the visual character ... The revised development plan as provided, illustrates a layout which better reflects the existing and planned topography on the site. The site has unprotected slopes exceeding 14% and showed driveways and roadways which could not be constructed according to City street specifications and emergency vehicle design specifications. The revised layout changes the building heights, massing, and location to Office Building 3 and the Conference Center layout.
Section v- Significant changes to the internal street network, block layout, and/or intersection configuration: The original concept plan provided a spine road and intended improvements to Pratt Lane. While not being approved with this Development Plan, the City has spent significant man hours and capital evaluating future improvements to Pratt Lane. The redesign of the building layouts on site (see Section vii discussion) and the internal driveways contains more of the site traffic internal to the site and increases traffic pressures on the spine road.
Section vii- Major changes to parking layout… which changes the character of the plan: The original concept plan clustered the office buildings and envisioned a larger surface parking lot. The current Development plan request has a significant portion of surface parking with some of the required parking being placed in a parking ramp/deck that will meet City building requirements. This parking is intended for Phases 3 and 4 (future office and conference center).
Envision Franklin recommends a Regional Commerce design concept for this area.
Buildings should be arranged on sites so that they help to frame and define the streets, giving deliberate form to streets and sidewalk areas. Building setbacks should be minimal to create an active street environment that encourages pedestrian activity. Where internal drives are used to organize buildings and pedestrian movement, setbacks to internal drives should be minimized wherever possible. Along high-volume streets, buildings may be set back from the street, provided they are sited to be consistent with the predominant line of building massing (setback) along the street in order to create a defined streetscape and sense of place. When larger setbacks are used, plazas and formal open spaces that serve as pedestrian-friendly gathering places should be located between the building and the street, rather than parking, to activate the street frontage.
Building design should provide contextual references to its surrounding built and natural environment. Design context could include natural features, such as a river, lake, park, open space, or hillside; historic and cultural contexts; and existing architecture. Examples of contextual references could include maximizing visual access to scenic views, streets, pedestrian corridors, plazas, public art, and prominent buildings; incorporating distinctive architectural details, materials, and styles from nearby buildings where an established character exists; and siting buildings in a manner that uses the natural topography and minimizes grading. Large expanses of surface-parking areas should be avoided. Infill buildings and associated parking structures are expected and encouraged to replace large, surface-parking lots.
The proposed development meets the intent of Envision Franklin by clustering the buildings together and providing pedestrian connections amongst the buildings and the associated parking. While the parking layout is not ideal, staff concurs the current and proposed parking changes meet the intent of this section of Envision Franklin by providing buildings and active open space that front the main spine road of the Reams-Fleming Tract.
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. Parking structures are considered special buildings but are still required to meet the Zoning Ordinance requirements outlined in Section 5.3.6.
Per the existing agreement with the City of Franklin, dedicating right-of-way, grading, accounting for stormwater run-off, multi-use path, and installation of 4-5 street lights for the section of east side of Pratt Lane adjacent to the Ramsey property shall be accounted for in the Development Plan and subsequent Site Plans. Once graded, the City intends to install shoulders on both sides of Pratt Lane, milling, and repaving this section of the road (essentially at its present vertical alignment) pending BOMA funding. It is anticipated this work and the rebuilding of the bridge further north near the intersection of Pratt Lane and Peytonsville Road will cost the City several million dollars although no estimating has been performed at this point. The current Pratt Lane connector road (as shown) is not being approved with this plan until all property owners agree to the routing and funding of such roadway improvements. No plans beyond Building (Office) Two (2) will be approved until the roadway is agreed upon or a BOMA level Development Plan Revision to reduce the number of external access points in this section of the Reams Fleming Tract is approved by the BOMA.
Recommendation
recommendation
Approval, With Conditions.
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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.