DATE: 03/18/2015
TO: Franklin Municipal Planning Commission
FROM: Joshua King, Senior Planner
Catherine Powers, Director of Planning and Sustainability
Subject
title
Gateway Village PUD Subdivision, site plan, lot 137, (Touchstone Office Building) a 21,000 square foot building on 1.45 acres, located at 1360 Moher Boulevard.
body
Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to provide information to the Franklin Municipal Planning Commission (FMPC) concerning a site plan for a 21,000 square foot office building, located at 1360 Moher Boulevard, in the Gateway Village Development.
Project Information
COF Project Number: 4693
Applicant: Jared Grey, Civil Design Consultants
Owner: Jean B Shupe, THMIHQ-TRE, LLC
Background/Staff Comments
FMPC recently reviewed a development plan revision regarding this site. With the development plan review at the December 2014 FMPC meeting, FMPC voted to require the site plan to also be submitted for a full FMPC review.
As with the development plan, staff has concerns with the proposed architecture of the building. The proposed building does not match the architecture of the existing buildings already constructed in Gateway Village. The architecture looks to be more fitting of a Conventional Design Standard and more appropriate in Cool Springs then a Traditional Design Standard area. Staff does not feel that the architecture of this building conforms to the traditional design guidelines of the Zoning Ordinance, the Land Use Plan, or the Gateway Village Pattern Book.
The Zoning Ordinance states in Chapter 5.3.4 Chapter 1 Section A to, "Blend new development with existing development form and pattern" also to "reduce potential adverse impacts between different land uses or buildings differing in scale, mass, height, proportion, form, or architecture". Further on in Section E, "Use similarly sized and patterned architectural features such as windows, doors, awnings, arcades, pilasters, cornices, wall offsets, building materials, and other building articulations included on the lower intensity useĀ
".
In the Franklin Land Use Plan it calls out Guiding Principles that state, "The development quality of corridors should be improved and maintained through the continued implementation of strong design standards, such as architectural elements, landscaping, signs, site design, and so forth. Special Area 4 of Berrys Chapel; -- "This area is comprised of mixed-use centers that include commercial, attached residential and institutional. Future development of the area will be likened to the established design concept."
Regarding the Gateway Village Pattern Book; "The common thread that solidifies the development is the continuity of the architecture. By utilizing traditional and classic architectural elements and materials, the transition from commercial to residential use is made smoothly." "The architecture of the community as a whole takes precedence over the design of individual structures to reinforce the village concept and establishes the sense of place for the development. T should help define the streetscape and provide for an orderly transition between the commercial and residential uses. Treatment of the streetscape enhances the appearance and unifies the development."
Staff has made note of the architecture since the pre-application stage of the development plan, and the applicant has chosen to move forward aware of staff's disapproval.
Recommendation
recommendation
Staff recommends disapproval.
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PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS:
If Planning Commission chooses to approve this project, the attached conditions of approval shall apply.
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.