Planning Commission Meeting (April 8, 2002) - City of Overland Park

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Overland Park Planning Commission Meeting April 8, 2002 Page 16 maximum of 2 stories and 30 feet in height. In order to allow the front of the buildings to be 2.5 stories tall, a deviation is required. The Planning Commission or City Council may grant a deviation if they find that all the criteria outlined in Staff Comments can be met. Mrs. Karr said it is staff’s opinion, because of the height of the buildings is within the height limitation of the ordinance, the spirit and intent of the ordinance has been met. She said the developer is proposing a different overall development concept than has been typical in the City. Staff sees no adverse impacts to adjacent property owners and recommends that the deviation be approved. Mrs. Karr advised that the applicant, City staff and the Fire Department have worked together, through numerous site plan alternatives, to arrive at the current development plan. Due to the unusual nature of this project design, substantial research was conducted, including a field analysis of the fire equipment operation on different street widths, which was done because of the on-street parking proposed by this development. She relayed that all of the parties involved in the preparation and review of the plans are supportive of the current preliminary design. There may be a few minor revisions to be made when a more detailed review of the specific drive and parking area geometrics take place at the final development plan stage. Improvements required with this project are interim improvements to159th street as well as an eastbound left-turn lane on 159th Street at Foster. Mrs. Karr stated that the applicant met with the Site Plan Review Committee on several occasions. The Committee expressed some concern regarding the use of one central green space instead of breaking the green space up throughout the development. She relayed that the Committee suggested several revisions to the plan, including modifying the building layout to provide some variety to the building orientations, refining the on-street parking to address concerns raised by the Fire Department and Transportation staff and modifications to the building elevations. The Committee voted 2 to 0 to approve a density bonus based on open space and attached garages. Mrs. Karr said the Future Development Plan Map identifies this property for medium density residential uses; therefore, the applicant’s request is in conformance with the Future Development Plan. After reviewing the plan for compliance with the Multi-Family Design Guidelines and the goals and policies of the Future Development Plan, staff believes the proposed development meets the required design objectives. Mrs. Karr said staff recommends approval of these Revised Preliminary Plans for Maplecrest Apartments, subject to stipulations a through i shown in Staff Comments. Mr. Paul Robben, Robben Development Company, 16012 Metcalf, Stilwell, Kansas, agreed with all stipulations. He emphasized that these will be for-sale town homes, and the average size ranges from 1,200 to 1,800 square feet, with optional finish space on the lower level, which would result in 2,200 square feet if the user so desires.
Overland Park Planning Commission Meeting April 8, 2002 Page 17 Mr. Lance stated that people who live in the units on the left and right-hand side of that large green area in the center would benefit from it, however, the rest of the residents in the complex would not. Mr. Lance questioned whether one clubhouse and one pool was enough for the number of people who would be using them. With regard to the green area, Mr. Robben replied that under traditional neighborhood design, the rational for the green area proposed here is that rather than having unusable green space dispersed throughout the community, there seems to be more desire and use on the part of all community residents to enjoy a larger green space they can gather in for events. The applicant viewed this as a great tool to promote the community. He relayed that this is in line with a study that the Johnson County Visioning Committee did which indicated that people preferred open usable space to small areas of space around individual buildings. Referring to the pool size, Mr. Robben said there is plenty of space to adjust the pool size. The applicant will rely on resident ratios to determine the pool size. Mr. Sanders asked the applicant how trash disposal would be handled here. Mr. Robben said the trash collector has not been contacted yet, and he did not have more details about this issue. His preference would be to have the trash contractor pull into the rear of the units and collect the trash at the end of the driveways. With Wal-Mart being next door, Mr. Sanders asked if there was an intent to connect a pedestrian access to the retail. Mr. Robben said the design is set up on a grid system, and there is connectivity built into it; however, there are some setback constraints. Mr. Sanders understood there were some retaining walls on the west of Wal-Mart, and he wondered how that connection might be made. Mr. Robben said he would have to look at that situation. Chairman Hunter opened the public hearing, but with no one wanting to comment, the public hearing was closed. Mr. White stated that this layout is a great improvement over the original plan. In this plan, the green space is consolidated which gives a community feel to the project and a draw for the residents. Mr. Reitzes also liked the central green space rather than a dispersed green space. Mr. Sanders stated that this was a refreshing design in that it is not the typical garden apartment project. He liked the fact that this project goes from a rental project to a for sale project. With no further discussion, Mr. New moved for the approval of Revised Preliminary Plans for Maplecrest Apartments, with stipulations a through i. After a second by Mr. Sanders, the motion passed by a 9 to 0 vote. REVISED PRELIMINARY PLAN APPROVAL – SOUTHGLEN SHOPPING CENTER – 12075 Metcalf Avenue. Application made by Klover Architects, Inc. (Denied)
Page 1 and 2: OVERLAND PARK PLANNING COMMISSION M
Page 3 and 4: Overland Park Planning Commission M
Page 15: Overland Park Planning Commission M
Page 29: Overland Park Planning Commission M

Planning Commission Meeting (April 8, 2002) - City of Overland Park

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?