Memorandum
City of Lawrence
Planning Department
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TO: |
David L. Corliss, City Manager |
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FROM: |
Planning Staff |
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DATE: |
September 16, 2014 |
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RE: |
PDP-14-00183; Here at Kansas a Preliminary Development Plan for a mixed use project located at 1101 and 1115 Indiana Street request to reduce total parking spaces provided for the project from 683 to 583 (all 100 spaces requested to be removed are located within the onsite parking structure) and to affirm staff’s interpretation of the plan that the structure complies with the maximum height allowed per the zoning district. |
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Attachments:
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Project Background This project was approved by the city commission at their meeting on July 8, 2014 subject to conditions. This project includes a multi-story mixed-use building, parking garage and on-street parking. The applicant submitted a letter requesting to reduce parking for the approved provided 683 spaces to 583 spaces, the reduction taken solely from the on-site parking structure.
Required off-street parking for this project is based on the proposed residential and non-residential uses. The MU district allows the use of on-street parking to be counted toward required parking. This project includes on-street parking within the MU district immediately adjacent to the property as well as spaces on the West side of Mississippi Street (U-KU District) and the east side of Indiana Street (RMG and RM32 Districts) because of the effective proximity of the project to these locations.
A total of 683 spaces are provided and are shared with the proposed non-residential uses. Parking for this use is based on an estimated mix of retail and eating and drinking uses within the development. A final calculation of the space is unknown since a specific tenant for the non-residential spaces is not identified.
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The total required for residential and non-residential uses is 720 spaces, assuming a certain mix of retail and restaurant uses. Note that the Bar or Lounge use requires a special use permit in the MU district and is calculated at a higher ratio than what has been accommodated with the plan. Through a mix of redeeming bonus points for meeting certain community values in the MU district and sharing a portion of the parking spaces, which is permitted by code, the actual number of spaces required was reduced by 37 spaces, which resulted in a maximum requirement of 683 spaces. The project provides 684 spaces between the garage and the on-street parking. The applicant is requesting to further reduce this number to 584 spaces, all 100 spaces coming out of the garage structure.
City Commission authority to reduce parking Section 20-701(i) allows the City Commission to decrease or increase the number of off-street parking and loading spaces required for residential uses for good cause shown. The City Commission may decrease the number of off-street parking for non-residential uses with the submission of a parking study prepared by the applicant as outlined in Section 20-905(b).
Applicant’s Request The applicant is requesting to reduce the parking provided from 684 to 584 by reducing the parking garage by 100 total spaces. The project then would include 477 garage spaces and 107 on-street parking spaces. The applicant’s parking analysis is contained in the request and reflects where different parking ratios were applied in different cities. It should be noted that the total number of on-street spaces is an estimate. A final count of spaces will be identified with public improvement plans for this project and may result in a change in the on-street parking by several spaces.
While the applicant may have sound reasoning to seek a reduction in parking, observations of parking in the Oread Neighborhood suggests that a reduction in parking may exacerbate current parking impacts to the neighborhood if the parking required by code is, in fact, necessary to support the project. This issue, and the potential for the requested parking ratio to set a precedent for future such requests, should be weighed when considering the applicants request.
Building Height Interpretation Staff and the applicant have continued to review the project with regarding to setbacks, building height and impact on the surrounding properties. This project is challenged by the overall topography of the site. The various street elevations contribute to the provision of unique spaces within the project and connecting these spaces to the adjacent public sidewalks.
The MU District has a base maximum building height of 48 feet. The building height can be increased by 12’ for each 100 points redeemed in the MU district. This project redeemed 150 points to increase the height by 18’. The PD overlay also allows for building height to be increased by 1’ for each 1’ of setback. The maximum building height is calculated by this formula: 48’ MU base district + 18’ MU credit points redeemed + 12’ PD setback = 79’.
The Development Code specifically exempts parapet walls, up to 5’ tall, in the overall height calculation per section 20-602(h)(3). The parapet wall proposed for this project is 4’ tall. Additionally, the Development Code allows for establishing a minimum elevation point for measuring height when there is a change of grade between two elevations of more than 10’ per section 20-602 (h)(1)(ii). This project meets these exemptions.
The building corners are identified on sheet PDP-2 of the Site Plan and are listed as follows:
This property has a significant grade change east to west and north to south such that each of the four building corners has a different building height as discussed in the Preliminary Development Plan staff report, PDP-14-00183. The northwest corner of the site is the lowest point of the site used in calculating the overall height.
This building provides undulations along each of the building facades such that the building setback varies from 10’ setback to 14.6’ setback on the northwest corner of the site. In other places along all building façades the building setback changes. The largest setback is almost 21’ along the northeast façade along Indiana Street. The average setback of all four sides is 17’ 9”. Interpreting the code to account for the average setbacks instead of the minimum setbacks would permit a height of 84’, of which all but the northwest corner of the structure meets. The northwest corner exceeds this by 5’ for a total of 89’.
Staff believes that in this application, the structure meets the intent of the Development Code related to height when considering the size of the building, the topography and the varying setbacks provided, even if the northwest corner exceeds the maximum for a short distance along the Mississippi Street and Indiana Street façades. Staff requests that the City Commission affirm staff’s interpretation to permit the heights as noted above.
Action Requested Consider the applicant’s request to reduce parking and approve or deny, as appropriate.
Affirm Staff’s interpretation of the building height for this project meeting the code at the northwest corner of the building.
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