Agenda - Planning Commission - 09/15/2003 - Special Meeting

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PACT Charter School - Site Plan September 12, 2003 Page 5 o~'8 TC-3 I, Vindows and' Door.~: The Guidelines require that at least 40% of each fagade be comprised of windows, which this plan meets. The final Guideline from this section that applies to the school regards the mater/al used for windows at the street level. The Guidelines state that the window glass should be clear when located on the ground level. You provided ir2brmation to the City that indicates the ground level will have clear glass in the windows. TC-3 Materials: The Guidelines state that street orientated facades should be comprised of durable, high quality materials, which this plan appears to meet. 1-'ne Guidelines also forbid the use of vinyl, metal, or lap board siding. The school is not using any of these materials on the exterior. Finally, the Guidelines require that at least 40% of the fa,cade along Ramsey Blvd. be comprised of brick. Once again, there may be a. mitigating factor given the distance of the building from the road, but Staff would like to explore the option of adding more brick along the Ramsey Blvd. side of the building as this is an important view shed into the Town Center. : Building Placement in the TC-$ District: In additi°n to setbacks required m the Zoning District, the Guidelines state that all buildings in the TC-3 Dismcr should have a build-to line from 0 feet to 25 feet. The proposed building does not meet these guidelines. The building is ~ocated 60 feet and 40 feet from the £'ront and rear lot lines respectively. The distance is even ~eater for the eastern and western sides or' the buildings. W~ile keeping buildings close to streets is highly desirable in the Town Center, it may not be very practical for a school facility,. The school needs to have parking spaces for teachers, students, and visitors as wetl'as maneuve~dng areas tbr school buses, k is also desirable to have some green space around the school building for play~ounds and recreational space. As previously mentioned in the setbacks discuss~gn, Staff believes that under the circumstances, the building placement of the school building may'be acceptable. This deviation should be addressed in the C.U.P. Staff' will have a discussion with the Planning Commission on this matter. TC-3 ?arking Strategies: The Guidelines require that no more than 30% of the 'frontage of'any public street should be devoted to parking. It does not appear that this site plan meets this guideline along Ramsey Parkway and it certainly does not along Peridot Street. Given the use of the building as a school, the size of the building, and the size of the lot, it Mil be dif:~icuIt for the ske plan to conform to this guideline, even [f the building is relocated. Given this ]tact, Staff would like to discuss with the you the possibility to mitigate the visual impact of parking lots as viewed from the street, such as the use of additional landscaping elements (plantings, ben:ns). Summary (?/'Design Guidelines: As is readily apparent, it is difficult for your site plan to meet every, design guideline. However, Staff feels very strongly that every attempt to comply with the Guidelines should be explored and the spirit and intent of the Guidelines should be ap¢ied to the solutions. As the PACT Charter School is the first development within the Town Center, it will set the standard and the tone fbr future site plan reviews. Therefore,. the City will want to ensure that the review is complete and that any deviation fi:om the Guidelines is based on logical rationale that is specific to the use of the building and/or the location of the site. Ultimately, the Planning Commission and City Council will have the final say regarding acceptable solutions to meet the Town Center Development Guidelines.