Minutes - Council - 08/22/2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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window. The building is set 35 feet back from Armstrong Boulevard, 70 feet from West Ramsey Parkway, and 330 feet from Sunwood Drive. A drive-thru is proposed to the north side of the building, with a drive aisle around the perimeter. An on-site traffic circulation plan has been requested in order to analyze the proposed parking and drive aisles. Mr. Trudgeon explained the bank is proposing to gain access from a temporary access to be constructed from Sunwood Drive, through Outlot A. Staff requested that this temporary access is constructed with curb and gutters to provide an edge for plowing, protect the bituminous surface from breakage, and prevent erosion. The Planning Commission discussed the difficulty of constructing curb and gutter for a temporary access and directed staff to work with the applicant to arrive at a reasonable solution. Staff is requiring that West Ramsey Parkway be constructed to Zeolite Street in order to provide a permanent access to the overall site. Community Development Director Trudgeon advised the stormwater management pond that the site proposes to utilize has not been constructed at this time. Staff has requested the construction of a temporary pond that must precede construction of the bank. Staff is continuing to work with the applicant's engineers to resolve this issue. Architectural renderings have been submitted. Staff has requested additional details regarding the type of windows and other building materials to be used. Revisions to the architecture have been requested. Also, the building's proposed positioning on the site comes into conflict with the elements discussed in the Town Center Development Guidelines Manual that encourage a walkable environment. Community Development Director Trudgeon advised it is the stated intent of the Town Center District to encourage a distinctly different development pattern than typical, suburban development. Therefore, the proposed building and drive-thru positioning are not ideal. The proposed location for the drive-thru on the north side of the building, adjacent to the parkway, will not encourage an active pedestrian environment, as the parkway was envisioned to be. Furthermore, the proposed drive aisle on the west side of the building lacks a consideration for pedestrians on the trail along Armstrong Boulevard and provides complicated traffic movements for cars exiting on the south. However, the TC-2 District is meant to be more auto-oriented than other Town Center areas and because the building is not directly adjacent to Sunwood Drive, the concern for the specific building orientation is not great. It is staff s opinion that the large setbacks from Armstrong Boulevard and West Ramsey Parkway can be mitigated by an increased effort to cater to the pedestrian through the increase of landscaping, fencing, and berming along Armstrong Boulevard and West Ramsey Parkway. Community Development Director Trudgeon advised the Planning Commission met on August 3, 2006, and discussed their concern about the northern location of the drive-thru and the need for a drive aisle. After much discussion, the Commission ultimately recommended approval of the site plan as proposed contingent upon the City Staff Review Letter, dated July 28, 2006, and the installation of the following stated landscaping considerations: 1) The installation of a berm on both the Armstrong and the Parkway boulevards between the parking areas/drive aisles and the sidewalk to reduce the visual impact of the parking lot and drive-thru in these areas 2) The continuation of the proposed fencing along the entire west and north perimeter to frame the sidewalk area 3) The installation of tall shrubs and small trees to provide additional screening City Council / August 22, 2006 Page 10 of 18