Agenda - Council Work Session - 01/14/2025

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Yolite Street and/or future Ramsey Parkway. A cross-access and maintenance agreement is required,will be prepared by the City Attorney, and recorded with the plat. For a building this size, 17 parking spaces are required at the rate of one space per 300 square feet of building area. Twenty spaces are provided in the lot which is adequate for the bank's needs based on the bank's other locations. It is anticipated that staff and some customers will use the parking lot while many customers will find the on-street parking available on Sunwood Drive very convenient. About six parallel parking spaces are adjacent to the site. The Fire Department has requested a "no parking here to corner" sign be placed near the intersection to provide adequate sight lines and turning radius for the fire trucks. The drive-thru lanes on the immediate north side of the building will have an exit-only driveway to Zeolite Street. Zeolite Street Zeolite Street is currently constructed as a temporary roadway. It will be reconstructed in 2024 to urban standards with sidewalks, curbing, and boulevard trees. The design of the roadway is not completed,though it is anticipated that the roadway will be raised slightly to accommodate storm water drainage. The placement of the driveways will accommodate changes in elevation easily. In the meantime,the Engineering Department noted that temporary culverts may be necessary under both driveways. Pedestrian Connections The building is being constructed with a front door in a corner vestibule onto Sunwood Drive. The vestibule will also have a door facing east to the parking lot. A direct sidewalk connection is provided to the sidewalk along Sunwood Drive. The applicant will construct its portion of the Sunwood Drive sidewalk and streetscape with construction of the building. Due to the building having its elevation 1.5 feet above the street elevation, a couple steps are needed. An ADA-compliant ramp will be located just to the east, closer to the parking lot. The landscaped planting beds along Sunwood Drive are being designed to line up with the building's walkways. Landscaping and Screening The applicant provided a landscape plan that generally meets the landscape requirements. The Environmental Policy Board(EPB)reviewed the plans at its meeting on May 15. The plans do include a tree inventory. There are 27 trees on the roughly 1.25 acres that the bank would be constructed. There are two red cedars, one box elder, and the rest are Siberian elms,which are an invasive species. All trees within this 1.24-acre site are proposed to be removed. As the vast majority of them are invasive,they would be excluded from the removal threshold. Thus,based on the proposed landscaping, the project will satisfy the tree preservation standards via reforestation on site. Staff has requested a bit more information regarding the tree inventory and preservation plan,but nothing of any great significance. The Landscape Plan is generally acceptable with the corrections noted on the plan sheets. Staff is working with the Applicant to lengthen the eastern most planter bed along Sunwood Drive so it matches the beds east of Zeolite Street(south side of Sunwood Drive). Additionally,Zeolite Street will be reconstructed(a City project)in 2024, so it does not make sense to have boulevard trees installed until after the road project is complete. Based on the linear footage along Zeolite Street(about 270 feet), eight boulevard trees would be required(spaced at 35 feet on center). Similar to the hotel project,which is just across Zeolite Street from the Subject Property, Staff is recommending collecting a boulevard tree fee through the Development Agreement that can be used to purchase and install these trees in accordance with the COR Design Framework as part of the City's road construction project. There are other minor corrections needed on the Landscape Plan as noted on the attached plan sheets. Lighting The applicant provided a lighting plan with photometrics showing adequate amounts of light over the parking lot and pedestrian areas. The plan shows 25-foot poles. It is recommended that the poles be reduced to 15-to 20-feet in height to be in line with the proposed lighting standards of the Zoning Code update and to be more proportional with the 28-foot building height. The lights under the drive-thru canopy appear to have a dropped lens. Current Code prohibits off-site views of light sources therefore a side shield may be necessary.