Laserfiche WebLink
standards are used, with the end result being a project that is judged to be superior in <br />design and/or amenities to a project developed under traditional zoning regulations. <br />The current proposal is a Concept Stage PUD. This stage is the opportunity to discuss <br />the general concept and layout with the applicant, gaining a level of understanding on <br />the project, prior to the applicant committing significant amounts on developing more <br />detailed plans. A "Development Stage" and "Final Stage" PUD approval will be <br />necessary, and Preliminary Plat and Final Plat will also be required to accommodate <br />this project. The PUD and Plat approvals commonly proceed concurrently. Because <br />the project is in the Rice Street commercial corridor, the project also requires an <br />Architectural Review, which is often a part of the PUD processing. <br />Site Plan Review. The layout of the site sets the two buildings back from the streets, <br />and creates a shared parking lot for the town-office units. Four of the proposed office <br />units are to be 1,232 square feet in area, and four are to be 1,176 square feet in area. <br />The total first-level office space will be 9,632 square feet. The buildings will have <br />basement level space as well, for a total gross square footage of 19,264 square feet. In <br />small office units, a substantial percentage of space is devoted to unusable common <br />areas, however. <br />The City's zoning ordinance requires that parking for office uses be provided at the ratio <br />of one space per 200 square feet of net usable office area. Because these buildings <br />are being constructed as "shell" space - without a defined interior finish design, we can <br />not know the precise amount of net space that will be constructed. Mechanical areas, <br />toilet rooms, utility and storage areas, and stairwells are not calculated in the net area. <br />Our experience is that these spaces have occupied approximately 25% of the upper <br />level of small office units, and up to 50% of the lower level of such units. This estimate <br />would result in a net usable area of approximately 12,000 square feet, for a parking <br />demand of 60 spaces. The site plant shows 66 spaces, as noted previously. Planning <br />staff believes that the parking should be adequate to support the proposed space. <br />With regard to the layout of the site, the site plan shows a 20 foot setback to the south <br />and east, and a storm water pond in the southeast corner of the site. While traditional <br />zoning rules would dictate some of the setbacks as proposed, planning staff would <br />encourage the applicant to consider one of two options. First would entail moving the <br />buildings closer to the south and east lot lines, and move the landscaped space to the <br />front of the buildings. As designed, a 20 unusable green space will be created behind <br />the buildings. This area will have limited utility to the occupants of the property, but will <br />also not be visible to the public. Moving the buildings toward the lot lines (including <br />closer to Rice Street) would offer the opportunity to place the open space in view of both <br />the occupants and the public passing the site. <br />The second option would be to move the buildings toward the streets, and place the <br />parking "behind". This layout would offer the opportunity to move the driveways farther <br />away from the intersection, and make the buildings themselves the focus of the <br />development, rather than the parking lot. Once again, the PUD allows the City and the <br />