08-11-2016 Planning Commission Packet

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4 1. The spacing of the buildings results in 64 feet separation from garage to garage. This is the absolute minimum for a private roadway and 20 foot deep driveways – again, the minimum depth for parking a vehicle in the driveway. The Villas project noted above was designed (at the insistence of the City) with 75 feet minimum face-to-face separation. This dimension permits 24 feet of driveway depth, a more realistic parking depth, and a 27 foot roadway which accommodates two way traffic and avoids conflicts with parked vehicles. In addition, this large dimension could accommodate a sidewalk along the private road if considered appropriate. 2. The rear yard area of the townhouses is setback from the rear building line at a dimension of about 10 feet. The units show a patio door existing the structure in that area. 10 feet is a very shallow dimension to accommodate any type of private recreation space without encroaching near the adjoining property. Moreover, the grading plans show significant slopes along the rear line of many of the proposed units, making the patio door effectively useless. There is question whether these slopes would be maintainable – the City typically requires slopes of less than 4:1, whereas some of those shown are 2:1 or steeper. 3. The setback of the property from the rear lot lines of the Iona Lane properties is just 10 feet. It would be common for the City to consider a setback adjoining the rear property line of adjacent property to be no less than the setback imposed for that abutting yard. In this case, the existing rear setback for those abutting homes is more than 100 feet in most cases, with a required setback of at least 30 feet. Placing the townhomes in such a way as to encroach to within 10 feet of the common property line is problematic. 4. The table above identifies a level of green space at 477 square feet per unit for the proposal. However, a significant amount of that space is part of a required stormwater pond area along the east end of the property. The zoning ordinance has a general benchmark for open space of 500 square feet of green area per unit, which applies in multiple family developments. For these reasons, staff is concerned that the proposed townhomes are too dense for the subject property, even though the density meets the standard threshold for these types of units (one unit per 4,000 square feet of lot area). To proceed, staff would recommend a design that, at minimum, meets the following thresholds: • 500 square feet of usable green space per unit (exclusive of ponding areas). • 30 setback, minimum, from the abutting single family residential property lines. • 20 setback for rear buildings adjoining non-single family property to provide for usable green space and/or patio/deck development. • Face-to-face building separation of at least 75 feet as discussed above. • Upgraded building materials representative of the intent for PUD development, including brick and stone, cement-board siding (rather than vinyl), and similar. • Landscaping development that creates an enhanced neighborhood environment, buffers the use from the single family neighborhood, and screens private spaces from neighboring land uses.