2016.02.01 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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LaValle Fields - Apartment Concept Plan Page 6 included buildings that related to each other, shared parking and amenities, and connections to Lions Park. It is in staff's opinion that the concept plan as lost important elements from the PUD General Plan in which the City was comfortable with granting zoning flexibility. The applicant has stated that the property will be split and it remains unclear where property lines would be proposed and what portions of the concept plan would be completed with each phase. The apartment phase will be further divided, and could be sold to different developers, creating standalone projects, not a planned development. This changes the plan and loses important elements such as, relationship between the buildings, cohesiveness in the project, shared common openspace and amenities, and trail connections. Staff has concerns with the viability smaller, independent apartment projects. The concept plan concentrates on building A, leaving building B an afterthought with no commitment that it will be built. It's unclear if the amenities listed and shown on the concept plan will be shared between the apartments. In general, apartments with lower than 200 units can succeed as long as they are part of an overall development and with shared amenities. As the applicant has stated the amenities are very important in apartment projects and are a draw for the target market. Staff believes that the planning for building B, along with the parking and common areas, is just as important to the development as building A and the property should be designed as a planned development. The concept plan does not meet the intent of the PUD approval in regards to reducing the appearance of the mass of the large buildings or an overall apartment campus layout. The layout of the site does not seem to fimction well for an apartment development in regards to access, circulation, and common openspace. In addition, the location of the entrance into the underground parking and the circulation within the interior parking lot needs to be thought through and redesigned. Staff recommends that the City Council provide feedback on the concept plan to the applicant. Below are areas the City Council should provide feedback on: • general layout of the concept plan • development phasing • building orientation and placement • massing of the buildings compared to the approved PUD • architecture and building material • trail connections, common outdoor spaces, and amenities ATTACHEMENTS: 1. Location Map 2. Engineers Memo dated Friday, January 8, 2016 3. Applicants Narrative dated January 6, 2015 4. Narrative from AHMC Properties 5. Approved PUD General Plan for LaValle Fields 6. Proposed Apartment Elevations from PUD General Plan 7. Approved PUD General Plan Resolution 8. Concept Plan dated December 28, 2015