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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-03-08 Planning & Zoning Commission MinutesMINUTES REGULAR MEETING PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION RIVERSIDE, MISSOURI Thursday, March 8, 2007 7:00 p.m. The Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Riverside, Missouri, met in regular session in the Board of Aldermen Chambers at City Hall, 2950 NW Vivion Road, Riverside, Missouri. Acting Chair Mark Salyer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Answering roll call were Al Bowman, Stephen King, Aaron Locke, Evelyn Poe, Raye Sanders, Ray Uhl, and Harold Snoderley. Members absent: Barbara Snyder, David Hurt and Mayor Kathy Rose. Also present: Brent Miles, Director of Planning and Economic Development and Sarah Thompson Riverside Intern. Approval of Minutes from Commissioner Poe made a motion to approve the minutes of the February 22, 2007 regularly scheduled meeting on February 22, 2007, with a correction to the acting chair being Mark Salyer and not Al Bowman. Commissioner Bowman seconded and the motion was approved unanimously. Approval of Minutes from Commissioner King made a motion to approve the minutes of the March 1, 2007 special meeting on March 1, 2007, with a correction to the date being March 1, 2007 and not February 22, 2007. Commissioner Sanders seconded and the motion was approved. Public Hearing: Acting Chair Salyer opened the public hearing. Planning and To consider a request for Development Director Brent Miles gave a presentation highlighting rezoning from "C -1: what was discussed at the last regular meeting regarding the Village at General Commercial" and Gatewoods. Two weeks ago the Commission had seen a presentation "R -1: Single Family from 180 Degree Designs for a Traditional Neighborhood Development Residential" to "PD: called the Village at Gatewoods. On Monday, the Commission took a Planned Development", a field trip to Northgate Village in North Kansas City to see what an preliminary plat and the actual Traditional Neighborhood Development looks like. preliminary development plan for the Village at The proposed Village of Gatewoods will cover about 22 acres of the Gatewoods. northern boundary of Riverside and will connect to another development, Gatewoods, which was done by the same developer who is proposing the Village at Gatewoods. Essentially the entire north entrance to the City will have been redone by a single developer. This area has a very difficult grade for developers to work with. There is approximately a 100 foot drop from Gateway to the creek. However, the engineers at 180 Degree Design have managed to design the houses to fit the land and reduce the grade. Another aspect of this project is how St. Matthews Church is incorporated into the design. Nothing is actually done with the church itself, but a park will be built directly across from it creating a vista view. At the very north part of the development will be the only large commercial unit, the Grand Magnolia banquet facility. Larry Doughty is a sub - developer and has worked out an agreement with the developer Tom Woods for this site. The addition of this facility will only enhance this development and make for a wonderful view. A number of live /work units will also be constructed in the development. These buildings will have an office /retail space on the first floor and the individuals owning it will live on the second and third floors above it. The market will really depict how many of these will be constructed. The nice thing is that if they are not popular they can be taken out of the design and replaced with another type of housing and it will still all fit in with the scheme of things. The Grand Magnolia and the live /work units are the only commercial sites in this development; the rest will all be single owner, residential houses. This is a high density development. There is expected to be around 155 housing units with 38% of open space left. This is something that is not typical in Riverside. Individuals do not have large private yards, instead they are centered around several open common spaces. In addition, the trail system connects between existing neighborhoods and several conveniences are within walking distance including the Post Office. As mentioned earlier the housing is designed to minimize the grading and terrain in the area. Many of the houses are built with garages underneath or have garages that will be connected with a breezeway. This is designed to take up some of the grade. All houses will be built with their own designated parking areas. However, on street parking will be available. This is something relatively new for Riverside. On- street parking is not allowed anywhere else in the City. In this development it will be there to help slow the traffic down. The development will have a variety of housing options. Single unit bungalows will be centered around a common space with parking in the back. Live /work units will be four units together similar to the row houses with retail/office space on the bottom floor and living quarters on the second and third floors. Row houses will be a combination of four, five or six units. They will make up the largest percent of the development. Paired houses or duplexes will be different from the typical lay outs of the Northland. Instead of a garage being all that is seen of the front, the garage will be in the back of the paired houses. These will essentially look like a larger house split down the middle. There will also be large mansion houses that will be condos. There will be one doorway that leads into a common hallway into either four or six condos. In the six unit condos the two end units are actually town houses. Phasing for this project will begin as soon as possible. The timing on phase five is still difficult to determine. It is dependent on a response from FEMA. Phase five will eventually connect to another subdivision for access. Phases two and three will gain access off of Gateway or 50' Terrace. Miles presented a power point presentation of picture from the Commissions fieldtrip to Northgate Village on Monday. This development is similar to the proposal for the Village at Gatewoods. Hunt Midwest designed the plan for Northgate Village. The designs, materials, signage and open space are similar to the Village at Gatewoods. Miles pointed out that none of the row houses had detached garages, but several of the units at the Village of Gatewoods will have due to the grade The back alleys between the row houses will be maintained by the Home Owners Association. They will be wide enough to accommodate fire emergency vehicles. The width and design of these alleys were discussed with Riverside Public Safety and the developer agreed to comply with all of their recommendations. In the photos from Northgate Village the sidewalk is right next to the street. At the Village of Gatewoods there will be a landscaped area between the sidewalk and the on street parking. The monument signage will be very similar to that at Northgate Village, with brick signs at the entrances, decorative fencing, ornamental signs and lighting. In addition, the Home Owners Association will own and maintain its own street lights. Part of this proposal is creating a great entrance into the City. The Grand Magnolia is part of this, with decorative stone and beautiful porches to line the northern entrance into the City. Gateway is a major entrance and the City and the Master Plan recommends making major impacts at the entrances. Two proposals to slow traffic down and make an impact are a to take the center turn lane on Gateway and make it into a landscaped median and/or to move the west curb of Gateway 9 feet and create on street parking. Taking the center turn lane and changing it to a landscaped median is the most feasible option. Wilburn Poe addressed the Commission and asked if the on street parking on Gateway would actually slow traffic down and if it would create traffic hazards. Miles responded that the median would be to slow the traffic down, but the on street parking would have to be studies more. Developer Tom Woods explained that the median would just replace the turn lane and motorists would still be using the same lane that exists now. If the on street parallel parking was done it would be as if another lane was added for the parking. The idea is to create something to slow down the traffic coming onto Gateway from the off ramp on I -29. There is nothing there right now to cause drivers to slow down and look. Poe asked if the lanes would have to be moved for the on street parking Woods explained that it is just a suggestion. Every unit has its own garage so on street parking is not encouraged, however, it is part of a Traditional Neighborhood Design. The development is designed with 233 extra parking spaces that will not always be full. On street parking is just a natural feature to slow individuals down. All the current lanes will stay the same. The on street parking would be like adding a line to the west. Commissioner Uhl asked if the center turn lane is done away with and traffic to this area increases with the new developments how will it keep flowing with cars stopping traffic all the time to turn. Woods explained that there will still be places to turn atbreaks in the median. There are only two entrances to the development and they line up with already existing streets. Miles explained that the median will taper off at the intersections to create a stacking lane for left turns so that traffic does not back up. Poe asked about a cross over to the church. Woods explained that there will be two cross overs, one that will line up with an entrance to the development and the cemetery and one that will line up 50' Terrace and Karen Street. Commissioner Locke said that the median might not slow the traffic down. Drivers may just hit their breaks quicker. The on street parking could cause some real problems as well. If the median was to be done something would need to go in place like a speed bump or rumble bars to wam drivers to slow down. Miles explained that these are all very important detailed questions, but the real focus needs to be whether or not the Commission is in tune with this idea and would like the engineers to look into the details of if and how this all would work and the impact it would have on traffic flow. Woods explained that his project would work with or without the median or on street parking on Gateway. This was put in the plan to enhance and improve the entrance to the City. The details with the traffic flow can be studies by the engineers. As far as speed bumps or rumble bars go on the ramp, it belongs to the state so they have the final say in that. Miles added that the City staff looked at different options to slow down traffic on Gateway. All of the proposed ideas in the plan can be taken out, but if the City is going to improve this entrance then it should be done right. Acting Chair Salyer said that in the high density area safety is the most important for motorists. Having a beautiful entrance is great, but slowing drivers down and safety should be the number one concern. Miles explained that the plan for the Village at Gatewoods can be put into a model by the engineers and give the City suggestions on what can be done to slow traffic down and make this a safe area for traffic and pedestrians. Commissioner Poe said that the traffic would not have an effect on Woods' development, but it would on Riverside. The on street parking is a bad idea and the turn lane would serve the citizens better then the parking. Commissioner Poe expresses some concerns about trees blocking the view in the median after they mature. Woods explained that there is already a similar problem with the bus stop on Gateway. The bus obstructs the view of drivers Commissioner Poe explained that with the turn lane there is still room for motorists to get by. Commissioner Locke said that Gateway would need turn lanes and access control as it gets busier. Miles explained that it is important to know if the Commission is even interested in something like the median so the City can begin to do the studies to see if it would be successful. Commissioner Snoderley asked if Gateway was a Platte County highway. Miles responded that the City owns it until the city limits and then it is owned by MoDOT. Commissioner Sanders said that the median might not be as major of a deal as it was first thought to be. Miles explained that a study is really needed to see how a median would affect that area. Irene Paulhe addressed Commission. She expressed her concerns that this is a very dangerous street in Riverside and due to the topography of the street on street parking would be very dangerous. Miles asked if she was opposed to the median as well. Paulhe replied that the median will distract people and not slow them down. The area is dangerous now and the median or on street parking will only make it worse. Acting Chair Salyer said that a median may help to clear up where the turn lanes are. Miles commented that the staff is not 100% convinced about the on street parking on Gateway. The City just wanted to present all the options to the Commission. Paulhe asked how the City planned on preventing these multi - family residents from being rented. Miles explained that this development would be a Community Improvement District and that would be one of the stipulations that none of the residences could be rented out. Right now Riverside is 70% renter occupied and 30% owner occupied. A development like this would really help demographics. Paulhe asked if the lower units of the live /work units could be rented out. Miles replied that the individual who operates the business on the first floor must own all three floors. Sub - developer Larry Doughty addressed the commission. He explained that the scope of his building, the Grand Magnolia is big. It will be well lit up at night and will catch the attention of motorist on the off ramp. He explained that the median on Gateway would help to filter individuals to his banquet hall. He expects anywhere between 800 and 1,000 people per weekend event there. The median would be very helpful for directing that traffic. Commission Salyer asked where all the parking for the Grand Magnolia is seeing it is not on the drawings. Miles explained that the parking for the Grand Magnolia is all on property that is outside Riverside City Limits and in Kansas City. Toni Looker addressed the Commission. She expressed that she is very excited about this project. Her major concern is for the on street parking on Gateway. She feels that it will be very dangerous. The streetscape and the median are all good ideas but the City need to make sure that it will fit into the big picture and be something that can work for the entire City. Miles explained that there are two pots of money for signage and landscaping for the City. The idea is that the entire project will work together and be uniform through out the entire City. Commissioner Poe said that the median would be fine if there would be enough room for it. Miles said that the study of the traffic affects on Gateway would be part of the final approval, he just asked that the Commission at least allow for a study. Poe asked who would take care of the landscape. Miles replied that the City will maintain it, but this year it has budgeted to contract out that project to a landscaping company. Acting Chair Salyer closed the public hearing. Commissioner Locke made a motion to approve the request for rezoning from a "C -1: General Commercial' and "R -1: Single Family Residential' to "PD: Planned Development', a preliminary plat and a preliminary development plan for the Village at Gatewoods with a study to be done on access from I -29 with the possibility of a median, and with out the recommendation for on street parking on Gateway. Commissioner Bowman seconded and the motion passed. General Discussion Miles explained that the City has two on call engineers that will both be December P & Z reviewing the traffic study. Commission Schedule Acting Chair Salyer asked how long it would take to get results from the traffic study. Miles said that the study would take about two to three months to complete. Commissioner Locke asked what the future plans for the streetscape are. Miles explained that there are preliminary designs in the works for Board of Aldermen Approval. The timing on these should work out with the Village at Gatewoods. The median will be one of the last projects for this. Adjournment Commissioner Bowman motioned to adjourn. Commissioner Snoderley seconded and the motion passed.