Incentive Development - Final Development Plan (Type III Review Procedure Phase III Hearing Process)

Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition (RMHRA) 850 2

St SW, Rochester, MN 55902

R2016-001CUP

Incentive Development - Final Development Plan (Type III Review Procedure | Phase III Hearing Process)

The Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition incorporates features which add to the public benefit of the City of Rochester. The project as a whole promotes desirable social objectives by increasing the number of families Ronald McDonald House is able to host. Some of the features that add to the public benefit include dense landscaping, a recreational plaza deck for the guests and staff above the parking garage which enhances the environment through additional open space amenities, and a canopy over the pedestrian loading area which improves public safety. The elimination of an existing vehicular curb cut also increases public safety along Second Street SW, and the bike rack on site allows for alternative modes of transportation for guests, staff and volunteers.

The design, style, scale and materials of the proposed addition will be similar to the existing building to provide a unified building expression. The materials will consist of brick, accent siding, metal panel accents, clad wood windows, aluminum soffits and asphalt single roofing. Walls at the rear of the building will match those of the walls facing the public way. Areas of the building concealed from view will be clad in siding to reduce cost.

The following information is provided based on section 62.600 Incentive Development per the City of Rochester Zoning Ordinance and Land Development Manual (LDM), as to request approval for the proposed higher intensity development of RMHRA.

STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS – PRELIMINARY PLAN CONDITIONS

At the City Planning & Zoning Commission meeting held on Wednesday, March 23, 2016, the following 14 staff recommendations were heard. Comments below explain how these conditions will or have been incorporated into RMHRA final proposal:

1. Development Application #R2015-033PLAT, a Final Plat to be known as Cliffside Addition has been recorded prior to this Final Plan submittal.

2. Acknowledgment that any relocation/adjustments of Charter’s existing facilities will be at the owner’s expense.

3. The building encroachment within the utility easement at the north east corner has been resolved by an Easement Vacation agreement with RPU. Supporting documentation has been included with this submittal.

4. The following has been provided on the Final Plan, with additional supporting documentation as

appropriate:

Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition (RMHRA) 850 2

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a. Zoning calculation table, including FAR of 1.24 and front yard setback requirements b. Easements on the property

c. Supplemental information to photometric info including height and cut off d. Certificate survey

e. Entire site landscaping plan including boulevard trees f. Material required by 62.612

5. Interior parking spaces and drive aisles satisfy the standards in Section 63.450 Parking Facility Design Parameters.

6. Exterior mechanical equipment and transformer pads identified and screened as necessary.

7. Grading and Drainage Plan submittal for approval is concurrent with this submittal.

8. Acknowledgement of the necessity of a Revocable Permit Agreement will be required for any proposed private improvements within the public right-of-way.

9. Acknowledgement of the reconstruction of the north/south alley is required at the owner’s expense, concurrent with development of this project.

10. Acknowledgement of the execution of a City-Owner Contract is required prior to

construction/reconstruction of public infrastructure to serve this development and any proposed public improvements lying within owner’s private property will require dedication of public easements prior to construction.

11. Accommodations are considered transient hotel type rooms; no dedication is required.

12. Acknowledgement of the requirement pertaining to boulevard trees and recognizing that prior to the development of the property the owner shall determine which of the two available options, payment method or install boulevard trees will be used to meet boulevard tree obligations for each phase of the development.

13. Acknowledgement of that the existing water services for the former buildings on this site were not properly abandoned at the main in the street at the time of the demolition and are shown done with this plan. Work will be coordinated with RPU water and completed prior to finishing of the building construction.

14. Total building plumbing fixture information was submitted to RPU. Existing 2” compound domestic water meter is large enough for entire complex. Supporting documentation has been included with this submittal.

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING

In an effort to fully communicate to the neighboring properties within 500 feet of construction for the

RMHRA, the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) mailed flyers to the addresses listed in the attached

document titled “Neighborhood Notification”. The neighborhood meeting was held on site at 6pm,

Wednesday, February 17, 2016. Also provided is the sign in sheet, agenda and mailer.

Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition (RMHRA) 850 2

St SW, Rochester, MN 55902

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FINAL INCENTIVE DEVELOPMENT

The RMHRA is a Transient Accommodations development within the Central Development Core, Residential Area. Per the City of Rochester Zoning Ordinance and Land Development Manual, 62.441:

General Zoning District Standards – Residential Area/Central Development Core chart, this development aligns under the Type III Floor Area Ratio.

BONUS DENSITY AND FLOOR AREA APPROVAL

The Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition has incorporated features into the design to provide public benefit.

• The addition is consistent with the existing development in massing, materials and architectural detailing. These features are also resembled in other existing developments along 2

Street SW.

• The project includes a new entrance canopy to protect vehicles and pedestrians from outside the elements while providing a safe pedestrian zone.

• The front yard along Second Street Southwest incorporates extensive landscaping and streetscaping to enhance this important gateway to the downtown core.

• The property will utilize existing off-street loading as well as the alley abutting the new addition for service and deliveries.

• Storm water management for the site is designed to reduce the volume of water and sediment delivered to the public storm water system.

• The RMHRA minimizes access points onto 2

Street SW by utilizing the existing alley, which is a shared driveway with adjacent property and by removing one of the existing curb cuts.

CENTRAL DEVELOPMENT CORE – RESIDENTIAL AREA

The Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition incorporates the following features in support of zoning approval under the Incentive Development process.

A. Suitability of the Plan

1. The proposed development is consistent in density, height and use with the multi-family and hospitality houses located on nearby properties.

2. The proposed FAR of 1.24 is in compliance with the Incentive Development Type III standard defining the maximum FAR at 2.0. This density is adequate to support the economic development of the site for the intended use.

B. Site Design Criteria

1. Capacity of Public Facilities

a) The capacity of Public Facilities as required to support the project have been

confirmed. The storm water drainage system incorporates a flow reduction and

Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition (RMHRA) 850 2

St SW, Rochester, MN 55902

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filtration system to reduce the volumes and solids introduced to the public storm water system.

2. Geologic Hazards

a) The south side of the property abuts a severely steep hill which continues onto the adjacent south property. Due to the need to maximize the site, the

development will cut into the hillside creating the need to building a retaining wall structure along the south property line. The wall will vary in height up to about 10 feet. The wall is engineered to withstand the loading and will be constructed of large modular concrete blocks with a hewn stone appearance.

b) The site storm water management system has been designed to capture runoff from the adjacent south property, as well as the impervious surfaces on the RMHRA site, and reduce the volume of water and sediments before releasing it to the City storm water system.

3. Natural Features

a) The site offers no natural features to for design consideration.

4. Traffic Generation Impact

a) Vehicular traffic on the site will be slightly reduced and simplified as the project will reduce the off-street parking load by 6 stalls, eliminate one curb cut and terminate the through traffic in the alley.

5. Height Impacts: The height of the addition is compatible with the existing building and surrounding structures.

a) The Second Street right-of-way provides a buffer against any shading of adjacent property to the north the development. The impact on the east abutting property is not significantly changed.

b) The dwellings located south of the development are sited at a considerably higher elevation, such that the roof peak of the RMHRA will have no negative impact on the views from the south. This relationship is illustrated on the attached Sheet A1001 – NEIGHBORHOOD TOPOGRAPHIC.

6. Setbacks

a) There are extraordinary existing conditions due to the property’s unique topographical and physical attributes, particularly the south property line which abuts a severely sloped hillside/cliff.

b) The requested setbacks are necessary to overcome practical difficulties in complying with the zoning ordinance so that the property can be developed in a reasonable manner not strictly permitted by the ordinance.

c) The requested setbacks will not be materially detrimental to the public welfare or

materially injurious to other property in the area, and will not alter the essential

character of the locality as there currently are existing developments along 2

Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition (RMHRA) 850 2

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would not be setting a new precedent.

7. The requested setbacks are consistent with the general purpose and intent of this ordinance; only 13% of the required front yard setback would be less than, the required front setback for the CDC Residential District of 15 feet. The majority of the site would exceed the setback requirements. Acceptance of the requested setbacks would provide additional interest and juxtaposition along the Second Street SW corridor. Approval of easement vacation has been accepted by RPU.

a) The development includes open spaces in the front yard setback, side yard setback and rear courtyard to allow daylight and views for the building. Please reference the attached site drawings and building elevations.

8. Screening and Buffering

a) On-site parking is concealed in a covered garage, and will not impact adjacent sites.

b) Rooftop mechanical equipment is concealed by sloped roofs which complement the architecture of the building. Existing mechanical equipment at grade in the southwest corner is being removed. The addition of two smaller units in this location will be screened by existing vegetation to the west, by the building to the north and east, and by the existing hill and vegetation to the south. With the removal of the larger existing air cool chiller and addition of the two smaller air cooled chillers, visual and acoustic screening conditions will remain the same if not better and future screening may be provided if deemed appropriate by the owner.

c) The rear courtyard playground is buffered on three sides by the building itself, and on the fourth (south) side by the hillside on the adjacent property.

9. Ordinance Requirements

a) The off-street parking requirement is met with 9 existing spaces, 40 spaces on the adjacent west lot through an agreement with the Mayo Clinic, and 30 new spaces to be provided in the covered parking as part of this project.

b) The physical limitations of the site, and provision of off-street parking combine to limit the amount of available landscape area to 16%, short of the 26% required to meet zoning requirements. To offset this, the project includes an intensely planted front yard. In addition, the calculated 16% of landscape area does not include the patio deck on the south side of the building. This area functions as a recreational ‘yard’, but due to its location above the parking structure, it is classified as impervious surface. The landscape area, calculated to include the patio deck area, is 25%.

10. Non-Vehicular and Alternate Modes of Travel

a) The development includes a new entrance canopy to facilitate pedestrian

movement to and from the main entrance located on 2

Street.

Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition (RMHRA) 850 2

St SW, Rochester, MN 55902

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b) The playground is strategically located in the rear courtyard, above the parking level to allow for separation between pedestrians and vehicles.

c) The alley on bordering the east property line is dedicated to personal and services vehicles, and not intended for pedestrian use.

d) A bike rack will be provided to encourage staff and volunteers to use alternative modes of transportation.

11. The RMHRA is consistent with the projected use outlined in the Rochester 2

Street Corridor Framework Plan. The south side of 2

Street, between 7

and 9

Avenues is designated as the Hospitality House District.

The Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition incorporates the following additional features in support of zoning approval under the Incentive Development process.

A. The design of private and public utility facilities meet the requirements and specifications which the applicable utility has adopted. See item B.1 above.

B. Engineering means to deal with areas of geologic hazards have been incorporated into the development plan as shown on the grading plan. See item B.2 above.

C. Ingress and egress points have been designed and located as shown in Preliminary plan submittal.

D. The plan includes elements to assure that pedestrians can move safely as shown in Preliminary plan submittal. Sidewalks, appropriately lit egress paths, a canopy at the main entrance and the possibility of a snow melt system as part of an add alternate are indicated in the Final Plan.

E. The landscape plan for the site indicates that the finished site will be consistent with the landscape character of the surrounding areas; see landscape plans for specifics.

F. To insure the future maintenance and ownership of the project, the landscaping and screening shown in this submittal has been incorporated into the signed construction documents.

G. The final screening and buffer yard design has been incorporated into this submittal. The

mechanical equipment housed and screened on the roof is illustrated on the roof plan sheet. See item 8 above.

H. The final building design is consistent with the principles identified in preliminary development plan relative to height impact, setbacks and internal site design. Documentation for RPU’s allowance of the utility easement encroachment has been included with this submittal.

I. The plans for off-street parking and loading areas have been modified to meet the ordinance requirements; specifically, the circulation aisle widths. Count, overall design and location have remain consistent with preliminary design.

J. Ordinance requirements for signage is consistent with the preliminary design. Existing signage will remain. See item 9 above.

K. The proposed development incorporates pedestrian oriented-space, provides direct and

Ronald McDonald House Rochester Addition (RMHRA) 850 2

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preliminary design has now been relocated inside of parking structure to provide additional security and shelter from natural elements. Sidewalks have been provided around the majority of the building perimeter. Potential snow melt system may be incorporated into the final

development; currently listed as an add alternate. The canopy provides additional shelter to guests and pedestrians waiting for a shuttle. See item 10 above.

L. The RMHRA final design has incorporated elements from the Second Street Corridor Comprehensive Plan. See item 11 above.

Criteria listed under section 62.630, Subdivision 2 (LDM), were incorporated into the RMHRA proposal.