Title
CONSIDERATION OF A PRELIMINARY PLAT FOR PARK 7 GROUP ADDITION, A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT, WITH A WAIVER OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A CUL-DE-SAC. (GENERALLY LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF 12TH AVENUE S.E. AND NORTH OF CEDAR LANE ROAD)
Body
BACKGROUND: This item is a preliminary plat for Park 7 Group Addition and is located east of 12th Avenue S.E. and north of Cedar Lane Road. This property consists of 68.61 acres: the Planned Unit Development portion contains 32.97 acres to provide a total of 304 multi-family residential units with three (3) storm water detention basins; the remaining portion has 35.64 acres containing six (6) agricultural lots. Currently there are active oil wells within the property. The developer of the northern property and owner of the oil well have worked out an arrangement/agreement on future accessibility, fencing and operation of electrical lines and oil lines and other procedures in developing around the existing oil well site for the proposed Planned Unit Development property.
The Norman Board of Parks Commissioners, at their meeting of June 6, 2013, recommended fee in lieu of park land because the parkland for this area is the Cedar Lane Park site.
Planning Commission, at its meeting of June 13, 2013, recommended approval of the request to amend the NORMAN 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan from Low Density Residential Designation to Medium Density Residential on a portion of the property incorporated in the Planned Unit Development. Planning Commission recommended approval of Ordinance No. O-1213-56 placing a portion of this property in the PUD, Planned Unit Development. Also, Planning Commission, at its meeting of June 13, 2013, recommended approval of the preliminary plat for Park 7 Group Addition, a Planned Unit Development.
The Developer currently only intends to develop the PUD property, and has prepared their development plan accordingly. The property to the south of the PUD property is being used for single family residences and agricultural uses. The southern properties are zoned A-2. However, after Planning Commission approval, Staff asked the Developer to expand the Preliminary Plat that was presented to Planning Commission to include the southern agricultural properties within the Preliminary Plat. The Developer agreed to this request in order to clean up potential issues regarding proper subdivision of portions of the southern agricultural lots that were planned to be included in the Planned Unit Development. The expanded Preliminary Plat now includes the entire 68.61 acres that shows not only the northern PUD portion, but also the southern agricultural lots.
DISCUSSION: As noted above, this item presents an expanded Preliminary Plat that includes a total of 68.61 acres for the Park 7 Group Addition which includes 32.97 acres for a Planned Unit Development, and 36.64 acres with seven lots that are currently being used as single family residences or agricultural purposes. Under City of Norman subdivision regulations 19-103(A), subdividing land into two or more parcel which, when subdivided, contains less than 40 acres requires a platting process. Including the southern single family and agricultural lots in the revised preliminary plat brings this subdivision in compliance with City subdivision regulations. Staff recommends the substitution of the expanded Preliminary Plat for that purpose.
Normally revisions in Preliminary Plats should first be reviewed by Planning Commission for recommendation, however in this instance, the revision of the Preliminary Plat is being recommended to correct a technical deficiency in the subdivision process that was discovered after Planning Commission approval. The southern properties will retain their current uses of single family residences or agriculture. A future change in those uses will require an additional revised Preliminary Plat that will need to be submitted to Planning Commission. Since the uses on the southern properties are not changing and the expansion of the Preliminary Plat from what was considered by Planning Commission is to correct a technical deficiency, Staff recommends substituting the expanded Preliminary Plat for Council consideration at this time without the necessity of going back through Planning Commission. Taking the expanded Preliminary Plat back to Planning Commission to merely to get their recommendation on the expanded Preliminary Plat that reflects no change in current uses of the southern single family residence and agricultural properties would seem to serve no purpose.
The Planned Unit Development portion of the preliminary plat that was considered by Planning Commission proposes the following uses:
304 apartment units
2.61 acres of storm water detention and open space/green space
The 304 residential apartments in this preliminary plat are expected to generate approximately 2,768 trips per day. The traffic capacity on the affected roadways exceeds the demand for existing and proposed trips as a result of this development. No negative traffic impacts are anticipated on these facilities. See Attachment A.
Because of the development's size and traffic generation potential, the applicant was required to conduct a comprehensive traffic impact analysis (TIA). The study was completed by Traffic Engineering Consultants, Inc., and was submitted in May, 2013.
The area surrounding the proposed development is experiencing significant growth, predominantly residential in nature. The traffic impact analysis identified three areas that require improvement. First, the intersection of 12th Avenue SE with State Highway 9 is to be improved as part of the 12th Avenue SE Bond Project. However, interim improvements are needed at the 12th Avenue SE intersection with State Highway 9 prior to the completion of the Bond Project. This involves a change to the lane assignments on the northbound 12th Avenue SE approach to provide a left-turn lane, a shared lane for through and left-turn movements, and a right-turn lane. This modification will require a modification to the existing traffic signal and changes to the approach pavement markings. All of the costs associated with this interim improvement, estimated by the applicant's Traffic Engineer at $10,000, will be the responsibility of this development.
Second, the proposed intersection along 12th Avenue SE at the proposed new access to the development will require a left-turn lane on 12th Avenue S.E. The design of this turn lane was not in the original scope of work for the 12th Avenue S.E. Bond Project. Any additional design costs will be the responsibility of this development. Costs associated with the construction of this left-turn lane, estimated by the applicant's Traffic Engineer to be $32,400, will be included in the deferral costs for one-half of the 12th Avenue SE widening that will be paid by this development.
Third, the future intersection of 12th Avenue SE at Cedar Lane Road was identified in the traffic impact analysis as needing dual left-turn lanes on the southbound 12th Avenue SE approach to Cedar Lane Road. The design of this multi-lane turn lane was not in the original scope of work for the Cedar Lane Road Bond Project. Any additional design costs will be the responsibility of this development. Costs associated with the construction of this additional left-turn lane will need to be split proportionately between this development and the vacant property between this site and Cedar Lane. The proportionate share applicable to this development was estimated, by the applicant's Traffic Engineer, to be 4.0%. This is estimated to be $4,000.
Public improvements for this property consist of the following:
Fire Hydrants. Fire hydrants will be installed in accordance with approved plans. Their locations have been approved by the Fire Department.
Sanitary Sewers. Sanitary sewer mains will be constructed in accordance with approved plans and City and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality standards. A sanitary sewer main has been installed off plat to an existing system located west of 12th Avenue S.E. and north of Cedar Lane Road. Staff has evaluated the system. The interceptor lines do have capacity to include this property.
Sidewalks. Sidewalks will be installed in accordance with approved plans. Sidewalks are required adjacent to 12th Avenue S.E. Staff will recommend deferral of sidewalks with final platting.
Storm Sewer. Stormwater runoff will be conveyed to proposed privately-maintained detention facilities. The southern portion which will continue as agricultural use will remain the same. A revised preliminary plat will be requested if development is proposed in the future.
Streets. 12th Avenue S.E. and Cedar Lane Road will be constructed as arterial streets in accordance with approved plans and City paving standards. Staff will recommend deferral of street improvements with any final plat. The engineer for the developer has made a request for a variance (waiver) in the cul-de-sac requirement for streets whenever the length is more than one hundred and fifty feet (150'). Thirteenth Place will be fifty feet (50') above the one hundred fifty feet (150'). The proposed offices within the Campus Crest final plat will use access to the public street for their potential parking. As a result, staff does not see a need for a cul-de-sac within the apartment project. Staff recommends approval of the variance (waiver) in the requirement of a cul-de-sac.
Staff does see a need for a secondary access out of the apartment complex in the future. The engineer for the developer has shown access out of the apartment complex with a drive to the south. Whenever the southern property develops, this access will need to be included in their design.
Water Mains. Water mains will be installed in accordance with approved plans and City and Department of Environmental Quality standards. There are existing 12-inch (12) water mains adjacent to 12th Avenue S.E. and Cedar Lane Road.
Traffic Improvements. The applicant will fully fund interim improvements to restripe the northbound 12th Avenue S.E. approach to State Highway 9 and to modify the existing traffic signal to accommodate this restriping. Estimates suggest this could cost $10,000. The applicant will fully fund a southbound left-turn lane on 12th Avenue S.E. into the site access roadway at an estimated cost of $32,400. The applicant will fund up to 4.0 percent (estimated to be $4,000) of the cost to add a second left-turn lane on the southbound 12th Avenue SE approach to Cedar Lane Road.
Public Dedications. All rights-of-way and easements will be dedicated to the City with final platting.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Although there are two (2) areas of proposed development, the northern section is proposed as a Planned Unit Development. The southern section, at this time, indicates the continuing single family homes on large tracts. Since the southern properties are zoned A-2, which requires a minimum of 10 acre tracts, there is a potential the owners will come forward at a later date to request A-1, General Agricultural zoning, so that the lot sizes will conform with current City zoning regulations for the existing single family residential properties.
As noted above, the southern section of the preliminary plat was not included with the preliminary plat when submitted to the Planning Commission on June 13, 2013. However, the owners of the southern portion also are in control of the northern portion at this time. As a result, the engineer for the developer has prepared a preliminary plat that has the entire property included to fulfill the City's Subdivision Regulations.
Based on the above information, staff recommends approval of the variance (waiver) in the requirement of a cul-de-sac used to terminate a street longer than one hundred fifty feet (150') of the preliminary plat for Park 7 Group Addition, a Planned Unit Development subject to the approvals of R-1213-139 and O-1213-56. The basis of the staff recommendation for this variance is due to the fact that since the office lots within Campus Crest can take access to parking lots from the public street, Park 7 Group Addition does not need this access. However, staff does see the need for Park 7 Group Addition to have a secondary access in the future. As a result, a connection to Cedar Lane Road where it will align with the future entrance to Cedar Lane Addition will be required with future development located on the north side of Cedar Lane Road and south of Park 7 Group Addition.