Planning and Zoning Board Report

ST. CHARLES PLACE

Project Number: 01-SP-153

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The site is located east of North Harrison Avenue on south of NE Maynard Road at the intersection of Saint Charles Place. The site extends along NE Maynard Road approximately 300-feet west and 930-feet east of the St. Charles Place intersection.

The plans propose 1 two-story office building containing 34,578 square feet and 2 three-story office buildings containing 43,488 square feet each for a total of 121,554 square feet. Two future proposed buildings that could house commercial uses containing 7,423 square feet each for a total of 14,846 square feet are shown. The site contains 15.9 acres, is zoned Residential-12 Planned Unit Development, and is inside Cary’s town limits. The site is also in the Northwoods Planned Unit Development.

PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD RECOMMENDATION:

Ms. Schmidt made a motion to forward to Council for approval at their March 14, 2002 meeting, as submitted by the applicant, which was seconded by Mr. Broderick, and the Board voted (9-0) in favor of the motion.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends approval of the plan with the following conditions:

1) The dumpster must be located further from the residential area to the south and southeast of the project.

Review Summary:

STAFF REVIEW OF ZONING REQUIREMENTS:

Staff Contact: Art Chard, Phone 462-3944
Email: achard@ci.cary.nc.us

Zoning & Land Use Plan Compliance

Description:

The plan complies with all zoning requirements and the Northwoods Planned Unit Development Master Plan.

Landscape

Description:

Due to the road widening, dedication of existing right-of-way, and the existing topography, the existing trees within the streetscape will not be preserved. The applicant proposed to install new trees in the streetscape as per Section 14.1.5(d)(e).

The plan complies with all landscape requirements.

Building Elevations

Description:

The building exterior will be predominantly reddish brown brick with a light tan accent brick, light tan synthetic stucco, and green glass. The buildings have a flat roof.

TRAFFIC

Staff Contact: Dick Moore Phone:462-3937
Email: dmoore@ci.cary.nc.us

STUDY AREA LEVEL-OF-SERVICE SUMMARY

		Existing			2004 No-Build				2004 Build
Signalized Intersection	Time Period	V/C^a	Delay^b	LOS^c	V/C	Delay	LOS	V/C		Delay	LOS
NE Maynard Road at N. Harrison Avenue	AM PM	0.71	27.2 23.0	C C	0.60	22.7 30.4	C C	0.60		22.9 31.3	C C

Unsignalized Intersections
NE Maynard Road at St. Charles Place	AM PM	- -	9.8 11.3	A B	- -	10.3 13.2	B B	- -		11.5 19.5	B C

N. Harrison Avenue at St. Charles Place	AM PM	- -	13.6 12.8	B B	- -	15.8 16.8	C C	- -		17.6 26.1	C D

NE Maynard Road at Site Driveway	AM PM	- -	- -	- -						11.9 17.9	B C

a. Volume-to-Capacity ratio
b. Delay in seconds-per-vehicle
c. Level-of-Service

GENERAL NOTES:

For signalized intersections, Delay is representative of overall intersection.
For unsignalized intersections, Delay is representative of critical movement/approach.

Description:

The Traffic Impact Study, based on 121,544-sq. ft. office, was prepared by Wilbur Smith Assoc. dated September 2001. Based on this information, the proposed development can be expected to generate a total of 3,540 vehicle trips on a weekday daily basis, of which a total of 232 trips would occur during the weekday AM peak-hour and 366 trips during the PM peak-hour. The analysis studied the following three intersections, which operate at level of service "D" or better today and in the design year 2004:

NE Maynard Road at N. Harrison Avenue;
NE Maynard Road at St. Charles Place; and
N. Harrison Avenue at St. Charles Place.

Roadway/intersection improvements are planned within or adjacent to the study area prior to or concurrent with the opening year of this project. These improvements are as follows:

Widen N. Harrison Avenue to a 4-lane divided cross-section with raised medians;
N. Harrison Avenue at Maynard Road intersection and improvements as follows:

Provide a second eastbound left-turn lane; and
Provide a separate southbound right-turn lane.

Although the project itself does not directly cause any intersection to operate unacceptably, operations could be improved by widening the St. Charles Place approach to N. Harrison Avenue with a separate left-turn and right-turn lane. This would improve operations at this intersection from a LOS D to a LOS C during the PM peak-hour. In addition, add specified turn lanes at intersection of site driveway with N.E. Maynard Road.

The applicant has agreed to stripe the St. Charles Place approach to N. Harrison Ave to create separate left-turn and right-turn exit lanes. The applicant has designed the full service NE Maynard Road site driveway to have separate left-turn and right-turn exit lanes.

Staff Conclusion: The proposed development will meet the requirement of APF for Transportation.

ROADWAY DESIGN

Staff Contact:

Tammy Spivey Phone:462-3933

Email: tspivey@ci.cary.nc.us

Description:

Per the Town’s current Thoroughfare Plan, Maynard Road along this property frontage is designated to have a 6 lane median divided cross section (two 12’ lanes and one 14’ lane on either side of an 18’ landscaped median) totaling 102’ back-to-back. The total right-of-way needed for this cross section is 124’. Per Town Ordinance, the developer is responsible for half-street improvements (including median construction) and right-of-way dedication along the property frontage. The developer of St. Charles Place proposes to dedicate right-of-way and widen Maynard Road in accordance with the current Town of Cary Thoroughfare Plan, but wishes to make a payment-in-lieu for the median.

Harrison Pointe Shopping Center, currently under construction on the north side of Maynard Road across from the proposed St. Charles Place development, is widening their Maynard Road frontage and posting a bond for their half of the median to meet current Thoroughfare Plan requirements. A bond for their half of the median was agreed to because there was not sufficient pavement width to allow construction of the full width median. With the development of St. Charles Place on the south side of Maynard Road, the additional road widening proposed will provide the pavement width necessary to install a full width median as required by the Thoroughfare Plan.

Staff Conclusion:
Staff feels that the median in Maynard Road should be installed in conjunction with St. Charles Place site development.

UTILITIES

Staff Contact: Shuyan Tian Phone:469-4381
Email: stian@ci.cary.nc.us

Description: This development is to connect via 8" water lines to public water mains located on Maynard road and St. Charles Place respectively. Gravity sewer service is to be provided by tying to an existing 8" sanitary sewer along its eastern property line.

Staff Conclusion: Utility design complies with Town policies and standards.

STORM WATER

Staff Contact: Tom Horstman Phone:469-4347
Email: thorstma@ci.cary.nc.us

Description: This project is required to meet the Nitrogen Control Ordinance of the Town of Cary. These requirements are being met through the use of Wet Pond on the project.

Staff Conclusion: The project meets all the Stormwater requirements of the Town of Cary.

PROPERTY OWNER NOTIFICATION AND CONCERNS

Adjoining property owners were notified of the project, and staff discussed the development with four adjoining property owners who owned homes south of the project. These concerns of the residents have been addressed:

Concerns about what the view would be from their homes into the site.

The applicant prepared several cross-sections through the site that showed the relationship of the buildings and parking to the adjacent property lines. Staff reviewed these sections with them and pointed out the relationship between their property and the site.

Concerns about the time of the year when construction activity would take place.

Staff responded that the timing of the construction activity is outside of the staff’s

control and is a decision made by the owner, contractor, and design team.

APPEARANCE COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS:

Label the classification of the Neuse River riparian buffers on the grading plan

showing whether the required width is 100-feet or 50-feet.

Label the future buildings 4 and 5 as "Future Proposed as per Approved P.U.D.

document."

Add additional evergreen shrubs behind the curb in the area between the two

retaining walls near the southwestern corner of the property to help with

screening of vehicle headlights.

Recommend that the dumpsters be located further from the residential area

south and southeast of the project. Consider moving them further north along

the eastern edge of the parking area nearer the detention basin and where the

riparian buffer widens.

Provide more a detailed plan of the plaza between buildings 2 and 3 that will

show the character of the space. Site furnishings should be complimentary to

the color of the buildings

Provide additional shrubs in the medians and islands in the parking areas to the

rear of buildings 2 and 3 to help break up the ground plane of the parking areas.

Staff Observations:

Adjustments to the plan were made to address the Appearance Commission’s recommendations with the exception of Item No. 4 regarding relocation of the dumpsters. The applicant responded stating the following: "The dumpster enclosures have been revised so as to pull them further from the residential area, while still keeping them in a location desirable to the tenants of this development."

Staff Conclusion:

Staff supports the Appearance Commission’s request to relocate the dumpsters further from the residential area.