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TOWN OF CARY,
NORTH CAROLINA APPLICATION: 06-SP-023 The Learning Experience Child Development Center Summary: The plan proposes a one-story, 12,000 square foot day care center located on 2.06 acres. The applicant is requesting a reduction in the required western 20 foot wide buffer to a 10 foot wide buffer and to reduce the amount of required parking from 60 spaces to 55 spaces (an 8.33% reduction). LOCATION
OF PROPERTY: The
property is located at 6001
Davis Drive at the
Southwest Intersection of Davis Drive and Leonard
Christian Road.
TOWN
OF CARY CASE MANAGER: MEETING
SCHEDULE: PLANNING & ZONING
BOARD – May
15, 2006
TOWN COUNCIL ACTION –
June 8, 2006 ZONING
AND LAND USE PLAN COMPLIANCE: Current
Zoning: O&I Town
Limits: Inside Land
Use Plan Compliance:
The Land Use Plan designates this site as Office and Institutional.
The site plan is in compliance with the Land Use Plan. APPLICANT’S
JUSTIFICATION: The applicant advises that due to recent road widening and
required right of way dedications on Davis
Drive the area of
the site has been reduced by approximately half an acre. The
applicant also indicates that stormwater management requirements also
significantly impact the buildable area.
In order to make an effective use of the site, the applicant is
requesting a reduction to the perimeter landscape buffer between this site
and the adjacent property the applicant has requested consideration of a
reduction in the western 20 foot buffer width to 10 feet and to reduce the
required amount of parking from 60 spaces to 55 spaces, an 8.33% reduction
in parking. NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS: The applicant has been working directly with the adjacent property owner to the west where the reduction in the buffer is proposed. Staff has talked with the property owner, Mrs. Baker, directly and she seems very satisfied with type of proposed use and the associated site plan. In addition, the applicant has been working with the adjacent property owner to the south and the real estate broker for the property owner north of Leonard Christian Road to acquire the necessary easements for the project. PLANNING
ITEMS: Landscaping: Bio-retention areas will be sufficiently screened
and the streetscape and perimeter buffers would be landscaped according to
town standards and requirement. The
plans also proposed to save a significant stand of existing trees in the
southern half of the property. Virginia
Pine saplings will be intermittently planted in the streetscape in all
areas not impacted by overhead power lines. A
fence with evergreen foundation plantings will be provided between the day
care site and the adjacent residential property. Building Elevations: The plans comply with Cary’s architectural design guidelines. Parking: Excluding the proposed reduction in parking from 60 spaces to 55 spaces, the plan complies with all other parking design requirements. TRAFFIC:
Staff Contact: Dick
Moore, 462-3937, Email: dick.moore@townofcary.org 1. A
draft Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) was prepared by Town traffic
consultant HNTB dated January 2006. 2. The applicant is addressing the left turn stacking issues during the morning peak on Leonard Christian Road between Davis Drive and the Driveway into the site. 3. The applicant intends to widen Leonard Christian Road to the ultimate 44' pavement section which includes a center turn lane and complies with the Town of Cary's 2025 Transportation Plan. ROADWAY
DESIGN:
Staff Contact: Tammy
Spivey, 462-3933, Email: tammy.spivey
@townofcary.org The
applicant will be required to provide for a shared access drive by
providing the drive completely on the day care site with a cross
access/parking lot stub to the adjacent property meets ordinance
requirements and is acceptable. The
Planning staff has made recording a cross access easement a condition of
site plan approval. UTILITIES:
Staff Contact: Shuyan
Tian, 469-4381, Email: shuyan.tian@townofcary.org This plan will comply with Town of
Cary
standard specifications and details. STORM
WATER: Staff Contact:
Tom Horstman, 469-4347, Email:
tom.horstma@townofcary.org The project is addressing stormwater concerns with the use of bio retention areas. The site straddles the Neuse River watershed to the north and the Jordan Lake watershed to the south. The southern bio retention area is to address nitrogen production and suspended solids for watershed protection purposes. The two bio retention areas on the north side in the streetscape buffer address nitrogen production only and help the project get below the target of 10 LB/AC/YR. Feed Back at the Planning and Zoning Board Meeting The Planning and Zoning Board asked for a verification of the distance of the Baker residence from the property line for this site plan. That distance is 80 feet. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the proposed reduction in the western 20 foot buffer width to 10 feet for the following reasons: 1) The adjacent residential property is planned for Office and Institutional in Cary’s Land Use Plan and will most likely be rezoned in the future. 2) The reduced 10 foot wide buffer would match what would be required when the adjacent property develops for a non-residential use. 3) The applicant intends to widen Leonard Christian Road to the ultimate 44’ pavement section which includes a center turn lane and complies with the Town of Cary’s 2025 Transportation Plan. The applicant has worked with the adjacent property owner to provide additional landscaping on the adjoining property and the applicant is installing an opaque fence with evergreen planting. Staff also recommends granting a reduction of 8.33% in the parking. The land development requires the applicant to provide four vehicle spaces in a stacking lane. These are not normally counted as parking spaces. Because this day care center requires parents to enter the facility to drop off and pick up children, these spaces could be used toward the parking count to offset the reduction in spaces. |
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