Town of Cary, North Carolina

Development Plan Staff Report to the Town Council

07-SP-070: North State Storage

Kevin Hales, Case Manager

REQUEST

The applicant is requesting that Town Council approve the sketch site plan known as North State Storage, consisting of 19,100± square feet of office space and 24,700± square feet of indoor, climate-controlled mini-storage on approximately 3.9 acres.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Cover Sheet

Site Plan

Landscape Plan
Alternate Layout 1

Alternate Layout 2

Public Notification:

In accordance with Town policy, on September 7, 2007, Staff notified all adjoining property owners within 400’ of the subject property.  Staff received a few phone calls regarding the proposed development with concerns being similar to concerns expressed about the previously proposed plan (architecture, noise, storage of regulated substances) for this property.

Project Summary:

The applicant is proposing to develop a single 9,600± square foot office building adjacent to Sowter Drive.  Behind the office building, a 9,500± square foot office and flex space building attached to a 15,200± square foot indoor mini-storage building is being proposed.  A second, 9,500± square feet, indoor mini-storage building is proposed  adjacent to the rear buffer.

BACKGROUND

The applicant originally proposed a 49,800± square feet mini-storage project on this site which was denied by Council on December 14, 2006, with its associated Special Use application.  Subsequently, the applicant requested a waiver of the one-year waiting period for resubmission of a denied application.  A waiver was granted on May 24, 2007, based on a determination that the new proposal and plan for the same property is not an identical or substantially similar plan for the same property.  The new plan proposes to reduce the amount of mini-storage on the site by 50% from the previous proposal, and provide office and flex space closer to Sowter Drive to address concerns previously expressed by Town Council regarding the loss of office space in this area.

CONSISTENCY WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Northwest Area Plan:

This sketch site plan is associated with a Special Use request for the establishment of a mini-storage use on this property.  In accordance with Section 3.8 of the LDO, a public hearing will be held by the Town Council to decide on the Special Use Application separate from the sketch site plan.  The LDO considers Special Uses to be generally consistent with the other uses allowed in a zoning district, but due to their unique characteristics or potential impacts, they require individual consideration as to location, design, configuration, and/or operation at the particular location proposed through the a Special Use permit process. 

Due to the fact that the associated Special Use Application has not been decided at this point, this report is written as if the proposed mini-storage use is permitted by right in this location.

CONSISTENCY WITH THE LAND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE

A.  Transportation:

The TIA completed in conjunction with this project did not require any additional improvements to the surrounding roadways.  Sowter Drive is already constructed to its ultimate cross-section based on the current Comprehensive Transportation Plan requirements.

B.  Parks & Greenways: Greenways Map

The project includes the construction of the 10’ concrete multi-use trail required in lieu of the normal sidewalk along the project’s Sowter Drive frontage, as shown on the Parks Master Plan.

C.  Environmental:

The project will comply with all of the required Stormwater Management regulations of the Town of Cary and State of North Carolina.  The design of the stormwater devices will be finalized at the construction drawing phase (full site plan), but currently the project is using an underground sand filtration system to address their requirements.

D.  Buffers: 

The project is in compliance with all of the required perimeter buffers specified by the Land Development Ordinance.  LDO Section 7.2.3(B) specifies the buffer widths and types required between developments.  These buffers are proposed to be undisturbed and supplemented as necessary to meet the required performance standard.  The proposed land use of mini-storage has the highest intensity and is classified as a Class 6 Use. 

The property to the east of the subject site is already developed as a mini-storage site and requires a 20’ Type C (aesthetic) buffer to be shared between the two properties, leaving this project responsible for providing 10’ of  the required buffer.  The adjacent property has actually provided 12.5’ of buffer which, when combined with the proposed plan, results in for a total buffer width of 22.5’ instead of the required 20’.

The property to the south is a single-family subdivision located in Morrisville with lots of approximately 5 acres.  Under the Cary LDO, single family detached housing is considered a Class 2 use and requires a 65’ Type A (opaque) buffer to be provided.  Since the adjoining property is developed residential in another jurisdiction, this project is required to provide the entire 65’ width on the subject site along that property line.

The property to the west is an undeveloped parcel within the Carpenter Village PDD.  Since there is no development on this parcel to date, the Land Development Ordinance requires a 20’ Type C buffer adjacent to the vacant PDD parcel.  Because there is an existing land use which has no existing vegetation which would contribute to the buffer, the project is again required to provide the entire 20’ width on the subject site.  Because of an existing sanitary sewer line easement which runs within the 20’ of buffer, the project is providing the full 20’ of undisturbed buffer in two sections, one on either side of the easement.

E.  Streetscape:

According to LDO Section 7.2.4(C)(1), non-residential projects located on thoroughfares or collectors are required to provide a 30’ streetscape.  Sowter Drive is proposed to eventually become a continuation of Airport Boulevard and is classified as a collector road.  The project is proposing a 30’ streetscape which will remain predominantly undisturbed and supplemented as required to meet the streetscape performance criteria.  Selective thinning of the existing vegetation may be considered and approved through the full site plan review process once the sketch site plan has been approved.

F.   Architectural Standards:

At the sketch site plan level, the plan is not required to provide architectural drawings for any proposed buildings.  The project will be required to meet the Town of Cary’s current architectural standards.  These include a minimum of 75% masonry material on façades facing a travel aisle or public street, a required percentage of transparency along 2 sides of the office buildings, and other elements to create a human-scaled environment and break the length of the building up into shorter sections.

G.  Cary Design Guidelines:

1.      Create Human Scale:  The mass and scale of the proposed building in relation to the parking areas creates a pedestrian-scaled environment for patrons of the complex.  The parking is broken into smaller areas, which promotes more internal pedestrian circulation.

2.      Create A Sense Of Place:  The proposed buildings will be compatible with the structures on the adjacent parcel, both in use and in architecture, when the elevations are required at full site plan submittal.

3.      Connect Uses:  The project has provided a 10’-wide multi-use trail along Sowter Drive, sidewalk connectivity throughout the site and a parking lot stub to provide future connectivity to the adjacent, undeveloped property.

4.      Provide Transitions:  The project has provided the required vegetative buffers on every side of the site.  The architecture will be required to be compatible with the adjacent uses when that level of detail is provided in the full site plan submittal.

5.      Reduce Parking Impacts:  Parking is located internal to the site, behind the front office building.  The parking has also been split between the area between the two office/flex buildings and the western property line to avoid large, un-modulated fields of parking.

6.      Plan For Pedestrians, Bicyclists And Transit Users:  The plan provides pedestrian connectivity and amenities as described above under “Connect Uses”.  Bike racks will be provided for each of the office/flex buildings.  There are no current plans for a C-Tran route in this immediate area.

7.      Provide Open Space:  The project provides all of the required perimeter buffers in addition to respecting the existing Natural State Preservation easement near the northeastern property corner.

H.  Design Standards:

The project will be required to comply with all of the design standards of the Community Appearance Manual for landscape and lighting design, which are not required to be shown at the level of a sketch site plan.

P&Z Board Action:

The Planning and Zoning Board voted to approve the Site Plan by a vote of 7-1.

Staff Recommendation:

Based on the information provided in the sketch site plan, Staff recommends approval of the sketch plan based on its compliance with the requirements of the Land Development Ordinance.  The applicant will be required to comply with the more specific design criteria once the full site plan (construction plans) are submitted for review.

Town Council Review Criteria for Consideration in Reviewing Site Plans:

Section 3.9.2(I) of the Land Development Ordinance sets forth the following criteria that the Town Council should consider in reviewing site plans:

A subdivision plan or site plan may be approved only if it meets the criteria set forth below:

(1)     The plan is consistent with Comprehensive Plan goals and objectives.

(2)     The plan complies with all applicable requirements of this Ordinance, including the development and design standards of Chapters 7 and 8 as well as the dedication and improvements provisions of Chapter 8 (Note: Plans within Planned Developments may be subject to different requirements based on the approval).

(3)     The plan adequately protects other property, or residential uses located on the same property, from the potential adverse effects of the proposed development;

(4)     The plan provides harmony and unity with the development of nearby properties;

(5)     The plan provides safe conditions for pedestrians or motorists and prevents a dangerous arrangement of pedestrian and vehicular ways; and

(6)     The plan provides safe ingress and egress for emergency services to the site.