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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOFFICE AND LIGHT INDUSTRIAL AT TECHNOLOGY PARKWAY - PDP200016 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - ALTERNATIVE COMPLIANCE REQUESTAlternative Compliance Request Page 1 of 3 Alternative Compliance Request 5041 Technology Parkway - Harmony Technology Park October 28, 2020 Project Overview The proposed project includes a flex office / industrial mixed use building on a 5.08 acre lot in Harmony Technology Park. This project will be complementary in style, layout and function to 5042 Technology Parkway located directly to the east of this proposed project. The building is designed as spec space for office and or flex/office tenants. This building type will help to fill a market void that exists today in the area; a desirable, high-visibility location for either office tenants or those with a mix of office and light industrial needs. The building is designed to showcase multiple tenant customer storefronts, but also includes high bay and loading capabilities if needed. The proposed use is a unique product mixing office and light industrial uses and is not specifically identified in the Land Use Code. This product is a perfect fit for this portion of the Harmony Technology Park master plan located adjacent to a nearly identical and successful office/industrial development at 5042 Technology Parkway. The unique needs of this building type result in a site plan that while meeting the intent of the code, is unable to meet two specific requirements. As a result, we would like to offer the following information specific to each request for approval: Alternative Compliance Request - Section 3.2.2.K(3) Section 3.2.2 Access, Circulation and Parking is indicated with the following purpose: Purpose. This Section is intended to ensure that the parking and circulation aspects of all developments are well designed with regard to safety, efficiency and convenience for vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians and transit, both with the development and to and from surrounding areas. The standards under 3.2.2.K(2) indicate maximum parking allowances for nonresidential uses. There is no use category that specifically identifies flex/office as a use, but the most similar use is General Office which allows: 3 spaces per1000 s.f. or .75/employee on the largest shift or 4.5/1000 s.f. if all additional parking spaces gained by the increased ratio (over 3/1000 s.f.) are contained within a parking garage/structure Section 3.2.2.K(3) provides for Alternative Compliance whereas the decision maker may approve an alternative parking ratio that may be substituted in whole or in part for a ratio meeting the standard s of this Section. As an alternative to the General Office parking allowance of 3 spaces per 1000 s.f., we are requesting a higher ratio of 3.4 spaces per 1000 s.f. due to conditions unique to this project: 1. There is a likely potential that parking demand of this building with combined uses of the of office and light industrial will exceed the 3/1000 maximum parking allowed by code. The adjacent facility at 5042 Technology Parkway is parked at 4/1000 for reference of similar use and parking demand currently in use within the Harmony Technology Park. 2. There is limited on-street parking and no shared parking availability adjacent to the project site. Alternative Compliance Request Page 2 of 3 For consideration of the alternative compliance request, we submit the following findings for your review: Regarding the first item, this building is designed to be functional for a wide range of users including a mix of office/light industrial to a 100% office use. To allow for this flexibility, we must provide adequate parking for the highest potential use, which in this case is office. Finally, there is limited on-street parking and no shared parking availability adjacent to the project site. The site is surrounded on three sides by public streets, and the fourth by a detention pond. Of the three public streets, two (Rock Creek Drive and Technology Parkway) do not allow on-street parking. On-street parking is provided on Precision Drive, but is limited due to the short distance along the property between the Technology Parkway intersection and the entrance into the site. As such, we have no shared parking opportunities and limited on- street parking which are factored into the standard parking allowances in the Land Use Code. Since our parking quantities take these conditions into consideration, we submit that our alternative plan accomplishes the purposes of this section equally well or better than would a plan which complies with the standards of this Section. We further submit that this alternative parking ratio: - Does not detract from continuity, connectivity and convenient proximity for pedestrians between or among existing for future uses in the vicinity. The site and its access conform to the requirements of the approved Harmony Technology Park ODP. The site plan provides direct and convenient pedestrian connections along the streets, from the street sidewalks to the building entrances, and throughout the site between building entrances. In addition, a pedestrian connection is provided along the west property edge, where a street sidewalk is not available, to facilitate pedestrian connectivity from the Fossil Ridge High School sidewalk into the Harmony Technology Park site. - Minimizes the visual and aesthetic impact along the public street by placing parking lots to the rear or along the side of buildings, to the maximum extent feasible. This multi-tenant flex/office building type differs from a standard office building that may have a single primary visitor entrance. It includes multiple tenant customer storefronts along the north, east and south facades with a combined service area at the rear of the building. As a result, the site plan includes more distributed parking along the storefronts for customers and employees and a larger employee lot at the rear of the building. To minimize the visual and aesthetic impact along the public street, we have limited this distributed parking to a single bay depth in areas along the public street, and have included additional landscaping to visually buffer the parking in these areas. - Minimizes the visual and aesthetic impact on the surrounding neighborhood. As indicated above, the distributed layout and additional landscaping minimize the visual and aesthetic impact from the surrounding public streets. Our site plan reflects the layout of the 5042 Tech. Prkwy. and Custom Blending sites with the service zones facing their truck loading dock areas rather than their public visitor / office parking areas. - Creates no physical impact on any facilities serving alternative modes of transportation. Direct and convenient pedestrian connections are provided throughout the site. Bicycle facilities and connections to the on-street bike lanes are provided. The site plan, the Harmony Technology Park master plan, and ODP anticipate the continuation and Alternative Compliance Request Page 3 of 3 expansion of Transfort service to the streets in the surrounding area. As the routes in the vicinity continue to change, we remain flexible by providing direct and continuous pedestrian connectivity to the adjacent public streets where the services are provided. The parking quantity has no physical impact on these facilities. - Creates no detrimental impact on natural areas or features. The parking quantity has no physical impact on these features. - Maintains handicap parking ratios. Handicap parking requirements have been met and exceeded with the increased parking quantities. - For projects located in D, L-M-N, M-M-N, and C-C zone districts… (not applicable) Exception Request - Section 3.5.3(2) Section 3.5.3(2) concerns establishment of Build-to Lines for Streetfront Buildings. Section 3.5.3(2)(d)1 allows for exceptions to the build-to line standards under the following condition: In order to form an outdoor space such as a plaza, courtyard, patio or garden between a building and the sidewalk. Such a larger front yard area shall have landscaping, low walls, fencing or railings, a tree canopy and/or other similar site improvements along the sidewalk designed for pedestrian interest, comfort and visual continuity. Two pedestrian oriented spaces are provided near the northeast and south east corners of the site to directly connect the pedestrian spaces along the building storefront entries to the future center of the Harmony Technology Park master planned area. This connection allows for the distributed parking to the multiple tenant storefronts unique to this building type, but still provides for direct and continuous pedestrian connections to nearby (but future) destinations, and provides an outdoor gathering area for the potential tenants and their employees. Additionally pedestrian connectivity across the drive will be dominant with the use of raised table crossing in a contrasting material and high level of finish suitable to pedestrian use resulting in a pedestrian first context while providing adequate vehicle movement for users and fire access.