02/27/2008 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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The 2,900 square foot building is mostly brick, with a stone veneer base, an EIFS sign band and a gas-pump canopy. The building entrance will face Lorain Road and all commercial activity will take place north of the building. There will be no vehicular access behind the building. New landscaping is proposed around the perimeter of the site. A 2-foot mound with dense evergreen screening is proposed to shield the south residential neighbors. Two curb cuts are proposed, one onto Lorain Road and one onto Stearns Road both of which fail to meet the City's requirements for drive radius. Brickscape is provided along Lorain Road right of way to the Stearns Road curb cut. The proposal requires variances for rear building setback, front & side yard setbacks, drive radius, light trespass, and lacks required irrigation system. Although 10 parking spaces are required thirteen are shown. By eliminating the easternmost parking space the side yard setback variance could be much reduced. The variance for air pump location could be reduced by moving it beyond the required setback. She noted that rezoning and lot consolidation should be conditions of the development approval. The Commission should make recommendation on Ordinance 2008-18 pertaining to rezoning the residential lot. Mr. Conway said that an additional variance which was not noted in the BZA write-up was required. A 22.2 foot side building setback variance for a corner lot, code requires 50 ft and the applicant shows 27.8 ft. Mr. Collins noted the applicant's collaboration with the engineering department to ensure the proposal was compatible with the Stearns Road widening plans. The proposed driveways should be required to meet the 25 foot radius requirement. Due to the lot being positioned on a heavily trafficked corner, the proposed drive radii will cause truck traffic to override the curbs. Engineering requests an auto-turn submittal which has not been submitted to show truck traffic through the site. He requested the commission uphold the required 25 foot driveway radius. Mr. O'Malley said the Commission should first consider the rezoning and its compatibility with the Master Plan. He noted that the lots were not developable in accordance to today's planning and zoning regulations for zoning and size. Ms. Wenger said the 2005 Master Plan recognized that the Stearns Road corridor would be redeveloped but not as single family residential. The Master Plan designated the Stearns Road corridor as a focus area to be studied further. The Crocker Stearns Corridor Plan was developed to define the issues within the corridor. The plan recognized that BP owned the property and would likely redevelop their corner once the corridor was completed. Therefore the proposed development is in accordance with both the 2005 Master Plan and Crocker Stearns Corridor Plan. Mr. Reid said the plans showed two parcels owned by BP and defined the section of land which was taken for the Stearns Road expansion. Once the land was taken for the road project, what was left was undevelopable for a BP site. Therefore the property to the south was acquired to provide the space needed. They have worked with the City developing an acceptable site plan which includes the station and gas pumps fronting Lorain Road and eliminating a carwash. They have eliminated as many variances as possible. The prototypical type development for BP has been reduced to conform to the size of the lot. They will irrigate the site which will be noted on future plans. The lighting plan shows zero foot-candles along the southern property line and along the north, west and east property lines shows les than 1 foot-candle and does not take into account the proposed landscaping which decreases light spill. The air pump can be moved to the 6