CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Option 1: Concur with staff and deny the request to approve a minor change to Lot 3 of the Riverbrook Center Planned Unit Development to approve building elevations for Up North Ale House at the subject property located at 1595 North Aurora Road, Naperville - PZC 17-1-098.
Option 2: Pass the ordinance approving a minor change to Lot 3 of the Riverbrook Center Planned Unit Development to approve building elevations for Up North Ale House at the subject property located at 1595 North Aurora Road, Naperville - PZC 17-1-098.
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Erin Venard
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Not Required.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property was originally platted in 1997 as Lot 3 of the Riverbrook Center Planned Unit Development. Located on the north side of North Aurora Road, west of Raymond Drive, the subject property has a common address of 1595 North Aurora Road. The 1.12 acre property is currently improved with a single-story brick building and associated parking and is zoned B2 PUD (Community Shopping District - Planned Unit Development). The Northwest Sector Plan (1996) designates the future land use of the property as commercial; the proposed use of the property is compatible with this designation.
The petitioner, Ideation Studio, is requesting approval of building elevations for the Up North Ale House. As the property is part of a PUD, a minor change to the PUD is required in order to modify the building elevations per Section 6-4-6:2 (Planned Unit Developments: Changes to a Final Planned Unit Development: Minor Changes).
DISCUSSION:
Staff reviews all architectural elevations for compliance with the Citywide Building Design Guidelines. The guidelines were developed in 2011 with the goal of (1) conveying community design values and preferences; (2) clearly guiding the design and appearance of non-residential structures; and (3) identifying the appropriate design criteria by which building design may be evaluated and enhanced through the review process. Staff has reviewed the proposed elevations with respect to the Design Guidelines and the existing Riverbrook Center Planned Unit Development and offers the following comments:
C5.1 Primary Materials - The dominant material of a building’s exterior walls. A primary material will typically comprise 75% to 90% of each exterior building face excluding windows and doors; however, architectural style and detailing of the building should dictate the appropriate composition of primary material.
Staff Comments: The subject property is the site of a former Blockbuster. The exterior building materials consist of brick, limestone, and EIFS. Per the petitioner, brick and limestone currently comprise 30% of the exterior building materials. While the brick and limestone materials do not meet the 75% to 90% primary material requirement, staff finds it is important to maintain the existing natural materials in the current state. The Design Guidelines (Appendix 1, Table 1, Section 3) also state that it is preferred to use brick or stone in its traditional (i.e. non-painted) form.
C6.1 Coordinated Palette of Colors - A coordinated palette of colors should be created for each development that includes one primary color with up to three major accent colors and a range of minor accent colors.
Staff Comments: The subject property is Lot 3 of the Riverbrook Center PUD. The PUD consists of an inline building, three developed outlots including the subject property, and one vacant outlot (the future CIMA gas station). All of the buildings are architecturally similar; red is the primary color and white and green are the accent colors. The proposed elevations will use black as the primary color and gray and copper as the accent colors. Staff does not find that the proposed color palette will coordinate with the existing Riverbrook Center PUD color palette.
C6.2 Primary Base Color - The primary color of the buildings should be compatible with adjacent buildings.
Staff Comments: There are no buildings with a similar color scheme (black, gray, and copper) in the vicinity of the subject property. The building to the south of the subject property, across North Aurora Road, is red brick and white EIFS. The bank to the west of the PUD is earth tone. East of the PUD, the retail and office buildings are also earth tone. Finally, the buildings to the west of the PUD are residential.
Summary
Staff does not agree with the petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting an Amendment to the Planned Unit Development based upon the above findings. The proposed architectural elevations are not compatible with the Citywide Building Design Guidelines, the Riverbrook Center PUD, and the adjacent commercial and office buildings. Staff understands the petitioner’s desire to modify the appearance of the building. As such, staff would support the addition of colored accent materials, provided the natural materials remained unpainted and the overall building design remains compatible with the underlying PUD. Staff has shared these concerns with the petitioner to date.
Key Takeaways
§ The petitioner requests approval of a minor change to the Riverbrook Center Planned Unit Development Lot 3 to approve building elevations for the Up North Ale House.
§ Staff does not support the request because it is not compatible with the Citywide Building Design Guidelines and is also not compatible with the existing Riverbrook Center Planned Unit Development.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A