CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Receive the report for Lincoln at CityGate Centre located at the northeast corner of CityGate Lane and Westings Avenue, Naperville, PZC 19-1-020 (Item 1 of 4)
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Erin Venard
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The Planning and Zoning Commission considered this matter on August 7, 2019 and voted to recommend approval of the requests (approved, 7-0). Staff concurs.
BACKGROUND:
The 5 acre subject property is located at the northeast corner of Westings Avenue and CityGate Lane and is known as Lot 2 and part of Lot 3 of CityGate Centre. The subject property is zoned OCI PUD (Office, Commercial, and Institutional District - Planned Unit Development) and is currently vacant. The Northwest Sector Plan (1996) identifies the future land use of the subject property as Office/Research and Development. Although a residential use was not originally contemplated on the subject property, staff finds the proposal is appropriate given the original goal to develop the CityGate Centre as a mixed-use development, including office, hotel, retail and entertainment uses. Staff finds the proposed residential use complimentary to the intended mixed-use nature of the campus.
The petitioner, CityGate Centre Ventures LLC, proposes to construct a 285 unit multi-family building with 38,000 square foot roof level event center on the subject property. As a part of the development request, the petitioner requests the following: a major change to the PUD and a revised PUD plat with deviations to increase the building height and to reduce the number of parking spaces and lot area; a preliminary plat of subdivision including a deviation from the 30’ platted setback along Westings Avenue; a conditional use to permit multi-family dwelling units; and, a variance to reduce the required amount of masonry on the building.
DISCUSSION:
Major Change to the PUD & Preliminary PUD Plat
The subject property is part of the CityGate Centre PUD. The petitioner requests a conditional use to permit multi-family dwelling units, as well as deviations from the Municipal Code requirements for building height, number of parking spaces, and lot area. Per Section 6-4-6:1 (Changes to Final Planned Unit Development: Major Change), the conditional use and deviations trigger the requirement that a major change to the PUD is processed.
The petitioner proposes to construct a 285 unit multi-family rental unit building with 38,000 square foot roof level event center on the subject property. The event center will be owned by the Calamos Group (owner of Hotel Arista and other CityGate buildings) and will provide additional banquet space for the campus. An enclosed second story pedestrian walkway will connect the proposed building with the CityGate Centre buildings to the north. The building’s event center will be accessed via a dedicated entrance on the first floor, as well as the second story pedestrian walkway. The building includes an interior parking deck for residents, as well as amenity spaces including a fitness center, a resident lounge, and a dog spa.
Per Section 6-4-3:3 (Planned Unit Developments: Design Standards and Criteria), outdoor common areas are required in planned unit developments as a means of passive or active recreation, site amenity, environmental protection, or beautification. Mixed use PUDs, such as the proposed, are required to provide 20% open space. The proposed development provides 29.6% open space in the form of passive green space, an outdoor pool, and a courtyard.
Staff finds the proposed multi-family building and event center are complimentary to the office, hotel, retail, and restaurant uses within the existing PUD and is in support of the request for a major change. The petitioner’s responses to the standards for amending a PUD are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the City Council.
Preliminary Plat of Subdivision & Vacation of Building Setback Line
In order to combine Lot 2 and a portion of Lot 3, the petitioner requests approval of a preliminary plat of resubdivision for Lots 2 & 3 of CityGate Centre. Staff finds that the proposed preliminary plat of subdivision for the resubdivision of Lots 2 & 3 of CityGate Centre meets all technical requirements for approval. As a part of the subdivision approval, the petitioner requests a deviation to vacate the 30’ platted setback line along Westings Avenue. The proposed building will comply with the required 20’ OCI setback. Staff supports the request for a vacation of the 30’ building line.
Conditional Use for Multi-Family Dwellings Units
The petitioner requests approval of a conditional use to permit multi-family dwelling units in OCI pursuant to Section 6-7F-3 (OCI District: Conditional Uses). The proposed 482,358 square foot building is 5 stories tall with residential units on the first 4 floors and the event center on the 5th floor. The building includes 285 rental apartments consisting of 20 studios, 179 1-bedrooms, and 86 2-bedrooms. An interior parking deck provides 429 dedicated resident parking spaces; an additional 416 parking spaces (including 36 designated guest spaces and 380 spaces for the proposed event center) are located in an exterior surface lot adjacent to the building.
The CityGate campus currently features office, hotel, retail, and restaurant uses. The proposed building provides a residential element consistent with a mixed use campus. The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a conditional use are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the City Council.
On July 16, 2019, staff received a letter from Jay Strang, Chief School Business Official with Indian Prairie School District 204 regarding the proposed development (see attached). The District has noted that the City’s generation tables suggest 22.11 students will be generated from the development with an associated impact fee of $165,579. However, utilizing data from existing apartments, the District estimates that 112.9 students would be generated from the development with an associated impact fee of $846.423. If a formal objection is filed by the School District, it would have to be raised and resolved prior to recordation of the final plat of subdivision for the subject property per Section 7-3-5:12 (Dedication of Park Lands and School Sites or for Payments or Fees in Lieu Of: Objections).
Height Deviation
The petitioner requests a deviation from Section 6-7F-8 (OCI District: Height Limitations/Bulk Regulations) <https://library.municode.com/il/naperville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT6ZORE_CH7BUDI_ARTFOCOFCOINDI> to allow an increase in the maximum building height. Per Code, the maximum height for a building with a residential component in OCI is 43’. The proposed building is 77’2” (at its highest point) as measured from grade to the top of the event center and exceeds the maximum height requirement by 34’2”. Only a portion of the building includes the 5th floor event space; the majority of the building is 4 stories and 58’2” in height.
Staff finds the proposed building height is consistent with existing buildings in the CityGate Campus, including the adjacent 7 story office building, 12 story hotel building and 5 story parking deck. The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a deviation to the PUD are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the City Council.
Lot Area Deviation
The petitioner requests a deviation from Section 6-7F-5 (OCI District: Area Requirement) <https://library.municode.com/il/naperville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT6ZORE_CH7BUDI_ARTFOCOFCOINDI_6-7F-5ARRE> to reduce the required lot area for multi-family dwelling units. Per Code, the lot area for a structure consisting of multi-family dwellings shall not be less than the number of dwelling units times 2,600 sq. ft. [of lot area]. This code requirement is not intended to impose a minimum interior/livable square footage requirement for each residential unit proposed. Rather, the lot area requirement is used a means of controlling density, as well as the bulk of the building. Inversely applied, this calculation establishes the maximum number of units that are permitted per acre (1 acre or 43,560 sq.ft. of land divided by 2,600 sq.ft. of land required per unit = 16.75 units/acre).
The proposed development consists of 285 units on approximately 220,414 square feet of lot area, which equates to approximately 773.4 square feet per dwelling unit
220,414 sq.ft. or 5.06 acres (Lot Area) /
285 (No. Units)
773.4 sq. ft. of lot area per unit (or 57 units/acre)
Based on the Code requirement, the petitioner would be permitted to construct 85 units on the 220,414 square foot subject property.
As noted above, the purpose of the lot area requirement is to control density and building mass. The existing buildings on campus contain office, hotel, retail and restaurant use; the proposed building will be the only residential use on the campus. While the lot area is exceeded on the 5 acre subject property, the requirement is met on the overall 19 acre CityGate/Calamos campus. Staff finds the proposed building mass is comparable to the existing campus and that the proposed building complies with OCI setbacks and floor area ratio (FAR). The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a deviation to the PUD are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the City Council.
Parking Deviation
The petitioner also requests a deviation from Section 6-9-3:1 (Off-Street Parking Facilities: Residential Uses) <https://library.municode.com/il/naperville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT6ZORE_CH9OFSTPA_6-9-3SCOFSTPARE> to reduce the required number of parking spaces. Per Code, multi-family buildings require 2 parking spaces, as well as 0.25 designated guest parking spaces, per dwelling unit. An event center is required to provide 10 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area. As such, the proposed 285 unit building is required to provide 570 parking spaces for residents, 72 designated spaces for guests, and 380 spaces for the 38,000 square foot event center for a total of 1,022 parking spaces. The petitioner is providing 429 residential spaces, 36 designated guest spaces, and 380 event center spaces for a total of 845 spaces, 177 spaces less than required by Code.
In order to support the deviation request, the petitioner submitted a parking study which included data from industry standards publications, similarly sized apartment communities, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Data from industry publications found the average peak parking demand ratio for mid-rise apartment buildings is 1.31 spaces per unit and 0.75 spaces per bedroom and the 85th percentile demand ratio is 1.47 spaces per unit and 0.87 spaces per bedroom. Data collected from 10 similar rental apartment communities showed the average parking supply ratio was 1.65 spaces per unit and 1.14 spaces per bedroom. The petitioner is proposing a parking supply of 1.63 spaces per unit or 1.25 spaces per bedroom.
The parking study also included data from the U.S. Census Bureau which found that approximately 70% of renters have 1 car or no car, while 28% have 2 cars. The proposed building contains 285 units (70% studio/1 bedrooms and 30% 2 bedrooms). Utilizing the ratios from the Census Bureau Data, 378 parking spaces will be sufficient to serve the building. The petitioner is proposing to provide 465 parking spaces to serve the multi-family units.
As noted above, the petitioner is also providing 416 spaces for the event center and guest parking in a surface lot adjacent to the building. The petitioner requests to condition any approval on the ability to remove this surface lot in the future. In order to remove the lot, the petitioner will be required to submit a parking study that demonstrates the spaces can be accommodated in the existing CityGate garages. Removal of the lot will be processed through a minor change to the PUD and will require City Council review. Staff is supportive of this condition as it ensures the proposed development will have an adequate parking supply while maintaining flexibility for future development on the campus.
Staff finds the data provided in the parking study indicates that the proposed parking space supply is sufficient and is in support of the deviation request subject to the following conditions:
1. In the event that the parking needs cannot be accommodated within the proposed parking supply on the Subject Property, the Petitioner and Owner shall take measures, such as constructing additional parking spaces or establishing an overflow parking location off-site, as necessary, to meet the parking demands of the Subject Property, subject to review and approval by the Zoning Administrator.
2. In the event the Petitioner and Owner can demonstrate to the Zoning Administrator through a formal parking study (including all current and proposed future City Gate Centre uses) that sufficient parking capacity is available in the existing City Gate Centre parking structures, Petitioner and Owner shall be permitted to utilize said parking structures to park the event center and guest parking area for the residential component in lieu of the surface parking area depicted on Lot #3. Said parking modification shall require City Council review and approval and be processed as a minor change to the City Gate Center Planned Unit Development.
The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a deviation to the PUD are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the City Council.
Elevations & Masonry Variance
The proposed 5 story, 482,358 square foot building features exterior materials including fiber cement siding, metal panel, composite wood cladding, and glass. The majority of the residential portion of the building is comprised of fiber cement siding, while the 5th story event center is comprised mostly of metal panel.
Section 5-2C-3 (Exterior Wall Construction) of the Municipal Code states that a minimum of 50% of the exterior wall construction for all multiple-family buildings shall be constructed of solid masonry, face brick, manufactured concrete stone veneer (1½” thickness) set individually into mortar bed, or other masonry products as approved by the City Council. The petitioner is proposing to construct a multi-family building with approximately 5% masonry materials. The balance of the building utilizes a variety of materials, including fiber cement siding, metal panel, composite wood cladding, and glass. These materials are not considered masonry, brick, or stone and do not comply with Section 5-2C-3 (Exterior Wall Construction).
A variance to Section 5-2C-3 falls under the purview of the Building Review Board and was reviewed by the BRB on June 19, 2019. BRB found that the proposed building materials were durable in nature and met the intent of the ordinance to improve the appearance of multi-family developments and maintain long-term property values through the use of high quality building materials. Staff finds that the proposed building materials, such as glass and metal panel, as well as the color palette tie into the existing CityGate Campus providing a cohesive look. Staff recommends approval of the exterior materials variance.
Planning and Zoning Commission Action
The Planning and Zoning Commission opened the public hearing to consider PZC 19-1-020 on August 7, 2019. Vince Rosanova, attorney with Rosanova & Whitaker, spoke on behalf of the petitioner. No members of the public provided testimony. After limited discussion, the Planning and Zoning Commission closed the public hearing and voted to recommend approval of PZC 19-1-020 (approved, 7-0). Staff concurs with the recommendation of the PZC.
Key Takeaways
• The petitioner is requesting a major change to approve a revised PUD plat with deviations to increase the building height and to reduce the required parking and lot area.
• The petitioner also requests a conditional use to permit multi-family dwelling units in OCI.
• Staff is supportive of the requests, finding that the proposed building will facilitate a mixed-use campus.
Related Items
The following agenda items are related to PZC 19-1-020:
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• An ordinance approving a major change to the CityGate Centre Planned Unit Development in order to permit a conditional use for multi-family dwelling units in OCI and approval of a preliminary PUD plat with deviations to increase the permitted height, to reduce the required number of parking spaces, and to reduce the required lot area at the subject property located at the northeast corner of CityGate Lane and Westings Avenue - PZC 19-1-020 (Item 2 of 4)
• An ordinance approving a preliminary/final plat of subdivision for the resubdivision of Lots 2 & 3 of CityGate Centre Subdivision - PZC 19-1-020 (Item 3 of 4)
• An ordinance granting a variance from Section 5-2C-3 (Exterior Wall Construction) of Title 5 (Building Regulations) for the subject property located at the northeast corner of CityGate Lane and Westings Avenue - PZC 19-1-020 (Item 4 of 4)
FISCAL IMPACT:
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