CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Receive the staff report for Beyond Self Storage (PZC 19-1-088) located at 2403 W. Diehl Road (Item 1 of 3).
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Scott Williams, AICP
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The Planning and Zoning Commission considered this matter on January 15, 2020 and voted to recommend approval of the request (Approved 9-0), and voted to approve the petitioner’s appeal of the Building Design Guidelines with conditions for the subject property located at 2403 W. Diehl (Approved 9-0).
BACKGROUND:
The property is located on Lot 1 in the Diehl Road 41 Acre Site Subdivision, which is located at W. Diehl Road between Alderleaf Lane and Fisher Drive, and is zoned I (Industrial) District. The property is approximately 14.78 acres and is currently the site of the Naperville Korean Methodist Church. The proposed triangularly-shaped lot is located south of I-88, south and south-east of the Illinois Prairie Path, north of the existing church, and west of an industrial building zoned I (Industrial) District. The property to the south of the church across Diehl Road is zoned R1A/PUD (Low Density Single-Family Residence) District Planned Unit Development and is improved with townhomes.
The Northwest Sector Comprehensive Plan identifies the future land use of the subject property as Business Park. The existing Industrial zoning classification and proposed use are consistent with the Northwest Sector Plan future land use designation and complimentary with the existing land uses. The proposed storage facility is permitted by right in the I district.
In 2011, Ordinance # 11-027 granted a conditional use in the I (Industrial) District for the construction and operation of a religious institution that is located on the subject property.
DISCUSSION:
The petitioner, NorthPoint Development LLC, requests approval of a parking variance and a plat of subdivision with a deviation to reduce width between the right-of-way and the building line in order to allow construction of a 3-story, 138,855 square-foot self-storage facility on the subject property. The petitioner is subdividing the existing lot into 2 in order to locate the storage facility on a dedicated lot that is behind the existing church while utilizing the existing Diehl Road access points. The proposed FAR of 0.697, in compliance with the maximum permitted FAR of 0.70 in the I district.
Appeal to Building Design Guidelines
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 reviewed the proposed elevations with respect to the Design Guidelines and offered 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 exterior building materials consist of masonry (brick and CMU), metal panels, and window and overhead door glazing. After staff review, the petitioner increased the amount of masonry on the south and west facades facing the street and the Illinois Prairie path. However, the façade material on the north, east, and west elevations did not meet C5.1 with the proposed amount of metal paneling. While staff recommended that the petitioner amend the elevations to comply with C5.1; the petitioner chose to appeal this standard based on the adjacent properties. Per the Naperville Municipal Code, the Planning and Zoning Commission is the body to review such appeal. PZC determinations are considered final, unless appealed to the City Council.
At their January 15, 2020 meeting, the PZC reviewed the petitioner’s requested appeal to the Building Design Guidelines (additional information provided under Planning & Zoning Action below). Following discussion, the PZC made a motion to approve the petitioner’s appeal subject to some additional changes to the proposed elevations (approved, 9-0). The proposed elevations have been altered consistent with the PZC’s direction.
Parking Variance
The proposed self-storage facility includes 138,855 square feet of building area. Per Municipal Code Section 6-9-3 (Schedule of Off Street Parking Requirements) <https://library.municode.com/il/naperville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT6ZORE_CH9OFSTPA_6-9-3SCOFSTPARE> self-storage facilities require 0.4 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area; therefore the proposed use is required to have 56 parking spaces. The proposed site plan includes 11 exterior and 6 interior parking spaces on the south side of the building. The petitioner requests a variance from Section 6-9-3 to allow a reduction in the number of required parking spaces from 56 to 17.
The petitioner provided a parking study which includes daily/hourly parking counts at similarly sized, recently opened facilities. Including employee occupied spaces, the maximum number of spaces occupied is 4. A summary on the total building square footage and number of parking spaces for 14 facilities is also included in the study. Given the information provided by the petitioner and the nature of the proposed business with customers utilizing the proposed internal loading/unloading areas, staff expects the 17 parking spaces to be adequate for the proposed business. A condition will be included in the ordinance requiring the petitioner take appropriate action, such as altering business operations as necessary, in the event the parking needs cannot be accommodated by the proposed parking. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Variation are included in the Development Petition. Staff is in general agreement with the petitioner’s Findings.
Preliminary/Final Plat of Subdivision Variance
The Petitioner is proposing to subdivide the property with the storage facility located on the proposed 4.57 acre Lot 1 behind the church. Per Municipal Code Section7-4-4 (Design Standards: Land Use) <https://cityofnaperville.sharepoint.com/sites/TED/staff/PND/New%20Development/Beyond%20Self%20Storage%20-%20PZC%2019-1-088/PZC/Municpal%20Code%20Section7-4-4%20(Subdivision%20Land%20Use)> I districts shall not be less than sixty-six (66) feet in width from the right-of-way line to the building line. The petitioner requests a deviation from 7-4-4 because the lot will not have any frontage on Diehl road. Per Section 7-1-8, a request to waive or modify any requirement in Section 7-4-4 is processed as a variance.
Practical difficulties include a significantly-sized conservation easement west of the church (and what would be considered the western portion of the proposed Lot 2 containing the church) and blocks any construction or grading activity in this area. Also, the triangular-like shape of the existing lot is unusual and is a result of the right-of-way layout and subdivision platting.
The storage facility will use the current eastern access point which has a cross-access easement shared with the industrial building located to the east. This platted easement anticipated future development and covers the private drive from Diehl Road to the south-east corner of the proposed Lot 1. Additionally, an emergency access easement is platted between the western conservation easement area and the church thus providing a secondary means of access for emergency vehicles. Staff finds that the impact on the existing church parking will be minimal with the loss of only 3 spaces leaving a total of 107 spaces where 95 are required (per PZC 10-1-139). 10’ public utility and drainage easements are shown north and south of the newly created property line dividing Lot 1 and Lot 2.
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Variance are included in the Development Petition. Staff is in general agreement with the petitioner’s Findings.
Landscaping
Landscaping is provided around the building, parking lot, and outdoor storage area. A mix of evergreen trees and shrubs, and several shade trees, will be planted along the 3-sides of the property. Along the southern property line bordering the outdoor storage and parking area, 100% continuous screening is provided and would meet the screening requirement if located across a right-of-way from property zoned for residential use.
Planning & Zoning Commission Action
The Planning and Zoning Commission considered this matter at their meeting on January 15, 2020. JJ Jenkins, petitioner, Kevin Polit, architect, and Katie Jahnke Dale, attorney, spoke on behalf of the request. No member of the public provided testimony. The PZC inquired about the use of metal paneling as a primary versus accessory type of material, discussed the Building Design Guidelines, and proposed various alternatives to bring the facades closer into compliance. After much discussion, the petitioner agreed to PZC’s proposal to add more color on the north elevation and to add enough brick to cover the entire bottom third of the west elevation. The commission felt this addition of color and brick broke-up the elevations and brought the more visible western elevation closer into compliance while also acknowledging that the masonry requirement will not be completely met by the north and east elevations.
The PZC made a motion to approve the petitioner’s appeal. (Approved, 9-0). After limited discussion on the development and associated variances, the Planning and Zoning Commission moved to adopt the findings of fact as presented by the petitioner and approve PZC 19-1-088 (approved 9-0).
Key Takeaways
§ The petitioner appealed the Building Design Standards to the Planning and Zoning Commission in order to permit the use of metal panels as a primary material on 3 elevations. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the appeal with conditions: add brick to the bottom third of the west elevation facing the Prairie Path and to paint a portion of the metal paneling on the north elevation facing the tollway.
§ The petitioner requests approval of parking and lot width variances. Staff is in support of these requests based on the findings included in this report; subject to the condition included in the ordinance.
Related Items
The following agenda items are related to PZC 19-1-088:
§ Pass the ordinance approving a plat of subdivision with a deviation to Section 7-4-4 for the property located at 2403 W. Diehl Road (Beyond Self Storage) - PZC 19-1-088 (Item 2 of 3);
§ Pass the ordinance approving a variance to Section 6-9-3 (Schedule of Offstreet Parking Requirements) for the property located at 2403 W. Diehl Road. (Beyond Self Storage) - PZC 19-1-088 (Item 3 of 3).
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A