Session 06-16, a Special Meeting of the Homer Advisory
Planning Commission was called to order by Vice Chair Hess at 6:08 p.m. on June
14, 2006 at the City Hall Cowles Council Chambers located at 491 E. Pioneer
Avenue, Homer, Alaska.
PRESENT: COMMISSIONERS: CONNOR, FOSTER, HESS,
LEHNER
ABSENT: CHESLEY,
KRANICH, PFEIL (excused)
STAFF: CITY PLANNER MCKIBBEN
DEPUTY
CITY CLERK JOHNSON
CITY
MANAGER WREDE
A quorum is required
to conduct a meeting.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
AND ADOPTION OF CONSENT AGENDA
All items on the
consent agenda are considered routine and non-controversial by the Planning
Commission and are approved in one motion.
There will be no separate discussion of these items unless requested by
a Planning Commissioner or someone from the public, in which case the item will
be moved to the regular agenda and considered in normal sequence.
The agenda was approved by
consensus of the Commission.
Commissioner Foster related
that he spoke with Karyn Wise, who compiled the
Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA). Vice
Chair Hess stated although Ms. Wise was not the applicant and the communication
may not fall under ex-parte, it was important to make
it known. If Commissioner Foster
received any information from Ms. Wise it will be made part of the discussions.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
The Commission
conducts Public Hearings by hearing a staff report, hearing public testimony
and then acting on the Public Hearing items. The Chair may prescribe time limits. The Commission may question the public.
A.
Staff
Report PL 06-53[1],
CUP 06-07, Fred Meyer
City Planner McKibben noted the staff report numbers differ
on the agenda and staff report. The correct
staff report is PL 06-65. City Planner
McKibben summarized the staff report and read the finding. She referenced the gray concrete pedestrian
ways through the parking lot, stating it will contrast with the black
asphalt. She suggested the pedestrian
ways be red stamped concrete rather than gray to provide more contract and
visual appeal. City Planner McKibben
read the staff recommendations and noted #14 was outside the ability of the
applicant, as it is not property they own.
The City and CIRI have been working to obtain the Hazel Avenue extension
and it would be great if Fred Meyer would help coordinate that effort.
Greg Jones greeted the Commission stating he was the
representative of CIRI, the landowner of the project and developer of a large
chunk of the Town Center project.
Attending with him is Katie Gage, Project Manager of CIRI. Much effort and expertise has been applied to
the project by architects, engineers and consultants as well as by the City
Manager, City Planner and Public Works.
The project has been done professionally and meets the needs of the
community and the Town Center plan. Most
importantly it is bringing a project the community initiated to fruition,
namely the Town Center Development Plan.
Fred Meyer is essential to the plan, as it will be the commercial anchor
that brings people to create a place.
From the outset Fred Meyer has supported the Town Center plan, designing
their project to fit. Mr. Jones said
CIRI, Fred Meyer and Kachemak Heritage Land Trust are
all committed to development of the Town Center. Additionally, the City is now evaluating the
site for a Town Hall and the City Council has adopted the Town Center
Development Plan. Mr. Jones has not seen
another project go through the broad community review, internal debates,
solutions, adoption and the opportunity to implement construction as this one
has. Everyone has devoted time and
effort to the complex and exciting project.
Mr. Jones urged the Commission’s support for the conditional use permit
(CUP).
Tom Gibbons, Director of Real Estate for Fred Meyer,
thanked the Commission. He stated the
corporation is committed and excited to be part of Homer and the
community. He has been in the business
for thirty years, working on many projects and finds this team of consultants
first class. Since the inception of the
complex Homer project, Mr. Gibbons has seen ten Fred Meyer stores open, full
size 175,000 sq. ft. stores. The typical
size of a Fred Meyer grocery store is 66,000 sq. ft. and Mr. Gibbons was worried
the grocery department would vie for all the square footage. Fred Meyer’s President assured the plan for
the smaller store would not be changed; room would be allotted for general
merchandise. A team was sent to Homer to
visit merchants to find the community needs.
The team returned to the merchandisers and the footprint for the 66,000
sq. ft. mini Fred Meyer store was decided.
As to the feasibility study, Mr. Gibbons believes the jobs
are unstated as Homer may see 150 jobs.
Sales revenue is also understated.
Fred Meyer is committed to Alaska with 11 stores currently. In the last four weeks the corporation has
committed $45,000 to various organizations in Alaska, with each of the stores
making allocations. Fred Meyer would
like to get under construction as soon as the weather permits, with a goal to
be open by late summer 2007.
Bruce Creager of Barghausen Consulting Engineers, said landscape
architectural services were provided by their firm in addition to the civil
engineering and land planning. A
Development Activity Plan, Stormwater Protection
Plan, Site and Access Plan and Landscape Plan have been developed. After input from the community meetings the
following changes were made to the site plan:
* Realignment of the pedestrian pathway formerly connecting
the
Sterling Highway
to the interior of the Town Center plan.
* Removal of the driveway from Fred Meyer to Sterling
Highway.
* Revision to north/south road alignment to conform to the
Town Center Plan; aligning the
intersection to be opposite the Islands and
Ocean Visitors Center westerly driveway entrance.
* Increased landscape strip from 3 ft. to 12 ft. width
along east property line to provide
blue spruce trees.
* Beefed up 20 ft. forested buffer along Sterling Highway.
* Reduced rock retaining wall heights by providing side
slopes.
* Removed the gas station project.
* Shifted the Fred Meyer store closer to Sterling Highway
to provide equal distance between
Hazel Street and Sterling Highway.
* Eliminated parking from southerly building façade and
Sterling Highway.
In compliance with the Community Design Manual (CDM),
walkways should contrast from parking areas and be in scale with the
project. Mr. Creager
explained there are three principal pathways from the store to the public
streets. The southerly walkway will be
scored in a diamond pattern and transitions to a square pattern when it reaches
the drive aisles. The northerly
pedestrian connection is designed with the square pattern. The third pathway from the northwest corner
of the building is grade separated. All
the pedestrian pathways have landscape planters along with seating and
lighting.
There are two outdoor common areas, one in each the
northwest and southwest corners of the building, totaling more than 5% of the
gross floor area. They provide seating
and trash receptacles. Landscaping gives
them a sense of enclosure. The scored
concrete is again used with horizontal bands to bring the scale of the plaza
down to a personal level. Another small
common area is connected to the southerly pathway, a place to sit and enjoy the
views of Kachemak Bay and the street area. All of the common areas are tied into view
corridors.
Referencing the desired 20 ft. building setback lines from one
or all three streets, Mr. Creager said the best
possible layout was chosen. Placing the
building at the 20 ft. setback is not feasible due to the difficulties in the
configuration of the new north/south road, the 30 ft. grade differential, and a
more visible service area. Parking would
need to be mixed with the service and loading traffic, causing concern for
customer safety and convenience.
The frontage on the Sterling Highway will have a 20 ft.
forested buffer. It will provide the
storm water detention treatment facility at the low end of the site. Four curb cuts have been proposed, two to the
new north/south roadway and two to Hazel Avenue, allowing for separation of the
delivery truck from the public access.
The driveways are to be 30 ft. to facilitate the delivery trucks. There will be no parking stalls directly in
the front of the store; ADA (American Disability Act) stalls will be placed as
close as possible to the main entrance.
Mr. Creager said there was a
significant amount of input from the community regarding types of
vegetation. Extension services and local
nurserymen have been consulted on appropriate plant materials, availability,
and suitability to the climate, soil and water requirements. The forested buffer along the Sterling Highway
will visually shield the loading and parking area from the highway. Over the next couple of generations the trees
could become significant, blocking views from the north. It was suggested a view corridor may be left
open to preserve the views. On the north
façade shrubs, trees and vines have been designed. There are also landscaped areas near the
common areas and southeast corner of the building to soften the building.
A drawing was presented to the Commission showing the
interior parking lot. The parking lot
totals 104,000 sq. ft. The green areas
depict interior landscape and total 10,902 sq. ft., or 10.5% of the total
parking lot. Staff’s position is
understood for the 10 ft. landscape width along Hazel Avenue, although it only
measures 7 ft. from the property line.
The suggestion was to move the right-of-way line, reducing the drive
aisle width from 27 ft. to 24 ft. to make up the additional 3 ft. of
landscaping on the north property line.
They would also like to consider reducing the other drive aisles widths
to allow more landscaping in the parking lot.
Mr. Creager asked for a revision to staff
recommendation #6. HCC 21.61.105
references parking lots exceeding 25 stalls and the need to have 10% of the
interior parking lot landscaped in islands or dividers. Ordinance 04-52 amends the above code that
landscape material includes pedestrian ways.
It is Mr. Creager’s thought that pedestrian
ways should also be included in the 10% calculation for interior parking lot
landscaping.
Proposed revisions to staff recommendations were provided
as laydown information. These included:
·
Reduce
drive aisles to 24 ft. to widen dividers and islands.
·
Interior
landscape may include landscape areas connected to the perimeter landscape, but
that protrude into the parking lot; and may include pedestrian ways as they are
included in the list of landscaping materials under HCC 21.61.105(1)(7)(c)(vi).
·
Minor
plan changes resulting from these conditions of approval or peripheral agency
review, such as the US Army Corps of Engineers, may be reviewed and approved by
the Planning Director.
Commissioner Lehner inquired
about the stormwater pond, what the variations in
water level will be and what will the sides above the water look like? Mr. Creager
answered the pond will have one foot of dead storage in the base, which may
store a foot of water year around, depending on rainfall. The pond will be of a
grassy material and contoured to create side slope up to the forested buffer on
Sterling Highway. Commissioner Lehner asked if they had considered plant materials for the
shallow areas. Mr. Creager
answered the engineers may have considered plants that are suitable to the wet
areas.
Commissioner Foster asked if snow storage will be separated
from the detention pond. Mr. Creager said there are several catch basins on the site and
the pond will serve as a water quality feature to eliminate 80% of the
solids. The snow storage will lead to
the collection ponds. Commissioner
Foster asked if trails had been considered for access from the Sterling
Highway. Mr. Creager
answered they had not, as with the elevation change it would be feasible to
access Fred Meyer from the Petro Marine area.
Randy Sauer of Mulvanny G2
Architecture, said a complete building redesign was done based on comments from
Homer residents. To tie the building to
the site a timber colonnade and textured CMU Split Faced wall material will
give it a natural feel with the surrounding environment. There are pedestrian walkways with paved
patterns to incorporate the building into the paving surrounding the land
site. Low profile landscaping is
provided adjacent to building.
Preserving the sloped site with low retaining walls meets
ADA requirements and customer safety.
Lighting will be recessed and hid from public view along the covered
walkways. Other lighting will be for
operational purposes near the loading docks and for security purposes near the
employee entrance.
Mr. Sauer said they would like to comply with staff
recommendation #8 redesigning the northern elevation to incorporate more design
elements, as it will become a prominent façade with Hazel Avenue. Colors, textures, and horizontal and vertical
shifts were added to all four facades.
There are no walls that exceed 60 ft. without at least a 4 ft. shift in
the vertical plane. No walls exceed 2.5
times the height in its width. Awnings,
a prominent entrance and low pitched roof have been used.
There is a uniform and balanced placement of glazing at the
entrance. The only other glazing is at
the pharmacy drive-up for functionality.
The CDM asks for 25% to 30% glazing.
The Fred Meyer building glazing is 16%, having used extensive horizontal
and vertical shifts, vegetative screening and textures. There is no reflective glass on the building.
Siding and trim materials are Split Face CMU to provide a
natural texture, and composite siding. A
series of niches on the façade of the building will provide an architectural
animation. It reduces the massing to a
more human scale and helps break up the wall plane. Awnings are functional at the entrance of the
building, at the loading dock and employee entrance. The roof material is metal and forest green
to help blend with the natural surrounding.
Primary colors of the building are charcoal, sandstone, and natural
CMU. Secondary colors are the composite
wood to create a warm feel and compliment the stone surrounding.
The Fred Meyer structure will be the primary point in the
Town Center. The CDM requires 10% of the
footprint, or 6,600 sq. ft. to be used for outdoor leisure. There is 1,650 in the pedestrian plaza, 1,700
sq. ft. in the north pedestrian plaza and 2,000 sq. ft. north of the pedestrian
plaza and thousands of square feet in the walking paths around the site. There will be one sign at the entrance and a
sign visible from the Sterling Highway.
Mr. Sauer thanked the commission and city staff on behalf
of Fred Meyer, CIRI, Barghausen Consulting Engineers
and Mulvanny G2 Architecture. He invited questions from the Commission.
When asked why there was only one entrance to the store Tom
Gibbons explained because of the size of the store Fred Meyer wanted to provide
as many goods as possible. Adding other
entrances requires more common area for check stands. They are vying for every square inch to get
the merchandise in.
When asked about future development, Charles Moseley of
Fred Meyer said all the requirements of landscaping and parking would need to
be met. When asked if mechanical systems
would be located on the roofs and how they would be shielded, Randy Sauer
affirmed they would be placed on the roofs.
City Planner McKibben said they will be able to be screened from the
view in Town Center.
Commissioner Foster asked what material would be used for
the retaining walls. Mr. Creager said they have been contemplating CMU rock
walls. The chain link walls are a safety
feature for pedestrians. Commissioner
Foster noted the retention pond at Islands and Ocean Visitors Center and the
fence. He said a baby’s head could fit
through the fence and wonders how the federal government was able to do that.
Commissioner Foster questioned the drive-thru pharmacy, as
to where and how it would go.
Commissioner Foster reiterated his conversation with Karyn
Wise, who compiled the Traffic Impact Analysis and said she did not address it
as it is on a private parking lot. Upon
researching other towns and their the increased traffic flow he found a handful
on the east coast that do not allow drive-thru pharmacies in their Town
Centers. They are not allowed due to
pedestrians and it takes away from the Town Center open feel. Mr. Creager said
the pharmacy drive-thru is located on the south side of the building and the
aisle is formed by the south building mall.
There is a canopy over the drive-thru area. Circulation will be outside the predominant
stream of pedestrians.
City Planner McKibben explained when Fred Meyer was
proposed at Lake Street there were concerns about the drive-thru pharmacy. On the current site if there were concerns
the TIA would have addressed it.
Vice Chair Hess thanked Fred Meyer and the design team for
consideration of community concerns and their input. He said their product is outstanding as it is
an attractive building. He is confident
the rest of the Commission will feel the same way. It has been a lot of work and he appreciates
Fred Meyer taking input from the community.
Mr. Hess looks forward to seeing the store get started.
Vice Chair Hess called for a recess at 7:57 p.m. and
resumed the meeting at 8:20 p.m.
Vice Chair Hess said due to the shortage of commissioners
the CUP process cannot be concluded tonight.
Public comments will be opened tonight and that will conclude the public
hearing. There will be no additional
public hearing at the next meeting. Vice
Chair Hess acknowledged new Planning Commissioners Sharon Minsch
and Bryan Zak in the audience, whose terms will begin July 1.
There were no public comments.
The public hearing was closed.
CONNOR/LEHNER - MOVED TO BRING STAFF REPORT PL 06-65
REQUEST FOR CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 06-07 FRED MEYER WITH STAFF FINDINGS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONDITIONS.
Commissioner Connor stated she has a few concerns about the
development. The proposed clearing
limits go to the outer boundaries, encompassing 6.4 acres where all vegetation
will be removed. Although it is more
convenient for the developer, the trees have a lot of meaning for the town. In the Comprehensive Plan, the Community
Design Plan, the Code and the Town Center Development Plan there are twenty
references to retaining natural vegetation and the value of retaining
trees. There are several changes that
could be made to retain some of the trees:
·
Reduce
driveway widths to 24 ft.
·
Retain
some clusters of trees in the parking lot area.
·
Leave
the existing vegetation along the south perimeter that surrounds the proposed
water quality pond.
·
Reduce
the number of parking spaces to the minimum number required.
·
Reduce
internal drive aisles.
·
Reduce
footprint; development is too intensive for site.
CONNOR/LEHNER - MOVED TO RECOMMEND TWENTY PERCENT OF THE
TREES ONSITE WILL BE PRESERVED AND PROTECTED DURING CONSTRUCTION.
Commissioner Lehner asked for
Fred Meyer’s explanation why the existing trees could not be preserved.
Bruce Creager explained the Stormwater Protection Plan shows the existing and proposed
grades on the property. In trying to
fulfill tree preservation there is the topography of 30 ft. of grade
differential from the northwest to the southwest corner. The building is level with the floors at the
same grade throughout. The parking lot
grades need to be gentle to prevent runaway cars and shopping carts. To prepare the site for storm drainage, a
gentle parking lot grade, and the flat area for the building it requires cuts
and fills with alterations to nearly every square foot. Many of the trees are in the area where the
building will be located and in the cut and fill areas. To preserve trees in the parking lot and
north of the building it would cause loss of parking stalls and the appropriate
grades. Mr. Creager
said 220 trees will be removed and 285 trees will be planted.
Commissioner Foster said there was public protest to the
concept of Fred Meyer because of the trees being cut. He was at the site with another planning
commissioner and observed members of the public standing around trees
preventing the tree cutting machine from cutting trees down. Commissioner Foster said it is important to
members of the community as the area was used for the Concert on the Lawn
event. He reflected when Islands and
Ocean Visitors Center was built there was an attempt to save as many trees as
possible. Fish and Wildlife brought out
a backhoe to dig the trees and gave them away to the community.
Commissioner Lehner said she
senses Fred Meyer understands trees are an issue and supports an additional
condition to reevaluate any opportunity to protect the existing trees. Realizing it may be impossible to retain a
certain percentage of trees, she encouraged Fred Meyer to take it as seriously
as possible.
LEHNER/FOSTER - MOVED TO AMEND THE CONDITION TO REEVALUATE
TO IDENTIFY ANY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE EXISTING TREES ON SITE.
Commissioner Connor likes the idea of making a good faith
effort, but sometimes it doesn’t pan out.
She is willing to be flexible on the figure, although the language is
not strong enough.
Commissioner Foster commented he was a party to writing the
Community Design Manual. For developers
building roads and paths it may be more realistic that the sites must be
leveled. Vice Chair Hess said retaining
vegetation may be more suitable in open spaces within Town Center. He favors Fred Meyer’s intent to replant so
many trees.
VOTE: (amendment)
YES. HESS, FOSTER, LEHNER
VOTE: (amendment)
NO. CONNOR
Motion failed.
VOTE: YES. CONNOR, FOSTER
VOTE: NO. LEHNER, HESS
Motion failed.
City Planner McKibben suggested that amendments be
considered at a later meeting due to the lack of commissioners present.
LEHNER/CONNOR – MOVED TO POSTPONE ACTION ON THE CONDITIONAL
USE PERMIT TO THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING.
Commissioner Foster thanked the presenters for their
diligence and for listening to the public.
Dates for the next hearing were discussed.
VOTE: NO. CONNOR, HESS, FOSTER, LEHNER
Motion failed.
LEHNER/FOSTER - MOVED TO POSTPONE ACTION ON THE CONDITIONAL
USE PERMIT TO THE SPECIAL MEETING ON JUNE 28, 2006 AND ADD IT TO THE AGENDA.
There was no discussion.
VOTE: YES. LEHNER, HESS, FOSTER, CONNOR
Motion carried.
COMMENTS OF THE AUDIENCE
Members of the audience may address the Commission on any subject. The Chair may prescribe time limits.
There were no comments from the
audience.
COMMENTS OF THE COMMISSION
Commissioners may comment on any
subject, including requests to staff and requests for excused absence.
There were no comments from the
Commission.
ADJOURNMENT
Notice of the next regular or
special meeting or work session will appear on the agenda following “adjournment.”
There being no further business to come before the
Commission the meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.
The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for June 21, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in
the Cowles Council Chambers with a Worksession at
5:30 p.m. prior to the meeting.
____________________________________
JO JOHNSON, DEPUTY CITY CLERK