MEMO FROM PLANNING DEPARTMENT

CITY OF ALBERT LEA 

 

 

To:            Planning Commission         

                             

From:        Bob Graham, City Planner

 

Date:         October 30, 2006

 

Re:            Case # 06-23 Chadwick Marketplace Zone Change

 


 

Request

John Chadwick has submitted an application to change the zoning classification on a portion of Chadwick Marketplace Addition from PD Planned Development to IDD Interstate Development District.  A parcel designated as wetland is also included in this application and is owned by the City.

 

 

Location

The property is located in the Chadwick Marketplace Addition east of Blake Ave. and south of E. Main Street in the area of the Home Depot store but Home Depot is excluded from the zone change request.  The site includes the large wetland south of E. Main Street that is now owned by the City.  The property directly east of Home Depot and north of Home Depot is included.

 

 

Existing Conditions

The subject parcel is currently zoned PD Planned Development.  This zoning was applied to the site by Ordinance 49,3d on May 29, 2001 at the time the property was annexed into the city.  On that same date the Council adopted Resolution 01-115 approving Chadwick Marketplace Addition and Resolution 01-116 approving a conditional use permit for Home Depot.  The subdivision development agreement was approved on June 28, 2001.  These documents are available in the Planning Case file 01-03 and also 06-23 for public review.

 

The City annexed the property along the south side of East Main Street between Blake Ave. and I-35 and also along the west side of I-35 from East Main Street to South East Marshall Street. This property was zoned IDD Interstate Development District.  Therefore, the super block between E. Main Street and Southeast Marshall Street, and Blake Ave. and I-35 is zoned IDD and PD except for the homes south of Home Depot, which are zoned R-1 Single Family.  The IDD zone does not allow single family homes.

 

 

Zoning Background

The IDD Interstate Development District zoning was adopted in May 1999 after more than a year of study and draft proposals.  The vision for the district is to assist in creating high quality development along the interstate highway system and to help market Albert Lea from the freeway as a quality community.  The example used during the zoning amendment discussions was the industrial park / airport development along the east side of I-35 at Ankeny, Iowa.  The anchor to this park is the headquarters for Casey’s General Store. 

 

This industrial park was developed with private deed restrictions and covenants controlling land uses and design.  The owner’s consultant for the development attended the Planning Commission workshop during the IDD discussions and encouraged a zoning concept instead of deed restrictions.  The deed restrictions require each property owner to approve another’s development and the restrictions expire after 20 years. 

 

The final ordinance was adopted and parcels along the freeway in the city were zoned IDD upon approval of the land owners.  These include sites that have actual freeway frontage and are properties along Plaza Street and the Habben Industrial Park.

 

The city also has a B-4 Freeway Interchange Zone that applies to sites adjacent to interchange rights of way.  The Trail’s development is zoned B-4.  The IDD and B-4 have similar standards.  The IDD section of the Zoning Ordinance is attached and is Division 10A of Chapter 74 of the City Code.

 

The Love’s development was zoned PD Planned Development because it was not adjacent to the interstate highway or contiguous to other IDD zoning and did not meet the 40 acre minimum site size for the IDD district.

 

The Chadwick Marketplace Subdivision including Home Depot was zoned PD to allow the flexibility of IDD but was not eligible for IDD because the site was not adjacent to the freeway or contiguous to other IDD zones.

 

 

Analysis

This zone change request does not include the Home Depot property because it is under separate ownership and is regulated by a conditional use permit.  The remainder of the site currently zoned PD also has provisions for signs that the owner requests to be carried over to the IDD District as part of the IDD plan.  There is a general development plan for the Chadwick Marketplace Subdivision and a copy is attached.  The PD zone specifically allows three pylon signs shown on the concept site plan and this provision may be placed in the zone change ordinance.

 

These provisions are as follows:

  1. Freestanding ground signs may be permitted for each individual land use and located on the site of the specific use.  Said signs may not exceed 50 feet in height or 250 square feet in area and shall not be less than 100 feet from any other freestanding ground sign.
  2. Building face signs may be located on any building face and shall not exceed 20% of the face of the building on which it is located.
  3. One monument sign may be permitted at each Consul Street entrance to the site.  Said sign shall not exceed 200 square feet in area per side.
  4. Three free standing multiple use ground signs may be located on the site as designated by the developer.  The purpose of said signs is to identify the site from the highway system.  Two of these multiple use signs may not exceed 100 feet in height or 500 square feet in area per side and one sign may not exceed 100 feet in height and may not exceed 1,000 square feet in sign area per side.  These multiple use ground signs may include electronic reader boards.

 

The above conditions are very similar to the permitted signs in the IDD district as specified in Section 74-589 but are specific to location on the plan.

 

The benefit to the property owner for the proposed zone change is to eliminate the step required to obtain a conditional use permit for each specific development.  This can be a savings of 60-90 days and also reduces the risk and up front cost to the developer.  By reducing the risk the property becomes more readily marketable

 

The advantage to the city is for the development community to have more readily available property for development and therefore the city becomes more development friendly and more easily accessible to the larger scale developments encouraged along the freeway areas. 

 

Section 74-587 in the IDD district provides for Performance, locational, and site development guidelines and each development is reviewed by the architectural and site development review committee of the Planning Commission.  This committee is established by the chair of the Planning Commission and includes the chair, one other planning commissioner, the city planner, a representative of the building inspection department, and a representative from the construction industry.  The committee is appointed annually.

 

This committee can negotiate standards appropriate to the district and surrounding development.

 

The IDD district provides for a diversity of land uses including retailing, hotels, automotive service and sales, clubs, clinics, offices, manufacturing, warehousing, and multiple family housing and is therefore more open than the B-2 Community Business District.  However, the district excludes outdoor advertising (billboards), sexually oriented businesses, large outdoor storage areas, mini storage and heavy processing such as auto reduction.  The B-2 district allows billboards and sexually oriented businesses in certain areas.  One intent of the IDD is to prohibit billboard groupings along the interstate highway as have developed at Clear Lake and Clarks Grove.

 

 

Recommendation

The purposes for the IDD District as listed in Section 74-580 of the Zoning Ordinance are as follows:

  1. Provide an opportunity for owners of large parcels of land visible from or adjacent to interstate highway 90 and 35 to develop planned, integrated, and diversified development serving interstate transportation, goods movement, the traveling public, local industry and commerce, and the community.
  2. Encourage planned commercial and industrial development by requiring an interstate development district to have a minimum land area at the time of rezoning.
  3. Encourage the development of job opportunities for the community and interstate related activities.
  4. Preserve land along interstate highways for high quality commercial and industrial development intended to enhance services to freeways, and maintain a high quality community image as seen by the traveling public.

 

The Planning Commission may find that the subject site and proposed development is consistent with the intent of the IDD District.  The Commission may recommend the change in zoning classification from PD Planned Development to IDD Interstate Development District and include those special provisions for signs already permitted in the existing PD District as follows:

 

a.  Freestanding ground signs may be permitted for each individual land use and located on the site of the specific use.  Said signs may not exceed 50 feet in height or 250 square feet in area and shall not be less than 100 feet from any other freestanding ground sign.

 

b.  Building face signs may be located on any building face and shall not exceed 20% of the face of the building on which it is located.

 

c.  One monument sign may be permitted at each Consul Street entrance to the site.  Said sign shall not exceed 200 square feet in area per side.

 

d.  Three free standing multiple use ground signs may be located on the site as  the developer designates.  The purpose of said signs is to identify the site from the highway system.  Two of these multiple use signs may not exceed 100 feet in height or 500 square feet in area per side and one sign may not exceed 100 feet in height and may not exceed 1,000 square feet in sign area per side.  These multiple use ground signs may include electronic reader boards.

 

RAG