Staff Report Raleigh Appearance Commission Administrative Alternate Request

Case File / Name: AAD-15-20 – 2055 S. New Hope Road General Location: South New Hope Road at Rock Quarry Road Owner: Olde Towne WEH LP Contact: Jamie Schwedler, jamieschwedler@parkerpoe.com Cross- Reference: SUB-0007-2020

Request: The applicant requests an administrative alternate for UDO Section 1.5.6. Build-to.

Nature of Request: UDO Section 1.5.6. Build-to A. Defined: 1. The build-to is the area on the lot where a certain percentage of the front

principal building façade must be located, measured as a minimum and maximum setback range from the edge of the proposed or existing right-of-way, whichever is greater.

2. The required percentage specifies the amount of the front building façade that must be located in the build-to, measured based on the width of the building divided by the width of the site or lot.

B. Intent: 1. The build-to is intended to provide a range for building placement that

strengthens the street edge along the right-of-way, establishing a sense of enclosure by providing spatial definition adjacent to the street.

2. The building edge can be supplemented by architectural elements and certain tree plantings aligned in a formal rhythm. The harmonious placement of buildings to establish the street edge is a principal means by which the character of an area or district is defined.

3. The build-to range is established to accommodate some flexibility in specific site design while maintaining the established street edge.

C. General Requirements: 1. On corner lots, a building façade must be placed within the build to for the

first 30 feet along the street extending from the block corner. 2. With the exception of parking areas, all structures and uses customarily

allowed on the lot are permitted in the build-to area. 3. Any common area is not required to meet the build-to requirements 4. Riparian Buffers, Floodways, areas of steep slope (defined as slopes in

excess of 25%), pre-established and recorded Tree Conservation Areas and portions of property encumbered by overhead electric transmission lines rated to transmit 230 Kv, for any second driveway required by this code that must cross the build-to area, the additional width of the driveway up to a

City of Raleigh Urban Design Center One Exchange Plaza

Suite 100 Raleigh, NC 27601

(919) 996-4639 www.raleighnc.gov

maximum of 25’, and City of Raleigh utility easements shall not be considered when calculating the build-to percentage or build-to range.

The applicant is proposing to develop a new subdivision with 232 Townhome lots and 8 open space/common area lots on a currently undeveloped parcel along the future extension of a new road running east from S. New Hope Road. The property is zoned Residential-10 Units per acre, with Conditions (R-10-CU). Zoning Conditions pertain to TCZ-4-19, which amended the conditions associated with the zoning case Z-7-18, which pertain to the Olde Towne subdivision. Zoning conditions apply an overall unit limit for the Olde Towne subdivision, and require new Greenway trails to be built. One of the required Greenways is included in the design of this phase of the project and runs in an east-south direction. The Townhome build-to is 10’/55’, 70% of which must be occupied by building width. The corner build-to requirement that building be placed in the first 30’ of the build-to from the along the street extending from the block corner applies to each of the 11 build-to areas proposed for this alternate (these areas are highlighted in orange in the attached site plan). Each of the 11 identified areas proposed for an alternate fails to meet the 70% requirement for the build-to, as well as the 30’ corner requirement. The applicant proposes that a 55% build-to occupation percentage suffice. As an alternate design, the applicant proposes 11 individual “Landscape Easements.” There is no proposed design at the time of drafting this Staff Report. The easements do meet the minimum dimensional requirements for open amenity areas.

Additional UDO Sections: Sec. 1.5.3. Outdoor Amenity Area

B. Intent 1. Outdoor amenity areas are intended to provide usable on-site open space in

both residential and non-residential developments for the healthy enjoyment of occupants, invitees and guests of the development.

2. In more intensely developed urban contexts, outdoor amenity areas are also intended to provide visual breaks.

C. General Requirements 1. Where outdoor amenity area is required, it must be provided on-site and

must be available for use by or as an amenity for the occupants, invitees and guests of the development.

2. All required outdoor amenity areas must be ADA accessible. 3. Required outdoor amenity area may be met in 1 contiguous open area or in

multiple open areas on the lot; however, to receive credit, each area must be at least 10 feet in width and length.

4. Required outdoor amenity area may be located at or above grade. 5. Required outdoor amenity area cannot be parked or driven upon, except for

emergency access and permitted temporary events. 6. In all other districts except DX-, required outdoor amenity area may be

covered but cannot be enclosed. 7. Above-ground stormwater detention facilities shall not be considered an

outdoor amenity area. 8. Tree Conservation areas shall not be considered an outdoor amenity area.

Administrative Alternate Findings: Sec. 1.5.6. Build-to

The Planning Director may in accordance with Sec. 10.2.17. reduce the build-to requirement, subject to all of the following findings:

1. The approved alternate meets the intent of the build-to regulations; 2. The approved alternate conforms with the Comprehensive Plan and adopted

City plans; 3. The approved alternate does not substantially negatively alter the character-

defining street wall or establish a build-to pattern that is not harmonious with the existing built context;

4. The change in percentage of building that occupies the build-to area or increased setback does not negatively impact pedestrian access, comfort or safety; and

5. Site area that would have otherwise been occupied by buildings is converted to an outdoor amenity area under Sec. 1.5.3.B.

Comprehensive Plan Guidance:

Policy LU 2.1 - Placemaking Development within Raleigh’s jurisdiction should strive to create places, streets,

and spaces that in aggregate meet the needs of people at all stages of life, are visually attractive, safe, accessible, functional, inclusive have their own identity, and maintain or improve local character. Policy LU 2.2 – Compact Development New development and redevelopment should use a more compact land use pattern to support the efficient provision of public services, improve the performance of transportation networks, preserve open space, and reduce the negative impacts of low intensity and non-contiguous development. Policy LU 4.5 – Connectivity New development and redevelopment should provide pedestrian and vehicular connectivity between individual development sites to provide alternative means of access along corridors.

Policy LU 4.9 – Corridor Development Promote pedestrian-friendly and transit-supportive development patterns along multimodal corridors designated on the Growth Framework Map, and any corridor programmed for “transit intensive” investments such as reduced headways, consolidated stops, and bus priority lanes and signals. Policy LU 7.6 – Pedestrian-friendly Development New and redeveloped commercial and mixed-use developments should be pedestrian-friendly.

Policy T 2.9 – Curb Cuts The development of curb cuts along public streets—particularly on major streets—should be minimized to reduce vehicular conflicts, increase pedestrian safety, and improve roadway capacity.

Policy T 5.10 – Building Orientation All primary building entrances should front onto a publicly accessible, and easily discernible, and ADA-compliant walkway that leads directly from the street to the front door to improve pedestrian access. Policy UD 2.1 – Building Orientation Buildings in mixed-use developments should be oriented along streets, plazas, and pedestrian ways. Their facades should create an active and engaging public realm. Policy UD 2.3 – Activating the Street New retail and mixed-use centers should activate the pedestrian environment of the street frontage in addition to internal pedestrian networks and connections, particularly along designated Main Street corridors. Policy UD 4.1 – Public Gathering Spaces Encourage the development of public gathering spaces within all developments. Such spaces should be designed to attract people by using common and usable open space, an enhanced pedestrian realm, streetscape activation, and retail uses. Policy UD 5.4 – Neighborhood Character and Identity

Strengthen the defining visual qualities of Raleigh’s neighborhoods. This should be achieved in part by relating the scale of infill development, alterations, renovations, and additions to existing neighborhood context.

Policy UD 6.2 – Ensuring Pedestrian Comfort and Convenience Promote a comfortable and convenient pedestrian environment by requiring that buildings face the sidewalk and street area, avoid excessive setbacks, and provide direct pedestrian connections. On-street parking should be provided along pedestrian-oriented streets and surface parking should be to the side or in the rear. This should be applied in new development, wherever feasible, especially on Transit Emphasis and Main Street corridors and in mixed-use centers.

Case No. _

Transaction No. _

PPAB 5609852v2

Olde Towne Project Administrative Alternate Application Addendum

Summary of Request: Applicant seeks relief from the build-to requirements of UDO Section 1.5.6 & Sec. 2.2.3.E2 to reduce the required 70% building width in the primary build-to and for 1.5.6.C.1 to remove the requirement to anchor a building within the first 30’ of a block corner.

I. Project Address

Parcel No. 1732054494: 0 S. New Hope Rd., Raleigh, NC 27604 Parcel No. 1732062346: 2055 S. New Hope Rd., Raleigh, NC 27604 II. Administrative Alternate Findings

The Planning Director may in accordance with Sec. 10.2.17. reduce the build-to requirement, subject to all of the following findings:

1. The approved alternate meets the intent of the build-to regulations;

Response: The build-to is “intended to provide a range for building placement that strengthens the street edge along the right-of-way, establishing a sense of enclosure by providing spatial definition adjacent to the street.” Sec. 1.5.6.B.1. The build-to range is established to accommodate some flexibility in specific site design while maintaining the established street edge. Sec. 1.5.6.B.3. The requested design alternate reduces the 70% requirement to 55% and removes the build-to requirement for corner lots. This request meets the spirit and intent of the regulations because it still provides for strong building placement and definition along the primary street but allows for flexibility. Buildings are anchored to the corners as much as possible, but cannot meet the 30’ dimension standard because the driveway requirements to service this townhome development would be required to be placed too close to intersections to meet Raleigh street standards. We estimate there are at least four block faces which do not meet build-to standards due to the curvilinear nature of the road and the requirement to install off-street parking to satisfy UDO parking requirements.

2. The approved alternate conforms with the Comprehensive Plan and adopted City plans; and

Response: The alternate conforms with the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which encourages driveways to be placed in a manner that does not conflict with existing or planned streets. Policy LU 4.1 Coordinate Transportation Investments with Land Use states “Ensure that transportation decisions, strategies, and investments are coordinated with and support the city’s land use objectives.” Granting relief of these build-to standards will more closely align transportation goals with the planning objectives of strong street walls in townhome communities.

Case No. _

Transaction No. _

PPAB 5609852v2 2

3. The approved alternate does not substantially negatively alter the character-defining street wall or establish a build-to pattern that is not harmonious with the existing built context);

Response: The alternate will not negatively alter the street wall or create a lack of harmony within the existing context. The proposed townhomes are creating new internal blocks with their own pattern and rhythm, and thus do not detract from an existing block.

4. The change in percentage of building that occupies the build-to area or increased setback does not negatively impact pedestrian access, comfort or safety; and

Response: The change in building percentage does not negatively impact circulation or safety because it provides sufficient access and strong building placement.

5. Site area that would have otherwise been occupied by buildings is converted to an outdoor amenity area under Sec. 1.5.3.B.

Response: The area that would have been occupied by buildings, namely, corners of lots, will be designated as landscape easements equivalent to the size and location requirements of outdoor amenity areas per the UDO, per the examples in the attached exhibit.

GRAPHIC SCALE0 50 100 200

1 inch = 100 ft.

LANDSCAPE EASEMENT

X:\Projects\HLE\HLE-19010\04-Production\Engineering\Current Drawings\HLE19010x.dwg, 6/12/2020 12:16:25 PM, Damacus, Radu

OLDE TOWNE - LOT 2LANDSCAPE EASEMENT EXHIBIT

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

The John R. McAdams Company, Inc.2905 Meridian Parkway

Durham, NC 27713

phone 919. 361. 5000fax 919. 361. 2269

license number: C-0293, C-187

www.mcadamsco.com

PROJECT NO. HLE-19010FILENAMECHECKED BYDRAWN BYSCALEDATE 06. 12. 2020

PLAN INFORMATION

1"=100'