Citation in context
March 6, 2017 — Meeting Minutes
Cited passage
He stated that they are limited on what they can do on the rear elevation as the restrooms and safe room are located back there. Samples of the brick, metal (black), glass and EIFS (accent material-2 variations of gray) were shown.
12 A slide depicting the retail building elevations was shown. Mr. Naylor stated that it is designed to complement the bank building, not duplicate it.
Street elevation slides were shown.
Chairman Lichtenfeld commented that he likes the mass and materials and that it bridges well to the east and west.
Mr. Naylor stated that they are committed to the City to screen the rooftop HVAC units.
Scott Wilson asked if the colors are standard Regions colors.
Mr. Naylor stated that this is the first of Regions’ branches.
Joanne Boulton stated that she appreciates them listening to the City’s comments.
Mr. Lazarus asked if the ATM vestibule will be open 24 hours.
Mr. Naylor replied “yes”; but it will only open to those with a swipe card.
Hearing no further questions or comments, Scott Wilson made a motion to approve per staff recommendation. The motion was seconded by William Liebermann and unanimously approved by the Board.
REZONING/PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT/SITE PLAN/ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW – NEW MIXED-USE PROJECT – 7601 – 7651 CLAYTON ROAD
Ben Owenell, co-developer, was in attendance at the meeting.
Due to a conflict of interest, Scott Wilson recused himself. He did not participate in any discussion or vote with regard to this project.
Susan Istenes explained that she was only going to go over the highlights of the rezoning, Planned Unit Development and site plan, rather than reading most or all of the lengthy staff reports. She advised the members that staff just received comments from St. Louis County (noting that both Hanley Road and Clayton Road are St. Louis County roads) and that the County is asking for additional studies which take a 3-4 week timeframe. She noted that there are still outstanding landscape and Storm Water Pollution & Prevention Plan (SWPPP) issues which could change if traffic patterns change. She informed the members that overall, staff approves the design and recommends approval of the rezoning and Planned Unit Development to the Board of Aldermen with the following conditions:
Turf (sod) is proposed between the northern property line and the fence. A landscape bed is proposed between the fence and the
10 drive-through lanes and continues along the curved portion of the driveway in the northeast corner and along Lancaster Drive. A planting island is proposed separating the drive-through from the parking area with a mixture of trees, shrubs and other plantings. The planting island will be raised above the parking area and protected by a curb. A traffic study was conducted in 2013 for the original 5/3 Bank proposal. A new study was not required for potential traffic impacts of the proposal by Regions Bank because the similarity of this proposal would not likely change the results. The traffic study analyzed potential traffic impacts of the proposed development of the site (including the bank, drive-though, and retail building). According to the study, existing traffic operations do not appear to be problematic at the intersections in the study area. The proposed access point for the drive-through is located deep in the lot, away from the intersection with Maryland Avenue. Stacking lanes are straight with minimal curves, and provide an escape/bypass lane. According to the study, the traffic impacts associated with the drive-through itself are minimal, and there is adequate stacking distance to prevent cars from backing up on Lancaster Drive. The Off Street Parking and Loading Regulations require establishments with two or more drive-through windows or lanes to provide a minimum of five stacked parking spaces per window; in this case, two drive through lanes are proposed, and therefore 10 stacked spaces are required. The proposed drive-through has space for 12 stacked parking spaces. A noise study was conducted in 2013 for the original 5/3 Bank proposal to assess the acoustical impact of the proposed drive-through speakers used by the bank and auto traffic moving in and out of the facility. A new study was not required for potential noise impacts of the proposal by Regions Bank because the similarity of this proposal would not likely change the results. The 2013 study notes that that the normal operation of the drive-through speaker would result in sound levels of 70 dBA (worst case) at 3 feet from the speaker. Normal conversation is in the range of 60 to 70 dBA. At the closest property line, this would produce a sound level of 49 dBA. Since the traffic noise and the noise from the speaker are different types of noise sources, the sound from the speaker will rarely be heard. In situations where two sound levels differ by more than 10 dB, the quieter sound source in most cases is masked by the louder sound source. The study concluded that the bank drive-through does not exceed the St. Louis County day and night time noise levels in the residential area north of the development. Staff feels the conclusion of the 2013 report is also applicable to this proposal. The drive-through lanes are oriented parallel to Maryland Avenue, which will direct vehicular headlights away from adjacent residential properties. Lighting on the drive-through structure itself is limited to four LED down lighting fixtures located underneath the drive-through canopy. Five pole lights are proposed adjacent to the drive-through. The fixtures will be mounted onto 15-foot poles for an overall fixture height of 17.5-feet. All proposed lights are LED with internal shields, channeling the light toward the drive-through and parking areas, not the residential lots to the north. Director Istenes noted that staff is of the opinion that the drive-through meets the requirements contained in the regulations governing conditional uses and the design guidelines for drive-through facilities. According to the noise and traffic studies, noise from the drive-through will not exceed the St. Louis County day and night time noise levels, traffic impacts associated with the drive-through itself are minimal, and there is adequate stacking distance to prevent cars from backing up on Lancaster Drive. Based on the information regarding the operation of the drive-through as provided by the applicant, staff is of the opinion that the proposed use will be
Louis County day and night time noise levels, traffic impacts associated with the drive-through itself are minimal, and there is adequate stacking distance to prevent cars from backing up on Lancaster Drive. Based on the information regarding the operation of the drive-through as provided by the applicant, staff is of the opinion that the proposed use will be
11 compatible with surrounding uses and recommends approval of the Conditional Use Permit to the Board of Aldermen pursuant to any conditions contained in the Site Plan Review memo.
Mr. Naylor informed the members that 5/3’s plan included vacuum tubes in the drive-through; they are not. He added that they will not have speakers in their drive-through.
Hearing no further questions or comments, Scott Wilson made a motion to recommend approval of the conditional use permit to the Board of Aldermen as requested. The motion was seconded by William Liebermann and unanimously approved by the members.
The architectural aspects of the project were now up for review.
Susan Istenes explained that the proposed buildings will cover 80 percent of the Maryland Avenue frontage with a space between for the pedestrian corridor. The buildings are placed in the southeast and southwest corners of the property along the right-of-way to create a strong building presence at each intersection. Façade relief is incorporated into all building elevations through projections and material changes. The pedestrian corridor provides additional relief mid-block. Windows are incorporated into all building elevations. The retail building has larger window openings than the proposed bank building, which creates compatible designs without two identical buildings. The retail building closely follows the design guideline for large show windows interrupted with building piers. While the proposed bank building does not include the same window design, the tall glass entry does provide an open and inviting pedestrian entrance compatible with the proposed retail building. Both buildings are designed with overhangs above the entrances as well as building setbacks to provide a widened sidewalk area near the entrances. The proposed buildings are constructed of dark grey brick, grey EIFS panels, black or grey aluminum-composite-panels and aluminum-trimmed storefront window systems. An 8-foot tall screening fence with brick pillars is proposed 5-feet south of the northern property line, just outside of the 5-foot public utility easement. Hardie-cement board siding with cedar trim is proposed between the brick pillars. The brick pillars will match the color and style of brick used for the proposed buildings. The cement board siding will be painted to match the buildings. Director Istenes indicated that staff is not familiar with this application of cement board siding requested to view samples of the material before determining its visual impact. The height and scale of the proposed development is compatible with surrounding buildings. The placement of the buildings along Maryland Avenue allows for an appropriate transition from the commercial uses on site to the northern residential area. Director Istenes indicated that staff recommends approval with the condition that the applicant provides a sample of the proposed fence to be reviewed by staff for potential visual impacts and final approval.
Mr. Naylor presented a slide depicting the proposed floor plans. He stated that they are limited on what they can do on the rear elevation as the restrooms and safe room are located back there.
Samples of the brick, metal (black), glass and EIFS (accent material-2 variations of gray) were shown.
She noted that there are still outstanding landscape and Storm Water Pollution & Prevention Plan (SWPPP) issues which could change if traffic patterns change. She informed the members that overall, staff approves the design and recommends approval of the rezoning and Planned Unit Development to the Board of Aldermen with the following conditions:
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Comments, dated January 14, 2017, Review 2.