Impact
WARD: 1
COMMITTEE: Community Development
$ IMPACT: N/A
Title
Public Hearing - Zoning Request Z17-021 - Rezoning from GC to MU-Conditional for the development of a mixed use project - 10.4 Acres - Land Lots 845 & 846 - 3110 Sports Avenue - JLB Realty, LLC
Body
ISSUE: JLB Realty is requesting to rezone 12.495 acres at 3110 Sports Avenue from GC to MU-Conditional for the development of a 325 unit multi-family development with 3,040 sq. ft. of accessory retail space and 6,960 sq. ft. of live/work commercial floor area. The applicant is proposing to demolish the existing Cumberland Community Church building and build the new multi-family development.
BACKGROUND: The zoning request was heard by the Planning and Zoning Board at the June 11, 2018 meeting and was recommended for denial by a vote of 7-0.
RECOMMENDATION/REQUESTED ACTION: The proposal does provide a type of housing that is suggested in the Spring Road LCI study (apartments). However, that is all that is provided. The LCI study also states that within the Sports Avenue redevelopment node that housing types should vary from attached to detached townhomes, to cottages and accessory dwelling units. Within the proposal, there is no mix of housing or ownership types. In terms of total square footage dedicated to residential, with the possible exception of the 6 live-work units that are proposed, it consists of all apartment rental. No ownership type of housing such as townhomes, condominiums or single-family detached housing has been proposed. In terms of the “mixed” portion of this request, approximately 3% of the overall proposed building square footage of the development is being used for something other than rental units. As such, this application is basically for the development of an apartment complex and not a mixed use development. Through the years, Mayor & Council has stated many times that they want all future apartment requests to either be integrated into a larger mixed use development or combined with the tear-down and replacement of an existing apartment complex. Stand-alone multi-family developments should not be encouraged. Past approvals of the MU classification for Belmont, Jonquil and Riverview Landing involve the following percentage splits (based on square feet) between uses:
Jonquil: Apartments - 85%
Retail - 15%
Belmont: Apartments - 38%
Retail/Office - 22%
SF Detached - 40%
Riverview: Apartments - 26%
Townhomes - 61%
SF Detached - 13%
The mixed use developments that have been approved by the Mayor & Council either contained a variety of housing (Riverview), contained several different land uses (Belmont) or had no less than 15% retail when only two uses where proposed. With the proposed application only providing 3% or so to non-apartment uses the request falls well below the levels that the City has previously approved. Approval of this request would break with past policies and actions of the Mayor & Council and be the most unbalanced split of land uses allowed in a mixed use project and would at best only marginally contribute to the City achieving its goals for the Spring Road Corridor.
Given all of the issues discussed through-out this report, staff recommends denial of the request.