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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-11-22_Planning PACKET Note: Anyone wishing to speak at any Planning Commission meeting is encouraged to do so. If you wish to speak, please rise and, after you have been recognized by the Chair, give your name and complete address for the record. You will then be allowed to speak. Please note that the public testimony may be limited by the Chair and normally is not allowed after the Public Hearing is closed. ASHLAND PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION NOVEMBER 22, 2016 AGENDA I. CALL TO ORDER: 7:00 PM, Civic Center Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main Street. II. ANNOUNCEMENTS III. AD-HOC COMMITTEE UPDATES IV. PUBLIC FORUM V. DISCUSSION ITEMS A.Ashland Transit Triangle – Infill Strategies Project VI. ADJOURNMENT In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Community Development office at 541-488-5305 (TTY phone is 1-800-735-2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). Memo DATE: November 22, 2016 TO: Ashland Planning Commission FROM: Brandon Goldman, Senior Planner RE: Transit Triangle Study Session SUMMARY The City Council identified the infill strategies project as a high priority long range planning project in 2014. Specifically, the project was described as “create and analyze development scenarios accommodating varying levels of future employment and housing growth for the transit corridors in the southeast portion of the city. Identify strategies to encourage a concentration and mix of housing and jobs and increase the desirability of the corridors for residential living.” At a study session on October 11, 2016 the Planning Commission reviewed the initial presentation of a return on investment (ROI) analysis by Fregonese and Associates to examine the market feasibility of different types of development within an area referred to as the “Transit Triangle”. The transit triangle area is the area bounded by Ashland St. along the north edge, Siskiyou Blvd. on the southwest side and Tolman Creek Rd. on the eastern edge. The Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD) Route 10 provides bus service on Ashland St., Tolman Creek Rd. and Siskiyou Blvd. BACKGROUND This initial phase of the long range planning project is intended to provide a basis of information for the Planning Commission and City Council to determine if land use ordinance amendments within the Transit Triangle would encourage a greater concentration of residential and commercial land uses, increase transportation choices, and promote sustainable planning initiatives. At this time no land use changes, or development proposals, are under consideration. Should the City Council elect to proceed with this project, the second phase of the Transit Triangle project would further evaluate specific land use strategies intended to support the following community objectives: Construction of moderately prices rental and for purchase housing Provide a better environment for local business development and expansion Increase ridership of public transit Create a walkable, pedestrian-friendly setting within close proximity to existing residential neighborhoods. Ensure the efficient use of land within the Urban Growth Boundary. As presented to the Planning Commission on October 11, 2016 the guiding principles for the Transit Triangle Project are as follows: Update infill strategy along major transportation corridors to promote housing and business development, as well as alternative transportation choices (Council Goal 13.2). Conduct a Return on Investment (ROI) analysis on sample properties to examine the market feasibility of mixed use development within the project area. Consider changes to the land use ordinance that may be inhibiting redevelopment or new construction (Economic Development Strategy 7.3). Consider additions to the Site Design Standards and other land use ordinances to ensure that higher density buildings are compatible with their settings. Promote a development pattern that results in a balanced, multi-modal transportation system and that enhances opportunities for walking, bicycling or using transit in areas planned for transit service. Promote infill development along transit corridors to provide alternatives to, or delays the need for, expansion of the City UGB (RPS). Reduce emissions that contribute to climate change through changes to transportation or land use plans that reduce expected automobile vehicle miles traveled. Provide a strategy for implementation of project outcomes. The general objective of this project is to provide for housing for small households; provide high quality infill development; and meet regional plan commitment to accommodate future population growth within the City’s existing boundaries. The following objective was identified in Council’s most recent goal setting effort, “Ashland 2020,” that relates to the creation of vertical housing along transit corridors affordable to households earning a median income. Support and promote, through policy, programs that make the City affordable to live in. Pursue affordable housing opportunities, especially workforce housing. Identify specific incentives for developers to build more affordable housing. (high priority for 2015-2017) The City adopted a new chapter in the Ashland Comprehensive Plan in 2012 to incorporate the applicable portions of the adopted the Greater Bear Creek Valley Regional Plan. As a part of the regional planning process, six of the seven communities identified areas outside their respective urban growth boundaries (UGB) for future growth. However, the City of Ashland did not identify UGB expansion areas and committed to evaluating innovative land use strategies to accommodate future residential and employment growth within the City’s existing boundaries. The Ashland Comprehensive Plan includes the following performance indicators in the Regional Plan Element. Reach density of 6.6 dwelling units per acre for land in the UGB that is annexed or offset by increasing the residential density in the city limits. Achieve targets for dwelling units and employment in mixed-use/pedestrian-friendly areas. Participate in a regional housing strategy that strongly encourages a range of housing types. Other related goals and policies in the Ashland Comprehensive Plan include the following. Ensure a variety of dwelling types and provide housing opportunities for the total cross-section of Ashland’s population, consistent with preserving the character and appearance of the city. (Housing Element) Maintain and improve Ashland’s compact urban form to allow maximum pedestrian and bicycle travel. (Transportation Element) Successful implementation of infill strategies developed as part of this project would result in the construction of several hundred moderately priced housing units; additional businesses offering goods and services for Ashland residents; increases in local employment opportunities; increased utilization of transit; and enhancements to the character of the area through creation of vibrant walkable areas and more efficient development patterns. ATTACHMENTS Ashland Scenarios Memo from Fregonese & Associates dated 11/15/ 206. DATENovember15,2016 TOBillMolnar,PlanningDirector MariaHarris,BrandonGoldman FROMJohnFregonese,FregoneseAssociates,Inc. RETransitTriangleΑPrototype&ScenarioReview DearBill,MariaandBrandon: WehavebeenworkingondevelopingscenariosfortheTransitTrianglearea,and fortheNovember22meeting. consolidatingourrecommendationsinpreparation nd BasedonthediscussionwiththePlanningCommission,wedecidedtolookattheeffect buildingheight and numberofstories hason density and cost.Wealsolookedatthe effectofa ЊЉ͸stepback onthe thirdandhigherfloors. 1896AshlandStreetacurrentlyunderdevelopedpropertyatthecorner ofParkStreetandAshlandStreet CurrentZoningintheR2MultifamilyZone: 13.5duperacre ЌЎ͸maximumheight(2.5stories) Existingparkingrequirementsformultifamilydevelopmentsare: Studio units or 1-bedroom units less than 500 sq. ft. – 1 space/unit. o 1-bedroom units 500 sq. ft. or larger -- 1.50 spaces/unit. o 2-bedroom units -- 1.75 spaces/unit. o 3-bedroom or greater units -- 2.00 spaces/unit. o 35%landscapingisrequired R2currentlyhasaverylowmaximumdensityallowance.Aswehavesaid,densityis relatedtoaffordability.Sincelandcostisafixedcost,theonlywaytoaffordtheland andconstructioncostinalowdensityzoneistopricethehousingunitsatahighprice point.TheR2zonehasamaximumdensityof13.5unitsperacre.Adensitylimitthis lowresultsinoneoftwooutcomes.Eitherinvestmentisnotfinanciallyfeasibleandnew constructiondoesnothappen,ortheresultingunitsareverylargeandhaveahighprice tag.TheR2residentialzonealsohasveryhighlandscapingrequirements,whichcan 1525 SW Park Avenue, Suite 200 Portland, OR 97201 503-228-3054 Fax 503-525-0478 furtherrestrictfinancialviabilityofnewconstruction.TheR2zonerequires35% landscaping,respectively,however,15%wouldbemoreviableurbanstandards. TheR2allowsonly2.5stories,whichisthesameastheSingleFamilyR15zone.As costeffective. discussedabove,3storyconstructioncanbemore PrototypeSummary: Wecreatedandmodeledamixedusebuildingprototypeforacurrentlyunder developedpropertyatthecornerofParkStreetandAshlandStreet.Thisstudyreveals whataspecificprojectwouldlooklikeonarealsite. Height ΑThebuildingrepresentsaͻƩĻğƌͼͲmodern3storybuilding,whichwould permituptoaЍЎ͸heightforabuildingwith3floors.Thisisbecausethefirst floorinmodernmixedusebuildingsisoftenveryhigh:14to16feet.Theroof alsocanhaveaparapet,whichallowstherooftobeusedforoutdoorfacilities, suchasabarbequefacilityorevenasmallpool. Landscaping Α15%landscaping Unitlimit ΑNounitlimit(determinedbyFARratherthanunitcount) Parking ΑOneparkingspaceperunit;Noparkingrequiredfortheonsiteretail upto2,000squarefeet. Unitsize ΑThebuildinghas650to700squarefootapartmentunitsandasmall amountofretailontheAshlandStreetfrontage. Weexperimentedwith3,4and5stories.Thefollowingaretheresultsfortheheight experimentastheypertainto dwellingunitsperacre and averagerents: DwellingUnitsperAcre StoriesStepbackNoStepback 344.5Du/acre48.7 451.155 556.260 AverageRent StoriesStepbackNoStepback 3$1,295$1,295 4$1,282$1,282 5$1,270$1,270 2 Asyoucanseetheheightincreasecanadd35%tothenumberofunitsperacre.The effectonpriceisnotverydramatic.Thereisnochangebetweenthestepbackdesign andthestandarddesigninrent.However,wehavebeeninformedthatthestepback willbemoreexpensiveandcomplextoconstructbecauseofloadbearingissues.This additionalcostisnotreflectedinourmodel. Wealsoconductedmassingandphotomorphstudieslookingathowthiswouldappear atthesiteonAshlandStreet. SitePlan 3 Thefollowingtwoimagesshowthemassingstudywitha3storystepback,anda4story stepback. 3StoryMUwithЊЉ͸stepback 4StoryMUwithЊЉ͸stepback 4 Finally,wehavephotomorphsofthesitewitha3storystepback,afull3story(no stebpack),andafull4storybuilding 1896AshlandStreetSiteΑToday 3storywithstepback 5 Full3story(nostepback) Full4story(nostepback) Webelievethatthisprovidesagoodrangeofoptionsfortheprototypetomove forwardwith.Basedonourpreliminarystudies,weareleaningtoward recommending the3storystepback,asitappearstoyieldafairnumberofrelativelymoderatelypriced newunitsavailabletomediumincomehouseholds.However,wewillwantto investigatethecostissue.Thesecondchoicewouldbethefull3story,whichmaybe lessexpensivetoconstructandwillyield10%moreunits,allotherthingsbeingequal. 6 TransitTriangleScenario Wealsoranascenariousingthe3storystepbackunitbasedon vacantand redevelopableparcels withintheTransitTrianglestudyareathatwere zonedC1,R2 andR3.Itachievedthefollowingresults: DevelopmentCharacteristicsScenarioResults Newdwellingunits876 Newpeoplehoused1,072 Newjobs79 Ifwewenttothefull3storydesignthesenumberswouldincreasebyapproximately 10%. NextSteps 1.ItwouldbehelpfultoseehowourscenariorelatestotheRVCOGforecastand trafficmodeling.WehavetheTAZdataandareconsideringthenumberofunits thatareexpectedinthisarea. 2.WearepreparinganothervisualizationonAshlandStreetaswell. 3.WelookforwardtofurtherdiscussionbeforethePlanningCommission. 7