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PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT Regular Agenda – Public Hearing Item: |
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Staff Report 08/27/08 |
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ITEM NO. 9: SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR LAWRENCE HIGH SCHOOL FOR TRACK AND FIELD EXPANSIONS (PGP)
SUP-07-04-08: Special Use Permit and Institutional Development Plan for the construction of Athletic Fields (concessions, bleachers, lights, public address system, restrooms and parking facilities) located at 1900 Louisiana Street. Submitted by Landplan Engineering for Unified School District 497, property owner of record.
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STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Planning Staff recommends approval of SUP-07-04-08, a Special Use Permit for the expansion of athletic fields and associated parking lot improvements, based upon the findings presented in the body of the staff report and pending additional information being provided to the Planning Commission at the meeting as discussed in the conclusion of this report.
If PC recommendation is for approval, Staff recommends the action be subject to the following conditions:
1. Execution of a Site Plan Performance Agreement. 2. Publication of an ordinance per Section 20-1306 (j). 3. Per Section 20-1307(e), recording of the Institutional Development Plan (Site Plan) at the Register of Deeds Office. 4. Prior to building permits being issued for any of the athletic field light poles, the applicant shall either revise the site plan to show conformance with the 60’ height limit of such poles, gain approval of a variance to exceed the 60’ height limit, or gain approval of a text amendment that provides for heights greater than 60’. 5. Provision of notice to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks regarding the relocation of the tennis courts (due to original funding agreements). 6. Revision of the site plan to provide the following: a. Provision of a continuous, double row of columnar trees, along the entire length of the west and south property lines to provide buffering from the football field, softball field and new parking lot. b. Reconstruction of sidewalks along the Louisiana Street and 21st Street frontage to meet current 6’ and 5’ width standards. c. Provision of additional details related to bleacher height, light pole heights, and hours of operation for field lights. d. Provision of corrected parking summary regarding required and provided parking based on multiple uses on site per Development Code requirements. e. Expansion of parking summary to identify number of existing spaces, net proposed spaces and total spaces ultimately to be developed. f. Correction of Building Use summary to indicate number of students based on 08/2008 District Preliminary Enrollment Report. g. Provision of additional dimensions and corrections to cross sections to accurately reflect proposed improvements and existing structures. h. Notation that litter will be monitored and picked up on a regular basis. i. Notation that no gate is proposed along the western perimeter fence. j. Notation regarding the height of screen fencing that will be provided at softball backstop and soccer fields to minimize ‘fly balls’ potential. k. Specific location of concession/restrooms at football field prior to release of plan for permits (under bleachers or stand-alone buildings, not both). l. Provision of additional information required by Stormwater Engineer for final approval of stormwater drainage improvements including: i) Grading scale at larger scale for review of existing and proposed contours. ii) Specify that all curb inlets will be constructed per City storm sewer standard details. iii) Submittal and approval of a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWP3) prior to release of building permits. 7. Approval of a photometric plan (submitted 08/21/08). 8. Provision of manufacturer specs for bleachers (with specific size and height info). 9. Approval of a revised traffic impact study and inclusion of any recommended improvements (if determined necessary following staff review). 10. Approval of a revised downstream sanitary sewer study and inclusion of any recommended improvements (if determined necessary following staff review).
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Applicant’s Reason for Request: |
“To enhance and expand the extra curricular activities provided on site for the school, school district and surrounding community.” |
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KEY POINTS · Property is one of the two existing public high school sites in Lawrence. · Development Code requires an Institutional Development Plan/Special Use Permit approval for the proposed improvements to the high school property.
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FACTORS TO CONSIDER · Procedural requirements of Section 20-1306; Special Use Permits · Procedural requirements of Section 20-1307; Institutional Development Plan.
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ASSOCIATED CASES/OTHER ACTION REQUIRED · Prior Site Plans · Publication of an ordinance per Section 20-1306 (j).
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PUBLIC COMMENT RECEIVED PRIOR TO PRINTING Communications from the surrounding residents can be found in the communication attachments.
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Background:
The existing football field and track were constructed as accessory uses to the existing High School Use prior to the Development Code (which went into effect on July 1, 2006). Additional uses or intensification of the property (noise, traffic, outdoor field lighting or increased stormwater runoff) are now subject to an Institutional Development Plan/Special Use Permit.
The existing Lawrence High School site includes the Lawrence High School, football field, softball field, track and tennis courts. The city operates and maintains an indoor swimming pool and outdoor tennis courts on the school property. The existing tennis courts, which are in need of significant maintenance, are proposed to be relocated to the Virtual School site [SUP-07-06-08, Item No. 10 on this agenda] to provide additional parking on the LHS site.
Most of the existing Lawrence High School improvements predate the period when public schools were required to site plan. Lawrence High School Site Plan approvals for this property include: 2006 [SP-1-90-05] - 5,343 SF Science addition, 7,563 SF gymnasium expansion, 40’ x 80’ storage building, and on-site relocation of 31’ x 48’ green house; 2005 [SP-05-38-05] HVAC improvements; 2000 [SP-12-01-00] greenhouse; and 1993 [SP-12-64-93] parking lot reconfiguration. In July 2008, SP-06-43-08 was administratively approved to permit the relocation of the football field/track and the installation of an artificial turf surface for the football playing field. Staff is currently processing a site plan that would permit the installation of artificial turf surfaces for softball and soccer practice fields. Some of the elements that are shown as ‘existing conditions’ on the SUP plan take into account that staff will soon be approving this site plan.
Lawrence High School is located in the environs of the Dudley Wiggins Residence (840 W. 21st Street), which is on the Kansas Register of Historic Places, and the Double Hyperbolic Parabaloid House (934 W. 21st Street), which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The proposed request is also being considered by the Historic Resources Commission on August 21, 2008 [DR-07-77-08].
Summary of Project/Process/Identified Issues:
The school district is currently in the process of improving parts of the high school property to provide practice facilities on-site for football, softball and soccer teams. The subject request is to make improvements to support athletic competitions on site with the installation of bleachers, restrooms, concession buildings at the football, softball and soccer fields. Improvements also include installation of new field lighting at each of these fields as well as a public address system to be used at the football field. These improvements are proposed to address facility equity issues and to provide on-site practice and competition facilities so that students do not need to travel off-site to participate in these activities.
In conjunction with these improvements, existing parking lots on the south side of the site which contain approximately 148 spaces will be reconstructed and additional parking will be constructed to provide a total of 470 spaces in the lots accessed from W. 21st Street. This improvement will provide an additional 322 spaces on the high school property that will be available for use on a daily basis to serve staff and students, as well as supporting the athletic competitions scheduled in the afternoons and/or evenings.
This proposal to develop Active Recreation uses on this site has the potential to substantially change activity levels on this property and constitutes a significant change that triggered the requirement to submit an Institutional Development Plan (IDP) for the property. Because the site is more than 10 acres in size, the IDP is also required to be reviewed as a Special Use Permit (SUP) with public hearing and review by the Planning Commission and City Commission.
Section 20-1307(a) states the Purpose for the Institutional Development Plan:
The purpose is to provide a community vision for the long-term use and development of public institutional space and lands so that they are designed to be compatible with surrounding land uses and contribute to the neighborhood and character of the area in which they are located. Providing this community vision for institutional Buildings and sites also allows adjacent and nearby property Owner to anticipate future non-residential development patterns and plan for the use and enjoyment of their property accordingly.
This section sets out standards in which to review these types of properties. In staff’s opinion, the standards were written with an expectation that property would be undeveloped and master planned with initial improvements. Many of the developed school sites present challenges in that mature neighborhoods have developed around the properties. Compliance with adopted standards needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in an effort to achieve a reasonable balance between the school district’s needs and the surrounding property owner’s concerns. Development should be tailored to best achieve the district’s goals while minimizing or mitigating impacts to the surrounding community.
The development of competition athletic facilities does not occur on a routine basis in the community. Therefore, the type of information needed to review a proposal is different than typical planning proposals. Staff has worked diligently with the applicant to identify the additional information that is needed to thoroughly evaluate the potential impacts related to the proposed changes. In staff’s opinion, additional review is necessary regarding potential traffic impacts and adequacy of parking to support large-scale competition events. Additional review process/approvals will be necessary to permit the proposed field lights which will range from 65’ – 90’ in height. Additional information is also needed regarding the potential noise impacts from the proposed public address system.
Review and Decision-Making Criteria (20-1306(i))
1. WHETHER THE PROPOSED USE COMPLIES WITH ALL APPLICABLE PROVISIONS OF THIS DEVELOPMENT CODE
Applicant’s Response – “The proposed development is for sports fields and accessory facilities for use by the school and local community, under GPI the only use requiring Special Use approval is entertainment sports (i.e. professional major and minor league sports) as such the use falls within the scope of permitted uses.”
The proposed use of the property for school facilities and accessory athletic fields, including spectator facilities, is permitted in the GPI District. Staff has determined that the intensification of use to support competition events is substantial and triggers the requirement for an Institutional Development Plan and therefore, approval through the Special Use Permit process. Section 20-1307(c)(2) identifies the criteria for the Institutional Development Plan:
(i) Bufferyards – applicant has proposed alternative compliance; staff has suggested revisions to include continuous double rows along entire west and south sides adjacent to residential properties.
(ii) Access – site is bordered by 19th Street and Louisiana Street which are both designated minor arterials.
(iii) Sidewalks – applicant proposes to repair existing as necessary. Code requires sidewalks to be provided along all street frontages as part of first phase or at time of development. Sidewalks along W. 19th Street and a portion of Louisiana Street were recently upgraded with the recent street improvement project. Existing sidewalks along the majority of Louisiana and W. 21st Street do not meet current code width of 6’ and 5’ respectively. These upgrades would be included as a condition of approval. The proposed improvements do provide significant sidewalk connection within the site and the various activity areas.
(iv) Bicycle lanes or recreational paths - specific bicycle system improvements are not proposed with this project. As noted above, the project includes significant internal sidewalk improvements.
(v) Location furthest from RS zoned areas to reduce noise and light impacts – the entire high school site is surrounded by RS zoned property. As noted earlier, review of the IDP criteria will require balancing interests when evaluating infill projects in developed neighborhoods. The football bleachers are located 58’ from the west property line, a double row of columnar trees will be planted to minimize visual and noise impacts, and concession/restroom entrances are oriented to be furthest from the adjacent residential properties. In staff’s opinion, an alternative would be to eliminate concession/restrooms from the west side of the field to further limit the noise associated with this congregating activity. Staff has also requested additional information regarding number/frequency of events that will draw significant crowd sizes and decibel levels anticipated by the sound system.
(vi) Exterior lighting – this section of the code indicates lights should not be operated between 10PM and 7AM, however Section 20-1103 establishes ‘special standards for outdoor recreational uses’ and permits lighting of recreational areas until 11:30PM. In staff’s opinion, the applicant needs to propose ‘hours of operation’ for the competition fields that identifies a limited number of events that will include later than 10PM hours.
(vii) Parking facilities shall be designed to be shared between multiple users – the additional parking provided will serve the athletic events and provide more on-site student parking for everyday school use. The applicant has been requested to provide historical attendance numbers for athletic events so that staff may better evaluate the potential impacts of these events.
(viii) Bus stops shall be included in the planning and development of the site – the recently completed 19th Street improvements included a dedicated bus pull-off lane on Louisiana Street; no additional improvements are proposed.
Staff Finding – In staff’s opinion, additional information is necessary to fully evaluate the traffic, parking, lighting and noise impacts associated with the proposed improvements. Revisions to the submitted plan would be needed to address items that staff has identified as deficient.
2. WHETHER THE PROPOSED USE IS COMPATIBLE WITH ADJACENT USES IN TERMS OF SCALE, SITE DESIGN, AND OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS, INCLUDING HOURS OF OPERATION, TRAFFIC GENERATION, LIGHTING, NOISE, ODOR, DUST AND OTHER EXTERNAL IMPACTS
Applicant’s Response – “For the facilities proposed most use will be confined to early afternoon and limited night time use, as well as daytime weekend use limiting disruption of the surrounding residential areas.”
The development of a competition facility on-site will increase the activity level on the high school property. With the new practice facilities, more students will remain on campus after school and with the competition fields, more students and spectators will be on the school property in the afternoons, evenings and potentially weekends for a variety of events.
The SUP/IDP submission included stormwater drainage, traffic impact, and downstream sanitary sewer studies. The drainage study has been approved with conditions that are reflected in the recommended conditions of approval from the City’s Stormwater Engineer. The traffic impact and sanitary sewer studies are currently under review by city staff. Approval of the SUP/IDP will need to be contingent on ultimate approval of those reports and inclusion of any recommended improvements.
The applicant has provided basic information regarding the types of light fixtures that will be installed. The fixtures include a component that redirects light onto the playing fields to minimize off-site glare and night sky concerns. The submitted information does not yet identify fixture wattage. A photometric plan, indicating expected light levels, has not yet been submitted. The applicant has indicated that the light poles will range from 65’ – 90’ in height dependant upon the type of sport the field is used for. Staff has noted that the Development Code limits the maximum height of outdoor recreation lights to 60’. The applicant has been advised that a request for a variance from this height limit would need to be granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals prior to installation. These components are reflected in the recommended conditions.
The applicant has provided basic information regarding the sound system to be installed for the football field. The information does not identify potential decibel levels. The district’s narrative indicates the system would primarily be used for soccer and football (and may be a portable, rather than fixed system). Additional detail is necessary to adequately assess impact to surrounding properties and to clearly articulate frequency and hours that such a system is anticipated to be used.
The most significant impact to surrounding neighbors will be from the installation of permanent spectator seating on the west side of the football field and at the new softball field, where individual homes directly abut the school district property. Impacts potentially include light trespass, noise and litter, as well as the visual change resulting from the approximately 25’ – 35’ high football bleachers/press box and 12’ - 15’ high softball bleachers that will be installed near existing rear yards. The football bleachers will be 58’ east of the rear lot lines for the homes along the 1900 block of Alabama Street. The softball bleachers will be 44’ east of the rear lot lines for the homes along the 2000 block of Alabama Street and 45’ north of the rear lot lines of the homes in the 800 block of W. 21st Street.
The existing homes in the 1900 block of Alabama (directly west of the football field) are located on lots that are only 85’ deep and placement of these homes varies from 15’ to 40’ from their rear property lines. The homes in the north half of the 2000 block of Alabama are adjacent to the softball field. The existing homes in the 800 block of W. 21st Street are adjacent to the softball field and the new parking lot to be constructed where the existing tennis courts are currently located. The backs of these homes range from approximately 15’ to 55’ from their respective rear property lines. As noted earlier in this report, the applicant has revised plans to provide a double row of trees along portions of the perimeter property lines to mitigate potential noise and light impacts. In staff’s opinion, the double row of trees needs to be a continuous landscape feature that provides buffer along the entire west and south sides of the high school property and the adjacent residential properties, including screening along the west side of the proposed parking lot.
Staff Finding – In staff’s opinion, the district should be afforded the opportunity to establish typical amenities associated with a high school, including competition athletic fields. As discussed, the degree of compatibility with the neighborhood needs to be clarified with regard to the hours of operation, traffic generation, lighting, and noise. The recommended conditions can mitigate certain impacts and incompatibilities with the adjacent uses.
This request comes with certain tradeoffs. For example, the proposed improvements will address recognized storm water issues and daily parking issues associated with the school operations, but will create other impacts such as lighting, activity and different parking issues that will be arguably to a lesser degree than what exists currently.
3. WHETHER THE PROPOSED USE WILL CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL DIMINUTION IN VALUE OF OTHER PROPERTY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN WHICH IT IS TO BE LOCATED
Applicant’s Response – “Development of the proposed facilities should increase local property values as the facilities provided will provide enhanced recreational and sports and venues to the local community.”
Staff Finding – The subject property is an existing high school facility surrounded by single-family owner occupied and leased structures. No information has been submitted to determine if there will be any affect, positive or negative, to the other property in the neighborhood by constructing the proposed improvements.
4. WHETHER PUBLIC SAFETY, TRANSPORTATION AND UTLITY FACILITES AND SERVICES WILL BE AVAILABLE TO SERVE THE SUBJECT PROPERTY WHILE MAINTAINING SUFFICIENT LEVELS OF SERVICE FOR EXISTING DEVELOPMENT
Applicant’s Response – “No, the proposed fields will be constructed with a synthetic turf that will reduce storm runoff from the site and provide additional detention as well. The locations proposed for the expansions are large open grass areas that serve as activity fields presently for the school.”
Staff Finding – Public safety at events will be served by the city’s existing public safety agencies and transportation networks are in place to serve the use, though staff is still discussing the traffic impact study with the applicant’s consultant to verify assumptions and conclusions. Staff is also still reviewing the downstream sanitary sewer studies to determine if any improvements will need to be made to those services. No changes to the urban services are proposed for the new use.
5. WHETHER ADEQUATE ASSURANCES OF CONTINUING MAINTENANCE HAVE BEEN PROVIDED
Applicant’s Response –
Staff Finding –The site plan will function as the enforcement document to assure that maintenance and use of the property is consistent with the approval.
6. WHETHER THE USE WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Applicant’s Response –
Staff Finding – The subject property is located within a developed urban neighborhood. The improvements also include regrading of portions of the western and southern areas of the site and installation of new storm pipe to detain and collect runoff. The new storm pipe will tie into the existing public system along W. 21st Street and has been reviewed and approved by the City Stormwater Engineer. The installation will improve a known drainage problem in the area and will result in a positive change as a result of the proposed project.
7. WHETHER IT IS APPROPPRIATE TO PLACE A TIME LIMIT ON THE PERIOD OF TIME THE PROPOSED USE IS TO BE ALLOWED BY SPECIAL USE PEMRIT AND, IF SO WHAT THAT TIME PERIOD SHOULD BE.
Applicant’s Response –
Staff Finding – Staff does not believe it is appropriate to place a time limit on the use.
CONCLUSION: Staff generally supports the proposal, but would like the district to be prepared at the meeting to provide additional information and confirm assumptions staff has made regarding the following issues so that the Planning Commission and public have adequate information by which to base their decisions.