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HomeMy WebLinkAbout002 Project Narrative and Concept Comment Response Letter 1091 Stoneridge Drive • Bozeman, Montana • Phone (406) 587-1115 • Fax (406) 587-9768 www.chengineers.com • E-Mail: info@chengineers.com June 16, 2021 City of Bozeman Department of Community Development 20 East Olive Street Bozeman, MT 59715 RE: Project Narrative and Concept Comment Response Letter – Site Plan for the 777 Boardwalk Building, Lot 1, Block 2 Ferguson Farm Subdivision; Bozeman, MT Dear Ms. Lyon, The proposed 777 Boardwalk Building is an approximately 39,712 square foot, 37’- 6” three-story commercial building located on Lot 1, Block 2 of Ferguson Farm Subdivision (B-2 zoning). The project includes a small amount of additional asphalt paving and curbing for 23 new parking spaces contiguous to the existing parking lot. Please see the civil site plan (Sheet C2.0) for information on the location of the proposed building, parking, and utilities. The timeframe of the project is anticipated for construction to start in 2022. For the required parking stall calculation, we propose to use the following categories from Bozeman Muni Code Table 38.540.050-3 • Warehousing, storage or handling of bulk goods (1 space per 1,000 sf) for the 3,500 sf receiving warehouse on the first floor. • Retail store and service establishments (1 space per 300 sf) for the 6,709 sf Bam Wellness store and 5,887 sf Tenant A on the first floor. • Office (1 space per 250 sf) for the 12,873 sf of proposed office space on the second floor and 13,978 sf on the third floor. Table 1 Required parking summary table There is a separate Modification to Approved Plan application being submitted concurrently (or shortly after) this Site Plan application to modify the existing Master Site Plan for Ferguson Farm Subdivision. In said Modification application there is more information regarding the updated joint use parking mechanism and how the 777 Boardwalk project works with the rest of the subdivision’s existing shared use parking agreement. A departure from the 12-foot-wide sidewalk requirement (BMC 38.520.040.b) is being requested with this application. The departure narrative is included in the response to comment #8 under the “Planning Division” section of the following response narrative. Planning Division, Nakeisha Lyon, nlyon@bozeman.net, (406) 582-2963 1. BMC 38.220.080. Site plan submittal requirements. a. The application must meet the SP form requirements and Sec. 38.220.080 of the BMC. • This is understood. 2. BMC 38.230.040. DRB review thresholds. a. Per this section of the BMC, based on the proposed 30,000 square footage or more of office space and retail commercial space, review by the Design Review Board or Administrative Design Review Board. • This is understood. 3. BMC 38.230.150. Amendments to plans. a. Based on the proposed changes regarding the parking plan/tracking mechanism, and the proposed building uses, a modification to the master site plan is required. This modification application must be approved prior to the approval of any site plan related to this proposed development. • A modification to the approved Master Site Plan is being submitted concurrently (or shortly after) this site plan application. 4. BMC 38.270. Improvements and securities. a. If any necessary on-site and/or off-site improvements are required that the applicant would like to construct during vertical construction, please provide a formal request for concurrent construction in conformance with this section of the BMC. • There are no public improvements associated with this project. 5. BMC 38.320. Form and intensity standards. a. Please provide the lot coverage calculations. b. Please clearly demonstrate conformance with setback requirements. • See Civil Sheet C1.0 for the lot coverage calculations. See Civil Sheet C2.0 for dimensioned site plan which shows the block frontages of Valley Commons and Boardwalk as “Storefront”. The minimum proposed sidewalk width (measured from back of existing curb to building face) along those two frontages is 24 feet, which is in excess of the minimum 12-foot sidewalk width for Storefront Block Frontage. 6. BMC 38.410.130. Water adequacy. a. Please provide cash-in-lieu of water rights calculations and payment amount certified by the City’s Engineering Division for any additional water rights that may be required based on the proposed expansion. • Griffin Nielsen was contacted on December 10, 2021 for a CILWR estimate. No response has been received as of this writing. It is understood that this payment must be made prior to final site plan approval. 7. BMC 38.510.030 Block Frontage Standards a. Please provide façade transparency calculations in conformance with Table 38.510.030.B. b. Please provide weather protection calculations in conformance with Table 38.510.030.B. • See architectural sheet A3.02. 8. BMC 38.520.040. Non-motorized circulation and design a. Crosswalks are required when a walkway crosses an on-site paved area accessible to vehicles. Crosswalks must contain contrasting material (such as concrete) and/or patterns (such as stamped asphalt), excluding painted surfaces. i. Please demonstrate conformance with this provision in reference to the pedestrian connections through internal drive aisles and parking areas as denoted within the approved Master Site Plan. b. Pathway design where multi-tenant commercial or mixed-use buildings 100 feet or more in length abut parking lots. Such pathways must feature a 12-foot wide sidewalk with: i. Eight feet minimum unobstructed width. ii. Trees, as approved by the review authority, placed at an average of 50 feet on-center and placed in grates or in planting strips as set forth in subsection C below. Departure: Breaks in the tree coverage will be allowed near major building entries to enhance visibility. iii. Planting strips may be used between any vehicle access or parking area and the pathway, provided that the trees required above are included and the pathway meets the applicable width standards herein, and the combined pathway and planting strip is at least 12 feet wide. 1. Please ensure conformance with this provision on the southern sidewalk. • The site plan has been updated to provide for concrete crosswalks that align with the entrances of the proposed building and an additional crosswalk to serve the proposed dumpster. Based on conversations with Nakeisha Lyon, it was decided that we would request a departure from this particular section of code requiring 12-foot sidewalk and tree grates every 50-feet where abutting the parking lot. The sidewalk on the south side of the building as proposed is only 10.1-feet-wide (excluding building façade articulation), not 12 feet. This is deviation request is likely to be supported because the rest of the sidewalks that abut parking facilities throughout the Ferguson Farm Master Site Plan are 10 feet wide. If this request is approved, our project will be in sync with the rest of the subdivision. Additionally, we request to have increased spacing between tree grates more than the typical 50-foot spacing. This is due to the client’s desire for enhanced building entrance visibility. See C2.0 for sidewalk width and tree grate spacing called out. See “004 Departure Exhibit Master Site Plan-with sidewalk dimension labels” for 10-foot sidewalk widths on other buildings within the subdivision called out. 9. BMC 38.520.070. Location and design of service areas and mechanical equipment. a. Ensure conformance with this section for the proposed trash enclosure, loading zone/area, and any other service areas and mechanical equipment, including roof top areas, by providing the necessary screening, details, and perspectives for these locations. i. Departures may be permitted per this section of the BMC. 1. If a departure is requested, it must be applied for consistent with Sec. 38.250.060. o A narrative must be provided stating which section of the BMC is proposed for departure, the scope and extent of the proposed departure and a response to the required departure criteria. o Please clearly show the proposed departure within the plan set or on a separate exhibit and ensure the narrative refers to the sheet number accordingly. o A separate request and fee is applicable to each departure. • Roof top mounted equipment screening is shown on sheet A4.01. Electric and gas meters are shown at the SW corner of the building. The project team has been in coordination with Northwestern Energy to provide a solution that works for them and the ownership group. It was decided to place the gas and electric meters on the west face of the building in the least visible location to the majority of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. By placing the utilities in this area versus the north east corner or east face, the owner will pay an additional tens of thousands of dollars in utility installation costs, but will be keeping the meters hidden from the vast majority of traffic to and around the building. The only people that will see the meters are the delivery personnel that use the unloading lane on the west side of the building. 10. BMC 38.530. Building Design. a. Please ensure all metal siding and panels is a minimum of 24 gauge thickness in addition to any other applicable provisions denoted in Sec. 38.530.060 for building material such as EIFS, if applicable. • See sheet A3.03. 11. BMC 38.540. Parking. a. Please utilize the retail store and service establishments parking stall minimums for the furniture store since it is not over 20,000 square feet. • We are now using retail category for parking calculations for Arhaus furniture store. See parking calcs on page 2 of this letter and update joint use parking mechanism with the Modification to Approved Master Site Plan application. b. Staff recommends utilizing the net parking calculation rather than traditional calculation (0.85) which would allow the parking spaces for the accessory warehouse/storage space and other areas to be reduced. i. If the applicant will be utilizing the alternative denoted gross floor area calculation (net), rather than the traditional calculation (0.85), such election must be made in writing to the Community Development Director, must be signed and acknowledged by the owner, and must be filed with the Community Development Director prior to the issuance of a building permit for such building. The owner is also responsible for certifying other information upon which parking requirements may be based, such as seats, and the number of employees on maximum working shift. ii. Please revise calculations accordingly. • Based on discussion with Nakeisha Lyon we chose to continue our use of the 0.85 times gross area because if we elect to the net calculation it results in a greater number of parking stalls required. c. In addition to the parking plan/tracking mechanism to be revised within the modification application, a joint use parking agreement is applicable in conformance with Sec. 38.540.060. Please ensure this legal parking agreement to be executed between all involved parties addresses the provisions within this section accordingly. • The joint use nature of the parking facilities within Ferguson Farm Subdivision has already been taken care of in the original covenants and on the original plat with a shared parking easement across all parking facilities. Therefore, no additional parking agreements are required or proposed. We have updated the parking mechanism within the Modification application to include an additional 10% parking reduction for proximity to future Streamline sheltered stop. With the update Master Site plan including the Town and Country grocery store and the BDC there is a new total of 705 parking spaces provided, with 990 required. Utilizing the original 20% reduction plus an additional 10% for proximity to Streamline sheltered stop, the reduced required spaces total is 693. d. Please provide bicycle parking calculations, locations, bicycle rack details, etc., based on the required parking spaces in accordance with Sec. 38.540.050. • Bike parking calculations are provided on sheet C1.0. Details are provided on sheet C2.0. Bike racks are provided along the north side of the raised sidewalk and are called out on sheet C2.0. 12. BMC 38.550. Landscaping. a. Please provide a detailed landscaping and irrigation plan in accordance with this section of the BMC and Division 38.220. i. Please ensure all landscape parking areas have a minimum width and/or length of eight feet. • A landscaping plan is provided with this application. 13. BMC 38.560. Signs. a. Please indicate any signage locations, if applicable, in accordance with this section of the BMC during the formal submittal. i. Please note a separate sign and building permit must be obtain prior to the construction, placement, erection or modification of any signage in conformance with this section of the BMC. • Signage calculations are shown on sheet A3.02. 14. BMC 38.570. Lighting. a. Please provide a detailed lighting plan, if applicable, in accordance with this section of the BMC during the formal submittal. iv. On-site lighting may be used to accent architectural elements but not to illuminate entire portions of buildings. Where accent lighting is used, the maximum illumination on any vertical surface or angular roof surface may not exceed 5.0 average maintained footcandles. Building façade and accent lighting will not be approved unless the light fixtures are carefully selected, located, aimed and shielded so that light is directed only onto the building façade and spillover light is eliminated. 1. Please ensure the proposed accent lightning meets these provisions. • See lighting plan sheet E3 for more information on vertical façade lighting. Engineering Division, Alicia Paz-Solis, apazsolis@bozeman.net, (406) 582-2976 General 1. BMC 38.220.080 - Site Plan must show proximity of all existing water and sewer mains with respective existing easements on-site and to a distance of 100 feet. a. The water main located on Boardwalk Ave is less than 100 feet from the subject property, and must be shown on the site plan. • See updated civil sheets. The water main in Boardwalk Avenue is now shown. Easements 1. BMC 38.410.060.B.2 - Front setback utility easements must be ten feet wide, and must always be provided unless written confirmation is submitted to the community development department from all utility companies providing service indicating that front setback easements are not needed. a. The applicant is proposing to abandon existing the existing front setback utility on the north side of the proposed building. Provide written confirmation from all utility companies providing service indicating the front setback easement is not necessary and the proposed easement is adequate. b. Provide Release and Reconveyance of an easement for the existing utility easement proposed to be abandoned. • See correspondence (included in the Documents folder of this application) with utility companies regarding abandoning the easement along the Valley Commons Drive frontage. It is understood that Release and Reconveyance paperwork for the existing easement and a new easement document for the proposed easement must be filed prior to final site plan approval. Stormwater 1. DSSP II.A.4 - The applicant must include a drainage plan with post-construction storm water management controls that are designed to infiltrate, evapotranspire, and/or capture for reuse the post-construction runoff generated from the first 0.5 inches of rainfall from a 24-hour storm preceded by 48 hours of no measurable precipitation. For projects that cannot meet 100% of the runoff reduction requirement, the remainder of the runoff from the first 0.5 inches of rainfall must be either: a. Treated onsite using post-construction storm water management control(s) expected to remove 80 percent total suspended solids (TSS); b. Managed offsite within the same sub-watershed using post-construction storm water management control(s) that are designed to infiltrate, evapotranspire, and/or capture for reuse; or c. Treated offsite within the same subwatershed using post-construction storm water management control(s) expected to remove 80 percent TSS. • See stormwater drainage report. 2. DSSP II.C - The applicant must provide on-site detention with release rates limited to predevelopment runoff rates. Retention ponds must be sized based on a 10-year, 2-hour storm intensity. • See stormwater drainage report. 3. It appears the applicant is proposing to utilize existing stormwater systems designed with the Ferguson Farms Subdivision drainage plan. The applicant must confirm the site drainage will not exceed the allocated amount within subdivision drainage plan. Any additional site drainage that is unaccounted for in the subdivision drainage plan must be treated for water quality and quantity. • The existing drywells that were supposed to serve the proposed building are being abandoned in place because the bottom 1 to 2 feet of the drywells are likely inundated with groundwater during peak groundwater season based on groundwater elevation data collected in November 2021 and extrapolated. See Sheets C3.0, C4.0 and C5.0 for more information. Instead, the roof drainage is being handled by a new underground stormwater system to be located under the new parking stalls. The remaining site improvements, sidewalks, unloading zone, etc. are draining via original drainage patterns to existing infrastructure within the subdivision. See updated Block 2 drainage report and 777 Boardwalk site plan drainage reports included in this submittal. 4. The applicant is proposing to modify the existing stormwater retention pond. The applicant must confirm the proposed modifications still meet the pond sizing requirements established with the Ferguson Farms Subdivision. • We are no longer proposing to modify the existing Block 2 retention pond. The dumpster has been moved to avoid the pond. See updated Block 2 stormwater report. Water and Wastewater 1. BMC 38.410.070 and DSSP Section V.A and V.B - Prior to a determination of adequacy the applicant must provide an estimate of the peak-hour sanitary sewer demand as well as the average and max day demands of domestic water usage for the proposed site development. The estimates must be certified by a professional engineer. a. The applicant must verify sewer and water allocations in the Ferguson Farms Subdivision sewer design report. • The original water and sewer design report (dated 07/03/2013) utilized 2000 gallons/acre/day for B-2 zoning to calculate the anticipated sanitary sewer flows. Lot 1, Block 2 is 64,624 sf (1.48 acres). Therefore, the original allocation for this lot is 2000 gallons/acre/day multiplied by 1.48 acres = 2967 gallons/day. The peaking factor from that report is calculated for the entire subdivision buildout is 3.88. Therefore, the allowable peak flow from Lot 1, Block 2 is 3.88 multiplied by 2967 gallons/day = 11512 gallons/day. See certified sewer calculation included in this submittal that shows the average daily flow produced by this project is 978 gallons/day with a peak flow rate of 3415 gallons/day. This analysis shows that the proposed 777 Boardwalk Project is well within the limits of the allowed wastewater flow for this lot. The original design report utilized the same 2000 gallons/acre/day figure plus 5% for water consumption to estimate the average daily usage of water for the subdivision. By adding 5% to the sewer flow above, it is calculated that the average daily allowable water consumption for this lot is 3115 gallons/day. The mechanical engineer will provide a certified calculation for average and maximum daily water consumption for the proposed 777 Boardwalk prior to the application’s adequacy determination. 2. DSSP Section V.A.6.f - All service connections shall be uniform size from the service line tap to the building structure or structures unless otherwise approved or required by the Water Superintendent. a. The applicant must confirm the existing water service stub sizes. • The existing domestic water service is 2 inches. The existing fire service is 4 inches. See snip from as-built drawings on the following page. 3. DSSP Fire Service Line Standard - The applicant must prepare plans and specifications for any fire service line in accordance with the City’s Fire Service Line Policy. The plans must be prepared by a Professional Engineer and be provided to and approved by the City Engineer prior to initiation of construction of the fire service or fire protection system. The applicant must also provide Professional Engineering services for construction inspection, post- construction certification and preparation of mylar record drawings. Fire service plans, and domestic services 4” or larger, must be a standalone submittal, separate from the site plan submittal. City of Bozeman applications for service must be completed by the applicant. • Fire service line plan drawings will be submitted for review at a later date. Transportation 1. BMC 38.400.090.C.3.b (1) - Commercial drive access widths must be no greater than 35 feet measured at the inside edge of the drive access extended, at its intersection with the projected curb line of the intersecting street. Two-way drive access must be a minimum of 24 feet and one-way drive access must be a minimum of 16 feet. a. The proposed truck loading / unloading zone must tapper back to the access lane prior to the ROW line. As proposed the access width is exceeded. • The drive access width is less than 35 feet as proposed. See email below from Alicia Paz-Solis. Solid Waste Division, Russ Ward, rward@bozeman.net, (406) 582-3235 1. Opening of refuse enclosure needs to be at street level with no curbs. • The dumpster has no curb line in front of it. We have revised the dumpster location from the original concept plan. See sheet C2.0. 2. Need detailed plan for refuse enclosure. • See architectural sheet T0.01. 3. Refuse enclosure will need to be covered. • See architectural sheet T0.01. Northwestern Energy, Thomas Stewart, thomas.stewart@northwestern.com, 406-223-0573 1. The NWE Project Engineer assigned to the proposed site plan is Jacob Farewell, Jacob.Farewell@contractor.northwestern.com. • This is understood. C&H has started coordination with Jacob. 2. There is an existing three phase electric junction can and a 2” gas main stub located at the northeast corner of the property. Electric primary and gas main could be extended from this location south along the west side of Boardwalk Ave to the proposed gas and electric meter location. The NWE project engineer will need to determine the best location for the extension of these utilities and placement of utilities and transformers. • See utility sheet C3.0. The plan is to abandon the 10’ easement along Valley Commons Drive because of the elevated sidewalk and ramp to be located within the easement that serves the north entrances of the building and provides for easy delivery of furniture to the tenant receiving warehouse from the unloading lane on the west side of the building. Dry utilities will be run from the corner of Valley Commons and Boardwalk south to the parking lot drive aisle and then west across the existing drive aisle and then north to the southwest corner of the building. This plan has been confirmed with Northwestern Energy to be an acceptable solution to abandoning the easement on the north property line. 3. Utility extension & utility easements. Any extension of gas main or electric primary will need to be installed within an easement. A minimum of a 10-foot easement is required. To establish the needed internal utility easement locations the NWE project engineer will help to establish these locations. If an easement shall need to cross property other than the applicants, negotiations and costs between other landowners for such easements is entirely the applicant’s responsibility. • See utility sheet C3.0. Ownership understands the additional costs associated with the dry utility layout as proposed and has accepted their responsibility in paying for the installation of power and gas through the existing asphalt drive aisle. The new easement that runs east to west across the existing drive aisle is located entirely on the subject property. There is no need for coordination with adjacent landowners to procure said easement. 4. Transformer location to a structure. If the buildings will be requiring 3 phase power a transformer pad site should be planned. Typical 3-phase pad is going to be a 7’x7’ pad. For oil filled transformers a 2-foot clearance is required to non-combustible walls and surfaces that do not have any openings such as doors, windows, air intake, and fire escapes routes and meets current NEC or NFPA requirements for non- combustible material. For transformers 750kVA & larger a 3-foot 6-inch clearance is required and 10-feet of clearance is required on the front side of the pad, where the transformer doors are located. For any combustible surface, not meeting current NEC or NFPA requirements for non-combustible material, a minimum of a 10-foot clearance is required between the building or any combustible surface and the transformer. As shown on the Overall Utility Plan, the transformer will meet or exceed the 10-ft requirement. All distances are referenced to the edge of the pad. For planting of bushes or shrubs a Minimum Working Space for a Pad-Mounted Transformer, is 4-feet on the sides and back portion of the concrete pad and 10-feet of clearance on the front side of the pad where the transformer doors are located. Note, all distances are referenced to the edge of the pad. Due to COVID-19 there has been an impact on receiving larger three phase and single phase transformers and a longer timeline may be needed to receive the needed equipment for such services. It is important to submit an application to NWE and provide the calculated loads as soon as possible to avoid any delays. The NWE project engineer will help to determine the appropriate location for the transformer. • See utility sheet C3.0. A three phase 7’x7’ transformer is shown at the southwest corner of the building. It is 11.6’ from the corner of the building. This has been coordinated with Northwestern Energy. 5. Service & Meter Location. The electric meter & or CT cabinet will need to be installed in the same general location within 10-feet of the gas meter. NorthWestern Energy reserves the right to specify the location of NWE meters. All meters are to be located outdoors on the corner or in a location on the building closest to the transformer or secondary junction can serving the building unit. Meter locations will need to be approved by NWE. NWE policy is to maintain a minimum 30-inches wide by 3-feet clear zone between the front of the meter and landscape screening or wall screening for self-contained meter bases and 48-inches for installations requiring cabinets. When using a screening wall most commercial applications require the 48-inch clear zone between the front of the meter and the wall. Location of the meter(s) shall allow easy access to the meters for operation and maintenance. This can be determined through the design process after an application is submitted through NWE and the area project engineer will work through allowable shrubs and plants for screening and to determine adequate clearances for access to our meters. • See utility sheet C3.0. The meters for gas and electric are shown at the SW corner of the building, close to the proposed transformer. 6. The following applies to the gas regulator. The gas regulator cannot be placed under a window or within 3’ of the operable portion of the window. It can be placed under a window/deck on the second story, provided the “open/operable” portion has at least 6’ of clearance from the regulator. Ensure that there is 10’ of separation from any mechanical air intake, including air conditioning units. The regulator will need to be 3’ from the closest corner of any portion of the electric meter base. Submitting an application to NWE will get the NWE engineer involved and can help with this process. • See perspective 7 on sheet A0.03 for a 3D rendering of the west face of the building showing the gas meter location. Also, see elevation 3 on sheet A3.01 for the west building face showing the meters. 7. Meter Screening Walls. a. Gas service cannot penetrate foundation walls that are attached to the building foundation per the International Fuel Code. Gas riser need to penetrate the building above ground. However, if the foundation is not attached to the building (i.e. the foundation wall is isolated from the building for just supporting the wall this is acceptable. b. If this is a free standing foundation wall, a knock-out must be provided that is a min of 2’x2’ but may be required that the knockout be larger on the electric service depending on the meter base amperage. Consult NWE for proper sizing of knock-out. c. Contact NWE for placement of knock-out to insure that it lines up properly with the termination location to prevent bends in the service. d. Screening must meet the clear zone requirement of NWE Electric Service Requirements which typically for commercial application is 48” from the face of the electric meter. e. Gas meter cannot be located in recessed location where it is not open atmosphere above the meter without approval from NWE. f. Screening cannot consist of rolling doors or other devices that are required to be open to access the meters. • See perspective 7 on sheet A0.03 for a 3D rendering of the west face of the building showing the gas meter location. Also, see elevation 3 on sheet A3.01 for the west building face showing the meters. 8. NWE will need to review building elevation plans for the proposed buildings for the meter locations as well as final grading plans for all utility installation locations. • See utility plan sheet C3.0 and grading plan sheet C4.0. 9. Landscaping Plan. Applicant needs to show a proposed landscaping plan for NWE review. NWE does not allow large, deep rooted trees within the 10-foot utility easement. All other approved landscaping will be placed so as not to damage, prevent or hinder operation and maintenance of NWE utilities. Landscaping around and in front of the meters has to meet NWE standards. See Service and Meter location comment. • See landscaping plan sheet L-1. 10. Submit an application online to have the NWE project engineer work with the applicant. Go to www.northwesternenergy.com/construction to apply online Montana Construction Application, and access Montana New Service Guide to provide information on electric and gas service requirements. Once an application is submitted the NWE project engineer will be in contact with the applicant. Electrical and gas loads will be required for the NWE engineer to size the services needed. • An application was submitted on November 18, 2021. Jacob Farwell is the NWE engineer assigned to this project. If you require any further information, please give Drew Kirsch a call at (406) 404-7520. Sincerely, Tim Staub, P.E. 1091 Stoneridge Drive • Bozeman, Montana • Phone (406) 587-1115 • Fax (406) 587-9768 www.chengineers.com • E-Mail: info@chengineers.com 1091 Stoneridge Drive • Bozeman, Montana • Phone (406) 587-1115 • Fax (406) 587-9768 www.chengineers.com • E-Mail: info@chengineers.com