Planning Commission Minutes 2015 03 12

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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes March 12, 2015 Page 19 of 23 Street which is important for the property. DELO Plaza would not be developing without DELO. Regarding King Soopers and Hobby Lobby, there is zero walkability. This project will be an auto -oriented development and it is adjacent to a pedestrian -friendly project. The over parking will benefit Miner's Field in a significant capacity. Public Comment: Sherry Sommer, 910 South Palisade Court, Louisville, CO 80027 It appears to her that the City wants parking from this project, yet who gets the parking develops "organically" with no rules. If more residential is built, then parking will be claimed by them. Parking is valuable. She says she is not thrilled by the development with another restaurant and a big expanse of parking. Is it pedestrian friendly because it has sidewalks across it? Why walk across a parking lot? Why use the McCaslin example, which she thinks is ugly, and say "this is how it could be?" The extra landscaping could be made into a sitting area and a feeling of nature. She feels there is loss of potential for something better. The Cultural Council is looking for more art in Louisville. Why just restaurants? She does not like the signage. Louisville is a conversational place. Big signs are like a huge scream (come to our place) and a big brassy shout -out. John Leary, 1116 Lafarge Avenue, Louisville, CO 80027 He feels this is a situation where the "chickens have come home to roost". Development of this area was pushed on an ideological basis with mixed use. Never did the market research support the concept of mixed use. This will be a car -oriented development. It is important to make it look as good as possible, but there are certain realities. Ideology can make you feel good for a time, but this whole area was characterized from Day One. He feels the agreement that City Council signed with the landowner makes a mockery of this quasi-judicial process. The Council chose to do it. He feels the PC is in a bad position. Randy Caranci, 441 Elk Trail, Lafayette, CO 80027 He is not opposed to seeing commercial development in this area. He has expressed his issues with Justin McClure and other people at different meetings. He agrees with Commissioner Brauneis. He feels there are two front doors to this development, Highway 42 and the South Street Gateway. The backside of the buildings will not sit well. The redesign of Highway 42 was presented at an LRC meeting and he did not agree with it at the time. After studying it, he now agrees with it. The difference is that it is not funded and there is no projection date on the funding. There will still be 45 mph traffic instead of 35 mph. The street landscaping will not be there. The design of the buildings themselves is cookie -cutter (they look like Aurora). He is a long-time resident. This design is a strip mall. It is a gateway to the east side of Louisville and is is not inviting. He is confused with square footage for commercial. One stated 13,000 sf and another of 31,000 sf in an LRC meeting, and 23,000 sf presented tonight. He feels a level of disappointment from the Commissioners. It appears tied to getting Cannon Street through by DELO Phase 1, not DELO Phase 2. He wants to see the area redeveloped, but wants it to be a higher standard than seen right now. Summary and request by Staff and Applicant: Regarding landscaping standards, Russ says that the most successful shopping center on McCaslin has 40 feet of landscaping between the sidewalk and the parking. Staff is requesting 30 feet in this plan. Regarding sign standards, Russ says the McCaslin shopping center complies with the CDDSG sign guidelines. This project is requesting a sign 8 feet taller. Staff agrees with the signage for Chipotle and Bean and Berry. They do not meet the standards. The PUD restricts those properties from meeting the City standards.