TO: Chair and Planning Commission
FROM: Eva Cutro, Community Development Director
Paul Michaud, Senior Planner
DATE: June 21, 2016
CONTACT:
Staff Contact
Paul Michaud, 480-348-3574
End
AGENDA TITLE:
Title
Discussion of a proposed monument sign along McDonald Dr at Valley Presbyterian
Minor Special Use Permit Amendment (SUP 16-01)
6947 E McDonald Drive
Background
BACKGROUND
Request
Valley Presbyterian is requesting approval of a Minor Special Use Permit amendment application for a monument sign. This sign is proposed near the McDonald Drive driveway entrance of this church located at 6947 E McDonald Drive (Assessor Parcel 173-07-003). The subject proposed sign is located approximately 240 feet west of the intersection of McDonald Drive and Quail Run Road, with approximate dimensions of 5 feet and 8 inches in height including the base and 6 feet and 2 inches in length.
Proposed Stipulations
Any proposed stipulations can be discussed at the study session. Draft stipulations will be prepared in advance of the public hearing by the Planning Commission that is tentatively scheduled for July 19, 2016. The Planning Commission will need to take two motions, a motion to deem the application request is a minor amendment to the Special Use Permit and a motion to act on the application. The latter motion may be to approve, approve with stipulations, deny, or continue the application request.
Background
Valley Presbyterian was annexed into the Town when it incorporated in May 1961. The Town granted the original Special Use Permit to the church in 1975. The last major amendment to the Special Use Permit (SUP) for this church was approved by the Town in 1999. This was for a new day school, administration building and other related structures. Since 1999, the only other SUP approval included a managerial approval for a cross located in the memorial garden.
Body
DISCUSSION/FACTS
General Plan/Zoning
The subject property has a “Public/Quasi Public” General Plan designation and is zoned “Special Use Permit - Public/Quasi Public” for a religious facility.
Sign Criteria
Except for lighting of signs, there are no sign requirements for non-residential uses in the Town’s Zoning Ordinance. Instead, the Town has sign guidelines. For “Public/Quasi Public” uses, the guidelines for a monument sign are as follows:
|
CRITERIA |
GUIDELINE (G) CODE (C) |
PROPOSED SIGN |
|
One ground sign at each principal entrance |
G |
The church property includes four driveways along Quail Run Road and one driveway along McDonald Drive. The only existing monument signage occurs at the intersection of McDonald Drive and Quail Run Road. This sign will remain, resulting in two monument signs if the application is approved. |
|
8-foot maximum height |
G |
5 feet and 8 inches in height including the 6-inch base |
|
32 square feet in sign area |
G |
32 square feet |
|
No moving or animated signs permitted |
G and C |
Sign will not have any components that flash, move, or are otherwise animated |
|
Changeable message panels permitted |
G |
Changeable message panels proposed |
|
Back lighting of freestanding letters limited to 100 lumens per square foot |
C |
Not applicable, no lighting of the sign is proposed |
|
Internally-illuminated signs limited to 0.75 foot-candles at property line |
C |
Not applicable, no lighting of the sign is proposed |
|
Indirect lighting of sign limited to two 75-watt incandescent bulbs (750 lumens) per sign side; bulb completely shielded from v and view at nearest property line, limited to 0.75 foot-candles at property line |
C |
Not applicable, no lighting of the sign is proposed |
Sight Visibility
As an aid to safe movement of vehicles at and near street intersections and in order to promote more adequate protection for the safety of children, pedestrians, and operators of vehicles, the Town Code has limitations on the height of fences, walls, gateways, ornamental structures, hedges, shrubbery and other fixtures, construction and planting on all corner lots. The subject site is a corner lot. Unless waived by the Town Engineer, structures and vegetation over 2-feet in height at street intersections are prohibited above the nearest street elevation within a triangular area of 50 feet measured at the property line. The proposed 5 feet and 8 inch sign is not located at the street intersection, but the Town Engineer has asked that the applicant provide documentation that is signed and sealed from a professional engineer that the sign location setback approximately 32 feet from the east edge of the entry driveway will not create a visual obstruction. Both the Town Engineer and Police Chief want to ensure the proposed sign does not create an unsafe situation as the adjoining sidewalk is used for school children accessing Kiva Elementary located next to this church. As of the writing of this report, the recently submitted documentation is still under review by Town staff.
The applicant has relocated the proposed sign from comments made by staff during pre-application. At pre-application, the sign had a setback of 21 feet from the entry driveway. Using the 50-foot triangle standard measured at the property line and east edge of the driveway, the proposed sign at the above-noted 32-foot setback lies within the triangular area. However, the proposed sign lies outside the 50-foot triangular area if the corner vision is measured back of curb along McDonald Drive or you apply an alternate triangular measurement. For example, the City of Phoenix requires 33-foot by 33-foot corner vision at most street intersections and a 10-foot by 20-foot corner vision at driveways that access parking lots. In the aforementioned example, the 20-foot dimension is measured along the street at the property line.
SUP Criteria
There are four criteria in Section 1102.7 of the Town Zoning Ordinance the applicant must meet for the Planning Commission to deem the application request a minor amendment to the Special Use Permit. The applicant has addressed these criteria in the attached narrative.
1. Change or add any uses.
The proposed sign is for the primary use of the church that has an approved SUP. This is not a change or addition of any new use.
2. Increase the floor area of the project by more than 5,000 square feet or constitute an increase of more than 15% upon the existing or, if still under construction, approved floor area square footage of the affected SUP property, whichever is less, with any such increase to be measured cumulatively over a sixty month period.
There is no change in floor area. A sign does not count toward the floor area calculation.
3. Have any material effect on the adjoining property owners that is visible, audible, or otherwise perceptible from adjacent properties that cannot be sufficiently mitigated.
The main purpose of a sign is to be visible and direct those persons to the appropriate location. The applicant notes that the shared parking and proximity of driveways for Kiva Elementary school creates confusion for some drivers, and is a reason for the application request. The proposed sign meets all the Town sign and lighting criteria as detailed under Sign Criteria of this report.
4. Change the architectural style of the existing Special Use Permit.
The proposed sign will include stone and brown earth tone colors that are in harmony with the architectural style of the existing buildings.
NOTICING & PUBLIC COMMENTS
Advertisement in the newspaper, posting of the property, and mailing notification of property owners within 500 feet is required prior to the meeting where action will take place.
NEXT STEPS
To comply with newspaper noticing requirements, the next available meeting the application could be scheduled is the July 19, 2016 Planning Commission meeting.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity Map/Aerial/General Plan/Zoning
2. Application Packet
C: - Applicant
- Case File: (MSUP 16-01)