Land Use Context
The Steam Pump Village development includes retail, office, restaurants and a charter school. The General Plan designates the property as Community/Regional Commercial and the zoning is Planned Area Development providing for a variety of commercial uses. The existing Land Use, General Plan and Zoning for the property and the surrounding area are depicted in Attachments 3, 6 and 7, respectively.
Existing Site Conditions
- Vacant land
- Lot Size: 1.6 acres
Approvals to Date
- 1988: Property annexed with a translational zoning of R1-144
- 1996: Current PAD approved for Steam Pump Ranch property
- 1999: Site Plan amended to show concepts to provide greater flexibility for development
- 2000: Amendment regarding “vesting” of the property
- 2003: One year extension of the conditional PAD zoning set to expire on September 22, 2004.
- 2005: Use and development standards revisions for Phases 3 and 4
Proposed Improvements
- 107,544 square foot indoor self-storage facility (includes 3,800 ground floor office/retail)
- Building Height: 3 Stories, 49 feet (with basement)
Planned Area Development Amendment (Item 2A)
The Steam Pump Village PAD was adopted in 1988 and amended numerous times as development has progressed. Self-storage uses were not permitted within the PAD in 1988. In 2011, the PAD was amended and the list of permitted uses was significantly expanded. As part of the 2011 amendment, mini-storage facilities were specifically listed as not permitted within the PAD, based on this use not being compatible with a "high quality" development. Because mini-storage facilities traditionally have consisted of unattractive linear buildings with roll up doors and units accessed from exterior drive aisles, it was viewed as a negative use for a quality shopping center.
Over the years, self-storage facilities have evolved to include indoor climate controlled facilities with units accessed from internal hallways. These indoor facilities can be designed to have more of an office building appearance than traditional mini-storage design.
The request consists of three areas of amendment, I. Use, II. Floor Area Ratio, and III. Parking, addressed in the following sections:
I. USE
With thoughtful design and planning, a self-storage facility can be appropriate and within the intent of the Steam Pump Village PAD based on consideration of the following elements proposed by the amendment:
Architectural Concept: The Steam Pump Village has developed with an intentional design character in terms of architectural style, colors and materials. To ensure the proposed facility will be consistent with this established design theme, the amendment includes a specific architectural concept which contains many of the design elements found throughout the development, including consistent colors and materials, building forms, metal awnings and light standards.
The architectural concept includes faux windows, varied materials/colors, and building articulation to add visual interest to the building facades. The resulting concept has the appearance of an office building, which is consistent with the architectural style within the development. Adopting the architectural concept into the PAD will ensure that the building will be constructed in substantial conformance with this concept. The proposed architectural concept is consistent with the Town Design Standards and Steam Pump Village architectural guidelines.
Location: The current Development Plan provides for 20,000 square feet of office use on the property. The office designation for this parcel was based on the limited viability for retail uses due to lack of visibility from Oracle Road.
The applicant proposes to retain 3,800 square feet of ground floor office/retail on the eastern façade facing Oracle Road, which adds to the overall appearance as an office building. Staff anticipates this ground floor space will more than likely be occupied by office uses based on the limited visibility of retail, but retail is permitted should the opportunity arise.
The PAD amendment restricts this use to the subject 1.6 acre property and therefore would not be permitted on any other vacant land within the Steam Pump Village development. Based on this location restriction, the enhanced architectural concept and limitations on operations, the applicant requests the use be permitted by right and not require a Conditional Use Permit.
Limitation of Operations: A number of standards are proposed which reduce the appearance as a self-storage facility. The request prohibits outdoor storage and rental of equipment and vehicles and eliminates graphics and advertising elements normally associated with self-storage uses. All activity is restricted to the interior of buildings and units may not be used for any business or commercial purpose. These limitations add to the overall office appearance of the building.
Compatibility: Based on the architectural concept and the limitations to operations, the proposed use is compatible with the existing mix of uses, the adjacent open space to the south and multi-use path along the wash.
II. FLOOR AREA RATIO
Allowed building bulk on a site is expressed as a floor area ratio, which is a measure of the total building square footage relative to the amount of property. Essentially, a floor area ratio aims limits the amount of building on a property to maintain proportionality. The higher the ratio - the more bulky/sizeable a building can be on a site.
Currently, the PAD establishes a floor area ratio of .35 for the subject property and the applicant proposes an increase to 1.6. In terms of comparison, the allowed floor area ratio for the hotel building to the north is 1.0. Overall, the aggregate floor area ratio for the commercial portion of Steam Pump Village including the proposed development is lower than typical commercial centers.
This specific area of the development was envisioned for larger and taller buildings (49 feet permitted) given the distance from Oracle Road and the expanse of the Canada del Oro wash - which serves as a natural buffer to the residential properties to the west. As information, the nearest residential lot to the west is approximately 730 feet from the subject property.
III. PARKING
Currently, the PAD does not provide a parking standard for self-storage uses. The applicant has provided a parking standard which is consistent with a municipality in the Phoenix area. Zoning Codes for municipalities in Pima County were surveyed and most do not contain standards for self-storage facilities. The Town of Marana, however, only requires parking for the office portion of a self-storage facility, which is inadequate.
The proposed amendment establishes a parking standard of 1 space for every 50 units which is consistent with industry standards. Parking for the proposed retail and/or office area would be required at the existing parking ratio for retail and office uses within the development.
Planned Area Development (PAD) Analysis
The original PAD, approved in 1988, listed mini-storage facilities as not permitted within the development. Requests for Planned Area Development zoning are evaluated for conformance with the criteria found in Section 24.4 of the Zoning Code. If self-storage facilities had been included as part of the original PAD, it would have been in conformance with those criteria, as detailed in Attachment 8.
General Plan Conformance Analysis
The request has been reviewed and conforms with the Your Voice, Our Future General Plan Vision, Goals and Policies, specifically those related to land use transitions, design and support of a wide range of services for residents. A detailed analysis is provided in Attachment 9.
Conceptual Site Plan, Landscape Plan and Architecture (Item 2B)
This section of the report is divided into three components: Conceptual Site Plan, Landscape Plan and Architecture.
Conceptual Site Plan
The self-storage facility is proposed for a vacant 1.6 acre parcel surrounded by existing development. The project has been integrated into the existing development including extension of the main drive aisle and shaded pedestrian walkways through the site, connecting to the existing multi-use path along the Canada Del Oro wash.
To ensure proper screening of the loading area on the west side of the building, a 12 foot masonry wall with landscaping is provided. As the multi-use path along the wash is elevated in this location, a roof trellis is provided on the loading area to reduce visibility of loading activities.
Conceptual Landscape Plan
The subject property adjoins the Canada Del Oro wash, which contains existing landscaping along the multi-use path. Additional landscaping is proposed in areas along the multi-use path to fill in existing gaps in landscaping. A buffer yard is provided along the southern boundary with the private park and along the northern side of the building to soften the visual impact of the proposed building. The proposed landscape plan meets and exceeds the Zoning Code and the Planned Area Development standards.
Conceptual Architecture
The Steam Pump Village has developed with an intentional design character in terms of architectural style, colors and materials. To ensure the proposed facility will be consistent with this established design theme, the architectural concept contains many of the design elements found throughout the development, including consistent colors and materials, building forms, metal awnings and light standards (Attachment 11).
The architectural design includes faux windows, varied materials/colors, and building articulation to add visual interest to the building facades. The resulting concept has the appearance of an office building, which is consistent with the architectural style within the development. As information, the architectural concept is proposed to be adopted into the PAD zoning to ensure that the building will be constructed in substantial conformance with this concept.
Design Principles:
The Site Plan has been reviewed and is consistent with the adopted Design Principles. Key principles include connectivity to the overall site and multi-use path, architectural treatment to moderate the building mass, and incorporation of design elements for consistency with the overall development. A detailed analysis of the site plan and architectural concept in relation to the Design Principles is provided in Attachment 12.
The site plan landscape plan and architecture are consistent with the Steam Pump Village PAD Design Guidelines.
Engineering
Traffic:
The proposed self-storage facility is to be located within the Steam Pump Village master planned commercial center. The commercial center has access to Oracle Road via two right-in/right-out only driveways, a full-access signalized intersection and a full-access unsignalized intersection.
A general area of concern within Steam Pump Village has been the volume and circulation of traffic, particularly related to the portion of traffic generated by the BASIS charter school located north of the proposed self-storage site. Several improvements have been implemented to help improve off-site and on-site circulation such as an established circulation route for parents, construction of dual-left turn lanes at the signalized intersection and the reconstruction of internal drives in conjunction with the Freddy’s and Native restaurants (currently underway).
Several traffic studies have been performed related to development of Steam Pump Village including the creation of a master Traffic Report. The proposed land use is self-storage with a smaller 3,800-square foot component of office/retail. The end result is a reduction of average daily traffic to and from the proposed self-storage facility by approximately 29% from what was originally anticipated by the master report. This type of reduction helps alleviate additional issues to current traffic congestion over what may result if the lot is developed as originally anticipated.
Drainage/Grading/Water:
The drainage system and grading for the proposed self-storage development will be designed to meet the Town requirements. As the proposed development includes a basement, a condition has been included that highlights the possible need to relocate the existing water utility services and/or water main to accommodate the excavation for the basement.
Neighborhood Meetings:
Two neighborhood meetings were held on August 25, 2016, and December 15, 2016. Each meeting was attended by approximately 6-8 residents and interested parties. Comments received at the meetings included concern over impact to other self-storage uses, screening and location of the loading area and building architecture. The neighborhood meeting summary notes are provided as Attachment 13. Two letters of opposition and a letter of support have been received and are provided as Attachment 14.
Staff has met with the business owner of a nearby self-storage facility who asserts that the proposed self-storage facility is not supported by the market and will have a negative impact on his facility. Please note, this is not a specific component of the Town's zoning or conditional use permit criteria; however, staff conducted research into this matter to better inform decision-makers.
An inventory of adjacent self-storage facilities and associated occupancy rates is provided as Attachment 10. As can be seen from this inventory, vacancy rates range from 3-20%, which may suggest a market potential for additional storage space within the larger community. As information, the national average vacancy rate is approximately 12%. Additionally, over the past four years, 790 new apartment units have been constructed in this immediate area, which may increase the demand for available storage space. Staff has also recently received inquiries from other developers to build self-storage in other Town locations.
According to industry professionals, several general factors are taken into account when siting a new self-storage use including:
- Typical 1-3 mile service radius
- 8 square feet of storage per person within a service radius
- Rental rates in the area
- Type of facilities available for rent (i.e. climate controlled versus non-climate controlled)
No self-storage facilities exist to the west of the proposed facility. Industry professionals indicate that in this case, a facility may realize a higher price point and larger service area as people are willing to travel further for available storage space.
Evaluating market is not an exact science and is reliant on many factors. Also, different industry professionals use different guidelines when assessing viability of a proposed site. It is important to note that zoning is not an instrument to restrict or manage competition. As such, neither the Zoning Code nor the General Plan contain criteria or policies which address maintaining a viable market for existing uses within the community.
Planning and Zoning Commission
The Planned Area Development amendment was considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission on February 7, 2017. The Commission voted to recommend approval, based on a finding that the request is consistent with the Vision, Goals and Policies of the General Plan. The Planning and Zoning Commission staff report and minutes are provided as Attachments 15 and 16 respectively.
Conceptual Design Review Board
The Conceptual Site Plan, Landscape Plan and Architecture will be considered by the Conceptual Design Review Board on March 14. The CDRB recommendation will be provided to Town Council on March 15. The CDRB staff report is provided as Attachment 17. |