City of Largo, Florida

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1 City of Largo, Florida Post Office Box 296, Largo, Florida MEMO DATE: May 9, 2005 AGENDA DATE: PREPARED BY: TITLE: May 17, 2005, Regular Meeting Michael J. Staffopoulos, P.E., Community Development Director Carol Stricklin, AICP, Assistant Community Development Director ORDINANCE NO FIRST READING - COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENTS, CHAPTERS 2, 4, AND 8, LARGE SCALE RETAIL DESIGN STANDARDS BACKGROUND: Ordinance , Large Scale Retail Design Standards, was considered on first reading at the April 19, 2005, City Commission meeting. The City Commission directed staff to make changes to the ordinance and schedule a first reading on May 17, Staff is recommending a further continuance of Ordinance until August 16, 2005, following the August 2, 2005, public hearings on Comprehensive Plan amendments related to the Largo Town Center project. The standards for large scale retail uses are intended to ensure that redevelopment occurs in a manner consistent with the Strategic Plan and that produces a compact urban form within activity centers. The decision regarding the desired urban form within the Largo Town Center will provide direction as to how to proceed with the large scale retail design standards. Ordinance includes amendments to Chapter 2, Section 2100 (Definitions); Chapter 4, Figure 4004 (Allowable uses within land use designations and high hazard areas), and Chapter 8, new Section 8700, (Large scale retail design standards). These amendments create design standards for large scale retail uses. The scale and design of big box retail sites presents a significant challenge to the development of higher density, compact activity centers and mixed use corridors as envisioned in the City of Largo's Strategic Plan. During the April 19, 2005, public hearing, the City Commission directed staff to revise the ordinance to require that home improvement stores be subject to the same maximum building footprint of 125,000 square feet as large scale retail uses. Staff has revised Figure 4004 and Section 8700 (C) (1) (a) to reflect this change. The City Commission also directed staff to evaluate the maximum parking requirements so that required parking and customer entrances would not be placed at the rear of a building. Staff has revised Section 8700 (C) (2) (d) (1), Multiple entryways, to state that entryways shall not be required at the rear of a building designed for delivery and service uses. Section 8700 (3) (a), Parking lot design and orientation, has been revised to authorize the Development Controls Officer to modify the parking lot design standards to ensure that parking is not required to be located in the rear of a building. The proposed large scale design standards were presented to the City Commission at the January 11, 2005, work session and January 18, 2005, regular meeting. The City Commission directed staff to prepare a large scale retail design standards ordinance. The Largo Planning Board considered the proposed ordinance on February 3, The Planning Board voted not to recommend that the City Commission amend the Comprehensive Development Code to include the proposed large scale retail design standards ordinance.

2 Recommendations This section will list staff's recommendations for design regulations for large scale retail facilities. Recommendations are presented in four areas, as follows. Applicability Applicability of the ordinance Maximum building footprint Building design architecture, materials, roof treatments, and signage Site design - parking lot design and orientation, connectivity, pedestrian and bicycle circulation, outdoor storage and related uses. Intent: The ordinance will apply City-wide to large scale retail uses that meet certain size thresholds. As more detailed plans are developed for individual activity centers and mixed use corridors, the standards may be refined. Recommendation: The design regulations will apply to all new retail construction equal to or greater than 50,000 square feet of stand-alone building; new construction of a multi-tenant building equal to or exceeding 75,000 square feet; and any 25,000 square foot or more addition to an existing structure of 50,000 square feet or more. The ordinance will exempt sites which have obtained final site plan approval as of the effective date of the ordinance. Maximum Building Footprint Intent: The development of compact, pedestrian oriented activity centers and mixed use corridors requires the efficient use of land, higher density development, and limitations on the overall footprint of very large structures. The maximum building size is based upon the recognized planning standards to produce a walkable pedestrian environment. The City is seeking, through principles of the Strategic Plan, to create walkable, mixed use activity centers and corridors. A central component of this is the urban fabric formed by the size and scale of the blocks, streets, and buildings. The size of a city block is a critical component in creating a compact, walkable urban environment. Typical block sizes range between 200 by 300 feet to 300 by 400 feet. A 125,000 square foot building footprint would generally fit within this block size. A larger building footprint would disrupt the framework of this walkable block structure and not be conducive to a pedestrian scale environment. The overall building footprint standards would accommodate all the large-scale retail uses currently located within the City of Largo with the exception of Home Depot and Lowe's. As the detailed activity center and mixed use corridor plans are developed, staff will evaluate the recommended maximum building footprint to determine if more restrictive standards are needed within specific areas. Recommendation: A maximum building footprint of 125,000 square feet will be established for all large scale retail uses and home improvement stores in all commercial and mixed use districts. The maximum building footprint standard would not limit the overall size of the structure, but would require multi-story development. Building Design Intent: These standards address multiple aspects of building design in order to produce high-quality, attractive buildings by establishing standards for architectural design and materials. These standards require building design that reduces the mass, scale and uniform monolithic appearance of large commercial buildings, and insures that commercial buildings incorporate architectural features that provide visual interest while allowing design flexibility. High quality design produces buildings with varied facades and roof lines with clearly defined entrances. A clearly defined and highly visible customer entrance enhances a pedestrian orientation and creates a focal point that improves the appearance of the building 2

3 from the street. Recommendations: Architectural Unity Buildings on the same development site shall be architecturally unified and all sides of a building shall have a consistent architectural style. Materials Predominant exterior building materials shall be high quality materials, such as architectural block, brick, concrete with an architectural finish, stucco, or glass. These materials should not include unfinished concrete, pre-fabricated metal panels or smooth face concrete block. Facade colors shall be neutral or earth tone colors, with complimentary building trim. Facades - Facades greater than one hundred (100) feet in linear length shall be articulated with recesses and projections. Ground floor primary facades shall include four (4) elements such as arcades, display windows, or awnings, or architectural features such as banding or change in materials along no less than 60 (sixty) percent of their length. All other facades must include two (2) design elements along not less than 40 (forty) percent of their length. Entryways - Buildings 75,000 square feet or greater shall have multiple exterior customer entrances and shall provide a public entrance at a minimum of one (1) per 300 feet linear feet of facade facing an abutting public street or parking area. At least one entrance shall be visible from the public street and connected to that street by a pedestrian sidewalk aligned with the primary entrance. The primary entrance should be accentuated with any of the following design features; architectural features such as outdoor patios or plazas, display windows, integral planters or wing walls, canopies, arcades, parapets or peaked roofs, arches, and other architectural details of building design. Entryways will not required at the rear of a building designed for delivery and service uses. Roof Treatments - Roof treatments shall be designed to conceal flat roof lines and rooftop equipment from view from adjacent properties and rights-of-way through use of parapet walls or sloping roof planes. Roof lines should be varied, using a change in height and type to provide visual interest. Signage - Signage should be of a complimentary material, color, and design to the primary building. Site Design Intent: Site design and layout has a significant effect on the surrounding community. Large parking fields isolate buildings from surrounding uses, make pedestrian and transit access difficult, and are aesthetically displeasing. These negative effects can be mitigated by controlling the placement, amount and type of parking, and landscaping design. Sites should be interconnected to surrounding land uses and easily accessible from pedestrian and transit facilities. In addition, outdoor components of the retail use, such as dumpster locations, have a visual and noise impact on surrounding land uses. These areas must be properly screened, recessed, or enclosed when visible from adjoining properties or public streets. Recommendations: Parking Lot Design and Orientation - No more than 60 percent of the off-street parking area shall be located between the front facade of the building and the street. Parking lots should be distributed around the building to reduce the overall scale of the parking area and provide convenient access to the building entrance. Parking areas shall be designed so that no more than 100 spaces (150 spaces for uses that require 501 or more parking spaces) of the total required spaces are part of a clearly defined grouping of spaces. Such groups shall be broken into individual areas and/or separated by landscaping and/or by design components of the site or building. The Development Controls Officer is authorized to adjust the parking standard so that parking is not located at the rear of a building designed for delivery and services uses. Connectivity - Building sites shall be designed to promote connectivity to surrounding land uses and streets. 3

4 Techniques may include development of internal street systems, interconnected driving aisles and shared access, pedestrian access, and siting of buildings in relationship to adjacent developments. Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation and Features - Pedestrian and bicycle connections between the primary building entrance and parking fields, external sidewalks, outparcel buildings, and transit facilities shall be provided using landscaped areas, sidewalks, and pavement markings or pavers when crossing vehicular use areas. Sidewalks shall be provided along the full length of the building. Pedestrian, bicycle and transit amenities, such as bike racks, covered seating areas and shelters, are strongly encouraged. Outdoor Storage, Display Areas, Trash Collection and Loading Areas - Storage of shopping carts shall be accommodated within the building, or screened by a wall a minimum of four (4) feet in height of a consistent material with the building facade. Areas for outdoor storage, trash collection and compaction, truck parking, loading docks, utility meters and other service functions shall be incorporated into the overall design of the building using materials consistent with the building facades. Summary of Proposed CDC Amendments The proposed large scale design regulations amend the following sections of the Comprehensive Development Code: Chapter 2, Section 2100, Definitions Creates the definitions for home improvement store, freestanding retail uses, and primary facade. Chapter 4, Figure 4004, Allowable Uses Amends the Figure 4004, which establishes allowable uses within each future land use classification. Under the list of commercial uses, home improvement store and freestanding retail uses are added and listed as allowed or conditionally allowed uses subject to Supplemental Standards (Section 8700). Footnote number eight (8) is added to supermarkets, pet stores, home improvement stores, and freestanding retail uses to indicate that the supplemental standards apply in all commercial and mixed use districts. The standards do not apply in Industrial Limited and Industrial General designations. Chapter 8, Non-residential Supplemental Standards, new Section 8700, Large Scale Retail Uses Establishes supplemental standards for large-scale retail uses as discussed in this memorandum. Policy Issues The purpose of this section is to address specific questions raised by the Mayor and City Commission during the January 11, 2005, and January 18, 2005, discussions of design standards for large scale retail uses. The City Commission raised several specific questions at the work session as follows: Economic Issues (1) What is the economic impact of the regulations? (2) Is it appropriate to mandate a maximum building footprint that may conflict with a corporation's standard requirements? (3) Can large scale retail uses be developed as two-story buildings? Nationally, the economic impact of large scale retailers has fostered much debate. Concerns raised nationally include the competitive impact of large format, discount department stores on local retailers. This is particularly true in small towns with traditional main street retailers that are impacted by the introduction of a discount department store. A second major area of concern relates to employment practices and living wage issues. Much of the economic analysis literature available focuses on these areas. However, some communities have analyzed the fiscal impacts to the community of the location of a large scale retail use in the community, or outside of the community. Fiscal impact analysis focuses on balance between the revenues generated by a particular land use type and the costs associated with a land use type. A fiscal impact typically requires a detailed analytical study that is beyond the scope of this analysis. A fiscal impact analysis study was prepared in July 2002 for the 4

5 Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts by Tischler Associates, Inc. a nationally recognized firm specializing in economic analysis. The study is discussed below. Tischler and Associates, Inc, prepared a prototype land use fiscal impact analysis for new residential and nonresidential development. This type of analysis quantifies the revenues and costs of various land use types based on the town's budget and levels of service. According to the study, eight (8) nonresidential prototypes were analyzed: (1) business park, (2) office, (3) shopping center, (4) big box retail, (5) specialty retail, (6) hotel, (7) restaurant, and (8) fast food restaurant. The results were reported as follows in the report, The nonresidential results are discussed in terms of per 1,000 square feet. Therefore, a 10,000 square foot building would have ten times the result. The specialty retail prototype generates the best fiscal results among the nonresidential prototypes at $326 per 1,000 square feet annually. The next best annual results are generated by the business park prototype at $112 per 1,000 square feet. The office prototype generates a positive $66 per 1,000 square feet annually. While the hotel prototype generates the smallest annual surplus at $35 per room. The shopping center prototype generates the lowest annual deficit of -$314 per 1,000 square feet. The big box retail prototype generates an annual deficit of -$486 per 1,000 square feet. The worst nonresidential fiscal results are generated by the restaurant and fast food restaurant prototypes with annual net deficits of -$1,100 and -$5,168 per square foot, respectively. The Tischler study examines the potential revenues from each prototype against the cost of providing services. In the case of a large scale retail use developing within the City of Largo, the largest revenue stream that would result from a specific land use are from ad valorem taxes. The Pinellas County Property Appraiser uses two methods when assessing the values of commercial properties, the cost approach and the income approach. The cost approach estimates the depreciated value of the structure and the market value of the land. The income approach looks at the net operating income of a property to estimate its value. These two methods are reconciled to arrive at the appraised value of land and buildings for that site. A large scale retailer would not necessarily generate property tax revenues greater than an alternative use of a building site with higher construction and land values. Another area of concern is the increased costs to the developer of compliance with design standards. Higher standards of design can increase site development and building costs. The cost of compliance with design standards is not necessarily prohibitive for a project, however. Communities around the country have found that corporate entities are able to upgrade the building and site design to comply with local requirements and to remain competitive in the marketplace. Florida examples include the recent development of two Wal-Mart stores; one in Palm Bay with a Florida vernacular style, and a Mediterranean style store developed in Viera. Design Issues Staff has researched the question of the impact maximum building footprint relative to the retailers' standard requirements. This research has revealed that corporations have responded to the challenge of urban infill and design regulations by modifying their standards formats through development of new prototype stores. This includes the development of multi-story buildings and development of smaller prototype buildings that fit within an urban setting. These decisions are driven not only by regulation, but by land cost, community context, and changing retail markets. Multi-story large scale retailers are becoming firmly established in the marketplace. Target has developed numerous two (2) and three (3) story stores, in diverse states such as California, Connecticut, Georgia, Oregon, Washington, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. A two story Target is currently under development in Tampa. Wal-Mart has multi-story stores in California, Hawaii, and New York. Even home improvement stores such as Home Depot have developed multi-story prototypes in New York City and Chicago. Shoppers move between levels using escalators that carry shoppers and shopping carts in tandem between floors. Retailers have adjusted their interior store layout and product lines to accommodate these multi-story formats. Large scale retailers are also developing new prototype stores. For example, Wal-Mart opened a new urban prototype store in Tampa consisting of 99,000 square feet on a ten (10) acre site and has a Neighborhood 5

6 Market prototype that sells a line of groceries and convenience goods. As retailers move into more urban markets, adjustments are made to standard prototypes to accommodate different store sizes and formats and accommodate structured parking. OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET BACKGROUND: Not applicable. BUDGETARY IMPACT: Minimal budgetary impact is anticipated. Additional staff time will be required for building and site plan review to ensure conformance with these requirements. CONSEQUENT ACTION: The first reading for Ordinance No will be scheduled on August 16, REVIEWED BY AND RECOMMENDATION: The City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Community Development Director, and Assistant Community Development Director recommend that the City Commission continue Ordinance No POTENTIAL MOTION: I MOVE TO CONTINUE/NOT CONTINUE ORDINANCE TO AUGUST 16,