Facts About the Proposed Oak Street Development

We need your help! Below is a list of facts about the Oak Street project that is of great concern to us. Please write a short, concise and factual email objecting to the project using some of the points below and send it to Councilman Michael Corrigan and Michael's assistant will have it entered into the record. The last opportunity to be heard on this issue is at the CC's Land Use & Zoning committee on Tuesday afternoon, so please have your email in before 10:00am on Tuesday.

We need everyone to take five minutes to do this! Better than marching and waving the flag, this is a "new fashioned" way to rally the troops! Thanks.

1. The proposed project is located at the corner of Oak and Margaret Streets in the Five Points commercial area. It is only .17 acres.

2. The developer plans 8 residential units above 2,000 sq. ft of retail space according to the written description of the PUD. However, he stated at recent public meeting that there would be 1000 sq. ft of retail space. To our knowledge, there is no revised written description to reflect this change.

3. The building is proposed to be 55' high (plus approximately 7' for cupolas, pergolas or other roof top enhancements).

4. The density of this proposed development is 58.8 dwelling units per acre. This is extremely dense for a site of only .17 acres.

5. The developer will provide 1 parking space PER RESIDENTIAL UNIT on site (the average size unit will be 800 to 1200 sq. ft.). The minimum parking standard in the Zoning Code is a sliding scale and requires more than one parking space per bedroom. The developer is providing 9 spaces on site (8 plus 1 handicapped), and is claiming 9 spaces on street to meet the parking requirement. This does not include the requirement for retail. All recent and under construction PUD developments in the area adhere to RAP’s negotiated minimum zoning standard of ONE PARKING SPACE PER BEDROOM.

6. The size of lot, percentage of lot coverage and height of building should be taken into consideration before approving this development. Our concerns are density, height and lot coverage.

7. The density, lot size and height of other projects is:
Oak Street Lofts: 0.17 acres; 58.8 Du/acres; 5 Floors; Height=55’+7=62’
Chelsea Lofts: 0.57 acres; 31.6 Du/acre; 3 Floors; Height=43.8’
Prado Walk:0.28 acres; 21.4Du/acre; 3 Floors; Height=43’+8=51’
1661 Riverside: 2.26 acres; 39.8Du/acre; 4 Floors; Height=55’+12=67’

8. Overflow parking presently available on the west side of Margaret Street will be lost because a bank with drive through tellers will soon occupy the building on the corner of Margaret and Herschel. This development is meeting its parking requirements on site.

9. There are 3 restaurants and a dental office to the north of the proposed development that compete for the available on street parking spaces. The development on the corner of Oak and Margaret completed in 2003 has 3 restaurants and meets the onsite parking code at 80% or more.

10. There are a number of items not included in the application as required by Section 656.341 of the Ordinance Code:
a) There is no elevation of the proposed building
b) There are no floor plans that illustrate the number of bedrooms proposed, therefore a ruling regarding parking cannot be made based on factual information.
c) The on-street parking does not meet minimum standards and would not likely be approved by the Traffic Engineer.
d) The developer proposes only 8 on-site parking spaces; does he expect there will be only one resident in each unit? If not, where will the other residents park?
e) The location of the dumpster is not readable on the site plan; its location can cause problems for neighboring businesses.