1986-10-22 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . Minutes - Plan Commission Page 4 October 22, 1986 had been in conjunction with Mr. Lipton in the legal aspects of real estate development. Mr. Lipton stated that the proposed site for the rezoning was at the southwest corner of Hanley Road and Pershing Avenue and included four properties which the partnership currently owned or held a contract of sale. Mr. Lipton explained that the architect for the project was Mr. Louis Saur, an architect who had designed most of the condominiums in Old Town Clayton. Mr. Lipton indicated that the partnership's market studies indicated that condominiums in the proposed location would have a high rate of preconstruct ion sales and a quick rate of absorption into the market. For this particular location near the south city limits of University City, Mr. Saur had designed a three story building containing twenty-four dwelling units and full below-ground parking. Mr. Lipton felt that the proposed project would have little negative impact on the surroundings. Two recent single-family developments existed uphill to the south of the proposed site; Hanley Road itself operated as a buffer to the east - the building itself would have a substantial setback on the east maintaining a few existing large oak trees and incorporating much landscaping; across Pershing Avenue to the north is an existing twenty- four unit apartment building; to the west are rear yards of single-family homes with deep, heavily-wooded lots. Mr. Lipton introduced Mr. Louis Sauro Mr. Saur featured the neighborhood compatibility of the proposal by sharing site plans, elevation drawings and floor plans with Commission members. He indicated that the proposed structure would cover one-third of the site. This would be a substantially lower density than similar projects in Clayton which generally covered one-half of a project site. The entrance for below-grade parking accessed from Pershing Avenue while a surface driveway accessed the main entrance to the building from Hanley Road. Mr. Saur shared with the Commission a slide presentation detailing the proposed building form, setbacks and special features such as balconies, terraces and a generous use of glass elements. Chairman Hamilton noted that the proposed plans called for a structure with various sized units opening on to double loaded corridors. He was under the impression that the minimum unit size in the "PD" district Use Regulations was larger than 1,000 square feet. Mr. Goldman stated that the minimum size for townhouse units only in the "PD" district is 1,500 square feet. Mr. Saur replied that market studies show that there is a demand for the 1,000 square foot unit, but that the smaller units were designed adjacent to one another in the floor plan so that they could be easily combined into one 2,000 square foot unit if necessary. Mr. McCauley asked planning staff if the proposed structure met the height and setback requirements in the "PD" district. Mr. Goldman replied that these preliminary plans did meet "PD" requirements; however, the final plans would be subject to Site Plan Review before City Council. If members of the Plan Commission had any suggestions or concerns regarding compliance with the "PD" development standards, they should make them known to City Council. In response to inquiries by Mr. McCauley and Mr. Rice, Mr. Saur informed members that the building was primarily of brick with detailed brick projections. Mr. McCauley asked Mr. Lipton what the unit price would be. Mr. Lipton replied that no specific prices had been set; however an average market price for the area was $160 per square foot.