Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 08-10-2007 special agenda - Landmark — reading text

the downtown area. 2. Promoting development which will take advantage of the natural amenities of the Santa Rosa Sound waterfront area. 3. Encouraging high- density residential development along the waterfront in a manner compatible with and supportive of nearby commercial development. 4. Stabilizing, strengthening and building upon the existing residential neighborhoods within and surrounding the downtown redevelopment area. 5. Providing suitable locations for retail sales and services, offices and transient accommodations in a manner consistent with the objectives of the community redevelopment plan. The development site is located in the Mixed Use Main Street ( MUMS) District. The City' s Code of Ordinances has additional regulations intended to: 1. Implement the objectives and policies of the City' s comprehensive plan. 2. Create a mixed- use core area that is pedestrian- oriented, with residential units permitted above commercial uses. 3. Provide a continuous commercial frontage along principal streets to facilitate a pedestrian orientation, with parking located on- street or in common parking lots at the center or rear of blocks and behind buildings. 4. Provide for the reuse of existing buildings and structures, while encouraging new development. This narrative serves to describe the Landmark Center project with regard to the design characteristics as they comply with the City' s Urban Master Plan and Community Redevelopment Plan. The information is intended to supplement the conceptual plans and elevations. EXISTING CONDITIONS The property to be developed as the Landmark Center is currently vacant land that is situated north of Miracle Strip Parkway, east of Perry Avenue and south of First Street. The site was previously developed by a commercial building that was most recently occupied by Cash' s Liquors and a nightclub. Those structures have been demolished; however, some of the concrete and asphalt pavement remains. The adjoining properties to the west is developed by a commercial building currently occupied by REMAX realtors ( built in 1946) and by a City owned parking lot. P PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT Positive Economic Impact The Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development at the University of West Florida specializes in analyzing data for the " purposes of economic forecasting, marketing research, business expansion, tourism, and real estate development" according to their mission statement. Their expert team found the economic impacts anticipated by the Landmark Center development will greatly benefit Fort Walton Beach community. Most notably this development is expected to: Create over $ 17, 000, 000 in wages and 558 jobs within the community as a one time non- recurring impact. Provide $ 46,000, 000 in economic growth in the community as a one time non- recurring impact. Create an ongoing annual wage impact of $ 12, 000, 000 and 76 full time office jobs. Provide economic annual activity of $26, 000, 000 from retail space. Provide total office annual spending impact of $5, 000, 000. Generate additional $ 5, 400, 000 in ad valorem property taxes. Generate $ 6, 100, 000 in ad valorem revenue that flows to non- CRA taxing authorities primarily Okaloosa County Schools. Generate direct positive fiscal impact to the City of Fort Walton Beach in form of ad valorem taxes due to increased property values. Density Analysis Acreage of the development site is 1. 28 acres under ownership of the developer. The developer also proposes to construct a parking garage for public use. The garage is located partially on the developer' s property and partially on the City' s adjacent parcel. Details of this off-site development are described in detail in a separate Developer' s Agreement. The maximum base density in the MUMS district is 24 dwelling units per gross acre. Density up to 30 units per acre is allowed by providing special amenities as described in Section 12.456. 05. Amenities provided on the Landmark Center site include the following: 1. Ceiling height on first floor commercial space of 14 feet. (2 MDBDUA) 2. Placing all utility lines underground. ( 1 MDBDUA) 3. Provide decorative pedestrian street lighting. ( 1 MDBDUA) 4. Provide pUblic. access parking via proposed garage on adjacent City parcel. (1 MDBDUA) 5. Provide a public plaza. ( 1 MDBDUA)  6. Incorporate paving design considering surface material, solar reflection and absorption, texture and color, richness and unity, transition with public spaces, creation of an arrival plaza and internal circulation design. ( 0. 5 MDBDUA) 7. Provide street furniture that takes into consideration pedestrian orientation, function, seating capacity, visual impact, integration with architectural design elements, integration with public spaces, uniformity of style, location and scale. ( 0. 25 MDBDUA) Total of density bonus points is 6. 75, bringing the density of the project to 30. 75 units per acre. Density in the MUMS is capped, however, at 30 units per acre. Therefore, the project is allowed up to 38 dwelling units on the project site ( 1. 28 Acres * 30 units / acre = 38 units). The proposed site plan includes 41 dwelling units. The Developers Agreement includes a provision where the developer will maintain the development rights to the space above the parking garage. The units in excess of the 38 based on allowed on- site density are proposed to be above the garage. Proposed Land Uses The proposed Landmark Center project consists of a mix of uses including 18, 578 SF of retail and 11, 506 SF of restaurants on the first floor. A combination of 18, 684 SF of office space and 9487 SF of residential space is proposed on the second floor. The third floor and fourth consists of 29, 579 SF of residential space. These proposed uses address the redevelopment plan objectives for the MUMS district by creating new commercially viable businesses within the down town area that are accessible and provides a pedestrian environment. Design of the buildings includes projections and recesses in the facades of the various units serve to provide interesting gathering places and promote the pedestrian environment of the down town area. These projects and recesses also serve to reduce the overall mass of the structures. Architectural Style The architectural style of the Landmark Center development provides the " sense of place" the Urban Master Plan finds unique to Fort Walton Beach and distinguishes this area as a continuation of the pedestrian- oriented down town center rather than a suburban development. Designed after the time- honored traditional main street and much like the existing Fort Walton Beach downtown, the Landmark Center meets the street with large storefront windows and doors at the entries to restaurants and an assortment of small shops. Canopies and signage of many varieties activate the ground level. The building mass is broken into individual and separate forms. Each form has a distinct variety of window/door patterns, roof ridgelines ( including parapet, barrel, gabled, and shed roofs at additive masses), materials, and distances from the street edge. This orientation sets up a healthy rhythm consistent with the pattern ofgrowth historically found in Fort Walton Beach. And finally, the building height and relationship to the street is consistent with the Urban Master Plan Architectural Guidelines.  r< E-V/Sle>N / ATTACHMENT H 5111~( NARRA TIVE DESCRIPTION LANDMARK CENTER Fort Walton Beach, Florida Project T earn Developer: Ft.Walton Development Partners, LLC 4958 Paradise Isles Destin, Florida 32541 Civil Engineer: Moore Bass Consulting of Destin, Inc. 1221 Airport Road, Suite 205 Destin, Florida 32541 Arch itect: DAG Architects, Inc. 1223 Airport Road Destin, Florida 32541  LANDMARK CENTER NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT INTRODUCTION The project site for Landmark Center is situated within the City of Fort Walton Beach Downtown Redevelopment Project.Area. Chapter 12.45 of the City' s Code of Ordinances establishes regulations for the purpose of . 1. Rejuvenating the blighted area within and around the downtown area. 2. Promoting development which will take advantage of the natural amenities of the Santa Rosa Sound waterfront area. 3. Encouraging high- density residential development along the waterfront in a manner compatible with and supportive of. nearby commercial development. 4. Stabilizing,' strengthening and building upon the existing residential neighborhoo.ds within and surrounding the downtown redevelopment area. 5. Providing suitable locations "for retail sales. and seNices, offices and transient accommodations in a manner consistent with the objectives of the community redevelopment plan. The development site is located in the Mixed Use Main Street ( MUMS) District. The City' s Code of Ordinances has additional regulations intended to: 1. Implemerit the objectives and policies of the City' s comprehensive plan. 2. Create a mixed- use core area that is pedestrian- oriented, with residential units permitted above commercial uses. 3. Provide a continuous commercial frontage c:long principal streets to facilitate a pedestrian orientation, with parking located on- street or in common parking lots at the center or rear of blocks and behind buildings. 4. Provide for the reuse of existing buildings and structures, while encouraging new development. This narrative serves to describe the Landmark Center project with regard to the design characteristics as they comply with the City' s Urban Master Plan and Community Redevelopment Plan. The information is intended to supplement the' conceptual plans and elevations. EXISTING CONDITIONS The property to be developed as the Landmark Center is currently vacant land that is situated north of Miracle Strip Parkway, east of Perry Avenue and south of First Street. The site was previously developed by a commercial building that was most recently occupied by Cash' s Liquors and a nightclub. Those structures have been demolished; however, some of the concrete and asphalt pavement remains. The adjoining properties to the west is developed by a commercial building currently occupied by REMAX realtors ( built in 1946) and by a City owned parking lot. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT Positive Economic Impact The Haas. Center for Business Research and Economic Development at the University of West Florida specializes in analyzing data for the " purposes of economic forecasting, marketing research, business expansion, tourism, and real estate development" according to their mission statement. Their expert team found the economic impacts anticipated by the