Board/Committee Agenda Item

MEETING DATE:  12/13/2016

SUBJECT:  Site Plan: Foundation Park, Phase 2: A request by Randall S. Olney, P.E., of Causseaux, Hewett, & Walpole, Inc., applicant and agent for Alachua Foundation Park Holding Company, LLC, and the University of Florida Foundation, Inc., property owners, for consideration of a Site Plan for the construction of three (3) ±42,460 square foot buildings, consisting of a ±14.53 acre subject property. Tax Parcel Nos. 03191-010-001 and 03191-011-000 (Quasi-Judicial Hearing).

PREPARED BY:  Justin Tabor, AICP, Principal Planner

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Staff recommends that the Planning & Zoning Board approve the Site Plan, subject to the five (5) conditions provided in Exhibit “A” of the December 13, 2016, Staff Report to the Planning & Zoning Board, upon making the following motion: 

Based upon the competent substantial evidence presented at this hearing, the presentation before this Board, and Staff’s recommendation, this Board finds the application to be consistent with the City of Alachua Comprehensive Plan and in compliance with the Land Development Regulations and approves the Site Plan, subject to the five (5) conditions provided in Exhibit “A” and located on page 21 of the December 13, 2016, Staff Report to the Planning & Zoning Board.

Summary

The proposed site plan is a request by Randall S. Olney, P.E., of Causseaux, Hewett, & Walpole, Inc., applicant and agent for Alachua Foundation Park Holding Company, LLC, and the University of Florida Foundation, Inc., property owners, for the construction of three (3) ±42,460 square foot buildings, with associated parking, utilities, and supporting site improvements. Future tenants of the proposed buildings are anticipated to be businesses operating in the research and development field. Such uses primarily consist of laboratory and office space.

The southwestern portion of the subject property is presently developed with a ±42,460 square foot building and associated site improvements. The Site Plan for this portion of the subject property was approved by the Planning & Zoning Board in December 2014, and at the time the development was known as “Alachua Research Park”. The three (3) proposed buildings would be architecturally similar to the existing building on the subject property, and the overall layout of the site would be similar to the layout of the developed portion of the site.

The applicant has identified three “pods” on the proposed Site Plan – Pod A; Pod B; and Pod C. Development of each pod is proposed to occur sequentially (i.e., Pod A, followed by Pod B, followed by Pod C), with site improvements, including parking, landscaping, utilities, and other supporting improvements, to be provided for each pod at the time of its development. In accordance with Section 2.4.9(G) of the City’s Land Development Regulations (LDRs), all proposed buildings would be required to obtain approval of a building permit for each building within three (3) years of the date of the approval of the Site Plan.

The subject property is ±14.53 acres in area and is located northeast of the intersection of NW US Highway 441 and NW 119^th Terrace, east of the Santa Fe College – Alachua Campus, south County Road 2054 (Rachel Boulevard), west of the State of Florida Building, and north of Progress Park. Access to Pod A would be provided by an existing connection to NW 119^th Terrace. An additional street stub to NW 119^th Terrace would be constructed as part of Pod A improvements. The stub would align with the northern ingress/egress to the Santa Fe College Perry Center, and would serve future development of the subject property that would occur at the time Pod B is developed.

The proposed development will convey the development’s stormwater runoff to an existing stormwater basin located west of the Santa Fe College Perry Center. The stormwater basin was designed as a master system for Progress Technology Park, which consists of the Santa Fe College parcel, the subject property, and NW 119^th Terrace. (NOTE: A temporary stormwater management facility (SMF) is proposed north of the parking area within Pod A. This SMF would be removed at the time of the development of Pod C.)