Presenter
Presented by Mr. Ferlo
AS AMENDED
Title
Resolution approving a Conditional Use exception under Section 993.01(a)A(9) of the Pittsburgh Code, Title Nine, Zoning, Chapter 993 to Chatham College for authorization to construct a two-story gymnasium building with four levels including 2 levels below grade, along with a new 80-space parking lot located east of Woodland Road, to be located on the Campus of Chatham College at 1035 Woodland Road on property zoned "RM-M" Residential Multi-Unit, Moderate Density District, 14th Ward; and to modify Certified Conditional Use No. 242 by relocating the dividing chain in the parking lot identified as the Library/Theater Lot so as to create a 135-space parking facility and prohibit valet parking in that lot upon completion of the 80-space parking facility.
Body
Be it resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby enacts as follows:
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Pittsburgh has made certain findings with regard to the conditional use application for the proposed 2-story, 4-level gymnasium building and parking lot located on the campus of Chatham College at 1035 Woodland Road;
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Pittsburgh has recommended approval of this application for Conditional Use;
WHEREAS, City Council has reviewed the record of the Planning Commission and herewith adopts the findings and recommendation of the Planning Commission.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh as follows:
Section 1. Upon a review of the record as provided by the Planning Commission of the City of Pittsburgh, it is herewith affirmed that the proposed 2-story, 4-level gymnasium building and parking lot located on the campus of Chatham College at 1035 Woodland Road has properly met the Standards as provided in the Pittsburgh Code Section 993.01(a)(D) and none of the following findings was made:
a. That the establishment, maintenance, location and operation of the proposed use will be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, morals, comfort or general welfare; and
b. That the proposed use will be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity for the purposed permitted, nor substantially diminish or impair property values within the neighborhood; and
c. That the establishment of the proposed use will impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of surrounding property for uses permitted in that district; and
d. That adequate utilities, access roads, drainage and other necessary facilities have not been or will not be provided; and
e. That adequate measures have not been or will not be taken to provide ingress and egress designated so as to minimize traffic congestion in the public streets; and
f. That the proposed use will not, in all respects, conform to the applicable regulations or the district in which it is located.
Section 2. It is further stated that the following findings of the Planning Commission are herewith adopted:
a. That the establishment, maintenance, location and operation of the proposed athletic building and parking lot will not be detrimental to or endanger public health, safety, comfort, or general welfare – the proposed use is reasonable in size and location;
b. The proposed athletic building and parking lot forms a compatible and harmonious relationship with other surrounding buildings and affords reasonable protection to immediately adjacent properties;
c. The proposed athletic building and parking lot will not impede on the improvement of the surrounding property and is permitted as a Conditional Use exception in the "RM-M" District;
d. The proposed athletic building and parking lot will utilize existing access points and utilities;
e. The proposed athletic building and parking lot will have primary access from an existing street;
f. The proposed athletic building and parking lot will conform to standards of the existing "RM-M" District, and is allowable under the 1958 City Code as a Conditional Use.
Section 3. Under the provisions of Section 993.01(a)A(9) of the Pittsburgh Code, approval is hereby granted to Chatham College for authorization to construct a two-story gymnasium building with four levels including two levels below grade along with a new 80-space parking lot located east of Woodland Road, to be located on the campus of Chatham College at 1035 Woodland Road, on property zoned "RM-M" Residential Multi-Unit, Moderate Density District, 14th Ward, City of Pittsburgh in accordance with Conditional Use Application No. 675A, and accompanying drawings filed by Joel Aaronson, which are on file in the Office of the Zoning Administrator, Department of City Planning, and which are incorporated herein by reference thereto subject to the following conditions: terms of the Agreement dated October 17, 2001, by and among the City of Pittsburgh, Chatham College and certain Murray Hill Avenue Neighbors, Woodland Road Neighbors and Shady Avenue Neighbors incorporated herein by reference, and the following additional conditions:
1. That final construction drawings, including final elevations, materials, door and window details and building sections, with the elimination of the rooftop tennis courts, based on the drawings by Hastings+Chivetta dated 15 May 2001, be submitted to the Department of City Planning for review and approval prior to issuance of a Building Permit;
2. That final landscape plans, which is to include all intended landscaping planting, lighting and grading plans, be submitted to Department of City Planning staff for review and approval prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy;
3. That in addition to College Purposes (as defined in the Findings of Fact), the use of the Athletic Facility be limited to five (5) events of 400-700 attendees and eighteen (18) events of 250-400 attendees (Large College Events), excluding graduation ceremonies, per calendar year, and that no Commercial Events shall be permitted in the athletic facility at any time;
4. That, other than undergraduate and graduate commencements, no College or College-Sponsored Event will exceed 700 attendees;
5. That when the College expects an event at the Athletic Facility to be attended by 250 or more attendees, for any event with significant attendance by persons coming from off-campus, the College will provide personnel and temporary signage at appropriate locations like the Library/Theater lot, the intersection of Chapel Hill Road and Woodland Road, and the driveways leading to all parking areas, to assure the more efficient flow of traffic between Woodland Road and the several on-campus parking areas. Attendees at Athletic Facility events will be first directed to use the Library/Theater lot for parking. Only if and when the Library/Theater lot is full will other on-campus parking facilities be utilized for event parking. In addition, when the Library/Theater lot is full, the College will provide personnel at Fair Oaks Street and Negley Avenue, as well as temporary signage at either end of Murray Hill Avenue, to direct traffic away from the Library/Theater lot to other parking facilities.
6. That when the on-campus parking lots are filled in connection with an Athletic Facility event alone, or in combination with events at the Chapel or the Eddy Theater, the College will post traffic control officers at the Fifth Avenue and Wilkins Avenue entrances to Woodland Road and West Woodland Road, and the Murray Hill Avenue entrance to West Woodland Road, to notify any late arriving persons that the parking lots are full and directing those persons away from Woodland Road and the Library/Theater lot.
7. That the entrance to the Athletic Facility for events will be through the main Athletic Facility entrance (e.g., the lower entrance facing the campus) only. The secondary entrance/exit on West Woodland Road will be closed except as an emergency exit and not used as "drop-off" point. The "drop-off" for the Athletic Facility will be adjacent to the main Athletic Facility entrance and in the pull-off area in front of Mellon Hall. Buses coming to the Athletic Facility will be staged either in the two spaces provided for buses adjacent to the main entrance of the Athletic Facility, or will be staged in the area adjacent to the Chapel or in the Library parking lot. Buses staged adjacent to the main entrance to the Athletic Facility will not leave their engines running during an event. All buses coming to the Athletic Facility will be directed, in advance, by the College to enter and exit Woodland Road from Fifth Avenue only. Both the main entrance and the secondary entrance to the Athletic Facility will be open for normal utilization of the Athletic Facility for typical on-campus student, faculty and staff athletic use, classroom use, dance classes and similar activities that by their nature do not create significant additional car visits to the campus. The College will prohibit individual automobile drop-off or pick-up at the Athletic Facility secondary entrance/exit on West Woodland Road, of children attending the dance classes presently conducted at the existing gymnasium. In addition, the College will encourage individual automobile drop-off and pick-up to occur within the Library/Theater lot;
8. That the tennis courts will be eliminated from the roof of the Athletic Facility which will, in turn, permit the location of screened mechanical equipment and sound proofing modifications which will further attenuate any mechanical equipment sound;
9. That during the construction of the Athletic Facility, the College will use the existing temporary access road for access for construction equipment and materials. In addition, the College will implement a construction traffic and parking management plan substantially similar to the construction management plan implemented by the College with respect to the construction of the Buhl Science Building addition, including provisions for off-site parking for construction workers, the routing of construction traffic from Fifth Avenue, and the establishing times for the movement of heavy equipment and major exterior construction activities;
10. That Chatham College demolish the existing four homes on Murray Hill Place and construct a 80-space parking facility with access only to Woodland Rd via Chapel Drive and no valet parking;
11. That a Final Landscape Plans for the 135-spaceLibrary/Theater lot and the 80-space lot, which are to include the same landscaping and lighting standards as the lots proposed east of Woodland Road, be submitted to Department of City Planning staff for review and approval prior to the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy;
12. That the College construct and expand the parking lots near Woodland Road as proposed in Conditional Use Application #675b;
13. That, for a period of 20 years from the date of issuance of an Occupancy Permit; the College not request additional parking resulting in more than 452 "on-campus" parking spaces that are accessed from Woodland Road, West Woodland Road and/or Murray Hill Avenue;
14. That, by recorded instrument, the right-of-way from Shady Avenue to the College be limited to pedestrian and emergency access only;
15. That Chatham College relocate the "chain", that divides the Library/Theater parking lot, so as to create a single 135 parking space lot;
16. That access to and from the Library/Theater lot be only through the existing curb cut on Murray Hill Avenue;
17. That Chatham College shall not utilize the Library/Theater lot for valet parking at any time and that no more than 75 spaces be available for non-permit holders during daily College operation;
18. That 40 permits for use in Residential Permit Parking Area Z be given to Chatham College to designate for college users and that parking for these users shall be limited to designated spaces along Murray Hill Avenue and Fair Oaks Street which are depicted in Exhibit "E" (attached map);
19. That prior to the issuance of a Building Permit for the Athletic Facility, Chatham College submit for review to the City Planning Commission a Transportation, Parking and Management Study, to include, but be not limited to, the implementation of these conditions and the above described parking agreement; and
20. That on an annual basis, the College shall submit to the Department of City Planning a report identifying the Large College Events that took place during the prior calendar year and a report identifying and analyzing the use of the 135 space Library/Theater parking lot.
Section 4. It is further stated that the conditions of approval pursuant to Certified Conditional Use No. 242 are hereby modified and approval is granted to Chatham College to relocate the dividing chain in the parking lot identified as the Library/Theater Lot so as to create a 135-space parking facility. Valet parking in that lot shall be prohibited upon completion of the 80-space parking facility as set forth in the Agreement dated October 17, 2001 by and among the City of Pittsburgh, Chatham College and certain Murrry Hill Avenue Neighbors, Woodland Road Neighbors and Shady Avenue Neighbors incorporated as conditions herein by reference.