ATTACHMENT 1
7. Concept Plan: Gateway Bank and Trust at Meadowmont.
Ms. Culpepper outlined the concept plan proposal for a 9,000 square-foot bank building with a drive up window. She said it would require a SUP and a modification of the Meadowmont master land use plan. Ms. Culpepper recommended that the Council review the proposal, receive comments from the Community Design Commission and citizens, and adopt a resolution transmitting comments to the developer.
Mayor Foy recalled that there had been a proposal for a Wachovia Bank in the area. Ms. Culpepper showed on the map that this was a different location. Mayor Foy verified that the Wachovia application had been approved but the time limit had expired.
Richard Gurlitz, the applicant, showed area photos, a site plan, artists’ renderings, and he outlined the concept plan. It would be architecturally compatible with both Meadowmont and the hotel next door, he said.
Council Member Kleinschmidt asked if this design was typical of Gateway Banks. Darrin Howell, city executive with Gateway Bank in Chapel Hill, headquartered in Elizabeth City, NC, said that Gateway does not have a certain set design for exteriors of their buildings. This allows them to work with local architects to create designs that fit local communities, he said.
Council Member Kleinschmidt said that to him this design did not seem compatible with the community. He suggested that the applicant look at what the Council had suggested for Woodmont. Council Member Kleinschmidt criticized several aspects of the plan and said that he did not want to see it at the front door of his Town.
At Council Member Harrison's request, Mr. Gurlitz showed how a driver would enter the site and circulate through it. Council Member Harrison asked for assurance that a driver would be able to make the last exiting movement at a peak hour, noting that this was the worst stretch of highway in that part of the Triangle.
Mr. Gurlitz replied that it would be a difficult movement, and that this was why they had located the entrance down at the end. Council Member Harrison cautioned that the Barbee Chapel intersection was already at 120 percent capacity and that NCDOT would not make improvements there in the near future. He said that this would be a difficult place to manage traffic.
Mayor pro tem Strom asked the Town staff if the 75-foot buffer shown from Highway 54 was a requirement of the zone. Ms. Culpepper replied that it was a requirement of the Meadowmont master land use plan. Mayor pro tem Strom verified that the Meadowmont plan did not include a drive-through at this location. Ms. Culpepper explained that this was why the application would require a modification.
Council Member Hill congratulated Mr. Gurlitz on his design of the Senior Center on Homestead Road. He said that he agreed with Council Member Kleinschmidt’s comments about this design, however. Council Member Hill encouraged Mr. Gurlitz to design something that would be striking and attractive in the location.
Council Member Greene agreed with Council Member Hill’s comments about the Senior Center building, which she described as "spectacular." She also agreed with his and Council Member Kleinschmidt’s comments about the design of this building, noting that it would be at a prime entranceway to Chapel Hill and deserves a more distinctive design.
Mayor Foy pointed out that the Town had actively discouraged drive-throughs. He said the applicant would have to present the Council with a compelling reason for why they should permit one there. Mayor Foy explained that the carbon created by idling cars is one of the reasons for not permitting drive-throughs. He suggested that the applicant consider off-setting that by bringing this application in as a LEED gold certified building. Otherwise, he said, he did not see a reason to deviate from the Council’s general practice.
Council Member Ward expressed support for the approach that Mayor Foy had just mentioned. He also recommended a light colored roof, getting daylight into 75-95 percent of the interior spaces, and adding a number of other factors, which would not cost any more if they are part of the original concept.
Mayor pro tem Strom said, since it appears that the Meadowmont master plan would have to be altered for this scheme, the applicant might think about encroaching into the 75-foot buffer by moving the building closer to NC 54.
Mayor Foy complimented the applicant for the effort to reduce the number of parking spaces.
Council Member Ward wondered, with regard to Mayor pro tem Strom’s comments about looking into a narrower buffer, if entranceway art at that location might work with the project. Council Member Kleinschmidt agreed that the applicant might work with other developers in the area to do something like that. That entranceway "really needs a jewel," he said.
Mr. Campbell, with Gateway Banks, asked about Wachovia Bank and its approval. Ms. Culpepper replied that Wachovia would not have had the prominence that this bank would have. It was tucked away and sort of hidden on the other side of the road on a site that sloped downward, she said. Ms. Culpepper pointed out that it was in an area that one would not see in the way that this one could be seen.
Mayor Foy said that the Meadowmont master plan envisioned most of the entranceway looking like meadows, with the buildings and parking areas screened. But, this particular site is so prominent when a driver comes around the corner and into Chapel Hill that maybe it is not appropriate that it just be screened, he said.
Mayor pro tem Strom suggested that the applicant look back and read what the Town has done with public art and how it aspires for good design. There is a trade-off, he said, adding that the Council has confidence that Mr. Gurlitz could make an important statement. Mayor pro tem Strom encouraged the applicant to talk with Mr. Gurlitz about that.
COUNCIL MEMBER MARK KLEINSCHMIDT MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER JIM WARD, TO ADOPT R-3. THE MOTION WAS ADOPTED UNANIMOUSLY (9-0).
WHEREAS, a Concept Plan has been submitted for review by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill for the Gateway Bank and Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Council has heard presentations for the applicant, and citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Council has discussed the proposal, with Council members offering reactions and suggestions;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council transmits comments to the applicant regarding this proposal, as expressed by Council members during discussions on March19, 2007, and reflected in minutes of that meeting.
This the 19th day of March, 2007.