Planning commission approves Overland West office building after stormwater and sewer questions

The Washington Terrace Planning Commission approved a site plan for the Overland West office building at 343 East 5700 South following discussion about sewer connections, storm-drain capacity and easements.

Commissioners and staff focused on how the project will combine two lots into a single parcel, how sewer and stormwater will be routed off the site, and who will maintain any new publicly accessible strips and utilities during and after construction.

Commissioners said the developer will combine two lots into one and submit a new plat to remove the existing lot line. The building's lower level was described as a partially below-grade, walk-out level; sanitary sewer was originally planned to discharge toward 5700 South, an elevation the meeting characterized as about 14 feet higher than the building pad. To avoid that grade differential, the applicant proposed using an existing stub to run sewer and storm lines under nearby property to Adams Avenue, staff said.

City staff and the city engineer flagged storm-drain capacity and sizing as the principal technical concern. The city engineer has required the applicant to perform hydrologic and hydraulic calculations to confirm the existing storm-drain system can accept additional runoff, and to design on-site controls so the project will not increase flood or erosion risk to properties below the site. Commissioners said the developer has proposed underground retention and infiltration measures designed to meet the 100-year rain-event standard for the site, and that local sandy soils could aid percolation.

Site plan documents discussed at the meeting show a 10-foot rear drainage easement and that the drainage route ultimately enters city right-of-way. Staff said areas in the city right-of-way are the city's responsibility while the adjacent park strip (the narrow landscaped area between sidewalk and street) remains the property owner's maintenance responsibility. Several commissioners also noted the contractor should fence the site during construction and likely will need to replace or repair sidewalk segments disturbed by work.

Commissioners discussed the building's intended use. Presenters said the building would be a corporate office for a company that operates auto-rental franchises; the lower-level garages will be for executive parking and a small on-site vehicle cleaning area intended for light cleaning only, not vehicle maintenance or sales.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the site plan for the Overland West office building at 343 East 5700 South; another commissioner seconded. The commission approved the motion by voice vote with no recorded roll-call tally and no recorded opposition. The motion passed.

Next steps noted at the meeting: the applicant must file a new plat to combine the two lots, provide final engineering information (including sewer and storm-drain plans) for city-engineer review, and satisfy the city's stormwater retention and drainage easement requirements before final building permits are issued.