That the proposed use will not be injurious to the reasonable use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity for the purposes already permitted, or substantially diminish and impair property values within the neighborhood.
With less than 20 employees expected to work in the building, and given the nature of the services being provided to the public, on most days, there will in all likelihood be less than 10 visitors to the building – far fewer than most of the physician office spaces already existing within Sugar Camp.
In developing the tree and landscape plan for the site, special attention was given to enhancing the landscaping along W. Schantz Avenue, screening the parking lot, and establishing a vegetation buffer along the hillside on the east side of the site between the building and the Pointe Oakwood residential area. Of equal importance is the fact that most of the existing large canopy trees on the site will be maintained.
The proposed use at the specified location will not significantly adversely affect the use and development of adjacent and nearby properties in accordance with the regulations of the district in which they are located. The location, size and height of proposed buildings and other structures, and the operation of the use will not significantly adversely affect the use and development or hinder the appropriate development of adjacent and nearby properties.
This could potentially be the last commercial building constructed on the Sugar Camp campus and its proposed use is consistent with the existing office space on the site. The size and height of the proposed building along with the exterior building materials complement the existing buildings at Sugar Camp.
That the exterior architectural appeal and functional plan of any proposed structure will not be so at variance with either the exterior architectural appeal and functional plan of the structures already constructed or in the course of construction in the immediate neighborhood, or the character of the applicable district as to cause a substantial depreciation in the property values within the neighborhood.
The Comprehensive Plan suggests that architecture and landscaping treatments should be compatible with the surrounding existing development. As already mentioned, the existing buildings are more than 48 years old and the applicant is proposing a building which, while being sensitive to the other buildings in the immediate area, is also distinctive in its appearance, reflecting 21st century architecture. The primary exterior building material is a buff-colored limestone that compliments the stone on the existing Sugar Camp buildings.
The applicant has also gone to great lengths to preserve as many of the mature trees as possible. Along W. Schantz Avenue where vegetation screening already exists, dead trees and underbrush will be removed and enhanced with more aesthetically pleasing plant material. Likewise, a substantial tree and vegetation screen will be planted along the hillside on the east side of the site.
That adequate utilities, access roads, off-street parking and loading facilities, drainage and/or other necessary facilities, have been or are being provided at the applicant's cost.
Consistent with the Settlement Agreement signed earlier this year the building will be accessed from Sugar Camp Circle. Parking, drainage, utilities and the roadway serving the building directly are being provided at the applicant's expense. The applicant has also minimized the size of the parking lot to reflect the use of the building and expected parking demand. The building owners also have a cross-lease with OIG to use existing Sugar Camp parking spaces on those rare instances when demand may exceed capacity.