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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence MITCHELL MORGAN City of College Station November 21, 2007 Planning & Zoning Commission City Council do Development Services 1101 S. Texas Ave. College Station, Texas 77840 Re: Comprehensive Plan Amendment for Lots 9, 10 and 11, Block 3 of the Redmond Terrace First Installment Subdivision and a 10 foot wide side strip adjoining the northwest lot line of said Lot 11 Dear Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council: We are currently considering the purchase and redevelopment of the corner tract at the northeast corner of Redmond Drive and Texas Avenue. It is the location of the old Summit gas station and car wash, which has recently been demolished. This property has recently been placed back on the market and we would like to incorporate this property into the adjacent mixed use development and develop it as a single master planned site. Why request a Comprehensive Plan Amendment? Our desire is to redevelop the site into an urban mixed use development with the mix of uses consisting of retail, restaurants, and residential attached housing. In order to accomplish this concept, we must first amend the Comprehensive Land Use Plan because the current zoning and land use do not allow this concept to occur on this land. Currently, the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Exhibit A—first panel) on this tract reflects Regional Retail as the most appropriate land use. In order to permit the desired mixed use concept, staff has indicated that the land use category most appropriate at this location is Redevelopment. According to the Comprehensive Plan, Redevelopment is defined as "Currently developed areas which will experience redevelopment as a result of increased land value. Redevelopment will occur as mixed use developments as described previously. Mixed-use redevelopment areas are projected for areas close to the University, such as Northgate." Therefore, our request before you is to amend the Comprehensive Plan for these lots from Regional Retail to Redevelopment. What are the changed conditions that warrant a Comprehensive Plan Amendment? Regional Retail Two changed conditions have occurred recently that warrant this Comprehensive Plan Amendment. First, the subject property has recently been placed on the market for sale, and secondly the adjacent property has recently changed from Retail Regional to 511 UNIVERSITY DRIVE EAST,SUITE 204 • COLLEGE S ATION,TX 77840• T 979.260.6963 • E 979.260.3564 CIVIL ENGINEERING • HYDRAULICS • HYDROLOGY • UTILITIES • STREETS • SITE PLANS • SUBDIVISIONS info©mitchellandmorgan.com • www.mitchellandmorgan.com Redevelopment on the Plan. As discussed during the adjacent Ramada Inn property rezoning to Planned Mixed Use development, this area is prime for redevelopment. We would like to incorporate this corner tract with the overall adjacent sites redevelopment scheme rather than have it redevelop as an independent lot. However, with the current zoning category of C-1, General Commercial on the property it is not possible to accomplish that plan. Rather the Comprehensive Plan would need to depict this site as Redevelopment rather than simply Retail Regional. With this new plan designation of Redevelopment, the overall mixed use concept with retail regional on the bottom floor with multi-family housing above can be accomplished. As discussed during the adjacent property Comprehensive Plan amendment, it appears that this property, given its' age, its' location near TAMU, the recent adjacent Texas Avenue reconstruction project and the current status of the property, make it prime for redevelopment. The question at hand is what type of redevelopment should occur on the property and is Regional Retail still the most appropriate land use category for this site. The City has indicated a desire to encourage development of student housing closer to campus in an effort to reduce vehicle trips per day on the city transportation system. At the same time, the City has expressed a desire to encourage retail along Texas Avenue and other major transportation corridors in an effort to minimize traffic impacts from retailers on neighborhoods. With this location both near campus, it makes sense that a mixed use development which allows both uses is desirable. Unfortunately, Regional Retail does not allow this mix of uses, but the land use category of Redevelopment does allow this development type. How does the proposed Land Use change further the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan? The use as proposed with a developer having a strong track record in the development of student housing is an exciting use. There are several Comprehensive Plan goals and objectives that would be positively impacted with this development at this location. Itemized below are several of the goals and objective statements from the current Plan that appear to be furthered: Land Use Goals and Objectives Goal #1 - College Station should continue to provide and locate adequate amounts of appropriately zoned land for all necessary types of land uses in an efficient, convenient, harmonious, and ecologically sound manner. ❖ Objective 1.3 - College Station should continue to avoid strip commercial development (such as that along Texas Avenue) and encourage centralized commercial development which encourages multi-modal access. 2 Goal #2 - College Station should continue to provide for the orderly development of existing and future land uses. ❖ Objective 2.4 - College Station should develop zoning districts which allow a mixture of residential and non-residential uses which complement and support each other with appropriate buffering. Goal #3 - College Station should continue to protect, preserve and enhance existing and future neighborhoods. ❖ Objective 3.3- College Station should encourage mixed-use developments which provide for an appropriate combination of residential and support uses. Transportation Goals and Objectives Goal #1 - College Station should balance the development of-all modes of transportation to assure the fast, convenient, efficient and safe movement of people and goods to, from, and within the community while continuing to protect the integrity of neighborhoods. ❖ Objective 1.8 - College Station should work to encourage the reduction of travel through demand management techniques systems for such as carpooling and van-pooling. Goal #2 -College Station should continue to ensure the development, maintenance and operation of a safe, efficient and effective transportation system to serve the City. ❖ Objective 2.1 - College Station should continue to develop and maintain a transportation planning process which addresses long range needs and emphasizes short and mid-range problem-solving. Goal #5 - College Station should provide for the safe movement of pedestrians and bicyclists within College Station. ❖ Objective 5.1 - College Station should continue to encourage the use of alternate modes of transportation to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion, including transit, bicycle, and pedestrian. 3 Goal #6 - College Station should continue to work with the Brazos valley Transit System and the University to provide for efficient bus service within the community. ❖ Objective 6.1 - College Station should encourage the use of transit to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion by supporting things such as: a. Mass transit facilities for existing and new developments. b. Texas A& M University Shuttle and Urban Trolley transit service between all residential areas, the University, retail and employment centers, and between regional destinations ❖ Objective 6.2 - College Station should examine and promote land use concepts which enhance transit usage. Why is this Land Use more appropriate than the existing Land Use? There are certain physical and economic constraints limiting the redevelopment of this property solely for retail/restaurant uses, which is that allowed by the current land use category, as well as some added benefits to including this property with the overall adjacent mixed use project. Some of these constraints and benefits are as follows. ❖ The depth of the property limits the retail/restaurant uses to smaller tenants. If developed as a stand alone retail/restaurant use, at best this property would have a single shared access location with the adjacent mixed use property. The property if individually developed would not desire any additional shared access points as it would diminish the ability to adequately park the site. ❖ When developed as part of the mixed use project the amount of retail square footage that can be accomplished on the site increases dramatically. A recent potential development on the subject property was able to place a 4600 square foot restaurant on the site, while only minimally meeting parking requirements. With the site being incorporated into the overall mixed use development, access and parking are much improved and the retail component with the mixed use development increases from 36,990 square feet to 47,000 square feet or over 10,000 square feet, supporting an increase of 3600 square feet over an individually developed site. ❖ Probably more important than the increased square feet of retail use is the overall traffic circulation and parking layout that can be achieved if this property is developed as part of a master planned site. All too often sites develop adjacent to an individually owned and developed "corner tract". These corners usually develop with less than adequate site circulation and parking, leaving a less than desirable traffic circulation pattern and often times parking inadequacies that spill over into adjacent sites. Anytime a small tract can be developed along with a larger master planned development it is much more desirable. Case in point are the restaurant outparcels developed as part of the Gateway shopping center. These restaurant and retail outparcels were all individually developed and not really developed as part of an overall master planned shopping center. Had they developed as part of the shopping center with cross parking easements and parking count established under the shopping center definition, the parking problem that most of them are experiencing could have been avoided. 4 The highest and best use of the property is that of a mixed use concept that can be incorporated and master planned with the adjacent property. At best, the site as it currently stands alone could only support a small retailer or restaurant with only minimal cross access. Small sites such as these are best incorporated, when feasible, into larger tracts such that they can be master planned as a whole, rather than having a small outparcel that is independently owned and developed. We believe that this property being incorporated into the adjacent mixed use urban development with a ground floor retail component anchoring an innovative student housing redevelopment this close to TAMU is the most appropriate and more importantly a very exciting land use for this property. We appreciate your consideration of our request and if you have any questions please feel free to call 260-6963. iii Sin•s ely, of a 1 .�9 f Veronica J.B. 7.rgan, ' E Managing Partner Cc: Richard Rainer, Excel Commercial Real Estate, LLC Paul Thrower, Megaclose, USA Tom Keenan, TCK Realty Corp. Jerry Tipps, RS&J, Inc. Chuck Ellison, Ellison Law file 5 E-mail Correspondence From: Jason Schubert To: rainer@excelcommercial.com Date: 2/11/2008 10:39 AM Subject: Redmond Terrace applications Mr. Rainer, I received your fax from late Friday afternoon regarding the request to not have Council consider the rezoning request this Thursday for what is the redevelopment of the Ramada Inn property here in College Station. I would like to confirm that this request also applies to the Comprehensive Plan Amendment request in addition to the rezoning. Please let me know. Thanks, Jason Jason Schubert, AICP Staff Planner Planning & Development Services City of College Station tel: 979.764.3570 fax: 979.764.3496 www.cstx.gov From: "Richard Rainer" <rainer@excelcommercial.com> To: "'Jason Schubert' <Jschubert@cstx.gov> CC: "Tom Keenan' <t.c.keenan@gmail.com>, "'Jeff Harris" <Jeff@ellisonlaw.com>, "'Veronica Morgan' <v@mitchellandmorgan.com>, <p.thrower@yahoo.co.uk>, "'Clay McDaniel" <cmcdaniel@excelcommercial.com> Date: 2/11/2008 2:05 PM Subject: RE: Redmond Terrace applications Nothing should go before Council regarding lots 9, 10 or 11 of the Redmond Terrance Subdivision. From: Jason Schubert To: alittlepage@excelcommercial.com Date: 2/11/2008 3:09 PM Subject: Redmond Terrace properties Amy, This is to confirm that I have received your request to pull your Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Rezoning Map Amendment items from this Thursday's (Feb 14th) City Council Agenda. These items pertain to Lots 9, 10 and 11 of the Redmond Terrace Subdivision. If they are to proceed in the future, they will only do so upon written request from your office. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Jason Feb . 8 . 2008 5 : 36Pv EXCEL COMvERCIAL REAL ESTATE LLC No 8754 P . 1 th—kr �r , ne rI I;1 1r 11. [04.4 rye 'r • ' or i. ,,` ,,y z Date: Friday, February 08, 2008 To: Jason Schubert, Staff planner City of College Station FAX: 979-764-3496 From: BKXL Partners No. 2 Ltd. RICHARD RAINER 6363 Woodway suite 950 Houston, TX 77057 Phone: 713-458r-5151 Fax: 713-458-5152 rainer@excelcommercial.com Pages: 4 Subject: Zoning Map Amendment (Rezoning) Application Please accept this fax as written authorization to withdraw the Zoning Map Amendment (Rezoning) Application for lots 9,10 and 11 of Block 3 of the Redmond Terrace First Installment Subdivision. BKXL Partners No. 2 Ltd., currently desires City Council to NOT consider the Rezoning of these lots. Will you please provide written confirmation that this Rezoning application or any related request for rezoning will not be presented to City Council as currently scheduled for Thursday, February 14, 2008 nor any future day without the written request of BKXL Partners No. 2, Ltd. Contact information above. THANK YOU