HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report STAFF REPORT
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Ordinance Section: Section 7.2, Off-street Parking Standards and Section 7.1.H,
General Provisions — Height — n' 7 Z5 e+ to rn
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PURPOSE: To reduce the required parking by 10 spaces and increase
the allowable building height by 7.25 feet.
LOCATION: 708 Eisenhower Street
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ZONING: R-6, High Density Multi-Family, currently developed as a church.
• North: R-6, High Density Multi-Family, currently developed as
single family homes.
• West: C-1, General Commercial, currently developed as a retail
and office center.
• East: R-2, Duplex Residential, currently developed as single family
homes.
• South: C-3, Light Commercial, currently developed as a retail and
office center.
Frontage: The property has approximately 160 feet of frontage on
Eisenhower Street.
Access: The property has no vehicular access.
VARIANCE INFORMATION v i-cd
Background: The church was -built- in the 1950s as the Second Baptist
Church of College Station; at this time, on-site parking was
not required. A Conditional Use Permit was issued in 1978
for the expansion of the facility to its existing size with a
shared parking agreement with the 707 Center. The site
currently has 3 buildings that house the main sanctuary and
the accessory uses for the church. The church is proposing
to redevelop the two original buildings; the sanctuary will
remain as it is. In 2003, a variance of 48 parking spaces was
granted for redevelopment of the property. 1 k SAVI C tVC+J
The current proposed redevelopment would include
replacing the two non-sanctuary buildings with one
multipurpose building which would result in the need of an
additional 10 parking spaces. The applicant has identified in
their application a request for 15 parking spaces, which they
based on the total square footage — 4,000 square feet.
60.
However, staff calculates the required parking for meeting
spaces based on the actual square footage of the rooms
\1) _S ki•� 4 � used for meeting space — 2,861 square feet. Therefore, for
'.) s t) this proposal, the variance request is for 10 parking
spaces.
NAdditionally, the proposed multipurpose building must meet
height restrictions for non-residential structures. When
adjacent to a single family use, the allowable height for non-
residential buildings is one-half its distance from the shared
property line. The church is requesting this variance as a
setback of 15.5 feet to meet the height requirement,
however, because the building would be located within the
214 'CO required district setbacks, this would actually be a building
3.-71;5 height variance. The church is requesting a building
2 0 25 height variance of 7.25 feet to locate the building at the
7.5-foot side building setback line with an 11-foot
building height. The allowable building height at this
location would be 3.75 feet.
SC/Hardship: The property owners have identified an existing playground
and 24" oak tree.
Alternatives: Construct site to standards and encroach on the playground
and tree.
Recommendation: Staff is recommending denial for both variance requests.
While staff supports the preservation of large caliper trees, it
does not appear that the demolition and construction on the
site can meet the City's requirements for barricading existing
trees for preservation.
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Responses�_ Received: 2 inquiries at the time of the staff report. Ce,fr ..[-r r
Floodplain: There is no identified FEMA/FIRM floodplain on this
property.
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Number of Property
Owners Notified: 21 N(1Y1.1 bv fL C1L'cu,,
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Ordinance Intent: The purpose of Section 7.2 Off-Street Parking Standards is
to establish the guidelines for off-street parking spaces
consistent with the proposed land use to:
1. Eliminate the occurrence of non-resident on-street
parking in adjoining neighborhoods;
2. Avoid the traffic congestion and public safety hazards
caused by a failure to provide such parking spaces; and
3. Expedite the movement of traffic on public
thoroughfares in a safe manner, thus increasing the
carrying capacity of the streets and reducing the amount
of land required for streets, thereby lowering the cost to
both the property owner and the City.
The purpose of Section 7.1.H General Provisions — Height is
to protect single family uses against height encroachment
from neighboring non-residential construction. This is to
protect against noise as well as privacy.
STAFF REPORT
Project Manager: Lindsay Boyer, Staff Planner Report Date: August 25, 2006
Email: lboyer@cstx.gov Meeting Date: September 5, 2006
Project Number: 06-00500169
APPLICANT: Veronica Morgan
REQUEST: Parking and Building Height
LOCATION: 708 Eisenhower Street
PURPOSE: To reduce the required parking by 10 spaces and increase
the allowable building height by 7.25 feet.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Status of Applicant: Engineer for the owner
Property Owner: College Station Chinese Church
Applicable
Ordinance Section: Section 7.2, Off-street Parking Standards and Section 7.1.H,
General Provisions — Height
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Zoning and Land Use
• Subject Property: R-6, High Density Multi-Family, currently developed as a
church.
• North: R-6, High Density Multi-Family, currently developed as a
church.
• West: C-1, General Commercial, currently developed as a retail
and office center.
• East: R-2, Duplex Residential, currently developed as single
family homes.
• South: C-3, Light Commercial, currently developed as a retail and
office center.
Frontage: The property has approximately 160 feet of frontage on
Eisenhower Street.
Access: The property has no vehicular access.
Topography
& Vegetation: The property is relatively flat and there is limited vegetation
except for a 24" oak tree.
Floodplain: There is no identified FEMA/FIRM floodplain on this
property.
VARIANCE INFORMATION
Background: The church was built in the 1950s as the Second Baptist
Church of College Station; at this time, on-site parking was
not required. A Conditional Use Permit was issued in 1978
for the expansion of the facility to its existing size with a
shared parking agreement with the 707 Center. The site
currently has 3 buildings that house the main sanctuary and
the accessory uses for the church. The church is proposing
to redevelop the two original buildings; the sanctuary will
remain as it is. In 2003, a variance of 48 parking spaces was
granted for redevelopment of the property.
The current proposed redevelopment would include
replacing the two non-sanctuary buildings with one
multipurpose building which would result in the need of an
additional 10 parking spaces. The applicant has identified in
their application a request for 15 parking spaces, which they
based on the total square footage — 4,000 square feet.
However, staff calculates the required parking for meeting
spaces based on the actual square footage of the rooms
used for meeting space — 2,861 square feet. Therefore, for
this proposal, the variance request is for 10 parking
spaces.
Additionally, the proposed multipurpose building must meet
height restrictions for non-residential structures. When
adjacent to a single family use, the allowable height for non-
residential buildings is one-half its distance from the shared
property line. The church is requesting this variance as a
setback of 15.5 feet to meet the height requirement,
however, because the building would be located within the
required district setbacks, this would actually be a building
height variance. The church is requesting a building
height variance of 7.25 feet to locate the building at the
7.5-foot side building setback line with an 11-foot
building height. The allowable building height at this
location would be 3.75 feet.
ANALYSIS
Special Conditions: The property owners have identified an existing playground
and 24" oak tree.
Hardships: The applicant has identified that the site is constrained due
to the location of the playground and the oak tree.
Alternatives: Construct site to standards and encroach on the playground
and tree.
Recommendation: Staff is recommending denial for both variance requests.
While staff supports the preservation of large caliper trees, it
does not appear that the demolition and construction on the
site can meet the City's requirements for barricading existing
trees for preservation. Staff does not believe that the tree
can be preserved during redevelopment.-check with
ross
SPECIAL INFORMATION
Ordinance Intent: The purpose of Section 7.2 Off-Street Parking Standards is
to establish the guidelines for off-street parking spaces
consistent with the proposed land use to:
1. Eliminate the occurrence of non-resident on-street
parking in adjoining neighborhoods;
2. Avoid the traffic congestion and public safety hazards
caused by a failure to provide such parking spaces; and
3. Expedite the movement of traffic on public
thoroughfares in a safe manner, thus increasing the
carrying capacity of the streets and reducing the
amount of land required for streets, thereby lowering the
cost to both the property owner and the City.
The purpose of Section 7.1.H General Provisions — Height is
to protect single family uses against height encroachment
from neighboring non-residential construction. This is to
protect against noise as well as privacy.
Similar Requests: The church requested and received a variance for 48
parking spaces in 2003.
Number of Property
Owners Notified: 21
Responses Received: 2 inquiries at the time of the staff report.
ATTACHMENTS