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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes YlINUTES .CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS Plarlningand Zonirlg Cornmission September 18, 1986 7:00P..M. MEMBERS PRESENT: CllairnlanKais e.r , Members Stewart, Brochu, MacG i Ivray,Sawte 11 eand \f\lendl er Melube rDress er Ass is tantDi rector of PI anrlingCallaway, Assistant City AttorneyElnlore,City. Engineer Pullen and PlanningT.echnic :Lan..Vol k ~fEMBERS ABSENT: STAFFPRESENT( Approval of Minutes -meeting of September 4, 1986. Mr. Wendler made amotion to approve the minutes as presented; Mr. MacGil vray seco.nde: the motion which carried by a vote of 5-0-1 (Brocllu absent at last nleeting). AGENDA ITEM NO.2: Hear visitors. No.jone..spoke. AGENDA ITEM NO.3: 86-803: A public hearing on the .,question of granting. Project ..PIan..Approval for..a.proposedproject in a C-N Neighborhood Bu.siriess Dis,tr.ict located on Lots 12&13 Block T University Park II, located at the northwest.comer of the intersection of University. Drive and Spring .Loop.Proposed project is a small> shopping center. Applicant is Mack Randolph. Mr. Callaway explained the proposed project,pointingoutthattheC-N district regulat ionsrequi re approval of both site plan and .. proposed use by theConuniss ion. He continued by explaining that thisproposal.provicles..for a 4200 square foot neigllborhoodshoppingcenter;theonlyuseproposed attllis time is a convenience store with gasoline sales, with the balance of the center, app. 1700 square feet, remaining as lease space>. Mr. Callaway stated that staff recommends approval of this proposal with P.R.C. conditions,andwouldfurtllerrecommend that tllis Commission appr.ove categories of uses for the lease space to preclude the necessity of additional 11earings to consider future tenants for tIle remaining leasespace(s). Mr. Brochu referred to the proposed second curb cut from Spring Loop to this project Wllichis shaded ill 011 the site plan. ~1r.Callaway explained that location alld nlUDber of curb cuts are determined by the City Engineer who has determined in tllis case tllat there will be only one curb cut allowed to this project. He added that tIle applicant and owner are appealing this determination to the City Council, but the action taken by tlleCOlIwisson tonigllt does not require consideration of the outcome of that appeal. Mrs. Sawtelle and. Mr. MacGilvray both expressed concern regarding the location of the gasoline pumps alld the number of parking spaces whicll necesst tate somuell pavement on this site. Mr. Callaway explained thatthenwnberof parking spaces supplied only meets ordinance requirements. 1 .. Mr. Kaiser then. re--explained that uses in a C-N zoning district are to be approved by this Comlllission, as" well as site plans. He added that if only a convenience store is approved at this. location tonight, any other use (tenant} in the remainder of this facility, will have to comeback before tIllS COlmnission for approval. HesUIDnlarized by stating that in his opinion, itwoulclbe appropriate for other uses at this locationtobeal)proved .at this Ineeting.. ThepublichearingwasopeXled. C11arlieBurris, architect and a:pplicant for owner, MackRandolpllJcameforwardandofferedtoansweranyqu~estions tIle Connnission lllight have. Mrs.Sawtellemention.ed>theappearance ofcoIlgestion on this site, andMr" BurrisexplaiIled that he agrees tllat.tlle site is r~atllertight,butinforrned 11er tllat lle hadworlredwith City staff and this plan meets all criteria of the Ci ty . Mr. Wendler asked whyh~or the owner are asking for . the additional. curb cut. Mr. Burris explained that <although are . no actual tenants ... fc}r this site, that curb cut would allow' a drive-tllrougllwindow for a fast food pickup faci Ii ty if the space was leased to that.. type of ,tenant. No one elses:Q()ke. The . public . hearing.was ..closed. Mr . Brochu stated that he has no problem .with this project, and added that he was a part of a special conunittee which studiedthis.area and Dladethe determination that this site might be appropriate for corumercialdevelopment Mr. Callaway readfromtheordiIlance the list of other uses wllichareallowed in C-Ndistricts. Mr. Brochu then made amotion to approve thisprojectwithP.R.C.recommendations, with uses to be limited to those listed in the C-:N zoning district requirenlentsill Ordinance 1638. Mr. Stewart seconded the motion. Mr. MacGilvray.saidheis still bothered by the congestiononthesite,tllat28 parking spaces seem excessive for a project of this nature, and the location of the gas pumps might make them easy to hit. Mr · Broc}lupointedoutordinancerequiresthenumberofparking spaces shown; Mr. Wendler stated the location of the gas pumps is.notunlike any other convenience store in tllisCity. Votes were cast and tIle motion to approve this project wi th P.R.C. recommendations and uses to be limited to those forC-N zoning districts listed in Ordinallce1638....carriedunanimously (6-0) . AGENDA ITEM NO.4: 86-112: Reconsideration o.f the question of rezoning a ...15.44. acre tract of land located west of Dartmouth Drive, east of the extension of Cornell Drive and north of the Brentwoodsubdivision from R-2DuplexResidential to Planned Unit Development (P.U.D.) No.2. Applicant is Bill Scasta for owners David & Kelli Lewis. (Item tabled at meeting of 9-4-86). Mr. Wendler made amotion to take this item from its tabled position; Mr. Brochu secondedthemotionwllich carried unaIlimotlsly (6-0). Mr. Kaiser explained that although this is not a public hearing, he will invite t)oth Mr. Scasta and any ci tizenfromthe immediate neigllborhood to offer brief comments. Mr. Callaway briefly. explained the differences between this proposal and the proposal which was tabled as the last meeting, adding that staff recommends approval of this proposal with the conditions listed in the PresubmissionConference report, and the 5 conditions listed in the staff report which are (l)Finalsubmission must include provisions for a Homes Association; (2}Stages of stage construction must be reflected on the final development plans; (3)ActualLandUse Intensity Ratio calculations DIUSt be provided for each structure prior to construction; (4)All site development must comply with standards established in Ordinance 1638; and, (5)Final subnlission should inc1udecomplete site plans for all lots within that stage, or if' not available, the P&ZMinutes 9~18~86 Page 2 .j!; . CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1986 PAGE 4 COl.1ncilmqhTongco seconded the. motion which was. approved Uhan'- imously,6-0,with Councilman. Bond absent. Agenda Item No. 8 - Consideration of allowing an>additional curb cut >reql.1~sted>for a COmmercial> sIte located at Spring . Loop and University Driv.e. Mayor.Ringerstated . that.. this :item is .. before. the Council at the request< of the>applicqntMackRandolph,appealing the. City Engi- neer's decision to deny a second curb Gut. on. Spring Loop for a proposed development. City Engineer David PUllen pointed out. th~subject area as shown on . the. map. . . The site is located at the corner of Spring Loop and University Drive and also the intersection of Lincoln Street ex- tension. He stated that the. State Highway Department will be letting bids for widening University Drive to Lincoln Street intersection. There may eventually be alighted intersection at that point. Mr... Pullen reviewedt.he background concerning the rezoning and replat.ting. of this> property. IieexpTainedthat. the applicant re- ceived approval. fQra>drive acc~sson Spring Loop opposite April Bloom. However, one of the pot.ential users of the site requires a drive'-thru window, for which purpose the developer has proposed a second access drive in back of the site. Mr. Pullen discussed setback. requirements and. how they apply to this situation.. He stated that he and the traffic engineer were concerned . with the setbacks, and with the volume of traffic and traffic speed. A current setback policy has been prepared and ac- cording to the criteria, the nearest drive accesS to Spring Loop on University Drive would be 350 feet. The minimal space re- quired between University Drive and the Spring Loop driveway centerline would be approximately 160 feet. Mr. Pullen pointed out that the driveway is acceptable under the policy; however, the driveway would be blocked by a stack of seven vehicles or more waiting for left-turn or straight-through movements at the University Drive intersection. He stated his Concern also for the minimal sight distance of the motorists approaching from two directions.. Mr _ Pullen pointed out that the speed of traffic will increase with the addi tion ofatraff iclight , rather than decrease · He mentioned several situations that . could create traffic problems ;-- CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1986 PAGE 5 at the site. . He stated that the stctff did not feel the site met any of the v.a:t..iancec()nsid~rations.allowedby the. City Code. Councilman Brown asked. if tlNO . Parking" signs painted along the curb would help eliminate SOrneofthe . problem. Mr. Pullen re- plied that this could be done, but noted that the street is 47-foat.wide ..andserves.... .as an.urba.n collector street. Architect Charlie Burris, representing the owner Mack Randolph, commentedaboutthedevelopment<flexibility allowed by ordinance in the ..eity poliex, > and stated that . the zoning for. this tract allows fora restaurant with off-premise food consumption only , which refers toadrive-thru facility . He explained that the owner has a tenant who is interest.edin.. this .. type of space and who will need the requested drive access. The primary use pro- posed for the site is for acoriven.ience store requiring a fuel is.land.. Mr. Burris stated that they have designed 15 . different concepts addressing every conceivable approach < for site. usage. The owner feels . that .. the.requestedadditional >one-wayexit-only curb cut onto Spring. Loop will not generate additional traffic ;he pro- poses to use. signage<indicating "exit only". .. Also ,the owner is willing to adds.ignage <at the~ntry.. indicatingdrive-thru only. Mr. Burris stated ,that the owner intends to. use landscaping and curb cut design itself to deter entry off Spring <I.oop. Mr . Burris pointed out that one of the, concerns of the city staff relates to the proposed. location for the dumpster. He stated that<BobEpps has approved the dumpster locationbehlnd the pro- posed building, as well as an alternate location that would be avai lablebyplac ingthedurnpster .on a vacant pad behind the apartment complex adjacent to the site. Mr. Burris added that .the owner was requesting the Council to demonstrate an atti'tudeof development and promotion of new busi- nesseswhileupholdingthe citizens'rightsand safety. Councilman Haddox asked Mr. Burristtoexplaintheeffect on the flow of traffic if an additional curb cut were granted. Mr · Burris replied that at this time, the layout shows a convenience store as the center of the complex. The store will have a fuel island. The owner of the development will landscape and camou- flage the curb cut to deter motorists from turning the wrong way ." PAGE 6 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1986 through the. d:t;ive-thru. Mr. Burris stated his op1nlon that there would not be atra.ffie hazard at this location. possible alternatives tathe proposal were suggested anddis- cussed. Mr. Burris indicated that some control could be pro- vided<by designofthedrive-thr:u. He stated his hope that by roi nimizingthesi zeofthedrive-thru, the drive-thruwouldbe used only for the intended purpose and not asa convenient lane for entering. and exiting the parking lot. Councilman Jones commented that she could not see Mr. Eandolph' s request as an <insurmountableprob.lem. Councilman Boughtonstated.thatthecouncil has previously denied additional curb cut requests. Councilman Tongco added that curb cut variances have.been granted with the consideration of safety involved. Mr . Burris commented that examples of two curb cuts can be seen around the city. He referred to the danger factor of the curb cuts by the Hilton. Counei lmanBough ton asked if thee f fort has been made to place the building in a.c.Hfferent position on the lot. Mr. Burris replied that he drew a number of design options for this site; he added that the final plan has been changed six times. Mayor- Ringer stated that the staff has established criteria for curb cuts based onsa.fety considerat.ions. . He said that the coun- cilmay disagreewi-th the statements about safety and feel there are unique characteristics of the site and ,as a consequence, may ove.rrule the City Engineer's denial. Councilman Brown asked City EngineerPullenifa.secondcurb cut could be designed for right turn only. Mr. Pullen replied that the right turn only lane would help therest.rictivenessof the problem, but with the small space, the motorists may have a problem turning into the right lane. He further stated that he would not see a problem with the curb cut if "no parking I' was painted on the curb, and drive ac- cess made to aright hand turn, but in order for this to happen, the building may need to be relocated. He stated his opinion that the motorists will be able to make a right turn into the center lane, but cannot make a 360 degree right turn. He added that this does not mean all vehicles, just the standard design vehicle.. Councilman Haddox moved approval of the additional curb cut with the provision that the developer will make necessary procedures ~ CITY. COUNCIL...REGULAR..MEETING T HlJRSDAY,SE PTEMBER. ....25,19 86 PAGE 7 to obtain a right turn only lane at. the second curb cut, with proper.......signage. Brown seconded .the..ffiotion..'which .wasapproved by a vote Councilmen Haddox, Tongco, Jones, Mayor-Ringer, .CouncilmanBough ton Agenda Item No. 9 -Cons.ideratiol1 of.. a> change order .forthe repair of the Texas Avenue Elevated Water. Tank. City ManageriCole .stated that the change . order is for addition- al>fundsneededfor.correcting"rust-outs". Inspections have re- vealedthatthe inside of the tank is in worse shape than antici- patedwhen the bid specifications were written. councilman Tongcomovedapproval .ofthe$9,100.00 change order for the repair of the Texas Avenue Elevated Water Tank. Councilman<Boughton seconded themot.ion which was approved unan- imously..,..6-0... Agenda Item No. 10 Consideration of authorizing the City Manager to renew ..theCity's.. .Workers'..Compensation....Pol icy. City ManagerColenoted.that the workers' compensation policy is due for renewal the end of September. A proposal has beenre- ceivedfromtheTexasPoliticalSubdivision and staf.f is request- ing direction from the council. Assistant Finance Director Glenn Schroeder presented a summary of the proposed c.ontract and discussed the two plans available: (1) a guaranteed cost plan, which the City has carried previously ; and, (2) the cash flow plan. He explained that the costs paid to the Texas Political Subdi- vision under the guaranteed cost plan is a manual premium deter- mined by the city's total budgeted payroll and rates provided by the state insurance board . The city' s experience modifier is applied to the manual premium to determine a discounted premium. He stated that. the experience modifier over the last five years is 50-60% which indicates the city's experience in the area of workers'compensation claims is very.. good. He further stated that an adjus tment is made at the end of the insurance year on the basis of the city's actual payroll; generally, the budgeted