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Planning and Zoning Commission
CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
City Hall Council Room
December 15, 1994
7:00 P.M.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Acting Chairman Hall, Commissioners Lane, Garner, Gribou, and Lightfoot. Commissioners
absents Chairman Hawthorne and Commissioner Smith.
STAFF PRESENT: City Planner Kee, Assistant City Engineer Morgan, Project Engineer McCully, Transportation
Planner Hard, Senior Planner Kuenzel, Staff Planner Dunn and Development Coordinator Volk.
Approval of minutes -meeting of December 1, .1994.
Commissioner Garner made a motion to approve the minutes. Commissioner Gribou seconded the motion which
carried unanimously (5-0).
Consideration of a Request for Variances to the driveway throat length, curbing of a section of the parking lot
and the location of a landscaping island (as required by the Driveway Ordinance and the Zoning Ordinance) in a
proposed parking lot to be located. at 3.15 Church Street. Request for the variances is in the name of Paul J.
Clarke.-
Engineering Project Manager McCully identified the subject property on a slide and gave the staff report referring to
the memo enclosed in the packets. He explained that the first variance he would address would be the driveway
throat length, and pointed out that while the ordinance would require 25 feet, the size of the lot allows only 1 2
feet. He added that due to the small size of the site and the negative impact on site circulation strict adherence to
the ordinance would cause, staff would recommend approval of this variance. He then addressed the second
variance request, that of allowing this lot to be built without curbing along the frontage with Second Street. He
pointed out that while some sites in the Northgate area do not have curbing, staff fees very strongly that curbing
should be required as parking is developed in the area to help preclude a probable drainage problem which could be
caused by using only wheel stops,. to promote better visual and maintenance aspects on this site., and to better
define the driving area on the street from the parking area on this lot. He stated that staff strongly opposes this
variance because of the probable negative impact on appearance and drainage in this highly congested area of the
City.
Mr. McCully then briefly addressed the third request, that of allowing the "end" island to be placed at a spot other
than the end of a parking row. He stated that while moving the island to the end may cause backing out of the last
space a little more difficult, staff would recommend denial of the request because the zoning ordinance is based on
defining parking areas, and softening the. end view of parking. rows helps avoid that "car lot" appearance.
Chairman Hall recognized that while this item is not a public hearing item, he would still open the meeting to the
public, and did so. Applicant for the variance requests, Paul J. Clarke, came forward and explained his reasons for
asking for the request were both for practical reasons, as well as financial. He stated the he would not linger on
the subject of the throat length because staff had already addressed all pertinent facts, but went on to the curbing
variance request. He explained that while he would admit that curbing might help control drainage from the site,
and he has been informed that he would have to provide some detention in the parking lot anyway, so some
curbing would be required, he would like to point out that the: grade difference between the driving surface of
Second Street and the surface of his parking lot is quite steep, and he thinks curbing up high on the parking lot
would look funny with a sharp drop-off to the street level. He said it would be difficult to install landscaping in that
small, steep area as well. He then skipped on the third request -that of allowing a parking space between the
island and the fence and explained that because of the "tightness" of the site, and the angle of the fencing in
relation to the angle of the parking space, the chances of someone backing into the fence become greater with the
island on the end than they are with a parking island on the end designated for the handicapped.
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After brief discussion, Commissioner Gribou stated that he would like to make three motions; one for each request,
rather than to make one motion all inclusive.
He moved to approve the request for a variance to the throat length. Commissioner Lightfoot seconded the motion
which carried unanimously (5-0).
Commissioner Gribou then moved to deny the request for variance to the curbing.- Commissioner Lightfoot
seconded the motion. Commissioner Gribou-asked Mr. McCully for clarification as the location of the required
curbing. Mr. McCully responded by pointing it out on a slide. Votes were cast with the result being a vote of 5-0
in favor of denying the request.
Commissioner Gribou made a motion to grant the request for variance to the island location. Commissioner Garner
seconded the motion.. Commissioner Gribou then explained that in his opinion, due to the design of this site, the
only choices are to eliminate the space completely or to leave the design as submitted. Commissioner Lightfoot
repairs to the fence and curb would be required continuously if the island were placed on the end, and thinks more
damage and unsightly appearance would be the result. Votes were cast with the result being 5-0 in favor of
granting the request.
Other business.
There was no other business, but everyone wished everyone else a happy holiday season.
Adjourn.
The meeting was adjourned.
APPROVED:
ATTEST:
Natalie Thomas, Planning Technician
9-15-9~L P&Z SUMIVIARY
BQYETT AND CI~URCH PARKING VARIANCE
I . SITE LOCATED BETWEEN CHURCH AND PATRICIA , SECOND
AND BOYETT AROUND EXISTING STRIP COMMERCIAL
2. PRELIMINARY SITE PLAN SHOWS GRAVEL INSTEAD OF
PAVING AND WHEEL STOPS INSTEAD OF CURBING
3. APPLICANT HAS REQUESTED A VARIANCE BASED ON
ECONOMIC REASONS STATING THAT SINCE HE IS ONLY
INTENDING TO LEASE THE PROPERTY, THAT HE DOES NOT
WANT TO SPEND THAT MUCH IMPROVING IT.
4. GRAVEL WILL
SPREAD BEYOND PARKING AREA
PREVENT WATER FROM LEAVING SITE
NOT PREVENT MUD HOLES FROM DEVELOPING
NOT PROVIDE SAFE WALKING SURFACE
NOT .PROVIDE FtJR STRIPING OF SPACES
5. WHEEL STOPS WILL
BE PUSHED AROUND ON THE GRAVEL
BE DRIVEN BETWEEN BY CARS EXITING
BE PUSHED INTO THE MUD AND BROKEN
6, STAFF RECOMMENDS DENIAL
GRAVEL SPREAD FROM THE SITE WILL CREATE
ONGOING MAINTENANCE PROBLEM FOR THE CITY
LOT WILL BECOME UNSIGHTLY AS OTHER EXISTING
LOTS CREATED PRIOR TO ORDINANCE
SETS PRECEDENCE WHICH DEFEATS THE INTENT OF
THE ORDINANCE