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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes~. Senior Planner Kuenzel stated that the buffer area will serve to .screen the fire station from the houses located along Richards. The fire department is also. seeking a variance to the driveway spacing requirements. If only one driveway 'were proposed.. off. of Holleman, it would meet the ordinance. However, .the. need for an exclusive emergency vehicle drive creates the necessity of a second drive that does not technically. meet the spacing requirements of the driveway ordinance. Due to the fact that this easterly drive will act. as an emergency exit for emergency vehicles only, there should not be a conflict except during times of emergency, when traffic on Holleman will be stopped. Sixteen surrounding property owners were. notified with one inquiry. Commissioner Hall opened: the public hearing. Assistant City Engineer Brett .McCully approached .the Commission and offered to answer an}i questions pertaining to the proposed development. Bart Munro of 6480 Waterway informed the Commission that he originally platted the Holleman Place Subdivision. He stated that he also owns land across the street from the subject property. Mr. Munro expressed concern with. the visual screening. and 60' setback required by the original rezoning to C-1. He also stated that the adjacent lot to the west, lot 1 is zoned C-1 and not R-5 as shown on the map, unless it was rezoned without the knowledge of the property owner. Commissioner Hall closed the public hearing. Commissioner Gribou requested that staff look into the zoning of lot 1 to determine if it is R-`i or C-1. Commissioner Hall postponed the item until the zoning of the tract could be determined. Later in the meeting, staff provided .Commissioner Gribou with the information that lot 1 is currently zoned C-1 and is represented wrong on the area map. Lot 2 is the only lot that was zoned R-•5 in 1994. The request' is for the use of the site only and the site plan will come back before the Commission at a later date. Commissioner Gribou moved to approve the use only of a fire station on lost 2 of the Holleman Place Subdivision with .the condition that staff make absolutely certain when. the site is platted that all of the setbacks are. in compliance with the ordinance.: Commissioner Lightfoot seconded the motion which passed unopposed (5 - 0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Consideration of an appeal to the Project Review Committee's decision to require. a sidewalk between the proposed College .Station Personal Care :facility at 1151 Rock Prairie Road and the adjacent Southwood Living Center. (95-503~~ Assistant City Engineer Morgan informed. the Commission that the Project Review Committee required a sidewalk along the private drive between the Personal. Care .Facility. and the Southwood Living Center. The Committee was concerned about the safety of the residents at the Personal Care Facility being able to leave the building and walk to other areas, which may include he Living Center or other destinations along Rock .prairie Road. There will not be an extension of the sidewalk across the Living Center property to extend to Rock Prairie Road. The safety concern exists along the private road where the detention pond exists. Citizens walking along. this roadway do not have a safe place to retreat because of the slopes on the pond. .Once on 'the Living Center property, the grass area could be used for pedestrians, although the ideal situation would be to extend the sidewalk. The Living Center is not a part of this site .plan application and the Committee could not require the extension of the sidewalk along that property. Staff recommended denial of the sidewalk variance request. P & Z Minutes September 21, 1885 .Page 3 of 7 k s Commissioner Garner informed the Commission that she visited with the administrator of the existing Living Center who stated that the .sidewalk will not be utilized. fihe distance between the two facilities is so far that a shuttle service will probably be provided instead of allowing. the residents to walk across the driveway .Commissioner. Garner stated ..that she has a problem requiring a sidewalk leading to nowhere. The only reason to require the sidewalk. is if in the future, it will be extended to Rock Prairie Road. Assistant City Engineer Morgan informed the Commission that if future development occurs on the vacant tract near the St. Francis Episcopal Church, the Project Review Committee has the discretion to require the extension of the sidewalk to Rock Prairie Road. Engineering, representative of the applicant, Mike Hester of Hester Engineering, informed the Commission that the proposed facility is an upscale retirement home. The existing Living Center is a nursing home and has no connection to the proposed retirement home. Mr. Hester stated that originally thirty beds will'beprovided "and. eventually, the. facility wilt be expanded to sixty beds. Commissioner Hall stated that if active people will be living at the proposed location, it make, sense to provide a way for them to get out of the facility. Commissioner Lane agreed and stated that there may not be a connection between the two facilities right now; however, in the future, there may be a stronger connection as people in the retirement home find the need for .more constant medical. care. Commissioner Lane moved to deny the appeal to the Project' Review Committee's decision to require a sidewalk between the proposed. College Station Personal Care Facility at 115 T Rock Prairie Road and the adjacent Southwood Living Center. Commissioner .Lightfoot-seconded the motion which passed (4 - 1); Commissioner Garner voted in opposition to the motion. AGENDA ITEM NO. S: Consideration 'of an appear to the Project Review Committee's decision to require a sidewalk along the Texas Avenue Frontage Road for the proposed Wings N More restaurant. at 3230 Texas. Avenue South. < (95-407) Graduate Civil Engineer Homeyer informed the Commission that the Project Review Committee agreed to a 4' concrete sidewalk. along the Texas Avenue frontage 'after discussion concerning the existing shrubs. The City's sidewalk ordinance requires a sidewalk to be 6' wide when placed directly behind the curb. If there is a 6' green space between the sidewalk and. curb, the width of the. sidewalk is then reduced to 4'. When this. site. plan was submitted, staff required: the sidewalk to be 6' due to its location next to the curb. After discussions .with the property owner, a discretionary variance was approved to allow the sidewalk to be 5' in width in order to accommodate the large Juniper shrubs planted along the right-of--way of'Texas Avenue. During. the Committee meeting, the sidewalkwas reduced to its present width of 4'. The applicant is appealing this requirement because he feels the construction of this sidewalk will cause undue hazards related to the pruning of these shrubs as well as creating an unsightly view. In a related case, the Goodyear store at 2998 Texas Avenue, on August 4, 1994, appealed to the Commission a variance to not construct their sidewalk as part of the -site plan. Their appeal was denied and- they were required to install the sidewalk. As' part of this same motion, the Commission conditioned the denial on .the fact the City would continue the sidewalk across the City's right-of--way to the Sonic property line. The City's participation included the construction of the sidewalk and handrail to provide pedestrian access over the drainage ditch on City property. P & Z Minutes September 21, .1885 Page 4 of 7