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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff ReportSTAFF REPORT Case No.: 96-114 Request: Rezoning request of 0.49 acres located at 202 Montclair, Lot 27, Bloclk 8, West :Park Addition, from R-1 Single Family to R-6 Apartment Buildings/High Density .Applicant: Suanne Davis Pledger. ITEM SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION The request is an effort by the property owner to prepare the property. for redevelopment. The current .lot has a rental unit on the back portion with a larger rental home on the front. Both structures have been in a state of decline for a number of years. According to the applicant,. redevelopment or even needed repair under the existing zoning does not seem feasible due to the proximity to George Bush Drive, the adjacency to a parking lot use, and the increasing deterioration of the areas on the periphery of the neighborhood. The existing Land Use Plan, which is currently under review by the City, shows low density residential. There have been discussions to .change the land use. plan to be more in line with the existing land uses. This classification would be a high density single family designation at a density of 7 to 9 units per acre. There has been a need for better identification of the periphery areas, as well as a needl for a strategic approach to encouraging redevelopment of those areas while preserving and protecting the interior neighborhood.: Future land use studies that will come with the future implementation of the pending comprehensive plan can address these issues. The requested rezoning would be .compatible with the existing land uses and zoning toy the north and could serve as a' buffer between the commercial areas and the R-1 neighborhood, but until the land use studies mentioned above can be done, rezonings •on a lot-by-lot basis. are piecemeal and cannot. by'themselves alleviate the problems existing in these areas. Staff therefore recommends that the item be denied at this time. ZONING AND LAND iTSE Subject Tract: R-l; rental residence North; R-6; developed as rental residence on the front half of the property and Loupot's parking lot on the back portion East: R-1; developed as multi-family residential South: R-l; developed as medium density residential (multiple single family rental homes on a single lot) West: R-1; developed as low density residential Proposed Use:. 8-plex apartment building COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Land Use Plan: The current Land Use Plan for the area shows low density residential; the draft HOK plan shows high density single family dwellings at a maximum density of 9 DU's per acre. The requested rezoning would allow up to 24 dwelling units per acre, but the property size would keep the density lower than that maximum. An earlier HOK draft plan had shown the periphery area of the Southgate area as "redevelopment". The goal of reflecting areas. as'redevelopment is to encourage new construction and upgrading by allowing higher densities. After one of the public hearings that was held to gather input for the plan recommendations, the. draft plan was changed to high density single. family dwellings. The change occurred due to the neighborhood's desire to preserve and protect the Southgate area. Thoroughfare Plan: Montclair is reflected as a local residential street. Development .Policies: The policies .would call for a transitional buffer zone between the more intense uses to the north and the interior of the neighborhood. Multi-family zones can beused as buffer areas. Parkland Dedication: Higher densities could mean additional parkland fees to be used for existing. parks in this park zone. ENGINEERING Water: Waterlines in the area are small which may cause difficulty in the provision of adequate fire protection for higher density developments. There are larger lines available within the. area, but those lines would have to be extended by the developer to the subject property. Sewer: Testing of the sewer in the vicinity that was conducted several years ago indicted that the line serving the property is in good condition and should pose no constraints to development in the. area. Streets:. George Bush and Wellborn are considered major arterials. Montclair is a local street. Drainage: The drainage infrastructure in the area was designed based on low density residential development. Rezoning to intensify the land use on the property ,would increase run-off from that originally designed. The developer would be responsible. for accommodating the additional. run-of£ Flood Plain: n/a NOTIFICATION: Legal Notice Publication(s):. 9-4-96 Advertised Commission Hearing Dates(s): 9-19-96 Advertised Council Hearing Dates: 10-10-96 Number of Notices Mailed to Property Owners Within 200': 20 Response Received: Staff received .one phone call in opposition to the request. Area residents have expressed concern over any. changes to the area that might increase density and traffic in recent meetings that were held regarding the. draft land use plans. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW The Southgate area has experienced unique problems associated with through traffic on residential streets, with noise and decreased public safety due to the railroad and increased traffic on George Bush, .with encroachment of commercial uses, and with various disturbances related to student activities. Some of the area has deteriorated,. especially on the periphery of the neighborhood. (those areas in proximity to the major horoughfares and to commercial uses). However, there is a core neighborhood that is well-established, has historical homes in it, and is family-oriented. Area residents at recent public meetings have focused concern on the problems within the area. The Southgate area has also .experienced redevelopment pressure in the recent past, and the associated public hearings have brought up many of the same issues as listed above. The area fronting on George Bush Drive has been zoned commercial since just. after the City incorporated. In 1986, Loupot's bookstore added its building onto .the existing commercial strip located on the corner of Montclair and George Bush.. In 1988, that store expanded, necessitating additional parking. That parking was .provided in 1989 when a Conditional Use Permit was approved for the rear portion of the lot immediately. to the north of the subject property. A CUP for a fraternity to locate in the fronYportion of that same lot was requested $ut denied later in 1989. In response to the 1989 public hearings, the Commission directed Stall' to study the immediate area, and to consider less intense zoning for the R-6 zoned lot that contains. a rental house in front. and the Loupot's parking lot in the rear. Staff found that although the R-6 zoning should act as a buffer between commercial and residential, .the existing lot at 200 Montclair was too small to act as an adequate buffer.. That. fact, along with the fact that the land use plan at the time: showed low. density residential, lead Staff to recommend an R-l zone for the lot at 200 Montclair. However, the Commission voted to leave the zoning R-6 (please see the report and minutes). Since that .time, the update of the comprehensive plan has highlighted special .needs of many of the areas of the City. The Southgate. area is one of those areas. To leave the area as is may serve to protect the inner neighborhoods in the immediate future, but the periphery areas will continue to deteriorate and will begin to affect the inner areas. Simply rezoning each lot on a piecemeal basis according to development pressures can result in inadequate lot izes, extensive variances from City standards, additional impact to traffic and on-street parking, and can generally exacerbate the problems that exist now. The comprehensive plan should begin to address these problems and form a foundation .for future land use and capital improvements decisions.