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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff ReportSTAFF REPORT Case No.: 96-211 Applicant: Allen Swoboda, Owner Urban Design Group, Engineer ITEM: Consideration of a Final Plat of Emerald Park Plaza, a subdivision of approximately 20.15 acres, located at the. intersection of State Highway b East Bypass and Emerald Parkway.. ITEM SUMMARY AND STA»'F RECOMMENDATION: This property is being. platted to create nine (9) lots zoned AP, Administrative-Professional.. The. plat shows -five (5} of the lots to be'used far professional development and the remaining four (4) to be sold to the adjacent lots in the Emerald Forest. Subdivision. The four lots adjacent to Emerald Forest, do not comply with. standards in the Subdivision Regulations. In this case, lots 6, 7, 8, and 9 are not suitable for development because. they will have no access, no utilities, and do not meet minimum lot. sizes. These lots are not intended for building purposes but rather to provide a buffer to the existing residential area, staffwill support the variance. In addition, Gemstone does not meet the minimum radius for a Collector street. The minimum radius is 400 feet and'this street is platted with a radius of 80 feet. Since this street's providing the onlyaccess to these five lots and will carry traffic at slower speeds, staff also supports this variance. Staffrecommends approval of the final plan in conjunction with the approval of the requested variances. COUNCIL POLICY ENDS STATEMENTS -The following Ends Statements mayor may not be met with the approval of this request. Council will decide, based on the information in the staff report and any staffpresentations, whether these. Ends Statements will be met with this request. Transportation/MobiltX -Citizens benefit from the: ability to move into; out of, and within College Station in a safe and efficient manner. Parks.& Recreation -Citizens benefitfromparks space and recreational activities which are geographically and demographically accessible and serve a diversity of interests. Health & Public Safety -Citizens benefit from a reasonably safe and secure environment:. Education/Information -.Citizens benefit from access to broad based information and knowledge.. Quality Service -Citizens benefit from a reasonable tax revenue for the value and quality of service delivered. Cultural Arts -Citizens benefit from participation inthe arts. Employment/ProsperitX -Citizens benefit from an environment that is conducive to providing diverse employment opportunities. Civic Pride -Citizens benefit-from well. planned, attractive. residential and commercial areas. ..COMPREHENSIVE PLAN -The following are Goals and Objectives from the City's adopted Comprehensive Plan. Applicable ones are in bold. Complies with Future Land Use. Plan Map?: This development is consistent with the Land Use Plan Map. The map indicates the area to be Office and Retail Commercial. Development Goals and Objectives: LAND USE Protection of residential uses: The developer has platted buffer lots that .are adjacent to the residential lots in Emerald Forest Subdivision. These buffer lots do not have public access orutilities and are therefore, not buildable. Encourage use of vacant land w/ services: This plat will create buildable lots that will. add to the City's tax base by utilizing undeveloped land.. Avoid strip commercial;.. N/A TRANSPORTATION Provide major arterials to prevent congestion: N/A Adequate. pedestrian/bike movement: N/A Ensure safety,and ease of maintenance: For safety 'reasons, access will not be allowed from either Emerald Parkway or-the East Frontage Road. of State Highway 6. Location of streets based on function: This development will construct Gemstone, a 39 foot street within a 60 foot right-of--way. This street is adequate o serve the proposed development. Driveway access: Driveway access will not be allowed from Emerald Parkway or the East Frontage Road of State Highway 6. Compliance with the: Access Ordinance will be required for each driveway. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Compatible with environment: The floodplain in the area will need to be addressed at the time of site development. Encourage retirees:. N/A Encourage tourism: N/A 2 ~ V PARKS AND RECREATION Link parks by pathways and natural features: N/A Combine parks with. schools: N/A HOUSING Maintain integrity of existing. supply: N/A Encourage diversified housing: N/A COMMUNITY APPEARANCE Promote good site design: The development will be required to comply with all site standards at the time of site development. Prevent and eliminate unsightly conditions: N/A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW - N/A ENGINEERING COMMENTS AND IMPACT STUDIES Water - Staffhas some concerns regarding the impact studies. These concerns will be corrected prior to final' plat approval. Sewer - Sewer is available through an 8 inch sewer line -located in the center of the tract. This. sewer ine should be adequate in regard to the information submitted as part of the impact study.. Streets.- The tract is accessed by the East Bypass and Emerald Parkway. The East Bypass is a major arterial and Emerald Parkway is a minor arterial providing adequate capacity for the proposed development. The proposed Gemstone will loop from Emerald Parkway to the East Frontage Road of State Highway 6 to provideaccess to the five developable lots. Traffic -The existing streets are adequate to handle the traffic created by this proposed development. Drainage -Bee Creek runs in close proximity of this property to the north. There have been some discussionswith downstream propertyowners regarding .drainage problems. These problems seem to have a direction connection to the FM 2818 (Millers Lane) extensionproject. This project was constructed by TxDOT and they are :currently reviewing the existing conditions. The impact tudy did not indicate the need for detention facilities. However, a .drainage report will be required for each site at the time of site plan review to ensure compliance with the Drainage Ordinance. In addition, the impactstudy did not address.. improvements to the Bee .Creek channel or associated easements. As with the detention facilities, staff will ensure: compliance on a site specific 3 .~ basis. Flood Plain -There is a large amount of property located within the t00 year floodplain. The treatment of the floodplain will be addressed at the time of site plan review. Sidewalks.- Sidewalks currently exist on both sides of Emerald Parkway with ane being required on only one side of Gemstone. Parkland Dedication - N/A SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE COMPLIANCE: The plat is in compliance with the general provisions of the Subdivision Regulations with exception of a variance request for lots 6-9 and the. minimum radius for a collector street. The first vaxance request is for theregulation that all lots have access to a street right-ofway, and that all utilities :are available to each platted lot. Also, all lots must meet the requirement that they be suitable. for development and that they meet minimum lot sizes as required by the Zoning Ordinance. In this case, lots 6, 7, 8, and 9 are not suitable for development, will. have no access, .will have no utilities, and do not meet minimum lot sizes. The developer. wishes to have the option of selling lots b-9 to the individual owners of the residential properties to the east.. If the .homeowners purchase these lots,. they will be assured a "no-build" area to act as a buffer between their<homes and potential A-P uses on the subject properties. Staff has no concern regarding this variance request as long as there are notes placed on the' plat that. will place: potential purchasers of those lots on notice that the lots are undevelopable and have no access or utilities. The second variance is for the regulation that establishes. the. minimum centerline radius of a collector street to be 400 feet. In this case, the radius. identified on this plat is 80 .feet. 'Staff feels that this reduced radius will not create. a diflicult situation due to the short length of the street. Oversize Request.- N/A Proposed Public Improvements -Water., sewer and the proposed street will be constructed per approved construction plans. Easement Dedications - As shown on the plat. NOTIFICATION: Legal Notice Publication(s):; .Advertised Commission Hearing Date(s): N/A Advertised Council Hearing Dates:. N/A Number of Notices .Mailed to Property Owners Within 200': N/A Response Received: N/A 4