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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesMINUTES Planning and Zoning Commission CITY OF COLLEGE STATION,. TEXAS June 4, 1998 7:00 P.M. .~ COMIVIIS5IONERS PRESENT: Chairman Massey, Commissioners Lightfoot, Gribou, Gamer and Rife. COl!'IlO~IISSIONER.S ABSENT: Commissioner. Parker. STAB' PRESENT: City Planner Kee, Graduate Engineer Kaspar, Staff Assistant Charanza, assistant Development Coordinator Ruiz, Senior Planner McCully, Staff Planner Battle, Youth Services Coordinator Waddell, Assistant Director Parks & Recreation Ploeger, Planning Intern Mixon, Recreation Superintendent Waltman, Assistant City Engineer Morgan, Assistant City Attorney Robinson, and Assistant City Attorney Blackshear. AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Approval of minutes from the meeting of May 21, 199. Commissioner Gribou moved to approve the .minutes from the meeting of May 21, 1998 as written. Commissioner Lightfoot seconded the motion which. passed unopposed (5-0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Publie .hearing and consideration of a Conditional .Use Permit for a proposed Teen Center to be .located at 1600 Rock Prairie Road, in Southwood Athletic Park. (98703) Staff Planner McCully presented the staff report and stated that municipal facilities are conditional uses in any zoning district: The City Council approved funding last year for a Teen Center to .satisfy Strategic Issue Number 11. The City Council had. heard comments from citizens regarding a need to provide activities for young people. The City's Parks Department was put in charge of the project to work-with the Council, Parks Board and Teen Advisory Board. The Southwood Athletic Park location was chosen for several reasons such as adequate parking akeady provided. The park currently serves as a recreational center for children (baseball fields, volleyball,. tencus and basketball courts, and swimming pool and .pavilion). The Park is located south of Rock Prairie Road .between the Jr. High and the medical center with vacant A-0 Agricultural Open to the south. Rock Prairie Road is a major arterial which separates the. park. from the residential neighborhood. The proposed location of the center is closest'to the pool area near the rear of the property. The building would be approximately 4000 square feet in area. Same activities that would be held at the center include social activities such dances and parties would be offered to primarily Jr. High students. The Parks Department is proposing to add onto the existing Park sign. P&Z Minutes June 4, 1998 Page 1 of 7 Staff notified 43 property owners within 200 feet of the subject property and received two calls in opposition of the request. The Commission may permit. a conditional: use subject to appropriate conditions and safeguards, when after public notice and hearing the Commission finds that: (Staff Comments are in italics) 1. "The proposed use meets all the minimum standards established in the .ordinance for the type of use proposed." The site meets all current parking and landscaping standards. 2. "That the proposed use meets the purpose and intent of the ordinance and is in ha~rnony with the development policies and goals and objectives. as embodied in the Comprehensive Plan for Development of the City." The Land Use Plan re, fleets the area as parkland and the proposed use is compatible with the Plan and existing uses. 3. "That the proposed use will not be detrimental to the health, welfare, and safety of the surrounding neighborhood or its occupants, nor be substantially or permanently injurious to neighboring property." The public hearing is an opportunity for the Commission to measure the potential impact on surrounding land uses. "The Commission may impose additional reasonable restrictions or conditions to carry out the spirit and intent of the ordinance and. to mitigate adverse effects. of the proposed use. These requirements may include, but. are not limited to, increased.. open space, loading and. parking requirements, additional landscaping, and additional improvements such as curbing, sidewalks and screening." In the past, the commission has required additional site improvements such as fences or vegetative buffers to screen adjacent residential areas from a new .conditional use or an expansion. Unless the public hearing brings to light any new information .indicating potential negative impacts, Staff recommended approval of the use, site plan, and sign. Assistant Parks & Recreation Director Ploeger explained that. the architectural plans are scheduled to be .out for bid in August with construction beginning around September or October. Staff hopes to have the center in operation by May 1999. The center would. always.: be supervised and noise levels should. not be a factor because activities would primarily be indoors. Mr. Ploeger explained that other uses for the center. would involve uses between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. since the teens would be in school and would not be utilizing the facility. Theses' uses would include Xtra Education Program, Senior ,Services and possible private functions. Youth Services .Coordinator Waddell explained that there would be approximately 150-200 .teens using the facility depending. on the type of event. Southwood Valley Athletic Complex was chosen because it would be in walking distance to the Jr. High which would be the primary users. Mr. Ploeger explained that the increased traffic volumes would be from the parents dropping and picking up the teens. There. should not be an increase in parking at this facility due to the fact that the targeted teens are not of driving age. Chairman Massey opened the public hearing. P&ZMinutes June 4, 1998 Page 2 of 7 Mr. Layne Westover,. 3408 Wildrye, expressed his concerns of current noise problems because of the loud stereos in vehicles that use the Park's parking lot to visit. He also said that he and other neighbors had problems with the pavilion having parties. with live bands. He felt that if the building was well insulated he would not have a problem but he asked that his, and his. neighbor's, concerns be addressed before a decision was made. He has spoke with other residents in the area and. they also have a concern with access onto Rock Prairie Road. He feels the problems would increase with the teen center in this location. Chairman Massey closed the public hearing. Commissioner Rife stated that he was in favor of the request but he felt the noise. issue should be addressed. He asked staff if the Commission could have a restriction. approved to cover the noise problem. Senior Planner McCully explained that the Commission could make restrictions on S`physical" items such as landscaping and additional. buffering. The Commission. expressed their desire for the Parks Department to address the noise concern and impact on surrounding neighborhoods. Commissioner Garner moved to approve of the Conditional Use Permit, site plan and sign request. Commissioner Lightfoot seconded the motion which passed unopposed (5-0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Consideration of a Preliminary_Plat of West Wolf Pen Creek Phase I, approximately 12.3 acres along the south side of Harvey Road between Office Maz and Woodstock Condominiums. Four lots, 1 reserve tract and a Wolf Pen Creek Dedication Area. (98-307) Assistant City Engineer .Morgan presented the staff report and stated that the purpose of this preliminary plat is to divide 12.3 acres into 4 lots. and approximately 5.4 acres of Wolf Pen Creek dedication area. The Land Use Plan shows this area as Wolf Fen Creek which is an area with a unique zoning district created as part of the Wolf Pen Creek master plan. The applicant is desiring to plat this property for future sale.. and development. One of the lots is currently developed as the old Christmas Store which is currently vacant.. This lot is being incorporated in this plat because it rues part of the parent tract and was not properly platted prior to development. Although development has occurred on the property, .staff has identified and discussed with. the applicant the ability to obtain additional access easements to the creek. These are necessary for the City to maintain existing creek improvements at this location. The applicant :agreed to provide these easements on the plat. Ms. Morgan stated that the Wolf Pen Creek minimum reservation and floodway area is shown on the plat. This area has been determined by Nathan D. Maier in a study commissioned by the applicant in 1994. To date this study has not been submitted to the City of College. Station or FEMA for review and approval. As indicated on the plat, -the applicant will. be submitting. this report to FEMA for adoption. Because the study alters the floodway line significantly, FEMA approval of the study will be required prior to filing. any final plats. This is imperative asthe floodway is extremely restrictive for development and the location of the floodway line will determine locations available for property improvements. On the currently adopted FEMA maps, the floodway almost completely inundates lots 3 and 4 and renders them essentially undevelopable. Along the rear of lots 2 and ' 3 the applicant is requesting a variance from .the Zoning Ordinance, in particular, the Wolf Pen dedication section, which.. requires that a 20' strip adjacent to the floodway be reserved for future park and trail development. This variance request P&Z Minutes June 4, 1998 Page 3 of 7