Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout00071331MINUTES Planning and Zoning Commission CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS July 19, 2001 7:00 P.M. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Commissioners Mooney, Floyd, Happ, Harris, Williams, and McMath. COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Trapani. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Council Member Massey. STAFF PRESENT: Assistant City Manager Brown, Staff Planner Hitchcock, Assistant City Engineer Mayo, Graduate Engineer Thompson, Assistant City Attorney Nemcik, Director of Development Services Callaway, Senior Planner Kuenzel, Development Review Manager Ruiz, Transportation Planner Fogle, and Staff Assistant Hazlett. Chairman Mooney called the meeting to order at 7:13 P.M. AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Hear visitors None. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Public Comment for the Record None. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Consent Agenda The following items were approved by common consent. 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 P &Z Minutes Approved the Minutes from the Workshop Meeting held on April 19, 2001. Approved the Minutes from the Workshop Meeting held on May 3, 2001. Approved the Minutes from the Workshop Meeting held on May 17, 2001. Approved the Minutes from the Workshop Meeting held on June 7, 2001. July 19, 2001 Page I of 10 3.5 Approved the Minutes from the Regular Meeting held on June 7, 2001. 3.6 Approved the Minutes from the Workshop Meeting held on June 21, 2001. 3.7 Approved the Minutes from the Regular Meeting held on June 21, 2001. 3.8 Approved the Minutes from the Workshop Meeting held on July 5, 2001. 3.9 Approved the Minutes from the Regular Meeting held on July 5, 2001. 3.10 Removed the Final Plat for Sun Meadows Phase 2 consisting of 96 R -1 Single Family Residential lots on 24 acres located at 901 Graham Road. (01 -121) 3.11 Removed the Preliminary Plat for Cooper's Subdivision consisting of two 2.5 acres lots. (01 -145) REGULAR AGENDA AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Consider request(s) for absence from meetings. Commissioner Happ motioned to approve the absence request. Commissioner Williams seconded the motion. The motion carried 6 -0. AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Consideration, discussion, and possible action on items removed from the Consent Agenda by Commission action. Commissioner Floyd motioned to move Regular Agenda Item No. 10 forward to be presented prior to Items No. 3.10 and 3.11 that were removed from the Consent Agenda. Commissioner Happ seconded the motion. The motion carried 6 -0. AGENDA ITEM NO. 10 : Public hearing, discussion, and possible action on a Conditional Use Permit, Use only, for the First United Methodist church located at 1125 Wellborn Road consisting of approximately 5.5 acres. (01 -147) Staff Planner Hitchcock presented the staff report. The subject property is located on Wellborn between Holleman and Southwest Parkway. The church would like to relocate to the subject property where they will have typical church services, meetings, and such. They hope to provide a computer lab and a food pantry in the future. The Land Use Plan designates the area as Single Family Residential, High Density. The property is currently undeveloped and zoned R -l. There is developed R -1 to the south and R -2 duplexes to the east. The property to the north is zoned C -2 and is the location of CC Creations. There is not a site plan at this time. The church is seeking approval of the use before beginning the site plan process. If approved, the Commission will evaluate the site plan at a future meeting. The First United Methodist Church has been a part of the community for 56 years. Their building on Texas was sold and torn down for the�development of the Wolf Pen Plaza Shopping Center. Since that time, church members have been meeting in the Lincoln Center and searching for new land. They have come before the Commission twice before and granted Conditional Use Permit in October of 1999 in the Edelweiss Business Center, but the site did not work out for them. Last year, their request for a Conditional Use Permit for land off of Highway 6 and Rock Prairie Road was tabled because of access issues. Unless the public hearing bring to light any new information indicating potential negative impacts, Staff recommends approval with Staff Review Comments. P &Z Minutes July 19, 2001 Page 2 of 10 off -site easements for utility connections, and the bike path have all been met. Mr. Thompson stated that they had. Chairman Mooney clarified that the motion should include the staff comments and called the question. The motion carried 6 -0. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3.11: Discussion and possible action on a Preliminary Plat for Cooper's Subdivision consisting of two, 2.5 acre lots. (01 -145) This item was removed from the Consent Agenda for discussion during the Regular Agenda. Graduate Engineer Thompson presented the Staff Report stating that the two lots are almost identical with frontage along Highway 6. He pointed out that Assistant City Engineer Mayo corrected the amount of the Impact Fee as being $550 rather than $500, as stated in the written report. Chairman Mooney asked where the access exists for this property. Mr. Thompson stated that the driveway ordinance calls this feeder road an arterial and therefore regulates the driveways at being a minimum of every 275'. This property actually has more than 350' of frontage and according to the ordinance, may take separate access. Chairman Mooney asked if the overpass, which is planned for Barron Road, will impact these properties. Mr. Thompson said that since Barron Road is further down from the last of these two lots an exit ramp would not impact them. Chairman Mooney likened the area to that of Highway 30 and State Highway 6 and others, and expressed concern about the future exit ramp at Barron Road, a narrowing of the frontage road there, and the access points of these two tracts. Commissioner Happ interjected that an entrance ramp would be the ramp nearer the property rather than an exit ramp and that there is also an intersection with a stop sign that will also help to slow the traffic. Veronica Morgan, Mitchell and Morgan Engineering, 511 University Drive East, stated that she has spoken with TXDOT about this plat and the Barron Road overpass and any right -of -way implication that it may have on these lots. She indicated that they pursued discussion with TXDOT with regard to the overpass and what type of space requirements that would be needed. Ms. Morgan also stated that they over -laid the Raintree overpass intersection configuration identically to this location to see how far the ramps would come out and what kind of space requirements were needed and whether it was going to affect the two lots that are part of this plat. She said they found that it did not affect these two lots with any type of right -of -way acquisition that might be required in the future. However, Ms. Morgan stated that it does affect the lot south of this plat. With regard to access issues, the driveway and TXDOT ordinance controls the access points. Until TXDOT gets into the design of that there is no way to tell what those grades may look like. She believes that the access points will be at the most northerly portion of the lots, but could not say this for sure until she sees some type of design on that from TXDOT since we do not know what the grades will be. Commissioner Floyd asked Ms. Morgan if TXDOT had any limitations on how close to the Highway 6 entrance the existing driveway is. Ms. Morgan stated that the existing driveway is not the proposed property entrance. Chairman Mooney asked how many lanes are on the frontage road that will allow traffic to continue north while the other lane continues- to enter Highway 6 and how many will run in front of the subject property. Ms. Morgan stated that she remembers it to be two lanes, but until TXDOT completes their design for this area, the number is not definite. Chairman Mooney opened this item for public comment. There was none. Commissioner Happ motioned to approve. Commissioner Harris seconded the motion. P &Z Minutes July 19, 2001 Page 4 of 10 Commissioner Floyd verified that the Commission could not be more restrictive than the driveway ordinance. Assistant City Attorney Nemcik stated that this was correct. Addressing Commissioner Floyd's concern over the number of entrances along the frontage road, Senior Planner Kuenzel stated that this particular lot will not require a variance due to the amount of frontage that is involved with these two lots. Chairman Mooney called the question. The motion carried 6 -0. AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: Public hearing, discussion, and possible action on a Conditional Use Permit for the BY -007 Wireless Telecommunication Transmission Tower located at 2321 -A Texas Avenue South. (01 -122) Staff Planner Hitchcock presented the staff report. She explained that the proposed 130 -ft. tower is off of Texas Avenue behind Discount Tire and unless the public hearing brings to light new information, she stated that Staff recommends approval of the site and the use with Staff Comments #3. The Land Use Plan shows this area to be Retail Regional and the property is currently zoned and surrounded by C -1 General Commercial. Additionally, the land is platted as part of the Herman F. Krenek Subdivision. To protect the City's natural beauty and skyline and prevent the proliferation of towers, Ms. Hitchcock stated that the Zoning Ordinance has a separation requirement for towers of this size and that the proposed tower meets the separation requirement for WTFs, setback from the right -of- way, setback from residential structures, and setback from an R -2 Duplexes zoning district as set forth in the Zoning Ordinance. She added that the new tower would be large enough for the co- location of other antennas. The area behind the tower will be fenced and screened from the right -of -way with landscaping. She pointed out the undeveloped tract that is zoned as C -1 and the residential area, which is 275 feet away from the proposed site. Commissioner Happ asked how many towers the City has. Ms. Hitchcock estimated seven or eight. Shaun St. John, American Tower Corporation, shared general information about the company. He stated that his company provides the infrastructure needed by the telecommunication companies to deploy their network. He added that they also provide high -speed internet and multiple phone lines service. Mr. St. John reported that there are currently approximately 10 sites in the B /CS area that are in the first phase of their project and that three of these sites require new structures, which will be co- locatable. The subject site will be a 13041 monopole, surrounded by a wooden fence with landscaping in the front entrance. It meets all of the ordinance requirements for a WTF. Chairman Mooney asked about the alternatives for a tower -like structure. Mr. St. John indicated that the aesthetic issue may be approached in two ways. The first, being a stealth tower which is disguised as a flagpole or tree. However, this is not a good solution for a multi -user facility. A stealth facility may have multi -users but not as many and the coverage is usually not as good since the antennas are housed in a sleeve. Chairman Mooney asked if American Tower builds stealth towers and if the radius of signal strength weakens with each cell phone user. Mr. St. John stated American Towers does build stealth towers and that the signal strength does weaken with each user added because each tower has a limited capacity for users. Commissioner Happ asked clarification about the proposed tower having only one tenant. Mr. St. John explained that AT &T was the anchor tenant for this tower and that the tower is designed as a multi -user facility. Commissioner Happ asked how many users could be placed on this tower at the present height proposed. Mr. St. John stated possibly 3, 4, or 5. Commissioner Happ asked Mr. St. John if he could provide a drawing that would show the maximum number of tenants on it and the worst that it can look as opposed to the picture that has been presented depicting the tower in the best case scenario. Commissioner Happ expressed concern about the P &Z Minutes July 19, 2001 Page 5 of 10