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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApplication (12-06) FOR OFFICE USE ONLY CASE NO.: 1 ® DATE SUBMITTED0 1 " 4 CITY OF COT.T,EGE STATION TIME: A. ` Home of Texas ACM University' STAFF: or_ ZONING MAP AMENDMENT ( NIN ) APPLICATION PLANNED DISTRICTS (Check one) © Planned Development District (PDD) ❑ Planned - Mixed Used Development (P -MUD) MINIMUM SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS: © $1,165 Rezoning Application Fee. Application completed in full. This application form provided by the City of College Station must be used and may not be adjusted or altered. Please attach pages if additional information is provided. ❑ Traffic Impact Analysis or calculations of projected vehicle trips showing that a TIA is not necessary for the proposed request. © One (1) copy of a fully dimensioned Rezoning Map on 24 "x36" paper showing: a. Land affected; b. Legal description of area of proposed change; c. Present zoning; d. Zoning classification of all abutting land; and e. All public and private rights -of -way and easements bounding and intersecting subject land. © Written legal description of subject property (metes & bounds or lot & block of subdivision, whichever is applicable). © A CAD (dxf /dwg) - model space State Plane NAD 83 or GIS (shp) digital file (e- mailed to P &DS_Digital _Submittal@cstx.gov). • Fourteen (14) copies of the Concept Plan on 24 "x36" paper in accordance with Section 3.4.D of the UDO. © The attached Concept Plan checklist with all items checked off or a brief explanation as to why they are not checked off. NOTE: If a petition for rezoning is denied by the City Council, another application for rezoning shall not be filed within a period of 180 days from the date of denial, except with permission of the Planning & Zoning Commission. Date of Optional Preapplication Conference NAME OF PROJECT The Barracks 11 Subdivision ADDRESS 3100 Haupt Road, College Station LEGAL DESCRIPTION (Lot, Block, Subdivision) Crawford Burnett League, A -7 GENERAL LOCATION OF PROPERTY IF NOT PLATTED: Generally located north of Rock Prairie Road between Wellborn Road and Holleman Drive South. TOTAL ACREAGE 108.88 ac 10/10 Page 1 of 7 APPLICANT /PROJECT MANAGER'S INFORMATION (Primary contact for the project): Name Heath Phillips E -mail heath_superiorstructures@ Street Address 3302 General Parkway yahoo.com City College Station State Texas Zip Code 77845 Phone Number 979-229-5906 Fax Number 979- 690 -1041 PROPERTY OWNER'S INFORMATION: Name Heath Phillips Investments, LLC E -mail Street Address (same as above) City State Zip Code Phone Number Fax Number OTHER CONTACTS (Please specify type of contact, i.e. project manager, potential buyer, local contact, etc.): Name E -mail Street Address City State Zip Code Phone Number Fax Number This property was conveyed to owner by deed dated May 13, 2010 and recorded in Volume 9627 , Page 073 of the Brazos County Official Records. Existing Zoning PDD Proposed Zoning PDD (with additional land use) Present Use of Property generally vacant, but the first phase is being developed for residential and commercial uses Proposed Use of Property residential, commercial Proposed Use(s) of Property for PDD, if applicable: (see accompanying Concept Plan and related documents for specific uses.) P -MUD uses are prescribed in Section 6.2.C. Use Table of the Unified Development Ordinance. If P -MUD: Approximate percentage of residential land uses: Approximate percentage of non - residential land uses: REZONING SUPPORTING INFORMATION 1. List the changed or changing conditions in the area or in the City which make this zone change necessary. There is a highly competitive student housing market in College Station that continues to expand southward along Holleman Drive. Many options are presently available to students and /or investors that have unique, attractive amenities intended to make each product more appealing that others in the community. The Barracks 11 Subdivision is attempting to compete in this market but needs a similar amenity to enhance its marketability. The requested zoning change adds language to the existing PDD Zoning which allows for a Recreation Center that includes a cable wake board ski facility. 10/10 Page 2 of 7 2. Indicate whether or not this zone change is in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan. If it is not, explain why the Plan is incorrect. Yes, it is accordance with the Comprehensive Plan. 3, How will this zone change be compatible with the present zoning and conforming uses of nearby property and with the character of the neighborhood? The original Concept Plan for The Barracks II was developed with the Recreation Center and ski facility as an integral part of the development. The target demographic for this project are students in the 18 -30 year age category, which is the same age category that commonly participates in wake boarding. The facility will be used as a marketing tool, and everyone who purchases property in The Barracks 11 will know it is there. Most developed property around this facility already consists of student housing and more is being developed at this time. This added use will coexist with these surrounding developments with changing the character of the area. 4. Explain the suitability of the property for uses permitted by the rezoning district requested. The Recreation Center and ski facility will be constructed in and around two of the three detention ponds planned for The Barracks II. The ponds will be over - excavated to allow for permanent water pools. Few other uses are available for the detention pond areas. The anticipated improvements are in keeping with the City's goal of improving the aesthetics of these otherwise unusable areas. 5. Explain the suitability of the property for uses permitted by the current zoning district. As indicated above, the detention pond areas are generally unusable for other purposes. they can only be used as open areas, but are subject to flooding on a regular basis. 6. Explain the marketability of the property for uses permitted by the current zoning district. The student housing market in College Station is highly competitive, with numerous new options coming on -line that include amenities such as indoor /outdoor fitness centers, high -def theaters, lazy rivers, and cyber cafes. Under its current zoning, The Barracks 11 Subdivision can be marketed just as any other student housing development, but it lacks a unique draw to lure potential buyers away from these competing options. The developer believes the addition of the Recreation Center and its wake board ski facility described herein will provide this incentive and greatly improve the marketability of the property. 7. List any other reasons to support this zone change. When originally presented for rezoning, the opponents of this additional use portrayed the wake board ski facility as a loud and offensive activity that would detract from adjoining properties. The developer wishes to alleviate these fears. The Recreation Center and ski facility will be an integral marketing tool in The Barracks 11 Subdivision that meets all City requirements for noise levels and lighting. While special events are anticipated at the facility, they will be limited in size and scope so that they do not become a nuisance to other residents and detract from the future sale of lots or commercial properties. 10/10 Page 3 of 7 8. State the purpose and intent of the proposed development. The Barracks II Subdivision was previously granted PDD Zoning to develop a residential community for students in the 18 -30 year age range. The planned development includes a mixture of housing options and commercial businesses that cater to the student population. That intent has not changed. This rezoning request merely adds another allowable use to the existing PDD Zoning. The Recreation Center and ski facility are intended to enhance the marketability of this mixed use development to buyers in the target demographic. CONCEPT PLAN SUPPORTING INFORMATION 1. What is the range of future building heights? (see accompanying documents) 2. Provide a general statement regarding the proposed drainage. (see accompanying documents) 3. List the general bulk or dimensional variations sought. (see accompanying documents) 4. If variations are sought, please provide a list of community benefits and /or innovative design concepts to justify the request. (see accompanying documents) 10/10 Page 4 of 7 5. Explain how the concept plan proposal will constitute and environment of sustained stability and will be in harmony with the character of the surrounding area. (see accompanying documents) 6. Explain how the proposal is in conformity with the policies, goals, and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. (see accompanying documents) 7 Explain how the concept plan proposal is compatible with existing or permitted uses on abutting sites and will not adversely affect adjacent development. (see accompanying documents) 8. State how dwelling units shall have access to a public street if they do not front on a public street. (not applicable) g, State how the development has provided adequate public improvements, including, but not limited to: parks, schools, and other public facilities. (see accompanying documents) 10/10 Page 5 of 7 10. Explain how the concept plan proposal will not be detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare, or be materially injurious to properties or improvements in the vicinity. (see accompanying documents) 11. Explain how the concept plan proposal will not adversely affect the safety and convenience of vehicular, bicycle, or pedestrian circulation in the vicinity, including traffic reasonably expected to be generated by the proposed use and other uses reasonable anticipated in the area considering existing zoning and land uses in the area. (see accompanying documents) Please note that a "complete site plan" must be submitted to Planning & Development Services for a formal review after the "concept plan" has been approved by the City Council prior to the issuance of a building permit - except for single - family development. The applicant has prepared this application and certifies that the facts stated herein and exhibits attached hereto are true, correct, and complete. IF THIS APPLICATION IS FILED BY ANYONE OTHER THAN THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY, this application must be accompanied by a power of attorney statement from the owner. If there is more than one owner, all owners must sign the application or the power of attorney. If the owner is a company, the application must be accompanied by proof of authority for the company's representative to sign the application on its behalf. 721i Signature and title D to 10/10 Page 6 of 7 THE BARRACKS II SUBDIVISION Rezoning Request January 9, 2012 Backeround In June, 2011, the College Station City Council granted PDD Zoning to The Barracks H Subdivision. All of the requested land uses and zoning modifications were granted with the exception of the cable wake board ski facility and its associated landscaping and sign restrictions. Since that time, the initial phase of development has begun and is anticipated for completion in early 2012. The developer of The Barracks II Subdivision is requesting that a Recreation Center, which includes a cable wake board ski facility and restaurant, be added as an approved use within the development. His reasoning is that the market for townhomes or small single family homes that target the student population is highly competitive due to the abundance of offerings in College Station. In order to hire potential buyers, developers must offer unique, attractive amenities that set their product apart from the multitude of other housing options. The Recreation Center and ski facility will provide a unique amenity that is not found anywhere else itn the area, and the developer believes it will greatly enhance the inarketability of the residential housing being created. The Concept Plan showing the anticipated development scheme has changed slightly front the original submittal. The layout of streets within the townhome area has been modified to allow an open waterway through the site. While its design has not been completed, this open waterway is envisioned to be a greenway through the center of the development with walling trails and water features. This change in the layout slightly reduces the number of townhome lots being planned. No other significant changes are proposed and the overall development concept remains the same as before. The information presented below is essentially the same information as previously submitted for the original rezoning request. There are no changes to the land uses already granted for this property and the original development concept remains the same. This rezoning request merely adds the Recreation Center, ski facility and auxiliary features to the list of acceptable land uses within the development. Mare detailed descriptions of the operation and management of the Recreation Center are given to provide a thorough understanding of the futility. General Information The Barracks II Subdivision is being presented for rezoning as a Planned Development District (PDD) containing a mixture of open space, residential and commercial land uses. It is a 108-acre development in the area bounded by Wellborn Road on the east, Holleman Drive South (formerly IG&N Road) on the west, Cain Road to the north and Rock Prairie Road to the south. The 2009 Comprehensive Plan designates this part of the City as a General Suburban planning area. Following are two excerpts from that document describing the uses that are intended for this specific area and for other areas with the same designation. The area between Cain Road and Rock Prairie Road should be used for general suburban activities. High -density single-family lots (minimum 5,000 square feet), towmhomes, and duplexes shall be limited to that portion of the area designated as General Suburban on the Future Land Use & Character map and shall incoiporate design criteria including, but not limited to, minimum open space, floor -to -area ratios, and beffeiyards. Suburban or neighborhood commercial and office uses are also appropriate in this area. (page 2-14, 2- 15) • General Suburban - This land use designation is generally for areas that should have an intense level of development activities. (page 2-18) The PDD Zoning classification was created to provide developers and the City with flexibility in the way that land uses and regulations are applied to formulate neighborhood environments envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan. The definition of a PDD Zone as described in Section 5.5.0 of the UDO is as follows: The purpose of the Planned Development District is to promote and encourage innovative development that is sensitive to surrounding land uses and to the natural environment. If this necessitates varying from certain standards, the proposed development should demonstrate community benefits. The PDD is appropriate in areas where the land use plan reflects the specific commercial, residential, or mix of uses proposed in the PDD. A PDD may be used to permit new or innovative concepts in land utilization not permitted by other zoning districts. While greater flexibility is given to allow special conditions or restrictions that would not otherwise allow the development to occur, procedures are established to insure against misuse of increased flexibility. Using these descriptions and a guide, the developer has worked closely with the City staff to create a planned development containing an innovative mixture of land uses that meet these criteria and address the unique issues associated with this site. The term "neighborhood commercial' as used in the Comprehensive Plan is not clearly defined, so a certain amount of latitude was used to balance the needs of future residential and commercial property owners. The planned uses in The Barracks II generally fall within R-1, R-3 and C-3 Zoning Classifications, with a few additional uses that the developer believes will enhance this development and produce the General Suburban environment described in the Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of this document is to describe the opportunities and constraints of this site, then to define the modifications to R-1, R-3 and C-3 Zoning Classifications that are being requested to create this Planned Development District Zone. Proposed Land Uses Planning for The Barracks II Subdivision has focused on producing a mixture of residential and commercial properties that coexist in close proximity and draw upon the needs of the other to form a sustainable suburban environment. To achieve this, the developer has targeted a specific demographic population to formulate the types of housing, business and recreational activities that are needed to support this neighborhood. The developer is also attempting to broaden the scope of permitted businesses to include those that could serve similar demographic populations in the immediate area around this project. The targeted demographic are college age students and young families who range in age between 18 and 30 years. These populations are often new to the community and are here for a relatively short time while they complete their undergraduate and/or graduate studies. As indicated previously, the proposed land uses in the development generally fall into the following three categories. 1. Single Family Residential (SF) as defined by the R-1 Zoning Classification. 2. Townhome Residential (TH) as defined by the R-3 Zoning Classification. 3. Light Commercial (COM) as defined by the C-3 Zoning Classification. hi addition to the allowable uses described in the UDO for C-3 Zoning, the developer is requesting that the following uses be permitted within the Commercial Tracts shown on the Concept Plan. A. Shooting Range —Indoor B. Car Wash C. Commercial garden/greenhouse/landscape maintenance D. Commercial amusement E. Office and retail sales/services with storage areas being greater than 50% of the space (i.e. office/warehouse with overhead doors) F. Self Storage A fourth land use being proposed is a Recreation Center (RC) that includes a cable wake board ski facility. This is a unique land use that is not specifically described or regulated by the UDO. It is a water activity that uses an oval shaped cable system to pull wake board skiers around a pond allowing them to perform jumps or other stunts much like a skier behind a boat. The ski facility will be located in the detention pond area, which will be over excavated to hold a permanent pool of water. The Recreation Center will include a small office, pro shop, restaurant, deck, pool, beach volleyball and other amenities often found on a beach or lake. It will be one of the principle amenities used to attract young people to live in the development. These added land uses were expressly chosen to create a desirable, vibrant and stable neighborhood in which to live. The meritorious modifications that are described on the following pages are intended to tailor these land uses in a manner that will help achieve this goal. Site Description The site of The Barracks II Subdivision has three unique characteristics that significantly impact the way it can be developed. The layout shown in the Concept Plan and the wording of the General Notes have been crafted to address these issues and produce an economically viable development. 1. School Site — A portion of the western boundary of the site adjoins a 27-acre tract owned by College Station ISD. While there are no current plans for the district to build a school on the site, there is a good potential for this to occur in the future. The potential for this future school creates unique opportunities for The Barracks II Subdivision including joint agreements for the extension of streets and utility lines, as well as strategic placement of residential and commercial land uses around it. Preliminary discussions between College Station ISD, the City and the developer have already led to tentative agreements that provide two thoroughfares on the school district property as part of this development. Railroad Tracks — One of the most obvious drawbacks of this site is its proximity to the railroad tracks on its east side. These tracks are situated between Wellborn Road and Old Wellborn Road, and are elevated above the natural ground to heights that vary from about 5 feet to about 8 feet. These tracks pose two significant problems for the site. First is the visual barrier they create which effectively blocks the ability for traffic on Wellborn Road to see into the site. The second is access into the site from Wellborn Road, which is presently limited to railroad crossings at Rock Prairie Road and Cain Road. Both of these streets are outside the boundaries of this development. The College Station Thoroughfare Plan calls for the extension of Deacon Drive through the site, but there is no railroad crossing for that street and there are no plans to provide one in the near future. Topography — The topography of this site is very flat, particularly though the center portions where a small channel exists that flows into a tributary of Bee Creek. In order to build streets across very flat terrain like this, a large volume of earthen fill is needed to create sufficient slopes on the streets (and their adjoining lots) to meet the BCS design criteria, so it is vital to have a sufficient source of this fill in close proximity to the site. The large detention ponds and the over -excavated material for the Recreation Center ponds will greatly offset the need for importing additional material. The City is presently studying the potential for a Regional Detention Pond downstream that would preclude the need for detention on the site, but it is not likely to be in place within a suitable timeframe for this development to use. Justification for Meritorious Modifications The following modifications to general R-1, R-3 and C-3 zoning requirements are requested to create the PDD Zoning for The Barracks II Subdivision. Justifications are provided for each requested modification. The numbering and lettering of these modifications correspond with those on the General Notes shown on the Concept Plan. The other conditions included in the General Notes that are not described below are specific restrictions or allowances that do not require variances from the UDO. 2. General bulk or dimensional variations are as follows: a. Single Family (SF) residential development (variations from R-1 zoning) • Front setback distance — 20 ft without rear access, 15 with rear access • Rear setback distance — 20 ft • Side setback distance — 5 It • Street side setback distance — 15 ft Justification: The primary benefit of these setbacks distances is to allow slightly larger buildings and slightly more units within the same geographical space. The number of residential units and the open spaces shown on the Concept Plan were carefully balanced to produce an acceptable density that follows the Comprehensive Plan, yet still yield sufficient quantities of sellable lots to make the development economical. Similar setback distances have been used successfully in the Castle Rock Subdivision by this same developer. b. Townhome (TH) development (variations from R-3 Zoning) • Front setback distance — 20 ft without rear access, 15 with rear access • Rear setback distance — 20 ft • Side setback distance — 5 ft • Street side setback distance — 15 ft Justification: (same as for 2.a. above) c. Commercial (COM) development • Restaurants shall not be permitted in Commercial Tracts 1, 2, 3, or 4. Justification: This was a negotiated agreement with the City staff in exchange for a stand-alone restaurant being allowed in the Recreation Center. The rationale is to limit this type of use within this development. Previously, restaurants were being allowed in the commercial tracts along Old Wellborn Road, but the developer believes the demand for restaurants on those tracts will be minimal. He believes it is much more likely that a restaurant will be economically feasible in the Recreation Center. The rear setback for self storage structures adjacent to a public alley will be 5 feet. Justification: The developer anticipates that self storage units will be constructed in Commercial Tract 4 immediately behind the alley serving the townhomes along General Parkway. The rear wall of these units will have no openings and there will be no vehicular or pedestrian traffic on that side of the storage facility (see General Note 4.c.). The alley has a 24' right of way so there is already a significant separation distance between the buildings. A large rear setback for the storage units serves no purpose in this specific location. • In locations where the rear wall of self storage building is adjacent to an alley serving residential units, the rear wall may serve as the buffering wall between land uses. Wall height may be a maximum of 15 feet and consist of approved materials described in the UDO Section 7.6.F.3.a. Justification: The self storage facility will likely include spaces for the storage ofRVs, large boats and other tall vehicles that cannotfit into normal units, so the wall and roof structure will be higher than those of standard units. Buffering requirements in the UDO currently require a masonry wall between 6 and 8 feet high at the property line, plus a 15' setback between residential and non-residential buildings. In this case, that requirement produces a 15 ft area of unused space between the buffer wall and the rear of the storage building. This area would be hidden from view thus inviting undesirable vegetative growth, illegal dumping and potential security concerns. The. developer requests that the rear wall of the storage unit be allowed to function as the buffer wall since it will not have openings thatpermit access or visibility to the townhomes. d. Commercial Tracts 2, 3, and 4 will each be permitted to erect a freestanding sign in accordance with Section 7.4.N of the UDO. These signs may be raised to a maximum height of 20 feet. Justification: Commercial tracts 2, 3 and 4 are situated next to the elevated railroad tracts along Wellborn Road. The view from vehicles traveling on Wellborn Road is greatly obstructed, particularly to objects that are 10 feet or lower behind the tracks. General C-3 zoning limits businesses to low profile that are a maximum of 4 feet high or attached signs on the buildings themselves. If held to these standards, advertising signs for businesses that locate on any of these three tracts will be ineffective in reaching traffic on Wellborn Road. The developer is requesting that each of the three tracts be allowed to erect a freestanding sign up to a maximum height of 20 feet that will display advertising for the businesses in each tract. Signage like this will greatly enhance opportunities on the west side of the tracks where many businesses have previously been reluctant to locate due to access, noise and visibility problems. e. Block Lengths of up to 1000 feet will be permitted on designated Single Family (SF) and Townhome (TH) blocks. These blocks are noted as SF Block 4 and TH Block 7. Justification: Several iterations of the Concept Plan have been drawn and discussed with the City staff. One of the concerns in these discussions has been the potential for guests of the townhome residents to park on streets in front of single family homes. The layout shown on this version of the Concept Plan attempts to address that concern by limiting the number of street connections between the Single Family and Townhome areas to one. In so doing, the total length of one block within the Single Family area is 922 feet and one in the Townhome area is about 955 feet, all of which exceed the 900 ft limit in the UDO. A 15 ft wide common area has been added to TH Block 7 to allow pedestrian traffic through and break up the block length, although there is presently no destination at the end of the common area for pedestrians to enter. Dead end streets in residential areas (SF and TH) are permitted up to a maximum of 100 feet in length. The dead-end alley adjacent to Commercial Tract 4 shall extend to the property line (approximately 110 feet). Justification: This modification to the UDO involves two residential streets on the north side of Deacon Drive, one near Commercial Tract I and one near the Recreation Center. Current regulations state that dead end streets and alleys may be a maximum of 100 feet or I lot width, whichever is shorter. In the case of the two streets that have townhome lots fronting onto them, a single lot will only be about 30 feet wide, leaving the remaining portion of the street unavailable for development. This modification allows more of the space on the short dead-end streets to be used. This modification also addresses the alley near the south property line that separates the townhomes along General Parkway and Commercial Tract 4. Extension of the alley to the south property line will permit future access to the adjoining property. Without this extension, a small strip of privately owned land will exist between the end of the alley and the property line. The developer has discussed the street and alley variances with the Fire and Sanitation Departments. Both have agreed that this requested modification will not cause difficulty with their normal operations. 4. Special conditions for commercial (COM) development d. The self storage facility will be permitted to incorporate an office on the premises for management and security. The office shall be permitted to sell equipment or materials related to storage and moving, but shall not sell/rent/lease trucks or trailers. The office will be limited to a maximum of 1000 sf. Living quarters for the managers of the facility will also be permitted within the premises. These quarters shall be no larger than 1000 sf. Justification: Due to the proximity of the self storage facilities to a large concentration of townhomes, the developer anticipates moving to be a common occurrence and a need will exist for related materials (i.e. boxes, locks, packing material, etc). The developer requests that sales of such materials be permitted from an on -site manager's office. In addition, the developer foresees the potential that the on -site manager may need to be available for extended hours and weekends to accommodate the needs of customers and enhance security at the facility. For this reason, the developer also requests that small living quarters for the on -site manager be permitted. General C-3 zoning permits self storage facilities to be constructed, but it places a stipulation that "accessory uses are prohibited". The term "accessory uses" is not defined, leaving the subject of what is permitted open to debate. The requested modification clarifies this issue by clearly stating two other uses that are anticipated on the site. 5. Special conditions for the Recreation Center are as follows: c. Landscaping requirements in the UDO will be applied to the building, parking, and amenity areas of the Recreation Center. The remainder of the Recreation Center is excluded from these requirements. Justification: As previously described, the Recreation Center and ski facility is a unique land use that is not found anywhere else in this area, so certain rules that are normally applied to development sites do not apply to this facility. Landscaping requirements are calculated based on the overall size of a site, but since the two bodies of water used for the Recreation Center comprise a majority of the surface area, it is not possible to install landscaping that would normally be required as specified in the UDO. This requested modification removes the ski areas from these landscaping calculations. Streetscaping requirements along rights -of -way will still apply to this facility. d. A block length of up to 1250 feet is allowed along Deacon Drive in front of the Recreation Center (RC Block 1). Justification.- As shown on the Concept Plan, the Recreation Center and ski facility is situated in and around two ponds which both serve as detention areas. There is a third detention area adjacent to Commercial Tract 2. These three ponds are sized to accommodate the drainage needs of the development and located at the point where the natural drainage system exits the site. The combined area of all three ponds takes up a significant portion of the total development. The Recreation Center that the developer is planning in two of these ponds necessitates a long block without intermediate public crossings. The Concept Plan shows two public streets on each side of the Recreation Center that provide access to the undeveloped adjoining tract. The portion of this adjoining tract immediately north of the Recreation Center includes a large floodplain that will likely never be developed so there is little chance of an attraction that would need access through the facility. 8. When there are more than 30 lots to be served by external street connections, a minimum of two connections to external paved public streets shall be required. A Remote Emergency Access is permitted to serve as one of these connections. Two street connections to external paved public streets shall be required when 100 or more lots are served. Justification: This requirement closely follows the requirement in the UDO for access to residential developments. Wording in the UDO states that when more than 30 lots are to be served in a subdivision, then the Planning and Zoning Commission is given the discretion to allow a Remote Emergency Access "where development phasing or constraints of the land prevent the provision of a second street connection". This requested modification to the UDO makes the decision to allow the Remote Emergency Access as part of the PDD Zoning so that phasing of subsequent streets can be planned accordingly. The initial phase of The Barracks II Subdivision includes Commercial Tract 1 and a portion of the residential area on the north side of Deacon Drive. Deacon Drive will be the primary access. Deacon Drive will be a 48 ft wide street over its entire length and the expense of building it will be very high. It is not economically feasible to extend Deacon Drive across the entire development to Old Wellborn Road until subsequent phases are brought on-line. Thus, the second connection to external streets needs to be a Remote Emergency Access roadway as described above. THE BARRACKS II SUBDIVISION Rezoning Request January 9, 2012 Background In June, 2011, the College Station City Council granted PDD Zoning to The Barracks H Subdivision. All of the requested land uses and zoning modifications were granted with the exception of the cable wake board ski facility and its associated landscaping and sign restrictions. Since that time, the initial phase of development has begun and is anticipated for completion in early 2012. The developer of The Barracks HSubdivision is requesting that a Recreation Center, which includes a cable wake board ski facility, be added as an approved use within the development. His reasoning is that the market for townhomes or small single family homes that target the student population is highly competitive due to the abundance of offerings in College Station. In order to lure potential buyers, developers must offer unique, attractive amenities that set their product apart from the multitude of other housing options. The Recreation Center and ski facility will provide a unique amenity that is not found anywhere else in the area, and the developer believes it will greatly enhance the marketability of the residential housing being created. The Concept Plan showing the anticipated development scheme has changed slightly from the original submittal. The layout of streets within the townhome area has been modified to allow an open waterway through the site. While its design is not been completed, this open waterway is envisioned to be a greenway through the center of the development with walking trails and water features. This change in the layout slightly reduces the number of townhome lots being planned. No other significant changes are proposed and the overall development concept remains the same as before. The information presented below is essentially the same information as previously submitted for the original rezoning request. There are no changes to the land uses already granted for this property and the original development concept remains the same. This rezoning request merely adds the Recreation Center, ski facility and auxiliary features to the list of acceptable land uses within the development. More detailed descriptions of the operation and management of the Recreation Center are given to provide a thorough understanding of the facility. General Information The Barracks II Subdivision is being presented for rezoning as a Planned Development District (PDD) containing a mixture of open space, residential and commercial land uses. It is a 108-acre development in the area bounded by Wellborn Road on the east, Holleman Drive South (formerly IG&N Road) on the west, Cain Road to the north and Rock Prairie Road to the south. The 2009 Comprehensive Plan designates this part of the City as a General Suburban planning area. Following are two excerpts from that document describing the uses that are intended for this specific area and for other areas with the same designation. • The area between Cain Road and Rock Prairie Road should be used for general suburban activities. High -density single-family lots (minimum 5,000 square feet), townhomes, and duplexes shall be limited to that portion of the area designated as General Suburban on the Future Land Use & Character map and shall incorporate design criteria including, but not limited to, minimum open space, floor -to -area ratios, and bufferyards. Suburban or neighborhood commercial and office uses are also appropriate in this area. (page 2-14, 2- 15) • General Suburban - This land use designation is generally for areas that should have an intense level of development activities. (page 2-18) The PDD Zoning classification was created to provide developers and the City with flexibility in the way that land uses and regulations are applied to formulate neighborhood environments envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan. The definition of a PDD Zone as described in Section 5.5.0 of the UDO is as follows: The purpose of the Planned Development District is to promote and encourage innovative development that is sensitive to surrounding land uses and to the natural environment. If this necessitates varying front certain standards, the proposed development should demonstrate community benefits. The PDD is appropriate in areas where the land use plan reflects the specific commercial, residential, or mix of uses proposed in the PDD. A PDD may be used to permit new or innovative concepts in land utilization not permitted by other zoning districts. While greater flexibility is given to allow special conditions or restrictions that would not otherwise allow the development to occur, procedures are established to insure against misuse of increased flexibility. Using these descriptions and a guide, the developer has worked closely with the City staff to create a planned development containing an innovative mixture of land uses that meet these criteria and address the unique issues associated with this site. The term "neighborhood commercial" as used in the Comprehensive Plan is not clearly defined, so a certain amount of latitude was used to balance the needs of future residential and commercial property owners. The planned uses in The Barracks II generally fall within R-1, R-3 and C-3 Zoning Classifications, with a few additional uses that the developer believes will enhance this development and produce the General Suburban environment described in the Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of this document is to describe the opportunities and constraints of this site, then to define the modifications to R-1, R-3 and C-3 Zoning Classifications that are being requested to create this Planned Development District Zone. Proposed Land Uses Planning for The Barracks II Subdivision has focused on producing a mixture of residential and commercial properties that coexist in close proximity and draw upon the needs of the other to form a sustainable suburban environment. To achieve this, the developer has targeted a specific demographic population to formulate the types of housing, business and recreational activities that are needed to support this neighborhood. The developer is also attempting to broaden the scope of permitted businesses to include those that could serve similar demographic populations in the immediate area around this project. The targeted demographic are college age students and young families who range in age between 18 and 30 years. These populations are often new to the community and are here for a relatively short time while they complete their undergraduate and/or graduate studies. As indicated previously, the proposed land uses in the development generally fall into the following three categories. 1. Single Family Residential (SF) as defined by the R-1 Zoning Classification. 2. Townhome Residential (TH) as defined by the R-3 Zoning Classification. 3. Light Commercial (COM) as defined by the C-3 Zoning Classification. In addition to the allowable uses described in the UDO for C-3 Zoning, the developer is requesting that the following uses be permitted within the Commercial Tracts shown on the Concept Plan. A. Shooting Range — Indoor B. Car Wash C. Commercial garden/greenhouse/landscape maintenance D. Commercial amusement E. Office and retail sales/services with storage areas being greater than 50% of the space (i.e. office/warehouse with overhead doors) F. Self Storage A fourth land use being proposed is a Recreation Center (RC) that includes a cable wake board ski facility. This is a unique land use that is not specifically described or regulated by the UDO. It is a water activity that uses an oval shaped cable system to pull wake board skiers around a pond allowing them to perform jumps or other stunts much like a skier behind a boat. The ski facility will be located in the detention pond area, which will be over excavated to hold a permanent pool of water. The Recreation Center will include a small office, pro shop, restaurant, deck, pool, beach volleyball and other amenities often found on a beach or lake. It will be one of the principle amenities used to attract young people to live in the development. These added land uses were expressly chosen to create a desirable, vibrant and stable neighborhood in which to live. The meritorious modifications that are described on the following pages are intended to tailor these land uses in a manner that will help achieve this goal. Site Description The site of The Barracks II Subdivision has three unique characteristics that significantly impact the way it can be developed. The layout shown in the Concept Plan and the wording of the General Notes have been crafted to address these issues and produce an economically viable development. School Site — A portion of the western boundary of the site adjoins a 27-acre tract owned by College Station ISD. While there are no current plans for the district to build a school on the site, there is a good potential for this to occur in the future. The potential for this future school creates unique opportunities for The Barracks II Subdivision including joint agreements for the extension of streets and utility lines, as well as strategic placement of residential and commercial land uses around it. Preliminary discussions between College Station ISD, the City and the developer have already led to tentative agreements that provide two thoroughfares on the school district property as part of this development. 2. Railroad Tracks — One of the most obvious drawbacks of this site is its proximity to the railroad tracks on its east side. These tracks are situated between Wellborn Road and Old Wellborn Road, and are elevated above the natural ground to heights that vary from about 5 feet to about 8 feet. These tracks pose two significant problems for the site. First is the visual barrier they create which effectively blocks the ability for traffic on Wellborn Road to see into the site. The second is access into the site from Wellborn Road, which is presently limited to railroad crossings at Rock Prairie Road and Cain Road. Both of these streets are outside the boundaries of this development. The College Station Thoroughfare Plan calls for the extension of Deacon Drive through the site, but there is no railroad crossing for that street and there are no plans to provide one in the near future. Topography — The topography of this site is very flat, particularly though the center portions where a small channel exists that flows into a tributary of Bee Creek. In order to build streets across very flat terrain like this, a large volume of earthen fill is needed to create sufficient slopes on the streets (and their adjoining lots) to meet the BCS design criteria, so it is vital to have a sufficient source of this fill in close proximity to the site. The large detention ponds and the over -excavated material for the Recreation Center ponds will greatly offset the need for importing additional material. The City is presently studying the potential for a Regional Detention Pond downstream that would preclude the need for detention on the site, but it is not likely to be in place within a suitable timeframe for this development to use. Justification for Meritorious Modifications The following modifications to general R-1, R-3 and C-3 zoning requirements are requested to create the PDD Zoning for The Barracks II Subdivision. Justifications are provided for each requested modification. The numbering and lettering of these modifications correspond with those on the General Notes shown on the Concept Plan. The other conditions included in the General Notes that are not described below are specific restrictions or allowances that do not require variances from the UDO. 2. General bulk or dimensional variations are as follows: a. Single Family (SF) residential development (variations from R-1 zoning) • Front setback distance — 20 ft without rear access, 15 with rear access • Rear setback distance — 20 ft • Side setback distance — 5 ft • Street side setback distance — 15 ft Justification: The primary benefit of these setbacks distances is to allow slightly larger buildings and slightly more units within the same geographical space. The number of residential units and the open spaces shown on the Concept Plan were carefully balanced to produce an acceptable density that follows the Comprehensive Plan, yet still yield sufficient quantities of sellable lots to make the development economical. Similar setback distances have been used successfully in the Castle Rock Subdivision by this same developer. b. Townhome (TH) development (variations from R-3 Zoning) • Front setback distance — 20 ft without rear access, 15 with rear access • Rear setback distance — 20 ft • Side setback distance — 5 ft • Street side setback distance — 15 ft Justification: (same as for 2.a. above) c. Commercial (COM) development • Maximum restaurant size shall be 3500 sf inclusive of all seating area, kitchen, and ancillary spaces. Justification: Restaurants are limited to 2500 sf in general C-3 zoning. Since drive - through windows are not allowed in general C-3 zoning small restaurants such as fast food franchises that rely on drive through traffic are not able to locate in these areas. Restaurants smaller than 2500 sf have limitations on the amount of seating area they can provide, so they typically involve specialty foods such as sandwiches or donuts. A 3500 sf restaurant would allow for a slightly larger facility that is comparable in size to Fuego Grill or Polly's Cocina. Restaurants of this size that do not have drive-thru windows generally serve a targeted area immediately around their facility. The large number of rooftops already in this area, combined with those anticipated in this development and the surrounding areas, will make the commercial tracts in The Barracks II Subdivision attractive locations for restaurants. The developer plans to include a grill/restaurant in the Recreation Center to serve its patrons and guests, but the size requirements are not yet known. This requested modification to the general C-3 zoning requirement is intended to allow restaurants to locate in this development that are large enough to be economically viable, and in so doing further enhance the General Suburban environment that the City is attempting to create. The rear setback for self storage structures adjacent to a public alley will be 5 feet. Justification: The developer anticipates that self storage units will be constructed in Commercial Tract 4 immediately behind the alley serving the townhomes along General Parkway. The rear wall of these units will have no openings and there will be no vehicular or pedestrian traffic on that side of the storage facility (see General Note 4. c). The alley has a 24' right of way so there is already a significant separation distance between the buildings. A large rear setback for the storage units serves no purpose in this specific location. • In locations where the rear wall of self storage building is adjacent to an alley serving residential units, the rear wall may serve as the buffering wall between land uses. Wall height may be a maximum of 15 feet and consist of approved materials described in the UDO Section 7.6.F.3.a. Justification: The self storage facility will likely include spaces for the storage ofRVs, large boats and other tall vehicles that cannotft into normal units, so the wall and roof structure will be higher than those of standard units. Buffering requirements in the UDO currently require a masonry wall between 6 and 8 feet high at the property line, plus a 15' setback between residential and non-residential buildings. In this case, that requirement produces a 15 ft area of unused space between the buffer wall and the rear of the storage building. This area would be hidden from view thus inviting undesirable vegetative growth, illegal dumping and potential security concerns. The developer requests that the rear wall of the storage unit be allowed to fraction as the buffer wall since it will not have openings that permit access or visibility to the townhomes. d. Commercial Tracts 2, 3, and 4 will each be permitted to erect a freestanding sign in accordance with Section 7.4.N of the UDO. These signs may be raised to a maximum height of 20 feet. Justification: Commercial tracts 2, 3 and 4 are situated next to the elevated railroad tracts along Wellborn Road. The view from vehicles traveling on Wellborn Road is greatly obstructed, particularly to objects that are 10 feet or lower behind the tracks. General C-3 zoning limits businesses to low profile that are a maximum of 4 feet high or attached signs on the buildings themselves. If held to these standards, advertising signs for businesses that locate on any of these three tracts will be ineffective in reaching traffic on Wellborn Road. The developer is requesting that each of the three tracts be allowed to erect a freestanding sign up to a maximum height of 20 feet that will display advertising for the businesses in each tract. Signage like this will greatly enhance opportunities on the west side of the tracks where many businesses have previously been reluctant to locate due to access, noise and visibility problems. e. Block Lengths of up to 1000 feet will be permitted on designated Single Family (SF) and Townhome (TH) blocks. These blocks are noted as SF Block 4 and TH Block 7. Justification: Several iterations of the Concept Plan have been drawn and discussed with the Citystaff. One of the concerns in these discussions has been the potential for guests of the townhome residents to park on streets in front of single family homes. The layout shown on this version of the Concept Plan attempts to address that concern by limiting the number of street connections between the Single Family and Townhome areas to one. In so doing, the total length of one block within the Single Family area is 922 feet and one in the Townhome area is about 955 feet, all of which exceed the 900 ft limit in the UDO. A 15 ft wide common area has been added to TH Block 7 to allow pedestrian traffic through and break up the block length, although there is presently no destination at the end of the common area for pedestrians to enter. f. Dead end streets in residential areas (SF and TH) are permitted up to a maximum of 100 feet in length. The dead-end alley adjacent to Commercial Tract 4 shall extend to the property line (approximately 110 feet). Justification: This modification to the UDO involves two residential streets on the north side of Deacon Drive, one near Commercial Tract 1 and one near the Recreation Center. Current regulations state that dead end streets and alleys may be a maximum of 100 feet or I lot width, whichever is shorter. In the case of the two streets that have townhome lots fronting onto them, a single lot will only be about 30 feet wide, leaving the remaining portion of the street unavailable for development. This modification allows more of the space on the short dead-end streets to be used. This modification also addresses the alley near the south property line that separates the townhomes along General Parkway and Commercial Tract 4. Extension of the alley to the south property line will permit future access to the adjoining property. Without this extension, a small strip of privately owned land will exist between the end of the alley and the property line. The developer has discussed the street and alley variances with the Fire and Sanitation Departments. Both have agreed that this requested modification will not cause difficulty with their normal operations. 4. Special conditions for commercial (COM) development d. The self storage facility will be permitted to incorporate an office on the premises for management and security. The office shall be permitted to sell equipment or materials related to storage and moving, but shall not sell/rent/lease trucks or trailers. The office will be limited to a maximum of 1000 sf. Living quarters for the managers of the facility will also be permitted within the premises. These quarters shall be no larger than 1000 A Justification: Due to the proximity of the self storage facilities to a large concentration of townhomes, the developer anticipates moving to be a common occurrence and a need will exist for related materials (i.e. boxes, locks, packing material, etc.). The developer requests that sales of such materials be permitted from an on -site manager's office. In addition, the developer foresees the potential that the on -site manager may need to be available for extended hours and weekends to accommodate the needs of customers and enhance security at the facility. For this reason, the developer also requests that small living quarters for the on -site manager be permitted. General C-3 zoning permits self storage facilities to be constructed, but it places a stipulation that "accessory uses are prohibited". The term "accessory uses" is not defined, leaving the subject of what is permitted open to debate. The requested modification clarifies this issue by clearly stating two other uses that are anticipated on the site. 5. Special conditions for the Recreation Center areas follows: c. Landscaping requirements in the UDO will be applied to the building, parking, and amenity areas of the Recreation Center. The remainder of the Recreation Center is excluded from these requirements. Justification: As previously described, the Recreation Center and ski facility is a unique land use that is not found anywhere else in this area, so certain rules that are normally applied to development sites do not apply to this facility. Landscaping requirements are calculated based on the overall size of a site, but since the two bodies of water used for the Recreation Center comprise a majority of the surface area, it is not possible to install landscaping that would normally be required as specified in the UDO. This requested modification removes the ski areas from these landscaping calculations. Streetscaping requirements along rights -of -way will still apply to this facility. d. A block length of up to 1250 feet is allowed along Deacon Drive in front of the Recreation Center (RC Block 1). Justification: As shown on the Concept Plan, the Recreation Center and ski facility is situated in and around two ponds which both serve as detention areas. There is a third detention area adjacent to Commercial Tract 2. These three ponds are sized to accommodate the drainage needs of the development and located at the point where the natural drainage system exits the site. The combined area of all three ponds takes up a significant portion of the total development. The Recreation Cetner that the developer is planning in two of these ponds necessitates a long block without intermediate public crossings. The Concept Plan shows two public streets on each side of the Recreation Center that provide access to the undeveloped adjoining tract. The portion of this adjoining tract immediately north of the Recreation Center includes a large jloodiolain that will likely never be developed so there is little chance of an attraction that would need access through the facility. 8. When there are more than 30 lots to be served by external street connections, a minimum of two connections to external paved public streets shall be required. A Remote Emergency Access is permitted to serve as one of these connections. Two street connections to external paved public streets shall be required when 100 or more lots are served. Justification: This requirement closely follows the requirement in the UDO for access to residential developments. Wording in the UDO states that when more than 30 lots are to be served in a subdivision, then the Planning and Zoning Commission is given the discretion to allow a Remote Emergency Access "where development phasing or constraints of the land prevent the provision of a second street connection ". This requested modification to the UDO makes the decision to allow the Remote Emergency Access as part of the PDD Zoning so that phasing ofsubsequent streets can be planned accordingly. The initial phase of The Barracks II Subdivision includes Commercial Tract I and a portion of the residential area on the north side of Deacon Drive. Deacon Drive will be the primary access. Deacon Drive will be a 48 fl wide street over its entire length and the expense of building it will be very high. It is not economically feasible to extend Deacon Drive across the entire development to Old Wellborn Road until subsequent phases are brought on-line. Thus, the second connection to external streets needs to be a Remote Emergency Access roadway as described above. GENERAL NOTES (as shown on Concept Plan) The land uses proposed for this property are as listed on this plan. a. Single Family (SF) meeting R-1 zoning requirements with variances as noted below. b. Townhomes (TH) meeting R-3 zoning requirements with variances as noted below. c. Commercial (COM) meeting C-3 zoning requirements with variances noted below. The following additional uses are permitted in Commercial Tracts 2, 3, and 4 only: • Shooting Range — Indoor • Car Wash subject to supplemental standards contained within the UDO • Commercial garden/greenhouse/landscape maintenance subject to supplemental standards contained within the UDO • Commercial amusement subject to supplemental standards contained in the UDO • Office and retail sales/services with storage areas being greater than 50% of the space (i.e. office/warehouse with overhead doors) • Self Storage — equipment, materials, recreational vehicles, or boats — in buildings with at least 3 enclosed sides. d. Recreation Center (RC) including a commercial cable wake board ski facility, pool, exercise room, jogging track, food & beverage services, retail sales, offices, and similar recreational offerings for members of the BOA and the general public, subject to supplemental standards shown herein and those contained in the UDO. 2. General bulk or dimensional variations (meritorious modifications) are as follows: a. Single Family (SF) residential development (variations from R-1 Zoning) • Front setback distance — 20 ft without rear access, 15' with rear access • Rear setback distance — 20 It • Side setback distance — 5 ft • Street side setback distance — 15 ft b. Townhome (TH) development (variations from R-3 Zoning) • Front setback distance — 20 ft without rear access, 15' with rear access • Rear setback distance — 20 It • Street side setback distance — 15 ft • Side setback distance — 5 ft • Common area side setback distance — 5 It c. Commercial (COM) development (variations from C-3 Zoning) • Maximum restaurant size shall be 3500 sf inclusive of all seating area, kitchen, and ancillary spaces. • The rear setback for self storage structures adjacent to a public alley or common area will be 5 feet. • In locations where the rear wall of self storage building is adjacent to an alley serving residential units, the rear wall may serve as the buffering wall between land uses. The wall shall be constructed of stone and may be a maximum of 15 feet in height. d. Commercial Tracts 2, 3 and 4 shall each be permitted to erect a freestanding sign in accordance with Section 7.4.N of the UDO. These signs may be raised to a maximum height of 20 feet. e. Block Lengths of up to 1000 feet will be permitted on designated Single Family (SF) and Townhome (TH) blocks. These blocks are noted as SF Block 4 and TH Block 7. f. Dead-end streets in residential areas are permitted up to maximum of 100 feet in length. The dead-end alley adjacent to Commercial Tract 4 shall extend to the property line (approximately 110 feet). 3. Special conditions for Townhome (TH) development: a. The townhome structures shall not exceed 9,000 sf. 4. Special conditions for Commercial (COM) development: a. The total building area of ah commercial buildings shall not exceed 24u,000 sf. This figure excludes self storage units and buildings associated with the Recreation Center. b. Self storage units shall be allowed in Commercial Tract 4 only. The total leasable area of all self storage units shall not exceed 100,000 sf. c. No openings to self storage buildings are allowed on the sides adjacent to any street right-of-way or alley that is associated with residential development. d. The self storage facility will be permitted to incorporate an office on the premises for management and security. The office shall be permitted to sell equipment or materials related to storage and moving, but shall not sell/rent trucks or trailers. The office will be limited to a maximum of 1,000 sf. Living quarters for the managers of the facility will also be permitted within the premises. These quarters shall be no larger than 1,000 sf. e. Individual commercial buildings shall not exceed 10,000 sf with the following exception: • One commercial building will be allowed up to a maximum of 15,000 sf. The building may be located in either Commercial Tract 3 or 4. f. Unless otherwise noted herein, commercial buildings and related parking areas shall comply with the Non - Residential Architectural Standards in the UDO. Design of these structures shall be compatible in size, roof type and pitch, architecture, and lot coverage with the surrounding single-family residential uses. g. All commercial tracts shall provide cross access in accordance with the UDO and to adjacent developable properties. 5. Special conditions for the Recreation Center (RC) are as follows: a. Food and beverage services are permitted within the Recreation Center either as an auxiliary function of the facility or as a stand-alone restaurant. Maximum size of the restaurant shall be 3500 sf. inclusive of all indoor seating, kitchen, office and storage spaces. b. Any buildings and parking areas associated with the Recreation Center shall comply with the Non -Residential Architectural Standards in the UDO. c. Landscaping requirements in the LIDO will be applied to the building, parking, and adjacent amenity areas of the Recreation Center. The remainder of the Recreation Center is excluded from these requirements. d. A block length of up to 1250 feet is allowed along Deacon Drive in front of the Recreation Center (RC Block 1). e. The Recreation Center will be platted as a single commercial building lot that encompasses Detention Ponds 1 and 3. Drainage and access easements shall be granted to the Homeowners Association for maintenance purposes associated wtih the detention ponds and their related appurtenances. f. The following operational restrictions shall be imposed on the Recreation Center and its related facilities: • Hours of operation for the cable wake board ski facility shall be no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and no later than 10:00 p.m. All other recreational amenities maybe open for use between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight. The restaurant will be allowed to set its own hours of operation. • Alcohol sales and consumption are permitted, but shall be limited to the main building area or the patio & deck immediately adjacent to the main building. All other areas shall be clearly marked and monitored. • Noise levels emanating from the Recreation Center and its related facilities shall not exceed 63 decibels at the property line of any adjoining residence in accordance with the College Station Code of Ordinances. • Lighting shall be designed in accordance with the Unified Development Ordinance. Lights used for the ski facility shall be turned off no later than 1 hour following the closing times noted above except when necessary for maintenance purposes that cannot be undertaken during daylight hours. • A landscaped buffer shall be established between the Recreation Center and the property immediately north in accordance with the Unified Development Ordinance. Plantings shall include shrubs and trees that, when fully mature, shall be of sufficient density to provide 100% opacity to a height of at least 8 feet as measured from the adjoining property line. 6. Density for the residential development portions of this tract shall not exceed 8.45 dwelling units per acre. This figure is computed by dividing the total number of dwelling units by the sum total of open space areas (parks, detention pond, common areas) plus the privately owned properties inside the residential areas. Detention ponds used in conjunction with the Recreation Center are excluded frotn this computation as long commercial operations are offered at the facility. 7. All commercial and residential buildings shall be limited to 2.5 stories (35 feet). Unless otherwise noted herein, all non-residential buildings shall meet the single-family height setback requirements of the UDO where they adjoin townhome or single family homes. 8. When there are more than 30 lots to be served by external street connections, a minimum of two connections to external paved public streets shall be required. A Remote Emergency Access is permitted to serve as one of these connections. Two street connections to external paved public streets shall be required when 100 or more lots are served. 9. Unless otherwise noted herein, buffer areas will be provided in accordance with the UDO. 10. Driveway access from residential lots shall not be permitted onto streets designated as minor collector or larger. 11. Right-of-way and pavement widths shown on this plan reflect the widths that are required along the majority length of each street. These widths can be increased at intersections of collector streets as needed to accommodate turning lanes, medians or other traffic controls. 12. The minor collector streets currently shown on the College Station ISD property must be constructed by the developer of this subdivision unless the streets are needed sooner by the school district. The developer is not required to provide additional capacity in the drainage, water, sewer or other utility systems to accommodate development of the CSISD property in excess of what is required by the UDO. 13. The portion of Deacon Drive shown on this Concept Plan across the College Station ISD property must be constructed with the initial phase of this subdivision. 14. All stormwater requirements (including detention) shall be designed to comply with the BCS Drainage Design Guidelines. The detention pond adjacent to Commercial Tract 2 shall also meet commercial standards including landscaping and treatment of concrete structures. 15. If the City of College Station or another entity constructs a regional detention facility in the drainage basin encompassing this tract of land that has capacity to serve this development, one or more of the detention facilities shown here may be eliminated upon approval by the City Engineer. Any land released from use as a detention facility may be developed for other uses pending approval of revised PDD Zoning. 16. Pedestrian and bicycle circulation will be provided throughout the project as required by the UDO. Location and details of these facilities will be determined at platting or site plan submittal. THE BARRACKS II SUBDIVISION Rezoning Request January 9, 2012 Background In Jane, 2011, the College Station City Council granted PDD Zoning to The Barracks H Subdivision. All of the requested land asses and zoning modifications were granted with the exception of the cable wake board ski facility and its associated landscaping and sign restrictions. Since that time, the initial phase of development has begun and is anticipated for completion in early 2012. The developer of The Barracks II Subdivision is requesting that a Recreation Center, which includes a cable wake board ski facility and restaurant, be added as an approved use within the development. His reasoning is that the market for townhomes or small single family homes that target the studentpopulation is highly competitive clue to the abundance of offerings in College Station. In order to lure potential buyers, developers must offer unique, attractive amenities that set their product apart from the multitude of other housing options. The Recreation Center and ski facility will provide a unique amenity that is not found anywhere else in the area, and the developer believes it will greatly enhance the marketability of the residential housing being created. The Concept Plan showing the anticipated development scheme has changed slightly from the original submittal. The layout of streets within the townhone area has been modified to allow an open waterway through the site. While its design has not been completed, this open waterway is envisioned to be a greenway through the center of the development with walking trails and waterfeatures. This change in the layout slightly reduces the number of townhome lots being planned. No other significant changes are proposed and the overall development concept remains the same as before. The information presented below is essentially the same information as previously submitted for the original rezoning request. There are no changes to the land uses already granted far this property and the original development concept remains the same. This rezoning request merely adds the Recreation Center, ski facility and auxiliary features to the list of acceptable land uses within the development. More detailed descriptions of the operation and management of the Recreation Center are given to provide a thorough understanding of the facility. General Information The Barracks II Subdivision is being presented for rezoning as a Planned Development District (PDD) containing a mixture of open space, residential and commercial land uses. It is a 108-acre development in the area bounded by Wellborn Road on the east, Holleman Drive South (formerly IG&N Road) on the west, Cain Road to the north and Rock Prairie Road to the South. The 2009 Comprehensive Plan designates this part of the City as a General Suburban planning area. Following are two excerpts from that document describing the uses that are intended for this specific area and for other areas with the same designation. The area between Cain Road and Rock Prairie Road should be usedfor general suburban activities. High -density single-family Lots (minimum 5,000 square feet), townhomes, and duplexes shall be limited to that portion of the area designated as General Suburban on the Future Land Use & Character map and shall incorporate design criteria including, but not limited to, minimum open space, floor -to -area ratios, and bufferyards. Suburban or neighborhood commercial and office uses are also appropriate in this area. (page 2-14, 2- 15) • General Suburban - This land use designation is generally for areas that should have an intense level ofdevelopment activities. (page 2-18) The PDD Zoning classification was created to provide developers and the City with flexibility in the way that land uses and regulations are applied to formulate neighborhood environments envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan. The definition of a PDD Zone as described in Section 5.5.0 of the UDO is as follows: The propose of the Planned Development District is to promote and encourage innovative development that is sensitive to surrounding land uses and to the natural environment. If this necessitates varying f om certain standards, the proposed development should demonstrate community benefits. The PDD is appropriate in areas where the land use plan reflects the specific commercial, residential, or mix of uses proposed in the PDD. A PDD may be used to permit new or innovative concepts in land utilization not permitted by other zoning districts. While greater flexibility is given to allow special conditions or restrictions that would not otherwise allow the development to occur, procedures are established to insure against misuse of increased flexibility. Using these descriptions and a guide, the developer has worked closely with the City staff to create a planned development containing an innovative mixture of land uses that meet these criteria and address the unique issues associated with this site. The term "neighborhood commercial" as used in the Comprehensive Plan is not clearly defined, so a certain amount of latitude was used to balance the needs of future residential and commercial property owners. The planned uses in The Barracks II generally fall within R-1, R-3 and C-3 Zoning Classifications, with a few additional uses that the developer believes will enhance this development and produce the General Suburban environment described in the Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of this document is to describe the opportunities and constraints of this site, then to define the modifications to R-1, R-3 and C-3 Zoning Classifications that are being requested to create this Planned Development District Zone. Proposed Land Uses Planning for The Barracks II Subdivision has focused on producing a mixture of residential and commercial properties that coexist in close proximity and draw upon the needs of the other to form a sustainable suburban environment. To achieve this, the developer has targeted a specific demographic population to formulate the types of housing, business and recreational activities that are needed to support this neighborhood. The developer is also attempting to broaden the scope of permitted businesses to include those that could serve similar demographic populations in the immediate area around this project. The targeted demographic are college age students and young families who range in age between 18 and 30 years. These populations are often new to the community and are here for a relatively short time while they complete their undergraduate and/or graduate studies. As indicated previously, the proposed land uses in the development generally fall into the following three categories. 1. Single Family Residential (SF) as defined by the R-1 Zoning Classification. 2. Townhome Residential (TH) as defined by the R-3 Zoning Classification. 3. Light Commercial (COM) as defined by the C-3 Zoning Classification. hi addition to the allowable uses described in the UDO for C-3 Zoning, the developer is requesting that the following uses be permitted within the Commercial Tracts shown on the Concept Plan. A. Shooting Range — Indoor B. Car Wash C. Commercial garden/greenhouse/landscape maintenance D. Commercial amusement E. Office and retail sales/services with storage areas being greater than 50% of the space (i.e. office/warehouse with overhead doors) F. Self Storage A fourth land use being proposed is a Recreation Center (RC) that includes a cable wake board ski facility. This is a unique land use that is not specifically described or regulated by the UDO. It is a water activity that uses an oval shaped cable system to pull wake board skiers around a pond allowing them to perform jumps or other stunts much like a skier behind a boat. The ski facility will be located in the detention pond area, which will be over excavated to hold a permanent pool of water. The Recreation Center will include a small office, pro shop, restaurant, deck, pool, beach volleyball and other amenities often found on a beach or lake. It will be one of the principle amenities used to attract young people to live in the development. These added land uses were expressly chosen to create a desirable, vibrant and stable neighborhood in which to live. The meritorious modifications that are described on the following pages are intended to tailor these land uses in a manner that will help achieve this goal. Site Description The site of The Barracks II Subdivision has three unique characteristics that significantly impact the way it can be developed. The layout shown in the Concept Plan and the wording of the General Notes have been crafted to address these issues and produce an economically viable development. School Site — A portion of the western boundary of the site adjoins a 27-acre tract owned by College Station ISD. While there are no current plans for the district to build a school on the site, there is a good potential for this to occur in the future. The potential for this future school creates unique opportunities for The Barracks II Subdivision including joint agreements for the extension of streets and utility lines, as well as strategic placement of residential and commercial land uses around it. Preliminary discussions between College Station ISD, the City and the developer have already led to tentative agreements that provide two thoroughfares on the school district property as part of this development. 2. Railroad Tracks — One of the most obvious drawbacks of this site is its proximity to the railroad tracks on its east side. These tracks are situated between Wellborn Road and Old Wellborn Road, and are elevated above the natural ground to heights that vary from about 5 feet to about 8 feet. These tracks pose two significant problems for the site. First is the visual barrier they create which effectively blocks the ability for traffic on Wellborn Road to see into the site. The second is access into the site from Wellborn Road, which is presently limited to railroad crossings at Rock Prairie Road and Cain Road. Both of these streets are outside the boundaries of this development. The College Station Thoroughfare Plan calls for the extension of Deacon Drive through the site, but there is no railroad crossing for that street and there are no plans to provide one in the near future. 3. Topography — The topography of this site is very flat, particularly though the center portions where a small channel exists that flows into a tributary of Bee Creek. In order to build streets across very flat terrain like this, a large volume of earthen fill is needed to create sufficient slopes on the streets (and their adjoining lots) to meet the BCS design criteria, so it is vital to have a sufficient source of this fill in close proximity to the site. The large detention ponds and the over -excavated material for the Recreation Center ponds will greatly offset the need for importing additional material. The City is presently studying the potential for a Regional Detention Pond downstream that would preclude the need for detention on the site, but it is not likely to be in place within a suitable timeframe for this development to use. Justification for Meritorious Modifications The following modifications to general R-1, R-3 and C-3 zoning requirements are requested to create the PDD Zoning for The Barracks II Subdivision. Justifications are provided for each requested modification. The numbering and lettering of these modifications correspond with those on the General Notes shown on the Concept Plan. The other conditions included in the General Notes that are not described below are specific restrictions or allowances that do not require variances from the UDO. 2. General bulk or dimensional variations are as follows: a. Single Family (SF) residential development (variations from R-1 zoning) • Front setback distance — 20 ft without rear access, 15 with rear access • Rear setback distance — 20 ft • Side setback distance — 5 ft • Street side setback distance — 15 ft Justification: The primary benefit of these setbacks distances is to allow slightly larger buildings and slightly more units within the same geographical space. The number of residential units and the open spaces shown on the Concept Plan were carefully balanced to produce an acceptable density that follows the Comprehensive Plan, yet still yield sufficient quantities of sellable lots to make the development economical. Similar setback distances have been used successfully in the Castle Rock Subdivision by this same developer. b. Townhome (TH) development (variations from R-3 Zoning) • Front setback distance — 20 ft without rear access, 15 with rear access • Rear setback distance — 20 ft • Side setback distance — 5 ft Street side setback distance — 15 ft Justification: (same as for 2.a. above) c. Commercial (COM) development • Restaurants shall not be permitted in Commercial Tracts 2, 3, or 4. Justification: This was a negotiated agreement with the City staff in exchange for a stand-alone restaurant being allowed in the Recreation Center. The rationale is to limit this type of use within this development. Previously, restaurants were being allowed in the commercial tracts along Old Wellborn Road, but the developer believes the demand for restaurants on those tracts will be minimal. He believes it is much more likely that a restaurant will be economically feasible in the Recreation Center. The rear setback for self storage structures adjacent to a public alley will be 5 feet. Justification: The developer anticipates that self storage units will be constructed in Commercial Tract 4 immediately behind the alley serving the townhomes along General Parkway. The rear wall of these units will have no openings and there will be no vehicular or pedestrian traffic on that side of the storage facility (see General Note 4. c). The alley has a 24' right of way so there is already a significant separation distance between the buildings. A large rear setback for the storage units serves no purpose in this specific location. In locations where the rear wall of self storage building is adjacent to an alley serving residential units, the rear wall may serve as the buffering wall between land uses. Wall height may be a maximum of 15 feet and consist of approved materials described in the LIDO Section 7.6.F.3.a. Justification: The self storage facility will likely include spaces for the storage of RPs, large boats and other tall vehicles that cannot fit into normal units, so the wall and roof structure will be higher than those of standard units. Buffering requirements in the UDO currently require a masonry wall between 6 and 8 feet high at the property line, plus a 15' setback between residential and non-residential buildings. In this case, that requirement produces a I5 ft area of unused space between the buffer wall and the rear of the storage building. This area would be hidden from view thus inviting undesirable vegetative growth, illegal dumping and potential security concerns. The developer requests that the rear wall of the storage unit be allowed to function as the buffer wall since it will not have openings that permit access or visibility to the townhomes. d. Commercial Tracts 2, 3, and 4 will each be permitted to erect a freestanding sign in accordance with Section 7.4.N of the UDO. These signs may be raised to a maximum height of 20 feet. Justification: Commercial tracts 2, 3 and 4 are situated next to the elevated railroad tracts along Wellborn Road. The view from vehicles traveling on Wellborn Road is greatly obstructed particularly to objects that are 10 feet or lower behind the tracks. General C-3 zoning limits businesses to low profile that are a maximum of 4 feet high or attached signs on the buildings themselves. If held to these standards, advertising signs for businesses that locate on any of these three tracts will be ineffective in reaching traffic on Wellborn Road. The developer is requesting that each of the three tracts be allowed to erect a freestanding sign zip to a maximum height of 20 feet that will display advertising for the businesses in each tract. Signage like this will greatly enhance opportunities on the west side of the tracks where many businesses have previously been rehictant to locate due to access, noise and visibility problems. e. Block Lengths of up to 1000 feet will be permitted on designated Single Family (SF) and Townhome (TH) blocks. These blocks are noted as SF Block 4 and TH Block 7. Justification: Several iterations of the Concept Plan have been drawn and discussed with the City staff. One of the concerns in these discussions has been the potential for guests of the townhome residents to park on streets in front of single family homes. The layout shown on this version of the Concept Plan attempts to address that concern by limiting the number of street connections between the Single Family and Townhome areas to one. In so doing the total length of one block within the Single Family area is 922 feet and one in the Townhome area is about 955 feet, all of which exceed the 900 ft limit in the UDO. A 15 ft wide common area has been added to TH Block 7 to allow pedestrian traffic through and break zip the block length, although there is presently no destination at the end of the common area for pedestrians to enter. f Dead end streets in residential areas (SF and TH) are permitted up to a maximum of 100 feet in length. The dead-end alley adjacent to Commercial Tract 4 shall extend to the property line (approximately 110 feet). Justification: This modification to the UDO involves two residential streets on the north side of Deacon Drive, one near Commercial Tract I and one near the Recreation Center. Current regulations state that dead end streets and alleys may be a maximum of I00 feet or 1 lot width, whichever is shorter. In the case of the two streets that have townhome lots fronting onto them, a single lot will only be about 30 feet wide, leaving the remaining portion of the street unavailable for development. This modification allows more of the space on the short dead-end streets to be used. This modification also addresses the alley near the south property line that separates the townhomes along General Parkway and Commercial Tract 4. Extension of the alley to the south property line will permit future access to the adjoining property. Without this extension, a small strip of privately owned land will exist between the end of the alley and the property line. The developer has discussed the street and alley variances with the Fire and Sanitation Departments. Both have agreed that this requested modification will not cause difficulty with their normal operations. 4. Special conditions for commercial (COM) development d. The self storage facility will be permitted to incorporate an office on the premises for management and security. The office shall be permitted to sell equipment or materials related to storage and moving, but shall not sell/rent/lease trucks or trailers. The office will be limited to a maximum of 1000 sf. Living quarters for the managers of the facility will also be permitted within the premises. These quarters shall be no larger than 1000 sf. Justification: Due to the proximity of the self storage facilities to a large concentration of townhomes, the developer anticipates moving to be a common occurrence and a need will exist for related materials (i.e. boxes, locks, packing material, etc). The developer requests that sales of such materials be permitted from an on -site manager's office. In addition, the developer foresees the potential that the on -site manager may need to be available for extended hours and weekends to accommodate the needs of customers and enhance security at the facility. For this reason, the developer also requests that small living quarters for the on -site manager be permitted. General C-3 zoning permits self storage facilities to be constructed, but it places a stipulation that "accessory uses are prohibited". The term "accessory uses" is not defined, leaving the subject of what is permitted open to debate. The requested inodiflication clarifies this issue by clearly stating two other uses that are anticipated on the site. 5. Special conditions for the Recreation Center are as follows: c. Landscaping requirements in the UDO will be applied to the building, parking, and amenity areas of the Recreation Center. The remainder of the Recreation Center is excluded from these requirements. Justification: As previously described, the Recreation Center and ski facility is a unique land use that is not found anywhere else in this area, so certain rules that are normally applied to development sites do not apply to this facility. Landscaping requirements are calculated based on the overall size of a site, but since the two bodies of water used for the Recreation Center comprise a majority of the surface area, it is not possible to install landscaping that would normally be required as specified in the UDO. This requested modification removes the ski areas from these landscaping calculations. Streetscaping requirements along rights -of -way will still apply to this facility. d. A block length of up to 1250 feet is allowed along Deacon Drive in front of the Recreation Center (RC Block 1). Justification: As shown on the Concept Plan, the Recreation Center and ski facility is situated in and around two ponds which both serve as detention areas. There is a third detention area adjacent to Commercial Tract 2. These three ponds are sized to accommodate the drainage needs of the development and located at the point where the natural drainage system exits the site. The combined area of all three ponds takes tip a significant portion of the total development. The Recreation Center that the developer is planning in two of these ponds necessitates a long block without intermediate public crossings. The Concept Plan shows two public streets on each side of the Recreation Center that provide access to the undeveloped adjoining tract. The portion of this adjoining tract immediately north of the Recreation Center includes a large floodplain that will likely never be developed so there is little chance of an attraction that would need access through the facility. 8. When there are more than 30 lots to be served by external street connections, a minimum of two connections to external paved public streets shall be required. A Remote Emergency Access is permitted to serve as one of these connections. Two street connections to external paved public streets shall be required when 100 or more lots are served. Justification: This requirement closely follows the requirement in the UDO for access to residential developments. Wording in the UDO states that when more than 30 lots are to be served in a subdivision, then the Planning and Zoning Commission is given the discretion to allow a Remote Emergency Access "where development phasing or constraints of the land prevent the provision of a second street connection ". This requested modification to the UDO makes the decision to allow the Remote Emergency Access as part of the PDD Zoning so that phasing of subsequent streets can be planned accordingly. The initial phase of The Barracks II Subdivision includes Commercial Tract I and a portion of the residential area on the north side of Deacon Drive. Deacon Drive will be the primary access. Deacon Drive will be a 48 ft wide street over its entire length and the expense of building it will be very high. It is not economically feasible to extend Deacon Drive across the entire development to Old Wellborn Road until subsequent phases are brought on-line. Thus, the second connection to external streets needs to be a Remote Emergency Access roadway as described above. a. The total building area of all commercial buildings shall not exceed 240,000 sf. This figure excludes self storage units and buildings associated with the Recreation Center. b. Self storage units shall be allowed in Commercial Tract 4 only. The total leasable area of all self storage units shall not exceed 100,000 sf. c. No openings to self storage buildings are allowed on the sides adjacent to any street right-of-way or alley that is associated with residential development. d. The self storage facility will be permitted to incorporate an office on the premises for management and security. The office shall be permitted to sell equipment or materials related to storage and moving, but shall not sell/rent trucks or trailers. The office will be limited to a maximum of 1,000 sf. Living quarters for the managers of the facility will also be permitted within the premises. These quarters shall be no larger than 1,000 sf. e. Individual commercial buildings shall not exceed 10,000 sf with the following exception: • One commercial building will be allowed up to a maximum of 15,000 sf. The building may be located on Commercial Tracts 3 or 4. f. Unless otherwise noted herein, commercial buildings and related parking areas shall comply with the Non -Residential Architectural Standards in the UDO. Design of these structures shall be compatible in size, roof type and pitch, architecture, and lot coverage with the surrounding single-family residential uses. g. All commercial tracts shall provide cross access in accordance with the UDO and to adjacent developable properties. 5. Special conditions for the Recreation Center (RC) are as follows: a. Food and beverage services are permitted within the Recreation Center either as an auxiliary function of the facility or as a stand-alone restaurant. Maximum size of the restaurant shall be 3500 sf. inclusive of all indoor seating, kitchen, office and storage spaces. b. Any buildings and parking areas associated with the Recreation Center shall comply with the Non - Residential Architectural Standards in the UDO. c. Landscaping requirements in the UDO will be applied to the building, parking, and adjacent amenity areas of the Recreation Center. The remainder of the Recreation Center is excluded from these requirements. d. A block length of up to 1250 feet is allowed along Deacon Drive in front of the Recreation Center (RC Block 1). e. The Recreation Center will be platted as a single commercial building lot that encompasses Detention Ponds 1 and 3. Drainage and access easements shall be granted to the Homeowners Association for maintenance purposes associated with the detention ponds and their related appurtenances. f. The following operational restrictions shall be imposed on the Recreation Center and its related facilities: • Hours of operation for the cable wake board ski facility shall be no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and no later than 10:00 p.m. All other recreational amenities maybe open for use between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight. The restaurant will be allowed to set its own hours of operation. • Lighting shall be designed in accordance with the Unified Development Ordinance. Lights used for the ski facility shall be turned off no later than 1 hour following the closing times noted above except when necessary for maintenance purposes that cannot be undertaken during daylight hours. • A landscaped buffer shall be established between the Recreation Center and the property immediately north in accordance with the Unified Development Ordinance. Plantings shall include shrubs and trees that, when fully mature, shall be of sufficient density to provide 100% opacity to a height of at least 8 feet as measured from the adjoining property line. 6. Density for the residential development portions of this tract shall not exceed 8.45 dwelling units per acre. This figure is computed by dividing the total number of dwelling units by the sum total of open space areas (parks, detention pond, common areas) plus the privately owned properties inside the residential areas. Detention ponds used in conjunction with the Recreation Center are excluded from this computation as long commercial operations are offered at the facility. All commercial and residential buildings shall be limited to 2.5 stories (35 feet). Unless otherwise noted herein, all non-residential buildings shall meet the single-family height setback requirements of the UDO where they adjoin townhome or single family homes. 8. When there are more than 30 lots to be served by external street connections, a minimum of two connections to external paved public streets shall be required. A Remote Emergency Access is permitted to serve as one of these connections. Two street connections to external paved public streets shall be required when 100 or more lots are served. 9. Unless otherwise noted herein, buffer areas will be provided in accordance with the UDO. 10. Driveway access from residential lots shall not be permitted onto streets designated as minor collector or larger. 11. Right-of-way and pavement widths shown on this plan reflect the widths that are required along the majority length of each street. These widths can be increased at intersections of collector streets as needed to accommodate turning lanes, medians or other traffic controls. 12. The minor collector streets currently shown on the College Station ISD property must be constructed by the developer of this subdivision unless the streets are needed sooner by the school district. The developer is not required to provide additional capacity in the drainage, water, sewer or other utility systems to accommodate development of the CSISD property in excess of what is required by the UDO. 13. The portion of Deacon Drive shown on this Concept Plan across the College Station ISD property must be constructed with the initial phase of this subdivision. 14. All stormwater requirements (including detention) shall be designed to comply with the BCS Drainage Design Guidelines. The detention pond adjacent to Commercial Tract 2 shall also meet commercial standards including landscaping and treatment of concrete structures. 15. If the City of College Station or another entity constructs a regional detention facility in the drainage basin encompassing this tract of land that has capacity to serve this development, one or more of the detention facilities shown here may be eliminated upon approval by the City Engineer. Any land released from use as a detention facility may be developed for other uses pending approval of revised PDD Zoning. 16. Pedestrian and bicycle circulation will be provided throughout the project as required by the UDO. Location and details of these facilities will be determined at platting or site plan submittal.