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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesMINUTES Planning and Zoning Commission CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS March 17, 2005 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Commissioners White, Fedora, Davis Hooton, and Reynolds. COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Chairman Shafer & Commissioner Nichols. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: None. DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STAFF PRESENT: Staff Planners Prochazka, Reeves, Boyer, and Hitchcock, Senior Staff Planner Fletcher, Development Coordinator George, Planning & Development Services Director Dunn, Graduate Civil Engineer Cotter, and Staff Assistant Lindgren. OTHER CITY STAFF PRESENT: First Assistant City Attorney Nemcik. 6. Public hearing, presentation, discussion, and possible action on a Conditional Use Permit - Use & Site for a Stealth Telecommunications Tower consisting of approximatly 3.175 acres at 903 Krenek Tap, generally located on the north side of Krenek Tap Road just east of Dartmouth Drive. Case #04 -188 (JR) Commissioner Davis recluses himself from this discussion. Jennifer Reeves, Staff Planner, stated the applicant requested a conditional use permit for a stealth communications towers. The tower will be designed as an 80 foot flagpole approximately 150 feet from the front property line. This item was unanimously denied by the Commission and the City Council in April 2004. At the time there were concerns of the proximity of the tower to Krenek Tap Road and concerns with the property in its current context and the majority of the existing property being undeveloped. There were also concerns that the applicant had not exhausted alternatives in the search ring that was presented with the application. Since that time the applicant has been in contact with 11 other potential sites that are located within the search ring. The applicant has provided certified letters to the property owners, none have expressed in the cell tower proposal. Reeves stated that the current property is currently zoned R -4 Multi- family and developed as a single family residence. The property to the West is zoned R -4 Multi- family and is undeveloped. However, the next property is currently under construction as a retirement project. To the South, across Krenek Tap Road is undeveloped Single - family. To the North is R -3 Townhouse developed as Townhouse and Duplex. To the East is R -4 Multi- family developed as Condominiums. Staff feels that the applicant has exhausted all other alternatives and recommends approval for this request. Brock Bailey, Attorney for Sprint, 500 N. Ackard, Suite #400, Dallas, Texas. Mr. Bailey presented a proposal on PowerPoint for the Commission. Mr. Bailey stated at this time he would answer any questions that the Commission may have. Commissioner Fedora asked if the flagpole will be lit up at night in any way. Mr. Bailey stated that Federal Regulations require that an American Flag have a light shining on it if it will be up at night, so yes the flag will have a light shining up at it. Commissioner Fedora asked who will maintain the site. Mr. Brock stated that Sprint is responsible for maintaining the compound. Sprint will also be irrigating the vegetation and maintaining the vegetation. Commissioner Fedora asked if Sprint had considered using the existing driveway and possibly upgrading the existing driveway to avoid a new driveway cut. Mr. Brock stated that the problem with the existing driveway is that it would utilize more of Mr. Wright's land than he is willing to lease. Dr. Arthur Wright, 1008 Holt, College Station, Texas. Dr. Wright stated that the driveway is to be called a service entrance and should only be used as a service entrance to maintain the site and for any emergencies. Commissioner Reynolds asked if the ring was approximately 1500 feet in diameter. Mr. Brock stated that the ring was approximately 2/10 of a mile. Commissioner Reynolds asked how much flexibility the search ring had. Mr. Brock stated that if towers are too close that it causes confusion with the radio frequency emissions. Commissioner Reynolds asked if it was typical that Sprint could only project out about 18 months for what their service coverage would be. Pat Towery, 164 Custers Court, Conroe, Texas. Ms. Towery stated that 18 months is about as far as Sprint can go. Ms. Towery stated that the subscriber base is what cannot be determined past 18 months. Commissioner Reynolds asked about the process of considering consolidation options. Ms. Towery stated that Sprint has a friendly site database; this database has all carriers, T Mobiles, AT &T Cingulars, and Spectra Site Management. Sprint has master lease agreements with all the carriers. One reason why Sprint would go on a co- location before a raw land site is because lease terms are already set in stone, Sprint knows how much rent costs are, construction costs are less, do not have to worry about access easements, do not have to worry about title or state historical preservation issues. The search rings are put through the friendly site database first. If the sites do not come up in the initial scrub on the friendly site database and that is when individuals are used to drive the field and if a site is out there that is not in the friendly site database it is logged. Commissioner Hooton stated that it is not clear to her why Sprint cannot project out more than two years. Ms. Towery stated that it is not possible for Sprint to determine the City's growth patterns as far as the city, what the most difficult problem is the subscriber base. Ms. Towery states that there is no way to determine how many Sprint customers will be lost or gained in the area. Projections are done based on current use and what Sprint thinks will be out there in the future. Ms. Towery also stated that there are too many unknown factors and it makes it difficult for any carrier to project out past two years. Commissioner Hooton asked why the confidentiality. Mr. Bailey stated that it is a highly competitive market. Mr. Bailey also states that what was given to the commission shows where good coverage is and where there are problems. Commissioner Hooton asked how this meets with public information. First City Attorney Nemcik stated that anything that comes into our possession becomes public and if an open records request were made then Sprint would get a notice that a request had been made and they would have the opportunity to object to its release. Commissioner White asked about the negative response letter received. Mr. Bailey stated that he turned in all letters and that out of 18 people they sent letters to that they received approximately 6 no interest letters. Commissioner White asked who would be the responsible party to maintain the flag in a proper condition. Mr. Bailey stated that Sprint would be responsible for the maintenance of the flag. Ms. Towery stated that Sprint has a technician that lives in College Station and he is responsible for maintaining the flags at all of their sites. Commissioner Fedora motioned to approve. Commissioner Hooton seconded the motion, motion passed (5 -0). MINUTES Planning and Zoning Commission CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS April 1, 2004 6. Public hearing, discussion, and possible action on a Conditional Use Permit for the Wright Stealth Telecommunications Tower consisting of approximatly 3.175 acres located on the north side of Krenek Tap Road just east of Dartmouth Drive. (04-62) Staff Planner Reeves presented the Staff Report. In her opening remarks, Ms. Reeves stated that the applicant is requesting a Conditional Use Permit for a stealth telecommunications tower designed as an 80' flag pole. She added that Staff does not support the request, pointing out that the Land Use Plan designates this area as Single Family Medium Density. Currently, the subject property is zoned as R-4 Multi-Family and developed as a single family residence, while the majority of the surrounding properties remain undeveloped. Letters of opposition were noted and the Telecommunications Act of 1966 were given to the Commission for further information, guidelines and review. There was a brief discussion regarding the distance requirements. Chairman Shafer opened the public hearing. Mike Crain, the Sprint PCS representative, made a presentation, requesting approval of the Conditional Use Permit. A lengthy discussion ensued regarding various issues and concerns. Mr. Crain explained that the equipment will be hidden from view and that the site will be landscaped, exceeding the ordinance by several 100 points, and also include a brick wall, making it aesthetic to the surrounding area. Other sites were considered and rejected due to environmental issues and the terrain. Mr. Crain explained that the tower must be west of the bypasss to reach the areas requiring service. The property owner, Arthur Wright, who resides at 1008 Holt, spoke in favor of the Conditional Use Permit, stating that it is subjective and that he believes there are many people to be served in this area by the tower. Jim stewart, managing partner of Waterwood Townhomes, located next door to the site, expressed concern over the height of the flagpole, comparing it to the height of telephone poles and the area trees. He believes the tower would have a negative impact on the area and is not in character with the surrounding properties. Chairman Shafer closed the public hearing. Commissioner Williams motioned to deny the Conditional Use Permit. Commissioner Trapani seconded the motion, stating that the proposal doesn't fit in with the scheme of what the city is trying to accomplish on Krenek Tap Road and suggested seeking an alternative. Commissioner Williams concurred. Commissioner Hall interjected that a flagpole currently doesn't make sense in this area. Chairman Shafer concurred, stating that he appreciates the need but would prefer to see how the area develops out before doing something like this on that particular site. Chairman Shafer called the question. The motion to deny carried by a vote of 5-0-1. FOR: Shafer, Trapani, Williams, Hall, and Reynolds. AGAINST: None. ABSTAINED: Davis. ABSENT: White