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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune (quarterly) PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES NEWSLETTER Building a Better Community with You P OPULATION : T HE J UNE POPULATION ESTIMATE IS 100,517 PLANNER ON CALL 1 BUILDING INSPECTIONS 2 BUILDING PERMIT CHARTS 2 TRACKING THE NUMBERS 2 BUILDING PERMIT TOTALS 3 STAIRWAY HANDRAILS 4 PROPOSED ELECTRONIC AND FUEL PRICE SIGN CHANGES 4 BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN, AND GREENWAYS PROGAM 5 COLLEGE STATION HITS THE 100,000 MARK 6 LIDAR DATA FOR COLLEGE STATION 7 NEW SOFTWARE TO ASSIST IN THE BUILDING & DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS 8 Inside this issue: PO Box 9960 1101 Texas Avenue College Station, TX 77842 979-764-3570 Fax: 979-764-3496 www.cstx.gov JUNE 2014 PLANNER ON CALL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS The Planner on Call system helps over 1,800 people a year that call, email, or come into the P&DS office with questions related to planning and development. This section highlights some of the more common questions. If you have questions for the Planner on Call, please con- tact us at 979.764.3858 or POC@cstx.gov. Q: What are the requirements to construct a carport in my residential zoning district? A: Garages and carports in residential zoning districts, including those of a temporary nature, should have a minimum rear setback of twenty feet (20’). The side setback from an interior lot line is seven and a half feet (7.5’). A minimum side-yard setback of twenty feet (20’) is also applied when garages and carports, including those of a temporary nature, gain access from a side street. All other setbacks shall be ap- plied as required in the district in which the structure is located. The following restrictions apply to garages and carports: a. A minimum rear setback of twenty feet (20’) ; and, b. A minimum side street setback of twenty feet (20’) is required for garages or carports that take access from the side street. MONTH BUILDING PLUMBING ELECTRIC MECHANICAL LAWN SIGN POOL TOTAL JANUARY 361 264 189 100 15 5 7 941 FEBRUARY 301 232 218 116 11 12 6 896 MARCH 464 322 262 186 13 6 6 1,259 APRIL 602 338 273 235 29 9 11 1,497 MAY 483 331 337 208 14 7 17 1,397 JUNE 565 379 307 265 13 16 17 1,562 TOTAL 2,776 1,866 1,586 1,110 95 55 64 7,552 BUILDING INSPECTIONS: Type of Permit Permit Unit Amount Single-Family Home 424 424 $69,963,772 Duplex 4 8 $1,013,586 Tri-Plex/Four-plex 0 0 $0 Apartment 24 0 $55,130,730 New Commercial 39 N/A $27,296,711 Commercial Remodel 53 N/A $8,598,384 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Jan.Feb.Mar Apr May June July Aug.Sept.Oct.Nov.Dec. 2012 2013 2014 P E R M I T S BY T Y P E Y EAR TO D ATE TOTAL PERMITS 3 YEAR—COMPARISON BY MONTH 0 50 100 150 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 2012 2013 2014 NEW SINGLE FAMILY PERMITS 3 YEAR— COMPARISON BY MONTH 0 5 10 15 Jan.Feb.Mar Apr May June July Aug.Sept.Oct.Nov.Dec. 2012 2013 2014 NEW COMMERCIAL PERMITS 3 YEAR—COMPARISON BY MONTH New Single-Family Homes: YTD – 1 yr YTD– 2 yr 25% 10% Year-to-date, single-family home permits increased in quantity when compared to last year at this time, June 2013, and increased when com- pared with two years ago, June 2012. New Commercial: YTD - 1 yr YTD - 2yr 40% 40% Year-to-date, new commercial permits experienced an increase in quantity when compared to last year at this time, June 2013, and increased when compared with two years ago, June 2012. Total Permits: YTD - 1 yr YTD - 2 yr 10% -19% Year-to-date, total permits experi- enced an increase in quantity when compared to last year at this time, June 2013, and experienced an decrease when compared with two years ago, June 2012. Tracking the Numbers Page 2/June 2014/www.cstx.gov Month of June 2014 Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft.Heat Sq. Ft.Amount Permit Unit Amount Single Family Home 53 53 147,995 112,468 $9,259,043 47 47 $7,821,378 Duplex 0 0 0 0 $0 0 0 $0 Tri-plex/Four-plex 0 0 0 0 $0 0 0 $0 Apartment 0 0 0 0 $0 3 307 $32,373,914 Residential Addition 3 N/A 2,630 1,289 $255,000 4 N/A $165,000 Residential Remodel 9 N/A 4,111 3,051 $217,761 18 N/A $128,936 Residential Garage/Carport Addition 1 N/A N/A N/A $8,600 0 N/A $0 Residential Demolition 3 N/A N/A N/A $7,500 2 N/A $3,750 Residential Slab Only-SF 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Residential Slab Only-DPLX 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Residential Slab Only-3&4 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Residential Slab Only-Apt.0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Hotel / Motel / Inn 0 N/A 0 0 $0 1 N/A $2,500,000 New Commercial 7 N/A 16,808 14,618 $1,022,770 4 N/A $695,380 Commercial Remodel 11 N/A 19,260 18,352 $1,077,600 11 N/A $1,013,000 Commercial Addition/Retaining Wall 0 N/A 0 0 $0 1 N/A $565,000 Commercial Demolition 3 N/A N/A N/A $279,000 1 N/A $2,000 Commercial Slab Only 1 N/A 0 0 $48,900 0 N/A $0 Swimming Pool 4 N/A N/A N/A $131,000 4 N/A $155,240 Sign 7 N/A N/A N/A $0 10 N/A $0 Moving & Location 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Storage / Accessory 4 N/A N/A N/A $140,000 1 N/A $3,700 Roofing 5 N/A N/A N/A $86,085 4 N/A $25,200 TOTALS 111 53 190,804 149,778 $12,533,259 111 354 $45,452,498 Month of June 2013 January 1, 2014 - June 30, 2014 Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft.Heat Sq. Ft.Amount Permit Unit Amount Single Family Home 424 424 1,088,423 851,878 $69,963,772 340 340 $52,912,104 Duplex 4 8 13,728 12,705 $1,013,586 5 10 $1,077,777 Tri-plex/Four-plex 0 0 0 0 $0 0 0 $0 Apartment 24 120 798,940 632,542 $55,130,730 7 357 $35,771,966 Residential Addition 26 N/A 18,139 10,362 $1,368,607 18 N/A $934,567 Residential Remodel 86 N/A 27,486 20,334 $1,445,877 58 N/A $675,587 Residential Garage/Carport Addition 7 N/A N/A N/A $136,125 7 N/A $116,790 Residential Demolition 21 N/A N/A N/A $84,300 38 N/A $94,400 Residential Slab Only-SF 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 3 N/A $59,500 Residential Slab Only-DPLX 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Residential Slab Only-3&4 3 N/A N/A N/A $102,872 1 N/A $40,000 Residential Slab Only-Apt.0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Hotel / Motel / Inn 3 N/A 49,728 49,728 $13,838,226 2 N/A $8,100,000 New Commercial 39 N/A 164,689 149,744 $27,296,711 28 N/A $24,469,988 Commercial Remodel 53 N/A 90,526 72,450 $8,598,384 53 N/A $9,465,187 Commercial Addition/Retaining Wall 5 N/A 0 0 $192,193 1 N/A $565,000 Commercial Demolition 7 N/A N/A N/A $327,000 11 N/A $890,097 Commercial Slab Only 7 N/A 0 0 $2,524,692 5 N/A $2,732,513 Swimming Pool 35 N/A N/A N/A $1,577,972 22 N/A $1,035,490 Sign 59 N/A N/A N/A $0 62 N/A $0 Moving & Location 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Storage / Accessory 13 N/A N/A N/A $316,550 11 N/A $57,069 Roofing 25 N/A N/A N/A $784,002 90 N/A $739,360 TOTALS 841 552 2,251,659 1,799,743 $184,701,599 762 707 $139,737,395 January 1, 2013 - June 30, 2013 Page 3/June 2014/www.cstx.gov Stairway Handrails The provision of handrails increases the level of safety when occupants of a residential home use the stairways. Section 311.7.8 of the 2012 International Residential Code addresses the requirements for installing handrails. Handrails are used for guidance, stabiliza- tion, pulling and to assist in stopping a fall. This section states that a handrail must be provided on at least one side of stairs that contain four or more risers. Where handrails are required, they must be installed at a height within the limits of at least 34 inches and not more than 38 inches, measured vertically to the top of the handrail from the nosing of the stair tread. Also, handrails must be continuous for the length of the flight of stairs. The term “continuous” means not only that a single handrail must run from the top riser to the bottom riser, but it also indicates that users should be able to grasp the handrail and maintain their grasp with- out having to release the rail for the whole flight of stairs. For more information regarding handrails, please contact the City of College Station Building Department at 979.764.3570. Chris Haver C.B.O. Building Official Proposed Electronic and Fuel Price Sign Changes At the May 12th City Council Workshop, staff presented possible changes regarding electronic reader board and fuel price signage. This effort was in response to a written citizen request and requests made during Hear Citizens at a Council meeting earlier this year. Staff held a stakeholder meeting on June 13th to receive input and feedback on the revisions. The current ordinance allows electronic reader boards but requires that there are no flashing, blinking, or traveling lights and that the electronic message change no more than once in a 24-hour period. The proposed ordinance retains the static display requirement but would allow electronic message boards to change once every 15 minutes and provides additional brightness and other standards. The brightness standards are endorsed by the International Sign Associa- tion and used by a number of Texas cities. The proposed ordinance also expands the size of fuel price signs from 16 square feet to a max- imum of 21 square feet. After a public hearing, the Planning & Zoning Commission consid- ered the proposed changes at their July 3rd meeting and unanimously recommended approval of the changes. After a public hearing, City Council will take final action on the proposed revisions at their July 24th Regular meeting. Page 4/June 2014/www.cstx.gov Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Program – UPDATE Bee Creek Greenway Trail – NOW OPEN The Bee Creek Greenway Trail is officially open. The City of College Station has completed the trail that is now 2.2 miles and connects from Texas Avenue South to Southwest Parkway with the newest portion running from Welsh Avenue to Southwest Parkway. It connects area neighborhoods, parks, A&M Consolidated High School and area businesses. It’s a 10 foot wide concrete trail for biking and walking for recreation and transportation. Bike Classes – COMING THIS FALL Join us for a safety course that gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. In this short course, participants learn how to conduct bicycle safety checks, fix a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques. The curriculum blends classroom instruction, parking lot practice, and on-road riding in traf- fic. A bicycle and helmet will be required for this course. Anyone over the age of 14 can participate. Classes are be- ing offered this fall for $20 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Texas A&M University's Transit Building, located at 444 Agronomy Road. Class Dates are currently being finalized. For more information or to sign up, go to cstx.gov/bikepedgreenways and click on Bicycling Essentials Course. Bike Map – IT’S FREE Plan your route using the City of College Station Bike Map & Info Guide available online at cstx.gov/bikepedgreenways. Hard copy guides can be requested online or from Venessa Garza, Greenways Program Manager, by email at vgarza@cstx.gov or by phone at 979.764.3674 Page 5/June 2014/www.cstx.gov College Station hits the 100,000 mark! The City of College Station’s population estimate passed the 100,000 mark in January. Today we estimate that there are 100,394 residents of College Station. Current monthly population estimates can be found online at http://cstx.gov/ Index.aspx?page=397 . How does the City determine the population estimate? At the first of every month, we review Certificates of Occupancy (COs) and demolitions for residential structures that were issued in the previous month. Residential structures are grouped into various categories ranging from single-family dwellings to apartments. By adding the number of new units, removing the number of demolished units, and multiplying those remain- ing by the average household size reported by the Census Bureau (2.38), the current population is estimated. The monthly population number is only an estimate based on averages and does not always capture all new habitable structures. Structures with Temporary COs (TCOs) are not included in the estimate, but are included once they are issued a full CO. TCOs can be issued when the building is ready for occupancy but there are minor non-life-safety issues that still need to be ad- dressed. Terminology: the Census Bureau counts “population” and the City estimates “inhabitants.” The Census Bureau conducts a population count every 10 years, the most recent being in 2010 when College Station had an official population of 93,857. Our esti- mated population of over 100,000 in January is actually our count of City inhabitants. For simplicity, the City refers to its estimated number of inhabitants as its “population estimate.” Based on State statute, cities can make decisions based on population numbers when their estimated number of inhabitants reaches 100,000 (a number created by the City) or when the Census provides the official count every 10 years. Because the monthly population estimates are only estimates, it’s not an official count recognized by the Census Bureau or State statute, in some cases. Now that we’ve surpassed the estimated 100,000 mark… The City may use its discretion to make several decisions based on the inhabitant count, or it can wait until the 2020 Census for the official population count:  Extension of the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) – The City of College Station’s ETJ currently extends 3½ miles outside the City limit boundary. With an estimated population of 100,000, the City Council could extend the ETJ to 5 miles outside the City limits. Councils aren’t required to take this step, but they may choose to do so. State law allows cities to enforce subdivision regulations in the ETJ, which ensures that substandard infrastructure is not assumed by the City as it grows. Extending the ETJ also provides the City with land that we alone can annex.  Financial disclosure requirements for public officials – This provision of State Statute requires public officials such as the mayor, city council members, city attorney, city manager, and each candidate for city office to file an annual fi- nancial statement. This requirement will not be in effect until the Census officially reports College Station’s population above 100,000, so it is at least six years away. Aside from the legal implications of reaching the 100,000 milestone, some exciting changes could occur in our local econo- my. College Station’s population estimate is attractive to retailers and restaurateurs because cities with populations over 100,000 can provide a solid, promising consumer base. That means we could attract popular businesses that typi- cally cater to larger cities. We’re also one of only 33 Texas cities – and about 300 in the United States – with more than 100,000 people. If you have any questions about the City population’s growth or demographics, please contact us by email at Comp- Plan@cstx.gov or by phone at 979.764.3570. Page 6/June 2014/www.cstx.gov LiDAR Data for College Station is Available for Download In conjunction with College Station’s 2011 aerial fly-over contract with Kucera International, Inc., GeoMetrics GPS, Inc. performed a Photogrammetric Control Survey (2010) to provide additional, updated horizontal and vertical control for mapping by means of LiDAR. College Station’s LiDAR data is comprised of tens of thou- sands of georeferenced points with elevations that have many uses for engineers, GIS users, and others such as creating topographic contours, creating surfaces for floodplain modeling or road design, etc. College Station’s raw LiDAR data is available for download at http://www.cstx.gov/index.aspx?page=2000 or directly at the city FTP site ftp://ftp1.cstx.gov/. Click the link for '2011 LiDAR.zip' and extract the compressed files for use. For additional information using the site, please view and read the 'readme.txt' file. LiDAR (also written LIDAR or Lidar - excerpts from Wikipedia) is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyz- ing the reflected light. Downward-looking lidar instru- ments fitted to aircraft and satellites are used for survey- ing and mapping. The term lidar comes from combining the words light and radar. Lidar is popularly known as a technology used to make high resolution maps – in this case, specifically contour mapping. Lidar uses ultravio- let, visible, or near infrared light to image objects and can be used with a wide range of targets, including non- metallic objects, rocks, rain, etc. A narrow laser beam can be used to map physical features with very high res- olution. Lidar was developed in the early 1960s, shortly after the invention of the laser, and combined laser’s fo- cused imaging with radar’s ability to calculate distances by measuring the time for the signal to return. The gen- eral public became aware of the accuracy and usefulness of lidar systems in 1971 during the Apollo 15 mission, when astronauts used a laser altimeter to map the surface of the moon. Additional LiDAR data for other areas across the state is available directly from Texas Natural Resources Infor- mation System (TNRIS) through their Services Order Form: https://www.tnris.org/order-form, or they can call the TNRIS main line at 512.463.8337. If you have any questions on College Station’s LiDAR data, please contact City Engineer, Alan Gibbs, at 979.764.3570, or GIS Coordinator, Brett Blankner at 979.764.3633. Page 7/June 2014/www.cstx.gov New Software to Assist in the Building & Development Review Process The City of College Station is in the process of replacing software that we’ve been using for over 14 years. After a detailed assessment identifies the inability of the aging software to support the changing business needs of the City and our community, the decision was made to seek better solutions and the process of implementing the new software has begun. How will the new software, TRAKiT, affect Planning & Development Services’ customers? eTRAKiT will allow customers the ability to perform more tasks online and out in the field (24/7 access to permits, projects, licenses, code cases, land information , and inspections). The following are just a few of the benefits re- garding online access:  Submit new projects and permits (applications, documents, drawings, etc.)  Make payments  Check projects, permits, or inspection status  Review comments and drawing markups  Change contact information  Resubmit any necessary drawings or documents  Schedule inspections  Renew rental properties eMarkup  Staff will have the ability to review and mark up construction drawings electronically; customers can see this information through eTRAKiT ProjectTRAK  Customers will be notified instantly by electronic media when the following are completed:  Development Review Comments  Project approval  Staff Reports  Agendas  Final Plat Filed iTRAKiT  Inspectors will have the ability to review and approve inspections in the field  When Inspections are resulted, customers will be notified instantly about the status through electronic me- dia (auto-generated emails or eTRAKiT) Planning & Development Services is scheduled to go live with TRAKit on April 15, 2015. The electronic plans review option will be implemented in phases. Later this year we’ll be selecting several customers to help test the eTRAKiT module. If you’re interested in participating in the testing phase or have questions regarding this exciting new soft- ware, please contact Bridgette George at bgeorge@cstx.gov or 979.764.3750. Page 8/June 2014/www.cstx.gov