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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/03/1997 - Minutes - Planning & Zoning CommissionMINUTES • Plannin & Zonin Commission ~ ~ CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS Apri13, 1997 7:00 P.M. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Acting Chairman Gribou and Commissioners Lightfoot, Massey, Parker, Garner and Smith. COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Chairman Hawthorne. STAFF PRESENT: City Planner Kee, Planning Technician Ruiz, Assistant to the City Engineer Homeyer, Senior Planner McCully, Assistant City Attorney Reynolds, Staff Planner Battle and Development Coordinator Volk. (Council Liaison Brad Martin was in the audience.) • AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: A royal of minutes from the meetin of March 20 1997. PP g Commissioner Massey moved to approve the minutes from the meeting of March 20, 1997 as written. Commissioner Parker seconded the motion which passed unopposed (6 - 0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Public hearing to consider a rezoning request for the Brazos Village Section II Subdivision totaling 17.3 acres located on the southwest corner of State Highway 6 and Birmingham from A-O Agricultural Open to M-1 Planned Industrial. (97-103) Senior Planner McCully presented the staff report and stated that the requested rezoning is in compliance with the comprehensive plan both in terms of land use and thoroughfares. The rezoning will also be compatible with the proposed plans to create an industrial and commercial subdivision in the area (the first phase of which has been approved by the Commission). The subject property is the second phase of the Brazos Village subdivision, which will be a commercial and light industrial development containing several separately platted lots. The proposal for the entire area would include all of the vacant land between the City's Utility Service Center and the Highway 6 Bypass and between Rock Prairie Road and Graham Road for a grand total of just under 30 acres. The completion of both Phases will include the extension of Longmire through it to Graham Road. The subdivision plat for Phase I (12 acres of the 30) has been approved by the Commission and is scheduled for Council in April. That phase was already zoned C-2 CommerciaVIndustrial and a rezoning was not required for • approval of that development. Staff recommended approval of the rezoning request. Approximately twelve surrounding property owners were notified with no response. Commissioner Gribou opened the public hearing. Representative of the applicant Keith Schauer approached the Commission and offered to answer any questions pertaining to the rezoning request. • Commissioner Gribou closed the public hearing. Commissioner Lightfoot moved to recommend approval of a rezoning request for the Brazos Village Section II Subdivision from A-O Agricultural Open to M-1 Planned Industrial. Commissioner Smith seconded the motion which passed unopposed (6 - 0). AGENDA ITEM N0.3: Public hearing to consider a conditional use permit for the expansion of the Holy Cross Lutheran Church located at 1200 Fozfire Drive. (97-703) Senior Planner McCully presented the staff report and stated that the church was constructed before the site was within the city limits. The proposal is to expand the facility from 6087 square feet to 9887 square feet and to bring the parking lot up to code. Phase I of the expansion will include the addition of 3800 square feet, the upgrade of 102 parking spaces, and the use of the existing gravel drive for a maximum of one year. The existing gravel drive will also be required to be upgraded as a fire lane. Phase II will include the construction of 40 additional parking spaces on either side of the drive. The easterly portion of the site is reserved for future expansion that will need to return to the Commission for review. Phase I parking will exceed the ordinance parking requirement by 69 spaces. The site plan as presented to the Commission was approved in 1995. Conditional use permits expire after a year (with one possible extension of 6 months) if no activity is undertaken. The reason for such expiration dates is to ensure that future sites meet the requirements that are in place at the time of construction. The only additional requirement is that the applicant must meet the paving requirements for the fire lane. • Staff recommended that if the Planning and Zoning Commission approves the expansion, the PRC comment relating to the paving standards be a condition of approval. Commissioner Gribou opened the public hearing. Representative of the applicant Mike Hester approached the Commission and offered to answer any questions pertaining to the conditional use permit. Commissioner Gribou closed the public hearing. Commissioner Massey moved to approve the conditional use permit for the expansion of the Holy Cross Lutheran Church with the conditions outlined in the Project Review Committee report. Commissioner Garner seconded the motion which passed unopposed (6 - 0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Consideration of a final plat of Pleasant Forest Phase One Subdivision totaling 11.4 acres divided into 39 single family lots located along the east side of State Highway 6 between Crystal Park Plaza and Mile Drive. (97-212) Assistant to the City Engineer Homeyer presented the staff report and stated that since the staff report was written, the applicant has requested to complete the work in two phases. In order to accomplish this, the applicant must submit two separate drawings showing each phase so that infrastructure can be guaranteed by phase. The subject property is located along the west side of State Highway 6 between • Crystal Park Plaza and Mile Drive. The purpose of this plat is to subdivide 11.4 acres into thirty-nine R-1 Single Family lots. Staff recommended approval of the final plat with the conditions outlined in the Presubmission Conference report. P & Z Minutes April 3, 1997 Page 2 of 6 Representative of the applicant Mike Hester stated that the Conference recommended a 10' wide pedestrian access easement between lots 34 and 35. Currently, a 20' access easement is planned along • the rear of both cul-de-sacs to provide adequate access to the common area. The secondary access could create future problems such as maintenance, vandalism and security. Mr. Hester requested that the Commission not require the second pedestrian access to the common area. He stated that the developer has decided to split the subdivision into two phases so that the infrastructure can be staged instead of being installed initially. Assistant to the City Engineer Homeyer stated that the pedestrian access is a discretionary item that the Commission can consider. Staff felt that the second access point would provide better access to the common area by everyone in the subdivision. Commissioner Garner moved to approve the final plat of the Pleasant Forest Subdivision with the Presubmission Conference recommendations. Commissioner Lightfoot expressed concern about the phasing of the subdivision. He suggested that the Commission table the item until the applicant submits the necessary information showing the phasing of the development. Commissioner Garner agreed and withdrew her motion to approve the final plat. Representative of the applicant Mike Hester informed the Commission that his client will be willing to install the infrastructure initially instead of in phases. He would like the Commission to approve the • final plat as submitted instead of tabling the item. Commissioner Garner moved to approve the final plat as submmtted with the comments outlined m the Presubmission Conference report and that the entire 11.4 acres be developed in one phase as originally proposed. Commissioner Parker seconded the motion which passed unopposed (6 - 0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Consideration of a final plat of the Edelweiss Estates Phase 10-B subdivision totaling 11.7 acres divided into twenty-five single family lots located along the north side of Rock Prairie Road. (97-211) Assistant to the City Engineer Homeyer presented the staff report and stated that the subject property is located north of the Rock Prairie Elementary School and adjacent to Edelweiss Estates Phase 10-A on Mint Avenue. The purpose of this plat is to subdivide 11.7 acres into twenty-five R-1 Single Family lots. A development agreement between the City and Begonia Corporation placed a condition upon all future phases of Edelweiss Estates north of Rock Prairie Road. This condition stipulated that Rock Prairie Road must be constructed prior to the approval of any future plats in this area. In order for this plat to be approved, the City Council must remove this requirement. This item is scheduled for the regular City Council meeting on April 10, 1997. Staff recommended approval of the plat with the condition that all Presubmission Conference comments be addressed and that the City Council allow for the platting of property north of Rock Prairie Road. Representative of the property owner Steve Arden, informed the Commission that Rock Prairie Road is • well under construction. All utilities are in place and the road will be rough cut some time next week. P & Z Minutes Apri13, 1997 Page 3 oj6 Mr. Arden stated that the concern several years ago when the development agreement was drafted, was to make sure that all of the land would not be developed until Rock Prairie Road is installed to make sure the city is not forced to construct the road in the future. The proposed subdivision should be • completed approximately sixty days before the completion of Rock Prairie Road. Commissioner Lightfoot moved to approve the final plat with the comments outlined in the Presubmission Conference Report and the condition that the City Council approve the amended development agreement prior to filing the final plat for record. Commissioner Massey seconded the motion which passed unopposed (6 - 0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: Consideration of a driveway variance, an appeal to the City Engineer's decision to deny a second access point along Rock Prairie Road for the property located on the northeast corner of Rock Prairie Road and Wellborn Road. (97-803) Assistant to the City Engineer Homeyer stated that the applicant has submitted a driveway variance request for a convenience store at the corner of the Rock Prairie Road extension and Wellborn Road. This request was reviewed by the City Engineer and was denied, therefore the applicant is appealing this decision to the Commission. As part of the Rock Prairie Road extension project a raised median will be constructed with several openings to allow traffic to access future developments. There is a proposed median opening located approximately 275 feet from Wellborn Road. During the design process, this median opening was purposely placed at this location to comply with the Driveway Access Location and Design Policy. This location was determined in August of 1996. The first pre-development meeting to discuss this proposed development was held on September 10, 1996. At this meeting, staff indicated that curb cuts on both Rock Prairie and Wellborn would need to be a minimum of 275 feet • from the intersection. At a later date, the applicant proposed a third driveway to be located approximately 125 feet from the intersection because he felt that the driveway located at the median opening would not provide adequate access to lus development. Staff has mamtamed rts pnor decision to not approve the third location because the proposed distance does not meet the minimum spacing as identified in the driveway access ordinance. It is staffs position to vary from the ordinance only under extenuating circumstances in order to maintain consistency and fairness with past, present and future requests. The architect has submitted a letter from himself and a report from a traffic engineer citing specific reasons for the third driveway location. These letters are attached for your review. This intersection has the potential for a similar use to be located on the opposite corner. If this occurs, and if the variance request is approved, then staff would be in a diffiicult position to deny a similar request on the opposite corner. The City Engineer is the designated administrator of the driveway access ordinance. The applicant has not demonstrated the need for more than two driveways at this site. In addition, the third proposed driveway does not meet the minimum spacing and staff recommended denial of this variance request. Commissioner Lightfoot questioned staff concerning the safety issues of the proposed driveway location and the possibility of medians along Wellborn Road. Assistant to the City Engineer Homeyer stated that there will be raised medians in Wellborn Road; however, the time frame is unknown. Staff is uncomfortable with the variance request primarily because of the severity of the driveway separation. The proposed driveway is 125' from Wellborn Road which is less then half the required distance of 275'. He stated that the driveway ordinance is based on • street classification and speed in order to reduce the chance of rear end collisions. The ordinance does not distinguish between divided and undivided streets. P & Z Minutes April 3, 1997 Page 4 of 6 • Applicant Jim Loveless of 7050 Woodoak Drive in Bryan approached the Commission and stated that if the driveway ordinance addressed raised medians, the variance request would probably not be necessary. The major purpose of the ordinance is to keep vehicles from turning left and crossing lanes of traffic; however, in this case, the raised medians will do the same thing. Mr. Loveless stated that the proposed use is a convenience store and it is important that there is easy access to and from the site. Traffic Engineer Joe Blaschke is in support of the variance request and says that the additional driveway will not be a violation of good traffic engineering practice. Representative of the applicant Joe Blaschke of 4303 New Castle Court in Bryan informed the Commission that he is in support of the driveway ordinance and staffs position to insure conformance with the ordinance. However, there are many other cities in the state that consider raised medians when determining driveway locations because there is less interference with traffic. Mr. Blaschke stated that he would not support a similar variance across Rock Prairie Road because of the direction of traffic and the location of the future signal. A variance across Rock Prairie Road would interfere with the que of vehicles traveling toward the future signal. The proposed driveway on the subject property will not create a safety problem and work in this location due to the raised median. Mr. Blaschke stated that the existing driveway ordinance could be expanded to address raised medians and be more consistent with the rest of the state. Commissioner Lightfoot moved to grant the driveway variance and overturn the City Engineer's decision to deny a second access point along Rock Prairie for the property located on the northeast • corner of Rock Prairie Road and Wellborn Road. Commissioner Parker seconded the motion. Commissioner Lightfoot stated that he respects staff's position to deny the variance request. However, in this particular case, the raised median in Rock Prairie Road and future medians along Wellborn Road is a factor. There does not appear to be a safety hazard which is one of the major reasons for the access ordinance. The property across Rock Prairie Road is a different situation primarily because of the direction of traffic. Commissioner Parker agreed and stated that the real issue is that the ordinance does not take into consideration raised medians. Based upon the consulting engineer's remarks, there appears to be a basis for an exception to the ordinance. He suggested that the Commission pass this matter on to the City Council to look at a possible amendment to include raised medians in the driveway ordinance. Commissioner Smith stated that he is not comfortable with the variance request because of safety reasons. Until the issue of raised medians is investigated and addressed in the ordinance, the variance should not be granted. Commissioner Gribou expressed concern that if traffic is speeding to beat a signal, this will happen in both directions increasing the possibility of rear end collisions. He stated that if he knew the exact future plans for Wellborn Road, including deceleration lanes, etc., he may reconsider. The motion to grant the variance request passed (4 - 2); Commissioners Gribou and Smith voted against • the motion. P & Z Minutes April 3, 1997 Page S of 6 AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: Establish parking requirements for Tezas Digital Headquarters in the Technology Business Park generally located on the southeast corner of Sebesta Road and State Highway 6. (97-804) • Senior Planner McCully informed the Commission that the Zoning Ordinance does not specify off street parking requirements for industrial uses. Therefore, the Commission has the authority to set a requirement. The applicant has offered information in support of the proposed number of spaces. He is requesting a determination from the Commission that the parking is adequate for this use. The preliminary site plan reflects 100 off street parking spaces for the site. Of the total parking to be provided, 71 will be for the office uses, which are covered by the zoning requirements. However, in addition to the 17,600 square feet of office use, there will be 9,600 square feet of manufacturing use. According to the applicant, there will be a total of 25 employees working in the manufacturing area. For this use, he will provide 29 spaces which includes 4 spaces for visitors. Due to the changing nature of industrial users over time, it is difficult for staff to make a recommendation for parking that would be adequate for a site in perpetuity. If the Commission approves the proposed parking number, staff recommended that any future changes in use or employees trigger reevaluation of the parking. Commissioner Parker moved to approve the requested number of parking spaces to 29 with the condition that if there are any changes in use or the number of employees exceeds 25, the item must come back before the Commission for further consideration. Commissioner Garner seconded the motion which passed unopposed (6 - 0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: Other business. • Commissioners Massey and Parker informed the Commission of the dedication of the Presidential Corridor at the Riverside Campus at Highways 47 and 230. Commissioner Parker requested that staff express the driveway access concerns to the City Council and study the possibility of incorporating raised medians into the existing ordinance. R. B. Tolsen, the co-owner of a 20.6 acre tract directly across Graham Road from the Brazos Village Phase II Subdivision questioned the Commission concerning the rezoning process and future development plans for the Graham Road area. Commissioner Gribou suggested that Mr. Tolsen work with staff to review the proposed Comprehensive Plan in this area and for notification of future public hearings. AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: Adjourn. Commissioner Lightfoot moved to adjourn the meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Commissioner Parker seconded the motion which passed unoppose/d (6 - 0 . 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