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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSouthside/Southgate Neighborhood Preservation Report 7/14/98 Southside / Southgate Neighborhood Preservation Report Recommendations #1 - 5 • 1. Student Housing (Nevada & Welsh). RESOLVED, that no further changes in any property use from single-family residence or up- coding of any property in the Neighborhood Preservation Area of College Station should be permitted and are the position taken in the report. 2. Develop Themes. RESOLVED, that the theme of the Neighborhood Preservation Area addressed by the Committee shall not change from the present mixture of single-family residential dwellings and zoning in any way. . 3. Opportunities For Small Business Development RESOLVED, that the present language used by the City of College Station to describe opportunities for small business development at home is satisfactory. • 4. Land Use Restrictions. - . RESOLVED, that no upcoding of structure category shall be permitted in this area. . i Property shall not be re platted in this area to achieve a higher structural density than , is currently of record. 5. Zoning Changes. RESOLVED, that it would be contrary to the Public Interest, cause unnecessary hardship and substantial injustice would be done, if the zoning were changed and up- zoning of property in this area should occur. In regard to Recommendations 1, 2, 4, & 5: This issue has been largely addressed by past City Council and staff action. The City has included comments in the current Comprehensive Plan to not increase density in the Southside/Southgate area. State law prohibits a City Council from restricting future City Councils from considering zoning requests. Also, the City cannot prohibit developers from submitting zoning requests. The Council has previously voted to not require amendments to the Comprehensive Plan prior to consideration of re- zoning requests that are not in accordance with the Plan. If Council wishes, it could reconsider this option. As with any such consideration, there are pros and cons. When Council last considered this issue, the fact that such a step would increase development review time seemed to be a major factor in Council's decision not to make this a requirement. 0 % 2 7/14/98 C In regard to Recommendation 3: - In accordance with the recommendation by the Southside /Southgate Neighborhood Preservation Committee, there are no plans to change the ordinances describing small business development (i.e., home occupations). Southside / Southgate Neighborhood Preservation Report Recommendation #6 6. Housing Renovation. RESOLVED, that the Committee recommend that a regulatory authority be established in the City of College Station to regulate non - owner - occupied rental property in the Neighborhood Preservation Study area. Occupancy rate for unrelated adults in any such single-family residence shall not exceed the number of bedrooms and shall not exceed four such occupants in any such dwelling. The number of improved parking spaces which must be provided on the property shall equal the number of unrelated adults permitted for any given single-family residence used as rental ro er The adoption of such an ordinance shall be requested in a timely fashion, so as to bring the Neighborhood Preservation Area under its protection as soon as it is practically .t ..., possible to do so, preferably in time for the fall semester. In regard to Recommendation 6: At the City Council workshop in January, the Council directed staff to review the Southside/Southgate Preservation Committee's recommendations. Council discussed the various aspects of Recommendation #6, and asked staff to look at options other than the regulation, or permitting, of non -owner occupied rental property. In light of the direction given by Council, City staff has studied the symptoms created by non -owner occupied rental property. One of the primary problems caused by both the rental housing as well as the proximity of the Texas A &M ' University campus, is an overflow of on- street parking in the Southside/Southgate neighborhoods. City staff has reviewed the on- street parking situation and developed the following options to deal with the problem in this neighborhood: 1. Remove all on- street parking in the entire study area. 2. Remove on- street parking in the entire study area from one side of every street, leaving on- street parking on the other side of every street. 3. Permanently remove on- street parking on every street in the study area that is - currently restricted by Special Event Parking. 4. No on- street parking during certain hours of the day, such as from 8:00 a.m. `�,, C to 5:00 p.m. 3 7/14/98 5. Identify blocks with majority of rental units and restrict parking only on those blocks. A potential impact of this is the possibility that is parking may spill over into the blocks marked owner- occupied. 6. Use of a permit, or hangtag, method to allow on- street parking by the residents of the study area. This option also addresses the situation in Committee Recommendation #8b. Staff has also evaluated the concerns associated with the off - street parking situation. Current ordinance states that a single family residence dwelling unit will have a minimum of two off - street parking spaces. Staff has investigated the possibility of enforcing the required two off - street parking spaces for non- conforming residences built before the standard was put into effect. Staff has determined that legal restrictions facing the City prohibit this action. However, the options presented regarding restricting on- street parking could have the effect of encouraging the construction of off - street parking. With limited or no on- street parking available, property owners and residents may have an incentive to create off - street parking spaces if they do not already exist. After the options regarding the on- street parking situation were developed as an indirect method to deal with Recommendation #6, staff met with the Southside /Southgate Neighborhood Preservation Committee on May 7. The (L. Committee asked to have the options presented to a forum of Southside /Southgate residents and property owners, and have this group reach a consensus on which option to support. Over 2,000 invitations were sent out to those who reside in the Southside /Southgate area and those who own property in this area but live elsewhere. On June 4, a neighborhood forum was held in the College Station Conference Center for the residents and property owners in the Southside /Southgate neighborhoods. The options to deal with on- street parking were presented to approximately 70 citizens in attendance, followed by a discussion period and a survey on the options. The survey was taken by ballot, and resulted in the permit system receiving the largest amount of votes. Of the 28 votes cast for this option, twelve votes asked to combine the permit system with other options. The survey results are attached for your consideration. Using these survey results and staff's analysis of the problem, staff recommends the following actions to deal with the on- street parking situation created by the proximity of Texas A &M University to this neighborhood: 1. Remove on- street parking presently along the north side of George Bush Drive from Timber to Texas Avenue. If this is done before the fall semester, staff can track where Texas A &M University commuters migrate to in search of free parking. 4 7/14/98 fiAA (r) 2. Establish "On -Hour Parking" from 8:OOAM to 5:OOPM Monday through Friday in t e areas on Fairview Avenue and Montclair Street, from George Bush Drive to Kerry Street. 3. Install "No Parking From Here To Corner" signs on Fairview Avenue to help reduce the sight distance problems created by parked vehicles. These recommendations would be a first step, and staff can watch the area to see if the problem moves further south. If the commuter parking moves further south, • the City can increase the area for restricted one hour on- street parking. One of the attached maps shows the area and volume of the Southside /Southgate Neighborhoods in which commuter parking is occurring. Staff's recommendation to deal with the problems caused by residential on- street parking is to create an on- street permit parking system. The concept is bated on similar programs in cities such as Lubbock, Dallas, Austin, and San Marcos. The permit system restricts on- street parking to residents and their guests. Under such a system, residents would be able to limit non - residents from parking in front of their homes without losing valuable parking area. Using other cities' models as examples, the permit system would be based on street -by- street basis. Residents would apply for a permit through a petition and pay for the application fee, signs, and permits. Staff recommends an application /petition system of some type which would require the signature of a certain percentage of owners and /or residents adjacent to street in question. This places the responsibility for initiating such a system to the residents of a particular street while allowing the City the final authority for approving it. Information on Lubbock's residential parking program is attached for your review. It should be noted that while other Texas cities have such programs, from a legal standpoint, there are issues to consider. The streets and roadways are held in trust by the City for public usage. The cities that have established limited use of public streets have no clear statutory authority to limit the public access to the public streets. It is likely that only in extraordinary circumstances will limited use of public roads be allowed. It is also possible that limited use of public roads may be held to be invalid. Staff is recommending implementing an application /petition based permit system on a pilot basis in a small trial area to test the system's effectiveness. If this pilot program has a positive impact, staff can implement this system in other neighborhoods as needed. Staff advises making the area bordered by George Bush Avenue to the North, Dexter to the East, Park Place to the South, and Wellborn Road to the West as the targeted trial area for the permit system. Further details of such a system would have to be worked out if Council directs staff to move forward with this recommendation. 5 7/14/98 t I 'Fti� Southside / Southgate Neighborhood Preservation Report Recommendation #7 7. Restoration of the Neighborhood. RESOLVED, that the Committee recommends; a. The City create a reinvestment positive climate in the area through economic means which is restricted to single-family owner - occupied homes. It is suggested that the time period for this should not exceed beyond the year 2040 and that abatement on a given individual 's property should not exceed 20 years. b. The City should tie the above point together with some form of tax abatement and/or some kind of program of low interest subsidized loans which will increase the value of non - conformance property, as well, in order to make the overall effects revenue positive for the City as time goes forward in the area. In regard to Recommendation 7: Staffs research has found the City cannot legally offer abatements of ad valorem taxes for residential property owners. However, there are existing • Community Development programs which can be utilized in this neighborhood on a voluntary basis: • If a family is low- income (less than 80% of area's median adjusted for family size) and owns their home (or purchasing it), then they can apply for owner- occupied rehabilitation assistance and Optional Relocation Program (if house is beyond repair, Community Development tears it down and rebuilds). These programs are grant programs for persons below 60% of median income, and those between 60 % -80% pay a small portion of their project cost. Community Development does not do any kind of loan for their share. • The Rental Rehabilitation Program is available for landlords of rental property on a dollar- for - dollar match, with a ceiling amount based on • number of bedrooms, i.e., on a 2- bedroom Community Development loans up to $7,500. These are deferred, forgivable loans for a 10 -year period. The landlord has to bring the property up to code and make it available for rent to low to moderate income (LMI) tenants. • Also, the Downpayment Assistance Program is available for LMI homebuyers who might wish to purchase a home in that area (actually available city- wide). Community Development can pay up to $4,000 in down payment and closing costs. Also, they can apply for rehabilitation assistance in conjunction with this. • 6 7/14/98 • • Other assistance would be to make available painting supplies and • materials to a LMI homeowner who might wish to paint the exterior of his home. Community Development has also done some relatively minor drainage projects. Community Development can also do "emergency repairs" if the health and safety of occupants is involved. While Community Development offers a variety of programs to this area, it may be that there is not a high awareness of these programs by residents and /or property owners. If Council so directed, Community Development and the City could begin a targeted marketing project to the residents and property owners in the Southside/Southgate study area. This would include workshops, flyers, and other possible informational material to get the information out to those who need it. • 7