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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01_JanuaryPLANNING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES NEWSLETTER Building a Better Community with You P OPULATION : T HE J ANUARY POPULATION ESTIMATE IS 109,788 2016 YEAR IN REVIEW 1 BUILDING INSPECTIONS 1 BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN AND GREENWAYS PROGRAM 2 2016 PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AWARD WINNERS 3 BCS MPO THOROUGHFARE CONCEPT 3 ARC FAULT PROTECTION 3 RESIDENTIAL PERMIT TOTALS 3 BUILDING PERMIT TOTALS 4 TRACKING THE NUMBERS 5 BUILDING PERMIT CHARTS 5 CLEAN CREEKS: A LOCAL SUCCESS STORY 6 THE PLANNER-ON CALL 7 Inside this issue: PO Box 9960 1101 Texas Avenue College Station, TX 77842 979-764-3570 Fax: 979-764-3496 www.cstx.gov JANUARY 2017 2016 Year in Review The New Year provides a great opportunity to reflect on the accomplish- ments of 2016. Here in Planning & Development Services, we have much to be thankful for. It was another busy year in terms of development activity in College Station with over 300 development-related applications received for various projects. While some of these applications were reviewed and ap- proved administratively, many required the review and approval of the City Council or an appointed Board or Commission. A summary of the various applications is provided below: 18 Comprehensive Plan Amendments 43 Rezonings 1 Conditional Use Permit 23 Preliminary Plans 75 Final Plats 83 Site Plans 40 Non-Residential Architectural (NRA) Reviews 18 Administrative Adjustments 3 Design Review Board Cases 2 Zoning Board of Adjustment Requests Staff also reviewed and approved construction valued at over $530 million in 2016, a record setting amount. Given the high construction value, we also experienced an increase in the number of building inspections. In fact, we performed a record high of 20,319 inspections in 2016. Lastly, subdivision activity and residential construction continued at a strong pace as we issued 711 building permits for single-family homes in 2016. What an amazing year! Best wishes to you and yours as we enter 2017. Lance Simms Director of Planning & Development Services BUILDING INSPECTIONS: MONTH BUILDING PLUMBING ELECTRIC MECHANICAL LAWN SIGN POOL TOTAL JANUARY 434 283 251 267 39 13 7 1,294 TOTAL 434 283 251 267 39 13 7 1,294 Page 2/January 2017/www.cstx.gov Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Program MASTER PLAN UPDATE The City of College Station is updating its Bicycle, Pedestrian and Greenways Master Plan and wants your feedback! This Plan is designed to provide guidance and a framework to implement the community’s desire to create a bikeable, walkable, and environmentally aware and active city. A survey will be available online between February 7th and March 7th to provide your input on additional facilities that may be needed for biking, walking and greenways since adoption. BIKE CLASSES 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, and includes on-bike skills and crash avoid- ance techniques. The curriculum blends classroom instruction, parking lot practice, and on-road riding in traffic. A bicycle and helmet will be required for this course. Anyone over the age of 14 can participate. Classes are being offered for FREE from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Texas A&M Fleet Services Building, located at 958 Agronomy Road but you must register by visiting the website below. Choose from one of the following dates: March 4th April 1st May 6th Bike Map – IT’S FREE Plan your route using the City of College Station Bike Map & Info Guide available online or hard copies guides by using the link below. For more information, visit www.cstx.gov/bikepedgreenways or contact Venessa Garza, Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Senior Program Manager by phone at 979-764-3674 or email vgarza@cstx.gov. 2016 Planning & Development Services Award Winners!!  Employee of the Year - Amber Johnson  Positive Attitude - Bryce Trujillo  Team Player- Debbie Stickles  Dependability - Ciarra Greer  Dedication - Carol Cotter Page 3/January 2017/www.cstx.gov With the new TRAKiT software our residential permit types have been combined. The table below provides additional details to show the Residential Subtypes. Residential Permit No. of Permits Issued Valuation Single-Family (Detached) 88 $13,290,783.23 Townhomes 11 $1,305,360.00 Duplex 23 $4,138,062.49 Draft 2050 BCS MPO Thoroughfare Concept The Bryan/College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization (BCS MPO) began conducting a series of public meetings in October 2016 at various locations throughout Brazos County to solicit input on a draft 2050 MPO Major Thoroughfares Concept plan. The Major Thoroughfares Concept is a guide for developing an efficient and effective County-wide roadway network for a point in time in the future, in this case, the year 2050 and beyond. In drafting the Major Thoroughfares Concept, standard roadway spacing and growth trends were examined to determine where roads should be placed and what kind of vehicle capacity would be needed to ensure the efficient and effective movement of people and goods. The intent of the public meetings has been to discuss with citizens and business owners on where roadways are needed to accommodate anticipated growth. The remaining three MPO public meetings are scheduled in February and March. At the last public meeting scheduled on March 6, 2017, the MPO plans to present a revised draft 2050 Major Thoroughfares Concept with changes based on com- ments received from the public and further evaluation of the Concept. For more information, including a complete list of meeting locations and dates, visit the MPO’s website at www.bcsmpo.org. The City of College Station has adopted a Thoroughfare Plan as part of the College Station Comprehensive Plan. Any changes to the thoroughfare network that the final version of the 2050 Major Thoroughfares Concept proposes, that are different from the adopted College Station Thoroughfare Plan, would require a Comprehensive Plan amendment to be pro- cessed, which includes public hearings through the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council, in order to revise the Thoroughfare Plan and implement any changes. Arc Fault Protection According to the 2015 edition of the International Residential Code, as well as the 2014 edition of the National Electrical Code, arc fault protection is required in virtually all areas of new homes other than garages and bathrooms. AFCI (arc fault circuit interrupter) protection was first introduced in the 1999 version of the National Electrical Code. This was done in the form of a Branch/Feeder AFCI breaker. The Branch/Feeder AFCI breaker provided moderate fire protection in the form of parallel arc-fault protection for branch circuit wiring and cords. In an effort to increase the level of fire protection in new single-family homes, the 2014 edition of the National Electrical Code calls for Combination Type AFCI devices to provide downstream parallel arc-fault protection as well as series arc-fault protection for wiring and power cords. The most com-mon method of arc fault protection, being provided here locally, is in the form of Combination Type AFCI circuit breakers. If you would like additional information regarding this important topic, I may be contacted at (979)764-3803 or by email at bbinford@cstx.gov. Brian Binford, Building Official BUILDING PERMIT TOTALS Month of January 2017 Month of January 2016 Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft.Heat Sq. Ft.Amount Permit Unit Amount ACCESSORY 0 1 1 $10,000.00 ADDITION 0 8 7 $470,040.00 COMMERCIAL ACCESSORY 3 0 3,822 0 $264,000.00 1 0 $10,800.00 COMMERCIAL NEW 6 0 186,208 185824 $47,466,700.00 4 0 $6,245,000.00 COMMERCIAL TENANT FINISH-OUT 2 0 13,290 3513 $70,000.00 6 2 $735,984.00 DEMOLITION 14 78 0 0 $0.00 8 7 $0.00 MULTI-FAMILY 2 36 36,992 28582 $3,600,000.00 13 180 $9,872,693.00 POOL 6 0 0 0 $485,000.00 12 0 $804,800.00 REMODEL / RENOVATION 15 16 30,373 28273 $621,700.00 35 3 $754,507.00 REROOF 3 0 0 0 $18,550.00 4 0 $21,000.00 RESIDENTIAL 122 145 322,159 275761 $18,734,160.72 73 95 $11,106,021.48 RESIDENTIAL ACCESSORY 2 0 1,168 960 $25,400.00 0 RESIDENTIAL ADDITION ATTACHED 2 0 717 0 $19,500.00 0 SIGN 9 0 0 0 $0.00 17 0 $0.00 SLAB ONLY 6 0 68,361 0 $2,158,057.57 13 0 $373,417.00 TOTALS 192 275 663,090 522,913 $73,463,068.29 195 295 $30,404,262.48 January 01, 2017 - January 31, 2017 January 01, 2016 - January 31, 2016 Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft.Heat Sq. Ft.Amount Permit Unit Amount ACCESSORY 0 1 1 $10,000.00 ADDITION 0 8 7 $470,040.00 COMMERCIAL ACCESSORY 3 0 3,822 0 $264,000.00 1 0 $10,800.00 COMMERCIAL NEW 6 0 186,208 185,824 $47,466,700.00 4 0 $6,245,000.00 COMMERCIAL TENANT FINISH-OUT 2 0 13,290 3,513 $70,000.00 6 2 $735,984.00 DEMOLITION 14 78 0 0 $0.00 8 7 $0.00 MULTI-FAMILY 2 36 36,992 28,582 $3,600,000.00 13 180 $9,872,693.00 POOL 6 0 0 0 $485,000.00 12 0 $804,800.00 REMODEL / RENOVATION 15 16 30,373 28,273 $621,700.00 35 3 $754,507.00 REROOF 3 0 0 0 $18,550.00 4 0 $21,000.00 RESIDENTIAL 122 145 322,159 275,761 $18,734,160.72 73 95 $11,106,021.48 RESIDENTIAL ACCESSORY 2 0 1,168 960 $25,400.00 0 RESIDENTIAL ADDITION ATTACHED 2 0 717 0 $19,500.00 0 SIGN 9 0 0 0 $0.00 17 0 $0.00 SLAB ONLY 6 0 68,361 0 $2,158,057.57 13 0 $373,417.00 TOTALS 192 275 663,090 522,913 $73,463,068.29 195 295 $30,404,262.48 Page 4/January 2017/www.cstx.gov Tracking the Numbers New Single-Family Homes:New Commerical:Total Permits: YTD - 1 yr YTD - 2 yr 94% 24% YTD - 1 yr YTD - 2 yr 50% 50% YTD - 1 yr YTD - 2 yr - 2% 28% Year-to-date, single-family home permits experienced an increase in quantity when compared to last year at this time, January 2016, and increased when compared with two years ago, January 2015. Year-to-date, new commercial permits experienced an increase in quantity when compared to last year at this time, January 2016, and increased when compared with two years ago, January 2015. Year-to-date, total permits experienced a decrease in quantity when compared to last year at this time, January 2016, and increased when compared with two years ago, January 2015. Page 5/January 2017/www.cstx.gov Page 6/January 2017/www.cstx.gov Clean Creeks: A Local Success Story City of College Station ’s Pledge The City of College Station is committed to keeping our creeks, stream and rivers clean from polluted stormwater runoff. This is accom- plished in multiple ways through various departments within the City as well as by supporting public volunteers. College Station hosts multiple clean-up programs throughout the year which the local community helps with by collecting litter and trash from various areas of the City to keep both our waterways clean and College Station sparkling. A new program involves the Texas Water Re-sources Institute (TWRI) and Brazos Valley Master Naturalists volunteers monitoring local water ways for various pollutants. Joint Efforts More recently, this collaboration made a significant impact that led to the quick discovery and termination of a pollution source. It began in September with local volunteers being trained by TWRI representatives. The training helped the volunteers identify warning signs within water ways, sample collection methods, as well as cultivation and reporting practices of bacteria samples. In October, while volunteers went to inspect designated sample sites, they not- ed one site with suspicious water quality traits. The volunteers notified the TWRI representative whom promptly con- nected with City officials. Within hours the City had located the suspected area where the pollution source could have originated. It was discovered a mistake was made in a recent plumbing connection which had inadvertently been con- nected to a storm sewer line. The connection was quickly remedied with a licensed plumber correcting the assembly. This event was just one successful example of how volunteers can assist the City. When local volunteers and citizens report unusual water conditions, locate unintended or accidental spills and connections, City officials can quickly assess the situation to avoid environmental damage to the rivers and creeks of our City. Volunteers such as the Brazos Valley Master Naturalists can make an impressive difference to help College Station look after and maintain cleanliness and overall health of our local streams. More Opportunities Available The City of College Station always asks the community to remember: Only Rain Down the Drain. Citizens wishing to volunteer are encouraged to do so. For more information on the City’s Stormwater Management Program, the TMDL and I-Plan, please visit the City’s stormwater website at http://cstx.gov/index.aspx?page=3792. For more information about volunteer monitoring or other opportunities, contact Debbie Stickles at dstickles@cstx.gov or call 764-6254. Page 7/January 2017/www.cstx.gov The Planner-on-Call The Planner-on-Call system helps over 2,000 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 question for the Planner-on-Call, please contact us at (979) 764-3858 or POC@cstx.gov. Q: I’ve been thinking about opening up a mobile food truck in College Station. Can you provide me with more infor- mation on how to do this? A: To open up a mobile food truck in College Station, you will need to apply for a Mobile Food Vendor Permit. There is a checklist on the application that shows all the submittal requirements. Those requirements include: An application completed in full and associated application fee. The application for this can be found on ETRAKiT at https://etrakit.cstx.gov/etrakit3. A surety bond in the sum of $1,000 to cover any incidentals that might occur on the site that the food truck uses. You can get a surety bond from an insurance company. The locations you plan on selling at. If they are on private property, a letter from the property owner will be needed to show that you have permission to sell at these locations. A copy of your insurance covering the food truck. If you have a trailer, we will need a copy of the insurance that covers the vehicle you will use to tow the trailer. A copy of your sales tax permit for your food truck business. A permit from the Brazos County Health Department for the inspection of your truck. This permit is to ensure that your food preparation and storage area meets health department standards. Written authorization that the truck has a facility where they can properly dispose of grease, wastewater, and prep or store food. These facilities can be commissaries or a food service establishment that the truck has part- nered with. Photos of all sides of the food truck will need to be provided. The name of the food truck business should be on the truck and seen in the pictures, and the license tag should be visible. Once your application is reviewed and deemed approved, staff will schedule an inspection of your truck. Q. I heard there was a food truck park opening up in the city. Can you tell me more about it? Yes, last year the City of College Station approved a Mobile Food Court Ordinance. This ordinance allows for a property owner to come and apply for a permit to develop a Mobile Food Court. In October of 2016, the City of College Station had their first application for a Mobile Food Court that was submitted and approved. The food court will be located in Northgate, near Wellborn Road. It will offer nine pad sites for trucks, a concession stand, a covered seating area and a stage. It is a private owned business, and it will be up to their discretion to determine what food trucks they lease pad sites to, and when the business will open.