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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/04/2015 - Minutes - Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board `' MINUTES BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN, AND GREENWAYS !Iona of:/t,:,: rs,,:erszn° ADVISORY BOARD Monday May 4, 2015 3:00 PM College Station City Hall Council Chambers 1101 Texas Avenue College Station, Texas, 77840 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Blanche Brick, Brandon Boatcallie, Robert Lightfoot, Phillip Lasley, Jon Denton, James Batenhorst & Scott Shaffer STAFF PRESENT: Greenways Program Manager Venessa Garza, Assistant Director of Planning and Development Molly Hitchcock, Principal Planner Jason Schubert, Staff Planner Laura Walker, Staff Planner Madison Thomas and Board Secretary Kristen Hejny AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Call to Order. Chairman Brick called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Hear Visitors There were no visitors present to address the Board. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Consideration, discussion, and possible action to approve meeting Minutes. Board Member Shafer motioned to approve the meeting Minutes, from March 2, 2015. The motion was seconded by Board Member Denton and was approved (7-0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding a recommendation for an amendment to Chapter 12, "Unified Development Ordinance," (UDO) of the Code of Ordinances of the City of College Station, Texas that revises the bicycle and pedestrian standards associated with the Non-Residential Architectural Standards. Principal Planner Schubert was available to present this item to the Board. Board Member Shafer asked how primary buildings are defined in the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Mr. Schubert stated that there is no specific definition of a primary building. Mr. Shafer asked if there are any rules in place for employee parking or bike parking spots and if there are any required spots for employees. Mr. Schubert stated that there have been discussions, regarding this particular idea, but no ordinances have been updated to reflect such, but employee parking is included in the overall parking requirement for a building plot. Mr. Shafer asked if specific employee parking can be made a requirement as part of the parking plan for a plot. Mr. Schubert responded that the development rules are general rules applying universally to all primary building plots, and making the ordinance specific would be difficult. Mr. Batenhorst asked if a business could receive a reduction in parking requirements if they provide more bicycle parking. Assistant Director Hitchcock stated that within the Alternative Parking Plan, a developer can request that bicycle parking to count as parking if they make special provisions to accommodate bicyclists such as employee shower facilities. Mr. Schubert stated that a reference to the Alternative Parking Plan could be added. Chairman Brick asked the reason for removing the plazas requirement. Mr. Schubert explained that the applicability of needing them is very small and the space in which it is utilizing is not as functional. Ms. Brick asked if there was some way to require big shopping centers to require more public space and landscaping to provide a better aesthetic view. Mr. Lasley asked if Staff looked at ways to improve the section for plazas instead of removing the requirement. Mr. Schubert stated that this language would no longer be in the Non-Architectural section and would be its own section of the UDO. If the Board were to require this be kept at part of the UDO, Staff would need a recommendation of when the plazas would be required. Mr. Lightfoot left the meeting. The Board had general discussion about the value of keeping open space areas. Mr. Lasley stated that open spaces with additional landscaping would make the plots more aesthetically pleasing. Mr. Lasley stated that if the asterisk were to be removed from section 12-7.2.k.3.c.a, this would make it so that seating areas cannot be located in parking lot island areas. Mr. Batenhorst asked if all new plots will have to have one plaza. Mr. Schubert stated that this rule is currently required for each development, and the Board would have to have some qualifier to depict that something such as the primary building would be the only building in the plot to fall under this change in the ordinance. Ms. Brick motioned to recommend approval of the ordinance amendment regarding revisions to the bicycle and pedestrian standards associated with the Non-Residential Architectural Standards with the following changes: • Section 12-7.2.3.1.c o Add language to include a reference to the Alternative Parking Plan. • Section 12-7.2.K.3.c should remain and be amended as follows (with the removal of the asterisk from 3.a): o A site or sites part of a building plot in excess of ten acres shall provide one plaza developed as an integral part of the development and not less than five hundred (500) square feet in area. This area shall not count toward required parking islands or area requirements of a parking concept as described in the large parking lots section. This area shall incorporate a minimum of three (3) of the following: a) Seating components b) Structural or vegetative shading* c) Water features* d) Decorative landscape planters* e) Public Art* f) Outdoor eating accommodations g) Hardscape elements at entrances and within the parking area such as decorative pavers, low masonry walls, clock towers, etc. *These public areas may be located within the parking landscape areas. The motion was seconded by Mr. Shafer and was approved (6-0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Presentation, and discussion regarding an update on intersection improvements for biking. This item was tabled for a later meeting. AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: Presentation and discussion regarding the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board calendar of upcoming meetings. • May 7, 2015— Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting — City Hall, Council Chambers — 6:00 p.m. • May 21, 2015 — Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting — City Hall, Council Chambers — 6:00 p.m. • June 1, 2015 N Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board — City Hall, Council Chambers — 3:00 p.m. AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: Possible action and discussion on future agenda items - A Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board Member may inquire about a subject for which notice has not been given. A statement of specific factual information or the recitation of existing policy may be given. Any deliberation shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on an agenda for a subsequent meeting. AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: Adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m. A PROVED: R ►TT T: � i �d // 'j/ J� Blanche Brick, Chairman Irsten Hejny, Bitar l SecretEar