HomeMy WebLinkAboutAprilBuilding a Better Community with You
PLANNING &
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2013
NATIONAL BIKE MONTH 1
BUILDING PERMIT TOTALS 2
BUILDING INSPECTIONS 3
CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES 3
REZONING SCOOP 3
POPULATION 3
BUILDING PERMIT CHARTS 3
SUBURBAN COMMERCIAL REZONING REQUESTS 4
TRACKING THE NUMBERS 4
BRAZOS CLEAN WATER 5
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPREHEN-
SIVE PLAN THROUGH CREATION &
CONSOLIDATION OF ZONE DISTRICTS
6
7
NORTHGATE REAPING THE REWARDS
OF VISIONARY PLANNING 8
DRIVEWAY PERMIT APPLICATION PROCESS 9
PLANNER ON CALL 10
STAFF PROFILE 11
Inside this issue:
MAY IS NATIONAL BIKE MONTH
Did you know the League of American Bicyclists has declared May National
Bike Month? It is a great time to try bicycling for fun, fitness or transporta-
tion. Across the nation, on May 13-17, people will be trading their usual
vehicles for bicycles to participate in Bike to Work Week. The City of
College Station invites you to join the celebration by biking to work on
Friday, May 17.
The following are tips to help you enjoy biking to work:
Be sure your bicycle is properly maintained
Always wear a helmet for protection
Ride in the right-most lane with the flow of traffic
Obey all stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings
Wear bright clothing and always signal turns
Plan your route using the City of College Station Bike Map & Info Guide
available online at www.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.
1101 Texas Avenue
PO Box 9960
College Station, TX 77842
979-764-3570
Fax: 979-764-3496
www.cstx.gov
Volume 14 Issue 4
BUILDING PERMIT TOTALS:
Month of April 2013
Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft.Heat Sq. Ft.Amount Permit Unit Amount
Single Family Home 45 45 127,258 98,213 $7,410,803 139 139 $14,967,764
Duplex 2 4 8,442 7,262 $413,632 19 38 $3,159,703
Tri-plex/Four-plex 0 0 0 0 $0 0 0 $0
Apartment 1 10 0 0 $55,000 0 0 $0
Residential Addition 4 N/A 1,021 1,021 $66,500 4 N/A $137,000
Residential Remodel 10 N/A 860 800 $118,088 6 N/A $162,486
Residential Garage/Carport Addition 1 N/A N/A N/A $350 1 N/A $11,000
Residential Demolition 8 N/A N/A N/A $28,350 5 N/A $1,007,500
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 1 N/A N/A N/A $5,600,000 0 N/A $0
New Commercial 13 N/A 430,084 8,327 $20,467,608 3 N/A $659,000
Commercial Remodel 17 N/A 16,083 16,027 $5,653,235 7 N/A $1,115,000
Commercial Addition/Retaining Wall 0 N/A 0 0 $0 0 N/A $0
Commercial Demolition 2 N/A N/A N/A $7,000 3 N/A $118,500
Commercial Slab Only 4 N/A 0 0 $2,718,513 0 N/A $0
Swimming Pool 4 N/A N/A N/A $256,550 2 N/A $48,000
Sign 17 N/A N/A N/A $0 10 N/A N/A
Moving & Location 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0
Storage / Accessory 1 N/A N/A N/A $5,769 4 N/A $12,780
Roofing 22 N/A N/A N/A $223,156 25 N/A $147,760
TOTALS 152 59 583,748 131,650 $43,024,554 228 177 $21,546,493
Month of April 2012
January 1, 2013 - April 30, 2013
Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft.Heat Sq.
Ft.Amount Permit Unit Amount
Single Family Home 246 246 608,984 482,685 $37,653,148 308 308 $38,752,378
Duplex 5 10 19,651 17,671 $1,077,777 30 60 $5,310,901
Tri-plex/Four-plex 0 0 0 0 $0 1 3 $285,000
Apartment 4 50 52,794 44,240 $3,398,052 5 29 $2,050,000
Residential Addition 13 N/A 8,896 3,521 $750,864 18 N/A $683,825
Residential Remodel 26 N/A 3,067 3,007 $328,744 42 N/A $1,252,455
Residential Garage/Carport Addition 6 N/A N/A N/A $114,390 5 N/A $60,725
Residential Demolition 29 N/A N/A N/A $87,650 23 N/A $1,042,800
Residential Slab Only-SF 2 N/A N/A N/A $42,000 87 N/A $630,912
Residential Slab Only-DPLX 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 37 N/A $667,783
Residential Slab Only-3&4 1 N/A N/A N/A $40,000 0 N/A $0
Residential Slab Only-Apt.0 N/A N/A N/A $0 3 N/A $105,000
Hotel / Motel / Inn 1 N/A N/A N/A $5,600,000 0 N/A $0
New Commercial 20 N/A 441,642 19,885 $22,464,608 14 N/A $4,943,562
Commercial Remodel 35 N/A 88,475 87,669 $7,740,314 24 N/A $7,343,232
Commercial Addition/Retaining Wall 0 N/A 0 0 $0 9 N/A $128,759
Commercial Demolition 8 N/A N/A N/A $833,050 7 N/A $456,200
Commercial Slab Only 5 N/A 0 0 $2,732,513 0 N/A $0
Swimming Pool 16 N/A N/A N/A $814,250 13 N/A $806,569
Sign 40 N/A N/A N/A $0 47 N/A NA
Moving & Location 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0
Storage / Accessory 7 N/A N/A N/A $39,769 13 N/A $390,970
Roofing 73 N/A N/A N/A $645,695 84 N/A $641,180
TOTALS 537 306 1,223,509 658,678 $84,362,824 770 400 $65,552,251
January 1, 2012 - April 30, 2012
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P E R M I T S BY T Y P E
Y EAR TO D ATE
Type of Permit Permit Unit Amount
Single-Family Home 246 246 $37,653,148
Duplex 5 10 $1,077,777
Tri-Plex/Four-plex 0 0 $0
Apartment 4 50 $3,398,052
New Commercial 20 N/A $22,464,608
Commercial Remodel 35 N/A $7,740,314
NEW SINGLE FAMILY PERMITS
3 YEAR—COMPARISON BY MONTH
NEW COMMERCIAL PERMITS
3 YEAR—COMPARISON BY MONTH
TOTAL PERMITS
3 YEAR—COMPARISON BY MONTH
CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES SUMMARY:
REZONING SCOOP:
CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES SUMMARY:
MONTH HEALTH &
SANITATION
PROPERTY
MAINTENANCE
PUBLIC
NUISANCE
FIRE
PROTECTION
TRAFFIC
CODE SANITATION UDO/
ZONING
RENTAL
REGISTRATION TOTAL
JANUARY 19 3 3 - 10 287 19 88 429
FEBRUARY 222 11 4 8 16 224 24 52 561
MARCH 63 58 6 0 17 227 16 66 453
APRIL 17 240 5 17 7 247 26 109 668
TOTAL 321 312 18 25 50 985 85 315 2111
PROJECT NO PROJECT NAME LOCATION ACRES REQUEST P&Z DATE STATUS COUNCIL DATE STATUS
13-900020 Hillier Funeral Home 4080 SH6 S 7.5 Amend PDD 7-Mar-13 Approved 28-Mar-13 Approved
13-900064 McGill Tract 2381 Earl Rudder Fwy. S 14.2 Rez 18-Apr-13 Approved 9-May-13
13-900061 Barron Crossing &
Bridgewood Sub. 2985 Barron Cut-Off Rd 75.1 R-1&A-O to
PDD 16-May-13 23-May-13
13-900076 Barron Rd & Victoria 2301 Barron Rd. 3.7 A-O to SC 16-May-13 23-May-13
MONTH BUILDING PLUMBING ELECTRIC MECHANICAL LAWN SIGN POOL TOTAL
JANUARY 350 251 167 123 14 11 4 920
FEBRUARY 338 256 204 154 2 8 5 967
MARCH 389 329 164 138 10 7 10 1047
APRIL 588 354 287 282 19 11 10 1551
TOTAL 1665 1190 822 697 45 37 29 4485
P OPULATION : T HE A PRIL POPULATION ESTIMATE IS 97,982
0
100
200
300
400
2011 2012 2013
0
5
10
15
2011 2012 2013
0
50
100
150
2011 2012 2013
BUILDING INSPECTIONS:
SUBURBAN COMMERCIAL REZONING REQUESTS
Last fall City Council approved the creation of several new non-residential zoning districts. The purpose of these
new districts is to help implement some of the 15 unique Future Land Use and Character designations identified
in the Comprehensive Plan. Rezoning requests for one of the new districts, SC Suburban Commercial, have re-
cently been submitted to the City for consideration. The rezoning applications that have been submitted thus far
are located by the Raintree subdivision along State Highway 6 and in front of the Reatta Meadows subdivision
by the new College Station High School.
The purpose of the SC Suburban Commercial district is to allow lower intensity commercial uses that provide ser-
vices to nearby neighborhoods. Uses in the district are intended to be compatible with the character of subur-
ban single-family neighborhoods, which is accomplished by requiring buildings to have more of a residential
character and scale and their sites heavily landscaped to minimize the impacts of the non-residential uses and
associated parking areas on adjacent residential areas. The district allows for a range of uses with impacts
mitigated through additional buffering and architecture requirements of the buildings.
In addition to the SC Suburban Commercial district, BP Business Park, BPI Business Park Industrial, and NAP
Natural Areas Preserved were also adopted last fall. In creating the districts, City staff worked with a sub-
committee of the Planning and Zoning Commission to develop the concepts and language for the districts based
on direction provided in the Comprehensive Plan. The new districts are similar to the City’s other existing zoning
districts in that they are largely use-based districts with some additional performance standards. For more in-
formation, contact Jason Schubert at jschubert@cstx.gov.
TRACKING THE NUMBERS
New Commercial:
YTD – 1 yr YTD – 2 yr
54 % 25%
Year-to-date, new commercial per-
mits experienced a increase in quan-
tity when compared to last year at
this time, April 2012, and increased
when compared with two years ago,
April 2011.
New Single-Family Homes:
YTD – 1 yr YTD– 2 yr
20 % 34 %
Year-to-date, single-family home
permits decreased in quantity when
compared to last year at this time,
April 2012, and increased when
compared with two years ago,
April 2011.
Total Permits:
YTD - 1 yr YTD - 2 yr
31% 25%
Year-to-date, total permits ex-
perienced an decrease in quantity
when compared to last year at
this time, April 2012, and experi-
enced an increase when com-
pared with two years ago, April
2011.
Page 4/April 2013/www.cstx.gov
BRAZOS CLEAN WATER
The 18th Annual Brazos Valley Earth Day event held at Wolf
Pen Creek proved successful as thousands of residents were
educated on our natural and cultural environments. Last
month, Brazos Clean Water (BCW) successfully participated
in its 4th consecutive showcase, focusing on fertilizer applica-
tion and potential runoff problems. A poster board was used
to illustrate the water cycle, tips for preventing stormwater
pollution as well as the following information on fertilizer
usage:
Apply fertilizer sparingly
Don’t overwater
Fertilizer runoff contaminates nearby surface water
Storm drains do not treat polluted runoff
Excess fertilizer causes eutrophication of our waterways
Eutrophication depletes the oxygen necessary for fish,
fauna and organisms to survive.
In addition, several pieces of educational
material were handed out ranging from pamphlets, coloring books, calendars,
stickers, wildflower seeds, temporary tattoos and colorful fish stress-relievers
citing the brazoscleanwater.org website. This event and other educational and
outreach efforts seek to meet milestones enumerated in the overall City of
College Station’s Stormwater Management Program (SWMP). More information
on up and coming events can be found on the BrazosCleanWater.org calendar.
Page 5/April 2013/www.cstx.gov
Page 6/April 2013/www.cstx.gov
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THROUGH THE
CREATION AND CONSOLIDATION OF ZONING DISTRICTS
The Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2009 and acts as a guide to ensure that the vision for College
Station is realized through the future growth and development of the City. The Comprehensive Plan
approaches the growth of College Station in a manner different from the City’s previous plans; it focuses on
the creation and enhancement of places of distinction in College Station. The Plan recognizes the importance
of character and capitalizes on that to offer the greatest flexibilities for development, while protecting
special places.
The Comprehensive Plan identifies 15 unique Future Land Use and Character designations and calls for the
creation of zoning districts that align with the objectives of the Plan as one means of implementation. The
intent is that new zoning districts be developed for each of the land use classifications to both align with the
intent of the Comprehensive Plan and to simplify the nomenclature. Zoning and its associated development
criteria help to ensure that the form, character, and quality of development reflect the City’s planning objec-
tives.
Staff has worked with a sub-committee of the Planning and Zoning Commission to develop the concepts for
one- and two- family residential zoning districts based on direction in the Comprehensive Plan. These districts
will be similar to the City’s existing set of zoning districts, meaning that they will largely be use-based, with
some additional performance standards. Districts will be renamed to simplify the nomenclature. The districts to
be created and renamed through this process include:
New Districts
“RS Restricted Suburban”
Changed & Renamed Districts
“A-O Agricultural Open” to “R Rural”
“A-OR Rural Residential Subdivision” to “E Estate”
Renamed Districts
“R-1 Single-Family Residential” to “GS General Suburban”
“R-3 Townhouse” to “T Townhouse”
“R-2 Duplex” to “D Duplex”
“R-7 Manufactured Home Park” to “MHP Manufactured Home Park”
Retired Districts
“R1-B Single Family Residential”
PHASED APPROACH
Staff has developed a phased approach to the creation and adoption of the new zoning districts, which have
been categorized into non-residential, residential, and growth area districts.
Phase 1: The completion of Phase I resulted in the adoption of new non-residential zoning districts in Septem-
ber 2012. New districts include NAP Natural Areas Preserved, SC Suburban Commercial, BP Business Park,
and BPI Business Park Industrial. At that time, existing non-residential districts were either renamed or retired as
part of the amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance.
Phase 2: Staff is currently working on developing the residential districts. These districts will be similar to our
existing set of zoning districts, meaning that they will largely be use-based, with some additional performance
standards. Several other existing districts will be renamed to simplify the nomenclature, but the standards will
remain the same. Retired districts will remain effective for properties, but will not be available for future rezon-
ing proposals. The creation and adoption of the one and two family districts will be done separately from the
creation and adoption of the multi-family and mixed-use districts.
Phase 3: Once the residential districts are adopted, Staff will begin work on a specific zoning approach for the
Growth Areas identified on the Concept Map in the Comprehensive Plan.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INPUT
A public meeting was held on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 to present the one- and two-family zoning district concepts
to the community for consideration and comment. Since that time, staff has worked with the Planning & Zoning
Commission sub-committee to finalize the concepts. Specific ordinance language will be developed over the next
couple of months. Once the ordinance language is drafted, stakeholders will have a one month review period to
provide comments. It is anticipated that the City Council will consider adoption of the new zoning districts in the
early fall. For more information, please contact Jennifer Prochazka at jprochazka@cstx.gov.
Page 7/April 2013/www.cstx.gov
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NORTHGATE REAPING THE REWARDS OF VISIONARY PLANNING
The bustling Northgate District is one of many examples where the city worked closely with the community,
defined where we wanted to go, then planned and worked together to get there.
Several years ago, the City of College Station and
Northgate stakeholders began the planning process
for this unique entertainment destination. The plan
called for an urban area that supported high-
density, mixed-use developments, and it required
changes to the development code to create new zon-
ing districts. Those changes enabled development to
conform to the vision that emerged from the collec-
tive planning process.
With a clear plan in place, the city began investing
in the necessary infrastructure and repairs. Tens of
millions of dollars were invested in street rehabilita-
tion projects, water lines, sewer lines, and public
parking enhancements. The city also partnered with
the Texas Department of Transportation to improve
pedestrian safety in key locations.
Those investments have started to pay big dividends.
In recent months, the city has issued construction permits for several new mixed-use developments that will pro-
vide housing for thousands of residents along with non-residential space. The new development advances the
vision for the Northgate District, increases property values, and in some cases has even eliminated blighted
conditions.
The positive benefits of visionary planning are
evident in Northgate and will become even more
important as College Station continues to grow and
prosper. For more information regarding the North-
gate District, please contact Lance Simms at
lsimms@cstx.gov.
Page 9/April 2013/www.cstx.gov
DRIVEWAY PERMIT APPLICATION PROCESS
Ever wonder how to go about getting a driveway permitted in the City of College Station? Below is an outline
of the process.
COMMERCIAL DRIVEWAYS (CITY OF COLLEGE STATION ROADWAY)
All commercial driveways are reviewed, processed, and permitted
through the Site Plan and Development Permit processes and will
meet the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) requirements.
COMMERCIAL DRIVEWAYS (TXDOT ROADWAY)
All commercial driveways are reviewed, processed, and
permitted through the Site Plan and Development Permit
processes and will meet the UDO requirements or TxDOT’s
Access Management requirements, which ever requirement is
more stringent.
All driveways proposed within state ROW require a TxDOT permit.
Owner or Owner’s Representative will submit a signed application with supporting documentation. The
applicant is responsible for submitting five copies of the permit application and supporting documenta-
tion.
The permit is reviewed and approved by the Transportation Planning Coordinator and forwarded to
TxDOT.
Once the response from TxDOT is received, the applicant will be notified of response and the permit will return
to Planning and Development Services (P&DS) for processing.
RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAYS FOR NEW HOUSES
Driveways proposed with new home construction are processed and inspected through the Building Permit proc-
ess and will meet the UDO requirements.
EXISTING RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY
Applicant will fill out application with sketch of proposed improvement and submit application to P&DS.
The P&DS Plans Examiner will review for UDO compliance and will sign the permit as the City Represen-
tative (the Transportation Planning Coordinator or Engineering may be asked for input) or the applicant
will be contacted for more information.
Once approved, the Plans Examiner will contact the applicant that it has been approved.
For more information, please contact Joe Guerra at jguerra@cstx.gov.
.
P LANNER ON C ALL
F REQUENTLY A SKED Q UESTIONS
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 contact us at 979-764-3570 or POC@cstx.gov.
Q: I’m considering a site to develop a multi-family project. Are there any height limitations?
A: Multi-family buildings that are proposed near any property line adjacent to single-family use or town-
home development are required to be setback from the property line twice the distance of its building
height.
Building height is measured from finished grade or base flood elevation and the height point of a man-
sard roof, coping of a flat roof or average height between the eaves and ridge line of a gable, hip or
gambrel roof.
Typically, equipment such as HVAC units and satellite dishes may be installed on top of the building. These
are required to be screened from public view and are included in overall height.
Multi-family developments in the Northgate Design District, Redevelopment District Overlay, and Planned
Mixed-Use Districts are exempt from this requirement.
For more information on height restrictions, please contact the Planner-On-Call.
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