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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/17/1995 - Regular Minutes - Zoning Board of Adjustments• MEMBERS PRESENT: October 17, 1995 7:00 P.M. • MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: MINUTES Zoning Board of Adjustment CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS Chairman Birdwell and Members Hollas, Poston and Sawtelle and Alternate Member Alexander. Member Rife and Alternate Members Blackwelder and Ochoa. Staff Planner Dunn, Planning Technician Thomas, and Assistant City Attorney Reynolds. AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Call to order -explanation of functions of the Board. Chairman Birdwell called the meeting to order. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Approval of minutes from the meeting of October 3, 1995. Mr. Sawtelle moved to approve the minutes from the meeting of October 3, 1995 as written. Mr. Hollas seconded the motion which passed unopposed (5 - 0). AGENDA ITEM N0.3: Consideration of a variance request to the sign requirements at 105 Holik, Willow Branch Intermediate School to allow a second freestanding sign along Anderson Drive. Staff Planner Dunn presented the staff report and stated that the applicant is requesting an additional freestanding sign to be located at the Willow Branch Intermediate School along the Anderson Street frontage at the parent/student drop-off entrance. On February 18, 1995, the Commission granted a conditional use permit for the renovation and expansion of the school facilities. As in all cases, the use permit also included the approval of signs on the property. As allowed by the ordinance, the applicant received approval from the Commission to use the sign requirements of a C-1 General Commercial district, instead of the requirements for the R-1 district in which the school is located. Therefore the school was allowed to have one freestanding sign and one low profile sign, both of which are existing. On March 3, 1993 and October 19, 1993, the Board granted two variances to the parking lot area on the east side of Holik Street. Neither request involved sign regulations. The applicant offers the following special conditions: (1) Frontage along four streets. The size of the campus is larger than the average commercial development, and does not increase the possibility of "sign proliferation". (2) Configuration of the site. Due to the topography, vegetation and building placement, the sign on Holik Street cannot be seen from Anderson Street. • Staff Planner Dunn stated that After over a year of occupancy, the school district has observed a need for signage along Anderson Street. The applicant feels that inadequate signage (or lack thereof) along Anderson would be a hardship in that it would confuse the parents/students as to drop-off locations. The following alternatives have been identified: (1) Construct a low profile sign. C-1 regulations would allow any number of low profile signs on the property, as long as they are at least 150' apart. The proposed location is • acceptable for a low profile sign without a variance, as it is well over 150' from the existing low profile sign on Holik Street. (2) Attach the sign to the building. Any number of attached signs are allowed under C-1 sign regulations. Staff Planner Dunn concluded that other larger properties/complexes in the city have requested variances for more than one freestanding sign. In most cases, the requests were denied relative to the size of the projects and that an additional freestanding sign would not meet the intent of the ordinance. Three surrounding property owners were notified with no response. Chairman Birdwell opened the public hearing. Representative of the applicant Lisa Cantrell approached the Board and was sworn in by Chairman Birdwell. She presented a colored rendering of the proposed sign to be 8' tall and 4' wide. One of the purposes of the sign is to identify the school site since the parent drop off is located in the same area. The marquee sign will be used for reminders of games, PTA meetings, events, etc. A hardship in this case is that on the Anderson side of the school there is no identification of the school. There is one sign on the property along Holik but it is not visible from Anderson. After one year, the school feels that it's important to have an identification sign along Anderson. The proposed sign will be placed 150' from the right-of--way so as to target parents turning into the site. Mr. Sawtelle questioned the representative if the Parent-Teacher Organization (P.T.O.) considered any alternatives to the proposed sign such as traffic directional signs or a low profile sign. • Ms. Cantrell stated that she did not know if the P.T.O. had considered other alternatives. They approached her when they had problems getting a building permit for the sign. Chairman Birdwell closed the public hearing. Mr. Hollas stated that if this was a commercial business, he would have a harder time considering the case. However, since it is a school, sign proliferation would not be the case and the ordinance intent would be met if the variance request was granted. This school is also unique in that it is bound by roads on all four sides. Mr. Alexander stated that he would prefer to see a freestanding sign instead of a reader board attached to the building. Mr. Hollas moved to authorize a variance to the sign regulations from the terms of this ordinance as it will not be contrary to the public interest due to the following unique special conditions not generally found within the City: the size of the campus is larger than the average commercial development and does not increase the possibility of "sign proliferation", due to the topography, vegetation and building placement and the building has frontage on four roads; and because a stnct enforcement of the provisions of the ordinance would result in substantial hardship to this applicant being: inadequate signage along Anderson would be a hardship in that it would confuse parents/students as to school identification and school events; and such that the spirit and intent of this ordinance shall be preserved and the general interests of the public and applicant served, subject to the following limitations: not taller than 8' and a total area of 32 square feet. Mr. Alexander seconded the motion. Mr. Sawtelle moved to amend the motion to require the applicant to redesign the sign so that it meets low profile sign requirements. The motion died due to lack of a second. • The motion to grant the sign variance as requested passed unopposed (5 - 0). ZBA Minutes October 17, 1995 Page 2 of 3 AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Other business. • There was no other business. AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Adjourn. Mr. Hollas moved to adjourn the meeting of the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Ms. Poston seconded the motion which passed unopposed (5 - 0). i APPROVED: Chairman, Dick Birdwell • • ZBA Minutes October 17, 1995 Page 3 of 3 ZONTivG BOARD OF~ADJUSTNIENT , • FORMAT FOR POSITIVE MOTION Variance to Sign Regulations: From Section 12, Ordinance Number 1638. I move to authorize a variance to the sign regulations from the terms of this ordinance as it will not be contrary to the public interest due to the following unique special conditions not generally found within the City: ~I.a ~ -~ -cam ~.~,~- ~ ~-~ ~,~,~,,~ ~,r.~=~ t,~--t,~ ~o~.i N-~- im wage ..~ l~r~ ~l ~\~~ ~~~?~0~4 . ~ ~.e -~. E~ Q~. ~~~"i • and because a strict enforcement of the provisions of the ordinance would result in substantial hardship to this applicant being: p vin c~_~.~ •'~~ ~~.e ~~ ~ N-~~a~, ,~ a f~a^.c~,~ „" `~~ ~~ and such that the spirit and intent of this ordinance shall be preserved and the general ~~ interests of the public and applicant served, subject to the following limitations: e Motion made by Motion Seconded by Voting Results Chair SignaturE Date • SRP1638.DOC Zoning Board of Adjustment ~• • • Guest Register Date Name Address 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.