HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugustPLANNING &
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
AUGUST 2013
NEW PARKING RATES EFFECTIVE
IN NORTHGATE
1
BUILDING PERMIT TOTALS 2
BUILDING INSPECTIONS 3
CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES 3
REZONING SCOOP 3
POPULATION 3
BUILDING PERMIT CHARTS 3
STATE LEGISLATURE PASSES TRANS-
PORTATION FUNDING LEGISLATION
4
TRACKING THE NUMBERS 4
CONSTRUCTION SAFETY—A LIFE
SAVED
5
NEW SCOTT &WHITE HOSPITAL AND
CLINIC—LEADING THE WAY WITH STORM WATER QUALITY
DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION!
6
7
TEXAS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT 8
BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN & GREENWAYS
PROGRAMS—EVENTS & INFORMATION
9
NORTHGATE DISTRICT GROWS 10
PLANNER ON CALL 11
STAFF PROFILE 12
Inside this issue:
Building a Better Community with You
NEW PARKING RATES EFFECTIVE IN NORTHGATE
The City recently implemented several changes to the parking rates in North-
gate. While the changes were primarily driven by the need to increase parking
revenue in Northgate, rates were actually reduced in a couple of cases. For
example, free parking is now available on the surface parking lot from 11:00
am until 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday. We are also offering a
reduced “early bird” special at the parking garage on Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday nights. Patrons arriving at the parking garage between 8:00 PM and
10:30 PM can park for a flat rate of $6.00.
By focusing on special events and peak times, we believe the proposed parking rate increases will raise the needed revenue while having a minimal impact on the Northgate establishments.
A summary of the parking rate changes is provided below:
1. Peak hours are from 8:00 pm until 3:00 am on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays
2. Includes 83 street meters - the Memorandum of Understanding with the Northgate
District Association precludes the City from charging after 5:00 pm on 20 of the
103 street meters
For more information on the new parking rates in Northgate, please contact
Lance Simms at lsimms@cstx.gov or visit our website at
www.cstx.gov/parking.
Current Rate New Rate
Parking Garage
(Game Day Rate)
$10.00 Game Day
(flat rate)
$20.00 Game Day
(flat rate)
Surface Parking Lot
(Peaks Hours Only)1
$2.00/Hour $2.50/Hour
Surface Parking Lot
(Game Day Rate)
$2.00/Hour $3.50/Hour
Surface Parking Lot
(Lunch Hours)
$.75/Hour Free from 11AM–2PM
(Monday Through Friday)
Street Meters
(Peak Hours Only)1
Free $2.50/Hour2
Street Meters
(Game Day Rate)
$2.00/Hour $3.50/Hour
1101 Texas Avenue
PO Box 9960
College Station, TX 77842
979-764-3570
Fax: 979-764-3496
www.cstx.gov
Volume 14 Issue 8
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPREHEN-
SIVE PLAN THROUGH THE CREATION
AND CONSOLIDATION OF ZONING
BUILDING PERMIT TOTALS:
Month of August 2013
Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft.Heat Sq. Ft.Amount Permit Unit Amount
Single Family Home 30 30 90,988 66,226 $5,871,076 20 20 $3,260,661
Duplex 0 0 0 0 $0 0 0 $0
Tri-plex/Four-plex 0 0 0 0 $0 0 0 $0
Apartment 0 0 0 0 $0 0 0 $0
Residential Addition 3 N/A 1,800 900 $100,800 6 N/A $162,172
Residential Remodel 8 N/A 2,600 2,000 $109,289 4 N/A $17,814
Residential Garage/Carport Addition 2 N/A N/A N/A $7,000 2 N/A $9,400
Residential Demolition 1 N/A N/A N/A $1,200 3 N/A $7,500
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 0 N/A 0 0 $0 0 N/A $0
New Commercial 6 N/A 6,500 0 $705,000 3 N/A $866,500
Commercial Remodel 11 N/A 81,843 75,478 $684,276 6 N/A $223,300
Commercial Addition/Retaining Wall 3 N/A 0 0 $81,378 0 N/A $0
Commercial Demolition 1 N/A N/A N/A $20,000 0 N/A $0
Commercial Slab Only 0 N/A 0 0 $0 6 N/A $190,056
Swimming Pool 5 N/A N/A N/A $205,840 5 N/A $199,250
Sign 13 N/A N/A N/A $0 6 N/A $240
Moving & Location 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0
Storage / Accessory 2 N/A N/A N/A $5,400 3 N/A $24,200
Roofing 4 N/A N/A N/A $23,000 22 N/A $90,750
TOTALS 89 30 183,731 144,604 $7,814,259 86 20 $5,051,843
Month of August 2012
January 1, 2013 - August 31, 2013
Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft.Heat Sq. Ft.Amount Permit Unit Amount
Single Family Home 394 394 1,020,127 789,789 $63,129,775 447 447 $60,601,546
Duplex 5 10 19,651 17,671 $1,077,777 46 92 $7,973,951
Tri-plex/Four-plex 0 0 0 0 $0 1 3 $285,000
Apartment 8 390 297,714 222,509 $38,576,966 6 238 $27,421,650
Residential Addition 27 N/A 12,381 6,551 $1,174,267 40 N/A $1,494,147
Residential Remodel 76 N/A 15,231 14,358 $1,157,626 77 N/A $1,795,914
Residential Garage/Carport Addition 11 N/A N/A N/A $184,260 11 N/A $85,861
Residential Demolition 41 N/A N/A N/A $100,100 30 N/A $1,062,200
Residential Slab Only-SF 3 N/A N/A N/A $59,500 88 N/A $2,636,378
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 4 N/A $733,350
Hotel / Motel / Inn 2 N/A 35,435 34,510 $8,100,000 0 N/A $0
New Commercial 40 N/A 487,279 59,022 $33,387,712 33 N/A $40,533,820
Commercial Remodel 71 N/A 224,492 213,221 $11,295,463 52 N/A $13,763,453
Commercial Addition/Retaining Wall 5 N/A 4,000 4,000 $781,378 10 N/A $143,759
Commercial Demolition 13 N/A N/A N/A $910,097 12 N/A $771,860
Commercial Slab Only 5 N/A 0 0 $2,732,513 6 N/A $190,056
Swimming Pool 34 N/A N/A N/A $1,421,930 41 N/A $1,720,499
Sign 86 N/A N/A N/A $0 82 N/A $240
Moving & Location 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0
Storage / Accessory 15 N/A N/A N/A $96,969 36 N/A $627,261
Roofing 98 N/A N/A N/A $800,043 175 N/A $1,424,518
TOTALS 935 794 2,116,310 1,361,631 $165,026,376 1234 780 $163,933,246
January 1, 2012 -August 31, 2012
Page 2/August 2013/www.cstx.gov
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P E R M I T S BY T Y P E
Type of Permit Permit Unit Amount
Single-Family Home 394 394 $63,129,775
Duplex 5 10 $1,077,777
Tri-Plex/Four-plex 0 0 $0
Apartment 8 357 $38,576,966
New Commercial 40 N/A $33,387,712
Commercial Remodel 71 N/A $11,295,463
NEW SINGLE FAMILY PERMITS
3 YEAR—COMPARISON BY MONTH
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
MAY 20 98 2 14 6 125 26 121 412
JUNE 27 337 5 14 9 214 27 191 824
JULY 17 31 9 0 9 174 18 184 442
AUGUST 26 33 13 6 25 623 30 160 916
TOTAL 411 811 47 59 99 2121 186 971 4705
PROJECT NO PROJECT NAME LOCATION ACRES REQUEST P&Z DATE STATUS COUNCIL DATE STATUS
13-900077 Barron Crossing &
Bridgewood Sub. 2985 Barron Cut-Off Rd 75.1 R-1&A-O to
PDD 18-Jul-13 Approved 8-Aug-13 Approved
13-900122 The Barracks II 3100 Haupt Road 59.9 Rez 1-Aug-13 Approved 8-Aug-13 Approved
13-900165 St. Mary’s Catholic Church 603 Church Ave. 3.8 Rez 5-Sept-13 Approved 26-Sept-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
MAY 561 313 242 238 27 14 6 1401
JUNE 420 335 219 237 6 12 7 1236
JULY 495 368 287 282 6 6 13 1457
AUGUST 377 222 182 205 7 6 11 1010
TOTAL 3141 2206 1570 1454 84 69 55 8579
P OPULATION : T HE A UGUST POPULATION ESTIMATE IS 99,239
0
100
200
300
400
2011 2012 2013
0
5
10
15
2011 2012 2013
0
50
100
150
2011 2012 2013
BUILDING INSPECTIONS:
TOTAL PERMITS
3 YEAR—COMPARISON BY MONTH
NEW COMMERCIAL PERMITS
3 YEAR—COMPARISON BY MONTH
STATE LEGISLATURE PASSES TRANSPORTATION FUNDING LEGISLATION
The Texas legislature finally agreed upon a transportation funding
bill that will go to the voters for approval in November 2014. The
funding bill is actually an amendment to the State Constitution. The
constitutional amendment would divert half of the oil and gas sever-
ance tax that funds the state’s emergency fund, or Rainy Day Fund,
to roads, giving the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) a
potential boost of $1.2 billion annually. According to TxDOT, the
agency needs $4 billion more per year to fund and maintain
added capacity projects throughout the state.
As part of the enabling legislation, the bill seeks to protect the
Rainy Day Fund by having a select committee, recommend a mini-
mum balance to be maintained before any money can be diverted to roads. This number must be approved by
two-thirds of the legislature. If lawmakers can’t agree, then the committee’s number will take effect. It also
requires TxDOT to find $100 million in savings within its operations to apply toward the agency’s mounting
debt. The debt was part of Proposition 12 bond funding approved by the legislature in 2011. Unless the legis-
lature votes to extend the legislation, the diversion of the severance tax will sunset in 2025.
The gasoline sales tax, the major funding source for trans-
portation funding, has not been increased since 1993
both statewide and nationally. Transportation planning in
particular relies on a predictable revenue stream since
federal law requires state DOTs to produce both short
and long-range plans that are fiscally constrained. What
that means is, a road project cannot be placed into a
plan (and hence move forward) unless TxDOT can demon-
strate how it will be funded to be built in the forecasted
year.
Page 4/June 2013/www.cstx.gov
New Commercial:
YTD – 1 yr YTD – 2 yr
12 % 8%
Year-to-date, new commercial per-
mits experienced an increase in
quantity when compared to last year
at this time, August 2012, and de-
creased when compared with two
years ago, August 2011.
New Single-Family Homes:
YTD – 1 yr YTD– 2 yr
12 % 18 %
Year-to-date, single-family home
permits decreased in quantity when
compared to last year at this time,
August 2012, and increased when
compared with two years ago, Au-
gust 2011.
Total Permits:
YTD - 1 yr YTD - 2 yr
25% 1%
Year-to-date, total permits ex-
perienced an decrease in quantity
when compared to last year at
this time, August 2012, and ex-
perienced an increase when com-
pared with two years ago, August
2011.
TRACKING THE NUMBERS
Page 4/August 2013/www.cstx.gov
CONSTRUCTION SAFETY – A LIFE SAVED
City Inspectors provide countless public benefits in construction verification and compliance, though often without
recognition. Increased safety is certainly a significant benefit that is unheralded and may be hard to quantify -
from building codes and regulations, to traffic control and good construction safety practices. We all recall a
recent construction fatality here locally raises a somber awareness to the development and construction commu-
nity, and a call to re-commit to safety.
Another likely fatality was avoided by the alert action of College Station Engineering Construction Inspector
Ray Argersinger. Ray was witnessing a required Vacuum Test on a public sanitary sewer manhole to confirm
the manhole was properly seated and sealed against leaks. In this test, all lines and the entry are plugged and
sealed, and a pump places a vacuum on the manhole which takes approximately 15 minutes to achieve 10
inches of mercury vacuum. To pass the test, the manhole should retain 9 inches of mercury after a 2 minute test.
After the initial test had failed, and without direction, a worker entered the manhole while another worker
began to close off and seal the manhole to re-test. Ray immediately instructed the manhole to remain open
and the worker to exit. The worker explained his intent to apply soapy water on the joints to attempt to watch
the leak inside the manhole while it was under vacuum. Ray explained to him the 15 plus minutes of the vacuum
would have been fatal. The manhole later passed inspection and the project proceeded without incident.
This year our four Engineering Construction Inspectors oversaw approximately $23 million of infrastructure such
as streets, water, sewer, drainage, etc., that was constructed, inspected and dedicated to the public. Their work
is critical to ensure quality infrastructure is properly built – and often includes many other facets of safety and
oversight.
We want to acknowledge and thank Ray for his awareness and action – and remind each of us to be alert
and to do our part. If you have any questions about engineering construction inspection, you can contact City
Engineer Alan Gibbs at 979.764.3570.
Page 5/August 2013/www.cstx.gov
.
NEW SCOTT & WHITE HOSPITAL AND CLINIC
LEADING THE WAY WITH STORM WATER QUALITY
DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION!
As most everyone knows, the Scott and White (S&W) Hospital and Clinic recently opened. However, you may
not know that this development is leading the way with storm water quality best management practices and
even education.
In addition to the noted hospital and clinic, S&W developed a tract of land totaling approximately 100 acres
with utilities and over a mile of public streets. More specific to storm water, S&W constructed several
thousand feet of storm sewer as well as a two-acre flood mitigation detention pond and most notable a
three-acre water quality and flood retention pond.
This water quality pond is unique in size and especially in function. It was designed to retain storm water as a
wet pond, as opposed to most dry detention ponds. Specially selected plants and fish were included to natu-
rally aid in a cleaning effect of the storm water as it passes through the pond. This water quality design
removes up to 80% of total suspended solids including sediment, which reduces turbidity and nutrients such as
phosphorus.
Recently, Joel Bock, an engineer with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., who performed the civil engineering
design for S&W, facilitated site tours of the S&W development to Dr. Li’s Landscape Architecture and Urban
Planning Class at Texas A&M of approximately 50 students. The focus of the tour was drainage facilities,
best management design and construction practices, and especially the water quality pond. Kitchell Contrac-
tors, Inc., the site contractor, assisted and provided hard hats and safety vests. This was a good educational
collaboration with Texas A&M, private development, and City of College Station staff.
Special ‘Thanks’ to Scott & White, Jacobs, Kitchell and Dr. Li’s Class!
Page 6/August 2013/www.cstx.gov
7/August 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 the goals and objectives of the
City are implemented by acting as a long-range planning and policy structure for future growth 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 will be developed for each of the land use classifications- to both align with the
intent of the Comprehensive Plan and to simplify the nomenclature. The new zoning districts have been divided
into three categories for their development: non-residential, residential, and growth areas.
Over the past few months, City staff have worked with a sub-committee of the Planning and Zoning Commission
to develop ordinance language for one- and two-family residential zoning districts based on direction in the
Comprehensive Plan. Some districts have been renamed to simplify the nomenclature. Retired districts will
remain effective for properties, but will not be available for future rezoning proposals. 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”
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. Stakeholders were given an additional review
period after this meeting in order to submit any recommended changes. Specific ordinance language was then
developed and stakeholders were again asked to provide comments.
The Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council are set to consider these changes during the month of
September. Once the new non-residential districts are adopted, staff will again work with the Planning and
Zoning Commission Sub-Committee to develop concepts and language for the multi-family residential districts
and growth areas.
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TEXAS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT - OCTOBER 1, 2013
The 30th Annual National Night Out will be Tuesday October1, 2013. Since 1984, National Night Out (NNO)
has been bringing neighborhoods and police together around the nation to build stronger, safer neighbor-
hoods. One of the main focuses of NNO is to build partnerships between neighborhoods and law enforce-
ment to reduce and prevent criminal activity. Each year citizens around College Station come together
through block parties and celebrations to learn more about how to prevent crime and keep their neighbor-
hood safe. National Night Out is designed to:
Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
Generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs;
Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships.
College Station neighborhoods actively participate in NNO, with over 40 celebrations
being held every year. CSPD officers attend the NNO block parties to inform citizens on
crime prevention tips, crime statistics and ways to be alert for possible criminal activity.
Often city officials such as the Mayor, Council Members and City Mangers attend these
celebrations around the city as well. NNO has proven to be an effective, inexpensive and
enjoyable program to promote neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships in
our efforts for a safer city. National Night Out is also a great way for neighbors to get
to know each other better and form relationships within the neighborhood.
This year, we will also have staff from the Department of Student Life at Texas A&M
participating in NNO this year. The Student Life Staff are responsible for student-related
programs, including programs focused on off-campus students living in the city. Staff from
Student Life will attend NNO parties in neighborhoods this year, particularly neighborhoods with larger
concentrations of students. Also, CSPD’s Community Enhancement Unit is working with local apartment com-
plexes to get NNO parties set up there as well.
Having attended many National Night Out celebrations, I love to see neighbors talking to each other, discuss-
ing things that affect their neighborhood and what they can do to make it better. The collaborative spirit that
happens when neighborhoods participate in National Night Out often have a long term, positive effect on the
neighborhood. Often neighborhoods, that may not have been organized before decide to hold a National
Night Out celebration. In the process of preparing for the event, they discover the power of a unified
neighborhood. They begin to talk more frequently about the neighborhood, concerns and issues they would
like to see resolved. Before you know it, that neighborhood group that decided to have a National Night Out
celebration for the first time, has become a neighborhood organization. I hope that type of synergy will
continue to happen and inspire more neighborhood organizations to remain organized and active after the
National Night Out celebration is over.
The City of College Station has won awards from the National Night Out organization for the past several
years for cities under 100,000 in population having a large number of NNO celebrations. We hope to have
another great National Night Out this year, with lots of great celebrations going on throughout the city.
If your neighborhood is interested in having a NNO celebration, please go to www.cstx.gov/nno for an appli-
cation. For more information, contact Officer Ryan Clements, CSPD at rclements@cstx.gov or 979.764.3600
or Barbara Moore, Neighborhood Services Coordinator at bmoore@cstx.gov or 979.764.6262.
Page 8/August 2013/www.cstx.gov
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BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN, AND GREENWAYS PROGRAM –
UPCOMING EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Bike Safely!
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, partici-
pants learn how to conduct bicycle safety checks, fix a flat, on-bike skills
and crash avoidance 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 partici-
pate. Classes are being offered this fall for $20 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Texas A&M University Transit
Building, located at 444 Agronomy Road.
Class Dates to choose from include:
September 28th
October 5th
October 12th
For more information or to sign up, go to cstx.gov/bikepedgreenways and click on Bicycling Essentials Course.
Bike Map!
Plan your route using the City of College Station Bike Map & Info Guide available online at
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.
Lick Creek Greenway Trail Community Meeting
Please join us for a project update and opportunity to review the preliminary design for the
Lick Creek Greenway Trail. This meeting will include a brief presentation beginning at 7 p.m.
and an “open house” format to follow to view exhibits and ask questions.
The meeting will be held Monday, September 16th at Forest Ridge Elementary School
located at 1950 Greens Prairie Rd. W. from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information,
please visit cstx.gov/lickcreektrail or call 979.764.5028.
Page 10/August 2013/www.cstx.gov
NORTHGATE DISTRICT GROWS
Over the past year, there has been a flurry of development activity with several projects under construction in
the Northgate area. Most notably, the Rise at Northgate at the corner of University Drive and Church Avenue
and The Stack nearby on Church Avenue have recently opened. Rise at Northgate is an 18-story mixed-use
project with student housing over ground floor retail with CVS Pharmacy as the main tenant and other tenants
anticipated. The Stack at Legacy Point is a five-story student housing project with a ground floor area in which
building plans have been submitted for a medical clinic. Over on College Main, Uptown Lofts are two three-
story residential buildings that have been completed and feature a single-space garage for each unit.
The development trend continues as others are under construction for next year. At the corner of Tauber Street
and Cherry Street, a four-story residential development currently called Northgate Proper Apartments is under
way that includes gated access for 33 units. On Cross Street by South College Avenue, U-Club is under construc-
tion with almost 200 student housing units in multi-story buildings with gated access and a portion of Cross
Street and Culpepper Drive being reconstructed. These projects represent what is likely the new trend that is
transforming the Northgate District.
Page 4/ March 2011 / www.cstx.gov Page 2/ May 2011 / www.cstx.gov Page 2/ May 2011 / www.cstx.gov Page 11/August 2013/www.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 979.764.3858 or POC@cstx.gov.
Q: I own a local business in town and I would like to hold a tailgate during A&M Football season so fans can
come and watch the game. It would be outside under a tent in the parking lot, where a TV would be set-
up to watch the game. Would something like this require approval by the city?
A: Events held outdoors that are open to the general public and expect over 250 participants require a
Special Event Permit. Such events can be held up to 15 days or 150 hours during the year, whichever is
greater. If the event is located in Northgate and involves the sale or consumption of alcohol, the event is
only permitted for 3 days and a TABC license must be provided.
In addition to completing a Special Event Permit application, there are additional documents needed for
review of the event. A site plan that shows the location of temporary structures such as tents, adjacent
structures, drive aisles and parking spaces, fire lanes and hydrants, trash receptacles, and all other items
that are existing or to be used in association with the event. When tents are used in a special event a tent
layout is required that shows tables, chairs, electrical wiring, aisles, fire extinguishers, and any other items
within the tent. It is important to note that a tent over 400 square feet are required to be at least 20 feet
from any lot line, building, other tent, or parked vehicle. A permit bond and insurance policy must be pro-
vided with the application. These are necessary to insure that all participants and property is protected in
the event of injury or damage.
The application is reviewed by various City Departments, including Police, Fire, Public Works and Planning
& Development Services. Once all departments have approved the application, the Building Official may
issue a permit for the event. Inspection of the site and temporary structures is required by the Fire
Marshall’s Office prior to opening the event to the public. Due to this process, it is recommended that the
application be submitted well in advance of the event.
The application can be found on the city website, www.cstx.gov/application or in the Planning & Development
Service office. For more information on Special Event Permits, please reference Chapter 4, Section 4 of the
Code of Ordinances or contact the Planner-On-Call at POC@cstx,gov or 979.764.3858.
S TAFF P ROFILE :
G INA B OSQUEZ
Gina Bosquez is one of two Permit Technicians and has been with Planning & Develop-
ment Services for ten years. She began her career at the City in September 2003 as a
Customer Service Representative and was promoted to a Permit Technician in 2008
after attaining her required certification. With her new role, she has taken on additional
responsibilities including reviewing irrigation plans and processing banner renewals, this
is on top of scheduling inspections, issuing permits, and beginning the process for plan-
ning and engineering projects.
One of the things that Gina enjoys most about her job is meeting and interacting with
customers. Over the past ten years, she has become extremely knowledgeable of how the department operates and
has become a go-to person for many of the Staff. In 2005 she was awarded the Positive Attitude award by her
co-workers.
Gina is originally from Bryan, Texas where she graduated high school. She has three children, Meghan, A.J., and
Gracelyn, who are involved in numerous activities that keep her busy. In 2011 she became a little busier when her
first grandson, Ryder, arrived. Now in December of this year, her first granddaughter will arrive. When she’s not
busy spending time with her children and grandchildren, she spends her time shopping and attending sporting events,
with baseball being her favorite.
CITY OF COLLEGE STATION
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
1101 TEXAS AVENUE
COLLEGE STATION, TX 77842
Page 12/August 2013/www.cstx.gov