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Building a Better Community with You PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES NEWSLETTER 1101 Texas Avenue P.O. Box 9969 College Station, TX 77842 Phone: 979.764.3570 Fax: 979.764.3496 www.cstx.gov
JULY 2009 Volume 10 Issue 7 TRACKING THE NUMBERS 1 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 2 DIRECTORS LETTER 2 NEIGHBORHOOD, DISTRICT, AND CORRIDOR PLANNING 3 UDO AMENDMENTS 5 MASTER PLAN 7 CIP AND UUNIFIED
DESIGN GUIDELINES 8 PLANNER ON CALL FAQ 9 BUILDING PERMIT TOTALS 10 POPULATION 11 BUILDING PERMIT CHARTS 12 INSERT: COMP PLAN POSTER PLAN Inside this issue: NEIGHBORHOOD, DISTRICT, AND
CORRIDOR PLANNING vision for the future
of the community. At the forefront of that vision is the desire to create, protect, and enhance places of distinction. To achieve this vision, the City has created the Neighborhood,
District, and Corridor Plan-ning program to bring vitality, sustainability, and stability to the neighbor-hoods, districts, and corridors of College Station. This program will focus
on developing plans for areas designated for further review in the Comprehen-sive Plan. These plans are intended to serve as action plans for specific ar-eas that focus on the particular
needs and opportunities of the area. Neighborhood planning areas are made up of existing neighborhoods and adjacent areas of influence, where, generally, it is important to promote and
preserve the current land uses, character, and identity. Neighborhood plans will also identify appropriate and compatible land uses and design for va-cant lands within the neighborhood,
its area of influence, and for areas ap-propriate for redevelopment. Neighborhood plans will also aid in the devel-opment of actions that will address existing problems and identify
enhance-ment actions within the area of the plan. There are 13 identified neighbor-hood planning areas within the City. District and corridor planning areas exhibit, or could exhibit,
opportunities for a mix of uses with an emphasis on walkability and the potential for a unique focus. Corridor planning areas further incorporate opportunities for �
�sive Plan identifies 13 district and corridor planning areas. Single-Family
Homes: (Does not include slab onlys) YTD 1 yr YTD 2 yr 13% 18% Year-to-date, single-family home permits decreased in quantity when compared to last year at this time, July 2008,
and decreased when com-pared with two years ago, July 2007. Commercial: (Does not include slab onlys) YTD 1 yr YTD 2 yr 48% 54% Year-to-date, commercial permits experienced a decrease
in quantity when compared to last year at this time, July 2008, and a decrease compared with two years ago, July 2007. Total Permits: YTD -1 yr YTD -2 yr 27% 25% Year-to-date, total
permits ex-perienced a decrease in quantity when compared to last year at this time, July 2008, and experienced a decrease when compared with two years ago, July 2007. TRACKING THE NUMBERS
Page 2 /July 2009 /www.cstx.gov SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 9/8 Zoning Board of Adjustments Meeting 6:00 PM 9/3 & 9/17 Planning & Zoning Commission Meetings 7:00 PM (WS 6:00 PM) 9/10 & 9/24 City
Council Meeting 7:00 PM 10/6 Zoning Board of Adjustments Meeting 6:00 PM 10/15 Planning & Zoning Commission Meetings 7:00 PM (WS 6:00 PM) 10/19 & 10/22 City Council Meeting 7:00 PM Pre-Application
Meetings Every Wednesday Afternoon FROM VISION TO ACTION With the adoption of the new Comprehensive Plan in May, the City affirmed
strategies, and actions in diverse areas including community character and land use, neighborhood
integrity, transportation, and parks and recreation.
create, protect, and enhance places of distinction. The plan identifies dozens of strategies ranging from further planning to revised ordinances and from new expenditures
on capital projects to comprehensive data collection and analysis efforts. This edition of the Planning & Development Services News-�
�implementation phase. This edition highlights one of the most exciting implementation efforts,
the development of neighborhood, district and corridor plans. These plans will help take the broad vision and goals established in the comprehensive plan down to a more detailed level.
The first of these plans will focus on the cen-tral portion of our city in the area bounded by SH6, Rock Prairie Road, FM2154, and Harvey Mitchell Parkway. Other features in this edition
of the newsletter focus on the development of master plans for bicycle, pedestrian, and greenway facilities, water and wastewater utilities, parks, recreation, and open space, and economic
devel-opment. Adjustments to street design standards and other ordinances are also discussed in this edition. Finally, a full-color page-size version of the
�
� I encourage everyone to take a look at the newly adopted Comprehensive Plan at cstx.gov and to join the staff, Planning & Zoning Commission, and City
Council in its successful implementation. Bob Cowell, AICP Director of Planning & Development Services
www.cstx.gov /July 2009 /Page 3 NEIGHBORHOOD, DISTRICT, AND CORRIDOR PLANNING PROCESS The success of the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor Planning program is dependent upon commu-nity
participation. As part of the planning process, City Staff will be working to develop a variety of opportunities for the community to be involved in planning. Each plan will be guided
by a Stakeholder Resource Team made up of dedicated citizens to provide the City with information and expertise about the planning area and the specific issues and opportunities within
that area. This team is also responsible for reaching out to neighbors and helping to insure that all voices are heard throughout the process. A Neighborhood, District, or Corridor plan
will encompass six major components. The first component is a review of existing conditions of the area. Planning and Development Services (P&DS) Staff will be working with the planning
area to identify the key issues and opportunities and collecting relevant data to help develop the goals and vision of the plan. The second component of the plan will be com-munity character.
This component will evaluate land use compatibility, redevelopment opportunities, �
�outline goals and actions to enhance neighborhood stability, property maintenance, and set
out guide-lines for neighborhood identification. For planning areas that do not encompass residential neighbor-hoods, this section should evaluate the impact of the plan on surrounding
residential neighborhoods. (Continued on the following page)
NEIGHBORHOOD, DISTRICT, AND CORRIDOR PLANNING PROCESS (CONT.) The fourth component of a plan is the mobility component. This section will look at all components
planning area through streets,
sidewalks, trails, bike paths, or other transit methods. The fifth com-ponent will address sustainability and will cover goals and actions to improve resource conserva-tion and the environmental
impacts of the built environment on the natural environment. The final component of the plan is the most important and covers the implementation of the plan. This section will set out
the actions, timeframe for completion, and the group responsible for that item. Each plan will be evaluated annually after adoption to identify any changes that have taken place, and
make any necessary adjustments based on those changes. The Neighborhood, District, and Corridor Planning program will kick off this Fall with the Central College Station Neighborhood
Plan. The City will be working with residents, business owners, and other interested members of the community to develop a plan for the area between of Harvey Mitchell Parkway and Rock
Prairie Road incorporating the Southwood Valley and Edelweiss Es-tates areas as well as other subdivisions in the neighborhood. The planning process will take around ten months to complete.
Currently, Staff is working to establish the Stakeholder Resource Team and anyone interested in serving should contact Lindsay Kramer (lkramer@cstx.gov) or Matt Robinson (mrobinson@cstx.gov)
for more information. Page 4 /July 2009 /www.cstx.gov
UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS The College Station Comprehensive Plan: 2009-2029 is a statement of the community's vision for the future and provides strategic direction to
guide change, providing for growth with a high quality of life. Where the Com-prehensive Plan is the guiding policy document for decisions made on behalf of the community, the Unified
De-velopment Ordinance (UDO) is the regulatory document used to help implement the vision. Over the next two years, Staff will be researching ordinances, gathering stakeholder input,
and drafting ordi-nance amendments to reach several of the goals of the adopted Comprehensive Plan. As the Plan is currently proposed, amendments will be necessary to carry out several
of the employed strategies that are to meet community goals. The Plan partially shifts the land use paradigm for College Station. Land use designations shift from being density/intensity-centered
to focusing on density, intensity, and form. As such, some of the existing zoning districts districts will no longer be the most relevant tools for the implementation of the new Plan.
An evalua-tion of the existing zoning districts and their standards, and the creation of new districts are currently underway. In addition, general development standards included in
the UDO need to be evaluated and new ones explored to provide standards that will help to fulfill the adopted goals of the commu-nity. General development standards are those that are
considered the minimum necessary to ensure the com-
from a property, the installation of landscaping, the aesthetic design of commercial buildings, and the spacing
of driveways. (Continued on the following page) www.cstx.gov /July 2009 /Page 5
UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS (cont.) Changes will also be necessary to the subdivision regulations within the UDO. Changes will be made to align urban design and design standards
with the vision for College Station. The Comprehensive Plan creates a �
�cilities will still be planned based upon need and with effective routing, but the
Plan takes the planning of facili-ties beyond engineering to add a value-based component. Context Sensitive Design will be incorporated into
-modal transportation system designs that will be employed based upon the context through which the facilities will move. For developed areas
that will be retrofitted with transportation facilities or have their facilities expanded or upgraded, code amendments will prescribe a Con-text Sensitive Solutions process to develop
the design appropriate for each unique area. The proposed Comprehensive Plan has several action items identifying a need to amend the UDO, but not all amendments should be immediately
pursued. In some instances, existing codes have not been significantly tested to warrant immediate evaluation. Some codes should not be explored until after a small area planning process
determines their need. Actions calling for amendments such as these will need to be reviewed on a rou-tine basis to evaluate if and when they should be employed. Page 6 /July 2009 /www.cstx.gov
MASTER PLANS While the recent adoption of the Comprehensive Plan was an important milestone, one cannot lose sight of the importance of implementation. Key chapters of the Comprehensive
Plan call for the development of master plans which, when complete, will provide a greater level of detail and serve to further the strategies identi-fied in the Plan. Master plans can
also prove useful when deciding how to best align public investments with the planned growth and development pattern. Following is a brief discussion and the status of various master
plans and their relationship to the Comprehen-sive Plan: Economic Development -Chapter four of the Comprehensive Plan addresses Economic Development. The chapter promotes a diverse and
growing economy focused on delivering and capitalizing upon the unique character and quality of life in College Station. It also serves as the foundation for the development of a more
detailed economic development master plan and reinvestment strategy. The first step in the development of a Master Plan is to secure the services of a qualified consultant. Staff plans
to have a consultant under contract in the upcoming months. Parks, Greenways and the Arts -Chapter five of the Comprehensive Plan speaks to the importance of Parks, Greenways and the
Arts. It also sets the framework for an update to the Recreation, Park, and Open Space Master Plan. Parks and Recreation Department Staff, working in concert with the Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board, will complete the plan in early 2010. Transportation -Chapter six of the comprehensive Plan includes the need to amend the Bicycle and
Master Plan. The goal in combining master
plans was to address bicycle and pedestrian needs in a comprehensive manner to achieve multi-modal transportation, connectivity, recreation, healthy living and environmental protection.
protection. Staff began the plan update in January and should be complete by early 2010. Water/Wastewater Chapter seven of the Comprehensive Plan recognizes the importance of mu-nicipal
services and community facilities. The expansion of utilities such as water and wastewater mains to support the anticipated population growth is paramount to the effective implementation
of the Comprehensive Plan. The City is currently under contract with a consultant to update the water/wastewater master plan and the plans should be complete by early 2010. www.cstx.gov
/July 2009 /Page 7
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND UNIFIED DESIGN GUIDELINES With the completion and adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, implementation will follow. As part of the imple-mentation process,
details, and policy direction will be determined. The Comprehensive Plan transportation sec-tion is no exception. The Capital Improvement Division uses the adopted Thoroughfare Plan,
to program right-of-way purchases based on the classification of roadway. As part of this programming effort the preliminary construction estimate for budgeting purposes will also use
the Thoroughfare Plan and the Street Cross Sections (see below). Finally as part of the implementation process the details surrounding the street Cross Sections (i.e. street tree lo-cations,
sidewalk location and widths, utility locations, parking, and non-parking and bike locations) will be worked out and adopted as part of the Bryan/College Station Unified Design Guidelines.
These guidelines will be a basis to instruct not only developers but for city projects on the standard street configurations. For more
Page 8 /July 2009 /www.cstx.gov Two
Examples of Right-of-Way Design Standards
PLANNER ON CALL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION The Planner on Call system helps over 1,800 people a year that call, e-mail, or come into the Planning and Development Services office with
questions related to planning and development. This section highlights one of the more common questions. If you have questions for the Planner on Call, please contact us at 979-764-3020
or POC@cstx.gov. Q: My business needs a portable storage container on site, how do I get a permit for this? A: The answer to this question depends on how long the storage container will
be on site. In any case, a permit must be obtained prior to the placement of the unit, unless the property already has an active building permit or the property is zoned Heavy Industrial
and is not located next to a residential use. All containers must be located outside of the right-of-way and sight trian-gles, and must be placed on an improved surface. If it is a temporary
use, a building permit may be acquired for a 45-day period at non-residential locations and a 28-day period for residential properties. This permit application must include the location
of the proposed unit on a site plan, survey, aerial, or hand-drawn graphic. Non-residential and residential uses have different regulations for storage containers such as the number
allowed, location, and size. Therefore, it is important to review Section 6.4.E of the Unified Development Ordinance prior to submitting a permit application, or contact the Planner
on Call for assistance. If the storage container is meant to be permanent or will be on-site for an indefinite period of time, a site plan must be submitted to the Planning and Development
Service Department for review. The unit must adhere to all setbacks, screening, and parking requirements. www.cstx.gov /July 2009 /Page 9
Month of July 2009 Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft. Heat Sq. Ft. Amount Permit Unit Amount Single Family Home 61 61 152,459 118,046 $8,205,671 41 41 $5,740,359 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 N/A $0 Residential Addition 3 N/A 1,595 1,043 $65,840 1 N/A $20,000 Residential Remodel 3 N/A 3,100 3,100 $153,200
6 N/A $40,425 Residential Garage/Carport Addition 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Residential Demolition 1 N/A N/A N/A $1,500 4 N/A $13,000 Residential Slab Only-SF 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 1 N/A
$4,500 Residential Slab Only-DP 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 5 N/A $1,604,452 Hotel /Motel
/Inn 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 New Commercial 5 N/A 11,862 10,705 $1,808,000 3 N/A $617,350 Commercial Remodel 14 N/A N/A N/A $13,477,632 10 N/A $1,446,310 Commercial Addition/Retaining
Wall 1 N/A N/A N/A $100,000 1 N/A $35,000 Commercial Demolition 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 2 N/A $500 Commercial Commercial Slab Only 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 3 N/A $975,000 Swimming Pool 4 N/A N/A N/A
$136,612 6 N/A $196,955 Sign 8 N/A N/A N/A N/A 6 N/A N/A Moving & Location 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Storage /Accessory 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 3 N/A $7,900 Roofing 2 N/A N/A N/A $0 3 N/A $8,500
TOTALS 102 61 169,016 132,894 $23,948,455 95 41 $10,710,251 Month of July 2008 January 1, 2009 -July 30, 2009 Type of Permit Permit Unit Total Sq. Ft. Heat Sq. Ft. Amount Permit Unit
Amount Single Family Home 333 333 801,668 673,816 $45,283,443 382 382 $57,937,327 Duplex 0 0 0 0 $0 29 58 $4,553,525 Tri-plex/Four-plex 0 0 0 0 $0 2 8 $515,350 Apartment 1 21 17,266
17,266 $1,800,000 18 N/A $10,097,453 Residential Addition 42 N/A 31,797 26,577 $1,588,353 32 N/A $1,173,471 Residential Remodel 48 N/A 28,156 25,640 $809,943 101 N/A $1,284,810 Residential
Garage/Carport Addition 4 N/A N/A N/A $58,600 1 N/A $15,000 Residential Demolition 12 N/A N/A N/A $30,350 8 N/A $23,000 Residential Slab Only-SF 3 N/A N/A N/A $18,700 2 N/A $20,366 Residential
Slab Only-DP 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 14 N/A $1,966,116 Hotel /Motel /Inn 2 N/A N/A N/A
$6,000,000 0 N/A $0 New Commercial 29 N/A 144,593 111,995 $15,590,736 56 N/A $123,937,639 Commercial Remodel 55 N/A N/A N/A $16,357,997 72 N/A $5,954,018 Commercial Addition/Retaining
Wall 8 N/A N/A N/A $3,517,300 15 N/A $9,668,653 Commercial Demolition 7 N/A N/A N/A $211,636 15 N/A $377,525 Commercial Slab Only 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 9 N/A $1,360,110 Swimming Pool 37 N/A
N/A N/A $1,585,232 54 N/A $1,944,308 Sign 68 N/A N/A N/A N/A 65 N/A $264,597 Moving & Location 0 N/A N/A N/A $0 0 N/A $0 Storage /Accessory 22 N/A N/A N/A $236,370 12 N/A $131,130 Roofing
18 N/A N/A N/A $26,180 51 N/A $653,975 TOTALS 689 354 1,023,480 855,294 $93,114,840 938 448 $221,878,373 January 1, 2008 -July 31, 2008 BUILDING PERMIT TOTALS: Page 10 /July 2009 /www.cstx.gov
www.cstx.gov /July 2009 /Page 11 * Citizen contacts ** Rental Registration MONTH HEALTH & SANITATION PROPERTY MAINTENANCE PUBLIC NUISANCE FIRE PROTECTION TRAFFIC CODE SANITATION UDO/ZONING
PARKING CITATIONS PERSONAL CONTACTS* TOTAL - 425 117 298 38 167 2585 419 58 338 4445 - 332 98 275 35 111 1417 486 0 664
3418 80 10 14 14 7 86 1351** 15 67 1644 - 439 42 93 33 51 743 2112** 42 348 3903 TOTAL 1276 267 680 120 336 4831 4368 115 1417 13410
REZONING SCOOP: Project Number Location of Land Acres Request P&Z Date Status Council Date Status 09-500141 FS Kapchinski B1 L 17 3.71 R1 and PDD to PDD 20-Aug 10-Sept 09-500139 McGill
Tract 14.27 R1 and AO to PDD 20-Aug 10-Sept 09-500140 1270 Harvey Mitchell Pkwy S 3.36 AO to R4 6-Aug Approved 27-Aug 09-500161 13601 & 13679 FM 2154 1.50 A-O to PDD 3-Sept BUILDING
INSPECTIONS: MONTH BUILDING PLUMBING ELECTRIC MECHANICAL LAWN SIGN POOL DEMO MOVING TOTAL JAN. 322 278 278 190 111 7 45 7 1 0 961 FEB. 324 238 174 131 8 12 13 0 0 900 MAR. 364 244 203
147 32 21 9 0 0 1020 APR. 361 298 227 213 27 11 13 0 0 1150 MAY 375 380 250 217 36 5 51 0 0 1314 JUNE 529 360 293 186 17 7 40 0 0 1432 JULY 400 256 209 190 33 4 14 0 0 1106 YEARLY TOTAL
2675 2054 1546 1195 160 105 147 1 0 7883 CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES SUMMARY: POPULATION: The July population estimate is 92,372.
SINGLE FAMILY PERMITS 3 YEARCOMPARISON BY MONTH (INCLUDES ONLY NEW SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES) COMMERCIAL PERMITS 3 YEARCOMPARISON BY MONTH (INCLUDES NEW COMMERCIAL & COMMERCIAL REMODELS)
TOTAL PERMITS 3 YEARCOMPARISON BY MONTH Type of Permit Permit Unit Amount Single-Family Home 333 333 $42,566,651 Duplex 0 0 $0 Tri-Plex/Four-plex 0 0 $0 Apartment 1 21 $1,800,000 New
Commercial 29 N/A $15,590,736 Commercial Remodel 55 N/A $16,357,997 P E R M I T S B Y T Y P E Y E A R T O D A T E 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 Jan. Feb. MarchApril
May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 2007 2008 2009 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 2007 2008
2009 05 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 2007 2008 2009