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2013_05.16 PZ MinutesKENNEDALE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES COMMISSIONERS - REGULAR MEETING May 16, 2013 CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 405 MUNICIPAL DRIVE I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Harvey called the work session to order at 6:08 P.M. II. ROLL CALL Ms. Roberts called roll. Commissioners present: Ernest Harvey (chair); Thomas Pirtle (vice- chair), Ray Cowan, Adrienne Kay, Michael Herring, Carolyn Williamson, Donald Rawe (alternate), Martin Young (alternate). Staff present: Rachel Roberts (planner), James Cowey (Director of Development Services). A quorum was present, but Ms. Kay did not arrive until 6:23 P.M., and one regular seat is vacant. Martin Young served in the vacant seat for the meeting. III. WORK SESSION A. Discuss zoning at Bowman Springs Rd intersection with Kennedale Pkwy The Commission discussed on- street parking. Commissioners were tentatively in favor of allowing head - in parking along Bowman Springs and Dick Price if adequate space to back up were provided. Ms. Roberts asked if there was anything else the Commission wanted her to look at for next time. Mr. Harvey asked about what to do to fill in the spaces in front of the warehouses facing Kennedale Pkwy. Mr. Harvey asked Ms. Roberts if the standards were ready to be moved forward into a formatted, draft document. Ms. Roberts said she thought so. B. Discuss Old Town zoning district regulations Mr. Harvey said they wanted this item on the agenda so they could discuss it when time is available. He described three issues: building materials; lot size and setbacks; and bar ditches. Ms. Kay suggested walking around collectively and looking at the blocks. She said the Commissioners had different ideas about what the complaints from Old Town were: should lots be larger, or is it that the houses being built now don't have the right character? The Commission discussed whether the 25' lots were feasible and noted that not all the lots were platted that small. They said maybe the issue isn't really the lot size rather but the appearance or style. Ms. Roberts suggested putting together some background material, maybe a preliminary list of known concerns, and then scheduling a public input meeting. C. Discuss item(s) for future consideration 1. Green / environmental regulations 2. Creation or modification of zoning districts to implement comprehensive plan 3. Zoning standards for the Oak Crest area The Commission discussed meeting places for a public forum in the Oak Crest area. Also, Mr. Harvey suggested moving up item 2 as a work session agenda item and moving item 3 above the Old Town topic, since the Commission already has an idea of where to start. The Commission considered what topics it would address under green regulations and determined that it would cover a variety of topics, including whether wind turbines should be permitted and how to address the use of solar panels. The work session closed at 6:54 P.M. IV. REGULAR SESSION V. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Harvey called the regular session to order at 7:01 P.M. VI. ROLL CALL Ms. Roberts called roll. Commissioners present: Ernest Harvey (chair); Thomas Pirtle (vice- chair), Ray Cowan, Adrienne Kay, Michael Herring, Carolyn Williamson, Donald Rawe (alternate), Martin Young (alternate). Staff present: Rachel Roberts (planner), James Cowey (Director of Development Services) A quorum was present; alternate Mr. Young served in the vacant seat. VII. MINUTES APPROVAL A. Review and consider approval of minutes from the April 18, 2013 Planning & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting Mr. Pirtle motioned to approve the minutes, seconded by Ms. Kay. The motion passed unanimously. VIII. VISITOR /CITIZENS FORUM No one registered to speak. IX. REGULAR ITEMS A. CASE # PZ 13 -02 to receive comments and consider action on a request by the Kennedale Economic Development Corporation to amend regulations governing signs in the Kennedale TownCenter Planned Development District adopted under Ordinance No. 434, for property located at 201 W Kennedale Pkwy, more particularly described as Block A, Kennedale Town Center Planned Development District. 1. Staff Presentation Ms. Roberts gave the staff presentation, providing an overview of the information in the staff report. Mr. Harvey said when the sign ordinance was adopted several years ago, they came to the conclusion about the height because they had a certain look they wanted to get to, and to avoid sign clutter. He said form -based codes talk about signs, a visual concept, and ensuring you get what you're looking for. He said signs should match the transect where they're located, and the example photo in the packet of the sign on Hulen St. is a transect zone 5, but in Kennedale, we're in a 3 -4 range. Ms. Kay asked for clarification on the requested sign height. Ms. Roberts said the sign requested was a sign face of 15.5 height feet and base of 7.5 feet, with a combined height of 23 feet. Mr. Young asked how tall the buildings are in TownCenter. Mr. Harvey asked what was allowed, and Ms. Roberts said 3 stories or 45 feet. He asked what is planned; Mr. Cowey said existing buildings are about 25 feet tall. 2. Applicant Presentation Mr. Bob Hart gave the first part of the applicant presentation as executive director of the EDC. He said an economic analysis of the area shows we have about a 7% leakage in general sales. The EDC is working on redevelopment in various parts of the city, with an objective to meet the vision of having buildings up closer to the street, and TownCenter was built that way, with parking inside the development. Because the buildings are inward- facing, there's a lack of signage. He said that when the city created the TownCenter development, the monument signs permitted would have advertised the center but not the tenants. The tenant sign would be placed on top of a monument sign and would replace the pole sign blown down last year. He added that they would also remove the Chicken Express pole sign and replace it with a monument tenant sign. He said they've found that other cities —North Richland Hills and Fort Worth —have had to adjust their sign ordinances for inward - facing developments. The example on Hulen was a similar roadway, but the sign was about twice as wide as what was requested. Mr. David Johnson of Cypress Properties (the developer) handed out an illustration of the proposed sign, stating that the sign would be brick based with a cast stone centerpiece. Mr. Johnson gave the next part of the applicant presentation. He said the first building has been open for over a year with no tenant sign available. After the old pole sign blew down, the existing tenants want the sign replaced, and Surplus Warehouse has said their sales are down since they're not as visible as they used to be. With a higher speed limit on the roads, the tenants need signs with greater visibility. They've talked with more than 150 prospective tenants, and the signs have been an issue. The larger signs allow drivers to see the signs in advance and plan to make a stop. He added that retail is very difficult right now, and TownCenter is a secondary location, not a regional center, so we've got to increase visibility of tenants. Mr. Johnson brought one of his tenants in case they had questions for him. Ms. Williamson asked about where the sign would be set, and could it be seen with the buildings on either side? Mr. Johnson said the original development district had two sign locations, both outside of the building sites. Mr. Pirtle and Ms. Williamson expressed concerns about visibility, and Mr. Hart said the signs as addressed through the original ordinance were planned to be outside the sight triangle. Mr. Harvey asked if they had lost any tenants because of the sign issue. Mr. Johnson said he believed so, that it's one of the issues they all mention. The idea that the front door isn't facing the street is also an issue. The Commissioners discussed height, noting that the buildings are only 2 feet taller than the requested sign. Mr. Pirtle said he understood the issue of speed and how it affects visibility, but he wanted to see where the signs were originally intended to be located. Mr. Johnson showed Mr. Pirtle an illustration showing where the signs would go. Mr. Herring asked if any TOOT issues had been worked out, and Ms. Roberts said TOOT was supposed to be in touch with her soon. 3. Public Hearing No one registered for the public hearing. 4. Applicant Response No applicant response needed, since no one spoke during the public hearing. 5. Staff Response and Summary Ms. Roberts said the staff supported the request. 6. Action by the Planning & Zoning Commission Mr. Herring asked how the developer had come up with the requested sign height. Ms. Roberts said she'd asked the same thing, and they thought it was a typical height for this type of sign. Mr. Harvey described using a form -based code to regulate signs and gave the example of Fort Worth's Southside. Ms. Kay said we're in a secondary market, not at the busy corner by Wal -Mart, and isn't that a factor? We might want to modify our sign requirements slightly, but 23 feet is a lot. Mr. Harvey said that they had nothing that said raising the sign height has an economic impact. Mr. Cowan said one thing that will get TownCenter going is bigger signs that can be seen when you're driving down the street. Mr. Pirtle said he worked for a big retailer for a long time, and signs are everything. Mr. Pirtle and Mr. Herring said the height on the Third St side would work, but both were concerned about the height near Chicken Express. Ms. Williamson suggested splitting the signs, with half the tenants on one sign and half on the other. Mr. Young said he understands how important signage is but the requested height was too tall for the area. Mr. Herring asked the number of proposed tenants. Mr. Johnson said he had five buildings to add, so tenants will eventually outnumber sign spaces. He said the 23 foot height came from his development in Cedar Park; he added that tenants live and die by their road signs. He said the current Chicken Express sign is within 2 feet of the proposed sign. He asked the Commission to support the request. Mr. Pirtle made a motion to approve Case PZ 13 -02, seconded by Mr. Cowan. Mr. Cowan, Mr. Herring, Mr. Pirtle, and Ms. Williamson voted in favor; Mr. Harvey, Ms. Kay, and Mr. Young voted against. The motion passed 4 to 3. X. REPORTS /ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Roberts said the city was slowly moving forward with the sidewalk project on Kennedale Pkwy. She also mentioned upcoming events, Kid Fish, Bark in the Park, and National Kids to Parks Day (all on May 18 Bob Hart said the landscaping along Kennedale Pkwy was under an open TxDOT contract, and TxDOT has told the city not to try to mow until the project was closed. XI. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Cowan motioned to adjourn, seconded by Mr meeting adjourned at 8:09 P.M. Pirtle. The motion passed with all in favor. The ES: 4 Rache T Roberts, Board Secretary 5-1 �—I3 Date VAO,L\ I &o 0 oi'3 Date