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BM 2005-10-06 BOA MINUTES OF OCTOBER 6, 2005 BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT The Board of Adjustment of the City ofCoppell met on Thursday, October 6,2005, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall, 255 Parkway Blvd. In attendance: David Stonecipher, Chairman Mark LeGros, Vice Chairman Rob Chomiak, Commissioner John Hoppie, Commissioner Donald Perschbacher, Commissioner Laura Ketchum, Alternate Commissioner Lawrence Swicegood, Alternate Commissioner Judy Malone, Alternate Commissioner Ab sent: Jon Holzheimer, Alternate Commissioner Also present: Greg Jones, Chief Building Official Ken Griffin, Director of Engineering Mary Beth Spletzer, Secretary Applicant present: Bert Odham, Coppell Bible Fellowship Item 1: Call to Order. Meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairman Stonecipher. Item 2: Swearing-in of board members, if needed. All board members had been previously sworn-in. Item 3: Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman. Commissioner LeGros nominated David Stonecipher as Chairman, and Commissioner Hoppie seconded the motion. Commissioner Hoppie nominated Mark LeGros as Vice Chairman, and Commissioner Chomiak seconded the motion. A vote was taken, and the motions were approved, 5 to O. Item 4: Approval of minutes of September 1, 2005 meeting. Motion was made by Commissioner Hoppie and seconded by Commissioner LeGros to approve the minutes of the September 1, 2005, meeting. A vote was taken, and the minutes were approved 5 to O. 1 The oath was administered by Chairman Stonecipher for those wishing to speak at the public hearing. Item 5: Public Hearing to consider approval of a variance request from Section 12-29- 4.2.C.ii of the City of Coppell's Zoning Ordinance, for the property located at 751 W. Sandy Lake Road in Coppell. Rev. BarkefK. Osigian, Senior Pastor ofCoppell Bible Fellowship, is requesting a variance for two monument signs to be located on the church property as follows: a 40 s.f. sign on Freeport Parkway and a 60 s.f. sign on Sandy Lake Road. The City's Zoning Ordinance, as written, would allow for only one 60 s.f. sign to be placed on the property due to its size and configuration. Greg Jones reported that in order for this property to be allowed to have two monument signs, based on its size, it must have 500 ft. of frontage on more than one street. Unfortunately, this church has 700 ft. of frontage along Freeport Parkway (formerly State Road) and 489 ft. of frontage along Sandy Lake Road, leaving them 11 feet short of meeting that requirement. Greg Jones reported that the church's major concern is that when Sandy Lake Road is widened, there will be several improvements at the corner of Sandy Lake and Freeport, which could obstruct the view of the church's sign at that location. Greg Jones noted that his concern at the present time, is that these improvements have not yet been made to the roadway, and while they may pose a future property hardship, there is nothing that the Board can currently view at that location. Therefore, he reported that Ken Griffin, City Engineer, is present this evening to help clarify how that intersection is expected to look following the completion of the widening of Sandy Lake Road. He noted that because of the obstructions that will be located at the corner of Sandy Lake and Freeport, the church feels they will be better served by having two signs on the property. He further noted that if the church had the additional 11 feet of frontage, they would be entitled to two 60 s.f. signs, one on each frontage. As a compromise, the church is willing to accept a 40 s.f. sign on the Freeport Parkway side, and reserve the Sandy Lake Road side for the 60 s.f. sign. Commissioner Perschbacher asked for clarification on how the property was measured to get the 498 feet of frontage on Sandy Lake Road, especially where the angled section is concerned. Greg Jones indicated that measurements are taken along property lines from the corner along Sandy Lake Road, including the angle and outward. Commissioner Chomiak asked for the acreage size of this site, and Greg Jones responded that he did not know the exact size, but added that it was in excess of the five-acre size needed for the additional sign. Commissioner LeGros asked if the church had an entrance off Freeport Parkway, and referring to the drawing, Greg Jones responded that they did have an entrance at the far south end of the property on Freeport. Ken Griffin, the City's Director of Engineering, was invited to step forward and present further information. Mr. Griffin distributed exhibits showing the proposed location of utility equipment 2 within the 30- to 40-ft. right-of-way at the corner of Sandy Lake Road and Freeport Parkway. He added that this corner will be encumbered with the following: a traffic pole with a 2-ft. diameter base; a siren; three TXU wooden posts; a fire hydrant; and a 4-ft. high traffic control box. He explained that the Engineering Department explored options to move this equipment to various other locations, but they were unable to do so. Commissioner Hoppie asked if all of these items would be placed within the City right-of-way, or if an easement would be obtained from the church, and Mr. Griffin reported that everything would be contained within the right-of-way. The applicant was invited to step forward and present his case. Bert Odham, representing Coppell Bible Fellowship, explained that because this is a low-profile, monument sign, it would definitely be blocked by the equipment in the right-of-way, and the church felt they needed to request a second sign. He commented that although a sign at each entrance would be acceptable, the church's preference would be to have a sign at each corner for maximum visibility. Commissioner Hoppie asked the applicant if the church was planning any other development on the property, and Mr. Odham replied that the church's master plan shows future expansion of the sanctuary and education wing, but added that he is not authorized to speak on that topic, adding that those plans are subject to change. The meeting was opened to the public. No one spoke in favor of or in opposition to the variance request. The meeting was closed to the public and opened to the Board for discussion. Commissioner LeGros indicated that he did not feel that a shortage of 11 feet was significant, and he felt the request meets the spirit of the Ordinance. Chairman Stonecipher commented that although it's difficult to find a property hardship with a parcel that is so square and flat, the diagram from the City Engineer depicts this to be a very busy corner when the utility work is completed, thereby creating hardship. Commissioner Hoppie agreed, and commented that it is actually the City that is encumbering the view of the church's sign and creating the hardship. Motion was made by Commissioner LeGros to grant the variance, as requested, to allow a 40 s.f. sign on Freeport Parkway and a 60 s.f. sign on Sandy Lake Road. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Hoppie, and a vote was taken. Motion carried,S to O. Variance granted. Other Business. Greg Jones congratulated John Hoppie and Donald Perschbacher on their appointment as regular members, and welcomed Judy Malone and Lawrence Swicegood as newly appointed alternates to the Board. 3 Greg Jones announced that the annual training session would be scheduled soon, in order to receive updates from the City Attorney's office. The board decided on Thursday, November 3rd as a tentative date for a combination board meeting and training session, pending availability of the City attorney. The start date for the regular meeting will be changed from the usual 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and the training session will begin immediately following the regular meeting. Follow-up e- mails will be sent to confirm this date and time. Adiournment. Meeting adjourned. David Stonecipher, Chairman Mary Beth Spletzer, Recording Secretary 4