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.
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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
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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.
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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
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