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Burch Lot 2-CS 970717 CITY OF COPPELL PLANNING DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT CASE NO.: S-1084R, KWIK KAR P & Z HEARING DATE: July 17, 1997 C.C. HEARING DATE: August 12, 1997 LOCATION: Approximately 300 feet south of Bethel School Road, along the west side of Denton Tap Road SIZE OF AREA: 0.8 acres; proposed 900 s.f. addition to a 2,250 s.f. existing building CURRENT ZONING: C -S.U.P. (Commercial, Special Use Permit) REQUEST: Amend the Site Plan to permit a 900 square foot expansion for two additional service bays. APPLICANT: Kwik Industries, Inc. 4725 Nall Road Dallas TX 75244 214-458-9761 Fax 214-458-0948 HISTORY: On August 9, 1994, upon a favorable recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, City Council approved a Special Use Permit for a four-bay automobile service facility. The City approved the f'mal plat for the property later that year. TRANSPORTATION: Demon Tap Road is a P6D, six-lane divided thoroughfare built in a 100'-wide right-of-way. Nearby Bethel School Road is a collector street built in a 60'-wide right-of-way. Item # 5 SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING: North - hardware store; C South - dry cleaners; C East - post office; C West - single-family residemial developmem; SF-12 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The Comprehensive Plan shows the property suitable for mixed uses. DISCUSSION: The applicant has provided a site plan which, except for the absence of existing tree locations and sizes, meets City requirements. The applicant also has provided a commendable landscaping plan which exceeds City requiremems. Staff has requested, in addition, building elevations which the applicam has not yet furnished. Based upon a visual inspection of the property, and without taking any measurements, we believe that only 2 trees are located within the building and pavemem expansion area. These are large post oaks, probably in the 18" to 24" caliper range. They appear to be located in the buildable portion of the lot. As such, under current regulations, the applicant would be entitled to remove them for expansion of a dry cleaners, hardware store, dental office or any number of other uses not requiring a special use permit in the "C" District. The landscaping plan provides 5 crape myrtles and 5 redbud trees to mitigate the loss of natural vegetation due to the encroachment of building and pavement. In addition, it provides automobile screening along Denton Tap Road which was inadvertantly omitted from the original landscaping. Staff assumes that the building expansion will match the existing building, but has no documentation to provide that assurance. Staff also requested, but did not receive drawings showing existing signs. The purpose of that request was to evaluate the terms of the original Special Use Permit granted in 1994. That ordinance had 4 conditions, one of which was developmem in accordance with the renderings attached to the ordinance. Another condition was conformity of signage with the requiremems of the City Code of Ordinances. Since the renderings showed 72 square feet of signage, limited to the words Kwik Kar Lube & Tune, it is unclear if additional attached signs were permissible. Staff will yield to the the two currem members of the Planning and Zoning Commission who served in July, 1994, as to the correct interpretation regarding the additional signs presently on the building. If one assumes the term building frontage to mean the 30'-wide facade facing Demon Tap Road, the maximum area of attached signage permitted by code in 1994 was 60 square feet. The currem sign regulations clearly limit attached signage to 60 square feet. Item # 5 The sign, building elevation and building material issues are as important as landscaping because the property fronts on a major thoroughfare and primary image zone. Because of this exposure to public view, another issue deserves consideration as well. It has to do with electrical service. The subdivision ordinance requires underground wiring except where conditions do not warrant underground installations. In those cases, use of above ground utilities may be considered if the services are placed on the rear property line. Overhead services are not permitted to cross public rights-of-ways. At the time of platting in 1994, the City permitted this property and Lot 3 of the Burch Addition to be served by a single power pole with overhead transformers located on the from property line with an overhead line crossing Denton Tap Road. At the time of platting for Lot 4 of the Burch Addition, the City required a second power pole to be located a substantial distance behind the from property line, thereby achieving a far less conspicuous utility service. Staff has consulted with Tim Brancheau, the TU Electric representative on the Development Review Committee, as to the feasibility of moving the highly conspicuous power pole and transformers on the Kwik Industries property to a less conspicuous location. Mr. Brancheau suggests that the best solution to the visual problem is to bore under Demon Tap and install underground service. He estimates the cost to the applicam to be between $5,000 and $10,000. Staff has requested that the applicant obtain a more accurate price quote. RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION: Planning staff recommends approval of the amendmem to the Special Use Permit to allow expansion in accordance with the site plan and landscape plan submitted and subject to: 1) Addition of existing tree sizes and locations to the site plan in the area between the existing building and the City sewer line easement. 2) Restriction of the removal of existing trees to the 2 post oak trees located closest to the existing building. 3) Architectural elevations, to be provided by the applicant, which show building materials and style of the same nature as the existing building. 4) Removal of all attached signs except for the letters which read Kwik Kar Lube & Tune, the Official Inspection Station sign, and 6 customer directional signs, limited to 3 on each side of the building located on every other space between bay doors. Item # 5 5) Removal of all portable signs, since they are not now and never have been permitted by Coppell sign regulations. 6) Provision of underground utility service beneath Denton Tap Road (unless a more precise cost estimate proves to be an amount which the Planning and Zoning Commission considers to be greater than warranted by the resulting visual improvement). 7) Engineering Department comments. ALTERNATIVES: 1) Recommend approval of the Site Plan amendment 2) Recommend disapproval of the Site Plan amendment 3) Recommend modification of the Site Plan amendment 4) Take under advisement for reconsideration at a later date. ATTACHMENTS: 1) Site Plan 2) Landscape Plan 3) Departmental Comments Item # 5 DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COM ffI EE ENGINEERING COMMENTS ITEM: S-1048R, Kwik Kar, zoning change from C-S.U.P. (Commercial, Special Use Permit) to C-S. U.P. (Commercial, Special Use Permit), by amending the site plan of an automotive service center to permit 900 square feet of building expansion for two additional service bays, on property located approximately 300 feet south of the southwest comer of Bethel School and Denton Tap Road, at the request of Kwik Industries, Inc. DRC DATE: June 26, 1997 and July 3, 1997 CONTACT: Mike Martin, P.E., Assistant City Engineer 004-3679) COMMENT STATUS: DD~r .~f.,~ ~ z~x~ /FINAL ~ 1. Roadway Impact Fees are required for the additional square footage of the building.