Eckerd's-CS 980618CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
CASE:
STAFF REPORT
ECKERD, PRELIMINARY PLAT and
SITE PLAN
P & Z HEARING DATE:
C.C. HEARING DATE:
June 18, 1998
July 14, 1998
LOCATION:
Southeast comer of Denton Tap Road and Parkway Boulevard.
SIZE OF AREA:
1.52 acres; proposed 11,200 s.f. retail building
CURRENT ZONING:
TC (Town Center)
REQUEST:
Preliminary Plat and Site Plan approval.
APPLICANT:
Developer:
North American Properties-SW
14990 Landmark Blvd, Ste 300
Dallas TX 75240-6729
972-866-9555
Fax 972-866-9888
Architect:
The Richmond Group
12200 Stemmons Fwy, Ste 317
Dallas TX 75234
972-484-5977
972-484-8641
HISTORY:
A preliminary plat of the property and a site plan for a bank
received approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission and
City Council in late 1995. The Town Center Architectural Review
Board approved those building plans on January 8, 1996. The
preliminary plat expired on September 10, 1996.
TRANSPORTATION:
Denton Tap Road is an existing six-lane divided thoroughfare
contained within a 100'-wide right-of-way. Parkway Boulevard is
a developed C4D, 4-lane divided collector in a 105-wide right-of-
SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North-
South -
East-
West -
Stonemeade Estates; "SF-7" Single Family-7
Princeton Park Office Building; 'TC' Town Center
Fire Station fi2; "TC" Town Center
Huntington Ridge; 'PD-SF-9" Planned Development,
Family-9
Single
Item # 15
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
DISCUSSION:
The Comprehensive Plan shows the property as suitable for
neighborhood retail use.
Sixteen years ago the developers of over 750 acres of the city
conceived of a Town Center to be bounded by Sandy Lake Road,
Denton Tap Road, Parkway Boulevard, and Heartz Road. The
resulting Town Center District was established to provide a focal
point for the community. Clearly the creation of an Architectural
Review Board and the requirement that the Planning and Zoning
Commission, as well as the City Council, approve all non-
residential site plans indicated an intention that property within the
TC District be held to highest development standards.
The most prominent site within the district is the Frost Bank
comer, formerly Overton Bank. The property under current
review is the second most prominent comer. Its importance as an
entry to the governmental portion of the district, including
extensive park land, an elementary school, a library and city
administrative facilities, is further heightened by a landmark
gateway feature located at the northwest corner of the property
with its mirror image at the southwest comer of Stonemeade
Estates.
The design of each side of this entry feature is of a traditional style
consisting of 8 limestone columns, 3 brick wall sections and 4
decorative metal sections with undulating upper finials. It denotes
quality, complements the Georgian architecture of the Coppell
Town Center building, and promotes the City's objective of
creating an ~old world" look. The site plan for the Eckerds facility
shows its portion of this enU'y feature to be removed from the
property, leaving only half a gateway standing on the other side of
Parkway Boulevard. In evaluating the removal of one landmark
and its replacement with another~..namely a commercial building,
the obvious question to ask is whether or not the proposed
commercial building denotes the same quality, complements the
surrounding architecture and promotes the City's objectives.
The planning staff is of the opinion that the proposed building is
not of that quality and therefore will not support the removal of the
gateway feature. This will require the rearrangement of 7 parking
spaces (which, incidentally, can be done) so that the existing wall
can be preserved. Furthermore, because of the importance of the
wall feature, staff believes that the brick on the building should
match the brick on the existing wall, and that the proposed screen
wall on the east side of the property should have matching details,
including limestone columns and a limited amount of decorative
metal.
Item//15
The applicant has modified the proposed building significantly
from the corporate prototype. There is more portico, more brick
and considerably less blue in the finish materials than that shown
on the drawings submitted originally. (CIVIC recommended that
accent colors, such as blue, be limited to no more than 1% of the
surface of any one facade and that signs be limited to neutral
colors.) Staff will include in its recommendation increased
landscaping at the northeast comer of the building to help hide the
blank wall of the building and a slight reduction in the number of
signs.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
The planning staff recommends approval of the site plan with the
following conditions:
1)
Retention of the existing decorative wall at the northwest
comer of the site and rearrangement of parking spaces
accordingly.
2) Matching of the brick on the building with that on the
existing decorative wall.
3)
Redesign of the proposed screen wall on the east side of the
property to match the style of the existing decorative wall.
4) Restriction of all sign lettering to white or neutral colors.
5)
Removal of the "Food Man~ sign from the west face of the
building (since it duplicates the sign on the south face).
6)
An increase in the amount of landscaping adjacent to the
northeast comer of the b~ding to lessen the visual impact
of the blank wall of the building.
Screening of mechanical equipment, undergrounding of any
additional electric facilities, and placement of utility meters
in inconspicuous locations.
Staff further recommends approval of the minor plat.
ALTERNATIVES: Relative to the site plan:
1) Recommend approval of the request
2) Recommend disapproval of the request
3) Recommend modification of the request
Item # 15
4) Take under advisement for reconsideration at a later date
Relative to the minor plat:
1) Recommend approval
2) Recommend disapproval
3) Recommend modification
ATTACHMENTS:
1) Site plan
2) Building elevations
3) Landscape plans
4) Irrigation plans
Item# 15