Riverchase (6.2)-CS 961017 CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
CASE NO.: PD-158, GRAND CAR WASH AND DETAIL
P & Z HEARING DATE: October 17, 1996
C.C. HEARING DATE: November 12, 1996
LOCATION: Southeast comer of MacArthur Boulevard and Riverchase Drive
SIZE OF AREA: 2.423 acres
CURRENT ZONING: "R" Retail
REQUEST: 'PD" Planned Development District to accommodate a full service
car wash, detail shop, lube bays and gasoline pumps, adjoining a
small retail strip.
APPLICANT: Applicant: Representative:
Dallas Carwash Ltd. ROFDW Architects
6780 Abrams Road, Ste. 207 703 McKinney Ave, Ste. 401
Dallas TX 75231 Dallas TX 75202
(214) 343-4477 (214) 871-0616
Fax (214) 340-2029 Fax (214) 954-0855
HISTORY: The property was zoned Retail in 1990, platted in 1994 and
replatted in part in 1995.
TRANSPORTATION: MacArthur Boulevard is a 4-lane divided thoroughfare built in a
110'-wide right-of-way shown on the thoroughfare plan as a P6D,
6-lane divided thoroughfare. Riverchase Drive is a C4U, 4-lane
undivided collector, built to current construction standards in a
60'-wide right-of-way. The current right-of-way standard for a
C4U collector is 70'.
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SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North - Apartment development; MF-2 zoning
South - Commercial development; R zoning
East - Undeveloped; R zoning
West Undeveloped; C zoning
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The Comprehensive Plan shows the property as suitable for
regional retail uses.
DISCUSSION: The applicant proposes standard retail use for approximately 35 %
of the property. The uses proposed for the remaining 65 % of the
property consist of a car wash, lube shop, detail shop and gasoline
station. The current "R" zoning permits the retail use outright,
and the lube shop, detail shop and gasoline station by special use
permit. The "R" district does not allow a car wash either outright
or by special use permit. However, the property on the other side
of MacArthur Boulevard, is in the "CN zoning district, which
allows retail use outright and all the others by special use permit
only. Therefore, the first question to be answered is if a car wash
should be permitted on either side of this portion of MacArthur
Boulevard.
Staff is of the opinion that most car washes would be inappropriate
along a high-visibility corridor such as MacArthur Boulevard.
That notwithstanding, many of the negative aspects can be held in
check with adequate landscaping and good design.
The building proposed for the car wash is very similar to one
located on Alexis Road, just east of Preston Road in north Dallas.
Staff has looked at that building, inspected the site and has reached
the following conclusion. With the use of 80% masonry and
substantial landscaping, the building would be just as appropriate
on MacArthur Boulevard as others already there or under
construction. Staff strongly urges each Planning and Zoning
Commission member to look at the Alexis Road site, if he or she
should happen to be nearby.
For the purpose of analyzing the landscaping, it is useful to divide
the property into the two areas previously mentioned. The plan
submitted shows approximately 37,200 square feet of the property
along the north side containing an 8400 square-foot retail building,
1600 square feet of on-site sidewalk, approximately 18,700 square
feet of pavement for 38 parking spaces, 400 square feet of
utilitarian space, and 5700 square feet of landscape buffer between
the parking and the two street frontages. This leaves about 2400
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square feet available for additional landscaping.
Section 34 of the Zoning Ordinance requires, in addition to the
perimeter landscape buffer, 1800 square feet of interior parking lot
landscaping and 4300 square feet of non-vehicular landscaping, a
total of 6100 square feet. A landscaping shortfall could be
eliminated by reducing the building size to 5800 square feet and
the parking to 29 spaces, making this portion of the property fully
compliant with Section 34.
The remainder of the site has an area of 68,310 square feet. It is
covered by about 12,000 square feet of building and nearly an acre
of pavement.
Much of the pavement is screened by walls and buildings, and
therefore may be considered exempt from landscaping
requirements. The area of landscaping exclusive of perimeter area
is roughly 4400 square feet. If 20,000 square feet of the pavement
were required to observe the 10 % interior landscape requirement,
only 2400 square feet would be available to meet the 15 % rule for
non-vehicular landscaping requiring 8400 square feet. Therefore,
under strict compliance with "C" zoning, this application is at least
70 % short of the required landscaping area.
However, because the application is for a PD, City Council does
not have to adhere precisely to the requirements of Section 34 on
either portion of the tract. Due to the nature of a car wash, there
might be some justification (and precedent from some other
pavement-intensive projects) for reducing non-vehicular
landscaping requirements, but a 70% reduction on this portion of
the property is questionable. There is no such precedent or
justification for reducing landscape requirements for the standard
retail uses on the other portion of the property.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
Staff recommends resubmittal of a plan which, at a minimum, indicates:
1) An accurate location of the Riverchase Drive curb in relationship to the north
property line of the site.
2) Intended removal of the eastern property line by replatting (replatting may entail
providing 5' of additional road right-of-way along Riverchase Drive and
construction of a sidewalk or, in lieu, a sidewalk and utility easement).
3) Reduction of the retail building to an area no greater than 5800 square feet.
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4) Reduction of the number of parking spaces to 29 within the area north of the
more northerly MacArthur Boulevard driveway entrance, provision of a minimum
of 4000 square feet of additional landscaping there, and provision of an interim
landscape plan to be implemented for that area during the period prior to
construction of the retail building.
5) Replacement of 4 parking spaces in front of the car wash with a landscaped area
equivalent to that in front of the facility on Alexis Road.
6) Removal of Sign 3 from the west elevation of the building.
7) Compliance with a Fire Department requirement for personnel access through the
screen wall located between the lube shop and the retail building.
8) Reduction in pavement and increase of landscaping area and quality wherever
feasible.
To provide the time necessary for reconsideration by the Development Review
Committee, copies of this plan would need to be in the Planning Department by October
23, if they are to reach the Planning and Zoning Commission in November. If this
schedule is too short for the applicant, staff recommends that the Commission hold the
hearing open until its December meeting.
ALTERNATIVES: 1) Recommend approval of the Planned Development
2) Recommend disapproval of the Planned Development
3) Recommend modification of the Planned Development
4) Take under advisement for reconsideration at a later date.
ATTACHMENTS: 1) Zoning Exhibit
2) Site Plan
3) Exterior Elevations
4) Landscape Plan
5) Sign elevations and photo of a similar facility
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