SC-Coppell HS-CS 991216CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
CASE NO.: PD-183, Coppell High School
P & Z HEARING DATE:
C.C. HEARING DATE:
December 16, 1999
January 11, 2000
LOCATION:
SIZE OF AREA:
CURRENT ZONING:
185 W. Parkway Boulevard.
Total Site Area:
Existing Campus:
New Site:
64 acres
49.78 acres
14.1 acres
Recently approved additions:
Multi-purpose building:
Tennis center building:
Tennis center storage building:
Stadium additions:
68,117 sf
2,360 sf
216 sf
8,354 sf
Includes 4,000 new seats, concession stands, press box and
731 parking spaces
C and SF-12 (Commercial and Single Family-12).
REQUEST:
PD-C (Planned Development, Commercial).
APPLICANT:
Developer:
Coppell ISD
200 S. Denton Tap Road
Coppelt, TX 75019
(972) 471-1111
FAX: (972) 462-7599
Engineer:
Glenn Engineering, Inc.
100 Decker Court, Ste. 250
Irving, TX 75062
(972) 717-5151
FAX: (972) 7194229
HISTORY:
The original preliminary plat was considered by City Council on
January 13, 1987. At the meeting, Council directed the applicant to
work with staff to address unresolved issues. Major areas of concem
were traffic access, water and sewer. Traffic studies and variances
requests were worked out with staff and the preliminary plat was
approved on January 27, 1987 with conditions. (See attached letter
Item # 13
dated January 28, 1987). The final plat was approved by City
Council on September 8, 1987 with the following conditions:
1. That the building height be granted a variance to allow
for a proposed height of 52'.
2. That the variance on the lighting be approved with the
use of a blinder to cut the sideways spillage of the light
into adjoining property owners.
3. That a 750 parking space variance be granted from the
required 2,000 spaces resulting in a total of 1,250 parking
spaces.
4. That 5 inches of concrete on a prepared sub-grade be
allowed for the entire parking area with no gravel parking
areas.
5. That as many trees as possible will be left on the west
with a 6-foot chain link fence being constructed on the
outside of the trees along the west property line. (Dr.
Melvin Gross, who was in the audience the night the
preliminary plat was approved by Council, stated he
would be willing to donate any property to the school that
would be required to put his fence outside the area of the
trees, and this fence would also be constructed along the
southern property line up to Oak Trail. The gate to this
property would be considered to be for emergency traffic
only and extra emphasis on shrubbery would be followed
along the south property line from the chain link fence
east to the school's eastern most property line.)
6. That the fees be waived as requested and the City
Manager enters into negotiations with the Coppell ISD
for some "in-kind" training of City employees.
The final plat was not submitted to the City for signatures within 6
months from the date of City Council approval. Therefore, the
applicant was required to resubmit the final plat for Council
consideration on June 13, 1989. The plat was approved on that date
with the variances granted on September 8, 1987.
On June 17, 1999, City Council approved a site plan amendment to
allow the construction of a band hall, principal's suite, dining/lecture
hall, and 9th grade classroom wing.
The following month, the Planning and Zoning Commission
approved a site plan amendment to allow the construction of
concession stands, a press box, additional seating at the existing
football stadium, as well as a multi-purpose building, tennis court,
tennis center, storage facility and additional parking subject to the
Board of Adjustment granting a number of special exemptions and
variances.
Item # 13
On August 5, 1999, the Board of Adjustment granted the following
special exemptions:
1) To allow the size of the new parking spaces to be 9-fi. by 18-fi.
2) To reduce the required parking spaces from 3,333 to 1,940.
3) To permit a single row of parking to contain more than 15
parking spaces without a planting island.
4) To approve 18 landscape islands with tree preservation to fulfill
the 88 planting islands requirement, as well as allow the one tree
requirement per planting island be planted along the northern
edge of the proposed parking pavement.
5) To allow some parking islands to be under the minimum area of
150 sq. ft. and a minimum width of 9-ft.
6) To allow the four rows of parking by the tennis courts with
handicap parking spaces to not have the planting islands at the
northemend.
In addition, the Board granted the following variance:
1) To authorize concrete planting islands, as opposed to landscape
islands, at the end of each row of parking.
The Board also denied the following variance:
1) To waive the 6-fi high screening requirement for a non-
residential use adjacent to a single family residential district.
And lastly, the applicant withdrew the following variance request:
1) To waive the 30-inch high hedge or berm requirement to screen
parking spaces along the northern edge of the property.
On August 10, 1999, the City Council approved an amending plat
and site plan amendment with a number of conditions.
TRANSPORTATION:
Cowboy Drive is a 2-lane undivided collector street contained within
60' of right-of-way.
SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North-
South -
East -
West -
Single family residential; "SF- 12" Single Family- 12
Single family residential; "SF-12, PD-SF-12 & PD-148"
Single Family -12, Planned Development, Single Family-12
and Residential Planned Development
Single family residential; PD-129R, SF-9" Single Family-9
residential
Single family residential; "SF- 12" Single Family- 12
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
The Comprehensive Plan shows the property as suitable for
public and institutional uses and the northern portion of the
property is shown to be in the floodplain.
Item # 13
DISCUSSION:
The request for a planned development is to modify the 6-fi
high masonry screening requirement for a non-residential
use adjacent to a single family residential district and allow
a 6'-high decorative metal screening fence with extensive
landscaping along the northern and western edge of the new
parking lot. The request also agrees to incorporate the
previously approved site plan allowing the construction of
concession stands, a press box, additional seating at the
existing football stadium, a multipurpose building, tennis
courts, tennis center, storage facility and additional parking
at the Coppell High School campus.
According to the submitted exhibits, the 6'-high wrought
iron fence would be located 2' off back of the curb. Within
the 2' between the back of the curb and the inside of the
fence, a 30"-high hedge will be planted to screen the cars.
Adjacent to the wrought fence the applicant is proposing to
plant 85 Cedar Elm trees to visually screen both the cars
and the new parking lot from adjacent single-family
residences an average distance of approximately 450'. The
distances shown on the cross section of the 6'-high iron
fence exhibit are as follows: 1) the distance from the tennis
courts to the center line of the creek is 115', while the total
distance from the edge of the tennis courts to the existing
house north of the creek is 640'; 2) the distance from the
wrought iron fence adjacent to the parking space #644 to
the center line of the creek is 160', while the total distance
from the wrought iron fence to the existing house north of
the creek is 352'; 3) the distance from the wrought iron
fence adjacent to the parking space #585 to the center line
of the creek is 132', while the total distance from the
wrought iron fence to the existing house north of the creek
is 362'. The cross section also illustrates roughly a 4 to 1
slope rise from the creek to the proposed parking lot and
tennis courts.
The applicant is of the opinion that the proposed living
screen would maintain and enhance the present creek
environment allowing for more of a natural look as well as
serve as a "soft" visual barrier. A living screen would have
less of an environmental impact on this particular site, as
opposed to the "hard" edge created by a masonry wall. The
proposed 6'-high wrought iron fence on the school property
is in keeping with the wrought iron fences along the north
side of the creek. Lastly, the applicant believes that a brick
screening wall would be prone to graffiti.
Item # 13
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
Planning staff recommends approval of this planned development request
subject to the following conditions being met:
1) Approval of the planned development conditions listed on the site plan.
2) No improvements will be allowed in the 100-year floodplain until the
flood study is approved. (See Engineering Department comments)
ALTERNATIVES: 1) Recommend approval of the request.
2) Recommend disapproval of the request
3) Recommend modification of the request
4) Take under advisement for reconsideration at a later date.
ATTACHMENTS:
1) Cross Sections of 6'-high Iron Fence
2) Landscape Plan (L1 and L2)
3) Site Plan
4) Departmental Comments
Item # 13