Vistas of C 1stP-CS 960321 CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
CASE #: PD-149, VISTAS OF COPPELL
P & Z HEARING DATE: March 21, 1996
C.C. HEARING DATE: April 9, 1996
LOCATION: East side of Denton Tap Road; north of the Denton Creek
SIZE OF AREA: Total site area: 84.15 acres
Tract I area: 21.781 acres
Tract 1I area: 45.819 acres
Tract V area: 16.555 acres
CURRENT ZONING: HC (Highway Commercial) and MF-2 ~Iulti Family-2)
REQUEST: PD (Planned Development-Single Family-7 and Multi FamLly-2)
APPLICANT: Owner: Engineer:
Vista Properties Carter & Burgess, Inc.
5950 Berkshire Lane, Ste. 400 7950 Elmbrook Dr., Ste. 250
Dallas, TX 75225 Dallas, TX 75247
(214) 360-1500 (214) 638-0145
HISTORY: The City of Coppell annexed portions of the Vista Ridge Business
Park in 1986 and 1990, including the property currently requested
for rezoning. In connection with the annexation proceedings, the
City held public hearings to establish the existing zoning and
reinforced those decisions by adopting a new Official Zoning Map
in 1991 as part of Ordinance 91500, the current Zoning Ordinance.
The Planning and Zoning Commission opened its public hearing
on this case on January 18, 1996, continued the hearing until
February 15, and continued it again to give the applicant ample
opportunity to revise the proposal to overcome staff objections
and to address the concerns of the Commission. The
Commission's instructions at its meeting on February 14, were
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for the applicant to provide:
1) a copy of the levee use agreement,
2) a more detailed landscaping plan at the screening wall
showing plant varieties, sizes, etc.,
3) a proposal for one-story houses along the 121 by-pass,
4) a study relating to possible interior vehicular circulation
within the 4 parcels of property within the planned
development,
5) any additional information regarding the parking situation
and the proposed two- vs. three-story multi-family
development,
6) a one-sheet master plan showing the proposed roads and
lot configuration within the development and the proposed
121 circulation pattern, and
7) density based on staff interpretation of the PD Ordinance,
with Tract IV being used as a school site and not included
in the planned development sites.
TRANSPORTATION: Denton Tap Road is a proposed P6D, six-lane divided (120 foot
r.o.w.); currently, a two-lane roadway; the S.H. 121 Bypass will
be built to freeway standards and currently contains one-way
access roads, each 33 feet in width, within 450 feet of r.o.w.
SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North - vacant; City of Lewisville
South - vacant, Denton Creek; "TC" Town Center
East vacant; Highway Commercial ~HC" and City of Lewisville
West- vacant; ~MF-2" Multi-Family Residential, 'HC~ Highway
Commercial and "LI" Light Industrial
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The 1987 Comprehensive Plan shows this property outside
the boundaries of the planning area. The proposed 1996
Comprehensive Plan shows the property south of the
Highway 121 By-Pass as suitable for low-density residential
uses and the property north of the By-Pass as suitable for
medium density residential purposes.
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DISCUSSION: A review of the Planning and Zoning Commission called hearings over the
past 18 months documents a concerted effort to reduce the number of
multi-family districts within the city and to make lot sizes smaller than
7000 square feet for single-family residential development the exception
rather than the rule. It is evident that the Commission and the City
Council believe there to have been a prior abundance of small-lot housing
and an oversupply of vacant land zoned multi-family. The current case
confirms the latter.
During the past 4 months staff has discussed and negotiated a wide variety
of issues with the applicant. The concerns included park land, hike-and-
bike trails, traffic circulation, school transportation, lot sizes and their
locations, variety and arrangement of housing, the visual impact on the
passer-by along the 121 by-pass, the impact of traffic noise on future
residents adjoining the 121 by-pass, and the rationale for increasing the
height of proposed apartments while simultaneously reducing the area
devoted to parking. The application in its current form represents the
most the applicant has volunteered. Unless the applicant makes further
concessions at the continuation of the public hearing, any additional
modifications will be the result of the City requiring them. Therefore,
staff believes it is now time for the Commission to take action in one of
four forms: 1) approve the proposal, 2) vote it down, 3) modify it to
conform with the Commission's view of the public interest, or 4)
recommend reclassifying the property to another zoning district considered
more appropriate.
In reviewing the proposal in its current form, staff believes the following
observations to be relevant to the concerns the Commission has expressed
during its last two sessions:
a) The proposed park land and trail dedication is on land of limited
use and value to the developer, since it is totally within drainage
and utility easements. However, it exceeds the requirements of the
subdivision ordinance for the 252 lots in Tracts I and II, and the
Leisure Services Department is willing to accept it for Tracts I and
II only.
b) Traffic circulation between Denton Tap Road and MacArthur
Boulevard, and between the development and a tentative school
site, is to be accomplished solely on the service roads of the
proposed Highway 121 By-Pass or by a City financed hike-and-
bike trail (if it receives matching federal funds with which to do
it). Staff is open to alternative transportation forms in this
instance.
c) Ail 113 of the lots less than 7000 square feet in area will be
concentrated in one area. Staff would prefer to see these dispersed
for the purpose of lessening the visual impact. However, the
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applicant maintains that dispersal of small lots among larger ones
would make the larger lots more difficult to sell. Apparently
future buyers of larger lots have a viewpoint toward small-lot
housing similar to that of existing owners of larger lots, namely
that property values suffer by the association.
d) Housing variety will be provided by placing the front building
setback line 5 feet closer to the street on more than half the lots.
Staff is not impressed with this solution, but concedes that varying
the setback line provides visual relief.
e) The edge treatment along Highway 121 By-Pass will consist of a
6'-high masonry wall on the crest of a 3'-high berm within a
wide landscape easement, with substantial landscaping, and
restriction of the first tier of residential lots to single-story
construction. Staff is willing to accept this resolution of the
adjacency issue.
f) The only justification the applicant has provided the Development
Review Committee for increasing the height and reducing the
parking within the PD-MF-2 area (Tract V) is to argue that those
provisions will make the resulting apartments comparable to those
in Lewisville. Staff is doubtful that the residents of Coppell want
that. In its previous recommendations staff has expressed
willingness to favor multi-family housing on the north side of the
Highway 121 By-Pass, but only if all the current multi-family
zoning on the south side of the highway were to be removed.
Under the current proposal, over 17 acres of multi-family zoning
will remain on the south side of the by-pass, so we see no need to
add 16.5 acres on the north.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends conditional approval of a 67.6-acre planned
development district for Tracts I and II with the site plan amended
to show:
1) Specific siting of house fronts, as opposed to minimum
setbacks, with all homes located in one of the following
positions: 21 feet, 24 feet or 27 feet from the front
property line; with no fewer than 25% of the total number
of homes in any one of these positions; and no two homes
placed side by side with the same setback.
2) Provision of a street bridging the drainageway between
Tract II and the property to the west; or, in lieu thereof,
provision of a hike-and-bike trail easement along the full
length of Denton Creek between Denton Tap Road and
MacArthur Boulevard.
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3) Provisions to prohibit fencing of side yards adjacent to
proposed streets.
4). Compliance with Engineering comments.
Staff recommends disapproval of any additional multi-family
zoning.
ALTERNATIVES: 1) Recommend approval
2) Recommend approval with modifications
3) Recommend disapproval
4) Recommend approval of a more appropriate zoning district
ATrACHMENTS: 1) Planned Development Zoning Exhibit
2) Planned Development Site Plan Tract I
3) Planned Development Site Plan Tract 2
4) Typical Sections Along Denton Creek
5) Preliminary Landscape and Irrigation
6) Landscape Buffer Easement Exhibit
7) Departmental Comments
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