Securelock-CS030220CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
CASE NO.: S -1204, Securlock Self Storage
Summary of Revisions for
February 20, 2003
Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
On December 19, 2002, the subject request was heard before the Planning & Zoning
Commission. At that time, it was decided by the Planning Commission to leave the public
hearing open and hold the case under advisement until February 20, 2003. A letter
explaining the Planning Commission's decision was mailed to the applicant on December
23, 2002, indicating staff's concerns and the Commission's desire to see the entire
property developed as flex/tech office because of its limited access.
The applicant's current submittal is a duplicate of the original submission, with the
exception of the landscape plan, which now provides some additional trees along S.H.
121. Previously, staff expressed concern regarding the landscape plan's non - conformance
with the Comprehensive Plan, which recommends a strong landscaped edge consisting of
evergreen shrubs and dense stands of street trees along S.H. 121. In response to these
concerns, the applicant has since revised the landscape plan to add a total of six Austrian
Pines, placed two side -by -side, in three different locations along the S.H. 121 frontage. It is
staff's interpretation that the addition of six trees does not satisfy this recommendation and
would again recommend that a more defined landscape edge be provided along S.H. 121.
Based on the Iack of revisions to the submittal, addressing the Commission and staff's
concerns, the original recommendation of denial still stands.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
Staff recommends denial of the Special Use Permit based on:
■ The project's nonconformance with the requirements outlined in the
Zoning Ordinance for special use permit approval.
■ The Coppell Comprehensive Plan does not support the proposed use.
■ The project's visible location along a State Highway.
■ The proposed awkward and unconventional layout of the site.
■ Failure to adequately address screening/ landscaping as illustrated in the
Comprehensive Plan
NOTE: ATTACHED IS THE COMPLETE STAFF
REPORT ON THIS REQUEST
Item # 4
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CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
CASE NO.: S -1204, Securlock Self Storage
P & Z HEARING DATE: December 19, 2002 (Held open to the February 20, 2003, P &Z
meeting)
C.C. HEARING DATE: March 11, 2003
STAFF REP.: Andrea Roy, Economic Development Coordinator
LOCATION: Northeast comer of S.H. 121 and Northpoint Drive.
SIZE OF AREA: 3.751 acres of property.
CURRENT ZONING: LI and C (Light Industrial and Commercial)
REQUEST: Special Use Permit -1204 to allow construction of a 49,380 square -
foot mini - warehouse, with a 1,900 square -foot caretakers quarters,
and 5, 520- square feet of speculative office.
APPLICANT:
Developer:
Houghton Capital Corporation
Andrew Smith
4316 Main Street, Suite 300
The Colony, TX 75056
Phone: (972) 370 -1416
Fax: (972) 370 -1427
Architect:
Kaufman Design Group
Sally Kaufrnan
12371 E. Lincoln Court
Wichita, KS 67207
Phone: (316) 618 -0448
Fax: (316) 618 -0048
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Engineer:
Dowdey, Anderson & Assoc.
Mardy Brown
5225 Village Creek Drive, Suite 200
Plano, TX 75093
Phone: (972-931-0694
Fax: (972) 931 -9538
Item # 4
HISTORY: There is no history on the subject site.
TRANSPORTATION: Adjacent to the subject property, Northpoint Drive is a C4U four -lane
undivided thoroughfare within 90' of right -of -way. To the east,
Northpoint Drive turns into a C4D four -lane divided thoroughfare
within 80' of right -of -way.
SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North- vacant; C (Commercial) & LI (Light Industrial)
South - vacant; LI (Light Industrial) & Fellowship Church
East - office /warehouse; vacant; LI (Light Industrial) & C (Commercial)
West - S.H. 121, City of Grapevine
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The Comprehensive Plan shows the property as suitable for
light industrial/showroom uses.
DISCUSSION: The applicant is requesting special use permit approval to allow the
development of a 49,380 square -foot mini - storage facility, a 1,900 square -
foot manager's office and residence (caretaker's quarters), and 5,520 -
square feet of speculative office on an awkward shaped approximate 3.75
acres of property located at the northeast corner of S.H. 121 & Northpoint
Drive. Being situated as it is, a 2.05 -acre portion has been carved out at
the immediate corner to allow for a potential future restaurant pad site.
However, the restaurant site is not part of the subject application, and no
proposed time frame or user has been committed to at this time.
The property contains "split zoning ", where the southern portion of the
site is located within the Light Industrial zoning district and the northern
portion of the site is located within the Commercial zoning district. The
applicant has designed the site accordingly, proposing to locate the 9 one-
story storage buildings within the Light Industrial area and the manager's
office /residence and speculative office space within the Commercial area.
The mini- storage facility is designed to be constructed primarily of a red
brick, with a mixture of gray brick and cast stone. The forest green roof will
be standing seam metal. The applicant has proposed to provide a total of 56
parking spaces, with 26 spaces serving the storage units and 30 spaces
designated to serve the speculative offices and the manager's
office /apartment. As required, three loading spaces have been provided
throughout the site. Security gates are proposed to be placed at both the west
and south entrance /exits.
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A monument sign constructed of red brick with white plastic lettering will be
placed along S.H. 121. Attached signs constructed of white channel letters
will also face Northpoint Drive and S.H. 121. Staff is concerned with the
placement of the website address (www.securlock.com) within the sign on
the manager's office /apartment fronting S.H. 121. It is staff's interpretation
of the Zoning Ordinance, that the intention is to identify the business with the
name and logo, not direct advertisements. Staff has recommended that the
web address be removed from the sign.
Site Analysis
There are numerous staff concerns surrounding the proposed development:
the project's nonconformance with the Zoning Ordinance requirements for
special use permit approval, nonconformance with the Comprehensive Plan,
the visibility of the this site from State Highway 121, the awkward shape of
the property, and the probability of setting a precedent for future
developments in the area.
According to Section 12 -30 -1 (Special Uses) of the Coppell Zoning
Ordinance, certain criteria must be met in order to approve a special use
permit request. The Zoning Ordinance indicates that the (proposed) use must
be in general conformance with the Comprehensive Plan and contain such
requirements and safe guards as are necessary to protect adjoining
property /ies. Additionally, Section 12 -30 -2 (Special Use Permit
Regulations) states that the Planning and Zoning Commission must be able to
determine that the subject use is harmonious and adaptable to building
structures and uses of abutting property /ies and other property /ies in the
vicinity of the property under consideration. The proposed project does
not meet these minimum approval requirements, as elaborated below.
Because much of the property in this area is undeveloped, staff must rely
upon the possible impact on future development and guidance of the
Comprehensive Plan when determining compatibility. The current
development is the first to be constructed immediately adjacent to S.H. 121
and will set the tone for all future projects in this area, setting a precedent that
is inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and would adversely affect other
desired S.H 121 frontage developments.
The Comprehensive Plan supports "Light Industrial /Showroom" uses in
this area and specifically promotes such uses as research and development
parks, showrooms, and technology centers. To date, high quality, active
business parks have been consistently developed in conformance with the
Comprehensive Plan, and staff recommends the continuation of this
pattern. While the Comprehensive Plan has appropriately designated the
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majority of the property within this area as "Light Industrial/Showroom ", a
small area along S.H. 121 further north is designated for "Regional Retail"
uses, due to its access and visibility to S.H. 121. Staff envisions that
regional retail uses could extend south to the subject property and would
likely be supported; however, the proposed mini - storage use would not be
classified as either regional retail or light industrial /showroom and would
likely discourage any possibility of the development of regional retail at
this location.
While the proposed use and its nonconformance with the requirements of
special use permit approval is staff s most significant concern, additional
concerns surround the configuration of the parcel. The property, as it exists
today, is triangular in shape and possesses design obstacles. The proposed
project would carve out an approximate 2 -acre restaurant pad at the corner,
leaving a jagged and extremely awkward site, only accentuating the design
limitations of both parcels. The placement of the proposed storage buildings
around the edge of the property only emphasizes the awkwardness of the site,
which is extremely visible from S.H. 121. It has been indicated that the
corner restaurant pad site would eventually screen the mini - storage use from
S.H. 121, yet there is no assurance when or even if a restaurant will locate
here or if the pad site carved out would meet the criteria for a specific
restaurant user. Staff cannot support the intentional irregular layout of this
property or the specific limitations that it would place on the adjacent parcel.
This property is one of the most prominent and visible gateways into Coppell.
This area adjacent to S.H. 121, while largely undeveloped at this time,
possesses great potential and is envisioned to be unique, with features that set
it apart from developments in other cities. Again, the proposed use does not
exhibit these characteristics.
Landscaping
The applicant has met all Perimeter, Interior, and Non - Vehicular landscape
requirements, providing some additional landscaping at the front of the site.
The site has been designed to fully screen the interior of the site from view by
placing the buildings around the perimeter of the site, allowing the interior
area to be exempt from the Interior landscape requirements.
Previously, staff expressed concern regarding the landscape plan's non-
conformance with the Comprehensive Plan, which recommends a strong
landscaped edge consisting of evergreen shrubs and dense stands of street
trees along S.H. 121. In response to these concerns, the applicant has since
revised the landscape plan to add a total of six Austrian Pines, placed two
side -by -side, in three different locations along the S.H. 121 frontage. It is
staffs interpretation that the addition of six trees does not satisfy this
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recommendation and would again recommend that a more defined
landscape edge be provided along S.H. 121
Conclusion
To conclude, the proposed mini - storage facility does not conform to the
requirements outlined in the Zoning Ordinance for special use permit
approval. Specifically, the project is not compatible with the surrounding
area, it does not comply with the Comprehensive Plan, and it will
potentially impact future development. It is for the above - discussed
reasons that staff recommends denial of the requested special use permit
for the mini - storage facility.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
Staff recommends denial of the Special Use Permit based on:
• The project's nonconformance with the requirements outlined in the
Zoning Ordinance for special use permit approval.
• The Coppell Comprehensive Plan does not support the proposed use.
• The project's visible location along a State Highway.
• The proposed awkward and unconventional layout of the site.
• Failure to adequately address screening/landscaping as illustrated in the
Comprehensive Plan.
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) Site Plan
2) Manager's Office /Apartment Elevations
3) Storage Unit & Sign Elevations (3 sheets)
4) Landscape Plan (Revised)
5) Open Space Exhibit
Item # 4
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CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
CASE: Securlock Self Storage, Lot 1, Block A
Minor Plat
P & Z HEARING DATE:
C.C. HEARING DATE:
STAFF REP.:
LOCATION:
SIZE OF AREA:
CURRENT ZONING:
February 20, 2003
March 11, 2003
Andrea Roy, Economic Development Coordinator
Northeast corner of S.H. 121 and Northpoint Drive.
3.751 acres of property.
LI and C (Light Industrial and Commercial)
REQUEST: Minor Plat approval for the development of a 49,380 square -foot
mini - warehouse, with a 1,900 square -foot caretakers quarters, and
5,520- square feet of speculative office.
APPLICANT:
Developer:
Houghton Capital Corporation
Andrew Smith
4316 Main Street, Suite 300
The Colony, TX 75056
Phone: (972) 370 -1416
Fax: (972) 370 -1427
Architect:
Kaufrnan Design Group
Sally Kaufman
12371 E. Lincoln Court
Wichita, KS 67207
Phone: (316) 618 -0448
Fax: (316) 618 -0048
Engineer:
Dowdey, Anderson & Assoc.
Mardy Brown
5225 Village Creek Drive, Suite 200
Plano, TX 75093
Phone: (972-931-0694
Fax: (972) 931 -9538
Item # 5
Pagel of 2
HISTORY: There is no history on the subject site.
TRANSPORTATION: Adjacent to the subject property, Northpoint Drive is a C4U four -lane
undivided thoroughfare within 90' of right -of -way. To the east,
Northpoint Drive turns into a C41) four -lane divided thoroughfare
within 80' of right -of -way.
SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North- vacant; C (Commercial) & LI (Light Industrial)
South - vacant; LI (Light Industrial) & Fellowship Church
East - office/warehouse; vacant; LI (Light Industrial) & C (Commercial)
West - S.H. 121, City of Grapevine
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The Comprehensive Plan shows the property as suitable for
light industrial/showroom uses.
DISCUSSION: In conjunction with the special use permit, the applicant is also requesting
approval of the Minor Plat for the development of a mini - storage facility
with accessory uses on approximately 3.751 acres of property. The site is
situated at the northeast corner of Northpoint & S.H. 121.
Given that staff is recommending denial of the special use permit, it must
also recommend denial of the minor plat.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
Staff is recommending denial of the requested Minor Plat in following the recommendation for
the companion Special Use Permit.
ALTERNATIVES:
1) Recommend approval of the request.
2) Recommend disapproval of the request
3) Recommend modification of the request
ATTACHMENTS:
1) Minor Plat
Item # 5
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