Hollows/PP-AG 980714AGENDA REQUEST FORM
CITY COUNCIL MEETING:
ITEM CAPTION:
July' 14, 1998
ITEM #
Consider approval of The Hollows at Northlake Woodlands, Preliminary Plat, to allow the development of
71 residential lots on 32.327 acres of property located along the north side of the DART Right-of-Way;
between Mockingbird Lane and MacArthur Boulevard.
DENIED
SUBMITTED B ./BY~Gary L. Sieb /
TITLF~ Director of P~ and Community Services
STAFF R E C4)~J~D~.' APPROVAL
STAFF COMMENTS:
Date of P&Z Meeting: June 18, 1998
Decision of P&Z Commission: Approved (4-0) with Commissioners
McCaffrey voting in favor. None opposed. Commissioners Kittrell
Commissioner DeFilippo resigned.
Nesbit, Stewart, Lowry and
and Turner were absent.
Approval subject to the following recommended conditions:
2)
Ccnnccticn cf Scra Dri-:c tc Crcstvic':: Ccu~t. (CONDITION MET)
That the applicant provide sufficient access for municipal fire and hazardous
material emergency response.
DIR. INITIALS: ~~
Agenda Request Forrd- Revised 3/98
FIN. REVIEW:~
CITY MANAGER REVIEW:
Document Name: ®hollows.pp
CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
CASE: THE HOLLOWS AT NORTHLAKE
WOODLANDS, PRELIMINARY PLAT
P & Z HEARING DATE:
C.C. HEARING DATE:
June 18, 1998
July 14, 1998
LOCATION:
Along the north side of the DART Right-of-Way; between
Mockingbird Lane and MacArthur Boulevard.
SIZE OF AREA:
Approximately 32 acres (71 residential lots).
CURRENT ZONING:
SF-9 (Single Family-9).
REQUEST:
Preliminary Plat approval.
APPLICANT:
Developer:
N.L.W. Development Group
5309 Clear Ridge
Dallas TX 75248
972-250-2325
Engineer:
Tipton Engineering, Inc.
6300 Broadway, Suite C
Garland TX 75043
972-226-2967
Fax 972-226-1946
HISTORY:
City Council rezoned the property SF-9 on May 12, 1998. There
is no previous platting history.
TRANSPORTATION:
Mockingbird Lane is a C2U two-lane undivided collector built to
standard within a 60'-wide Right-of-Way. East Belt Line Road is
a P6D six-lane divided primary arterial funded and scheduled for
County construction to standard within an existing 120'-wide
Right-of-Way.
SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North-
South -
East -
West -
Northlake Woodlands East Phase 10; SF-9
Railroad, undeveloped; C
TU Electric R.O.W. & MacArthur Plaza; A & C
Northlake Woodlands East Phase 8; SF-12
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
The Comprehensive Plan shows the property as suitable for
medium density residential uses.
Item # 14
DISCUSSION:
At the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing in April, which
preceded City Council's May 12 decision on the zoning for this
property, access to the property was a matter of major concern.
Council has effectively eliminated that issue from Commission
consideration because the property is no longer proposed as a
Planned Development District. While Council ultimately may
have to wrestle with the question of compliance with fire codes,
the Commission's job is to assess the proposed subdivision design
relative to the Subdivision Ordinance.
Sora Drive is proposed to be 2300 feet long, but it is not a cul-de-
sac street. It forms two sides of a city block at the far end. The
subdivision ordinance limits block length and cul-de-sac length, but
otherwise does not limit street length. Under this interpretation the
subdivision as proposed can be approved.
However, the subdivision also can be improved. Additional access
would make it better. In the planning staff's view, the best place
to add access is from Mallard Drive, but repeatedly the applicant
has refused to cooperate in this regard. We believe that it could be
done and that the applicant simply does not want to incur the
additional development cost nor suffer the resulting loss of lot
count from the two subdivisions that would be affected.
Furthermore, with or without access to Mallard Drive, a street
connecting Sora Drive to Crestview Court would enhance the
subdivision layout. It would enable new residents to take their
children to Mockingbird Elementary and Middle School East
without traveling on the residential streets of the adjoining
neighborhood to the north. It is difficult to believe that the
applicant, who proposed such a street just two months ago, is now
unable to provide it.
On the other hand, the City bears the responsibility for having
approved the subdivision to the north without additional access
points and for having removed access to the property from the
east. On this account we believe that compromise is in order.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
The planning staff recommends approval subject to compliance
with Engineering comments and the following conditions:
1) Connection of Sora Drive to Crestview Court.
2)
City Council waiver of fire codes relative to subdivision
access.
Item # 14
ALTERNATIVES:
1) Recommend approval of the request
2) Recommend disapproval of the request
3) Recommend modification of the request
ATTACHMENTS:
1) Departmental Comments
2) Preliminary Plat
3) Tree Survey
Item # 14
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE
ENGINEERING COMMENTS
ITEM: Hollows of Northlake Woodlands. Prelimina~. Plat, to allow the development
of 71 residential lots on approximately 32 acres of property at the northeast
corner of Beltline Road and Mockingbird Lane, at the request of Tipton
Engineering, Inc.
DRC DATE: May 28, 1998 and June 4, 1998
CONTACT: Mike Martin, P.E., Assistant City Engineer (304-3679)
COMMENT STATUS:
a ~r'~r:, P&Z
1. May need to consider some type of traffic calming devices on Sora Drive.
2. Provide right-of-way comer clips at all street intersections.
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMI2TEE
FIRE PREVENTION COMMENTS
ITEM: HOLLOWS AT NORTHI~t~ WOODL4ND$ "
t/i MAY 28 1998
DRC DATE: MAr 2~, 199~ ~ ~l
CONTACT: TRA~$ ¢ltllMP, FIRE MAI~HAL. (214) $~-~_~93
COMMENT STATIIS: ~ PRRLIMINAR~ ~
1. The Coppell Fire Department can not support this proposal. A minimum of two means
of egress/ingress must be provided. With location of the railroad, E. Beltline Road, the power
lines, a uatural gas line and metering station and a petroleum pipeline all in very close proximity
of the project, the probability of an event requiring the rapid evacuation of the citizens is very
high. Attempting to evacuate 71 families through a single street would be virtually impossible.
At least one additional full width ingress/egress roadway needs to be provided on the back (Fast)
third of the property.
P.O. Box 478
CoppelI, Texas 75019
972-462-0022
June 15, 1998
City of Coppell
Planning and Zoning Commission
Re: The Hollows At Northlake Woodlands
Dear Chairman and Commissioners:
There has been a lot of discussion on this subdivision over the last several
months. Much of that discussion has centered on whether or not a second means
of egress is really necessary.
There have been comments from other staff members that in their opinion, this
requirement is not necessary. I respect the opinions of each and every member
of the City staff. Each one is an expert in their particular field. However, their
field is neither emergency management nor public safety.
There is a certain level of risk in every developmenL The Fire Department, in
particular the Fire Prevention Division, is charged with determining what level
of risk is "acceptable". Each one of you has heard me state that each subdivision
needs a second means of egress. I will be the first to agree that some
subdivisions could maintain an "acceptable" level of risk without the second
means of egress. Unfortunately, this subdivision is not one of them. Placing
seventy-one families in a development adjacent to a major thoroughfare, a
railroad, the primary natural gas line that feeds the City of Coppell as well as
being right next to an underground petroleum pipeline and primary high
voltage line with only one way out is, in my opinion, well beyond an
"acceptable" level of risk.
Much has been said about existing subdivisions being larger than this one that
have only one way in and one way out and nothing has happened in those
developments. While that is true, it does not make those subdivisions any safer.
The City of Coppell has a very short history. The majority of subdivisions in this
City are less than ten years old. These subdivisions are going to be with us
forever. We must plan for what may happen over the life of the development,
not just for a portion of that time. That is the whole basis of determining what
an acceptable level of risk will be. As we ali know, the older something gets the
greater the chance that something will fail.
While I can sympathize with the developer over the loss of the access easement
to the East of this subdivision, the fact that the City gave away his easement does
not lessen our responsibility to the citizens of Coppell. Each member of this
commission is charged with planning for the City of Coppell. This planning
'responsibility includes providing for the safety of our community. It is the
professional opinion of the Coppell Fire Department that this development must
have a second means of egress located in the eastern third of the subdivision.
This will bring the project to an "acceptable" level of risk. Should an emergency
occur that would require the rapid evacuation of the residents, it would be
impossible to get emergency equipment in at the same time you are trying to get
seventy-one families out on one street. Coupled with the fact that the only street
out of the subdivision goes directly under a major transmission line and into
another development enhances the need for a secondary access to this property.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Division Chief
Fire Marshal