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CC S.U.P. approval on 4/22/2003AGENDA REQUEST FORM COl'FELL DEPT: Planning & Economic Development DATE: April 22, 2003 ITEM #: 15 1TEM CAPTION: CONTINUATION OF PUBLIC HEARING: Consider approval of Case No. S-1204, Securlock Self Storage, zoning change request from LI and C (Light Industrial and Commercial) to LI/C-S-1204 (Light Industrial/Commercial, Special Use Permit-1204), to allow the construction of a 49,380 square-foot mini-warehouse use, with a 1,900 square-foot caretakers quarters and office, and 5,520-square feet of office/warehouse on 3.751 acres of property located at the northeast comer of S.H. 121 and Northpoint Drive. APPROVED BY GOAL(S)CITY COUNCIL ON ABOVE DATE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Date of P&Z Meeting: Motion to approve subject to a landscape plan that complies with the minimum ordinance approved by staff; the elevation and site plan M - York - Stover ore - 5-1 runnell voting against; Place 6 vacant Februar'~20,2003 Decision ofP&Z Commi~siom Denial (4-2) with Commissioners McCaffrey, Kittrell, McGahey and Halsey voting in favor of denial. Commissioners Dragon and Foreman opposed. Attached is the letter of appeal dated March 4, 2003, from Andrew Smith of Houghton Capital. Reasons for denial: · 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. Staff recommends denial. NOTES.: Given the Commission's recommendation for denial, a % vote of Council is needed to approve this Special Use Permit. On April 8th, this Public Hearing was opened and continued to April 22"d because of the absence of two Council members. ) ~?"' DIR. REVIEW: ? FIN. REVIEW: CM REVIEW: :g;~ Agenda Request Form - Revised 09/02 Document Name: @S-1204 SSS I-AR HOCGI~ITON OAPFFAL March 4, 2003 4316 Main Street, Suite 300 The Colony, Texas 75056 Phone (972) 370-1417 Fax (972) 370-1427 City of Coppell Planning and Development Department 255 Parkway Boulevard Coppell, TX 75019 Re: Case No. S-1204~ Securlock Self Storage Attention: Planning and Economic Development Department On February 20, 2003, our request for an SUP to build a mixed-use small office and storage center on the northeast corner of S.H. 121 and Northpoint Drive was denied by the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission. We respectfully appeal this decision. We believe our development conforms to Coppell's high standards and will be an asset to the community. We request Coppell City Council hear our appeal on March 25m. Please call with any questions or concerns. Also, please contact us if any additional steps are required for appeal. Thank You, Andrew Smith Houghton Capital 972-370-1418 C1TY OF COPPELL PLANNING DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT CASE NO.: S-1204~ Securlock Self Storage Summary. of Revisions for February. 20, 2003 Planniml and Zonin~ 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 lack of revisions to the submittal, addressing the Commission and staff's concerns, the original recommendation of denial still stands. RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZON1NG COM/vIISSION: 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 REPORT ON THIS REQUEST STAFF Item # 4 Page 1 of 1 CITY OF COPPELL PLANNING DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT CASE NO.: S-1204, Securlock Self Storage P & Z HEARING DATE: C.C. HEARING DATE: December 19, 2002 meeting) March 11, 2003 (Held open to the February 20, 2003, P&Z 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: Page 1 of 5 Developer: Houghton Capital Corporation Andrew Smith 4316 Main Street, Suite 300 The Colony, TX 75056 Phone: (972) 370-1416 Fax: (972) 370-1427 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 Architect: Kaufman Design Group Sally Kaufman 12371 E. Lincoln Court Wichita, KS 67207 Phone: (316) 618-0448 Fax: (316) 618-0048 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 tums 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 (carelaker's quarters), and 5,520- square feet of speculative office on an awkward shaped approximate 3.75 acres of preperty located at the northeast comer of S.H. 121 & Northpoint Drive. Being situated as it is, a 2.05-acre portion has been carved out at the immediate comer 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, w/th 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. Item # 4 Page 2 of 5 A monument sign constructed of md 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 SH. 121. Staff is concerned with the placement of the website address (www.securlock.com) within the sign on the manager's office/apartment fronting SH. 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. Page 3 of 5 Site Analysis Them 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 Coppel/ 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/les. Additionally, Section 12-30-2 (Special Use Permit Regulations) states that the Plarm/ng 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/les 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 SH 121 frontage developments. The Comprehensive Plan supports "Light Industrial/Showroom" uses in this ama 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 Item # 4 majority of the property within this area as "Light Industrial/Showroom", a small ama 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 couM 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 thangular in shape and possesses design obstacles. The proposed project would carve out an approximate 2-acre restaurant pad at the comer, 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 comer restaurant pad site would eventually screen the m/nj-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. Page 4 of 5 Landscaping The applicant has met all Perimeter, Interior, and Non-Vehicular landscape requirements, providing some adchtional 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 staff's interpretation that the addition of six trees does not satisfy this Item # 4 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: Staffmcommends 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) 2) 3) 4) Site Plan Manager's Office/Apartment Elevations Storage Unit & Sign Elevations (3 sheets) Landscape Plan (Revised) Open Space Exhibit Item # 4 Page 5 of 5 Securlock Conditions In the event that City Council approves this case, staff recommends that the following conditions be met: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Staff recommends that the website address be eliminated from the attached sign, as this type of advertising is not supported by staff and does not meet the spirit and intent of the Sign Ordinance. Eliminate the wording "Warehouse" from the elevation descriptions on Sheet A3.3 Eliminate cross-hatching over storage units on Landscape Sheets. Ensure that all interior elevations comply with Section 12-25-5 Light Industrial District Type of Construction, which requires 80 percent masonry materials. As designed, it appears that the presence of the prefinished panel header and metal panels exceed the maximum 20 percent. Comply with Section 12-34-8 (B.3), which states that "Planting islands shall be located at each terminus of each single row of parking.. Planting islands shall contain at least one tree."