Staff ReportITEM #4
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CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
Case No.: PD-209R2R-C, TownOaks Centre – Biscuit Bar
P&Z HEARING DATE: June 20, 2019
C.C. HEARING DATE: July 9, 2019
STAFF REP.: Marcie Diamond, Assistant Director of Community Development/ Planning
LOCATION: The southeast corner of Sandy Lake Road and Denton Tap Road
SIZE OF AREA: 0.57 acres of property
CURRENT ZONING: PD-209R2-C (Planned Development-209-Revision 2-Commercial)
REQUEST: PD-209R2R-C (Planned Development-209-Revision 2 Revised -Commercial) to
allow the to allow the re-occupancy of an existing vacant restaurant building for a
Biscuit Bar, requiring variances to the Zoning Ordinance including: the
expansion of an outdoor patio area encroaching into the required setback area,
five parking space deficit and sign variances.
APPLICANT: Architect: Owner:
Allison Green Alen Hinckley
Civitarese Morgan Architecture Coppell Village, LTD.
921 Riverfront Blvd. Suite 700 12201 Merit Drive, Suite 170
Dallas, Texas 75207 Dallas, Texas 75251
214-613-0680 972-991-4600
Allision@civitaresemorgan.com alen@yorkshire-us.com
HISTORY: This property was originally platted into four lots in 1984. Lot 1 was platted for a
restaurant pad site (current request area), Lots 2 and 4 for “strip” retail and Lot 3 for
a Minyards grocery store. In March of that year, the Board of Adjustment granted a
variance to the required ten-foot front yard, decreasing the landscape setback to
seven feet. The applicant contended that they had already drawn the plans, etc, prior
to the adoption of the ordinance requiring ten feet of landscaping and that providing
the ten feet would create a hardship (current ordinances would require a minimum of
15 feet of landscaping along street rights-of-way).
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In January 2005, Council approved placing this property under a Planned
Development District to allow a revised elevation and variances to the sign
ordinance including a 150-square-foot attached sign for Express Fitness, and two
63-square feet, externally-lit monument signs with variances to the setback
requirements. An additional sign variance was granted through the Planned
Development processes, allowing a 51.9-square-foot sign for Tuesday Morning,
where a 25.6-square-foot sign would normally be permitted. Since that time, the
Tuesday Morning has been replaced by a Natural Grocers.
This restaurant building also has a long zoning/occupancy history. This building
was constructed for a restaurant use (Sliders and Blues) in 1992. In 1995, the
SUP was amended to permit the patio to be enclosed. To satisfy the parking
requirement of this expanded restaurant use, the property owner entered into a
parking agreement with the abutting shopping center to allow the use of an
additional 14 parking spaces. In 2001 CJ’s Clubhouse occupied this restaurant,
and in April 2003 it was Kelly’s. From 2006 to 2007 Bin555 occupied this
building. In 2008 the PD was amended to allow for the preoccupancy of this
building for two restaurants, a Chipotle and a Mooyah. This amendment allowed
for variances to setbacks, signs, materials. The current request is to reoccupy the
former Mooyah lease space.
TRANSPORTATION: Denton Tap Road is a six-lane divided thoroughfare built to standard within a 120-
foot right-of-way.
Sandy Lake is a four-lane divided thoroughfare built within a 120-foot right-of-way.
SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North –Frost Bank and Tom Thumb shopping center; TC (Town Center)
South –Braewood shopping center; C (Commercial)
East–Braewood West subdivision; SF-7 (Single Family-7)
West– McDonalds, Bank, under construction; R (Retail)
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The 2030 Comprehensive Plan of shows the property as suitable for
Mixed Use Community Center, No Residential.
DISCUSSION: As detailed above, this building has a long history of restaurant tenants. The
current request is to reoccupy the former Mooyah lease space with a Biscuit
Bar with indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate up to 116 diners. Building
modifications requested includes: the enlargement of the existing patio area and
adding a covering to this patio along Sandy Lake Road; the addition of an
enclosed outdoor cooler and enclosing the existing dumpster area. This request
also includes a setback variance for the patio and variances to the sign ordinance
and a 5-parking space variance. The Zoning Ordinance allows the re-occupancy
of a building for a new restaurant use to be administratively approved by staff;
however, this application requires an amendment to the PD (which necessitates a
60-day public hearing process) due to the variances being requested to several
Zoning Ordinance, regulations.
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The restaurant proposed for this location is described on their website as:
The Biscuit Bar is an approachable, fast casual restaurant serving up
Southern goodness on a biscuit! We are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner
and late nights offering biscuits, tots and taps. Our menu features an
assortment of savory and sweet biscuit sandwiches made from scratch, in
house, daily. Guests can also accompany their biscuit sandwich with tots
styled to personal taste and tipple on a craft cocktail, locally sourced
brew, cold brew coffee or kombucha, all offered on tap!
Setback Variance
An outdoor patio along Sandy Lake Road was approved and built with Mooyah
and contained only tables and chairs with umbrellas. This applicant is requesting
to enlarge this patio by 200 square feet, for a total of 575 square feet, moving it
approximately two feet closer to the property line and enclosing with open air
patio covering. The sides and roof are motorized and are only proposed to be
closed during inclement weather. Most of the time the sides (windows) and roof
will remain open. There will be lights and fans installed, and the heaters can be
electric or gas. Pictures of similar installations are included for reference. The
existing mature trees will not be disturbed. There is a note on the site plan that
the remainder of this site will be in compliance with the Landscape Plan as
approved when this building was redesigned for Chipotle and Mooyah. The
existing five-foot sidewalks will be retained along Denton Tap Road and Sandy
Lake Road. Finally, the existing Monument Sign will be re-faced for the Biscuit
Bar.
Sign Variances
As typical in this shopping center, this request includes variances to the Sign
Ordinance for the proposed tenant. The Sign Ordinance permits one square foot
of signage for every linear foot of frontage Sandy Lake, which is 61’3”, therefore
a total of 61.25 square footage of signage would be permitted on this restaurant.
The current application is for four attached signs, two “pan” signs (Biscuit Bar
logo) one 48 square feet and one 34.6 square feet) and two signs comprised of
yellow, individually mounted letters stating biscuits.tots.taps. for a total of
123.33 square feet, none which are in compliance with the Sign Ordinance. Staff
is cognizant of the need for this relatively new concept to provide branding
recognition, however, there must be a balance between what is being requested
and the city-wide sign standards.
Therefore, staff is recommending the two biscuits.tots.taps. be eliminated,
and the 34.6 square foot Biscuit Bar logo pan sign indicated on the east elevation,
attached to the new cooler enclosure, be relocated to the Sandy Lake Road
frontage above the expanded patio. This sign will be significantly more visible
here than facing the side parking lot. The 48 square foot Biscuit Bar sign on the
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south elevation be replaced with a 34.6 square foot sign. These two Biscuit Bar
Logo signs on the south and north elevations, will have a total of 69.2 square feet,
still exceeding the sign ordinance by 13% (8 sq. ft.). These two signs, plus the
monument at the corner of this major intersection should provide the brand
recognition required. If desired to incorporate biscuits.tots.taps., then
these words can be included on a blade sign (up to 10 square feet) at the entry, or
perpendicular to the Sandy Lake Road frontage. This blade sign is allowed in
addition to the other attached signs.
As noted above, other site improvements such as enclosing the existing dumpsters
will benefit the entire shopping center. The granting of the five-parking space
variance, for a shopping center accommodating 530 cars is also supportable.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
Staff is recommending APPROVAL of PD-209R2R-C, TownOaks Centre, Biscuit Bar
allowing setback variance for the patio, parking and sign variances, subject to the
following revisions:
1. Revising the attached signs as follows:
a. Eliminate the two biscuits.tots.taps signs.
b. Relocate the 34.6 square foot Biscuit Bar logo pan from the east to the north
elevation, and delete the Proposed Side (East) Elevation from the Sign packet
(it as also indicates yellow building accents that are not approved) .
c. Replace the proposed 48 square foot Biscuit Bar logo pan sign with a 34.6
square foot sign.
d. Replace the amber lens with white lens, as all lighting within the sign is
required to be white.
2. There will be additional comments at the time of Building Permit review.
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. Pictures of Patio Enclosures
2. Site Plan
3. Building Elevations
4. Sign Package (8 pages)