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HomeMy WebLinkAboutP&Z Minutes 2015-10-15 Regular PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES OF A �- REGULAR MEETING & WORK SESSION E" HELD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015 AT 7:00 PM CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS 910 S. FRIENDSWOOD DRIVE FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS Regular Meeting 1. The Regular Meeting was called to order at 7:02pm with the following people in attendance: Chairman David O'Farrell Vice Chairman Arthur Triplette Commissioner Craig Lovell Commissioner Sally Branson Commissioner Rich Borghese Commissioner Tony Annan Aubrey Harbin, City Planner Nick Haby, Planning Manager Becky Summers, Development Coordinator Arnold Polanco, City Attorney Absent: Neel 2 Communication from the public/committee liaisons (To comply with the provisions of the Open Meetings Act, the Commission may not deliberate on subjects discussed under this agenda item. However, the Commission may direct such subjects to be placed on a later regular Commission agenda for discussion and/or possible action.) Brett Banfield/Friends of Downtown Friendswood Association said they would like to see some of the permitted uses removed in the Downtown District to boost curb appeal. He said he supported the Commission reviewing the Permitted Use Table. Sherry Goen/Keep Friendswood Beautiful said they met with the Friends of Downtown Friendswood Association and would like to work together on upgrading the Downtown District. 3. Consent Agenda A. Approval of the minutes for the meeting held: 1) October 5, 2015 Motion to approve: Branson Second: Annan Vote: 6 to 0 Unanimous Motion Carried 4. Consideration and possible action regarding the proposed amendments to Appendix C Zoning Ordinance Section 7.P.6. Permitted Use Table Motion to approve: Branson Second: Annan Vote: 6 to 0 Unanimous Motion Carried Harbin said this item was on the agenda to allow discussion on changes to all NAICS uses in the Downtown District, not just gas stations as was discussed at the last meeting. She stated there were a few uses of concern to discuss. Borghese asked if the Warehouse item up for discussion would include self-storage operations to which Harbin answered yes. Branson asked if they could consider car washes during the discussion. Harbin explained car washes would fall under the same use as Auto Maintenance. Haby explained the Commission needed to come to a recommendation consensus for Council. Branson asked if staff could explain the difference between being a Permitted use and requiring a Specific Use Permit. Haby said a"P" indicates the use is permitted by right while an "S" means a Specific Use Permit is required to go before City Council for individual consideration. He also mentioned "O" stands for Office Use Only. Motion to discuss each item individually: Annan Second: Borghese Vote: 5 to 1 (Lovell opposed) Motion Carried Motion to change use 4447 Gasoline Stations to require an SUP: Annan Second: Borghese No Vote Motion Withdrawn Annan stated he did not want to remove the use entirely because it would limit a user such as Rudy's Barbeque that also had gas pumps. Branson said she would prefer Office Use Only for gas stations in the Downtown District. Triplette said he would like gas stations to not be allowed in the Downtown District. Chairman O'Farrell asked staff member Harbin to give an example of an office use only for gas stations. Harbin said a corporate office for Exxon would be an example. Borghese supported the SUP requirement. He said gas stations could be designed to look nice and the revenue would be good for the City. Lovell said the Downtown area is about to head in a new direction. He said he believes in flexibility but does not believe gas stations belong in the Downtown District. O'Farrell asked Keep Friendswood Beautiful if they had any thoughts. Goen/KFB said the goal of KFB is to have a very specific look in a specific area — the Downtown District. She said they are trying to achieve a uniform design and there are plenty of other 2 October 15,2015 P&Z Meeting areas where gas stations could be located. Paul Marks/KFB said he remembers when there were at around six gas stations along Friendswood Drive and he thinks the area looks much better now that they are no longer there. Brett Banfield/FDF said gas stations could look good and a Rudy's restaurant would not be a bad thing but he was afraid requiring SUPS would routinely put Council in a battle with developers. He said he thought they should be office only use or not permitted. Borghese asked what Banfield meant by "battle." Haby said SUPS are meant to scrutinize uses that could be considered nuisances at particular locations. He explained SUPS allow for a review of lighting, noise, traffic, etc. O'Farrell asked if reviewing uses based on aesthetics would be a legal concern. City Attorney Polanco answered that SUPS allow additional requirements such as landscaping and it is in the purview of the Commission to be discretionary. Harbin said if the Commission puts conditions on an SUP, the applicant then meets said conditions, it would be expected for the SUP to then be granted. Branson said SUPS are approved by City Council and developers pressuring the Council could put them in a precarious position. She said the Downtown area looks better now that the old service stations have been removed. She said gas stations bookend the Downtown area and that is sufficient. Annan asked what would happen to gas stations currently located in the Downtown District. He asked if they would be able to make changes to their site. Harbin stated the use would become non-conforming meaning they could maintain their facility but would not be allowed to expand. Triplette added that those stations would be able to change out gas pumps and upgrade. Banfield said he thinks none of the uses being discussed should be allowed in the Downtown District. Lovell said the City should strive for the best and limit those types of businesses along the main street. O'Farrell said he was in favor of striking the use as permitted. Motion to strike 4447 Gasoline Stations as Permitted in DD: Lovell Second: Triplette Vote: 5 to 1 (Borghese opposed) Motion Carried Motion to strike 4493 Warehousing & Storage as Permitted in DD: Branson Second: Lovell Vote: 6 to 0 Unanimous Motion Carried O'Farrell read the use description. Borghese questioned if this use included self-storage units. Harbin said the use is Permitted in the Industrial, Light Industrial and Business Park zones, all of which mingle in the Downtown area. Borghese asked if the use generated revenue for the City. Haby said property taxes would apply. O'Farrell said the use's description specifically mentioned "no sales." Motion to strike 4532 Rental & Leasing Services as Permitted in DD: Branson Second: Lovell Vote: 4 to 2 (Borghese, Annan opposed) Motion 3 October 15,2015 P&Z Meeting Carried Lovell said they are trying to make Downtown a destination and he does not see anyone bringing their family to visit an equipment rental site. Borghese said the use may be too broad to strike in its entirety and mentioned possibly not permitting some of the sub-uses. Triplette asked if Rent-A-Center would be included in this use to which staff said yes. O'Farrell asked about a wedding venue that rented out supplies. Haby said the wedding venue would be classified as an event center and the fact they rent out supplies would be an accessory use. Annan said he also felt the category was too broad. O'Farrell supported the motion to strike the use in Downtown. Motion to strike 48111 Auto Repair& Maintenance as Permitted in DD: Triplette Second: Branson Vote: 6 to 0 Unanimous Motion Carried Lovell said he did not think any Auto Repair or Maintenance uses would be a good fit in the Downtown District. Borghese agreed and said auto repair and car washes could not be dressed up to look good. Annan agreed. 5. Consideration and possible action regarding proposed amendments to Design Criteria Manual Appendix E Downtown District Amenities (Resolution 2011-24) Motion to approve including changes made during meeting: Branson Second: Lovell Vote: 5 to 1 (Annan opposed) Motion Carried Sherry Goen/KFB said Keep Friendswood Beautiful made previous recommendations for the amenities allowed in Downtown in an effort to have a uniform look. She said it was important to have a standard. Paul Marks/KFB said consistency is important including the type of light bulbs used. He recommended LED or metal halide with no uplight and full cut off. He said KFB prefers the Hadco make of streetlights. Lovell added light color should be specified. Harbin notated to keep the Hadco streetlight design and add a reference to clarify the color requirement and light output. Annan stated he is a national contractor and having closed specifications could be a problem for developers in the future. He said having only one allowed type of fixture could lead to price increases. He suggested choosing amenities that would be available through multiple vendors. O'Farrell said there is language in the ordinance allowing the Commission to approve similar products to avoid those types of issues with vendors. Brett/FDF stated uniformity is crucial. He said KFB is about to pave medians along Friendswood Drive and the idea is for all the surrounding areas to match that design. Triplette asked if KFB had any input in regards to the bench design. Kaye Corey/KFB said they originally recommended two bench designs for the sake of flexibility. She said the pedestal bench tends to rock and KFB would be okay with amending the Design Criteria Manual for the two pedestal version. 4 October 15,2015 P&Z Meeting Branson amended her motion to include the comments provided by KFB as well as remove the allowance of running bond pavers. 6. Consideration and possible action regarding proposed amendments to the site plan for Friendswood Professional Building B located at 211 W. Edgewood Drive Motion to approve subject to staff comments: Annan Second: Borghese Vote: 6 to 0 Unanimous Motion Carried Harbin stated Mr. Wegner/owner had designed his new building around large oak trees on the property. She said since then, an arborist had made suggestions to save those trees. He suggested moving four parking spaces to help the existing trees chances of survival. Harbin said the site would still meet all the landscape and parking requirements. She explained the four parking spaces would be gained onsite and access would be through the neighboring business, Friendswood Hardware. Staff would require a recorded shared access agreement prior to issuing a Certificate of Occupancy. Mr. Wegner explained during the design process, there was a disconnect between the architect and the arborist. He said saving the trees increased his construction cost by 30% and wants to make sure those trees survive. He provided a letter issued by Friendswood Hardware agreeing to shared access. Lovell asked how the trees were being protected during construction. Wegner explained they cut the roots, use a perimeter treatment and then fence off the area Annan said the original site plan had a screened off area but it is not shown on the revised site plan. Wegner stated that area was going to be mechanical equipment but had since been built in and hidden. 7. Review of the City of Friendswood Hazard Mitigation Plan Annual Progress Report Community Rating System Frank Manigold/Deputy Building Official explained the Community Rating System is a rating system for the city's insurance. He said staff and a public representative meet regularly to discuss progress. Manigold stated one of the requirements was to make the CRS available to the public. 8. Consideration and possible action regarding future Planning and Zoning Commission meeting dates Harbin said the next meeting would be held on Monday, November 2nd for a Joint Public Hearing at 7:00pm. 9. Communications from the Commission None 10. Reports 5 October 15,2015 P&Z Meeting A. Council Liaison—Councilman Rockey suggested the Commissioners hold their hands high while voting and speak up. B. Staff—Harbin said she mailed out the DRC report for last month. She stated there will be a ZBOA meeting on October 27I'to discuss a variance. That email would follow. 11. The meeting was adjourned at 8:48pm. Work Session Work Session regarding Appendix C, Zoning Ordinance was postponed by Chairman O'Farrell due to the longevity of the regular meeting. These minutes respectfully submitted by: &,o4 Saweety Becky Summers Development Coordinator 6 October 15,2015 P&Z Meeting