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HomeMy WebLinkAboutP&Z Minutes 2022-03-10 RegularCITY OF FRIENDSWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 - 7:00 PM Minutes MINUTES OF A FRIENDSWOOD REGULAR MEETING HELD AT 910 S. FRIENDSWOOD DRIVE, FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS, FRIENDSWOOD CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS STATE OF TEXAS CITY OF FRIENDSWOOD COUNTIES OF GALVESTON/HARRIS MARCH 10, 2022 1.CALL TO ORDER MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE FRIENDSWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION THAT WAS HELD ON THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022, AT 07:01 PM 910 S. FRIENDSWOOD DRIVE, FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS CHAIRMAN JOSEPH MATRANGA VICE-CHAIRMAN RICHARD SASSON COMMISSIONER CATHERINE KOERNER COMMISSIONER RICHARD CLARK COMMISSIONER MARCUS PERRY COMMISSIONER TRAVIS MANN COUNCIL LIAISON TRISH HANKS CITY ATTORNEY KAREN HORNER DIRECTOR OF CDD/PLANNER AUBREY HARBIN DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR BECKY BENNETT COMMISSIONER TOM HINCKLEY WAS ABSENT FROM THE MEETING. 2.Communication from the public/committee liaisons (To comply with 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 be placed on a later regular Commission agenda for discussion and/or possible action) No comments. 3.Consent Agenda These items are considered routine or ministerial in nature and will be enacted with one motion. There will be no separate discussion of items unless a commissioner so requests in which case the item would be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately. **Commissioner Richard Clark moved to approve Consent Agenda. Seconded by Commissioner Marcus Perry. The motion was approved unanimously. A.Consider approving the minutes for the Planning and Zoning Regular Meeting held Thursday, February 24, 2022. B.Consider approving the Replat of Lot 10 Friendswood Gardens. C.Consider approving the Final Plat of Joyful Park. D.Consider approving the Final Plat of the Albritton. 4.Action Items According to the Planning and Zoning Rules of Procedure (R2021-18), all action of the Commission shall be made by an affirmative vote of four (4) or more members of the Commission present at such Commission meetings. A.SITE PLAN: RED BALL OXYGEN AT 14200 BEAMER ROAD Consider approving the site plan for Red Ball Oxygen to be located at 14200 Beamer Road. **Commissioner Marcus Perry moved to approve the site plan for Red Ball Oxygen to be located at 14200 Beamer Road. Seconded by Commissioner Travis Mann. Motion later amended by Perry to include waiving the 4-foot sidewalk installation along Beamer Rd. Seconded by Mann. The motion was approved unanimously. Harbin stated the proposed facility is an industrial gas and welding supplier to be located on Beamer Road. She said the developer extended a public water line more than 2,300 feet to reach the site and the public infrastructure had been accepted by City Council in January 2022. Harbin added the developer is asking to waive the sidewalk installation along Beamer Rd and explained Beamer Road is outside the city limits. Koerner commented the facility would be a perfect fit in the industrial panhandle area of the city. Sasson asked if the site would be a terminal only or if they would be manufacturing any gases. Alex Kennedy/CEO of Red Ball Oxygen said the site would not manufacture gases. Matranaga asked how many employees they were expecting. Kennedy said the initial staff would consist of 30-35 employees but the business is growing and they hope to increase the number of shifts and employees. Matranga asked if the Fire Marshal had reviewed the plans, to which Harbin answered yes. Matranga also asked about blast protection in the building. Kennedy said the construction includes a fire wall, a deluge area, and sprinkler systems, all compliant with OSHA standards. B.ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT REGARDING GARDEN HOME DISTRICT (GHD) i Conduct a public hearing regarding proposed amendments to Appendix C, Zoning Ordinance, "Section 2. Establishment of Districts" and "Section 6. Non-Conforming Uses, Structures and Lots," "Section 7. Schedule of District Regulations," "Section 8. Supplementary District Regulations," and "Section 20. Definitions" to remove the Multi- Family Residential (MFR) reference from the Garden Home District (GHD) zoning district and establish architectural and site related requirements for garden home developments. Bennett introduced the proposed amendments to the Garden Home District to include removing all references to multi-family use and adding design requirements such as utilizing one side zero lot line for the home. She said the intent of a garden home is to decrease the amount of maintenance for the yard and home. Bennett explained the current ordinance states the structures should be attached but that is not required in a garden home community. ii Consider making a recommendation regarding amendments to Appendix C, Zoning Ordinance, "Section 2. Establishment of Districts" and "Section 6. Non-Conforming Uses, Structures and Lots," "Section 7. Schedule of District Regulations," "Section 8. Supplementary District Regulations," and "Section 20. Definitions" to remove the Multi- Family Residential (MFR) reference from the Garden Home District (GHD) zoning district and establish architectural and site related requirements for garden home developments. **Commissioner Catherine Koerner moved to approve a recommendation regarding amendments to Appendix C, Zoning Ordinance, "Section 2. Establishment of Districts" and "Section 6. Non- Conforming Uses, Structures and Lots," "Section 7. Schedule of District Regulations," "Section 8. Supplementary District Regulations," and "Section 20. Definitions" to remove the Multi-Family Residential (MFR) reference from the Garden Home District (GHD) zoning district and establish architectural and site related requirements for garden home developments. Seconded by Commissioner Richard Clark. The motion was later amended by Koerner to recommend the proposed redline changes, "Option 2." The motion was seconded by Clark. The motion was approved unanimously. Bennett said that since the last presentation of the garden home changes, there had been discussion that 5-foot separation between buildings is too small. The "Option 2" proposal is to increase the required building separation to 10-feet, creating slightly more space between the homes. She explained the other proposed change was to remove specific requirements from the ordinance so the requirements would then default to the adopted building and fire codes instead of being regulated by the zoning ordinance. Koerner said the subcommittee discussed increasing the separation to 10-feet but was not necessarily married to 10-feet and open to other distances. Mann said defaulting to the building codes makes sense. C.SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE VARIANCE REQUEST i Conduct a public hearing regarding a variance request to reduce the required minimum block length from 300-feet to 260-feet at Friendswood Parkway and 244-feet at the proposed Adrianna Crossing, being a variance to Appendix B, Subdivision Ordinance, Section VI.K.2.a. Harbin said the developer is requesting two block length variances in the proposed Sterling Creek Section 7 subdivision. Harbin said the original subdivision layout the developer submitted had multiple infractions, so staff worked with the developer to minimize the requested deviations. She said when Friendswood Parkway was installed, the street stub-outs were installed but at less than the required 300-feet width, so the first variance is for a block that is already constructed. ii Consider approving a variance request to reduce the required minimum block length from 300-feet to 260-feet at Friendswood Parkway and 244-feet at the proposed Adrianna Crossing, being a variance to Appendix B, Subdivision Ordinance, Section VI.K.2.a. **Commissioner Marcus Perry moved to approve a variance request to reduce the required minimum block length from 300-feet to 260-feet at Friendswood Parkway and 244-feet at the proposed Adrianna Crossing, being a variance to Appendix B, Subdivision Ordinance, Section VI.K.2.a.. Seconded by Commissioner Richard Clark. The motion was approved unanimously. Adam Hill/developer said when Friendswood Parkway was under design, his team requested the street stub- outs be installed as part of the contract for them donating land and funds for the boulevard construction. Hill said if the block width was not adequate, the issue should have been raised before construction. He explained that moving the streets now would be a substantial expense and include relocating drainage infrastructure. Mr. Chau Vu / 8 Dominion Ct spoke against the variance, citing speeding issues on Friendswood Parkway plus congestion and traffic at the existing Sterling Creek Section 6 gates. He said the gates are too close to the parkway to allow adequate room for vehicles. Mr. Vu also mentioned the parkway is more than one-foot higher than The Dominion subdivision and he fears more development will create flooding. Commissioner Perry said he understands the streets are built and asked if there was another design that would work with the city codes. Hill said his engineer created another subdivision layout that would not require variances but it makes four "runt lots" that would not be deep enough to build a home with a backyard pool. Clark asked staff if there was any precedent for a block width variance. Harbin said she was not aware of any variances for the same situation. Mann asked if there was a creative solution to remove the variance needed at the back of the subdivision. Chairman Matranga said he and Vice Chairman Sasson had joined the staff when they met with the developer to discuss options. Matranga explained the option that met code was not the most natural design. Mann asked the staff the purpose of the 300-foot block length. Harbin responded that the city originally required block lengths to be 400-feet wide. She said staff were researching the reasoning for the change as well as other cities' requirements and could not find a pattern. Harbin continued that road design requirements are normally due to maneuverability for school buses and fire trucks, plus traffic safety. Matranga said his research found long block lengths lead to speeding issues and short block lengths, within city blocks not subdivisions, can increase traffic accidents. Sasson said the third option that meets the code on the interior of the subdivision would still require a variance for the block where the streets are already built. Sasson asked staff about Mr.Vu's comments regarding the gates creating a back up onto the parkway. Harbin said the Design Criteria Manual requires gated entrances to be set back at least 40-feet. She said staff would review the design during an infrastructure plan review but would also look into the existing Section 6 gates. D.PRELIMINARY PLAT - STERLING CREEK SECTION 7 Consider approving the Partial Preliminary Plat of Sterling Creek Section 7, a private subdivision, consisting of 27.1092 acres of land out of a called 194.21 acre tract of land known as Tract A and being recorded in Clerk's File No. 2010059686, being out of and a part of Lots 1-3, 13-16, and 19-20 of the David Fahey Subdivision as recorded in Volume 118, Page 417 and also being out of and a part of Lot 4 of the Burgess Subdivision as recorded in Volume 119, Page 14, both subdivisions being situated in the Geo Patterson Survey, Abstract Number 645 and the Mary Fabrueau Survey, Abstract Number 69, Friendswood, Galveston County, Texas. **Commissioner Travis Mann moved to approve the Partial Preliminary Plat of Sterling Creek Section 7. Seconded by Commissioner Richard Clark. The motion was approved unanimously. Harbin said this subdivision would be the final section of Sterling Creek. She said the developer will need to provide a landscape buffer and 6-foot barrier along Friendswood Parkway since the site falls within the Community Overlay District. She said the pending items on the Compliance Memo can be addressed during the final plat review. 5.Consideration and possible action regarding future Planning and Zoning Commission meeting dates A.Consider setting the next Planning and Zoning Commission regular meetings for (i) Thursday, March 24, 2022 and (ii) Thursday, April 14, 2022. 6.Communications A.Receive liaison updates, commercial and residential project updates, and City Council actions and ordinance updates. Matranga said he gave the annual Planning and Zoning Commission report to City Council. Matranga said he attended an online Land Use seminar that was very informative and reminded the commission that a previous commissioner repeatedly said zone changes go with the land, not the developer. He said he felt that was good advice. Councilwoman Hanks reported that Chairman Matranga did a great job presenting the 2021 report and the report showed how much work the commission accomplished in 2021. Hanks announced the first reading of the Planned Unit Development (PUD) ordinance changes were approved at the city council's meeting. She said the council also received an update from the Gulf Coast Protection District regarding the Gulf Coast Barrier Project. Harbin said the February DRC report was provided in the back up material. 7.ADJOURNMENT This meeting was adjourned at 08:09 PM.