HomeMy WebLinkAboutP&Z Minutes 2005-08-24 SpecialMinutes of a Special Meeting
of the
Friendswood Planning and Zoning Commission
August 24, 2005
A special meeting of the Friendswood Planning and Zoning Commission was held on
Wednesday, August 24, 2005, at 6:00 pm at the Friendswood City Hall second floor
conference room, located at 910 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas. The
following members were present:
P&Z Commissioners:
Kevin Holland
David Brakebill
Roy Klusendorf
Sheny Weesner 6:05 p.m.
Mark Van Riper 6:10 p.m.
1.Call to order.
Staff:
Ron Cox -City Manager
Diana Steelquist -Planner
Karen Capps -Economic Development Coordinator
With a quorum of P&Z members present, Chairman Holland called the P&Z
meeting to order. Also in attendance from the Main Street Committee were Alton
Todd, Bill Finger, Carole Jones and Tony Banfield.
2.Discussion with members of the Main Street Committee regarding Zoning
Measures for the Main Street Area.
Mr. Finger began the discussion by calling to order the Main Street Committee.
He then addressed both groups. He recapped the intent of the Main Street
Committee: to encourage, enhance, re-develop and provide a sense of place in the
downtown area. The current situation includes a main street which has 5 different
zoning districts, small lot sizes, and many different uses allowed. The plan is to
include the whole area along FM 518 from FM 23 51 to Cowards Creek. It should
also incorporate residential use in commercial prope1iies. He added that
providing public spaces should encourage retail activity. To move forward with
the zoning changes, he stated that everyone needed to agree on these principles.
Kevin Holland added that the zoning should be consolidated into one district.
Sherry Weesner agreed and suggested that each property owner/stakeholder be
offered the option to participate in the rezoning rather than making it mandatory.
She also wanted td make sure that improvements to existing structures could be
made without having to tear down existing structures to meet new regulation
requirements. The consensus was to make the rezoning a voluntary process.
In addition, lot sizes should be a consideration. Mr. Finger asked staff to
determine how many lots were less than 7,000 sq. ft. in the downtown area. He
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also did not want to require on-site detention. With regional detention available,
the consensus was to say no on-site detention would be allowed. This would
encourage the total use of the lot.
Parking was also discussed. Shared parking needs to be encouraged. It was also
suggested that the City provide off-site parking, or that parking be allowed on side
streets. High-rise parking should also be available. A Master plan of the areas
owned by the City is needed. This will useful in determining where public
space/green space is available and allow lots to front on those areas. This might
mean some changes to the Subdivision Ordinance. It was also stressed that once
dedicated as Open Space, these areas could not be further developed.
A review of the Permitted Use Table will need to be done and the uses allowed in
the new district determined.
Street landscaping issues were also discussed including the replacement of traffic
signals. Solid poles were suggested instead of lights hung from swinging wires.
Staff will investigate with TxDot what is allowed. A side walk plan is also
needed.
Sheny Weesner suggested that the all of the proposed elements of the Main Street
plan be collected. Ways to incorporate each element into the Zoning Ordinance
could then be discussed. It was pointed out that the Tree Preservation
subcommittee used this method successfully.
3.Adjourn.
Before adjourning, possible regular meeting dates were discussed. The second and
fourth Tuesday of month were agreed upon. The next meeting will be held on
Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at 6:30 p.m.
With no further comment, the meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
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Diana Steelquist C .. / Planner
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