HomeMy WebLinkAboutP&Z Minutes 1997-04-14 Specialri
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Minutes of a Special Meeting
of the
Friendswood Planning & Zoning Commission
April 14, 1997
A special meeting of the Friendswood Planning and Zoning Commission was held on Monday, April 14, 1997 at
6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 910 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas. The
following members were present:
Finger
Grace
Burke
Clark
Cress
Brinkman -Secretary
Henry -Development Coordinator
Thompson -Consulting Engineer
With a quorum present, Baker absent and Whittenburg having resigned, Vice Chair Finger called the meeting to
order to consider the following:
Workshop:
Discussion with City Council regarding the following items:
A.Sign Ordinance Committee Report -Connie Stagner
The committee has met monthly and have made minor changes to the sign
ordinance, most of which are "clean up" as there was a lot of duplication. The
committee is close to making a final recommendation of the changes and would
like for the sign ordinance committee to become a standing committee. The
issue that led to the appointment of the committee was with regard to signs
painted on the inside of windows as opposed to the outside; one is legal, the
other is not. Another issue is that of enforcement -the Code Enforcement
Officer should have some means of enforcement (citations) rather than writing
letters and filing papers with the municipal court. The enforcement change is
due partially to reduced staffing and the other is clearly cleanup.
B.Detention ponds -Jimmy Thompson
C.
Thompson reviewed the history of detention ponds in the City of Friendswood
and gave definitions of swales, regional detention, detention ponds, lakes,
underground detention, parking lot detention and inline detention, giving
examples of each. He further explained the tax effect and that a well designed
pond is designed to be dry most of the time. Future studies could be used to
establish a regional pond or impact fees for the funding of the pond and
maintenance. Thompson reviewed the drainage study that was prepared by
Dannenbaum Engineering. He offered explanation of the criteria for concrete
channels and pond maintenance as adopted by the Clear Creek Drainage
District. Currently, the City is assessing fees for maintenance which does not
include the costs of resodding or clean out when the pond silts over. The fee,
assessed by the City, is strictly for mowing.
The purpose of this study is to determine which ponds are maintained by the
City, which are maintained by the drainage district and those maintained by
private sector, to develop a retrofit for existing ponds and budget this into the
next budget year.
Tree Ordinance Committee -Tom Burke
Commissioner Burke presented the recommendations by the tree ordinance
committee with emphasis on the qualified tree list. Burke explained how the
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committee arrived at this list. Burke commented that Oaks are good trees to
plant under lines because they can be trimmed without ruining the appearance
of the tree. Pines, on the other hand, are not as attractive after they are
trimmed. Trees, other than those listed as qualified trees, can be planted but
only those listed as a qualified trees receive points to meet the landscape
requirements as established by the ordinance amendment. The preservation of
trees is addressed in the zoning ordinance; however, there is nothing that
requires a developer to plant a tree on each residential lot. Councilmember
Lowe expressed concern about the enforcement of the ordinance and the cost
related to the enforcement.
Comprehensive Plan -Glen Cress
In June '94, J.T. Dunkin Associates was awarded the contract to develop a
comprehensive plan for the City of Friendswood. After several workshops, the
draft copy was forwarded to City Council in June of 1995. One of the purposes
of the Comprehensive plan is to give the City a legal leg in zoning issues.
There will be changes which can be done in house; however, at some point in
time there has to be a public hearing on the document. The City has a Parks
Plan and a Major Thoroughfare Plan in place. The City does not have a
comprehensive plan which is a guide for development of the City and which
should be reviewed every few years. Dunkin and Associates said the City had
enough property zoned for commercial use, though perhaps not in the most
desired locations, and the original business district is another that should be
revisited. A goal of the commission is to complete the reassessment of the
permitted use table as it has not been reviewed in 15 years.
Planned Unit Development and Sexually Oriented Businesses -Bill Finger.
Developers have used the Planned Unit Development for small pieces of
property when the intended purpose was for larger tracts of land. The intent
should be more clearly defined.
The Permitted Use Table Committee is using the Standard Industrial
Classification Manual to identify activities that are allowed in each zoning
category. Sexually Oriented Businesses (SOB) are not specific activities, but
describe the major emphasis of a type of business. For instance, an adult
bookstore is included in the category for "bookstores." The City cannot reject
the SOB if it (the City) has made a determination that a bookstore is permitted
in a zone classification. If the City wishes to regulate SOBs, the best way is by
an ordinance that addresses SOBs.
planning and zoning portion of the workshop was adjourned.
Claudia L. Brinkman: Secretary