Title
Ordinance - Public Hearing Continuation and Second and Final Reading of an Ordinance Approving a Zoning Change from C-2, Community Business District to PD, Planned Development for Attached Townhome Single-Family and Community Business Commercial on 14.156 acres of land in the Henry McGehee Survey, Abstract No. 998, generally located at the southeast intersection of Debbie Lane and North Walnut Creek Drive on property at 1700 North Walnut Creek Drive; Skorburg Company, Developer (ZC#21-023)
Requested Action
To consider the subject zoning change request.
Recommendation
The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on March 8, 2002 and continued the case to March 22, 2022 and voted 5 (Commissioners Knight, Axen, Gilmore, Mainer, and Goodwin) to 2 (Commissioners Groll and Weydeck) to approve.
On April 11, 2022, the City Council voted to table their decision on the first reading of this case to April 25th and requested that the developer work with staff to incorporate design modifications to better connect the site to all surrounding uses.
On April 25, 2022, the City Council voted to approve with items for the developer to continue to work on with staff prior to the second and final hearing. These items included updated renderings, school district communications on access and connectivity, removing playground equipment from programmed outdoor space, and to provide considerations for garage door design standards.
The developer has provided a new site plan that responds to design concerns and creates a mews that extends from Clayton Chandler Park to a future commercial seating/gathering area that connects all area uses in a thoughtful manner.
Staff recommends approval.
Description/History
Existing Use: Vacant
Existing Zoning: C-2, Community Business District
Surrounding Land Use & Zoning:
North: East Debbie Lane Right-of-way
South: PR, Pre-Development District, educational and recreational uses
East: C-2, Community Business District, office uses
West: North Walnut Creek Drive Right-of-way
Staff Analysis
The subject property consists of two tracts of land totaling 14.156 acres. The developer is proposing residential and commercial development. The residential portion of the planned development consists of 128 townhome units on approximately 12.13 acres. The remaining 2.03 acres of the planned development will be dedicated to commercial uses serving the immediate neighborhoods.
The residential development will consist of townhomes; and each unit is proposed to be on an individually platted lot. The townhomes will be attached units along a standard residential street right-of-way. The townhomes will have shallow setbacks from the right-of-way, positioning the planned development to create an urban streetscape complete with sidewalks, street trees and units with stoops. The residential development is adjacent to the City’s Clayton Chandler Park. The developer has proposed to connect the park at two points with the development. The developer has provided green spaces along these connection points to further connect the park through the development. Amenities such as an enclosed furniture game area, benches, and bike racks providing open spaces adjacent to the units.
The site standards for the townhomes are as follows:
Min. Home Square Footage 1,500 square feet
Min. Lot Size 22 feet x 80 feet
Building Pads 22 feet x 55 feet
Max. Height 40 feet
Open Space Lots 1.46 acres
All homes are alley loaded with four (4) off-street parking spaces provided --- two (2) in the garage and two (2) in the apron off the alley.
All units in the development are required to utilize a porch, patio, or stoop as a frontage element for the unit. Elevations have been provided to illustrate the usage of stoops as the frontage type for each individual unit. The developer has provided a list of required architectural features which include awnings, balconies, dormers, offsets, varied roof heights, et cetera. End-cap units --- those facing a right-of-way, pond, or open space --- must provide at least three (3) of the architectural features on the side façade and must have a wraparound porch to add character to said façade. The elevations also provide a list of materials to be utilized, which includes 80 percent masonry (e.g., brick, cast stone, and stone) materials on all buildings. Copper awnings and fiber cement lap siding are used as accent materials to provide material diversity and to break up any large expanses of a single material. To encourage elevation variety on a continuous block, the exterior façades for townhouses will not have repeating elevations or building materials across the street, nor on either side of the subject building. The elevations illustrate the ability to vary the unit elevations in different portions of the building to allow this variety.
The commercial portion of the development will meet sign and screening requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. The uses will be limited to general retail, restaurant, or medical uses as set forth in the standards for the C-2, Community Business District. All commercial buildings will adhere to the required 80 percent masonry as proposed by the developer.
The site standards for the commercial area are as follows:
Building Area 12,950 sf
Required Parking 46 spaces
Provided Parking 98 spaces
Summary
The subject property is located in Sub-Area 5 in the 2012 Office Land Use Plan. Sub-Area 5 is described as built out and the remaining tracts would be considered infill development where care should be taken to match or complement existing development in the vicinity. The subject property describes the current zoning designation of C-2, Community Business District as perhaps too intense at that intersection. The following pertinent recommendations are included in the plan for Sub-Area 5:
• Use the Residential Guidelines and residential concepts in this plan as a guide to any new residential development where appropriate.
• Some limited retail and service uses may be added at a neighborhood level.
The development being proposed provides an opportunity to provide in-fill residential that allows the city to meet the needs of changing markets by providing a mix of development options and land use types in the community. By maintaining commercial uses at the corner of Walnut Creek Drive and Debbie Lane, the development honors the established commercial corridor along Debbie Lane. As the lot transitions towards the school and park property to the south, the use of townhome units provides for an infill project that brings new and unique residential opportunities to a relatively compact site. Finally, the connection points to the park and through the development and towards the commercial portion of the project provides deliberate connectivity for the neighborhood and visitors of the park property. The planned development standards proposed offer a sufficient understanding and outline of a desired product for the City, while delivering an infill development with urban housing in this Sub-Area.
The City of Mansfield’s Public Works Department has reviewed the development and has not made additional recommendations for traffic calming devices. Although the area does experience heavy volumes at the pick-up and drop-off locations at adjacent schools, the development does not pose a concern from a trip generation standpoint.
At the March 8, Planning and Zoning Commission meeting this case was continued to the March 22 meeting so that the developer had time to study a right turn lane for the development at the north entrance of the development, explore screening and connections to and through the development, determine if densities could be adjusted and incorporate staff recommendations on exterior and porch materials.
The developer met with staff and we resolved issues with the turn lane geometry. After further review of the turn lane concerns, it was determined that the greater need is the Debbie Lane right turn lane extending further to the south and that storage area ending prior to the neighborhood access road. Staff determined that a right turn lane onto Street “E” would cause confusion at the intersection of Debbie Lane and Walnut Creek Drive as users would interpret it as part of the storage for that right turn onto Debbie Lane. The updated lot layout plan shows the narrowing of Street “E”, eliminating a turning conflict created by having 2-turning movements exiting out of the development. Staff supports this change as it provides some improvement.
The developer investigated the Planning and Zoning Commission’s density concerns and has not been able to realize a significant lot decrease. While the developer was not successful in realizing a unit decrease, it is important to note that the density of 10 units per acre is less intense than other similar developments. The intensity of the project will not generate the substantial amount of traffic that commercial projects under the current C-2, Community Business District would. As presently zoned, the site could be developed for a variety of high-intensity, high-traffic generating uses including colleges, hospitals, hotels, religious assembly, schools, and retail uses that may serve a more regionally-focused trade area.
Since the first City Council hearing the developer has reworked the site significantly to address design concerns by creating an internal mews that provide a direct view corridor to the future commercial on Debbie Lane.
Staff recommends approval.
Prepared By
Arty Wheaton-Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Planning
817-276-4245
Attachments:
Maps and supporting information
Exhibit “A”, Legal Description
Exhibit “B”, Original Development (Exhibit “E” incorporate City Council changes)
Exhibit “C”, PD Conditions and Elevations
Exhibit “D”, Updated Layout w/ Landscape Plan