Title
Ordinance -Third and Final Reading of an Ordinance Approving a Change of Zoning from I-1 Light Industrial District to PD Planned Development District for Office and Mini-Warehouse Uses on Approximately 4.36 Acres Situated in the Samuel C. Neill Survey, Abstract No. 1159, Generally Located at 4101 Britton Road; Steven R. Homeyer of Homeyer Engineering, Inc. on Behalf of Kevin Butler of Butler & Butler Construction, LLC (ZC#18-016)
Requested Action
To consider the subject zoning change request.
Recommendation
The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on June 18, 2018, and voted 7-0 to recommend approval with the condition that the Engineering Department comment concerning the east gate into the mini-warehouse portion of the development is addressed in the next submittal. The applicant has submitted revised plans that address this comment.
Description/History
First Reading - July 9, 2018
Location/Acreage/Existing Conditions:
The subject property consists of 4.36 acres of vacant land located on the north side of Britton Road and the south side of the Southern Pacific Railroad, less than a quarter-mile west of Holland Road. The property is adjacent to vacant PR-zoned property on the west and east. Vacant PR-zoned property, I-1-zoned manufacturing/warehouse property, and SF-7.5/12-zoned church is to the south, across Britton Road.
Development Plan:
The applicant is requesting to re-zone the entire property from I-1 Light Industrial District to PD Planned Development District for office and mini-warehouse uses. In the front half of the property (closest to Britton Road), the applicant plans to develop four 4,875 sq. ft. office buildings, for a total of 19,500 sq. ft. In the rear half of the development (closest to the railroad), the applicant plans to develop a gated mini-warehouse/self-storage facility with 37,790 sq. ft. spread across eight buildings, plus a 920 sq. ft. manager’s office.
Access into the development will be provided via two access points on Britton Road. 65 parking spaces will be provided for the office portion of the development and 4 parking spaces will be provided for the mini-warehouse manager’s office; the provided parking meets the Zoning Ordinance requirements for the uses. Access into the mini-warehouse portion of the development will be gated. Loading zones will be provided in front of each mini-warehouse garage door to allow users to temporarily park their vehicles for loading and unloading. Man gates will also be provided between buildings to allow for emergency access.
The development will be constructed in two phases. Phase 1 will include the mini-warehouses, the manager’s office, and one of the 4,875 sq. ft. office buildings (Office Building 2). Phase 2 will include the three other 4,875 sq. ft. office buildings (Office Buildings 1, 3, and 4). The expected project schedule is noted on the Development Plan.
Gated detention ponds will be provided in the office portion of the development. In addition, the applicant will provide two trash enclosures in the office portion of the development and one in the mini-warehouse portion of the development. The applicant notes that the trash enclosures and all other equipment will be screened in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance regulations. The applicant also notes there will be no outside storage in the development.
A monument sign will be located in front of the development and it will adhere to the sign regulations for I-1 zoned property as noted in the Zoning Ordinance.
Elevations:
The elevations show primarily a mix of brick and concrete masonry unit (CMU) materials for the office buildings, with metal included as accent materials on all of the front elevations, with tile as an accent material on Office Building 3 as well. The office buildings will be 15’ in height, with accent features that rise 17’ - 24’ in height. The office buildings will include various colors including white, black, brown, and several shades of gray.
For the mini-warehouse buildings, the interior-facing elevations and garage doors will include metal, while the elevations facing the surrounding property to the north, west, and east, as well as elevations facing the office component to the south will include brick construction. The main Mini-Warehouse Building 1 (which includes the attached manager’s office) will be accented by brick, CMU, metal, and tile and will rise 30’-6” at the main entrance. The remaining storage buildings will only be about 9’ - 10’ tall. The mini-warehouse portion of the development will primarily include a gray color scheme.
Landscape Plan:
The Landscape Plan indicates that the applicant will provide trees along the street-facing setback except in front of Office Building 1 where the detention element will prohibit this. Trees will also be provided in the parking lot peninsulas. In addition, shrubs will be planted along the street-facing portions of the parking lot and along the portions of the detention ponds that face adjacent property or the street. No foundation plantings will be provided, however grass will be planted around the buildings. Using I-1 as the base zoning district, the development deviates from the Zoning Ordinance as it relates to landscape buffers adjacent to vacant PR, as a 30’ buffer is typically required.
Summary:
The property makes productive use of a property currently zoned for industrial uses. Staff notes that the proposed office and mini-warehouse uses are less intensive from many of the uses that would ordinarily be allowed in I-1 zoned property, and the masonry construction planned for the office buildings and the mini-warehouse buildings facing surrounding properties exceeds the typical requirements for I-1 zoned property.
Second Reading - July 23, 2018
The City Council held a public hearing and first reading on July 9, 2018 and voted 6-1 (Mayor Cook voting nay) to approve. Members of City Council requested that the applicant provide an architectural rendering of the property as seen from Britton Road. The applicant has provided this requested rendering; it includes a perspective of how the development will look at completion of Phase I as well as a perspective of how the development will look upon completion of Phase II. The applicant also corrected the construction schedule on the Development Plan and the overall site plan sheet of the Elevations. Phase I is slated to be completed by August 2019 and Phase II is slated to be completed by August 2022.
Third Reading - August 13, 2018
The City Council held a public hearing and second reading on July 23, 2018 and voted 5-2 (Mayor Cook and councilmember Newsom voting nay) to approve with the condition that the gates into the mini-warehouse portion of the development be opaque and that the applicant revise the project schedule to clearly indicate that for office buildings 2, 3, and 4, one office building is completed every year from 2020-2022. The applicant has updated Page 1 of the Development Plan and the architectural site plan to indicate this requested adjustment to the project schedule and has updated Page 10 of 12 of the Elevations to revise the rendering for the gate, showing the requested opaque design, which features a painted steel frame and steel posts with wood slats. In addition, Council requested that the renderings provided at 2nd Reading be improved. The new renderings are full page and include four perspectives, including a view from Britton Road of one office building and the mini-warehouses, a view from Britton Road of three office buildings and the mini-warehouses, a close-up perspective of the gate, and an overall birds-eye view of the entire development.
Prepared By
Lisa Sudbury, AICP
Interim Director of Planning
817-276-4227