Title
Public Hearing and Consideration of a Request for a Specific Use Permit for Auto Parts or Accessory Sales (indoor) on Approximately 1.013 Acres out of the W. Howard Survey, Abstract No. 690, Tarrant County, TX, Located at 3190 E. Broad St.; Carl Helton of AutoZone Parts, Inc. (developer) and Wesley Berlin of Spartan Engineering Solutions, LLC (engineer), on Behalf of Robert Spencer of Cann-Mansfield, Ltd. (owner) (ZC#19-017)
Requested Action
To consider the subject Specific Use Permit request
Recommendation
The Planning & Zoning Commission held a public hearing on November 18, 2019 and voted 5-1 (Axen voting no; Knight absent) to recommend approval with the condition that the applicant provide a new acceptable overall access plan for the balance of the Villages Off Broadway development prior to action by City Council. There was also discussion regarding access, drainage, delivery operations, parking, lighting, screening, and configuration of the site. The applicant has provided a revised overall access plan for the balance of The Villages Off Broadway, which has been reviewed and approved by the Engineering Department. The applicant has not made any other changes to their plans.
Description/History
The subject property consists of 1.013 acres out of a 9.79 acre tract of land comprising the undeveloped portion of The Villages Off Broadway development. The property is currently vacant land, zoned PD Planned Development District and is part of the Neighborhood Center One sub-district of The Reserve.
Specific Use Permit Request
The applicant is requesting a Specific Use Permit (SUP) to allow an AutoZone auto parts store. In the Neighborhood Center One sub-district, auto parts stores require an SUP to ensure the use is compatible with surrounding land uses.
Site Plan
The applicant is proposing a 6,000 sq. ft. single-story AutoZone auto parts retail store. The main entrance into the building faces north towards the existing east-west commercial drive that serves The Villages Off Broadway development. The loading area is on the west side of the building. The applicant and staff had preferred that the loading area be on the rear of the building, but this could not be achieved due to requirements related to drainage, access, and parking. The loading area will be fully screened by a screening wall to match the building. The trash enclosure located on the west side of the property will also be screened by an enclosure to match the building.
The site will have its primary access point on the north off the east-west commercial drive that serves The Villages Off Broadway development; this drive connects to Cannon Drive South and other internal drives that feed out to East Broad Street. An additional access point will be located at the southwest corner of the property and will connect to another east-west access drive that connects to Cannon Drive South at Conifer Street. As part of this development, an existing 24’ common access easement along the west side of the property will be abandoned; the applicant has provided a revised overall access plan for the balance of The Villages Off Broadway development that has been reviewed and approved by the Engineering Department.
To serve pedestrians, a sidewalk will be constructed along Cannon Drive South, with a sidewalk connection directly into the development and sidewalks along the north and west sides of the building adjacent to the parking lot. The parking lot will include 30 parking spaces, which meets the requirement of 1 parking space per 200 sq. ft. of floor area that is specified for this use.
The applicant notes that there will be no outside storage of materials or repair or storage of vehicles on the property, that all equipment will be designed and screened in accordance with Section 7301.A of the Zoning Ordinance, and that the trash enclosure will be screened in accordance with Section 7301.B of the Zoning Ordinance.
Elevations
The provided Elevations show split-face concrete masonry unit (CMU) blocks as the primary building material, accentuated by EIFS on the front of the building (around the wall sign). The color scheme includes brown and beige along the lower two-thirds of the building, with the top third of the building including white, red, and orange to match the business’ color scheme. The south, east, and west sides of the building will be 100% masonry, while the north elevation will be 74% masonry and 26% EIFS. The overall composition of the building will be 93% masonry and 7% EIFS. The building will feature a flat roof design and will be 21’ in height. The loading dock and trash enclosure will be screened by masonry walls to match the building.
Landscape Plan
As indicated in the Landscape Plan, the applicant will provide a 20’ landscape setback adjacent to Cannon Drive South, however this setback cannot include trees due to a significant visibility easement that is required to ensure safety for traffic turning from the Villages Off Broadway onto Cannon. The applicant has provided a 10’ landscape buffer along the west side of the property, which will include six live oak trees. Three red oak trees will be planted along the east-west commercial drive along the north side of the property. In addition, the parking lot, transformer, trash enclosure, and loading dock wall will be screened by shrubs, the north and west side of the building will include foundation plantings, and the east and south sides of the building will be screened by magnolia and crepe myrtle trees. The parking lot island at the northwest corner of the building will also include a crepe myrtle tree.
Sign Plan
Due to space limitations, the applicant will not be including a monument sign as part of the development. As part of their Sign Plan, they have only indicated a wall sign on the north side of the building over the main entrance and have provided specifications for the sign. The applicant has also provided a note on the Site Plan indicating that all signage will follow the standards for C-2 zoned properties as indicated in Section 7100 of the Zoning Ordinance, which is consistent with the requirements for properties located in this sub-district of The Reserve.
Summary and Recommendation
The proposed development will provide for an auto parts store on the east side of Mansfield and will help further development of The Villages Off Broadway and complement the existing mix of businesses in the area. While the small size of the property, a significant visibility easement, and drainage, parking, and access requirements created some challenges, the applicant has endeavored to provide a development that adheres to the City’s requirements.
Prepared By
Andrew Bogda
Planner
817-276-4287