Title
ZC#21-008: Public hearing on a change of zoning from PR, Pre-Development District to PD, Planned Development District for Single-Family Residential Uses on approximately 11.76 acres out of the J. McDonald Survey, Abstract No. 997, generally located west of the Union Pacific railroad track, east of St Giles Drive and Cancun Drive, and approximately 120 feet north of Alpine Industrial Rd on property addressed at 6239 Newt Patterson Road; Testudo Land LLC, owner, Bayley Yandell Development LTD, developer and MMA, engineer (Tabled from the September 20, 2021, meeting)
Description/History
Existing Use: Vacant
Existing Zoning: PR
Surrounding Land Use & Zoning:
North: Vacant land and single-family residential, PR
South: Industrial, I-1
East: Single-family residential, SF-6/12
West: Union Pacific right-of-way, agricultural and industrial in the Tarrant County ETJ (no zoning)
Thoroughfare Plan Specification:
Internal residential streets
Comments and Considerations
This case was tabled by the Commission to the October 4, 2021 meeting to allow the applicant time to make changes to address the Commission’s comments. The applicant proposes the following revision to the exterior finishing material standards:
1. The selection of exterior finish material shall reflect local building practice and construction technique. For Lots 1, 2, 3, and 4, Block 4, as shown on the Development Plan and for a minimum of seven (7) additional lots located in Blocks 1, 2, and 3, also as shown on the Development Plan, the exterior finish material on all building elevations, with the exception of openings for doors and windows only, must be at least 75 percent brick, stone or a combination of these, with each elevation calculated independently. For the remaining lots, the exterior finish material on all building elevations, with the exception of openings for doors and windows only, shall be any combination of brick, cementitious fiber board, stone, and stucco. Wood may only be used as an accent material and shall not exceed 10 percent of the total building wall area, with each façade being calculated independently. Configurations for stone and stucco shall be as provided below:
The revised standard requires that 11 houses have a minimum of 75% masonry materials. Four of the houses will be immediately adjacent to Country Meadows to serve as a transition. The remaining seven houses will be distributed on Blocks 1, 2 and 3 to promote architectural diversity throughout the subdivision.
Staff discussed enhancing amenities for the community with the developer. Those discussions primarily focused on the provision of a sidewalk around the detention pond area with two benches.
The development plan has not been updated pending further discussion between the Commission and the developer. Any revisions to the development plan will be made prior to the City Council meeting.
The subject property is a vacant tract approximately 11.76 acres in size. The property is located west of the Country Meadows subdivision (zoned SF-6/12), north of Alpine Industrial Park, east of the Union Pacific Railroad, and south of the last phase of the future Rockwood Addition (zoned PR). This property is at the western edge of the city limits.
The applicant is requesting to rezone the property from PR to PD for single-family residences. The applicant proposes 51 residential lots and 4 open spaces. The proposed development will be called Crestwood.
Development Plan and Standards
The proposed development will have 51 detached single-family residences with 45 lots having a minimum lot width of 50 feet and 6 lots having a width of 60 feet. The 60-foot lots have been noted on the Development Plan (Exhibit B). The subdivision will be developed in one phase.
In addition to the residential lots, the applicant proposes a 1.18 acre landscaped open space for a detention pond, a buffer on the north side of Cancun Drive behind Lots 1 and 3, Block 1, and a pedestrian/bike trail connection between Lots 8 and 10, Block 1 to provide trail access to the Rockwood Addition.
The bulk area standards for the single-family residential products are as follows:
60’ Lots 50’ Lots
Min. Floor Area (sq. ft.) 2,000 1,800
Min. Lot Area (sq. ft.) 6,000 5,000
Min. Lot Width 60’ 50’
Min. Lot Depth 100’ 100’
Min. Front Setback 25’ 25’
Min. Rear Setback 10’ 10’
Min. Interior Side Yard 5’ 5’
Min. Exterior Side Yard (adjacent to street) 15’ 15’
Max. Lot Coverage 45% 45%
Max. Height 35’ 35’
Corner lots must be at least 10 feet wider than the minimum lot width. The minimum lot frontage has been reduced from 45 feet to 34 feet for lots along eyebrows as indicated in Note 10 on Exhibit B.
Access to the new development will be from the existing street stubs for Cancun Drive and St. Giles Drive in the Country Meadows Addition. To provide better circulation and emergency access, the developer must also connect two sections of Griffin Lane to provide an access point from FM 1187 as specified in Note 12.
Architectural Regulations
To provide a variety of architectural options, the development standards listed on the Development Plan (Exhibit B) include the following:
• The exterior finish material on all elevations may be any combination of brick, wood, cementitious fiber board, stone, and stucco.
• The primary roof must have a roof pitch of 6:12.
• Dwellings with the same or substantially the same street elevation on the same street must be separated by at least three (3) lots on the same side of the street or opposite side of the street to create a moving block of six (6) lots that cannot have the same or substantially the same street elevation.
• All houses on a corner lot must have a side-entry garage.
• At least 21 of the houses must be constructed with a front porch. Six of the houses on a corner lot must have a wrap-around porch.
• All windows facing streets or required open space must have divided lights (panes) and be trimmed with a picture frame using brick, stone, or wood. The divided light patterns must vary through the community.
Other architectural requirements are included in Note 2 on Exhibit B. These standards are intended to allow a builder to construct homes with more architectural variety. No elevations were included in the PD as the architectural standards on Exhibit B represent a substantial departure from those in the Zoning Ordinance. For example, porches are required in the PD, but only encourage in the Zoning Ordinance. The developer has not yet built to these new PD standards.
Enhanced Entryway Plan
Although Crestwood will be connecting to the existing street in the neighboring subdivision, the applicant has provided a modified Landscaping and Enhanced Entryway Plan as Exhibit C-1. The entryway will include a decorative sign wall with a landscaping bed in front, decorative street lights and enhanced paving in the street. These features are shown on Exhibit C-2.
Fencing and Landscaping Plan
A proposed Fencing and Landscaping Plan has been provided as Exhibit C-2. This plan requires two trees to be planted on each residential lot (one in front and one in back). Tree plantings are also required around the detention pond.
The residential lots may have wood privacy fences except where a side or rear property line is adjacent to an open space. On these lots, the property line adjacent to open space will have a 6-foot ornamental metal fence. A row of shrubs will be planted behind Lots 1 and 3, Block 1, to help conceal the drainage easement behind these lots.
To screen the lots on Block 3 from view of the industrial park, an 8-foot masonry wall will be erected on Lot 24X, Block 1 as shown on Exhibit C-2.
Trail Plan
The applicant is accommodating a pedestrian/bike trail from the County Meadows Addition to the Rockwood Addition through this development. The trail consists of a 6-foot wide sidewalk from Cancun Drive along Street A to Lot 9X, Block 1. The trail sidewalk widens to 12 feet on Lot 9X. The trail is shown in gray on Exhibit C-2.
Recommendation
Based on its location and the surrounding land uses, a small single-family residential subdivision is suitable for the tract. With respect to the Country Meadows and Rockwood Additions, the proposed development is consistent with the existing feel and character of the area. The lot sizes are comparable to the 60-foot lots in Country Meadows, while the proposed development standards will allow the houses to have an architectural variety as good as or better than the Rockwood Addition.
Staff recommends approval with the condition that the developer construct a sidewalk to the same specifications and standards as the public sidewalk along the adjacent street around the detention pond and provide at least one (1) bench of commercial quality.
Attachments:
Maps and supporting information
Exhibit “A”
Exhibit “B”
Exhibit “C”