Title
Ordinance - Public Hearing and Second and Final Reading of an Ordinance Approving a Change of Zoning from PR Pre-Development District to PD Planned Development District for Single-Family Residential Uses on Approximately 55.899 Acres out of the A. Bedford Survey, Abstract No. 60, Johnson County, TX, located at 2695 Howell Dr.; Sam Satterwhite of Engineering Concepts & Design, L.P. (engineer) and Terrance Jobe of Alluvium Development (developer) on behalf of William Troy and Brenda Sells Revocable Trust (owner) (ZC#21-010)
Requested Action
To consider the subject zoning change request.
Recommendation
Planning and Zoning Commission Recommendation
The Planning & Zoning Commission held a public hearing on September 7, 2021 and voted 5-1-1 that: (1) at the time of platting, the developer shall provide documentation from the gas pipeline operator indicating general acceptance of the street crossings and meandering trails as shown; (2) if the developer is seeking credit for any proposed park land dedication or park facilities or trail improvements associated with this development, they will need to be reviewed by the Director of Parks & Recreation and approved by the Mansfield Park Facilities Development Corporation and all proposed facilities receiving credit will need to be constructed to City Park standards; and (3) the developer collaborate with the Department of Planning on a concept plan with alley-loaded lots to create a unique development.
Following the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the developer met with staff and made the following key revisions to their standards for development:
1. Ensured that Blocks 5, 6, and 9 provided only for alley-loaded lots.
2. Removed Type 3 lots (i.e., 70’ wide lots), increasing the total number of proposed lots from 193 to 197.
3. Added a provision requiring the front yard setback on alley-served lots to be no less than 15’ and no greater than 30’.
4. Added a provision requiring at least 30% of the homes on Type 2 lots (60’ wide lots) to have a minimum dwelling area of at least 2,400 sq. ft.
5. Reduced the percentage of J-swing homes from 20% to 10%.
6. Enhanced the architectural considerations and community design standards as noted above.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the change in zoning, as presented, with the following conditions:
1. At the time of platting, the developer shall provide documentation from the gas pipeline operator indicating general acceptance of the street crossings and meandering trails as shown.
2. If the developer is seeking credit for any proposed park land dedication or park facilities or trail improvements associated with this development, they will need to be reviewed by the Director of Parks and Recreation and Senior Park Planner and approved by the Mansfield Park Facilities Development Corporation. All proposed facilities receiving credit will need to be constructed to City Park standards.
Description/History
Future Land Use designation: Sub-Area 4
Existing Use: Vacant land
Existing Zoning: PR, Pre-Development District
Surrounding Land Use & Zoning:
North -Vacant land (PR) and single-family residential (under construction) (PD)
South - Bedford Rd.; vacant land (Mansfield ETJ) across the street
East - Single-family residential (under construction), PD
West - Howell Dr.; vacant land and single-family residential (Mansfield ETJ) across the street
Thoroughfare Plan Specification:
Future realigned FM 157/Lone Star Pkwy. - principal arterial (six-lane divided)
Bedford Rd. - minor collector (three-lane undivided)
Howell Dr. - minor collector (three-lane undivided)
Comments and Considerations
The subject property consists of 55.899 acres of vacant land. The developer is requesting to rezone the property from PR Pre-Development District to PD Planned Development District for single-family residential uses.
Development Plan and Regulations
The developer plans to develop a single-family residential development called Birdsong West with 197 residential lots and 9 open space lots. The development will serve as an extension of the larger Birdsong development to the east and will largely include the same lot types and development standards, with the notable exception being that the lots in Birdsong West will have a 10’ greater minimum lot depth. Birdsong West will be divided into two phases. Phase 1 (the eastern portion of the development) will include 103 residential lots, the enhanced entryway, a large open space lot with recreational amenities, and open space features along future FM 157. Phase 2 (the western portion of the development) will include 94 residential lots, the secondary entryway, a detention area, and open space features along Bedford Road and Howell Drive. The development will include two lot types, which will be intermingled and distributed throughout the site as shown on the Development Plan. The composition of lot types will be 52% Type 1 and 48% Type 2. Blocks 5, 6, and 9 will be entirely served by alleys, which represents 61 rear-entry lots, or 31% of the lots. Details showing typical lot dimensions and setbacks for each lot type have been provided. The development will have a gross density of 3.52 dwelling units per acre and will have the following minimum standards:
Type 1 Type 2
Minimum Lot Area: 6,000 sq. ft. 7,200 sq. ft.
Minimum Lot Width: 50’ 60’
Minimum Lot Depth: 120’ 120’
Minimum Front Yard: 25’ 25’
Minimum Rear Yard: 15’ 15’
Min. Interior Side Yard: 5’ 5’
Min. Exterior Side Yard: 15’ 15’
Minimum Floor Area: 1,800 sq. ft. 2,200 sq. ft.
Maximum Lot Coverage: 55% 55%
Maximum Height: 35’ 35’
Notes:
• Location of Lot Type shall be in accordance with the Development Plan.
• Lots on a cul-de-sac, bulb, or elbow may be up to 10’ narrower as long as the lot area exceeds the minimum lot area.
• Lots on a cul-de-sac, bulb, or elbow may be up to 10’ shallower as long as the lot area exceeds the minimum lot area.
• Corner lots shall be at least 10’ wider than the specified minimum lot width for each Lot Type specified above.
• Outdoor living areas shall have a minimum rear setback of 10’ whether or not the area is covered by a roof which is integrated into the house.
• The minimum front yard setback may be reduced to 20’ for homes with J-swing garages.
• The minimum front yard setback on lots with alley-loaded garages shall be no less than 15’ and no greater than 30’.
• The minimum dwelling area on at least 30% of homes on Type 1 lots shall be 2,000 sq. ft.
• The minimum dwelling area on at least 30% of the homes on Type 2 lots shall be 2,400 sq. ft.
Architectural and Community Design Standards:
The architecture and community design standards will adhere to the City’s Code of Ordinances, except as noted in the architectural and community design standards for this proposed development. These provisions include the following:
• A minimum of 10% of the total number of front-entry lots shall contain a J-swing, side-entry (door faces a side street), or non-front-entry (access to garage is from a drive interior to the lot) garage. J-swing garages shall not be required on Type 1 lots.
• If a garage door faces the street, the garage may not be closer to the street than the primary façade of the home.
• Garage doors shall be constructed of wood or metal or a composite material made to have the appearance of wood.
• The exterior finish material on all building elevations, except for openings for doors and windows, shall be limited to any combination of brick, stone, wood, cementitious fiber board, and stucco. Stone and stucco shall meet the stated requirements.
• At least 50 percent of the lots served by an alley and at least 25 percent of the lots not served by an alley shall have front porches, meeting the stated requirements.
• Front stoops, posts, and windows shall meet the stated requirements.
• Minimum roof pitch shall be 6:12, with a minimum roof pitch of 3:12 for porches and other similar accents.
• All roofs shall include three-dimensional architectural shingles.
• Accessory structures shall adhere to the Zoning Ordinance requirements.
Each single-family lot will include two 3”-caliper canopy trees, one of which may be located in the back yard.
Access and Circulation
The development will be served by two main access points. The primary enhanced entryway will be off Bedford Road/future Lone Star Road (i.e., F.M. 157) and installed during Phase 1. A secondary entryway from Howell Drive will be installed during Phase 2. Two access points to the north and west will provide cross-access to the original Birdsong development; these access points will be constructed with Phase 1. In addition, right-of-way will be dedicated along future F.M. 157, Bedford Road, and Howell Drive to accommodate future expansion and improvements. When F.M. 157 is realigned, it is anticipated that the remaining portion of Bedford Road between the main entrance to the development and Howell Drive will be abandoned, with Howell Drive extending south to the newly-aligned F.M. 157.
Enhanced Entryway Plan
An Enhanced Entryway Plan has been provided, showing the enhanced entryway features planned for the entrances into the development. The primary entrance will be provided off Bedford Road/F.M. 157 and will include a divided boulevard section, enhanced pavers, decorative lights, entry signage, and enhanced landscaping. The secondary entrance off Howell Drive will include a smaller entry sign with stone columns, flush with the masonry screening wall, as well as some enhanced landscaping in front of the sign.
Open Space, Screening, and Amenities
An Open Space, Trail, and Screening Plan has been provided for the development and minimum standards for each element have also been outlined in the Development Standards. Along Bedford Road, Howell Drive, and the Future F.M. 157, the developer will provide a 6’-tall masonry screening wall to screen the residential lots from the roads. Where open space lots are adjacent to the road, ornamental metal or split-rail fencing shall be provided. In addition, at the main entry points, the lots siding the entryways will be screened by a 6’-tall wood fence with masonry columns. In front of the masonry screening walls along Future F.M. 157, Bedford Road, and Howell Drive, a 20’ landscape buffer and a minimum 6’-wide meandering trail will be provided. The developer has indicated that the gas pipeline operator has provided verbal consent for the trail configuration across their easement. However, the pipeline operator does not consent to landscaping in their easement. As such, only the portions of the landscape buffer north of the secondary entryway on Howell and the portion of the buffer east of the primary entryway on Bedford Road/Future F.M. 157 will include landscaping. Landscaping will consist of a mix of canopy trees and ornamental trees, with canopy trees comprising at least 33% of the plantings. In addition, in lieu of landscaping not being provided in the portion of the buffers located in the pipeline easements, the detention area at the southwest corner of the development will be enhanced with landscaping along the perimeter, particularly facing Bedford and Howell. Existing trees along the north boundary of the development and along a portion of Howell Drive are planned to be preserved. To provide amenities for neighborhood residents, the 4.38-acre open space lot at the northeast corner of the development will include a playground and pavilion area. Representative images showing the intended quality of the playground and pavilion have been provided.
Building Elevations
The developer has provided conceptual elevations for the proposed homes, which show a traditional masonry construction (with a mix of brick and stone), abundant articulation, and pitched roofs. Some of the homes include porches and J-swing garages to illustrate how those requirements will be accommodated. A note has been provided indicating that the images are representative products to illustrate general architectural design intent.
Summary
The proposed development will provide for the expansion of the Birdsong single-family residential development, generally following the same standards for the original development, with some improvements, including greater lot depth, requiring 31% of the lots to be served by alleys, requiring a minimum percentage of homes with front porches, and relaxing some of the exterior material and minimum roof pitch requirements to allow for a greater variety of architecture. The different lot types will be distributed throughout the community and intermingled within blocks to create a true community with a diversity of products. In addition, the enhanced entryway features, screening, preservation of trees, landscape buffers, trails, playground, and pavilion area will add value to the development and provide for the necessary landscaping, screening, and amenities for neighborhood residents.
2nd Reading:
The City Council held a public hearing and first reading on September 27, 2021 and voted 6-0 (Councilmember Bounds absent) to approve as discussed. There was discussion regarding providing additional plans that better illustrate the intended array of product types and architectural designs, establishing standards for first-floor ceiling height, increasing the minimum home sizes (with reduced exceptions for smaller minimum home sizes), increasing the percentage of homes with front porches, limiting the percentage of homes with reduced roof pitches, limiting the use of wood as an accent material only, requiring street trees, and providing surveillance cameras. The applicant collaborated with staff to make the following revisions based on the discussion with the City Council:
1. Increased the minimum residential floor area for the Type 1 lots from 1,800 sq. ft. to 2,000 sq. ft. (with an exception allowing a reduced minimum floor area of 1,800 sq. ft. for a maximum of 30% of the Type 1 lots)
2. Increased the minimum residential floor area for the Type 2 lots from 2,200 sq. ft. to 2,400 sq. ft. (with an exception allowing a reduced minimum floor area of 2,000 sq. ft. for a maximum of 30% of the Type 2 lots)
3. Provided standards to require street trees, including a landscaping strip to accommodate the street trees that is wider than typical, requiring the street trees to be planted every 50 linear feet (with adjustments allowed for front-loaded homes based on the location of driveways and utilities), and allowing the number of trees on the residential lot (not including the street tree) to be reduced from two to one if the front building line is less than 30’.
4. Revised the exterior finish material standards to limit the use of wood as an accent material only (not to exceed 10 percent of the total building wall area, with each elevation being calculated independently).
5. Increased the percentage of front porches on alley-served lots from 50% to 60%.
6. Revised the design standards for porch floors to be made of concrete slab or stone, with allowances for concrete slab to be covered with brick or wood plank and also allowing synthetic materials designed to look like the aforementioned materials and which match the materials on the adjacent building elevation.
7. Increased the minimum roof pitch from 6:12 to 8:12, with an allowance for up to 30% of the homes to have a reduced roof pitch of 6:12. Porches and other similar features may have a minimum roof pitch of 3:12.
8. Established a minimum first-floor ceiling height of nine (9) feet.
9. Corrected the number and percentage of lot types in each phase and overall.
10. Revised the Building Elevations exhibit to provide additional representative images illustrating the intended variety of product types and architectural designs and how the architectural requirements will be addressed.
Staff has reviewed the revisions and recommends approval, as presented, with the following conditions:
1. At the time of platting, the developer shall provide documentation from the gas pipeline operator indicating general acceptance of the street crossings and meandering trails as shown.
2. If the developer is seeking credit for any proposed park land dedication or park facilities or trail improvements associated with this development, they will need to be reviewed by the Director of Parks and Recreation and Senior Park Planner and approved by the Mansfield Park Facilities Development Corporation. All proposed facilities receiving credit will need to be constructed to City Park standards
Prepared By
Andrew Bogda, Planner
817-276-4287