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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report- Planned Development 1-2Page 1 of 12 TOWN OF WESTLAKE, TX ZONING CHANGE REQUEST STAFF REPORT TO PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION/TOWN COUNCIL I. CASE INFORMATION Case No. Z-03-01-13 Date: 4-7-2013 Request: Applicant is requesting approval of the following: Zoning Amendment X (PD1-2; PD-1, Planning Area 2) Concept Plan X Agenda Item: Public Hearing and Consideration of an Ordinance Amending the Permitted Uses and Development Regulations of Planning District 1-2 (PD1-2) Including Development Guidelines, Design Standards, Residential Development Standards, Roadway Design Standards, Signage Standards, and the Concept Plan for PD1-2 to Allow for a Mixed Use “Village” Planned Development on an 85 Acre (approx.) Tract Located at the Northeast Corner of FM 1938 (Davis Blvd) and Solana Boulevard. Development Name: Westlake Entrada Location: The subject property is an approximately 85 acre tract generally located at the northeast Corner of FM 1938 and Solana Boulevard. (Note: legal description of the subject property is included in the proposed ordinance, also see attached vicinity map). Owner: Maguire Partners-Solana Land, LP (Mehrdad Moayedi) Applicant: Jeffory D. Blackard Developer: Centurion American Development Group Acres: 85 acres (approx.) Proposed Use(s): A mixed use planned development that will blend a wide range of various uses (offices, governmental, retail, restaurants, business services, medical services, entertainment establishments, conference center type meeting space, single family residential detached homes and villas or town homes. The development will utilize a design for a European style village with a Texas–Spanish architectural theme (Spanish), tentatively named Westlake Entrada. Notice Requirements: Written notice was mailed to all property owners within 200 feet as required by Town Ordinance. Additionally, written notice of this request was mailed Page 2 of 12 to the Glenwyck and Vaquero HOA/s, as well as the Town of Trophy Club (note: Trophy Club’s notice was to comply with the Memorandum of Understanding we have with them to advise each other about development activity along the SH 114 corridor in our respective communities.) Information, including this staff report, as well as all materials furnished on this request, contained in the Town Council’s and/or Planning & Zoning Commission’s agenda packets, was placed on the Town’s web site. Also, an email blast will also be sent out to Town residents (on the Town’s email list) advising them of this pending request for zoning. II. STAFF REVIEW COMMENTS 1. General Information/Proposed Uses: This agenda item is consideration of an Ordinance amending the permitted uses and development regulations of newly established Planning Area 2 of the PD1 zoning district (PD1-2) to allow for a mixed-use planned development at this location as well as approve a Concept Plan for this development. The subject site is approximately 85 acres located at the northeast corner of FM 1938 (Davis Blvd) and Solana Boulevard. Subject site is bounded on the south by Solana Boulevard, on the west by FM 1938 (Davis Blvd), on the north by SH 114, and to the east by a Solana office park development that is part of the PD1-1 zoning district. As indicated, this site is the newly established PD1-2 Planning Area 2 which formerly had been a part of PD-1 commonly referred to as Solana. This proposed mixed-use planned development is tentatively named Westlake Entrada. It will blend various uses requested which include office, governmental, retail, restaurants, conference center type meeting space, hotel, as well as residential uses (single family residential detached, and villas or townhomes). These proposed permitted uses are set out in greater detail in the proposed ordinance document, would be configured in a harmonious manner around a large water feature, plazas, an amphitheater, towers, as well as and other common area design features and open space. The intended design result is to achieve a unique sense of place via a European style village, with a Texas-Spanish architectural theme, where people can gather, live, work, entertain, shop, and recreate. The Ordinance amending the permitted uses and development regulations of this newly established Planning Area 2 (PD1-2) to allow for a Mixed Use Planned Development includes: • Development Guidelines for Planning Area 2, PD1-2 • Design Standards for Planning Area 2, PD1-2 • Residential Standards for Planning Area 2, PD1-2 Page 3 of 12 • Roadway Design Standards for Planning Area 2, PD1-2 • Concept Plan for Planning Area 2, PD1-2 2. Conformance with Comprehensive Plan: This proposed rezoning request requires an amendment to the Land Use component of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan to allow for mixed use as a land use at this location. Current designation for this property on the Land Use Plan is for office-retail uses. A mixed use designation on the Land Use Plan would continue the exiting office retail uses, but add residential (single family and villas or town homes, but not condominiums and apartments) and entertainment uses to the already designated office-retail uses. 3. Existing Zoning Compared to Proposed Amended Uses: Current zoning entitlements for the PD1-2 Zoning District is for office, parking garage, hotel, health industry related, and retail uses (note: the retail uses currently allowed are extensive). This rezoning request is seeking, by requesting a mixed use zoning district, to add other uses- entertainment and residential, to create a true mixed use development. The proposed uses in this request for PD1-2 are consistent with a mixed use planned development designed to create a European style village (tentatively named Westlake Entrada). The proposed uses (both existing and new) for PD1-2 include: medical offices, office, governmental, retail, restaurants, business service establishments, hotel, conference center type meeting space, and various residential uses. The various residential uses proposed for PD1-2 would include single family residential detached homes and villas or townhomes, but not apartments or condominiums. The net effect is the addition of relatively few new uses, but the layout of the development per the proposed design guidelines and standards for this mixed use development would create a more unique development than the typical commercial development that consists only of retail and office pad sites surrounded by surface parking. 4. Concept Plan and Development Standards: a. Concept Plan. The purpose of the Concept Plan is to provide an overall general design layout that shows the general locations of uses as well as the location of streets, water features, and open space areas. The Concept Plan is intended to guide the preparation of the site plan. The site plan is a more detailed exhibit, which will come forward for consideration for approval by the P&Z and/or Council along with a preliminary plat at a subsequent date, if this zoning request is approved as proposed. Page 4 of 12 The applicant’s Concept Plan, if approved, becomes part of the proposed zoning ordinance establishing the use and development regulations for this PD1-2 planning district. The Concept Plan shows where the mixed uses would be located on the tract, as well as various public/common areas, plaza, conference center, public buildings such as a Town Hall, and water features for this site. The developer/owner has indicated willingness to also designate a fire station site on the site plan to be submitted (if zoning is approved). All of these uses are designed to integrate, flow together and work harmoniously as a village, or in planning parlance, a mixed-use development. While the applicant has indicated that they wish to make use of the site’s natural beauty with its topographical variation (i.e. - rolling terrain), extensive improvements will be made to it after zoning is determined. The improvements contemplated on the site are extensive and include landscape and water features as well as streets and other infrastructure. The applicant will, if rezoning is approved, propose construction of these public improvements to be funded by a public improvement district (PID). PID’s may be created under State law and approved by the Town, but creates no financial obligation for the Town (i.e. the Town will not be responsible for repayment of the PID bonds, rather the PID bonds will be paid solely through assessments on the improvements inside and only inside the development). PID’s are a commonly used tool used by municipalities to facilitate a community development, while at the same time, not burdening the municipality financially. There are also other public financing tools available that may be utilized, if they are determined to be a better tool than a PID. If another economic development tool is utilized other than a PID, it too would be configured to place no financial liability on the Town. b. Development Standards. The Development Standards for this Planning District intend to establish standards to achieve the goal of a site design that creates community with a balanced sustainable mix of uses blended as a village. According to these Development Standards, buildings are multi-use and follow the size, scope, scale and variety of a small European village. Further, the Development Standards intend to promote an efficient pedestrian access network between residential and non-residential uses. The physical relationship between the development, adjacent properties, public streets, neighborhoods, and the natural environment is created by: • Site design that mimics the efficient pedestrian patterns that have evolved in European villages • High quality street and sidewalk-oriented environments that support pedestrian mobility and are appropriate to the roadway context Page 5 of 12 • Ensuring large sites are developed in a manner to support and encourage connective, cohesive visual identity, and attractive street scenery. Key design elements have been identified in these Development Standards which are intended to achieve this type of development. They are: 1.) centrally located parking areas, 2.) use of structured parking, 3.) building size and shape variety, 4.) varied orientation of buildings to other buildings and the street, 5.) multiple building faces (4-sided building architectural design), 6.) pedestrian friendly environment and 7.) use of public art as well as sitting and gathering spaces throughout. The Standards espouse being flexible enough “…for creative building solutions, while being prescriptive enough in areas necessary to preserve consistency throughout the development...” Key development features identified in the Development Standards include a plaza, amphitheater, waterfront homes, bridges and water features, chapels, open space with trails and landscaping as in a European village (not suburban commercial development type landscaping). 5. Proposed Design, Pace of Development, Building Size Minimums, Integration of Uses, Density, and Setbacks: a. Design and Integration of Uses. It should be noted that, while this is a mixed used development in terms of land use, it is unlike almost all other mixed use developments that staff is aware of (many of which are located in an urban core area or seek to replicate that experience). While it does incorporate multiple uses as many mixed use developments do, it incorporates multiple uses via the use of the “village concept”. Multiple types of uses are designed as village, configuring and integrating these uses in a harmonious manner around a large water feature, plazas, an amphitheater, bell tower, chapel, public buildings, as well as and other common area design features and open space. The outcome of such a design approach is to integrate these uses to achieve a unique sense of place as a European village where people can gather, live, work, entertain, shop, and recreate. This is a very different approach to the more traditional (in this country) Euclidian type zoning approach that has been prevalent since World War II which sets land uses in separate districts, thus separating commercial and residential land uses, consequently largely separating the interaction of various population groups. b. Density and Setbacks, Minimum Building Size, Pace of Development. Because these multiple uses are integrated in the mixed use village-type fashion proposed, density is dealt with differently. While this development achieves higher density than a typical single family residential development (in many Page 6 of 12 cases there are no building setback requirements as in a traditional zoning districts), the visual impact of this density is different because density is impacted positively by the presence of significant open spaces and gathering spaces into the design (see the proposed Concept Plan), thus integrating the uses. These open spaces, typical of a village, include water features, plazas, amphitheater, bell tower, public art, chapel, public buildings, as well as and other common area design features. There are a total of 322 residential units included in this zoning request. There is more than one type of residential use proposed: Single Family Residential Detached, Villas , and Townhomes (fee simple owner occupied). It should be noted that no apartments or condominiums are proposed in this rezoning application. In order to insure that this will be a true mixed use development and that residential construction will not outpace or be built first in lieu of non-residential construction, pace of development is defined in the proposed ordinance regulating this rezoning request as follows: • For the first year of active development (as defined from the date of the first vertical construction building permit application for PD1-2), the owner/developer shall be entitled to permit up to 30 Residential Units. • From Residential Unit 31 forward, the owner/developer must demonstrate to the Westlake Building Official that a.), for Residential Units 1-30, a ratio of 1,500 sq. ft. of non-residential use building space has been permitted for each Residential Unit building permitted thus far and b.) that this same ratio will be maintained for Residential Unit 31 forward. • The owner/developer is to maintain a database illustrating conformance to this requirement to the Westlake Building Official and include an up-to- date report with each new Residential Unit building permit application. Non-residential use buildings must be substantially outwardly completed within six (6) months of being included in the 1,500:1 Residential Unit calculations. Other non-residential developments often use Floor Area Ratio (FAR) to regulate density. FAR is the ratio of a structure’s square footage to the pad site. With this proposed Ordinance, the zoning would not utilize FAR to regulate density, but would limit density by height restriction and lot area coverage. Setbacks are set at “no minimum” for front, rear, and side yards to facilitate mixed use development. Minimum residential building (single family and town homes) sizes are set out in Exhibit 7 of the proposed Ordinance. Minimum Page 7 of 12 building size is set at 400 sq. ft. for non-residential primary use structures to facilitate mixed use design for the development. c. Design Guidelines, Building Design, Lighting, Parking, and Architecture. The Design Guidelines establish design principles for PD1-2 that shape building design including building massing, scale and rhythm, architectural elements, entrances, façade treatments, lighting, signage, and streetscape. Each permanent structure must have building elevation review and approval from the Town prior to issuance of a building permit. Additionally, only durable materials such as clay fired brick, natural stone, granite, marble, stucco, and manufactured stone or EIFS (when approved on a case by case basis via the Site Plan approval process), and will be considered primary materials for buildings in Westlake Entrada. Native Texas stone materials will be given primary consideration in the building material selection process. Primary materials as describe here must comprise at least 80% of each floor, excluding windows and doors. Other building material standards are contained in the proposed Zoning Ordinance for this request as well. Architecture will emphasis Spanish-Mission or Spanish type architecture. Four-sided architecture is required for all buildings. Residential and townhomes structures must have have 80% stone exterior wall materials. No composition roofs are allowed. Roofing materials are limited to natural slate or authentic clay tile, or have the appearance of slate or clay tile. Flat roofing systems may me used where appropriately masked from street-level view corridors by parapets and/or other architectural features. Standing seam metal roofing may only be used for minor areas such as porches and patios and in areas not generally visible. A lighting plan must be submitted at the site plan stage. Lighting must meet reflect Town standards established by ordinance. Limited up-lighting may be considered in the lighting for the chapel, bell tower, and town hall. Overhead lighting for public and private parking areas must use full shielded and/or full cut- off fixtures. Parking standards for a mixed-use development are set out in the proposed Zoning Ordinance. Additionally, other Town ordinances for parking apply unless a parking analysis for a specific use is provided at site plan application and approved by the Town. Parking garages are permitted, however, if they are visible from streets or adjacent property, they shall have an architecturally finished façade compatible with surround buildings and look like a regular Page 8 of 12 building, not a parking garage, unless approved otherwise by the Council via the site plan process. d. Sign Regulations. Sign regulations proposed in the Sign Standards for this rezoning request are the same or similar to those used on Planning Districts located in the property known as the Circle T Ranch in Planning District 3-4. Additionally, the Design Guidelines speak to signage in this development as well. 6. Financial Impact Analysis. Should this zoning change request be approved, infrastructure construction for the development is the responsibility of the owner/developer. Impact of this zoning change request on Town services has been analyzed. Public safety services (i.e. police, fire, and EMS) have much capacity at current levels and thus, 1.) this development would not add cost in that regard and 2.) it would generate revenue to support existing levels of public safety service for the remainder of the Town. Water and sewer capacity exists to serve this development, although the developer is responsible for the cost of installation of water and sewer infrastructure within this development as well as any off-site water and sewer lines necessary to connect this property to the Town’s water and sewer system. Street infrastructure within the development would be constructed at the developer’s cost and if the streets within the development are proposed to be dedicated to the Town, the Town (at the time of platting and site plan consideration) will require the developer/owner to create a home owners’ association (or similar type organization) to be responsible for funding street maintenance costs. Any improvement identified by the required traffic study that shows this development creates the need for traffic signals on FM 1938 or Solana Boulevard or any other improvements (i.e. widening) to Solana Boulevard will be the developer’s cost responsibility and will be addressed via a development agreement required prior to approval of the preliminary plat. Finally, costs of installation and maintenance of any publicly accessible open space or trails within the development will be the responsibility of the developer/owner and will be addressed by development agreement considered prior to the preliminary plat. 7. Utilities: Water and sewer utilities are to be provided by the Town and service is available to the subject site. Any dedication of water and sewer easements for public lines will be dealt Page 9 of 12 with at the time of preliminary plat approval. All on-site and off-site water and sewer improvements necessary to serve the development are the developer’s responsibility. 8. Access/Site Boundary Streets/Thoroughfare Plan: The subject tract is served by SH 114, FM 1938 (Davis Boulevard), and Solana Boulevard. FM 1938 is classified as a major collector by the Town’s approved thoroughfare plan in the Approved Comprehensive Plan, while Solana Boulevard is classified as collector . FM 1938 was recently improved and was designed with the capacity to serve this site. Streetscaping alongside of the site adjoining FM 1938 will need to comport to the Town’s FM 1938 Streetscape Plan. Solana Boulevard adjoining the south side of this tract presently is constructed only as one-half of a future 4 lane divided (median) roadway. As such, the northern 2 lanes of Solana Boulevard will need to be constructed adjacent to this tract to provide adequate safety, traffic movement, access and capacity to serve this site on its south side. Solana Boulevard improvement will be a requirement stipulated in a development agreement that will be approved at the time of the site plan/plat approval (which will be considered at a future date). The applicant has prepared a traffic impact analysis of their development that staff has used as a part of making these determinations. The applicant will be required to pay a pro- rata share of the costs for signalization of the intersection of Davis Blvd. and Solana Blvd. when traffic levels warrant it. Streets internal to the PD1-2 Planning District will be laid out and established through the site plan and platting approval process at a future date, at which time determinations will be made as to their location, capacity, and status as public or private streets. All streets, public or private, within the development will meet the Roadway Design Standards included in this Ordinance. If streets are to be public, they will be dedicated by plat. Ingress/egress points (driveways) to the site are shown on the concept plan, but will be finalized at the time of site plan approval. Ingress/egress is shown on FM 1938 and Solana Boulevard. There is no ingress/egress point proposed to SH 114 on the north side of the site (this is controlled by TxDOT and involves significant utility relocation if a driveway point were to be pursued for this location.) 9. Infrastructure(Generally)/Roadway Design Standards/Drainage: a) Infrastructure (Generally). The applicant has submitted a Concept Plan for the proposed use on the proposed PD1-2 site which is attached and becomes part of the proposed zoning ordinance establishing the uses and development regulations for this planning district. The Concept Plan shows the general locations of internal street infrastructure, ingress/egress Page 10 of 12 points, as well as general locations of various common areas and water features for this site. While the developer has indicated that they wish to make use of the site’s natural beauty with its topographical variation (i.e. - rolling terrain), extensive improvements will be made after zoning is determined. The improvements contemplated on the site are extensive and include many landscape and water features as well as streets and other infrastructure. These improvements are the developer’s responsibility. The Town may, however, decide in the future to consider economic development tools, as allowed by State law, for certain aspects of site development (for example, the water feature). These economic development tools include a public improvement district (PID) or a tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ), that would be negotiated by separate agreement. Further, these would be configured so there is no financial obligation on the Town’s part. PID’s and TIRZ’s are a commonly used economic development tool used in situations like this by Texas municipalities Texas to facilitate a development while not burdening the municipality financially. b) Roadway Design Standards. All streets within the development, whether private or dedicated to the Town, shall meet the Town’s construction standards. Additionally, design standards regarding street widths, with and without parking, for this development, would be established by the Roadway Design Standards adopted with this Ordinance. c) Drainage. Storm water run-off from the site as developed must meet the Town’s standards and likely will make use of the water feature shown on the Concept Plan to meet those requirements. 10. Landscaping, Parking and Streetscaping Requirements: a. Landscaping and Parking. Because a Concept Plan is general in nature, it is not intended to show a detailed landscape plan or parking plan. A detailed landscape plan and parking plan will be required to be submitted at the time of site plan submittal when it is brought forward at a later date for consideration. Landscaping for this development is also described in the Development Standards for this development that would be adopted with the Ordinance. Landscape standards, as proposed in this Ordinance, would be different than in other zoning districts based on the unique nature of this development as a village. Parking as it relates to street design within the development is also described in the Design Guidelines for the development that would be adopted with the Ordinance. Page 11 of 12 Detailed parking requirements are contained in the proposed Zoning Ordinance for this request. If a use is proposed with parking requirements different from those in Town ordinance, a parking analysis must be submitted with the site plan for consideration and possible approval by the Town. b. Streetscaping. A detailed streetscaping plan will be shown on the site plan. The development should comport, on its FM 1938 perimeter, with the Town’s FM 1938 Streetscape Plan. Additionally, this development’s entire perimeter streetscape is shown in general form on the Concept Plan (but will be developed in detail at the time of site plan submittal) and should integrate and transition well in terms of aesthetics with any development that occurs at the southeast corner of FM 1938 and Solana Boulevard. The site’s perimeter streetscaping, if including decorative walls, should include a short (not greater than 3.5 feet in height) masonry wall along FM 1938 and Solana Boulevard (so the village is visible from FM 1938 and Solana Boulevard). Also, streetscape design internal to the development is established within the Design Guidelines that would be adopted with the Ordinance. 11. Pedestrian Circulation and Trail-Sidewalk Connectivity Both Internally and along the Site Perimeter: Connectivity of this zoning district to the Town’s public hike/bike trail should be contemplated by the applicant in their Site Plan submittals. Sidewalks and trails internal to the site will need to connect, by access points, to sidewalks, trails, or pubic rights-of- way on the perimeter of the site as well as to sidewalks or trails on adjacent tracts. All these considerations should be finalized at the time of site plan and preliminary plat consideration. The Concept Plan does show a pedestrian trail on their site running in a general east-west direction connecting the Solana office park to east with FM 1938. The trail is proposed in part to parallel the water feature at certain locations along its route through the development. This proposal meets the trail plan in the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. 12. Open Space/Parkland Dedication Open space for PD1-2 shall contain 20% open space as a minimum with said open space determined at site plan. Park land dedication fees shall be dealt with during site plan or platting, unless otherwise agreed to by separate agreement approved by the Town Council. Page 12 of 12 _______________________________________________________________ III. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends approval of this zoning change request with the adoption of this Ordinance which includes a legal description of subject site, Development Guidelines, Design Standards, Residential Development Standards, Roadway Design Standards, and Concept Plan for Planning Area 2, PD1-2. Further, Staff wishes to note the items identified above that will be dealt with at submittal of the site plan and/or preliminary plat for this development (note: this is not the final list of site plan and platting items, only those things identified in this report). These include: • Dedication of water and sewer easements for public lines. All on-site and off- site water and sewer improvements necessary to serve the development are the developer’s responsibility. • Solana Boulevard additional lanes on the south side of the subject tract shall be constructed by the developer as stipulated in a development agreement to be executed at site plan/plat approval. • The developer shall pay, via a development agreement, a pro-rata share of the costs for signalization, per a traffic impact study approved by the Town, of the intersection at Davis Blvd. and Solana Blvd or any other intersections near or on his development. • A detailed landscape plan and parking plan must be submitted with the Site Plans. • A detailed streetscaping plan shall be submitted showing how it will be integrating and transitioning well in terms of aesthetics with the development at the southeast corner of FM 1938 and Solana Boulevard. • Sidewalks and trails internal to the site will need to connect by access points to sidewalks, trails, or pubic rights-of-way on the perimeter of the site as well as to sidewalks or trails on adjacent tracts.