HomeMy WebLinkAboutPetty and Associates Comprehensive Plan Overview P& ,-
Town of Westlake
Town Council Comprehensive Plan Review- Policy Guidance Workshop
Introduction:
The Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) is the community's vision for its future. The
Comprehensive Plan describes a process that determines community goals and aspirations in
terms of community development. The outcome of comprehensive planning is the
Comprehensive Plan which dictates public policy in terms of transportation, utilities, land use,
recreation, and housing.The Comprehensive Plan is not a Zoning Ordinance to enforce, rather a
recommending guide to convey the broad policy goals of the community. As such, the plan
guides future growth in a responsible manner resulting in quality developments consistent with
the character of Westlake while supporting the healthy and responsible growth of Westlake
Academy. The Town's Comprehensive Plan is the source of strategic policies and objectives that
are more specifically described in enforceable Ordinances, Development and Design Standards,
Subdivision Regulations and Engineering Guidelines.
The purpose of this workshop is to obtain high level policy guidance from the Town Council that
will be conveyed to the selected professional planning firm retained to revise the Town's Comp
Plan in order to communicate to the planning consultant the high level expectations and broad
planning parameters that are foundational to the comprehensive planning review process. This
high level policy guidance falls into five (5) areas: growth policy, land use policy,
transportation/mobility policy, design standards policy, and infrastructure policy. Fallowing
each question, each Town Council member is asked to express their answer to the particular
question according to these answer options:
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral, No Preference Disagree Strongly Disagree
L. Growth Policy Questions
The Comp Plan revision needs to take into account the relationship between land use, population,
service demand and economic viability all while weighing each of these elements against what is best for
Westlake Academy. The following series of statements are designed to provide feedback to the
professional planning firm that will attempt to integrate the Board's feelings about these topics into the
Comprehensive Plan where appropriate.
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G.I. Westlake should offer a variety of high quality upper end housing choices to its
residents including single family residential estate housing, villas on smaller lots, lofts, high rise
condos, low rise condos, multi-family, age-restricted, duplexes, etc. provided, however, that all
such housing types reflect the high standards to which Westlake has become accustomed.
G.2. In order to limit residential uses that will impact school enrollment growth, commercial
and retail land uses that produce new ad valorem tax base and sales taxes should be considered
for some areas that are currently zoned residential, even it means negotiating for utilities and
infrastructure assistance or other incentives to offset the currently entitled uses.
G.3. Raising taxes to pay for school expansion is preferable to amending the Comprehensive
Plan to allow regional commercial and retail centers not contemplated in the '92 Comp Plan.
G.4. The Comp Plan revision should be prepared in a way that will establish a system by
which land uses are analyzed in light of their impact on Westlake Academy, population levels,
tax tolerance and their impact on the cost effectiveness of Town services.
2 Land Use Policy Questions
L. 1. The creation and regulation of land uses not only establishes allowable land uses, but
also stresses the limitation of such uses based on geographic area and proximity to other uses. in
that regard, even with high development standards, uses appropriate for one area of Town may
not be appropriate for other areas of the Town. Should the Comp Plan review:
a. reflect the belief that the review and regulation of land uses should be a tool to not only
convey high quality design and development standards, but also help create economic
sustainability for the Town government and the services it offers its residents and businesses?
L.2. The current comprehensive Pion designates significant areas in Westlake as "Office
Campus"and or "Office Park"uses. Since Office development opportunities are relatively rare in
the current and foreseeable market, should a revision to the Comp Plan:
a. analyze replacing some Office uses with high quality retail uses?
b. analyze replacing some Office uses with high quality mixed uses (retail and commercial
combined with higher density residential)
C. analyze replacing some Office uses with high end single family residential uses?
d. analyze replacing some Office uses with retail in combination with adjacent high end
single family Residential uses?
L. 3. The commercial and retail markets have changed dramatically since the construction of
Solana and the adoption of the 1992 Comprehensive Plan which called for relatively low density
commercial development at Salona. Since additional commercial and or retail square footage
means additional tax revenues without dramatic increases in cost of service, should the new
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Comprehensive Plan study development and redevelopment options for Solana that maintain
strict quality standards while allowing:
a. more densely spaced commercial?
b. additional retail?
C. mixed use (commercial/retail and residential)?
L.4. The Comprehensive Plan does not allow certain uses in Westlake and highly restricts
other uses. In an effort to increase revenue without raising taxes, should certain areas be
studied that would allow:
a. office/warehouse distribution facilities
b, adjustments in landscape setbacks on major highways to create more developable
space. (currently 150'in Comp Plan,100'in Zoning Ords)
C. regional/destination Retail
d. themed entertainment venues
L.S. Most Comprehensive Plans reflect a broad range of uses which are regulated by Special
Use Permits and Conditional Use Permits. While Westlake does have land use charts that utilize
special and conditionol uses, there are only 6 zoning categories in the Town's current Comp Plan.
They are:
Low Density Residential
Nigh Density Residential
Local Retail
Planned Office Park
Planned Office Park—Hotel
Industrial
Should a revision to the Camp Plan:
a. include recommendations for additional zoning categories that provide additional
development options and revenue opportunities that take advantage of current market trends
and urban planning best practices?
L. 6. Amending the Comprehensive Plan to allow additional residential uses will in most cases
result in a higher projected enrollment at Westlake Academy. Assuming that the development
and design standards Westlake has become accustomed to could be ensured, should the Comp
Plan:
a. consider additional residential uses that may cause the anticipated maximum
enrollment at Westlake Academy to be exceeded?
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b. recommend that residential land uses and ultimate population build-out should not
exceed student enrollment maximums identified by School District Strategies ("SDS") report
presented in August of 2012
3. Transportation/Mobility Policy Questions
Mobility refers to the time and costs required for travel. Mobility is higher when average travel
times, variations in travel times, and travel costs are low. Indicators of mobility are indicators of
travel times and costs and variability in travel times and costs'.
Urban planners further define mobility with the prefix inter- meaning between or among and
the prefix intro- meaning within. So,for example, an interstate highway is a highway that goes
between or among states, while on intrastate highway is one that exists only within a single
state. Inter-community mobility reflects the ability to move from one city to another, while intra-
community focuses on the ability to move about within a particular community.
T. 1. Should the Comp Plan illustrate inter-mobility (the ability to move through Westlake to
reach other destinations)for:
a. vehicles?
b. bicycles?
C. pedestrians?
T.Z. Should the Comp Plan illustrate intra-mobility (the ability to circulate within Westlake)
fo r:
a. vehicles?
b. bicycles?
c. pedestrians?
T.3. Should the Transportation component of the Comp Plan:
a. reflect the impact of future growth according to land use?
b. reflect designated bicycle lanes on future thoroughfares?
T.4. TxDOT has made multiple changes to all four state highways and FM roads through and
around Westlake since the "92 Comp Plan was approved. Access to and from SH 114 and SH 170
1 October 15,2012 htto://www.nai2.edulopenbook.ph2?record id=10404&page=16
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is an important consideration, not only for regional connectivity, but for commercial and retail
viability.Should the Comp Plan revision:
a. attempt to improve access to and from SH 114 and SH 170 in order to create additional
development opportunities for retail corners?
T.S. The current Comp Plan includes mandatory developer construction of a significant
network of hike and bike trails in Westlake. Under the current Camp Plan, these trails are
intended to be provided primarily along floodplain and drainage areas. Should the Comp Plan
revision:
a. amend the plan to recommend hike and bike trails along roadways rather than mostly in
the floodplain?
b. amend the plan to recommend a blended system that recommends hike and bike trails
along some roadways and some floodplains?
C. leave the Camp Plan as is, limiting hike and bike trails only along floodplains?
T.6. In addition to trails, the current Comp Plan contemplates open public space along most
floodplain and drainage areas. Should the Comp Plan:
a. continue to recommend floodplain be dedicated as public open space?
b. continue to recommend floodplain be dedicated as public or private open space?
C. recommend public open space in areas that could include flood plain, but not
necessarily limited solely to floodplain?
d. include a high degree of trail connectivity, including connecting trails to parks, whether
the trail is along roadways or floodplain?
C. continue to recommend parks to be a minimum of 10 acres in size?
4. Design Policy Questions
The '92 Comp Plan states that development should accommodate and preserve the area's special rural
character and key prominent natural features of the Town. This desire drove many policies in the Comp
Plan that may be subject to revisiting in the Camp Plan revision.
D. 1. In order to preserve the hillside views and natural topography, the '92 Comp Plan
provides that building heights in excess of 2 % stories should only be allowed in low elevations
areas adjacent to Hwys 377, 170 and 114. Commercial buildings up to 7 stories (700 ms1) are
allowed as part of a site comprehensive plan, taking into account other development in the area,
the preservation of view corridors, and the maintenance of the rural character of the Town.
Should the Comp Plan Revision:
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a. allow buildings to exceed this standard under certain circumstances, subject to Council
and P&Z review?
b. establish some provision whereby owners of land on higher elevations are not subject to
an unfair density standard compared to developers in lower elevations?
D.2. The streetscape standards in the '92 Comp Plan call for natural vegetation in streetscape
cross-sections that require minimum mowing and maintenance, utilizing natural vegetation and
trees. Curb and gutter streets are discouraged. Should the Comp Plan revision:
a. continue to recommend that ail medians and streetscapes be designed to appear
natural with native plants and vegetation and minimal maintenance?
b. allow streetscapes to be more somewhat more manicured with treatments comparable
to those recently completed on FM 1938 as per the Town's adopted FM1938 streetscape Plan?
C. provide that all residential and collector streets be constructed with curb and gutter
with drainage systems placed underground, as opposed to allowing streets that have rural bar
ditches with higher maintenance costs and storm drainage utilities being located exclusively in
the floodplain?
d. require all new streets to be curb and gutter construction.
e. limit the recommendation of allowing curb and gutter to residential subdivisions with
lots less than 1 acre?
D.3. Westlake has been aggressive about regulating light pollution, although few mentions of
lighting are included in the `92 Comp Plan, and Westlake has not adoptedthe standards
recommended by the International Dark Sky Association. Should the Comp Plan revision:
a. establish a policy framework to better articulate desired lighting standards?
b. ellow consideration of modified lighting standards in order to accommodate commercial
and retail users and mixed use developments located along the highway corridor facing away
from single family residential areas?
C. avoid integrating lighting recommendations into the Camp Plan?
D.4. According to Futurist Carolyn Corbin, "sustainability" is the capacity of a system to
maintain its vitality far into the futurez. Language that lends itself to sustainability and building
sustainable community systems was not featured in the '92 Comp Plan, but is a focus of many
communities today. Should the Comp Plan revision:
a. incorporate sustainability as a community objective to be reflected in all aspects of the
Comp Plan revision?
z Corbin, Carolyn.Community Leadership 4.0: Impacting a World Gone ME CreateSpace. 2011.p.51.
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b. take a softer approach to sustainability by establishing minimum standards that impact
sustainability?
C. avoid attempting to introduce sustainability language in the Comp Plan, instead leaving
it up to the Town Council's discretion on a case by case basis?
5. infrastructure Policy Questions
{.1. Westlake has always maintained a philosophy that the development should pay its own
way in terms of infrastructure costs including utility construction and extension, streets,
drainage, electric and wastewater. Should the Comp Plan revision:
a. continue to recommend that development should always pay for utility extensions and
necessary infrastructure regardless of the circumstances and benefits the development
may offer?
b. avoid language that limits the Town Council to incentivize development deemed worthy
of support or assistance including the extension of infrastructure, special taxing districts,
sales tax reimbursements, etc.?
C. incorporate language that provides for build-out planning in order to avoid incremental
funding of utilities that will require future widening or paralleling water and/or sewer
utility lines?
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