Loading...
01-08-2001 (Planning & Zoning) Minutes MINUTES PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION WYLIE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX 2000 Highway 78 North, Wylie, Texas 75098 Regular Business Meeting January 8, 2000I 7:00pm Notice was posted in the time and manner required by law and quorum was present. Commission Members Present: Staff Members Present: Michael George, Chairman Claude Thompson, Planner Carter Porter, Vice Chairman Mike Sferra, Development Services Steve Ahrens William Chapman Tony Snider Phillip Tramell Gary Wiseman PREMEETING The Premeeting was convened at 6:30. Thompson reviewed the Planning Report and addressed questions related to the items on the current agenda. CALL TO ORDER Chairman George called the Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PLEDGE AND INVOCATION Commissioner Snider offered the Invocation and Commissioner Porter led the Pledge of Allegiance. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION No one was present to speak. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS 1. Consider and act upon approval of the Minutes of the December 19, 2000 meeting. Motion to approve was made by Commissioner Ahrens, seconded by Commissioner Chapman. Motion carried 7-0. ACTION ITEMS 1. Discuss and consider a recommendation to the City Council regarding a Preliminary Plat for the Cimarron Estates Addition, proposed by Tipton Engineering Inc., being all of a certain 112.429 acre tract generally located south of State Highway 78 and east of Kreymer Lane, situated in the Francisco De La Pina Survey, Abstract No. 688, in the City of Wylie, Collin County, Texas. Thompson explained that on December 12, 2000 the City Council had tabled the previous Preliminary Plat on this tract (which the P&Z Commission on November 21 had recommended approval). The current version incorporates modifications requested by the Council, including relocation of the park land to accommodate drainage and better buffer the lots to the west, realignment of the central collector street to provide a more direct route between S.H. 78 and Brown, and additional alleys. The applicant, Bret Pedigo of Centex Homes was present to address the proposal. Commissioner George expressed concern for the aesthetics of private fences on residential lots which side on to Anson and back on to Brown. Pedigo agreed to developer-installed masonry columns and common fence along these side and rear yards. Commissioners' response varied from favoring the fences (no runners to the street side) and additional wrought iron open fence across the cul-de-sacs to questioning the need for any fencing along the collectors. Several Commissioners expressed concern that the straight alignment of Anson will encourage excessive speeds and potential for accidents. They encouraged some curved or off-set alignment and/or the extension of side streets through to Anson to create addition intersections which could be sign- or light-controlled. Commissioner Ahrens suggested all lots should be set back from the collectors to provide a landscaped parkway strip. Thompson responded that the Council had specifically requested the straight, direct alignment of the central collector street. Commissioner Trammell expressed concern about improving the drainage along the western property line, and reported that the City has obtained easements and planned improvements to correct the flooding of residential lots to the west for some time. He questioned whether the proposed park configuration was sufficient to accommodate the drainage problems. Pedigo responded that stormwater will be intercepted and piped underground to Brown, and the City engineer has approved preliminary drainage plans to control this limited runoff. Commissioner Tramell recommended that the park be widened by increasing its size to the full 5.7 acres required in order to provide the greatest buffer effect. Commissioners George and Ahrens expressed the opinion that the earlier location and configuration of the park was preferable for access to the new subdivision, and the narrow, linear configuration of the current proposal limited its use. Pedigo agreed to widen the park to its full requirement, but that no development improvements would be provided as with the partial land and partial funds dedication. Thompson reminded the Commission that the Plan was a Preliminary which conformed to all current technical requirements. Some of the requested changes are not required by the code, and such should be addressed in revisions to the code rather than negotiated with the developer. The reimbursement to the developer for over-sized off-site sewer construction, used by the Council as a tool to negotiate changes to this Plat, is not a proper concern for matters related to the Plat. State law requires that plats which meet applicable requirements must be approved within 30 days of submittal. Motion to recommend denial of the Preliminary Plat pending modifications, including expansion of the park size to its full 5.7-acre requirement, realignment of Anson to discourage excessive speeds, and addition of columns and fences to improve aesthetics along Anson was made by Commissioner Snider, seconded by Commissioner Ahrens. An alternate motion suggested by Commissioner Ahrens to recommend approval with the above stipulation was not accepted. Motion passed 7-0. WORK SESSION Thompson reported that potential applicants requested audience with the Commission in order to present their concept for development of approximately 360 acres within the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction at Troy and Stone Roads. He reported that the annexation agreement can include specific zoning and development conditions. Harry James, of Better Community Development, explained that the tract presented unique problems, including approximately 100 acres of floodplain in two drainage basins with no available central sewage treatment, extensive gas and electric transmission lines, and a cemetery. The developers use a concept termed "Coving", which incorporates extensive open space with curvilinear rural streets which connect clusters (or "coves") of housing, set well back from streets with long access drives to provide open space in the front as well as rear. The developers have agreed to provide the City with a site for a needed sewerage lift station, and are investigating the need for expansion of the cemetery for public use. The floodplain and utility corrid000rs can not be eliminated so are being incorporated as the frame of the plan. Skip Klinefelter, of Red Group Development Services, presented an illustrated discussion of the concept and examples of the concept developed by the applicants and others. He testified that the concept had been favored and attempted for a number of years, but was not widely used because of the complex engineering required. The Red Group has refined propriatary computer technology which allows rapid computation of such plans. The said that gross density rather than net density was the controlling philosophy in measuring lot sizes. He pointed out that the nonlinear design followed nonlinear nature so required less infrastructure and provided more open space for the same yield as a common grid design. There are no alleys because the longer front drives eliminate on-street parking. The coving design process is somewhat reversed for the standard layout in that houses are first located on the most advantageous sites, then streets are routed to connect the housing, and drives, walkways and other amenities are added last. Commissioner George asked if this was merely swapping rear yard open space for front yards. Klinefelter responded that it was not, and the concept included extensive private and common rear yard space in the floodplain and utility corridors. Commissioner Ahrens asked what lot sizes were anticipated. Klinefelter responded that the average will be 8,500 square feet, but that most will be smaller or larger. Commissioner Wiseman stated that a majority of the lots should be 8,500 sq. ft. are larger, rather than a few large estates at difficult locations to balance many smaller lots and result in the average. Wiseman ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Ahrens, seconded by Commission r Porter. M tion carried 7-0, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Michael George, Chairman Claude Thompson, Planner Back