12-17-15 Regular Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission

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Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting December 17, 2015 Future Land Use Plan Amendment (La Porte Town Center) Road, which is Spencer Highway. As a result, the warehouse distribution use could be considered subject to approval of a SCUP. The issue at hand for this discussion is how truck traffic should access the site. Chapter 70 of the City Code indicates that commercial motor vehicles shall not operate on roads not designated as truck routes. The code does allow for origin/destination trips off designated truck routes. However in this case, the code would require access to this site from Spencer Highway, which is the nearest designated truck route and is located immediately adjacent to the subject site. The applicant cites safety concerns with accessing the site from Spencer Highway for truck traffic. There are concerns with the stacking of truck traffic on Spencer as well as having to access the site with a left turn. The applicant desires to have direct access to Bay Area Boulevard for the primary access to the site. The flow of traffic is included on the "Master Plan -Option 1" included in the attached Exhibit A. The current proposal is to access the site on Bay Area Boulevard from Fairmont Parkway and exit the site back to Bay Area Boulevard and then to Fairmont Parkway. Earlier this year, a subcommittee established by the City Council presented a report to the Council that thoroughly reviewed the city's commercial motor vehicle regulations. Part of their analysis and recommendation was the inclusion of Bay Area Boulevard as a designated truck route. However, at that time the City Council opted not to include Bay Area Boulevard as a truck route. The inclusion of Bay Area Boulevard as a truck route could have the effect of providing an alternative means of accessing Highway 146 for truck traffic, rather than continuing to funnel truck traffic on Fairmont Parkway. Staff has some concern that the proposed traffic management plan for this site has the impact of requiring all traffic to come from Fairmont Parkway, therefore increasing the congestion of the road. If traffic were required to exit onto Spencer Highway, this would alleviate some of the increased congestion on Fairmont. ATTACHMENTS Exhibit A: Letter from the Applicant and Master Plan -Option 1 Exhibit B: Area Map Exhibit C: Zoning and Land Use Map Exhibit D: Truck Route Map