08-17-2000 Regular Meeting and Public Hearing of the La Porte Planning and Zoning Commission

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Fainnont Park East Amended General Plan September 21, 2000 Page 2 of2 Summary and Recommendation: . . The City, Developer, and Fainnont Park East Homeowner's Association (Board) have had preliminary conversations regarding improvements to the detention pond to create parkland / open space. All three parties are in favor of this action and it appears some future improvements will be made to the detention / park area if approved by City Council and the Homeowner's Association. Chapter 7 Parks and Recreation, which is part of the City's updated Comprehensive Plan, provides some park site selection criteria. One of the criteria listed is that desirable views into and out of the park site should be optimized. Constructing wood fences along the entire length of the southern park / detention boundary does not optimize the views into or out of the park site. It has been the City's experience that parks with low street visibility are not aesthetically inviting and are not well utilized. Another item to consider is access to the commercial area adjacent to Fainnont Parkway. The Commission may want to consider an internal access system for that area that would limit and reduce the number of future driveways directly connected to Fainnont Parkway. This would reduce the number of driver intenuptions along this major arterial roadway. The City, Homeowner's Association, and the Developer are interested in creating a park and recreation area within the existing detention pond. The City and the Homeowner's Association have a desire to construct a quality park environment with a feeling of openness that attracts park patrons. The Commission, at the August 17, 2000 meeting, was clear in stating that this amended General Plan achieve the goals to avoid lots backing up against the detention basin and provide additional open space around the perimeter of the detention pond. The submitted amended General Plan does not achieve these goals. In addition, it is staffs recommendation that efforts be made to plan for future driveways within the commercial area adjacent to Fainnont Parkway. Based on the above statements, staff does not recommend approval of the submitted amended General Plan for Fainnont Park East, Sections Five through Eight. It is recommended that the Developer follow the guidelines established by the Commission when the Preliminary Plat for Section 8 was given conditional approval.