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Home My WebLink About9-21-00 MinutesPLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 21, 2000 Members Present: Betty Waters, Hal Lawler, Ross Morris, Ralph Dorsett, Pamela Baldwin Members Absent: Melton Wolters, Dottie Kaminski City Staff Present: Director of Planning Doug Kneupper, Assistant City Attorney John Armstrong, Director of Emergency Services Joe Sease, Police Chief Richard Reff, Fire Chief Mike Boaze, Director of Public Works Steve Gillett, Director of Parks and Recreation Stephen Barr, Planning Coordinator Masood Malik, Planning Secretary Peggy Lee I. CALL TO ORDER. Meeting called to order by Chairperson Waters at 6:02 PM. II. ADMINISTER OATH OF OFFICE TO NEWLY APPOINTED MEMBER, PAMELA BALDWIN. John Armstrong administered the Oath of Office to Pamela Baldwin. III. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 17, 2000, REGULAR MEETING. Motion by Ralph Dorsett to approve the Minutes of August 17, 2000. Motion seconded by Ross Morris. All were in favor and the motion carried. IV. OPEN PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER CITIZEN INPUT REGARDING THE FINAL DRAFT TECHNICAL PLAN REPORT FOR THE CITY OF LA PORTE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE. TOPICS TO BE COVERED INCLUDE: COMMUNITY VISION; COMMUNITY PROFILE; LAND USE; TRANSPORTATION/THOROUGHFARE SYSTEM; UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS; PARKS AND RECREATION; COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES; RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT; BEAUTIFICATION AND CONSERVATION; PUBLIC SAFETY; REDEVELOPMENT STRATEGY; AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN. Chairperson Waters opened the Public Hearing at 6:04 PM. 1. STAFF PRESENTATION Doug Kneupper presented an overview of the Commission’s review of Chapters 1 through 13 of the Comprehensive Plan Update. The Commission began their review on March 9, 2000 and concluded on May 24, 2000. The Plan was informally presented to the community at an Open House held on June 20, 2000, at the Sylvan Beach Pavilion. Some attendees submitted written comments on various elements of the Plan, including the Farrington Rd. Extension, the “H” Street Bridge over Big Island Slough, an overpass on SH 146 at Shoreacres Blvd., thoroughfare Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes of September 21, 2000 Page 2 beautification, Canada Rd., removal of the apartments on Garfield, and the bayfront area land use plan. 2. CITIZEN COMMENTS Greg Sills, of 4902 Meadowcrest, favors the extension of Farrington. It would create a safer access for children to get to school. He noted that travel time from the Fire Dept. into Lomax is currently 5-7 minutes but if the road were cut-through, response time could be reduced to 2 minutes. Also, it would be more convenient to transport children to the ballpark in Fairmont Park if the road was in place. Bill Scott, of 1802 Lomax School Rd., distributed a petition signed by approximately 570 citizens that want all three phases of the Farrington connection to be removed from the Comprehensive Plan. Twenty-two coordinators of the effort to stop the Farrington Extension attended the Open House and submitted written comments against Phase One of the extension and the proposed “H” Street Bridge. No comments were submitted from individuals favoring the extension or the bridge. Mr. Scott gave each Commission Member an “information package” that included a videotape of traffic dangers in the Lomax area. Mr. Scott stated that ambulance response time is not delayed because of the current location of EMS on “C” Street. Dangerous conditions exist on “P” Street due to large volumes of speeding traffic. Lori Druckenbrodt, of 11315 North “H”, stated that some children in the Lomax area are bussed to school and she doesn’t see a problem with this. There is a Fire Dept. on Lomax School Rd. that serves the area effectively. The Farrington Extension presents a big problem because there are no sidewalks for children to walk on and traffic is already heavy. Nazar Momin, of 6306 Hidden Crestway, Sugar Land, Texas, has done business in La Porte for twenty years. Mr. Momin made a general comment about the appearance of buildings along SH 146. He feels there are too many metal buildings and this does not give a good impression of the City. He asked the City to consider some type of development restrictions for buildings that front SH 146. Brick and stucco were recommended as suitable exterior finishes. Sharon Tally, of 10706 N. “H”, feels that creating another access into the area will increase thefts. Also, more traffic will increase the number of traffic accidents. Clarence Morgan, of 10415 N. “H”, is retired and enjoys living in a rural area. He would like for things to remain as they are. V. CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING Chairperson Waters closed the Public Hearing at 6:30 P.M. VI. CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL REGARDING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE. Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes of September 21, 2000 Page 3 Motion by Ross Morris to recommend City Council approval of the Comprehensive Plan Update with the following changes to the Thoroughfare Plan: 1. Eliminate “H” Street Bridge. 2. Eliminate extension of “H” Street to Barbour’s Cut Blvd. Motion seconded by Ralph Dorsett. All were in favor and the motion carried. VII. CONSIDER AMENDED GENERAL PLAN FOR FAIRMONT PARK EAST. Doug Kneupper presented staff’s report. At the August 17th meeting, the Commission approved the Preliminary Plat for Fairmont Park East, Section 8, with the following conditions: 1. The developer shall file with the City an amended General Plan for the area east of Driftwood that would reflect the concerns of parking and adequate open space around the detention pond. 2. As part of this amended General Plan, show a general layout of the residential area south of the detention pond. Account for additional parking along with the goal to avoid lots backing up against the detention basin. 3. The submittal and approval of an amendment to the General Plan of Fairmont Park East, Sections Five through Eight will be required before approval of the final plat for Section Eight. Mr. Gray has submitted an amended General Plan, however staff noted that not all of the guidelines were followed that were established with conditional approval of the Preliminary Plat. Staff did not recommend approval of the Amended General Plan. Motion by Ross Morris to deny the Amended General Plan for Fairmont Park East Subdivision. Motion seconded by Ralph Dorsett. All were in favor and the motion carried. Eddie Gray asked permission from the floor to address the Commission. Chairperson Waters granted him permission. Mr. Gray wanted to know why the unresolved problems with Section 5 would prevent him from recording the plat for Section 8, once approved. Chairperson Waters stated that the Final Plat for Section 8 was the next item they would be considering. Chairperson Waters asked for clarification from Mr. Kneupper regarding the Final Plat for Section 8 then called for a motion to move to the next item in order to discuss it. Motion by Ralph Dorsett to move to the next item on the agenda. Motion seconded by Pam Baldwin. All were in favor and the motion carried. VIII. CONSIDER FINAL PLAT FOR FAIRMONT PARK EAST, SECTION 8. Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes of September 21, 2000 Page 4 Mr. Kneupper stated he had discussions with Mr. Gray, subsequent to staff’s report being distributed to the Commission. Mr. Gray has indicated that financing becomes complicated because lenders are not willing to lend money if there is a condition that the developer doesn’t have any control over. With this is mind, staff’ then recommended approval of Section 8 without withholding the plat from recordation. After some discussion, the Commission unanimously agreed to rescind their original motion to deny the Amended General Plan for Fairmont Park East Subdivision. Motion by Ralph Dorsett to table the Amended General Plan for Fairmont Park East Subdivision. Motion seconded by Ross Morris. All were in favor and the motion carried. Motion by Ralph Dorsett to approve the Final Plat for Fairmont Park East, Section 8 with the stipulation that the following items be addressed prior to Final Plat recordation. 1. All construction improvements are complete at site. 2. Payment of $419.89 shall be made to the City for street sign installation. 3. Payment of $6,663.68 for street lighting cost shall be made to the City. 4. Payment of $9,800.00 is made to the City in lieu of parkland dedication. 5. Inclusion of sidewalks within the subdivision shall be noted on the Final Plat and covenants. Motion seconded by Ross Morris. All were in favor and the motion carried. IX. OPEN PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER A GENERAL PLAN AND SPECIAL CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT #SCU00-001 FOR PROPERTY LOCATED SOUTH OF MCCABE ROAD AND EAST OF STATE HIGHWAY 146. APPLICANT IS SEEKING TO DEVELOP A MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL PROJECT WITHIN A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT ZONE. Chairperson Waters opened the Public Hearing at 6:55 P.M. 1. STAFF PRESENTATION Mr. Kneupper reported that Eddie Dutko has made a request for approval of a General Plan and Special Conditional Use Permit for property located in the 1200 Block of McCabe Rd. The project is known as Park Forest Apartments. Public hearing notification was mailed to six surrounding property owners. One response was received in favor of the request. Staff recommended approval of the General Plan covering 107 acres and the Special Conditional Use Permit covering 16.2 acres with conditions. 2. PROPONENTS There were no proponents. 3. OPPONENTS Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes of September 21, 2000 Page 5 There were no opponents. X. CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING Chairperson Waters closed the Public Hearing at 7:05 P.M. XI. CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL REGARDING A GENERAL PLAN AND SPECIAL CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT #SCU00-001. Motion by Ross Morris to recommend City Council approval of a General Plan for Park Forest Apartments Subdivision and Special Conditional Use Permit #SCU00-001 with the following conditions: 1. The overall density of the project (Phases 1 and 2) shall not exceed 19.7 dwelling units per acre. 2. The applicant shall enter into a Sewer Service Agreement and commit to paying for lift station upgrades related to this development project. 3. This action in no way commits the City to any maintenance responsibilities for the 75.7 acre Conservation Easement. Motion seconded by Ralph Dorsett. All were in favor and the motion carried. XII. STAFF REPORTS The Commission was provided a monthly highlights report. Mr. Kneupper reminded Commission Members of the upcoming Texas APA Conference. XIII. ADJOURN Chairperson Waters adjourned the meeting at 7:10 PM. Respectfully submitted, Peggy Lee Planning and Zoning Commission Secretary Approved on this day of , 2000. Betty Waters Planning and Zoning Commission Chairperson