Carrollton Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting – December 5, 2019

The Carrollton Planning and Zoning Commission held its scheduled briefing session and regular meeting on December 5, 2019. The regular meeting was called to order at 7:20 p.m. and adjourned at 9:27 p.m. Seven of nine commission members were present; Commissioners Kaiser and Diamond were absent. The chair noted that the Commission has final authority on some items and an advisory role on others, with zoning-related recommendations ultimately considered by the City Council.

Consent Calendar

• The Commission unanimously approved the October 3, 2019 and November 7, 2019 meeting minutes, 7-0.
• The Commission unanimously approved the consent agenda (items 2-4), 7-0, with staff stipulations and a finding that the right-of-way dedication for agenda item 3 was necessary and proportional to the proposed development:
  • PLRP 2019-X1: Replat of Harmony School Addition Phase 2 and Northwest Realty Addition Part 3 for an approximately 11.2-acre tract on the north side of Rosemeade Parkway and west side of Old Denton Road.
  • PLRP 2019-X2: Replat of Grandy's I-35E Addition and a portion of an unplatted adjacent lot for an approximately 1.15-acre tract east of I-35E, about 155 feet north of Valwood Parkway.
  • PLTSP 2019-X1: Technical site plan for a McDonald's drive-through window on the same 1.15-acre tract.

Public Comments & Testimony

• For Kensington Place (PLZ 2019-X1), Ken Murphy, a Warmington Meadows board member, expressed concerns/opposition about smaller proposed lot sizes than the neighborhood's roughly 75-foot frontages, traffic mitigation, stormwater runoff and creek erosion, future covenants, and added traffic near Hebron High School. James Hare, a neighboring property owner, raised concerns about privacy, traffic flow, the nearby already-rezoned triangle development, school-bus staging, and neighborhood continuity.
• For Wisdom Academy (PLSUP 2019-X1), comment cards were submitted registering support from Faisal Rajani and Muhammad Assad.
• No public speakers came forward on the Crosby Road, Kelly Cove, Kensington Gardens, CZO text, or subdivision ordinance items.

Agenda Item 5: Crosby Road Rezoning (PLZ 2019-145)

• Staff and the applicant, Intown Homes, presented a rezoning of an approximately 20-acre assembled city-owned tract along Crosby Road and Fannidella Drive from MF-18 and PD-200 to PD-215 to allow single-family townhomes, live/work units, and detached single-family homes. The city selected Intown Homes through an RFP.
• Features presented included up to four stories, live/work ground floors with nonresidential uses, minimum 20-foot lot widths on some lots, six-foot building separations, 29-foot interior streets with parallel parking, street trees, courtyards, and a variety of architecture styles.
• Commission discussion covered sidewalk width, street trees and decorative entries, utility placement, the applicant's possible 'white palette' exterior color scheme, and estimated prices averaging about $400,000. The applicant estimated a roughly four-year build-out.
• No public testimony was offered. The Commission closed the public hearing and approved the rezoning with stipulations, 7-0.

Agenda Item 6: Wisdom Academy (PLSUP 2019-X1)

• Staff described a request to amend SUP-440 for a 5.8-acre private school site at the northeast corner of Carter Drive and Crowley Drive, zoned PD-18 for the Freeway District, increasing maximum enrollment from 150 to 360 students. Phase one would be limited to 100 students and about 12,500 square feet; full build-out would be about 96,500 square feet. The proposed architecture would be about 24 feet tall in phase one and up to 35 feet in later phases, below the 75-foot district limit.
• The applicant's architect presented a campus design arranged around a student garden, with future phases including gymnasium, indoor pool, soccer field, or additional parking, and stated the school needs to open in July.
• Staff recommended approval with stipulations. The city traffic engineer requested the ability to control gate operations to prevent queuing on public streets, especially in phase one. The applicant accepted staff stipulations and a revised canopy-change stipulation.
• No public oral testimony was offered; support cards were submitted. The Commission approved the SUP amendment with stipulations, including the 360-student cap and a gate-operation condition, 7-0.

Agenda Item 7: Kensington Place (PLZ 2019-X1)

• The request involved an approximately 28.4-acre tract at the northwest corner of Plano Parkway and Warmington Drive, proposed to be rezoned from Corporate Commercial to a planned development allowing single-family residential.
• The applicant requested a continuance to continue working with staff and surrounding property owners. After hearing public comments from Warmington Meadows-area residents, the Commission voted 7-0 to keep the public hearing open and continue the case to the January 2, 2020 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

Agenda Items 8 and 9: Kelly Cove (PLCP 2019-133 and PLZ 2019-131)

• These companion cases concerned an approximately 8.5-acre site at 2601 Kelly Boulevard. Staff outlined a request to change the Future Land Use Map from Low Intensity Office to Single-Family Attached Residential and to rezone the property from PD-44 (Heavy Commercial) to allow single-family townhouse development.
• The applicant requested a second continuance after completing additional public outreach. No public speakers came forward. Commissioner Christman recused from both cases. The Commission voted to keep the public hearings open and continue both cases to January 2, 2020; each vote was 6-0.

Agenda Items 10 and 11: Kensington Gardens (PLCP 2019-138 and PLZ 2019-128)

• These companion cases involved an approximately 11-acre site at 2308 Marsh Lane and 2317 Tarpley Road. The first case asked to amend the Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map from Medium Intensity Office and Industrial to Multi-Family Residential. The second asked to amend PD-128 from Light Industrial/Office zoning to allow MF-18 multifamily development with standards for a 304-unit apartment complex.
• Staff opposed both requests, stating the proposal still had too much density and height compared with nearby apartments, the location did not reflect the city's objectives for new multifamily development, and site issues remained regarding the right-turn deceleration lane, reduced landscape buffer, and a needed median variance. Staff also noted the city generally supports multifamily when it is part of a master-planned mixed-use development.
• The applicant, Leonard Development, said the revised plan reduced one Marsh Lane building from four to three stories, kept three other buildings at four stories, reduced units from 334 to 304 (density from about 30 to about 28.5 units per acre), added tuck-under garages for 37 units, and expanded the dog park from 3,500 to 6,500 square feet. The transcript contains a discrepancy on total parking spaces: one passage cites 571 spaces, and a later exchange cites 471 spaces against a 456-space requirement at 1.5 spaces per unit.
• Commissioner discussion included concerns about the lack of detailed PD stipulations, building height and density, and compatibility with the neighborhood. Commissioner Romo said he favored the development; Commissioner Chadwick said he opposed the density in that location and would vote against it; Commissioner Dennell said he would vote against the zoning request.
• The Commission approved the Comprehensive Plan amendment 5-2, with Commissioners Chadwick and Taylor opposed, and approved the zoning change 4-3, with Commissioners Chadwick, Denham, and Taylor opposed.

Agenda Item 12: Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Text Changes (PLZT 2019-X1)

• Staff presented annual amendments to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, including Board of Adjustment special exceptions for key lots, a new ATM land use, parking garage and surface parking SUP requirements in transit districts, school access rules, updated garage and carport regulations, Trinity Mills/Frankford Transit Center updates, decorative utility cabinet rules, a development plan review process, removal of communication tower exemptions, and general corrections.
• During discussion, commissioners expressed concern that parking garages should not be allowed by right in the Historic Square. A friendly amendment was accepted to require a special use permit for parking garages in the Historic Square. The amended text was approved unanimously, 7-0.

Agenda Item 13: Subdivision Ordinance Text Amendments (PLST 2019-X1)

• Staff presented staff-initiated subdivision ordinance text amendments to comply with House Bill 3167 and make minor improvements. Changes included removing the plat filing expiration date, aligning with the 30-day filing requirement, following Texas Local Government Code procedures for residential replat notices, adding conveyance plats, requiring plat purpose statements, updating signature blocks and plat notes, allowing a designee to sign plats, and requiring Planning and Zoning Commission approval for sidewalk waivers.
• Commissioner discussion focused on sidewalk waivers and whether sidewalk construction or escrow should be required. The Commission approved the amendments with the revised result sheet, 7-0.

Other Business / Staff Reports

• Staff reported that the City Council recently approved, by unanimous votes, the Trinity Mills Transit Center text amendments, the indoor car sales use at Sky Lane, and the warehouse on Crescent.

Key Outcomes

• 7-0: Approved meeting minutes and consent agenda.
• 7-0: Approved Crosby Road rezoning with stipulations.
• 7-0: Approved Wisdom Academy SUP amendment with stipulations, including 360-student cap and gate-operation conditions.
• 7-0: Continued Kensington Place to January 2, 2020, with the public hearing open.
• 6-0 each: Continued Kelly Cove companion cases to January 2, 2020; Commissioner Christman recused.
• 5-2: Recommended approval of Kensington Gardens Comprehensive Plan amendment.
• 4-3: Recommended approval of Kensington Gardens zoning amendment.
• 7-0: Approved CZO text amendments with Historic Square parking garage SUP requirement.
• 7-0: Approved Subdivision Ordinance text amendments with revised result sheet.