Carrollton Planning & Zoning Commission Telephonic Meeting – August 6, 2020

The City of Carrollton Planning & Zoning Commission met by teleconference/Zoom on August 6, 2020, with a staff briefing at 6:00 p.m. and the regular meeting called to order at 7:02 p.m. and adjourned at 8:06 p.m. Eight of nine commissioners were present; Commissioner Romo was absent. Every item on the posted agenda requiring action was approved unanimously. The posted agenda listed approval of the July 2, 2020 meeting minutes; no minutes document was supplied with the packet, but the commission voted to approve them.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke on the AutoZone special use permit (Item 3) or the Heritage at Creek Valley PD amendment (Item 4).
• On the food truck ordinance amendment (Item 5), Al Overhook of 2216 Ridgewood, Carrollton, supported the proposed two-food-truck cap for breweries, arguing that unlimited trucks would create a food court and compete with existing restaurants.
• John Royer, owner/managing partner of Three Nations Brewing at 1033 E. Vandergriff, Carrollton, thanked staff and said the proposed food truck update would generally help downtown Carrollton businesses. He also raised a concern: under new state/TABC COVID rules, breweries must operate as full-time dine-in restaurants with a majority of food sold over alcohol, but food trucks operate only two to four hours during high-traffic periods and cannot provide open-to-close service. He noted that food trailers are treated differently from food trucks by the city, and because trailers were not included in the posted amendment, that issue could not be considered; he said this could mean continued shutdown and potential layoffs for Three Nations.

Discussion Items

• Minutes (July 2, 2020): The commission reviewed the minutes; no corrections were offered. Commissioner Denham (transcribed in places as 'Dennill') moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Chadwick; the vote was unanimous.
• Item 2 – PLPP 2020-82, Carrollton Gateway preliminary plat: Staff coordinator Mike McCauley presented a request for final action on a preliminary plat for an approximately 9.673-acre tract at the southwest corner of North Broadway and Dickerson Street. The plat would create three lots, each to be developed through a separate final plat, and staff said it conformed to subdivision regulations and recommended approval. The commission approved it unanimously.
• Item 3 – PLSUP 2020-35, AutoZone special use permit: Staff coordinator Molly Coryell presented a request for a special use permit for automobile parts sales on an approximately 4.64-acre tract zoned LR-2 at 2770 East Trinity Mills Road. She explained that the original June 18, 2020 hearing had been improperly advertised, so the case was being reheard. AutoZone proposed landscape improvements along East Trinity Mills Road, two new landscaping islands perpendicular to the fire lane, and a raised parapet to screen rooftop units. Staff recommended approval, and the case was scheduled for City Council on August 13, 2020. No public speakers appeared; the commission closed the hearing and approved the permit with staff stipulations unanimously.
• Item 4 – PLZ 2020-45, Heritage at Creek Valley revised PD amendment: Staff presented a request to amend PD-123 on an approximately 4.5-acre tract at the northeast corner of State Highway 121 and Creek Valley Boulevard to revise the conceptual plans and development standards for a continuing care retirement community/assisted living facility for the elderly. Staff recounted that the site was zoned for retail in 1992, PD-123 was amended in 2014 to allow the continuing care/assisted living use, and amended again earlier in 2020 before the applicant requested further revisions. The revised design changes the building to three stories on all sides (previously two stories on the east side adjacent to the single-family neighborhood), reduces total square footage from 150,000 to a little over 132,000 square feet, keeps 140 units, increases setbacks to approximately 103 feet from Indian Run Drive, 58 feet from State Highway 121, and 43 feet on the north, and keeps the building height at 36 feet, below the 50-foot maximum. Staff added stipulations addressing landscaping, carport/dumpster locations, and rooftop screening and removed a clock-tower reference. Applicant Grant Reginado of Direct Supply Aptura, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, expressed support for the revised plan, explaining that design changes were driven by the detention pond and expansive soils, and that the new footprint allowed a larger setback and landscape buffer and a fully looped driveway for emergency access. Commissioner Kaiser asked whether the soils engineer was local and familiar with North Texas expansive clay; the applicant confirmed the engineer was from the Dallas area. No public comments were received; the commission closed the hearing and approved the amendment with staff stipulations unanimously.
• Item 5 – PLZT 2020-086, CZO food truck amendment: Staff presented a city-initiated text amendment to Article XXVIII of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. Staff cited benefits of food trucks to downtowns and breweries, noting that breweries in Allen, Lewisville, and Plano have food trucks. The amendment would allow food trucks on property where a brewery is the primary use, with a maximum of two food trucks per brewery site; replace the current 100-foot-from-approved-restroom requirement with a requirement to follow the applicable international code on restroom location; and limit food truck operation on brewery sites to the brewery's hours of operation. Existing restaurant-site food truck rules, including no numerical limit, would remain unchanged. Commissioners Denham, Kaiser, and Diamond questioned why breweries would be capped at two while restaurants had no cap, with Commissioner Kaiser calling the distinction arbitrary. Staff, including director Robbie Shaw, responded that the cap was requested by the brewery applicant and intended to prevent brewery sites from becoming permanent food courts, and that the Transit-Oriented Development subcommittee had endorsed two trucks. Staff also confirmed each food truck must have a commissary for clean water and wastewater, and that a small sandwich board next to the truck generally would not be regulated by the sign ordinance. After public testimony, the commission closed the hearing and approved the amendment with the revised result sheet unanimously.

Staff Reports / Other Business

• Staff reported on recent City Council actions: a residence hotel SUP was approved July 7; two warehouse cases were approved July 21; and the Gateway special development plan previously considered by the commission was approved unanimously by the City Council two days before this meeting. Commissioner Kaiser asked about a turn-lane condition; staff said the City Council removed it as part of its approval.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the July 2, 2020 meeting minutes unanimously.
• Approved PLPP 2020-82 (Carrollton Gateway preliminary plat) unanimously.
• Approved PLSUP 2020-35 (AutoZone special use permit) with staff stipulations unanimously.
• Approved PLZ 2020-45 (Heritage at Creek Valley revised PD amendment) with staff stipulations unanimously.
• Approved PLZT 2020-086 (food truck CZO amendment) with the revised result sheet unanimously.
• Adjourned at 8:06 p.m.