HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_P&Z_07.06.2010
Planning & Zoning Commission Agenda / July 6, 2010 Page 1 of 4
City of Georgetown, Texas
Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
Minutes
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 6:00 PM
Council Chambers
101 E. Seventh Street, Georgetown, Texas 78626
Commissioners: Don Padfield, Chair; Porter Cochran, Vice Chair; Annette Montgomery,
Secretary; Brandon Collier, Gene Facey, Pat Armour.
Commissioners in Training: Ercel Brashear
Commissioner(s) Absent: Gregory A. Austin
Commissioner(s) in Training Absent: Sally Pell
Staff Present: Elizabeth Cook, Community Development Director, Jordan Maddox, Planner
III; Valerie Kreger, Principal Planner; David Munk, Development Engineer and Stephanie
McNickle, Recording Secretary.
Chair Padfield called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Chair Padfield stated the order of the meeting and that those who speak must turn in a
speaker form to the recording secretary before the item that they wish to address begins.
Each speaker will be permitted to address the Commission once for each item, for a
maximum of three (3) minutes, unless otherwise agreed to before the meeting begins.
1. Action from Executive Session. There was not an Executive Session.
Consent Agenda
The Consent Agenda includes non-controversial and routine items that the Commission may
act on with one single vote. A Commissioner or any member of the public may request that
any item from the Consent Agenda be pulled in order that the Commission discuss and act
upon it individually as part of the Regular Agenda. The Planning and Zoning Commission's
approval of an item on the Consent Agenda will be consistent with the staff recommendation
described in the report, unless otherwise noted.
2. Consideration of the Minutes of the June 1, 2010, meeting of the Planning and Zoning
Commission.
Motion by Facey to approve the Consent agenda including the June 1, 2010 minutes as
corrected. Second by Collier. Approved. (6-0)
Planning & Zoning Commission Agenda / July 6, 2010 Page 2 of 4
Regular Agenda
3. Public Hearing and Possible Action on a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the
future land use from Medium Density Residential to Employment Center for 39.39 acres in
the Berry Survey, to be known as Grande Offices, located at 1010 County Road 152. CPA-
2010-001 (JM) Staff report by Jordan Maddox. The applicant has requested that the City
amend the Future Land Use Plan for approximately 40 acres off of CR 152 from Moderate
Density Residential to Employment Center. The proposed land use category would
accommodate the requested zoning of Industrial, which is needed for the applicant to fill an
old gravel pit and set up his construction business office at the location. The Industrial
District (IN) will be compatible with the 2030 Plan if the Future Land Use Plan Amendment
to change the property to Employment Center is approved. The site is flat in some areas with
a few trees, but is mostly a large open hole in the ground. The quarry pit gradually gets
deeper towards the eastern boundary, up to approximately 60 feet deep. Depending on
rainfall, much of the pit typically retains a significant amount of water. There are some large
oak trees along the north and west property lines as a natural buffer from surrounding
properties and significant vegetation along the Smith Branch creek to the south. There are
two rural homes nearby, each at least 250 feet from the property line and much further from
the quarry pit and location of the proposed office/truck parking. There is an RV park/RV
storage abutting the northeastern corner of the site, located outside of the city limits. To the
south is the Pecan Branch Creek (and considerable floodplain), where the City of
Georgetown has land for a future linear park and trail system. Staff supports the land use
change from Moderate Density Residential to Employment Center, based on several factors.
The land and surrounding area was originally designated for residential due to the fact that
the City did not serve utilities to the area and was hesitant to plan for anything more intense
than residential. The area is served by Jonah Special Utility District and the City wanted to
make sure that Jonah and a developer’s engineer could prove that any commercial use could
meet commercial fire flow (gallon per minute water flow) prior to approving a more intense
use. Additionally, the City will have less wastewater reach in areas outside of our water
service area and, thus, cannot plan for high density developments.
Chair Padfield invited the applicant to speak. John Gustainis stated he will be glad to answer
questions. He also stated he contacted neighboring property owners and there were no
complaints regarding his application.
Chair Padfield opened the public hearing, no one came forward and the public hearing was
closed.
Motion by Facey to recommend approval of a request to rezone 39.39 acres from Moderate
Density Residential to Employment Center, to be known as Grande Offices, located at 1010 CR
152 and amend the Comprehensive Plan accordingly. Second by Armour. Approved. (6-0)
4. Public Hearing and Possible Action on a Rezoning from AG, Agriculture to IN, Industrial
for 39.39 acres in the Berry Survey, to be known as Grande Offices, located at 1010 County
Road 152. REZ-2010-002 (JM) Staff report by Jordan Maddox. The applicant has requested
that approximately 40 acres off of CR 152 be rezoned from Agriculture District to
Industrial District in order to fill an old gravel pit and set up his construction business
Planning & Zoning Commission Agenda / July 6, 2010 Page 3 of 4
office at the location. The Industrial District will be compatible with the 2030 Plan if the
companion application for a Future Land Use Plan Amendment, to change the property to
Employment Center, is approved. The site is flat in some areas with a few trees, but is
mostly a large open hole in the ground. The quarry pit gradually gets deeper towards the
eastern boundary, up to approximately 60 feet deep. Depending on rainfall, much of the
pit typically retains a significant amount of water. There are some large oak trees along
the north and west property lines as a natural buffer from surrounding properties and
significant vegetation along the Smith Branch creek to the south. There are two rural
homes nearby, each at least 250 feet from the property line and much further from the
quarry pit and location of the proposed office/truck parking. There is an RV park/RV
storage abutting the northeastern corner of the site, located outside of the city limits. To
the south is the Pecan Branch Creek (and considerable floodplain), where the City of
Georgetown has land for a future linear park and trail system. The proposed IN District is
the most intense district in respect to the types of uses allowed to occur. Generally, the
Industrial District is reserved for uses that may contain heavy equipment and trucks,
manufacturing and warehouse uses. The district is required for this particular project
because of the nature of filling and dumping, the occurrence of heavy truck traffic, and the
overnight storage of construction trucks. The applicant has indicated that the future use
for the property, after the fill is completed, will likely be an office or business park of some
kind, with office/warehouses and similar uses. Industrial has considerable setbacks and
contains the largest bufferyard required by the Code along each property line, curtailing
any potential nuisances created on the site. Staff supports the rezoning change from AG to
IN, based on the fact that this land is unusable in its current form. The current quarry pit
is no longer useful for material extraction, and allowing the owner to fill the land to make
it useful in another form is beneficial to the property owner, the tax base, and the
community. Additionally, the City has unimproved parkland to the south of Pecan Branch
Creek (on the southern border of this property) and the unfilled pit could become a safety
hazard if that parkland was developed. The AG District was always intended to be a
zoning placeholder (after annexation) until development is proposed, and this land has no
agriculture capability in its current state. The IN District is suitable for the area due to its
high utility capacity, transportation access.
Chair Padfield opened the public hearing, no one came forward and the public hearing
was closed.
Motion by Montgomery to recommend to Council approval of a request to rezone 39.39
acres from AG, Agriculture to IN, Industrial, to be known as Grande Offices. Second by
Armour. Approved. (6-0)
5. Reminder of the August 3, 2010, Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
Chair Padfield requested agenda item #4 from the June 1st P&Z meeting be brought
forward to this meeting and discussed.
Training and discussion regarding the function of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Liz Cook stated training will be postponed to the July 6th meeting.
Chair Padfield requested staff to have training during the regular Planning and Zoning
meetings as needed.
Planning & Zoning Commission Agenda / July 6, 2010 Page 4 of 4
6. Motion to adjourn at 6:22pm
_____________________________ ______________________________
Approved, Don Padfield, Chair Attested, Annette Montgomery, Secretary