Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-06-17 PLANNING AND ZONING June 17, 2003 MINUTES The regular meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order by Chairman Richard McNeese at 6:30 p.m. for consideration of scheduled items in the Council Chambers in Building "B" of the Municipal Building. Chairman Richard McNeese stated there was a quorum of members of the Planning and Zoning Commission present. MEMBERS AND STAFF PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: Chairman Richard McNeese Monty Huffman Vice Chairman Mike Grove Tony May Bill Tarin Ron Hughes Perry Bynum Mike Collins, Director of Planning & Development Eric Wilhite, Planning & Development Manager Ron Young, Director of Public Works Robert Barker, City Engineer Bill Ridgway, Director of Economic Development Paul Smith, Fire Marshal Karla Allen, Administrative Secretary VISITORS: Walt McMennamy, QuikTrip; Steve Walker, QuikTrip; Jaime Garcia, Pete's Chicken-n- More; Bryan Klein, ION Design. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND INVOCATION: The Pledge of Allegiance was given by Chairman McNeese and Invocation was given by Vice Chairman Grove. ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES for called meeting of June 3, 2003. Commissioner Hughes made a motion to approve minutes for called meeting of June 3, 2003. Vice Chairman Grove seconded the motion. The vote was as follows: Ayes: Chairman McNeese, Vice Chairman Grove, Commissioners Hughes and Bynum Nays: None Abstention: Commissioner Tarin The motion carried (4-0-1). Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes Page 2 June 17, 2003 ITEM 2 CASE #03-10-SUP — HOLD PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT AND CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION FOR AN ORDINANCE Receive public input regarding a request for a SPECIFIC USE PERMIT on J.M. Cummings Survey, A-302, portion of Tracts 5B & 5C, for a CONVENIENCE STORE W/GASOLINE SALES in C-1 (Neighborhood Business District) zoning, and consider a recommendation regarding an Ordinance. This property is located on 1100 blk. of N. Industrial Blvd. Chairman McNeese opened the public hearing. Mike Collins, Director of Planning and Development, gave a brief overview of the case. The applicant is QuikTrip and they are requesting approval of the Specific Use Permit to operate a convenience store. The property is zoned C-land by the ordinance it requires a Specific Use Permit to operate a convenience store within the C-1 zoning district. The location of the tract for the proposed use is a 1.7-acre tract located on the northeast corner of Harwood and Hwy 157. The applicant would propose to construct a building approximately 4,900 square foot that would face Hwy 157. The site plan, which the Commission will be considering as part of the next formal consideration, meets all the technical requirements. There are two points of ingress/egress off of Harwood Rd. Staff has worked closely with the applicant and it will be necessary to modify the existing median that has been constructed to allow east bound Harwood traffic to turn left into the site for the eastern portion which will also serve as a mutual access for the property that is developed to the east. The ingress/egress point closest to Hwy 157 will be a right turn only in and out of the facility. The other point of ingress/egress would be off of Hwy 157. The proposed hours of operation for the convenience store will be 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Chairman McNeese asked if the applicant or representative would come forward for any comments. Walt McMennamy, QuikTrip, 6014 Ridge Top Ln., Garland, stated that he has worked with many different cities in the metroplex and it has been a pleasure working with the staff at Euless. Mr. McMennamy stated they have been a privately held company since 1958 and have over 400 stores nationwide. They are recognized for their clean facilities, restrooms and products provided. They are very active in the communities where the stores are located. QuikTrip believes in promoting employees from within the company and they have been recognized as the 41st out of 100 companies for the best company to work for. Their major concern is outside sales and displays. Mr. McMennamy stated that the majority of sales for soft drinks come from the outside display and sales. They have displays located under the canopy in the front of the store and between the pumps. Mr. McMennamy stated they are willing to limit the number of products and height of products for the SUP. Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes Page 3 June 17, 2003 Mike Collins, Director of Planning and Development, asked Mr. McMennamy to detail the type of display unit and if the beverages would be freestanding. Mr. McMennamy stated they would be freestanding and wrapped. They are neatly stacked and the signs are neatly applied. Mike Collins, Director of Planning and Development, asked Mr. McMennamy if the customer has the option to purchase the beverage outside at the pump at the same time they are purchasing the gas or do they have to come into the store to purchase the beverages. Mr. McMennamy stated they have sold a large volume of beverages from these displays and would have to purchase the beverages from inside the store. Chairman McNeese asked for any proponents to come forward for comments. Seeing none Chairman McNeese asked for any opponents to come forward for comments. Rezman Meir, 801 Edury Ct., Euless, stated he did not want to have another convenience store/gas station within a mile radius when there are already so many. He stated he did not want to see another station close like so many have done recently. Chairman McNeese closed the public hearing. Commissioner Tarin asked Mr. McMennamy why they would need to have the outside sales if the customer still has to go into the store to purchase these items. Commissioner Tarin stated he did not see the advantage of having the products on display outside the store if the customer has to go inside the store anyway to purchase it. Mr. McMennamy stated they do not have a problem with limiting the outside sales to only the soft drinks. Mr. McMennamy stated QuikTrip is not a typical community store or gas station. They sell in very high volumes, the store is more like a grocery store, and they also have similar sales as other stores do for products and gas. Commissioner Tarin asked where they purchase their gas. Mr. McMennamy stated they purchase their gas from the same refineries as Mobil and Exxon. They do not have their own private refinery. Commissioner Hughes asked if the idea is for the customer to see the sale, come into the store and purchase the item and have the convenience of putting the case of soft drinks in the vehicle from the display so they do not have to carry them from the store. Mr. McMennamy stated it does provide convenience for the customer as well as provides high sales for the store. Commissioner Hughes asked if there would be any alcohol sales in these displays. Mr. McMennamy stated it would all be non-alcoholic. Commissioner Hughes asked if they provide services such as air and water. Mr. McMennamy stated they do provide free air and water. Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes Page 4 June 17, 2003 Commissioner Hughes asked if they sold any hot food or prepackaged foods in the store. Mr. McMennamy stated they provide a variety of prepackaged foods and no food is prepared on site. Vice Chairman Grove asked what was the percentage of food sales versus gas sales. Steve Walker, QuikTrip, 1717 Newton Dr., Flower Mound, stated the typical store will be approximately 45-50% merchandise to 55% outside sales (fuel). There are also some stores that have 70% merchandise to 30% outside sales. This store, based on the demographics, should be 40% merchandise to 60% outside sales. Commissioner Bynum asked if they anticipate any traffic flow problems from the access off Hwy 157. Mr. McMennamy stated they did not perform a traffic study but they have looked at other sites with the same traffic flow and there was not any problems being that far off the corner. Chairman McNeese stated he likes the clean look of a store and understands what they want to do with the outside sales but the ordinance limiting outside sales was established for a reason. Chairman McNeese stated that if they grant the outside sales then other business owners that have not had the ability to have outside sales would need to be addressed. Mike Collins, Director of Planning and Development, stated that staff would be concerned it will set a precedent for other retail business operations. The applicant has provided information that would suggest that under specific conditions some limited outside sales could be more acceptable. Walt McMennamy stated they have been in other communities before and wondered why they could not have the same as the other retailers. It just happened they were going into zoning that did not require a SUP. They were offered the opportunity to go back through the variance process and had various stipulations applied to the variance. Vice Chairman Grove made a motion to approve case #03-10-SUP with the following condition: 1) Outside sales not allowed. Commissioner Hughes seconded the motion. The vote was as follows: Ayes: Chairman McNeese, Vice Chairman Grove, Commissioners Tarin, Hughes, and Bynum Nays: None Abstention: None The motion carried (5-0-0). Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes Page 5 June 17, 2003 ITEM 3 CASE #03-06-SP — CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION FOR A SITE PLAN Consider a recommendation regarding a request for a SITE PLAN for CONVENIENCE STORE W/GASOLINE SALES proposed to be located at J.M. Cummings Survey, A-302, portion of Tracts 5B & 5C, 1100 blk. of N INDUSTRIAL BLVD. Chairman McNeese advised this case was for the same applicant as Item 2 and asked staff if the site plan met all the requirements. Mike Collins, Director of Planning and Development, stated the site plan meets all the technical requirements. Commissioner Hughes stated the site plan shows a dedication right-of-way for a right turn lane on Harwood in the future and it show a common access off Harwood and asked if the applicant was in consensus with the site plan and the plan for the city streets. Walt McMennamy stated they are proposing to accept the layout of the design on the site plan. Commissioner Hughes made a motion to approve case #03-06-SP. Commissioner Tarin seconded the motion. The vote was as follows: Ayes: Chairman McNeese, Vice Chairman Grove, Commissioners Tarin, Hughes and Bynum Nays: None Abstention: None The motion carried (5-0-0). ITEM 4 CASE #03-07-SP — CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION FOR A SITE PLAN Consider a recommendation regarding a request for a SITE PLAN for RESTAURANT proposed to be located at St. Michael's Subdivision, Block B, Lot 1, W Euless Blvd and Hospital Parkway. Mike Collins, Director of Planning and Development, gave a brief overview of the case. The applicant is Pete's Chicken-N-More, representative and owner is Jaime Garcia. They would propose to operate a restaurant with a drive-thru. The location for the proposed use would be the northeast corner of S. Hospital Pkwy. and Hwy 10. The site is approximately 9/10 of an acre and there is a primary ingress/egress off of Hwy 10 on the southeast portion of the site with another point of ingress/egress off of Hospital Pkwy. The site plan meets all technical requirements and staff is recommending approval. Special interest to the Commission is the relationship of the residential areas located to the north of this property. TX-10 zoning standards require that a six foot masonry screening wall be erected with a ten foot landscape buffer for both aesthetic Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes Page 6 June 17, 2003 reasons and to mitigate any noise coming from this facility and staff has worked closely with the applicant to address those specific issues. Bryan Klein, ION Design, 2800 N. Henderson Ave., Dallas, stated this site is of an unusual shape. As a result there is only one practical way to lay out the design with the topography, presence of the neighborhood to the north, access to Hwy 10, maintaining the fire lane through the site and the drive-thru circulation. The residential area adjacent was incorporated into this site with thoughts of limited lighting, masonry screening wall and landscape buffering. Jaime Garcia, Pete's Chicken-N-More, 1254 Bluebonnet, Fort Worth, stated this is a franchise business established out of Corpus Christi, Texas that was started in 1974. This is an owner/operator business that makes this operation more unique from others. Mr. Garcia explained the operation of how others within the business can own their own business as well. The hours of operation for this facility will be Monday - Thursday, 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.; Friday— Saturday, 11:00 a.m. — 12:00 a.m.; Closed on Sunday. The speaker box system registers the noise level when a customer drives up and will adjust based on that level. Mr. Garcia stated they will do whatever it takes to make sure the noise level of the speaker box and lights are not disturbing to the neighboring residents. Vice Chairman Grove asked if the applicant would give more consideration to some of the landscaping for a buffer. Eric Wilhite, Planning and Development Manager, stated there would be a few more trees added to the site plan. There have been discussions with the applicant to put more significant types of material such as a crepe myrtle or a wax myrtle along with some fountain grasses or other type of materials. Vice Chairman Grove asked what the minimum caliper inch was for the live oaks. Eric Wilhite, Planning and Development Manager, stated a live oak or any large tree that is required is three-inch caliper. Commissioner Hughes stated he was looking forward to this restaurant. Commissioner Hughes stated he has spoken with John Lewis who lives adjacent to this proposed property and asked if the applicant would provide a possible eight-foot fence along Mr. Lewis' property to provide additional buffering. Jaime Garcia stated he would like to stay with the six-foot fence that is in compliance with the ordinance. Mr. Garcia stated he would speak with Mr. Lewis and they do check the speaker box level twice a day along with a micro-processing chip that automatically adjusts the level of the speaker depending on the outside noise. Commissioner Tarin asked if there was a possibility for the speaker box to disturb the neighbors and asked if the speaker box can be adjusted manually. Mr. Garcia stated they could override the speaker box. Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes Page 7 June 17, 2003 Commissioner Hughes asked what the color scheme would be for the building. Mr. Garcia stated the stucco walls will be a neutral color and where they have the awnings will be a red tint. Commissioner Tarin stated he was also looking forward for this development. Commissioner Tarin made a motion to approve case #03-07-SP. Commissioner Bynum seconded the motion. The vote was as follows: Ayes: Chairman McNeese, Vice Chairman Grove, Commissioners Tarin, Hughes and Bynum Nays: None Abstention: None The motion carried (5-0-0). ITEM 5 REPORTS There were no reports. ITEM 6 DIRECTOR'S REPORT There were no reports. There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. 7-/5 off Ch irman cNeese Date