From
Chris Hartmann
Title
CP151102 - Concept Plan - International Leadership of Texas (City Council District 4). Approve a Concept Plan increasing the size of the International Leadership of Texas charter school to approximately 120,000 sq. ft. The applicant obtained Site Plan approval from City Council in 2014 to construct and operate a 75,705 sq. ft. school facility on 23.797 acres that has yet to be constructed. The 28.51 acre property split zoned Agriculture (A) District and Planned Development (PD-319) District and located within the S.H 360 Corridor Overlay District, is generally located north of Ragland Road and east of S.H. 360. The agent is Brian Huffaker, The Charter School Fund III and the owner is Robert and Lola Elrich. (On November 2, 2015, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of this request by a vote of 6-2).
Presenter
Chief City Planner Jim Hinderaker
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
SUMMARY:
CP151102 - Concept Plan - International Leadership of Texas (City Council District 4).Consider a request to approve a Concept Plan increasing the size of the International Leadership of Texas charter school to approximately 120,000 sq. ft. The applicant obtained Site Plan approval from City Council in 2014 to construct and operate a 75,705 sq. ft. school facility on 23.797 acres that has yet to be constructed. The 28.51 acre property, split zoned Agriculture (A) District and Planned Development (PD-319) District and located within the S.H 360 Corridor Overlay District, is generally located north of Ragland Road and east of S.H. 360.
ADJACENT LAND USES AND ACCESS:
|
Direction |
Zoning |
Existing Use |
|
North |
Agriculture (A) District |
Religious Institution |
|
South |
Agriculture (A) District & PD-319 |
Undeveloped & Gas Well |
|
East |
Agriculture (A) District |
Religious Institution |
|
West |
PD 319 for Commercial (C) District uses |
S.H. 360 & Gas Well |
PURPOSE OF REQUEST:
The Charter School Fund II, the applicant, seeks City Council approval of a Concept Plan application that proposes a significant expansion of the International Leadership of Texas Charter School that has yet to be built. The school is seeking this approval in order to ensure that there is enough city support for the proposed expansion prior to investing the time and resources necessary to prepare a full Site Plan application w/necessary engineering (civil plans) and transportation analysis required for a final review.
BACKGROUND:
On October 14, 2014, the City Council unanimously approved a Site Plan authorizing the development of the Phase I of the International Leadership Charter School, which included the construction of 75,705 sq. ft. school facility and separate dormitory on 23.797 acres.
On October 22, 2015, the Development Review Committee (DRC) administratively approved a 13,500 sq. ft. expansion of the International Leadership of Texas charter school building provided that that the architectural design mirrors the Council approved Site Plan from October 14, 2014 and that the requested access to S.H. 360 be removed from the administratively approved Site Plan amendment.
PROPOSED CONCEPUTAL PLAN:
According to the applicant, the proposed expansion is necessary to accommodate the school’s administrative plans to increase the student enrollment of the school from 800 students to approximately 1600 students (high school students only). See attached Operational Plan for a detailed summary of their proposed expansion.
Building:
The proposal increases the size of the school building from the approved 89,183 sq. ft. to 120,180 sq. ft., necessary to increase in the number of classrooms within the school from 34 to 63. As noted in the Operational Plan, the design and materials of the expanded area will be consistent with the original design of the building.
Land Use & Parking:
The conceptual plan proposes expansion of the 23.797 acre campus by adding a 4.7 acre tract of land located to the west of the existing approval school site. The purpose of the additional land is to accommodate the additional parking space that the expansion of the school will necessitate.
Operation:
As detailed within the Operational Plan, the proposed expansion increases the size of the student body from 800 students to approximately 1600 students and classroom space from 34 rooms to 63 rooms, but all other aspects of the school’s day to day function will remain unchanged from the previous Site Plan approvals.
The applicant proposes, with the addition of the 4.7 acre tract that directly abuts S.H. 360, to modify the Phase I (includes the original October 14, 2014 City Council approved site plan and the October 22, 2015 DRC approved Site Plan amendment) vehicle circulation plan. Based on a traffic study generated by Lee and Associates, the applicate proposes to have parents (student drop-off & pick-up) enter the campus from Ragland Road and exit the property via S.H. 360. The proposal includes two separate queuing lines that parents could immediately access upon entering the property. These queuing lines would then proceed to the school building where children load and unload from the vehicles and then the vehicles would proceed to an existing access on S.H. 360 that is the current access drive to the neighboring Chesapeake gas well site. The other line of vehicles would proceed to a newly proposed access drive to be located at the northwest corner of the property. Staff is not supportive of the school sharing an access drive with an operating gas well pad site. Also, staff was informed by the applicant that TxDOT has not formally taken any action to grant or deny the Charter School the two proposed access points onto S.H. 360
APPEAL:
As part of this Concept Plan request, the applicant seeks approval of a request (see attached Site Plan Amendment (S141001A) Architectural Relief) to modify their previously approved Site Plan(s) to allow the school building to be constructed with temporary façade elements on the portions of the building that are proposed to be added too, as shown on the Site Plan. The applicant has indicated to staff that Phase II will likely be needed after the first two or three years of operation of the school, which the applicant hopes will begin this coming school year starting the fall of 2016.
The applicant states in their relief narrative noted above and attached to this report that the school will commit to construct these architectural elements if Phase II is not completed by the beginning of the school year 2019. While staff understands the reason for the request, due to the increased cost to the school to redo these elements at the time of expansion, staff is not supportive of this appeal as the school building will be missing these elements for at least two or three years. Also, there is no guarantee that Phase II will be built within the timeframe proposed. And finally, while the school states they will add these elements if Phase II is not constructed for the beginning of the school year in 2019, staff suspects that the school would likely seek an extension or full relief from the requirement to add the elements until Phase II is completed.
CONFORMANCE WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
The property is designated as Mixed Use (MU) on the Future Land Use Map (FLUM). The proposal is inconsistent with the FLUM; however, schools are permissible in all zoning district by right.
RECOMMENDATION:
While staff does not oppose the proposed expansion at this conceptual stage, staff is opposed to the school sharing an access drive with an operating gas well site. To that end, staff recommends approval of the Concept Plan with the following conditions:
1. A formal Site Plan application, with the accompanying and necessary transportation/engineering plans, shall be submitted for review, with the applicant obtaining all appropriate approvals, prior to any construction of Phase II.
2. The International Leadership of Texas charter school shall not be permitted to share the existing S.H. 360 access drive with the gas well pad site the operator and as such will need to work with TxDOT to secure a separate access to S.H.360.
3. The International Leadership of Texas charter school shall secure all proposed access drives permits to/from S.H. 360 from TxDOT prior to the submittal of their formal Site Plan application.
4. Phase I of the International Leadership of Texas charter school shall be built as approved with all exterior façade elements included.
Body
Ordiannce No. 9973-2015
Case No. CP151102