From
Chris Hartmann
Title
S150502 - Site Plan - Bush and Pioneer Centre (City Council District 2). Approve a Site Plan to construct and operate a 189,543 sq. ft. Walmart w/gasoline sales and a pharmacy drive-through as part of an 11-lot retail sales and services center known as the Bush & Pioneer Centre. The subject 32.39 acres are located at the northeast corner of SH 161 and Arkansas Lane and within the SH 161 Corridor Overlay District. The agent is Richard Underwood, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. and the applicant is Michael Allan, Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust. (On May 4, 2015, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of this request by a vote of 8-0.)
Presenter
Chief City Planner Jim Hinderaker
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
SUMMARY:
Consider a request to approve a Site Plan to construct and operate a 189,543 sq. ft. Walmart w/gasoline sales, pharmacy drive-through, auto tire sales/repair, and quick lube and tune, all as part of an 11-lot retail sales and services center known as the Bush & Pioneer Centre. The subject 32.39 acres, zoned Planned Development 351 (PD-351) for Commercial (C) District uses, is located at the northeast corner of SH 161 and Arkansas Lane and within the SH 161 Corridor Overlay District.
ADJACENT LAND USES AND ACCESS:
North - To the north is Pioneer Parkway which is a principal arterial, six-lane divided (P6D) thoroughfare on the City's Master Transportation Plan. The surrounding properties to the north are zoned Commercial (C) District and are primarily developed with Retail Sales and Services Uses.
South - To the south is Arkansas Lane which is a principal arterial, four-lane divided (P4D) thoroughfare on the City's Master Transportation Plan. The surrounding properties to the south are zoned Planned Development 273A (PD-273A) for Single-Family SF-5 uses, multi-family uses (up to 20 acres), General Retail (GR) District uses, and Commercial (C) District uses. A portion of the PD-273A located north of the GPIS John A. Dubiski High School is vacant; however, the balance of the property located south of the subject property is developed with single-family detached housing with a zero side yard setback within the Brookfield North Addition.
East - To the east is Robinson Road which is a minor arterial, four-lane undivided (M4U) thoroughfare on the City's Master Transportation Plan. The surrounding properties to the east are zoned Planned Development 299 (PD-299) for Single-Family Attached and Single-Family Zero Lot Line development. The property is now fully development with single-family detached homes with a zero side-yard setback with the Brookshire Park Addition.
West - To the west is the S.H. 161 frontage road and North Texas Transportation Authority (NTTA) S.H. 161 Interstate.
PURPOSE OF REQUEST:
The applicant is requesting Site Plan approval to construct and operate an 189,543 sq. ft. Walmart supercenter w/gasoline sales, pharmacy drive-through, auto tire sales/repair, and quick lube and tune, all as part of an 11-lot retail sales and services center known as the Bush & Pioneer Centre.
In accordance with Section 16.2.1 of the Article 16 of the Unified Development Code (UDC), site plan approval is required whenever a project is located within a Planned Development District. In addition, development located within a corridor overlay district must meet the minimum requirements prescribed in the UDC for the property's underlying zoning district classification, as applicable, and adhere to the additional architectural standards specified in UDC, Appendix F "Corridor Overlay District Standards." The purpose of the site plan approval is to ensure full compliance with the regulations and standards of the Planned Development 351 (PD-351) and the Unified Development Code, including Appendix F.
PROPOSED USE CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTION:
Site
The 32.39 acre subject property is located at the southeast corner of S.H. 161 and Pioneer Parkway. The property is also bounded on the east by Robison Road and on the south by Arkansas Lane. The property is largely vacant and void of any existing improvements except for vegetation and the TP & L/TESCO 100' power line easement and existing high-voltage overhead power line running north/south through the middle of the property. The site layout attempts to minimize the impact of this easement by placing access roads, drive aisles, and parking spaces within the easement and underneath the power lines. Structures and tall landscaping are prohibited from being placed within the easement.
As being processed by separate final plat application, this site plan will establish 11 commercial lots ranging in size from 0.70 acres to 19.6 acres. The largest lot, which is the site of the future Walmart supercenter, also includes all of the internal access roads that will provide connectivity between the various outlots and the public street system. The fuel lot, a 0.89 acre tract, and the Walmart tract, are the subject of this review. Development of the remaining 9 outlots shall be subject to additional site plan and other applicable review and approvals.
In accordance with the Table 6D of Article 6 of the Unified Development Code, all of the aforementioned lots exceed the minimum lot area requirement of 5,000 square feet, minimum lot width is 50 feet, and minimum lot depth of 100 feet.
Of note, there is a single commercially zoned tract located at the hard corner of S.H. 161 and Pioneer Parkway that is NOT part of this proposal. This tract, while exclusive of the Bush and Pioneer Centre development, exceeds the minimum dimensional standards and is a viable tract that will be processed independent of this application at the time of development. However, access to this tract will be established via the establishment of access easements as part of this review and the final plat review that is being processed concurrently with this application.
Use
The applicant intends to develop a Walmart supercenter store that includes a pharmacy drive-through, auto tire sales/repair, and quick lube & tune services, as well as a gasoline sales (w/canopy and fuel kiosk) outlot on a 20.49-acre portion of a 32.39-acre tract of land located at the northeast corner of Arkansas Lane and S.H. 161. The remaining 11.9-acres is zoned for Commercial (C) District uses, but is not a part of this Site Plan review other than identifying future access points and cross access easements established between the remaining outlots.
Typically, a drive-through, auto tire sales/repair, quick lube & tune services, and gasoline sales require separate specific use permits for each use, however, PD-351 allows for each of these uses as a "Use by Right" provided these uses are ancillary and a part of a large box retailer. The request complies with this requirement.
Access
Access to the site includes two new access points from S. H. 161 frontage road, equally spaced between Pioneer Parkway and Arkansas Lane. While TX Dot has final approval of these access points, no problems are anticipated. An additional two access points that require TX Dot approval are proposed from Pioneer Parkway. One of these access points currently exists and is located between the existing Grace Eye Clinic and the Pioneer Event Center located just west of the QuikTrip located on the hard corner of Pioneer Parkway and Robison Road. The second access point is located approximately 360 feet from the S.H. 161. Only one access point is proposed on Robinson, which currently exists as well. Lastly, a single access point is proposed along Arkansas Lane. This access point is located approximately 550 feet from S.H. 161.
As stated above, the Walmart tract contains all of the on-site internal access roads. All of these internal access roads will be constructed as part of the build out of the Walmart supercenter and fuel outlot. However, the balance of the internal circulation being established by plat and noted on this site plan via access easement across and between the various outlots will be built at the time the individual outlots are developed.
Parking, Loading, and Drive-Thru Queuing
The Walmart supercenter, while oriented to face S.H. 161, abuts Robinson Road. The store's primary parking lot is located in front of the store. Additional parking is located along the north and south side of the building. As mentioned above, there is an existing 100' power line easement that runs through the center of the property. The site layout attempts to minimize the impact of the easement placing access roads, drive aisles, and parking spaces underneath the easement.
In accordance with Article 10 of the UDC, retail sales uses require one (1) parking space per 275 square feet. Based on this parking space standard, the proposed 189,543 square foot store would require a minimum of 690 parking spaces. However, Section 10.7.2 of Article 10 of the UDC limits the maximum number of parking spaces allowed for uses in buildings in excess of 30,000 square feet to no more than 115% of the minimum required parking spaces. Therefore the maximum number of permissible parking spaces for retail sales uses under this request is 794 spaces. As proposed, the Walmart tract includes 759 parking spaces, including 29 handicapped assessable parking spaces. The typical parking space provided is identified as 18 feet deep by 9.5 wide which meet the minimum parking stall size requirement. Of note, the Walmart supercenter will likely include uses other than retail sales in its store, including automotive services and a fast-food restaurant. Staff is comfortable that adequate parking is being provided even though we do not have the minimum square footage of each of these ancillary uses at this time.
The separate loading and unloading area is provided at the back of the building. This loading area conforms to the minimum standards of the UDC. In addition to the dock area located at the back of the building, the site plan includes an enclosed fenced area for the bale pallet recycling. This area is entirely screened from public view by a CMU fence along Robinson Road. In addition to the recycling area, the site plan includes plans to house storage containers that may be necessary to house seasonal and lay away items. As with the recycling area, the storage containers will be screened by the CMU wall along Robinson Road.
A drive-through pharmacy lane is proposed along the north side of the building. The site plan includes six (6) queuing spaces, which conform to the minimum standard of the UDC.
Elevations and Masonry
The proposed building elevations depict a masonry building made primarily of integral colored concrete masonry units. Appendix F of the UDC requires that each building facade, less windows and doors, consist of 100% brick, stone, or tilt-wall concrete. Appendix F further provides that up to 20 % of each façade may include E.F.I.S. Appendix F further stipulates that each building façade, in this case all four building facades are considered primary, to contain both vertical and horizontal articulation as well as windows, parapets, canopies and visible roof structures.
As proposed, the west elevation provides three main entrances into the building. The southernmost entrance accesses directly into the outdoor living area. This façade, less doors and windows, consists of 14,604 square feet, of which 75.9% consists of integral colored, split faced, CMU block; 8% stone and quickbrick; and 16.1% EFIS. The south elevation also provides access to the building's outdoor living area and automotive area. This façade contains 62.1% integral colored, split faced, CMU block; 19.8% stone and quickbrick; and 18.1% EFIS. The east façade is the back of house and it contains 75.9% integral colored, split faced, CMU block; 8.0% stone and quickbrick; and 16.1% EFIS. The north façade contains 63.9% integral colored, split faced, CMU block; 17.4% stone and quickbrick; and 18.7% EFIS.
The building facades include variable height parapets, which meet the minimum requirement to screen roof top equipment; as well as, arch roof entrances features and substantial glazing on the west and south sides. The building facades each incorporates architectural interest with the inclusion of colored banding and numerous pilaster bump outs that break up the horizontal wall expanse. All façade except the east facade, which is the back side of the store, include arcades, covered walkways, awnings, or canopies which is in keeping with the standards of Appendix F.
The proposed 1,440 square foot gas-kiosk and fuel canopy, which includes a pitch-roof, is of a similar design as the Walmart supercenter and utilizes the same materials. The fueling facility will include eight (8) fueling islands. These structures are in keeping with the standards of Appendix F. Outdoor storage is limited to the area as displayed on Exhibit X.
Staff finds, that while the inclusion of the CMU block does not meet the minimum standard of Appendix F, that the building facades do substantial meets the intent of the ordinance.
Landscape and Screening
The landscape and screening requirements of the subject site are governed by the Article 8 and Appendix F of the UDC. As proposed, the total landscape provided is 186,251 square feet which far exceeds the minimum landscape area required of 42,493 square feet. In addition, a 30-foot perimeter landscape buffer will be provided along the backside of Walmart along Robinson as well as in front of the fuel kiosk. The balance of the perimeter landscape buffer will be established as each outlot develops. A minimum 8-foot tall screening wall will also be provided between the store and Robinson Street to screen the back of house operations.
Signage
All signage shown on the site plan and/or building elevations is illustrative only. A separate building permit will be required prior to the placement.
CONFORMANCE WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
The Future Land Use Map (FLUM) of the 2010 Comprehensive Plan designates this area as appropriate for Commercial/Retail/Office (CRO) uses. The proposed zoning change at this location is consistent with the 2010 Comprehensive Plan.
REQUESTED APPEALS BY OWNER/APPLICANT:
1. The primary building materials for all elevations shall consist of integrally colored architectural masonry as shown in the proposed Building Elevations, see Façade Plans.
2. The proposed site screening wall & Bale/Pallet and Organics Recycling Area shall be constructed of material consistent with the building elevations.
3. Outside display of merchandise and outside seasonal sales shall be limited in location per the attached Exhibit X. Outdoor display of merchandise and outside seasonal sales within the proposed parking lot shall be permitted by right between the dates of January 1st and June 30th. Outdoor display of merchandise and outside seasonal sales located outside of the proposed parking lot (within the limits of curb) shall be permitted by right year round.
4. Outside storage shall be as limited in location per the attached Exhibit X. Outside Storage shall be limited to enclosed shipping containers only and be permitted by right between the annual dates of September 1st and February 28th.
5. The building design requirements for arcades, covered walkways, awnings, canopies, or porticos and windows/glazing cannot be fully met on the east, south and north elevations. There is a secondary entrance on the south façade and no public entrances on the north or west (rear) facades. The rear of the store is generally considered back-of-house operations and is well buffered with site screen wall and landscaping.
6. The stone requirement is not fully met on the east, south and north elevations. Again the sides and rear facades are generally considered secondary in nature to the front (primary) façade facing SH 161.
RECOMMENDATION:
While the Development Review Committee cannot recommend full support due to the noted appeals, staff is supportive of the development as proposed with the following conditions:
1. Provide additional landscaping to better screen the parking-lot Outdoor Display Area.
2. Better define scope of Outdoor Storage Area.
3. Outlots subject to full site plan review at time of development.