From
Chris Hartmann
Title
S160304 - Site Plan - 501 Fountain Pkwy (City Council District 1). Approval of a Site Plan authorizing a 50,000 sq.ft. warehouse expansion to the existing approximately 160,000 sq.ft. Siemens industrial warehouse facility. The property, zoned Light Industrial (LI) District and within the S.H. 360 Corridor Overlay District, is generally located east of S.H. 360 and south of Fountain Parkway. The agent is Clayton Strolle, Pacheco Koch and the owner is Steven Ngo, Siemens Corporation. (On March 7, 2016, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of this request by a vote of 9-0).
Presenter
Chief City Planner Jim Hinderaker
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
SUMMARY:
Approval of a Site Plan authorizing a 50,000 sq.ft. warehouse expansion to the existing approximately 160,000 sq.ft. Siemens industrial warehouse facility. The property, zoned Light Industrial (LI) District and within the S.H. 360 Corridor Overlay District, is generally located east of S.H. 360 and south of Fountain Parkway.
ADJACENT LAND USES AND ACCESS:
North - Fountain Parkway, a four-lane divided principal arterial (P4D) directly abuts the subject property to the north. Farther north is an Ashley Furniture retail/warehouse facility.
South - The property to the south is zoned Light Industrial (LI) District and is developed with industrial uses.
East - The property to the east is zoned Light Industrial (LI) District and is developed with industrial uses.
West - S.H. 360 lies directly west of the subject property. The property on the opposite side of the highway is zoned Multi-Family One (MF-1) and Light Industrial (LI) District.
PURPOSE OF REQUEST:
The applicant, Siemens Corporation, is seeking City Council approval of a Site Plan application for a 50,000 sq. ft. expansion to the existing 160,000 sq.ft. industrial property located within the S.H. 360 Corridor Overlay District. 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 designated Corridor Overlay District.
PROPOSED CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTION:
Use
The proposed 50,000 sq. ft. building expansion to the property is intended to provide needed space for the growing business. No changes to the existing warehousing and assembly uses are proposed. The overall operations of the property will remain the same.
Site and Dimension Standards
The 17.773 acre property is currently platted as Lot 2, Block 1 of the Bell Helicopter - Textron Industrial Park Addition; however, as part of a separate application review process, the Development Review Committee administratively approved a replat of the property that has yet to be recorded. The purpose of the replat was to establish additional easements. In regards to the building expansion, as submitted, all minimum/maximum dimensional standards are met.
Building
The proposed 50,000 sq. ft. industrial building expansion is a concrete tilt-wall constructed structure with panel surface reveals. Like the existing building, the expansion is a single-story structure and will range in height from 31-feet 3-inches to 33-feet 9-inches from finished floor to roof parapet. The new building expansion also features one (1) articulation zone located at the northwest corner of the building. The articulation zone meets or exceeds the minimum required vertical and horizontal wall articulation requirements of Appendix F of the UDC. The finished façade of the articulation zone is primarily stone, which exceeds the minimum 15% required by Appendix F. The loading docks to the industrial space are located on the south side of the building and are not readily visible from S.H. 360. For this reason, the applicant is seeking a waiver of the requirement to install an 8-foot tall loading dock screening barrier (berm, wall, and/or landscaping).
Access and Parking
The facility will have a total of four (4) access points from the public road system. Three (3) are located along Fountain Parkway and a single new drive is proposed along the S.H. 360 frontage road. While TxDOT approval is required for this access drive, staff supports this drive approach from S.H. 360 as it exceeds the minimum spacing requirements from existing driveways and intersections.
In regards to on-site parking, the UDC requires, for warehouse uses within buildings 25,000 sq. ft. or larger, that 20 parking spaces plus one (1) space for each additional 5,000 sq. ft. be provided on site. Once the expansion is complete, approximately 21,012 sq. ft. of the facility will be used for office and the balance for warehouse and assembly. Based on these calculations the 210,123 sq. ft. building requires 62 parking spaces. The facility will have 124 spaces.
Fencing, Buffers, and Landscaping
In accordance with Section 4.B.2 of Appendix F of the UDC, all parking or drive areas shall be located a minimum of 30-foot from the right-of-way line of public streets. In this case, a 30-foot landscape buffer is required along S.H. 360 and Fountain Parkway. The applicant proposes to maintain the existing mature landscaping located along S.H. 360 that ranges in depth from approximately 200-feet to 330-feet, in lieu of provided a 30-foot buffer along Fountain Parkway. The applicant seeks a waiver of the 30-foot landscape buffer along Fountain Parkway in order to expand the parking lot to the west at the same distance from Fountain Parkway as the existing parking area. All other landscaping requirements are met.
Dumpster Enclosure
A new dumpster enclosure is being provided.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
The subject property is designated as appropriate for Light Industrial uses on the Future Land Use Map (FLUM). The proposal is consistent with the plan.
REQUESTED APPEALS BY APPLICANT:
1. Loading Dock Screening - A waiver of the required 8-foot tall x 53-foot long loading dock screening berm, wall or landscaping.
2. Landscape Buffer - A reduction of the 30-foot landscape buffer along Fountain Parkway to match the approximately 8-foot setback of the existing parking lot.
RECOMMENDATION:
Since the applicant is requesting the above noted appeals, the Development Review Committee is not able to recommend full approval of this case.