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1404 - April 17 PLANNING & DEVELOPME NT DEPARTMENT 102 WEST MAIN STREET  PRATTVILLE, ALABAMA 36067  334-361-3613  334-361 -3677 FACSIMILE planning.prattvilleal.gov C ITY O F P RA TTV ILLE P LA N N IN G C OMM IS S IO N A GEN D A April 17, 2014 3:00pm Call to Order: Roll Call: Mayor Gillespie, Councilman Boles, Chairman Smith, Vice-Chairman Gardner, Chief Johnson, Mrs. Carpenter, Mr. Hall, Mr. McAuley, Mr. Nelson, and Mr. Smith. Minutes: March 20, 2014 Old Business: 1. Sketch Plan: Estate of Marjorie Cobb & Dorothy Jones Location: 2578 Cobbs Ford Road Owner: Estate of Marjorie Cobb & Dorothy Jones Representative: Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Held District 5 New Business: 2. Rezoning: B-2 (General Business) & R-5 (Patio Garden Homes) to R-4 (Multi Family) Location: McQueen Smith Road and Cobbs Ford Road Owner: Aronov Land Company, Inc. Representative: MHL, Inc. Public Hearing District 5 3. Re-Plat: Habitat for Humanity MeHarry Plat 1 Location: 201 MeHarry Street Owner: Autauga County Habitat for Humanity Representative: Alabama Land Survey, Inc. Miscellaneous: Adjourn: Approved 6/19/14 Prattville Planning Commission April 17, 2014 Page 1 of 3 CITY OF PRATTVILLE PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES April 17, 2014 Call to order: Chairman Tim Smith called the meeting to order at 3:01 p.m. Roll Call: The secretary called the roll. Present: Mayor Bill Gillespie, Chairman Tim Smith, Chief Dallis Johnson, Mrs. Paula Carpenter, Mr. Gene Hall, Mr. Roy McAuley, and Mr. Bobby Nelson. Absent: Councilman Ray Boles, and Vice-Chairman Reuben Gardner. (Quorum present) Staff present: Mr. Joel Duke, City Planner and Ms. Alisa Morgan, Secretary. Minutes: None Old Business: 1. Sketch Plan: Estate of Marjorie Cobb & Dorothy Jones Location: 2578 Cobbs Ford Road Owner: Estate of Marjorie Cobb & Dorothy Jones Representative: Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood At the previous meeting, (March 20, 2014) the sketch plan was held and sent to committee for further review. The committee members appointed were Mr. McAuley, Chief Johnson and Chairman Smith. Mr. McAuley represented the committee and provided a report. He stated that the committee met with the developer and requested a road connecting to Cobbs Ford Road at a point east of Legends Parkway and that any future development will require a traffic study. Mr. Duke stated that the petitioner had submitted a letter of agreement with the committee’s recommendations. Mr. McAuley moved to remove the sketch plan of the Estate of Marjorie Cobb & Dorothy Jones from the table and moved for its approval. Chief Johnson seconded the motion. The motion to approve passed unanimously. New Business: 2. Rezoning: B-2 (General Business) & R-5 (Patio Garden Homes) to R-4 (Multi Family) Location: McQueen Smith Road and Cobbs Ford Road Petitioner: MHL, Inc. Greg Gillian of Larry Speaks & Associates, Inc., petitioner’s representative, presented the rezoning requests for property at McQueen Smith Road and Cobbs Ford Road, north of Pecan Ridge Subdivision. He stated that the proposed rezoning request was for 6.1 acres (indicated on map in blue). He stated that 1.2 acres was dedicated to wetlands. He stated that the petitioner proposes to extend Heather Drive to Cobbs Ford Road. He stated that the current R-5 zoning on the south side of Heather Drive will remain as zoned. He stated that the currently zoned R-4 10.2 Approved 6/19/14 Prattville Planning Commission April 17, 2014 Page 2 of 3 acre parcel adjacent to the subject property is propose to be 96 apartment units offered as Phase 1. Phase 2 would include the existing R-4 parcel and the subject parcel and consist of 64 units on the proposed rezoned property. Tom Gladis, petitioner representative, presented a written outline of the proposal (made a part of the minutes). Mr. Duke presented the staff report. He stated that the rezoning request was for six acres west of existing R-4 property. He stated that the property was part of the Prattville East Addition subdivision, which received its initial sketch plan and present zoning configuration of B-2, R-3, R- 5 and R-4 in 1992. He stated that the existing B-2 zoning allows for apartment use as a use-on- appeal approval. Chairman Smith opened the public hearing. The following public comments were offered by adjacent property owners and concerned citizens who spoke in opposition to the rezoning request. The comments may be summarized as concern for security and safety of the neighborhood, the effect of imminent increase in traffic, the need for road improvements to McQueen Smith Road, the proposed growth’s effect on the only school in the district (Daniel Pratt Elementary School) and the effect the proposed development would have on the existing sewer system in the area. Speakers Rob Mays, 845 Dee Drive Todd Childers, 1918 Tara Drive Debra Paggett, 111 Doss Court Charles Schrichte, 1929 Tara Drive Eleanor Ballow, 814 Dee Drive Amanda Senn, 825 Dee Drive David Gatch, 843 Dee Drive Paul Beckman, 1803 Tara Drive Stan Boysen, 1860 Sanford Drive Josh Dobbs, 114 Dellwood Court Clyde Chambliss, 1756 Plantersville Court, District 6 Councilman, read letters of opposition from Travis & Gretchen Owens, 842 Heather Drive and Pat & Pam Shirley, 842 Seasons Drive. Brandon Marvin, 825 Heather Drive Jon Lee Finnegan, 211 Deer Trace Catherine Black, 107 Melvina Place The public hearing was closed. Also, letters of opposition was received from Ronald and Melissa Short, 107 Doss Court, Debra Kersey, 107 Doss Court, Betty Pelt, 116 Doss Court and email from Brandon Marvin, brandon.marvin@live.com. Mr. McAuley introduced a resolution recommending approval of the rezoning of McQueen Smith Road and Cobbs Ford Road from B-2 & R-5 to R-4 and moved for its approval. Councilman Boles seconded the motion. Councilman Boles moved to hold the request and send to committee for further review. Mr. McAuley seconded the motion. Approved 6/19/14 Prattville Planning Commission April 17, 2014 Page 3 of 3 The motion to hold passed unanimously. Chairman Smith appointed Councilman Boles, Mr. McAuley and Chief Johnson to the subcommittee for the rezoning. 3. Re-Plat: Habitat for Humanity MeHarry Plat 1 Location: 201 MeHarry Street Owner: Autauga County Habitat for Humanity Representative: Alabama Land Survey, Inc. Mr. Duke presented the request for re-plat for Habitat for Humanity MeHarry Plat 1. He stated that property was originally platted in the College Heights neighborhood as two 25’ wide lots and the proposed re-plat was to combine those two lots into one lot. Mr. McAuley moved to approve the re-plat of the Habitat for Humanity MeHarry Plat 1. Chief Johnson seconded the motion. The motion to approve passed unanimously. Miscellaneous Business: Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 4:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Alisa Morgan, Secretary Prattville Planning Commission CITY OF PRATTVILLE Planning Commission Planning Department Staff Report SKETCH PLAN/ REZONING APPLICATION Cobb/Jones Estate Sketch Plan – 140014 Rezoning – RZ-2014-02 DATE March 17, 2014 PROPOSED DEVLOPMENT Petitioner: Estate of Marjorie Cobb and Dorothy Jones Property Owner: Estate of Marjorie Cobb and Dorothy Jones Agent: Goodwyn, Mills, and Cawood, Inc. Location: East side of Red Eagle Road, south of and adjacent to Cobb/ Jones Subdivision on the south side of Cobbs Ford Rd. West of and adjacent to I-65. See attached map. Development Status and History Submission Status: Initial submission for currently configured 135.2 acre parcel. 8.26 acres in SW corner Cobbs Ford Rd/I- 65intersection previously leased for hotel site (presently Hampton Inn). 8.43 acres along Cobbs Ford Rd frontage previously sold and developed as Cobb/Jones Property, Plats 1 – 3. Previous Approvals: Cobb/Jones Property, Plats 1 – 3 Conditions of Previous Approvals: Access to five lots in Cobb/Jones Property limited to the Cobbs Ford Rd service road and a new street (Cobb Boulevard) Property Configuration Acreage: 135.2 acres Proposed Number of Lots and Configuration: Proposed sketch plan divides the property into three primary land uses, commercial (general business), multi- family residential, and single-family residential, covering 113.8 acres or 84.2% of the property. The remaining 21.4 acres contain sections considered undevelopable due to Page 2 of 7 steep slopes, drainageways, power easements or wetlands, and vegetated buffers and open space. The complete breakdown is shown below. Commercial 33.3 acres Multi-family residential 20.2 acres Single-family residential 50.3 acres Typical 60’ x 120’ lots 38.0 acres (154 units) Typical 70’ x 170’ lots 22.3 acres (45 units) Buffers/Open Space 9.1 acres Undevelopable sections 8.5 acres Alabama Power Co. power line easement 3.8 acres Each of the proposed developed land uses has access to Redfield Road. The proposed layout places the 33.3 acres of commercial directly south of the previously developed Cobb/Jones subdivision with additional access from Cobb Boulevard. Other access may be available via the property leased to Williams Prattville Motels, LLC. The multi-family residential 20.2 acres is located between the commercial and proposed single-family. No roadway connections are shown with the commercial or apartment uses. The single-family residential is configured around a looped street with two connections to Redfield Road. No roadway connections are shown from the single-family residential to the apartment or commercial uses. Proposed Uses: Commercial, Multi-family and Single-family residential Consistency with Adopted Future Land Use Plan The Future Land Plan/Map in Section 2.2 of the Prattville Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Planning Commission on January 21, 2010 shows the subject property as Commercial and Mixed Use - Transitional. The requested zoning of B-2, General Business is consistent with the adopted plan. The requested residential uses are also consistent with the plan. Additional comments and explanation are provided in the staff comment section. Page 3 of 7 Current Zoning: Only the northern 45 acres ± of the property is located in the Prattville city limits. This area is zoned FAR, Forest, Agricultural and Recreation. The remaining 90 acres is located outside the city limits and cannot be zoned by the city. Required Zoning: The requested sketch plan layout requires a rezoning from FAR to B-2 to accommodate the proposed 33.3 acre commercial parcel. Application RZ-2014-02 to rezone the commercial tract accompanied the sketch plan application. The proposed multi-family and single-family residential uses can be accommodated by an R-4 designation once the remainder of the property is annexed. Surrounding Developments and Uses: North: Five commercial parcels in the Cobb Jones Property plat – Zoned B-2 South: Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail/Capitol Hill Course – Zoned FAR East: Interstate 65 – No zoning West: Prattville Town Center and Eastwood Subdivision – Zoned B-2 Street Extensions or New Streets: The proposed sketch plan provides details on how the proposed single family residential lots will be served by public streets. The plan creates a looped street system that intersects Redfield Road at two points. The northern connection aligns with the existing Eastwood Boulevard. No details are provided for the streets within or traversing the multi-family or commercial parcels. Unclear whether these parcels are intended to be closed systems or connected to each other or the single-family residential. Water and Sewer: Adequate potable water service is available to the site from the Prattville Water Works Board. Mains are available for extension from Redfield Road and adjacent developments. A City of Prattville sanitary sewer main was extended Page 4 of 7 through the property over 25 years earlier to serve the initial development of the Cobbs Ford Road/I-65 interchange. The site is located in the basin serviced by the Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Sufficient treatment capacity exists for the initial phases of the proposed development. Unique Features: Due to its location adjacent to I-65 and the RTJ Golf Course, vehicle trips generated by the subject property will directed to Cobbs Ford Road and Legends Parkway. These impacts are not fully understood by petitioner or city staff at the current time. PLANNING STAFF EVALUATION Reviewed by: Joel T. Duke, AICP City Planner Site Visits Conducted: March 13, 2014 Staff Comments: Consistency with Plan/Appropriateness RZ-2014-02 Rezoning Request – FAR to B-2, General Business. As stated earlier in the report, the city’s Future Land Use Map adopted in January 2010 classifies the property included in rezoning application RZ-2014-02 as “Commercial”. The requested zoning change to B-2, General Business is consistent with the Commercial designation. Southern section of the subject property – Multi-family and Single Family Residential. The Extended Future Land Use Map on page 2.18 of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, classifies that portion of the subject property currently outside the city limits as “Mixed-Use – Transitional”. The discussion of the Mixed Use – Transitional states that: Recommendation: Request for rezoning of 33.3 acres currently in city limits: Recommend approval , but delaying Council approval until a traffic study can be completed Sketch Plan revisions: Approval of overall concept. Complete traffic study prior to zoning or initial division. Page 5 of 7 This is a very targeted land use category, designed specifically to support a broad range of redevelopment types while limiting additional retail that might soften the existing market... The designation is geared towards creating a model of development and redevelopment that augments and supports the existing retail corridor on Cobbs Ford Road. Acceptable uses would include office, housing (of a variety of densities), hospitality, institutional, light industrial, flex office and greenspace, among others. Retail might be accommodated, but at a very limited scale, and of a purely local-serving variety. The proposed zoning of the subject property for high- and low-density residential is compatible with the uses envisioned for the Mixed Use – Transitional land use category. Rezoning Timing While the Future Land Use Plan envisions that the 33.3 acres covered by the RZ-2014-02 request is best developed as retail or service commercial, it also suggests that demand for these commercial land uses may come near the end of the plan’s 20 year time horizon rather than in the first 10 years. Under the Commercial section (Page 2.29) the plan states, A great deal of new retail space has been added to the Prattville market in the last two years (2007 – 2008). By 2008, the City of Prattville had approximately 93.9 square feet of retail space for every person residing in the City; this is well over twice the national rate. While the figure for Prattville is extraordinarily high, it is not surprising when one considers the large trade area served by Prattville retail developments. It is unlikely; however, that future development can continue to take place at such a rapid pace. The plan goes on to state that the primary demand for retail space will likely be neighborhood scale such as grocery stores or pharmacies. Development patterns since 2008 have been mostly consistent with this projection. Recent development has been limited to primarily small scale retail space or freestanding units such as pharmacies. These developments have generally drawn tenants from existing retail spaces rather than recruiting new retail entities. An additional indicator of whether there is immediate demand for retail commercial uses is the availability of appropriately zoned parcels. A Planning Department analysis of vacant parcels, developed and undeveloped, shows approximately 345 acres presently zoned for all types of commercial uses. The vast majority of these acres are located in the eastern third of the city limits. For reference, the Prattville Town Center containing Target and Home Depot covers 30 acres. In other words, the city presently has the equivalent of eleven Town Centers of vacant (no structures) land available for retail development; some of which has been zoned commercial for greater than ten years. The map included as Attachment D shows the location and scope of these parcels. While this analysis does not Page 6 of 7 account for factors such as price, willing sellers, and property configuration, it does suggest that sufficient commercial property is available to meet the demands of the Prattville economic service area. The department’s analysis does not include the amount and location of developed, but unoccupied, retail space. Nor does it include the amount of developed commercial property along older corridors such as Memorial Drive and East Main Street suitable for redevelopment. These properties are also available to satisfy demand for commercial property. Zoning recommendations by the Planning Commission have generally considered the appropriateness of the location, the impact on surrounding land uses, whether negative impacts are appropriately mitigated, and whether city facilities are adequate for the intensity of the proposed use. These considerations were very important in recent decades of intense development; and remain valid in this extended period of slower growth. The comprehensive plan’s analysis and the current supply of vacant commercial parcels suggest that when retail parcels are added to the available inventory might be an additional consideration. The current zoning request is not tied to a pending development. This lack of a specific development and light demand for commercial space might allow all parties additional time to analyze and address the impact of the overall development on the city transportation system. The Commission should consider recommending the B-2 rezoning, but that the City Council delay their approval until a traffic analysis can be completed. Sketch Plan: Two primary issues were raised by the city departments during sketch plan review: the impact of increased traffic on the larger city street network and the lack of detail regarding an internal street network. Due to geography and surrounding developments, traffic from the entire development will be focused on Redfield Road and the Legends Parkway/Cobbs Ford Road intersection. The proposed sketch creates a development that could equal the size and scale of the Town Center and Eastwood developments on the opposite side of Redfield Road. Little or no future development information for the subject property was available when the current roadway configuration was designed in 2006 and 2007. The present system was built in 2007 to accommodate the High Point and Town Center commercial developments and anticipated increases in commuter traffic on Cobbs Ford Road. Additional analysis and study are needed to understand the impact of this proposed sketch plan on the larger system. The sketch plan lacks details concerning how public roads might access and traverse the proposed commercial and apartment section of the site. This information is important for the traffic analysis discussed in the preceding paragraph, but may also eliminate concerns by the Fire Department that the proposed residential streets create remote, dead-end areas. It is anticipated that Cobb Boulevard will be extended into the property from the Page 7 of 7 current stub-out beside the Raceway convenience store. Additional street detail is needed to evaluate additional routes through the property. Impacts to both the local and larger roadway system can be addressed with a complete traffic study. COMMENTS FROM OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS See Comment Letter – Attachment 5. ATTACHMENTS 1. Proposed Sketch Plan 2. Rezoning – FAR to B-2 3. Future Land Use Map - 2010 4. Vacant Commercial Property – March 18, 2014 5. Staff Review Comment Letter – March 18, 2014 CITY-WIDE PLANSS e c t i o n 2 . 2 P R O J E C TPRAT T VILLE THE NEXT CHAPTER P R O J E C T PRATTVILLE2.11 Figure: 2.1 - Future Land Use Low-Density Residential Medium-Density Residential Commercial Industrial Institutional Mixed-Use - Transitional Mixed-Use - Commercial Mixed-Use - Residential Conservation & Greenspace LEGEND: I N T E R S T A T E 6 5 E A S T M A I N S T ./C O B B S F O R D R D . H W Y . 1 4 W E S T U S 3 1 S O U T H U S 82 U P P E R K I N G S T O N CITY-WIDE PLANSS e c t i o n 2 . 2 � � � � � � ����� � ������ ���������������� P R O J E C T PRATTVILLE2.18 Figure: 2.2 - Extended Future Land Use Low-Density Residential Medium-Density Residential Commercial Industrial Institutional Mixed-Use - Transitional Mixed-Use - Commercial Mixed-Use - Residential Conservation & Greenspace LEGEND: I N T E R S T A T E 6 5EAST M A I N /C O B BS F O R D US 31 S O U T HHWY 1 4 W E S T U S 8 2