1403 - March 20
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
March 20, 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, and Mr. Nelson.
Minutes:
January 16, 2014 and February 20, 2014
Old Business:
None
New Business:
1. Rezoning: FAR (Forest, Agricultural, Recreation) to B-2 (General Business)
Location: 2578 Cobbs Ford Road
Owner: Estate of Marjorie Cobb & Dorothy Jones/Ginger Jones
Representatives: Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood
Public Hearing
District 5
2. Sketch Plan: Estate of Marjorie Cobb & Dorothy Jones
Location: 2578 Cobbs Ford Road
Owner: Estate of Marjorie Cobb & Dorothy Jones
Representative: Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood
District 5
3. Rezoning: R-3 (Single Family Residential) to R-5 (Patio Garden Homes)
Location: County Road 4 at Buena Vista Blvd.
Owners: The Oaks of Buena Vista, LLC.
Public Hearing
District 7
4. Sketch Plan: The Oaks of Buena Vista Subdivision (Revised)
Location: Buena Vista Blvd.
Owner: John Parker
Engineer: Larry Speaks & Associates, Inc.
District 7
5. Re-Plat: Carter Subdivision Plat 1A
Location: 105 Capri Court
Owners: William G. & Melinda Stevens
Representative: Jeffcoat Engineers & Surveyors, LLC
6. Re-Plat: Interstate Park Plat 1-A
Location: Lot 4 & 5 Medical Center Drive
Owner: Jimmy Goodson
Representative: David McLain
Miscellaneous:
Adjourn:
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
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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
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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
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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
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P R O J E C T PRATTVILLE2.18 Figure: 2.2 - Extended Future Land Use
Low-Density Residential
Medium-Density Residential
Commercial
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Mixed-Use - Commercial
Mixed-Use - Residential
Conservation & Greenspace
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