To: Mark Hafner, City Manager
From: Julie Smith, Community Development Director
Subject:
Title
Consider a resolution approving Phase I of the Detailed Site Plan for Center Stage, a planned development consisting of four hundred and seventy five (475) Urban Residential Lofts, 24,000 square-feet of commercial uses, a community lawn (music stage), and related open space on approximately 26.8-acres of property, being Roberts, JJ Survey abstract 1305 Tract 1A1 & 3B, located on the east side of North Main Street, directly northeast of the North Main Street and Mount Gilead Road intersection, addressed as 1440 North Main Street. Realty Capital Management, LLC, owner. Greystar Development Central, LLC, applicant/developer. Kimley-Horn, engineer/architect.
Action Requested:
Consider a resolution approving Phase I of the Detailed Site Plan for the Center Stage Planned Development.
Current Zoning:
PD- Mixed Use (Planned Development - Mixed-Use - Commercial/Residential)
Background:
Realty Capital (Applicant) submitted a concept plan and request for rezoning
approximately 38 acres on North Main between Ridge Point Parkway and Mount Gilead Road from Commercial to Planned Development - Mixed Use - Commercial/Residential. The Applicant’s cover letter summed up the vision for the development as follows:
“The intent of this project is to enhance the US 377 corridor with a project that includes a mixture of uses in an urban format, employing pedestrian-oriented streets to connect living, working and entertainment uses within a walkable, tree-shaded environment.
As stated in the US Highway 377 North Overlay District, the area should: ‘Create
unique site design, building architecture, and streetscape that enhance the
overall image of the corridor while remaining compatible with adjacent developed
and planned residential neighborhoods.’
Open spaces and streetscapes are most appealing when they are activated.
Activation can take the form of destinations such as shopping, restaurants, or
open spaces for leisure gathering, or simply by being filled with people. Center
Stage PD proposes to use both strategies to activate the public spaces by adding
a Community Lawn in conjunction with multiple restaurants, retail shopping
opportunities along a pedestrian-oriented streetscape, and adding urban style
residential lofts to ensure the public spaces constitute a vibrant attraction for all
residents of Keller.” (See Exhibit A: Center Stage Concept Plan.)
This request and rezone was approved by the City Council on January 21st, 2020, by a vote of 4-3. (See Exhibit B: Approved Ordinance).
The Concept Plan was approved with the following conditions:
1. Reduce the maximum number of apartments to 475. (Completed.)
2. Reduce the maximum number of Single-Family Residential lots to 57. (Planned for Phase II.)
3. All building facades must meet a minimum of 80% masonry, in line with the UDC. (For Phase 1, this is true for all exterior facades as anticipated in initial Council discussion. Does not apply to private interior courtyard facades.)
4. Fifteen percent (15%) of open space must be met excluding landscape buffers. (Phase I fulfills 2.2 acres of the 6-acre open space requirement to meet the 15% for the total development.)
5. All apartment balconies shall be a minimum 5’ in depth. (Required for building permits if Phase I DSP approved.)
6. Satellite dishes will not be allowed to face 377 or Milestone Church. (Required for building permits.)
7. Fire suppression systems (sprinklers) are required in all buildings. (All the buildings in Phase I - the four buildings in the loft development as well as the four retail buildings - will be sprinklered.)
8. The developer will conduct a noise study as it relates to the adjacent highway and railroad, and adjust building materials, insulation levels, etc. appropriately per health and safety guidelines. (Completed.)
9. Cross-connection with Milestone Church, trails, open spaces and the proposed stage will be built in the first phase, and commercial buildings will likewise be built in tandem with each residential phase. (Church Street, a private drive connecting Milestone Church with US 377, the proposed stage, the four retail buildings associated with the loft development, and the related open space are all proposed in Phase I.)
10. The developer will contribute $100,000 to the city trail system if the city is willing to close trail gaps between the development and Town Center. (To be provided with Phase II.)
11. The developer agreed to a list of features to ensure “luxury”-level interior finishes in residential units. (Required for building permits.)
Section 8.04 of the UDC stipulates how Planned Development Districts (PDs) may be
designed and adopted. In this case, the Applicant opted to submit a Concept Plan
(rather than a Detailed Plan) and to use the existing zoning (Commercial) as the base
zoning district with specific uses identified in addition to the commercial uses permitted-
namely, residential lofts and single-family homes.
With City Council’s approval of the conceptual Center Stage PD request, an approved Detailed Plan is now required before any building permits may be issued. Detail Plans set forth the finalized plans for development. A Detailed Plan that generally conforms to the approved Concept Plan still requires City Council approval but no public hearings or recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission. If the Detailed Plan substantially differs from the previously approved Concept Plan, the Detailed Plan would require a public hearing and recommendation by the Commission as well as a public hearing and final determination by City Council. “Substantial differences” include the following: altering the basic relationship of the proposed development to adjacent property; changing the uses permitted; increasing density, building height or coverage of the site; changing off-street parking ratio or reducing the buffers between the site and adjacent property; or significantly altering the landscape plans.
What is being brought forward currently is Phase I of the Detailed Site Plan for the Center Stage Planned Development. (See Exhibit C: Detail Site Plan.) Phase I includes 475 urban residential lofts, 24,000 square-feet of commercial uses, a community lawn (music stage), and related open space on approximately 26.8 acres of the 38-acre development.
A public hearing is not required, because Phase I of the Detail Plan generally conforms to the approved Concept Plan.
Site Design:
As previously discussed, Phase I includes approximately 26.8 acres of the entire 38-
acre development. This phase is broken up into the following lot and blocks:
• The northernmost 21.6 acres of property will include the 475 urban residential lofts and 24,000 square-feet of commercial uses.
o Lot 2, Block A, is composed of four buildings comprising 556,068 square-feet of urban residential loft space. The buildings are situated slightly east on the subject property and immediately adjacent to the Milestone Church property. A large detention pond and open space are in the middle of the four buildings. A clubhouse and leasing office forms the entry feature to the loft development from US377. All balconies shall be a minimum of five feet.
o Lots 3, 4, 5, and 6 of Block A are the locations for the four retail buildings comprising 6,000 square-feet. All four buildings are situated in a straight line along the western side and facing US377.
o Lots 1 and 7 of Block A are for future retail development as well as the restaurants indicated in the community lawn area. These areas are not included nor within the scope of this detail plan for Phase I.
• The southern 5.6 acres of property include the community lawn and related open space.
o Lot 8, Block A is situated directly south of Church Street - the private drive connecting Milestone Church to US377 and dividing the residential loft development from the community lawn and the single-family home development. This lot will include a music stage and, in the future, three restaurants.
Elevations:
Condition number three of the approved ordinance required that all building facades must meet a minimum of 80% masonry, in line with the UDC. The UDC defines a masonry façade as an “exterior masonry application to include natural and manufactured stone material, fibrous cement products, stucco, brick material, granite, or marble.” The Applicant is proposing that all exterior facades will be made up of a minimum 80% brick and stucco combinations. Stucco will not exceed 50% of any elevation. The remaining accent material used will be siding.
Because the interior facades of the two square-shaped loft buildings each face a private courtyard and are not visible to the public, they are not held to the 80% masonry standard. These facades range from 30% to 40% brick with siding making up the remainder.
Landscaping:
The Applicant followed the approved concept plan in relation to landscape buffers and
open space requirements. The total open space required for the entire project is 15%; Phase I will be contributing 2.2 acres of the required 6 acres. The 2.2 acres provide about 37% of the total needed.
All minimum landscaping standards for buffers and parking lots have been met. The parking area south of Church Street has a continual island adjacent to the head-in parking rather than individual tree islands every 12 spaces. The result will be a consistent, unbroken canopy along these parking spaces in excess of what individual islands would have provided.
Minimum tree removal will be required in Phase I. Phase II will include tree removal, and mitigation for that anticipated removal is addressed to some degree (about 108 caliper inches) in Phase I tree plantings.
Drainage & Utilities:
The City has been in discussion with the developer regarding impacts to City infrastructure and mitigation requirements. The City has sufficient information currently to understand the development impacts. What remains is an assessment of the Hydraulic Grade Line to determine if the sanitary sewer improvements have to be completed before occupancy of phase 1. Additionally, the city and developer have yet to reach agreement on how much each party will be responsible for. However, it is expected that sanitary sewer impact fess owed by the developer and city’s impact fee fund balance will be used to pay for the sanitary sewer improvements.
The only remaining item left to iron out for drainage is the existing 18” open swale north of the development (north of Ridge Pointe Parkway). Plat notes show this to be improved by the property owner when needed. What remains to be addressed is what the “improvement” needs to be and the current phase 1 submittal will help to determine this outcome.
Fire:
All Fire standards have been met.
Traffic Access, Connectivity, and Trip Generation:
The November 24, 2020 TIA has been reviewed and is accepted as presented.
The recommendations of the study show that the following is needed to mitigate existing traffic growth and site development traffic.
By 2025, the following will need to be in place:
• North Bound Right Turn Lane @ driveway #2
• North Bound Right Turn Lane @ driveway #3
• Ridge Point Traffic Signal Retiming
• Mount Gilead Traffic Signal Retiming
• Left and right turn lanes for driveway #6 on Ridge Point Parkway (can likely be achieved via restriping)
• Left and right turn lanes for driveway #5 on Mount Gilead
• Ridge Point Intersection capacity improvements by constructing an East Bound Left Turn Lane (in Fort Worth)
• Ridge Point Intersection capacity improvements by constructing an East Bound Right Turn Lane (in Fort Worth)
• Mount Gilead Roadway capacity improvements by constructing a West Bound Through Lane
• Mount Gilead Roadway capacity improvements by constructing an East Bound Through Lane
By 2030, the following additional improvements will need to be in place:
• Mount Gilead Intersection capacity improvements by constructing an East Bound Left Turn Lane (in Fort Worth)
• Ridge Point Intersection capacity improvements by constructing a West Bound Right Turn Lane (will impact entry monument and traffic signal pole)
• US377 capacity improvements by constructing additional through lanes (TxDOT roadway)
However, since the development is being pursued in phases, only the following will be required for Phase I.
• North Bound Right Turn Lane @ driveway #2
• North Bound Right Turn Lane @ driveway #3
• Ridge Point Traffic Signal Retiming
• Mount Gilead Traffic Signal Retiming
• Left and right turn lanes for driveway #6 on Ridge Point Parkway (can likely be achieved via restriping)
Exhibits 5 and 6 from the November 24, 2020 Traffic Impact Analysis are included in this staff report as a graphical reference of the afore mentioned improvements.
Phase II will be dependent on incorporating the remainder of the identified improvements. The cost of the Phase I improvements will be wholly born by the applicant and the cost sharing of all remaining improvements will be determined as the development progresses.
The improvements identified in Fort Worth and the additional through lanes on US377 will need to be shared with and coordinated with the respective agencies.
Noise Study
The noise study conducted by SLR International Corporation is attached. (Please see Exhibit C: Environmental Noise Study.)
The study found three recommendations as follows:
1. Operable windows rated at STC/OITC 28/23, for example 1/8” annealed - 1/2” AS -1/8” annealed, are recommended for:
a. Living rooms and Bedrooms in all units on facades which experience 74 dB(A) or less during a train pass-by event.
b. All patio doors in the living rooms of all units that fall under this category must also be rated at STC/OITC 28/23 or greater.
2. Operable windows rated at STC/OITC 35/30, for example 3/16” laminated annealed - 3/8” AS - 1/8” double strength, are recommended for:
a. Living rooms and Bedrooms in all units on all facades which expierence greater than 74 dB(A) during a train pass-by event.
b. All patio doors in the living rooms of all units that fall under this category must also be rates at STC/OITC 35/30 or greater.
3. Operable windows rated STC/OITC 35/32, for example ¼” laminated - 11/16” AS - 3/16”, are recommended for all Unit Type C1 and C1A corner bedrooms.
According to the Applicant, they have adopted all three recommendations set forth by
the noise study. Figures 10-13 within the noise study indicate the recommended and
proposed window glazing and material locations necessary to meet the project criterion.
Parking:
While going through concept plan approval, the retail parking standard deviated from one space per 200 square-feet to one space per 250 square-feet. The Applicant also proposes to require one parking space for every bedroom in the residential loft development.
Per the UDC, Multi-family developments require one space per each efficiency or
one-bedroom unit; one and a half spaces per each two-bedroom unit; two
spaces per each three-bedroom unit; and half a space per each additional
bedroom. Phase I exceeds base zoning district standards by 52 spaces.
An additional 94 parking spaces will be provided for the community lawn and stage
area. This parking may be used for future restaurant parking as well as music venue parking.
Per the Planned Development, parking may be shared across the entire development.
Economic Impact:
The development of Center Stage Phase I increases commercial inventory by 40,000 square feet and provides upwards of 600 built-in consumers, significantly boosting our ability to recruit family-friendly, sit-down restaurants and quality retailers in the city. Surveys related to economic development and land use consistently support our residents’ overwhelming desire for more retail and restaurant options. While traffic counts do play a large role in the decision-making paradigm for site selectors, consumer concentration is critical. Site selectors evaluate potential locations based on the number of consumers within a one, three and five-mile radius. The loft development will bring a higher concentration of consumers available for the site selectors that are considering occupying the 40,000 square feet of commercial space along Hwy 377. Psychographics (how consumers behave) is also a large consideration. Mixed-use developments such as this, provide high-energy, experiential activity centers that are proven to attract consumers from farther away and encourage them to stay longer.
Tax exportation also contributes to the positive economic impact that Center Stage will have on the City of Keller. Tax exportation takes place when a tax imposed by one jurisdiction is paid by a resident of another jurisdiction. As we expect this development will draw more consumers to Keller from Roanoke, north Fort Worth and beyond, effectively exporting that sales-tax revenue from those communities. Several high-quality restauranteurs have already had site tours and expressed interest in the overall project. The Economic Development department continues to coordinate with Realty Capital and The Retail Coach on the recruitment efforts for this site. Upon a detailed site plan approval from City Council, we will be able to increase these efforts, as individual tenants will have a clearer picture of what space is available and when they can expect to occupy that space.
Zoning and Surrounding Land Uses:
Adjacent zoning is as follows:
North: Commercial (North of Ridge Point Parkway: Learning Experience and Undeveloped Land)
East: PH (Patio Home) 6.5 and SF (Single Family)-15. (Milestone Church Site and
Marshall Ridge Subdivision)
South: Commercial and SF-36 (Homes)
West: City of Fort Worth (Warehouses)
Citizen Input:
A Site Plan application, even with variances, does not require a public hearing, so no public hearing notifications were sent out to the surrounding property owners for this request. There has been no response from the public to this application. The public will have an opportunity to speak on this agenda item during “Persons To Be Heard.”
Alternatives:
City Council has the following options when considering a Detail Site Plan application:
- Approve as submitted.
- Approve with modifications or additional condition(s) as long as any such modifications are not substantial.
- Table the agenda item to a specific date with clarification of intent and purpose.
- Deny.
Attachments:
• Maps
• Exhibits
o Center Stage Concept Plan
o Approved Ordinance
o Detail Site Plan
o Environmental Noise Study, Commissioner Sagar’s Comments, Applicant’s Response
o TIA
o Additional Studies
o Applications
• Staff Attachment
o Proposed resolution