Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on a Request by the City of McKinney to Amend Sections 146-99 (REC Regional Employment Center Overlay District), 146-132 (Fences, Walls, and Screening Requirements), and 146-139 (Architectural and Site Standards) of the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 146 of the Code of Ordinances); and to Amend Sections 1 (Introduction), 7 (Land Use Element), 8 (Transportation), 11 (Urban Design), and Appendix E (An Informal Guide to the Multi-Family Policy in the City of McKinney) of the Comprehensive Plan
Summary
MEETING DATE: April 28, 2015
DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT: Brandon Opiela, Planning Manager
APPROVAL PROCESS: The recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission will be forwarded to the City Council for final action at the May 5, 2015 meeting.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the proposed amendments to multiple sections of Chapter 146 (Zoning Regulations) of the Code of Ordinances and multiple sections of the City's Comprehensive Plan.
ITEM SUMMARY: Staff is proposing a series of amendments to multiple sections of the Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan pertaining to the "REC" - Regional Employment Center Overlay District, establishing a new approach/vision for future development within this southwestern portion of the City (approximately 4,500 acres) that both addresses current development issues within the REC Overlay and respects existing property rights.
Staff feels that the best approach for addressing these issues is to remove the applicability of the REC Overlay for all new rezoning requests going forward, while keeping the REC Overlay regulations "on the books" for all existing properties governed by the REC Overlay. With this solution, all properties that are currently governed by the REC Overlay regulations can continue to develop according to the REC requirements, or choose to rezone to a standard zoning or Planned Development district.
In conjunction with this approach, Staff is proposing that the governing policy documents referencing the REC within the Comprehensive Plan (i.e. Land Use Element -Future Land Use Plan (FLUP) and Future Land Use Plan Module Diagram (FLUP MD); Transportation; Urban Design; and Multi-Family Policy) also be amended to maintain consistency between City policies and ordinances. These amendments will help guide Staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and City Council when considering future rezoning requests.
Please note that the proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan pertain only to the new approach for the REC area. A subsequent set of amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, including general clean-up and non-substantive items, are scheduled for the first Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in May and for the first City Council meeting in June.