Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on the Request by Roland Foerster Civil Engineer, on Behalf of First United Methodist Church of McKinney, for Approval of a Request to Rezone Approximately 0.90 Acres from "BG" - General Business District and "H" - Historic Preservation Overlay District to "PD" - Planned Development District and "H" - Historic Preservation Overlay District, Generally to Modify the Development Standards, Located on the Northwest Corner of Kentucky Street and Lamar Street, and Accompanying Ordinance.
Summary
MEETING DATE: April 17, 2012
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning
CONTACT: Jennifer Cox, AICP, Director of Planning
Kevin Spath, AICP, Assistant Director of Planning
Alex Glushko, Planner II
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
· Staff recommends approval of the proposed rezoning request with the following special ordinance provisions:
1) The subject property shall be rezoned "PD" - Planned Development District and "H" -- Historic Preservation Overlay District and the subject property shall develop in accordance with the "BG" - General Business District, as set forth in Section 146-85 of the Zoning Ordinance, and as amended.
2) The subject property shall develop in accordance with Section 146-135 Landscaping Requirements of the City of McKinney Zoning Ordinance, except as follows:
a) The subject property shall not be required to satisfy the requirement to provide a 30-foot landscape buffer parallel to the corner clip right-of-way dedication at the intersection of two dedicated public streets.
b) The subject property shall not be required to satisfy the requirement to provide a landscape buffer adjacent to any public street.
3) The subject property shall develop in accordance with Section 146-139 Architectural and Site Standards of the City of McKinney Zoning Ordinance, except as follows:
a) The subject property shall not be required to satisfy the requirement to provide a minimum of 85 points for the scoring calculation for other non-residential uses in non-industrial districts.
b) The subject property shall not be required to satisfy the requirement to provide masonry finishing material that covers at least 50 percent of each wall.
c) The subject property shall not be limited to a maximum of 10 percent of approved architectural metal finishing materials.
4) The subject property shall generally develop in accordance with the attached site layout exhibit and the attached architectural elevation exhibits.
ITEM SUMMARY:
· Currently on the subject property, there is a vacant building (2-story, 23,000 square feet, former post office built in 1958) that was approved for demolition on June 1, 2010 by City Council. The owner of the subject property, First United Methodist Church, has immediate plans to demolish the vacant building and construct a new youth ministry building (2-story, 21,000 square feet) and open air pavilion.
· As such, the applicant is proposing to rezone the subject property from "BG" - General Business District and "H" - Historic Preservation Overlay District to "PD" - Planned Development District and "H" - Historic Preservation Overlay District. As proposed, the "PD" district will retain "BG" as the base zoning district but will modify landscaping and architectural standards for the purpose of constructing the new youth ministry building and open air pavilion.
· Any development proposal that does not strictly conform to the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance may request approval of a "PD" - Planned Development District; however, no proposed "PD" district may be approved without ensuring a level of exceptional quality or innovation for the associated development. Exceptional quality or innovation could come in many forms including, but not limited to, enhanced landscaping, creative site or architectural designs, or some other innovative element(s).
· Per the applicant, the development proposal demonstrates "creative site design" because it: (1) accounts for a substantial change in grade elevation (11 feet) from the southwest corner to the northeast corner, (2) preserves 3 existing quality trees (18", 26", and 36" caliper Live Oaks), (3) accounts for the fact that the site is surrounded on all sides by public streets, and (4) orients the proposed building close to the primary streets (Lamar Street and Kentucky Street) in order to be consistent with the urban form and character of the existing context as well as with the community's long-range vision.
· Additionally, the development proposal demonstrates "creative architectural design" because it: (1) maintains a strong visual connection with the other First United Methodist Church buildings located nearby through the use of matching exterior materials (red brick/mortar, cast stone, and stucco), (2) introduces a more contemporary style to reflect and appeal to the building's intended users (youth ministry participants), and (3) uses various architectural elements to convey a sense of religious significance while still maintaining compatibility with the massing, size, and scale of the surrounding historic neighborhood.
· The applicant has provided a site layout exhibit which provides a graphical depiction of the orientation of the proposed youth ministry building and open air pavilion. The applicant has also provided elevation exhibits which illustrate the massing, size, scale, and architectural details of the proposed building.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
· Please see attached PZ Staff Report for detailed background information.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
· N/A
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
· On March 27, 2012, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve the item as recommended by Staff.