Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on a Request to Rezone the Subject Property from “PD” - Planned Development District and “C” - Planned Center District to “PD” - Planned Development District to Allow for Multi-Family Residential Uses and to Modify the Development Standards, Located on the Southeast Corner of Wilmeth Road and Community Avenue, and Accompanying Ordinance
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Direction for Strategic and Economic Growth
(1C: Provide a strong city economy by facilitating a balance between industrial, commercial, residential and open space)
MEETING DATE: February 20, 2024
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Jennifer Arnold, AICP, Director of Planning
Caitlyn Strickland, AICP, Planning Manager
Kaitlin Sheffield, CNU-A, Senior Planner
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION: Staff recommends approval of the proposed rezoning request with the following special ordinance provisions:
1. The subject property shall be zoned “PD” - Planned Development District and shall be subject to the following special ordinance provision:
a. The subject property shall develop in accordance with the attached development regulations.
APPLICATION SUBMITTAL DATE: August 7, 2023 (Original Application)
September 8, 2023 (Revised Submittal)
September 27, 2023 (Revised Submittal)
January 5, 2024 (Revised Submittal)
ITEM SUMMARY: The applicant is requesting to rezone approximately 18.7 acres of land, generally for multi-family uses. Currently this site is zoned “C” - Planned Center District and “PD” - Planned Development District with a base zoning of “RG-18” - General Residence District, which permits multi-family uses. The applicant has submitted this zoning request to modify the development standards for multi-family developments including parking and to allow uses similar to those permitted within the city’s “MF30” - Multiple Family Residential District.
A similar request was brought before the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2021 and received a favorable recommendation by the Commission. The 2021 request was ultimately withdrawn by the applicant (case number 21-0139Z) in order to acquire additional land. This new request includes many of the same provisions that were included in 2021. More information is detailed further below.
EXISTING ZONING AND LAND USES:
|
Location |
Zoning District (Permitted Land Uses) |
Existing Land Use |
|
Subject Property |
“PD” Planned Development District 1574 (Residential and Commercial Uses), “C” - Planned Center District |
Undeveloped Land |
|
North |
“PD” Planned Development District 2021-06-063 (Multi-Family Residential Uses) |
Mill Stream Apartment Home |
|
South |
“PD” Planned Development District 2004-08-082 (Governmental Complex Uses) |
City of McKinney Public Safety Building |
|
East |
“C” - Planned Center District (Commercial Uses) |
Undeveloped Land |
|
West |
“PD” Planned Development District 1907 (Single Family Residential Uses), “RS-60” Single Family Residence District (Single Family Residential Uses) |
High Pointe Addition |
PROPOSED ZONING: The applicant requests to rezone the subject property generally for multi-family residential uses and to modify the development standards, as further described below.
• Residential Uses
o Currently, the property is zoned “C” - Planned Center District and “PD” - Planned Development District with a base zoning of “RG-18” - General Residence District, which allows a variety of uses including independent living facility, multi-family uses, and assisted living facility.
o The applicant proposes to rezone the property to “PD” - Planned Development District with similar uses to those permitted within the “RG-18” - General Residence District and those permitted within the city’s “MF30” - Multi-Family Residential District. The applicant has indicated a desire to develop multi-family uses on the site; however, a complete list of the allowed uses is attached to this staff report for your reference.
• Density
o The “MF30” - Multi-Family Residential District has an allowable density of 30 dwelling units per gross acre, if developed as multi-family.
o The applicant is proposing to reduce the maximum density to 25 dwelling units per gross acre.
• Parking
o For multi-family developments, the Unified Development Code (UDC) requires 2 parking spaces per dwelling unit, with a minimum of 30% enclosed spaces. Prior to adoption of the UDC, the parking requirement was one parking space per unit plus 0.5 space per bedroom, with a minimum of 50% of enclosed spaces.
o The applicant proposes to provide 1.75 parking spaces per dwelling unit.
o The current parking requirements for multi-family developments were established by considering recently rezoned and/or completed multifamily projects in McKinney, the parking ratios of our sister cities, and consideration for established national standards from published manuals like the Institute of Transportation Engineers Parking Generation Manual.
o Although staff still feels that the established parking ratio (2/unit) is consistent with the research completed as part of the UDC adoption; we also note that recent shifts in the multi-family market have resulted in developments with more 1- and 2- bedroom units and less 3- and 4- bedroom units. As a result, the overall parking ratio of 2 spaces per unit often requires more spaces than the city’s previous zoning ordinance would have required.
o We have spent additional time looking at recently completed projects throughout Collin County and see that a variety of different parking calculations were used across the board. However, on the whole, these projects provided somewhere between 1.6 to 1.8 spaces per unit on average.
o With this in mind, staff has no objection to the proposed parking ratio of 1.75 spaces per unit as proposed by the applicant. Should this ratio be approved by the Commission and Council, Staff will look at possible changes to UDC related to parking for multi-family projects.
• Amenities
o Per Section 206.G (Multi-Family Residential Site Design) of the Unified Development Code, a minimum number of amenities for multi-family developments are required based on the number of units. The maximum density of the proposed zoning would permit up to 467 units, which would typically require a minimum of five amenities. As a provision of exceptional quality, the applicant is proposing a minimum of seven amenities.
Although the subject property sits at the hard corner of two arterial roadways, the current zoning on the hard corner already allows for multi-family residential uses. The applicant’s requests for modified development standards (i.e. parking) is consistent with those seen in other multi-family developments happening in today’s market and within our sister cities.
Given the stated goal of the City Council to preserve as much meaningful commercial opportunities as possible, Staff paid special attention to the commercial potential on this site. While the tract is situated at the hard corner of two arterial roadways, it also sits over 1,400 feet away from US 75, and the overall footprint of undeveloped tracts in the area is roughly 70 acres in size. Even with the extension of Wilmeth Road to the west and the potential commercial opportunity that it could bring, the potential for all 70 acres of this area to develop as commercial may be low. Where commercial development does occur, it will likely to be concentrated on tracts closer to the highway frontage and for which are already zoned commercial. As a point of reference, the commercial development along US 75 between US 380 and Taylor Burke Drive is roughly 65 acres in total size and generally only extends about 1,500 feet back from US 75.
As such, Staff feels comfortable that the request is reasonable and recommends approval.
CONFORMANCE TO THE ONE MCKINNEY 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: A key aspect of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan is to provide direction related to desired development patterns in the city and to inform decisions related to the timing and phasing of future infrastructure investments. To assist in guiding these decisions, the plan includes a set of Guiding Principles that provide overall guidance and a Preferred Scenario and Land Use Diagram that illustrates the desired development patterns in the city. The Preferred Scenario and Land Use Diagram are built upon a series of distinctive districts, each with a specific purpose, focus and market. Each district consists of a mix of placetypes that identify the predominate land uses and desired pattern of development for the district.
• Guiding Principles:
The proposed rezoning request is generally in conformance with the Guiding Principle of “Diversity (Supporting our Economy and People)” established by the Comprehensive Plan. In particular, the proposed request has the potential to “[…]housing options and neighborhood choices that are accessible, attainable and appealing to people at all stages of their lives.”
• Preferred Scenario and Land Use Diagram Characteristics:
Per the Preferred Scenario and Land Use Diagram, the subject property is located in the Collin Crossing District and is designated as the Commercial Center placetype.
The Commercial Center placetype is characterized by big box stores or multi-tenant commercial uses. They are typically located at high volume intersections and along both sides of a highway or arterial. Commercial Centers are accessible primarily by one mode of travel, the automobile; though walkable pedestrian access should be encouraged wherever possible. Buildings are typically set back from the road behind large surface parking lots that may be prime locations for infill development.
Land Use Diagram Compatibility: When considering land use decisions, the City should determine that a project aligns with the Land Use Diagram and/or meets a majority of the established criteria (below) to be considered compatible with the Land Use Diagram. The proposed rezoning request does not align with the Commercial Center placetype of the Collin Crossing District. In order to be considered compatible with the comprehensive plan, the project should meet a majority of the established criteria below:
1. Help McKinney achieve the Comprehensive Plan’s Vision and Guiding Principles;
2. Advance the District’s intent;
3. Demonstrate compatibility with the District’s identity and brand;
4. Include uses compatible with the Land Use Diagram;
5. Leverage and protect natural and built amenities and infrastructure;
6. Strengthen or create connections to activity centers within and beyond the District;
7. Create a positive fiscal impact for the City through the timeframe of the Plan (2040);
8. Demonstrate that the project’s travel demand estimates can be accommodated by the planned transportation network;
9. Demonstrate that the project’s demand on other public infrastructure can be accommodated by planned facilities; and
10. Demonstrate that the life-cycle costs to the public of constructing, maintaining and operating infrastructure included in the project is consistent with this plan’s [Comprehensive Plan] fiscal responsibility policies.
The proposed request for multi-family uses does not strictly align with the Commercial Center Placetype. However, the Collin Crossing District is intended to provide housing for McKinney’s Creative Class people and companies. The proposed request supports this vision and goal. Furthermore, Staff feels comfortable the project’s travel and infrastructure demands can be accommodated by the planned transportation and infrastructure network.
• Fiscal Model Analysis: The attached fiscal analysis shows a potential overall annual deficit of approximately $29,000 for the 18.7 acre property. Some key takeaways for this property include:
o Although an annual operating deficit could be seen for the proposed residential development, these residential uses are already permitted on a majority of the subject property. As well, development of the tract for residential could help capture 29% of the residential market potential in the Collin Crossing District.
OPPOSITION TO OR SUPPORT OF REQUEST: Staff has received no letters of support to this request and no letters of opposition. This does not include emails or letters that may have been sent directly to members of the Council. As part of the Planning and Zoning Commission Public Hearing(s), Staff also received citizen comments through the online citizen portal, which are attached for your reference.
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: On October 24, 2023, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0-0 to continue the public hearing and table the item to the November 14, 2023 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
On November 14, 2023, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0-0 to close the public hearing and table the item indefinitely.
On January 23, 2024, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0-0 to recommend approval of the proposed rezoning request.