Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on a Request to Rezone the Subject Property from “BN” - Neighborhood Business District to “PD” - Planned Development District, Generally to Modify the Development Standards and to Allow for Warehouse and Commercial Uses, Located at 100 East Leland 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: November 5, 2024
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Cameron Christie, Planner I
Caitlyn Strickland, AICP, Planning Manager
Jennifer Arnold, AICP, Director of Planning
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends denial of the proposed rezoning request due to lack of conformance with the Comprehensive Plan.
However, if the applicant’s request is approved, the following special ordinance provisions shall apply:
1. The subject property shall be zoned “PD” - Planned Development District and subject to the following special ordinance provision:
a. The subject property shall develop in accordance with the attached development regulations;
APPLICATION SUBMITTAL DATE: June 16, 2024 (Original Application)
July 26, 2024 (Revised Submittal)
July 31, 2024 (Revised Submittal)
September 9, 2024 (Revised Submittal)
ITEM SUMMARY: The applicant requests to rezone approximately 0.376 acres of land, generally to allow for warehouse and commercial uses.
EXISTING ZONING AND LAND USES:
|
Location |
Zoning District (Permitted Land Uses) |
Existing Land Use |
|
Subject Property |
“BN” - Neighborhood Business District (Commercial Uses) |
Vehicle Repair, Minor |
|
North |
“PD” - Planned Development District No. 2004-10-108 (Commercial Uses) |
Restaurant, Dine-In (Hutchins BBQ) |
|
South |
“BN” - Neighborhood Business District (Commercial Uses) |
Retail Sales (Liquor Store; SR Grocery) |
|
East |
“BN” - Neighborhood Business District (Commercial Uses) |
Restaurant, Dine-In (El Pollo Alegre) |
|
West |
“BN” - Neighborhood Business District (Commercial Uses) |
Single-Family Residential |
PROPOSED ZONING: The applicant requests to rezone approximately 0.376 acres of land, generally to allow for warehouse and commercial uses.
Currently, the property is zoned “BN” - Neighborhood Business District and allows for commercial uses. There is an existing building on the site that is partially being used for minor auto repair. The applicant proposes to rezone the property to “PD” - Planned Development District to allow for warehouse and commercial uses in addition to the existing uses currently permitted under the BN zoning district in order to utilize a portion of the existing building for warehouse/storage of dry goods. A full list of the proposed uses can be found in the proposed development standards.
Staff is not supportive of the introduction of warehouse uses proposed as they do not align with the Historic Town Center (HTC) - Mix placetype or the intent of the HTC District in the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Warehousing is not a use that would support the mixed-use urban form that the HTC: Mix intends to create as a gentle transition between the more intense uses of downtown and the more traditional residential neighborhoods in its periphery. Additionally, warehousing is allowed only in our industrial districts, which are not called out as appropriate for the HTC - Mix placetype.
Currently, the building on site is divided into two halves: one side being the existing minor auto repair and the other half being the proposed warehouse space that the applicant is wanting to use. While we know the current proposed user and the intent for the space, staff has concerns with the potential for redevelopment on the site with the inclusion of warehouse use at this location. Should the property change ownership and redevelop, the entire site would have the ability to develop exclusively with warehouse uses. Staff is concerned that the inclusion of warehouse could limit the site's redevelopment potential and conflict with the Historic Town Center's mixed-use character.
Given the number of concerns regarding the proposed warehousing use outlined above, Staff recommends denial of the request.
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 provide “Private development, public investments, and community engagement support the people of McKinney by making available 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 Historic Town Center (HTC) District and is designated as the HTC - Mix placetype.
The HTC - Mix placetype represents a transitional area between the relatively intense use of land downtown and along the highway corridors and the surrounding, urban neighborhoods. These areas display an intermediate density in both residential and commercial offerings that transition from an urban to suburban development pattern as development approaches the HTC - Residential subplacetype. Commercial buildings tend to be multi-tenant. Residential structures are typically compact. While less dense than HTC - Downtown, streets and sidewalks are still navigable on foot and scaled to the pedestrian experience.
• 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 plan’s established criteria to be considered compatible with the Land Use Diagram. The proposed rezoning request does not align with the HTC - Mix Center placetype of the Historic Town Center 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.
Staff does not feel that the proposed rezoning request substantially advances a majority of the decision-making criteria above to be considered compatible with the Comprehensive Plan.
• Fiscal Model Analysis: The attached fiscal analysis shows that rezoning the property for warehouse uses could capture approximately $2,778 in operating revenues for the city, which is much less than the potential revenues that could be realized under the vision for the area. It’s also worth noting that the introduction of industrial uses on this tract captures an industrial market share for this area that was not originally contemplated in the McKinney Town Center 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 or Commission. As part of the Planning and Zoning Commission Public Hearing, Staff has not received any comments through the online comment portal.
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: On October 8, 2024, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0-0 to recommend approval of the proposed rezoning with the condition that allowed storage be limited to only restaurant dry goods.