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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/06/1997 City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON February 6, 1997 The Work Session of the City Council of the City of The Colony, Texas was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on the 6th day of February, 1997 at City Hall with the following Council roll call: William Manning, Mayor Present Bill Longo, Councilmember Present Mary Watts, Councilmember Present David Stanwick, Councilmember Present Wilma Avey, Councilmember Present John Dillard, Councilmember Present Dave Kovatch, Councilmember Present and with seven present, a quorum was established and the following items were addressed: 1. REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF MASTER LAND USE PLAN FOR APPROXIMATELY 1200 ACRES (AUSTIN RANCH) SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 121 AS PRESENTED BY CROW-BILLINGSLEY DEVELOPMENT Mr. Don Blackwood, representing Crow-Billingsley, introduced several people who -- would be addressing the council during the presentation: Lucy Billingsley, Lucilo Pena, Paris Rutherford and Carol Whitmire. Mr. Blackwood gave a brief history of the property, explaining that original annexation into The Colony was in 1985. This project has been several years in the making. They have worked with the Corps of Engineers on mitigation to reclaim flood plain areas. Their company built Plano Parkway in 1985-86. In the 1984 -86 time period, the Dallas real estate market took a down turn and the construction of Windhaven was put on hold. Since the up turn of the mark in 1995, the development is once again on the move. Mrs. Lucy Billingsley then addressed the council, stating she hopes they can create a community where people love to work and play. They hope for a community that presents a comfortable feeling of past and present and also meets the high-tech needs of the residents. This development will be competitive and flexible. Mrs. Billingsley said their company is very excited about the project. Mr. Lucilo Pena who will be the project manager, addressed the council stating the development of the community will be market driven and it could take anywhere from 8 - 12 years to build out. He presented attributes of the community that have worked in other areas. He said there will be two main divisions of the community; a residential/commercial area and a mixed use area. There will be development guidelines and homeowners' aSsociations to create the desired environment. Mr. Paris Rutherford, with RTKL Architects, said this is a unique opportunity to create identity and a community. He said people will be able to walk to work if they -- 2 choose. He said they will need flexibility with set back requirements, because the current set back requirements are not conducive to the type of community they want to create. He also said the parking requirement is currently high for this type of development. Mr. Rutherford said they plan to create a place where people do not have to drive and do not have to be so dependent on their vehicles. Mr. Rutherford continued stating that the planning process is very exciting, noting there will be open space connections between each area. The commercial area will be campus style development such as that along Legacy Drive. About 50% of the property will be commercial. All the development will be market driven. Mr. Rutherford described the Austin Ranch Town Center which will be at the intersection of Plano Pkwy. and Windhaven Pkwy. There will be 12 lakes throughout the development. As for the housing communities, each one will have some type of center. Smaller set backs will help to create a sense of a "closer neighborhood." The smaller set backs will only be asked for where they make sense. They want to create a small town atmosphere. They will save as many hills and trees as possible. There will be an area along Windhaven Pkwy. named Magnolia Square. This will be an area of small shops surrounded by residential areas. 7:35 p.m. Mayor Manning left the meeting and returned at 8:15 p.m. Mr. Blackwood said the company has been committed to this project for a long time and they will be here from start to finish. He said they have made a significant investment in The Colony already with the $8 million construction of Plano Pkwy. He stated that they will be investing approximately $6 million in infrastructure on this development in the near future. He said it will require some flexibility and a good market, as well as cooperation between the city and the developer. There will be 3 Austin Ranch entry signs which will state that people are entering The Colony. This will take several years to complete, but with this Master Plan we will get there. This is Mrs. Billingsley's vision, she wants to create a special atmosphere and is willing to do what it takes to get the project done. Mr. Blackwood thanked Johnny Smith and Sam Chavez for their help and cooperation with this development so far. At this time, a slide presentation was given which showed examples of how this property could be developed. Styles of businesses and residential areas were presented. Mr. Pena said the set back seems like a simple thing, but it will be important to change them in some areas. He said the mixed use is simple also, but it doesn't happen that often and it will need to be addressed. Mr. Pena said they want to change the parking requirements to 1.7 parking spaces per unit. The zoning currently would allow for a maximum of 13,000 apartments on this property, but the more likely number would be 11,000 and that would be determined by the market. Again, it was stated that the corporate commercial area is going to be campus style, single user type developments. The types of retail that may be built in Magnolia Square include laundry, coffee shop, corner store, video rental, etc. Possibly small cafes will be built around the lake. Mr. Blackwood stated that land will be dedicated east of the Burlington Northern Railroad just north of Windhaven Pkwy. for a fire station. 3 Steven Swerdloff, P&Z, asked about the apparent narrowing of Windhaven Pkwy. as it enters Magnolia Square. Mr. Pena said it will not really narrow, but they will want the traffic to slow down. in that area, due to the number of pedestrians. Mr. Rich Lewis, P&R, asked about school and park sites. They have been working with LISD on a school site, which will probably be north of the existing tree farm. LISD will dictate when that school is needed. Mr. Lewis also asked about athletic fields. Mr. Pena said there will be some general use parks, and they could easily have a variety of athletic fields. There followed discussion about parking in the area for users of the parks and retail centers. The site for the proposed water tower was pointed out and it was noted that the city had planned a bond project for approximately $1 million which included the tower and a pump station. Mr. Pena said Magnolia Square and Town Center will both be considered central areas. All areas will be connected by walking paths. The Town Center will be considered a regional area whereas Magnolia Square will be more for the residents in that area. Councilman Avey asked if they are going to elevate the sidewalks at Magnolia Square so pedestrians can cross easily. Mr. Pena said they would not, but they will create an area where drivers know pedestrians are important. Councilman Longo asked how they plan to handle alcohol sales since the area south of 121 is dry. Mr. Blackwood said they have always planned to sell alcohol in this development. He said it will be different from what the city is facing now and when the time is appropriate for the area, they will address the wet/dry issue. Mr. Blackwood also noted that there is a 240' wide greenbelt area across the property and he is sure they would work with the city to establish playing fields in that area. The developer is going before the Planning and Zoning Commission next Tuesday regarding their request for parking requirements. They were asked to bring the drawings and the formula for parking to that meeting. Councilman Avey asked that the information be provided to the council and the P&Z prior to the Tuesday meeting. Mr. Blackwood said he was not sure it would be ready before the meeting. Mayor Manning adjourned the meeting at 9:04 p.m. APPROVED: William W. Man~ng, Mayor ~.~ ATTEST: Patti A. Hicks,TRMC, City Secretary 4