Agenda

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City Council Regular Meeting

Meeting Date:

03/07/2023

BACKGROUND

Staff is proposing a number of amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC). Some of these amendments are the culmination of the work of the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission Subcommittee on PDD Standards. Others are amendments to various development standards that have proven challenging from a staff or developer standpoint.

The proposed change amends Section 21.5.5 Statement of Purpose and Intent for Residential Districts and 21.5.2 Zoning Districts Established to eliminate the current prohibition on granting new R-6 and R-7 single family zoning. The R-6 District allows for a minimum lot size of 7,200 square feet and the R-7 District allows for a minimum lot size of 6,600 square feet. The granting of new zoning to these two zoning districts was prohibited by City Council in 2010.

The proposed change also amends Section 21.5.11 Specific Use Permit (SUP) to eliminate the requirement for a site plan. It does provide that a site layout, less detail than a site plan, can be required by the Planning and Zoning Commission if they deem it necessary to mitigate adverse effects of the proposed use. After the Planning and Zoning Commission consideration, staff added a recommendation that the requirement to pull a building permit be extended from one to two years, lest the SUP expire.

A major overhaul is proposed to Article 9, Site Design Standards, Section 21.9.7 Landscaping. Currently, Section 21.9.7 Landscaping is 10 pages long. With the proposed revisions it has been reduced to 3 pages. The proposed changes separate the requirements for single family and duplex development from the requirements for nonresidential and multifamily residential development for clarity. Much of the reduction in length of section is the result of eliminating the Approved Landscape Planting List. This will allow builders, developers and landscape architects to select the most appropriate plants for their project. The changes also decrease and adjust the requirements for landscaping for commercial projects. The change also incorporates modified standards from Section 21.14.3 Additional Design Requirements, that impact landscaping, to avoid confusion and problems that arise from developers not being aware of these requirements.

Staff is proposing a number of changes to the parking requirements. The most significant is the change in minimum parking space size from 10' x 20' to 9' x 18'. The Planning and Zoning Commission did not support this change. Reducing the size of parking spaces reduces the amount of land that is taken up by parking. Currently, each parking space is 200 square feet. With the proposed change it would be 162 square feet - this is about 80% of the current size. The next most significant change is the reduction in parking for multifamily projects. At present multifamily requires 1.5 spaces per 1 bedroom unit, 2 spaces per 2 bedroom unit and 2.5 spaces per 3+ bedroom units and an additional 5% for visitors/guests. Staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission are proposing 1.7 spaces per unit with 5% additional spaces. This makes determining the parking requirement more straightforward and staff believes will provide adequate parking. There are a few other changes to wheel stops, parking requirements for older sites that expand and stacking for bank drive-thrus.

GOAL

To amend the UDC to review and update the development regulations due to changing conditions and community goals in order to establish and maintain sound, stable and desirable development.

COMMUNITY BENEFIT

It is the City's desire to promote safe, orderly, efficient development and ensure compliance with the City's vision of future growth.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED ACTION

Approval of Ordinance 23-S-07amending Part III, Schertz Code of Ordinances, the Unified Development Code (UDC) Article 5 Zoning Districts, Subsections 21.5.2, 21.5.5 and 21.5.11; Article 9 Site Design Standards, Subsection 21.9.7 and 21.9.10; Article 10 Parking Standards, Subsections 21.10.2, 21.10.3, 21.10.4, 21.10.7.C and 21.10.9; and Article 14 Transportation, Subsection 21.14.3

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve the changes as proposed except for the parking space size - the Planning and Zoning Commission felt that leaving the current standard of 10' x 20' was appropriate. Additionally, the proposed change to extend the time for a SUP holder to pull a building permit from 1 to 2 years was added after P&Z consideration.

RECOMMENDATION

Approval of Ordinance 23-S-07.

Attachments
Ord 23 S 07
Exhibit A Proposed Changes
Current Ordinances
Redline Proposed Changes