Richardson City Council Meeting April 8th, 2024
OPENING
All councilmembers are present as well as City Manager Don Magner and City Secretary Aimee Nemer.
Councilwoman Justice leads a prayer and the pledges of allegiance.
Minutes of previous meetings are approved unanimously.
One written public comment is submitted. City Manager Don Magner states that this comment is “neutral to the Water Conservation Plan”. Two public speakers are present. The first speaker asks for agenda handouts, especially relating to the comprehensive plan, to be published along with the rest of the agenda on the Fridays before meetings. This would give citizens an opportunity to submit feedback before Council has to make a decision. She further states, regarding the Comprehensive Plan, that there are inconsistencies between citizens’ feedback and the consultants’ recommendations. The second speaker asks Council to pass a ceasefire resolution on the War in Gaza.
NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
Library Director Jennifer Davidson provides a presentation on National Library Week (April 7th - 13th). For this week, the library recognized library staff, visited local senior centers, and highlighted opportunities to support the library. The Richardson Public Library was one of 84 public libraries to receive the Achievement of Excellence award from the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association. Youth Services Librarian Kelly Keller highlights the Young Authors program. Richardson presented a program at the Texas Library Association conference showing other libraries how to start their own young authors program. In this seven-week program, students write their own picture book which is then professionally bound and placed into the library’s collection. These books are available to check out. Approx. 800 of these books are currently in the library’s collection since the program’s creation in 1992. Council thanks the library staff for their work and takes a photo with the department.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
Next is an important update on the Envision Richardson Comprehensive Plan Update. City Manager Don Magner responds to the public comment heard at the beginning of the meeting. He states that public input on the plan is extremely important. The items presented tonight will go before the public during the next feedback period. Consultant Mark Bowers with Kimley-Horn begins the presentation.
SECONDARY LAND USE
Mark begins by highlighting recommended secondary land uses for different place types. For Neighborhood Residential, secondary uses include single-family attached, retail/restaurant, office, public facility, and open space uses. Compact Residential secondary uses include the same but add entertainment and mixed-use buildings. Neighborhood Mixed-Use keeps the same recommendations but also adds hotels as a secondary use.
For retail place types, Neighborhood Service secondary uses include drive-throughs, mixed-use buildings, multi-family, public facility, open space, single-family attached, and utility uses. Community Commercial includes the same secondary uses but also adds entertainment.
Employment place types also have recommended secondary uses. Innovation/Industry includes entertainment, hotel, mixed-use building, multi-family, public facility, open space, retail/restaurant, and utility as secondary uses. Regional Employment includes the same secondary uses but adds drive-throughs.
The next three place types are considered quality-of-life place types. Transit Village recommended secondary uses include entertainment, hotel, public facility, open space, single-family attached, and utility uses. Institutional/Campus secondary uses include entertainment, hotel, public facility, open space, mixed-use building, multi-family, and retail/restaurant uses. Parks & Open Space secondary uses include public facility and utility uses.
Councilman Corcoran asks which place type high-rise apartments would be allowed in. Mark answers that these would be included in multifamily or mixed-use building uses. Councilman Corcoran also asks if industrial use is too limited in this future land use plan. Mark answers that industrial use would probably be limited to the current industrial footprint. Expanding industrial use in other areas requires costly redevelopment. Councilman Dorian asks which specific areas could be targets for high-rise buildings. Mark answers that the Transit Village and Regional Employment place types could be targets for high-rise buildings. Councilman Dorian also asks how to connect these different pocket districts. Mark answers that the transportation portion of the plan is still under development and will be presented at a future meeting. Councilman Dorian’s last question is about including sustainability in the plan. Mark answers that they considered adding sustainability as a separate component but have decided to include some sustainability measures within each component.
Councilman Barrios asks how they determine what uses are compatible for an area. Mark answers that preserving the integrity of single-family neighborhoods is the highest priority. Councilman Hutchenrider asks if they could assess the impact that high-rise apartments would have on city/emergency services. City Manager Don Magner answers that this analysis will be included in the Fire Master Plan and Water Master Plan currently being formed. Councilwoman Justice adds that, as multifamily developments are approved, impacts on city services need to be assessed as part of the approval process. She also asks about the community’s responses to secondary uses in Parks & Open Space. Mark answers that they interpret that to mean the community does not want Parks & Open Space used for anything else. Councilman Dorian asks about preserving some of the older boutique neighborhoods in Richardson. Mark answers that they will be assessing how to handle preserving neighborhood integrity while establishing where Richardson wants to be in the future. City Manager Don Magner reminds Council that citizens of a neighborhood that desire additional protections to preserve integrity may petition the city to create a neighborhood overlay applying those protections.
Council asks for the definition of Industry to be made clearer. Councilman Barrios asks for a comparison chart of land uses and how they impact the water system. City Manager Don Magner answers that everything that currently exists and is planned for fits within system capacity. They are currently planning for emergency services through the Fire Master Plan. (Hopefully, we get to see that comparison chart. That would be useful during public hearings on zoning files.) Mayor Dubey cautions Council not to be too prescriptive when defining Industry. He states that we want to be friendly with applicants and help make the development process easier. He does not want to exclude heavy industrial uses such as concrete manufacturing.
MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING
Mark continues the presentation, now focusing on Missing Middle Housing. He states that housing types that fall between single-family detached and midrise apartments have typically been excluded by zoning regulations since the 1940s. He also states that these housing types can be more affordable than single-family detached housing. He presents several examples of missing middle housing types including Duplexes, Live-Work units, ADUs, and Townhomes. 254 respondents to the community survey chose Neighborhood Residential as the most appropriate place type for ADUs. The same survey showed that Compact Residential and Neighborhood Mixed-Use were the place types deemed most appropriate for a variety of other Missing Middle Housing.
Preliminary recommendations are presented for the different place types. For Neighborhood Residential, ADUs, Bungalow Courts, Courtyard Housing, Duplexes, and Townhomes are recommended. For Compact Residential, Bungalow Courts, Courtyard Housing, Fourplexes, Multiplexes, and Townhomes are recommended. Recommendations for Neighborhood Mixed-Use include all the previous types’ recommendations except ADUs and adding Live-Work Units.
In the retail place types, Neighborhood Service is recommended to include Fourplexes, Live-Work, Multiplexes, and Townhomes. Community Commercial includes the same recommendation minus Townhomes. For employment place types, Innovation/Industry is recommended to have Fourplexes, Live-Works, and Multiplexes. Regional Employment is recommended to have the same plus Townhomes. For quality-of-life place types, Transit Village is recommended to have the same four missing middle housing types. Institutional/Campus is recommended to have Bungalow Courts, Courtyard Housing, Fourplexes, Live-Works, and Multiplexes.
REINVESTMENT AREAS
The final portion of the update is on Reinvestment Areas. For the five identified reinvestment areas, this plan will create a vision for land use, mobility, and open space for each. For West Campbell, the proposed vision is a mix of low-intensity residential and nonresidential uses. Retail, office, and service uses could support nearby neighborhoods and some outside the immediate area. For West Arapaho, the proposed vision is an extension of the existing neighborhoods, with a mix of low-intensity uses that could transition to higher intensities near US 75. These uses could include residential options, neighborhood-servicing retail, office, and service activities, and supporting parks/open space. For Belt Line/Plano, the proposed vision is a mixed-use environment with neighborhood-servicing retail, office, and service uses. New low-intensity residential uses and new commercial uses would also serve those outside the surrounding neighborhoods. For West Spring Valley, the proposed vision is a mix of higher-intensity commercial uses, neighborhood-serving retail, office, and service uses, and various low-intensity housing types. For Belt Line/Bowser, the proposed vision is a mix of low-intensity housing types along with retail, office, and service activities.
All of these recommendations will be part of the next community survey and the consultants will make changes based on the results of the feedback. Councilman Barrios asks if these five reinvestment areas are finalized. He shares concerns about the Belt Line/Bowser area redeveloping the existing affordable housing. He also has the same concerns about the West Spring Valley area. City Manager Don Magner answers that he thought Council confirmed that these were going to be the five reinvestment areas. He further states that how these visions get implemented will be up to Council. Mayor Pro Tem Shamsul states that we should keep in mind future market trends when making aspirational plans. He sees increasing housing supply as a way to bring down demand and make rents more affordable.
Councilman Corcoran asks Councilman Barrios if he thinks the Belt Line/Bowser area should be removed from the reinvestment areas. Councilman Barrios answers that, yes, he would prefer to drop it from consideration or contain it to the west excluding the existing housing. He doesn’t want to see workforce housing eliminated. City Manager Don Magner states that these existing housing developments simply will not last another 20 or 30 years. He also states that an affordable housing plan will be presented as part of a separate Council tactic at a future meeting. He concludes by stating that redevelopment and affordable housing don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Councilman Barrios says that it is difficult for him to support a plan without first seeing the affordable housing plan.
The next community feedback period will be from June 7th – July 7th. Council will be briefed on the content of the surveys on June 3rd.
TRASH BASH 2024
Next, Environmental Health Manager Danea Newman provides details for the 2024 Trash Bash. This year’s event will take place Saturday, April 20th from 9 am – 1 pm. Groups can once again sign up to pick up litter. Collections will take place at First United Methodist Church at 503 N Central Expy. Residents can drop off donations for Network of Community Ministries, used cooking oil, and eyeglasses. Compost and mulch will also be given out. The second Trash Bash location will be Richardson Square at 501 S Plano Rd. Electronics recycling and document shredding will be available at this location. Danea reminds the community that the city provides equipment to corporations and groups that want to conduct cleanups throughout the year.
PUBLIC HEARING – LOCKWOOD DISTILLERY
Next is a public hearing on a zoning file heard only six days before this meeting by the CPC. (That must be some type of record.) That CPC meeting was nearly an hour and a half long so I will go back and sum it up later this month. ZF 24-01 is a special permit and development plan request for Lockwood Distillery at 816 S. Sherman St. This will be an additional location for Lockwood Distillery for blending, bottling, and storage operations. The CPC voted 5-1 to recommend approval. The applicant requests 13 exceptions to development standards, ranging from the build-to-zone to sidewalk width and open space requirements. The Railside Vision applies to this area. That vision is “to position Richardson as a community concerned with sustainability and the arts, focusing on adaptive reuse of existing industrial buildings. New development, including residential and other transit supporting uses, are also envisioned with high quality urban character.” No correspondence has been received regarding the request.
Councilman Barrios asks for further clarification on the requested exceptions. Staff answers that this is an existing site and building with nonconforming conditions. No public speakers are present. Council asks no questions. The request is approved unanimously without further discussion.
WATER CONSERVATION PLAN
Now, the time comes for public input on the Water Conservation Plan. Public Services Director Eric Robison provides a short briefing covering the same information already presented. The entire draft plan is included on pages 43 – 109 of the agenda documents. I will have to read it at a later date. Five appendices in the plan are blank and say they will be included in the final plan submitted on May 1st. Council will vote on adoption on April 22nd. Council again asks no questions. No public speakers are present at 8:50 pm to speak on the plan.
CONSENT AGENDA & CLOSING
The consent agenda is approved unanimously. It includes an ordinance appointing Thomas A. D’Amore as Presiding Municipal Judge and Kevin S. Harris, Roger E. Haynes, and Raymond D. Noah as Asst. Municipal Judges for a term ending April 2026. Four bid awards are also included: $1.7M to La Banda, LLC for 2021 Bond Program alley reconstructions, $180K to Netsync for cybersecurity software, $169K to GTS Technology Solutions, Inc. for radio tower equipment, and $207K to Ponder Company, Inc. for a replacement stage floor at the Eisemann Center.
Council discusses an Education Committee meeting on RISD’s Project Rightsize, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Council convenes into executive session to deliberate regarding economic development negotiations for a commercial development in the U.S. 75/Floyd area. The footage ends here.