Richardson City Council Work Session October 9th, 2023
OPENING
All councilmembers are present as well as City Manager Don Magner and City Secretary Aimee Nemer.
Councilman Hutchenrider leads a prayer for peace and the pledges.
Minutes of previous meetings are unanimously approved.
No public speakers are present for the visitors section. Several comments are submitted for the public hearing later in the meeting.
The first item is recognition of National Code Enforcement Officer Month. Community Services Administrator Lindsay Turman presents. She provides an overview of the responsibilities and expertise of Richardson’s code enforcement officers. Council thanks Lindsay and her team for the work they do to keep the integrity of Richardson neighborhoods. A proclamation is given, and Council takes a picture with the Code Enforcement team. (JN: I echo Council’s appreciation for this team. Being an apartment dweller myself, this team is really helpful with enforcing necessary repairs at multifamily developments. I had a very positive interaction just this past week regarding some water leaks with an unbelievably quick response time. Huge thanks to this team.)
PUBLIC HEARING - CLEARWATER EXPRESS CAR WASH
The main action item tonight is a public hearing on ZF 23-09. This is a special permit request for a car wash at 524 Centennial Blvd. This request was also covered in notes from the Sep. 19th CPC meeting. Development Services Director Sam Chavez explains that a nearby site had another car wash special permit request in 2019. That request was denied by the CPC at the time and the request was withdrawn. This is not the same company as that previous request. Current allowed uses on this site include office and retail uses. A daycare center occupies the neighboring tract. This tract is undeveloped. In response to the concerns about water usage, Sam also presents data about projected water usage. With a modern water reclamation system, the applicant estimates they will use 16 gallons of water per vehicle. They estimate approximately 400 vehicles per day which would be 6,400 gallons of water per month. It’s worth noting that this is less than the average residential customer’s usage of 8,000 gallons per month (in the cool months). It’s also worth noting that 16 gallons per vehicle appears to be less than the industry average.
(JN: A cursory search shows there are also rinseless car wash methods that claim to use as little as 10 gallons per wash. Personally, I’ve used exactly zero gallons of water to wash my car this year. We are going to have to get creative in our water conservation efforts. 2036 is not far away.)
Councilman Barrios asks about the existing drainage culverts. Sam answers that drainage will be properly rerouted underground into the drainage system since the culverts will be removed. Councilman Corcoran asks if Richardson has a specific set of codes for sludge, silt collection, etc. Sam answers that the adopted Building Code requires sand traps and grease trap filtration. City Manager Don Magner remarks that Richardson has the most up-to-date requirements with the adoption of the 2021 International Codes earlier this year. Councilman Dorian asks why the 2019 car wash request was denied. Sam answers that concerns were expressed by nearby residents regarding noise, lighting, and traffic. 12 public comment cards are submitted, all opposed to the request. Three speakers are also present to oppose the request. They express concerns regarding noise, traffic, runoff, pollution, lighting, safety, and property values.
The applicant steps forward to answer questions. Councilman Hutchenrider asks about the noise generated from operations. The applicant explains that the loudest components will be inside the building. Councilman Hutchenrider also asks about the impact on the environment. The applicant answers that they will have underground storage tanks for water filtration and reclamation. Councilman Barrios asks about chemical storage and if they use environmentally friendly chemicals. The applicant answers that their chemicals are stored in the equipment room. All chemicals except the tire shine are water-based. The applicant states that they are not abrasive to human skin and are not petroleum-based, except for the tire shine. Councilman Dorian asks about traffic and parking management, especially considering the neighboring soccer complex often has folks parking on this site currently. The applicant answers that the multiple ingress/egress points should help with traffic management. Regarding the soccer field parking, the applicant states that the site being used as unofficial parking causes issues with littering. Councilman Corcoran asks why they are choosing underground filtration instead of above-ground filtration. The applicant answers that underground filtration requires less equipment and costs less since it uses the natural flow of water. Mayor Dubey asks if any of the existing trees on the site will be preserved. The applicant answers that the existing trees will not be preserved, but they are planning to install landscaping with some trees.
Mayor Pro Tem Shamsul states that he does not support the plan as presented due to the concerns expressed by the local neighbors. Councilwoman Justice states that she also does not support the request due to concerns over water usage. Councilman Dorian also doesn’t support the request due to neighbors’ concerns. Councilman Barrios also doesn’t support the request due to neighbors’ concerns. Councilman Corcoran remarks that this type of car wash uses less water and is more environmentally safe than handwashing a car in the driveway. He expresses concerns about adaptable reuse since underground tanks would be installed but recognizes that the property owner sees this as the best use for the land. He supports the request. Councilman Hutchenrider expresses concerns about water usage. He feels that the applicant provided satisfactory answers to most of the issues that were expressed by neighbors. He also feels that, regardless of the request, the neighboring soccer business should not be allowed to park on the property. He doesn’t give an indication of his support just yet.
Council denies the request 6-1 with Councilman Corcoran being the only one in support.
CONSENT AGENDA & CLOSING
The consent agenda is approved unanimously. It includes an ordinance codifying the approval of ZF 23-08. It also includes a resolution authorizing the application for Homeland Security Grant funds in the amount of $146K. This funding would provide the RPD SWAT team with night vision equipment and a tactical robot. The RFD HazMat team would also get hazardous gas monitoring equipment and training. Also included is a resolution authorizing a $200K transfer from Richardson to NCTCOG for the Cotton Belt Trail project. Four bid awards are also included: $70K to O’Reilly Auto Parts for, well, auto parts and services, $90K to Roll-offs USA for waste containers, an annual requirements contract for $700K to Iteris Inc. for video traffic monitoring equipment, and a $100K annual requirements contract to Allied Universal Technology Services also for video traffic monitoring equipment.
Council discusses the Cottonwood Arts Festival, the Texas Municipal League conference, National Night Out, a recently activated ambulance at Fire Station #6, and a Richardson Symphony performance. Mayor Dubey tearfully expresses his gratitude to the city for their support as he and his family deal with the tragic loss of a family member.
Council then convenes into executive session to conduct an evaluation of the city manager, and the footage ends.