Richardson City Plan Commission Meeting December 17th, 2024
Once again, we barely have a quorum tonight. Only four members are present: Chair Marsh, Commissioner Costantino, Commissioner Roberts, and Commissioner Bohnsack.
Dec. 3rd’s minutes are unanimously approved with some edits.
The next item is the consent agenda. It includes only one item, a replat for 150 W. Main St. to dedicate utility easements. This is approved unanimously.
PUBLIC HEARING – MESORAH HIGH SCHOOL
Two public hearings are scheduled tonight. The first is for ZF 24-30. This is a special permit request for a private school, Mesorah High School for Girls, at 2101 Waterview Pkwy. This site is currently occupied by a non-profit nursing school. The Future Land Use Plan designates this area as appropriate for large-scale retail development but deems a school as an appropriate secondary use. This would be a relocation for this school from their current Dallas location. Mesorah High School is an Orthodox Jewish school that offers both Jewish and secular education. Total enrollment is projected to reach 120.
Staff presents a background of the request. Two site plans are presented with different locations for a fence. One impedes on mutual access easements, the other does not. Chair Marsh asks which site plan is attached to the request. Staff states that the recommended condition is to allow a fence but not dictate the exact placement of the fence as they have not decided on an exact location yet. Chair Marsh asks if staff has a professional opinion on the placement of the storm shelter. Staff is okay with the placement along Jonsson Blvd. with landscape screening. Commissioner Costantino notes that no maximum enrollment is included as a condition of approval. He asks why. Staff clarifies that this condition wasn’t initially added. They went back and looked at other private school approvals and now recommend a maximum enrollment of 120 as an optional condition. Commissioner Costantino asks what the enrollment of the current nursing school is. He receives no answer to this question.
Commissioner Roberts notes that the proposed location for the storm shelter is beyond the proposed location for the fence. He asks if the path to the storm shelter is allowed to be impeded by a fence. Asst. City Manager Charles Goff answers that he believes it is required to be unimpeded but that is a detail they would get into at the time of permitting. They would likely require a pedestrian gate.
The applicant steps forward to present their plans. They clarify that their proposed site plan is the one with a fence location that doesn’t impede on mutual access easements. The applicant also clarifies that the current nursing school has an enrollment of 276. They also clarify that they are seeking no enrollment cap. If there is one attached to the approval, they request a maximum enrollment that gives them room beyond the 120 estimated maximum enrollment. They scheduled a community meeting to address any concerns from neighbors. No one attended that meeting. Chair Marsh asks why they need a fence. The applicant answers that security is a concern for this community. The applicant discusses possible locations for the fence and storm shelter.
No speakers are present for this hearing. The applicant asks for a maximum enrollment capacity of 200 – 225. The applicant clarifies that the capacity of the proposed storm shelter is 120. Charles clarifies that an additional storm shelter would need to come back before the CPC in the future. Chair Marsh has concerns about the appearance of the storm shelter. Commissioner Roberts shares the same concern. Commissioner Costantino doesn’t think the look of the shelter will impact neighbors. Chair Marsh clarifies that he supports the use and isn’t concerned with a maximum enrollment. His biggest concern is just the appearance and location of the storm shelter. Commissioner Costantino disagrees with the appearance and location of the shelter being an issue. The CPC unanimously recommends approval of the request without a site plan or maximum enrollment attached to the special permit.
PUBLIC HEARING – LENNOX R&D
The final hearing of the evening is on ZF 24-21. This is a rezoning request for Lennox Innovation R&D Center at 2140 Lake Park Blvd. This request was considered by the CPC on Oct. 3rd and then continued until Nov. 19th where it was continued for a second time until tonight. The request received opposition from neighboring residents at the Oct. 3rd hearing. The applicant has met with neighbors and amended their request. The staff report states that the proposed building has been shifted east to preserve existing trees on the west side of the building and allow for additional landscaping. Trash collection was relocated inside the building. Additional landscaping and trees will also now be located in the parking areas on the north and west sides of the building to screen the development from neighbors.
Staff provides a background of the updated request. The new Future Land Use Plan has also been adopted since the Oct. 3rd hearing. That plan establishes this requested use as an appropriate primary use for this area. At the Oct. 3rd hearing, two letters in opposition were received and seven spoke in opposition to the request. Staff states that they have received three letters in opposition today. Two letters in support were also received today. The applicant steps forward to present their updated plans. The applicant provides a background on the zoning history for this area. The applicant has held community meetings with five neighboring HOAs.
Commissioner Roberts asks if any manufacturing will take place. The applicant confirms no manufacturing will take place in the facility. Three letters in support are acknowledged. Seven speakers are present. The first speaker speaks on behalf of a neighboring HOA. He expresses their opposition to this request. They do not want light industrial use. They are still concerned with large trucks delivering equipment and noise from forklifts. The second speaker asks for detailed landscape screening requirements to be included in the ordinance. He also asks for deliveries to be limited to 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. The third speaker expresses concerns about traffic and noise. The fourth speaker expresses concerns about large truck deliveries. He is opposed to the request. The fifth speaker is also opposed to the request. The sixth speaker is concerned with noise and deliveries. She is also opposed to the request. The seventh speaker is also opposed. He expresses concerns about noise and environmental impact.
The applicant returns to rebut the concerns expressed. He states that he will form a comprehensive landscape screening plan. He acknowledges that there are traffic issues. He acknowledges the impact of construction on neighbors. He states that he will stick to a construction schedule of M - F. He also states that he will provide sound barriers for generators. Commissioner Bohnsack asks how many deliveries they expect daily. The applicant answers that deliveries should take place between 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Chair Marsh asks if the applicant would like to amend their request further. The applicant answers no.
Commissioner Roberts acknowledges that neighboring property values will likely be affected if this is approved. He states that he is now opposed to the request after hearing the concerns from neighbors. Chair Marsh suggests that the impact of a denial on Lennox may be greater than the impact on neighbors’ property values. Commissioner Roberts still supports the residents over Lennox. Lennox is a successful business that has other options. Commissioner Costantino once again incorrectly states that the applicant would be able to build an R&D center by right. (Not according to the regulating ordinance.) He supports the request. The CPC recommends approval of the request 3-1 with Commissioner Roberts opposed. This should come before Council on Jan. 27th.
(And folks, with that, we are putting a bow on 2024 and calling it a wrap. I was able to document 115 hours of city business this year between both CPC and Council meetings. Though it sure felt like more than last year, that’s actually 15 hours short of last year’s total meetings. I’m sure we won’t have any problem beating that next year considering the Charter Review Commission meetings. I will be adding these to my coverage in the new year. Thank you to all who have read these reports. I have some exciting goals for the next year and I hope to reach even more Richardson residents so that you all know what is happening on your behalf.)