City Zone Change 950 – 4240 Central Avenue – A zone change request from Agriculture-Open Space (A-1) to Residential 7,000 (R-70) on Tract 3 of C/S 1648, a total area of 15.107 acres of land. A pre-application neighborhood meeting was held at 1300 N Transtech Way on September 26, 2016. A concurrent annexation petition has been submitted. Presented by Nicole Cromwell, Zoning Coordinator

The Planning Division recommends approval and adoption of the findings of the 10 criteria for Zone Change 950.

OWNER: Janet Bergman
AGENT: Sanderson Stewart
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Tract 3 of C/S 1648
ADDRESS: 4240 Central Avenue
CURRENT ZONING: A-1 (County)
EXISTING LAND USE: Agricultural
PROPOSED USE: Residential development of single and two-family dwellings with City services
SIZE OF PARCEL: 15.107 acres

Annexation requested through petition - under review and assigned number AN#16-05.

This certificate of survey was originally zoned A-1 by the County in 1973. Tract 2 was annexed and zoned R-70 in 2002 and is now the Legends West Subdivision directly east of the subject property. Tract 4 was rezoned from A-1 to A-S in the County and is now Bell Estates, a County subdivision south and east of the subject property. Tract 1 of this survey was annexed in 2006 and zoned R-96. A special review was subsequently approved for an assisted and independent living center now called MorningStar. This property is located about 800 feet east of the subject property close to the intersection of Central Avenue and Shiloh Road.

This property is within the limits of annexation for the City but is adjacent to agricultural zoning and uses to the west and south. It adjoins the City limits to the east (Legends West Subdivision) and is south of the Wells Garden Estates, a County subdivision north of Central Avenue. The limits of annexation only extends to the west a short distance from the subject property to the midsection line or what would be S 44th St West. There have been several annexations and zone changes in the immediate area during the past decade and these include the St Vincent's Health Care property at King Ave West and Shiloh Road, Lenhardt Square at S 44th St West and King Avenue West, Emmanuel Baptist Church at 328 S Shiloh Road, and the Billings Clinic property at Broadwater Avenue and Shiloh Road.
 

NORTH:	Zoning: R-15000 (County) Land Use: Large lot, single family residential
SOUTH:	Zoning: Agricultural Open Space Land Use: Ag uses
EAST:	Zoning: R-7000 Land Use: single family residential development
WEST:	Zoning: Agricultural Open Space Land Use: Ag uses

This is a zone change request submitted concurrently with a petition to annex the property to the City. The current owner has a potential buyer for the property, Marsich Investments, LLC. The buyer intends to develop the property as either a unit ownership or by a traditional subdivision with single family and two-family dwellings. The proposed zoning of R-70 would allow up to 8 dwelling units per acre of land. The property will need to dedicate additional right of way for Central Avenue and for Bell Avenue to the south. This will reduce the total area of the land available for development. The proposed number of new dwelling units ranges from 80 to 90 residences but this will depend on the final design of the site after annexation and zoning is complete.

Property to the north across Central Avenue is in the County, zoned Residential 15,000, and is the Shiloh Estates Subdivision. Most of the lots in this subdivision are 1 acre and have well and septic systems for each lot. Most homes in the subdivision were construction between the mid 1970s and the mid 1980s. To the north and east at the corner of Shiloh Road and Central Avenue is a convenience store and gas station. This development was originally constructed outside the City limits but was recently annexed to provide public services to the property. On the southwest corner of Shiloh Road and Central Avenue is the former Cetrone Photography Studio which suffered a catastrophic fire in July 2016. The property is zoned Neighborhood Commercial (NC) but is not yet annexed to the city.  To the south and west of subject property is active agricultural land that is irrigated. In 2012, an unsuccessful zone change was submitted for a 13.3 acre property south of Bell Avenue and west of Bell Estates. The zone change was to change this parcel from A-1 to RMF-R and was accompanied by an annexation petition. Both applications were withdrawn in May 2012.

Central Avenue is a principal arterial street and recent traffic count data for this section west of Shiloh Road shows an average daily traffic of 4,710 vehicles. This is well below what a principal arterial street is expected to carry but Central Avenue also is not built to arterial street standards at this location. It is still a two-lane road with some graveled shoulder areas. The posted speed limit is 45 mph on this section of Central Avenue. The speed limit increases to 55 mph past 48th St West.  The recently completed West End Multi-Modal Traffic Study indicated road and intersection improvements will be necessary during the next 20 years for Central Avenue beyond Shiloh Road. This study was based on existing and predicted traffic increases and includes improvement both inside and outside the City limits. No improvement projects for Central Avenue beyond Shiloh Road are planned at this time.

The Planning Division has reviewed the application and is recommending approval based on the proposed findings of the 10 criteria. The 2016 Growth Policy for the City supports the proposed zoning at this location and supports the 2016 Growth Policy statement: "The city will manage its growth by encouraging development within and adjacent to the existing City limits, but preference will be given to areas where City infrastructure exists or can be extended within a fiscally constrained budget and with consideration given to increased tax revenue from development. The City will prosper with strong neighborhoods with their own unique character that are clean, safe, and provide a choice of housing and transportation options." Guidelines were also adopted to support this statement including supporting mobility and access, safe neighborhoods, availability of housing options, attractive street scapes and access to daily necessities. The proposed zoning will allow a variety of housing choices, is adjacent to the existing City limits, and is close to an area with access to transportation options including bus service and bicycle paths. The proposed zoning is identical to the adjacent zoning of property annexed in 2002 for the Legends West Subdivision.
 

Staff recommends approval and adoption of the findings of the 10 criteria for Zone Change 950.