Zone Change 960 – 70th St West and Rimrock Road – A zone change request from un-zoned to Residential 7,000 (R-70) and Residential 5,000 (R-50) on Tract 2A of C/S 2465 (R-70) and Tract 1 of C/S 1871 (R-50) a 116.18 acre parcel of land generally located north of Rimrock Road and west of Copper Ridge Subdivision. A pre-application neighborhood meeting was held on June 26, 2017 at the Yellowstone Country Club, 3200 Paul Allen Way. A concurrent annexation petition has been submitted. Presented by Nicole Cromwell, Zoning Coordinator.

Planning staff recommends approval and adoption of the findings of the 10 criteria for Zone Change 960.

OWNER: Gary Oakland and Marvin Hessler
AGENT: Sanderson Stewart, Mac Folgelsong, P.E.
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Tract 2A, C/S 2465 (14.5 acres) and Tract 1, C/S 1871 (101.68 acres)
ADDRESS: None assigned
CURRENT ZONING: No zoning
EXISTING LAND USE: Agricultural lands
PROPOSED USE: New city subdivision
SIZE OF PARCEL: 116.18 acres

Annexation application (AN-17-05).

Subject Property: The subject parcels are outside any City or County zoning jurisdiction.

Surrounding Property: The adjacent city subdivisions to the east - Copper Ridge and Falcon Ridge - were annexed to the City in 2002 and zoned R-96. In 2004 and 2005, the adjacent parcels were approved for zone changes to the current zoning of R-70-R, R-80, R-70, RMF-R, RMF, RP and CC. The R-70-R was a new zoning designation created in 2004 to allow smaller residential lots but keep the lots restricted to single family dwellings only.

NORTH:	Zoning: No zoning Land Use: Railroad Right-of-Way and Agricultural lands
SOUTH:	Zoning: No zoning and R-150 Land Use:  Agricultural lands
EAST:	Zoning: R-70-R Land Use: Copper Ridge Subdivision - single family dwellings
WEST:	Zoning: No zoning Land Use: Agricultural lands

This is a zone change request submitted concurrently with a petition to annex this 116+/- acre parcel into the City Limits. The City has considered previous annexation concepts for this property over the past 10 years. The City Council, on advice of its Annexation Committee, agreed to amend the City's Limits of Annexation Map this year to include this parcel for potential annexation within the next 5 years. An Urban Planning Study was completed in 2016, and accepted by the Committee and the City Council.

The requested zoning of R-70 (14.5 acres) and R-50 (101.68 acres) will allow the developer, Oakland Companies, to respond to market demands as needed. Both requested zoning districts allow single family and two-family dwellings as of right, but exclude multi-family dwellings (3 or more attached dwelling units). The 14.5-acre R-70 zoning district could support development of up to 55 two-family dwellings or 76 single family dwellings. A change to the zoning district requirements in 2012, now allows a two-family size parcel in the R-70 or R-50 zoning district to develop with either 2 detached or attached dwelling units. The 101.68-acre, R-50 zoning district could support 470 two-family dwellings or 752 single family dwellings. The proposed zoning and subsequent construction of new subdivisions will add a significant number of new residents to the City.

The Urban Planning Study prepared in the fall of 2016 predicted only 380 single family dwelling units for the subject property to estimate the impact from the proposed development on City services as well as tax revenue generation. The developer will determine through the subdivision process the total number of dwelling units within the new area. The City's adopted Annexation Policy requires new annexations to meet a minimum of 4 to 7 dwelling units per acre. The policy does not specify how this density is calculated, but a gross acre calculation of a minimum of 4 units per acre for the subject property yields 464 single family dwelling units. This number of dwelling units is estimated to generate about 4,600 new vehicle trips per day at full build out. The primary connection of this parcel to the City street network will be Rimrock Road, a collector street. The current construction of this road east of 70th Street West until its intersection with Copper Ridge Loop is a typical 2-lane county gravel road with barrow ditches on each side to collect storm water drainage. The City will require, through the subdivision process, a complete upgrade of Rimrock Road to City standards for a collector street, or provide a waiver of right to protest the future construction of the complete street improvements. Rimrock Road has only a 30 foot easement west of 70th Street West. A future subdivision of the subject property will require dedication of right of way for Rimrock Road on the north side. The latest traffic counts for the area indicate Rimrock Road just east of the intersection with Golden Acres Drive carries about 3,700 vehicles per day, Molt Road north of Ironwood Drive (Echo Canyon) carries about 1,770 vehicles per day, and 62nd Street West just south of Rimrock Road carries about 2,200 vehicles per day.

The 2016 Billings Growth Policy set guidelines for new development and land uses within the Billings City Limits. The subject property is directly adjacent to the current City Limits and extension of public utilities will not "leap frog" past property outside the City. This meets the guideline for Essential Investments within the Growth Policy: "Prioritize public and private investment in areas, policies, programs and projects that achieve the community vision 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 proposed zoning also supports the Strong Neighborhoods and Home Base Guidelines: "Create and enhance strong neighborhoods that are clean and safe with streets and public places that provide convenient access for our most vulnerable citizens – our children and grandparents. Enable a home environment for all residents that is healthy, safe and affordable, and offers a choice of housing options." The proposed zoning allows the developer to provide a wider variety of housing options compared to a single-family-only zoning district and could facilitate provision of neighborhood amenities not normally available in a suburban subdivision.

The Planning staff has reviewed the requested zoning and is recommending approval based on the proposed findings of the 10 criteria. The proposed zoning meets many of the 2016 Billings Growth Policy guidelines and is supported by the City's Annexation Policy. It is likely full development of the new neighborhood will be completed over an 8 to 15 year period similar to the adjacent Copper Ridge neighborhood.
 

Planning staff recommends approval and adoption of the findings of the 10 criteria for Zone Change 960.