PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT

Regular Agenda – Public Hearing Item

 

PC Staff Report

2/27/08

 

ITEM NO. 9:  COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT TO HORIZON 2020 CHAPTER 6 – COMMERCIAL LAND USE (MJL)

 

CPA-2007-8: Amend Horizon 2020 Chapter 6, Commercial Land Use, to update the identified Neighborhood Commercial Center on the southeast corner of O’Connell Road and E. 23rd Street/K-10 Highway to be identified as a Community Commercial Center. Initiated by Planning Commission on 11-28-07 as part of the Southeast Area Plan.

 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:  Staff recommends approval of the amendments to Horizon 2020, Chapter 6 – Commercial Land Use authorize the chair to sign PC Resolution 2008-03 regarding these amendments.

 

SUMMARY

This comprehensive plan amendment is part of the implementation of the Southeast Area Plan.  The area located at the southeast corner of O’Connell Road and E. 23rd Street/K-10 is identified as a neighborhood commercial area in Horizon 2020.  Based on how the area is platted and zoned and that the area includes approximately 21 acres, the Southeast Area Plan has identified it as a community commercial area and recommends in the implementation section of the plan that Horizon 2020 be updated to reflect this change.

 

STAFF REVIEW

The intersection of E. 23rd Street/K-10 and O’Connell Road is identified in the comprehensive plan as a neighborhood commercial center.  There are pending rezonings and there have been preliminary plans for commercial development on the southeast corner of this intersection for years.  Currently the southwest corner is zoned CO District (Commercial Office).  A neighborhood commercial district allows commercial on only one corner.  This would not match the plans or the current conditions for this intersection.  A CC200 designation would better meet the intent of the commercial center for this intersection and could better meet the future needs of the residents of the area.  The CC200 designation would allow up to 200,000 square feet of commercial space with no single store occupying more than 100,000 square feet.  The CC200 district allows single stores to occupy more square footage, allows commercial to be located on more than one corner, gives guidance to site design and layout and is oriented towards serving a larger area than a Neighborhood Commercial Area.  A neighborhood commercial center would allow up to 100,000 square feet of commercial space with the exception that if the center has a grocery store larger than 60,001 square feet may have up to 125,000 square feet of commercial space.  The neighborhood commercial district allows commercial development on one corner of an intersection, allows single stores to occupy a maximum of 40,000 square feet except for a grocery store, and is more oriented towards serving the immediate surrounding area.

 

There is a typo in the Southeast Area Plan regarding this area.  In the recommendation section under the commercial land use category, recommended zoning districts, it states that CC400 District is an option for zoning designations.  The intent was for the CC200 District to be listed.  It was not the intent to have the designation go from a neighborhood commercial area which allows a maximum of 100,000 square feet of commercial space, 125,000 square feet with a grocery store, to a CC400 which allows a maximum of 400,000 square feet of commercial space.  Also this area would not meet many of the locational criteria for a CC400 center.

 

The changes to the text are noted in the attached document in blue italics and the map changes are also attached.

 

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT REVIEW

 

A.        Does the proposed amendment result from changed circumstances or unforeseen conditions not understood or addressed at the time the plan was adopted?

 

This proposal reflects a change in circumstances from when Horizon 2020 was adopted.  At the time of adoption, there was no detailed plan for this area.  With the Southeast Area Plan planning process, the area was evaluated in with greater detail and a variety of information was taken into consideration when determining where the future commercial areas were to be located.  With this additional information and detail, it was determined that the neighborhood commercial center would not fit what is preliminarily planned for the area.

 

 

B.        Does the proposed amendment advance a clear public purpose and is it consistent with the long-range goals and policies of the plan?

 

The amendment does have a clear public purpose and is consistent with the goals and policies of the Horizon 2020.  The public supported the adoption of the Southeast Area Plan which identifies these changes and the Southeast Area Plan is consistent with the goals and policies of Horizon 2020.

 

 

C.        Is the proposed amendment a result of a clear change in public policy?

 

The proposed change is a clear change in public policy because the governing bodies adopted and amended the Southeast Area Plan into the comprehensive plan, a more specific plan for the area.  This plan looked at the area in a more detailed fashion and found that this location would better served if the designation was a CC200, community commercial center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL STAFF RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends the following:

  1. Approval of the comprehensive plan amendments to Horizon 2020, Chapter 6 – Commercial Land use in the following ways;
    1. Remove the intersection of E. 23rd Street/K-10 and O’Connell Road from the list of Neighborhood Commercial Centers on Horizon 2020 page 6-20
    2. Add a bullet in the New Commercial Areas section between Neighborhood Commercial Centers and Community Commercial Centers (CC400) to read:

·         Community Commercial Centers (CC200)

The Comprehensive Plan recommends the following intersection as potential location for a new CC200 Center.

1.      E. 23rd Street/K-10 and O’Connell Road

    1. Change the designation of the intersection of E. 23rd Street/K-10 and O’Connell Road from a neighborhood commercial center to a CC200 Community Commercial Center on Horizon 2020 Map 6-1 on page 6-43,
  1. Authorizing the chair to sign PC Resolution 2008-03 regarding all of the Southeast Area Plan recommended CPAs,
  2. Forwarding the recommendation for approval to the governing bodies for concurrence.

LAWRENCE - NEW COMMERCIAL AREAS

 

All new commercial and office development shall occur in accordance with the plan recommendations.  New commercial, retail and related uses shall be developed as a node with shared parking areas, common access drives, and related design and appearance.  Nodes shall be positioned and oriented to the primary street intersections where they are located, avoiding a "strip" pattern as a result of extension of commercial uses along the streets from where the node originated.

 

Commercial nodes include other important community services and facilities, such as satellite post offices, police, fire and emergency services, religious facilities, community centers and other services and institutions.  Inclusion of these uses assists the integration of the commercial area into the overall neighborhood, serving multiple communities and service needs in a single location, and creating physically distinctive use areas apart from traditional commercial areas. 

 

The Comprehensive Plan includes recommendations for the location of new commercial development.  As the community grows, it may be necessary to change the recommended location of a Commercial Center(s) or not use a designated intersection for a commercial uses.  If there is a need to move the recommended location of a Commercial Center or downgrade the recommended size of a center, the Comprehensive Plan shall be amended.  Through the amendment process, the proposed location and/or change in size of the Commercial Center will be reviewed based on the effects the change will have on infrastructure systems, the surrounding land uses, the neighborhood and the community-at-large.

 

The Comprehensive Plan does not support increasing the size or number of new Commercial Centers.

 

·                     Neighborhood Commercial Centers 

 

The Comprehensive Plan recommends the following intersections as potential locations for new Neighborhood Commercial Centers.

 

1.      E. 23rd Street and O’Connell Road

2.      Franklin Road (extended) and N 1300 Rd

1.      Franklin Road extended and E. 28th Street extended

2.      E 1500 Rd and N 1100 Rd

3.      E 1000 Rd and N 1000 Rd

4.      E 1000 Rd and N 1200 Rd

5.      Clinton Parkway and K-10

6.      W. 15th Street and K-10

7.      E 800 Rd and at the potential east/west arterial 2 miles north of US US-40

8.      E 700 Rd and US US-40

9.      E 800 Rd and N 1750 Rd

10.  E 1000 Rd and N 1750 Rd

11.  E 1500 Rd and US Highway 24/40

 

These areas are all intended for development as small, compact commercial nodes that provide goods and services to the immediately adjoining neighborhood areas. They shall be developed in a manner that is consistent with the goals, policies and recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan. 

 

·                     Community Commercial Centers (CC200)

 

The Comprehensive Plan recommends the following intersection as potential location for a new CC200 Centers.

 

1.      E. 23rd Street and O’Connell Road

 

·                     Community Commercial Centers (CC400)

 

The Comprehensive Plan recommends the following intersections as potential locations for new CC400 Centers. 

 

1.      Eastern leg of the SLT and K-10 (southeast of the intersection of E 1750 Rd and K-10)

2.      W. 6th Street and K-10

3.      US-59 and N 1000 Rd

 

The development of these nodes shall carefully follow the commercial goals and policies.  Commercial development shall not occur in advance of market conditions that would support such development, nor shall it be permitted to occur in a manner that is contrary to adopted city infrastructure plans.

 

·                     Auto-Related Commercial Centers

 

The Comprehensive Plan recommends the following intersections as potential locations for new Auto-Related Centers.

 

1.      I-70 and K-10

2.      US-59/40 and I-70

3.      US-59 and K-10

 

·                     Regional Commercial Centers

 

The need for development of a new Regional Commercial Center within the community is not anticipated within the planning period.  Consideration of requests to expand existing commercial areas shall include the potential for development of additional Regional Commercial Centers and the impact of such expansion and development on the existing commercial inventory.  The need for additional regional commercial development within the community shall be evaluated on a regular basis, based upon updated land use and population data.  Before a new Regional Commercial Center is considered, the Comprehensive Plan shall be amended to include the possibility of a new Regional Commercial Center.