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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCPDA 2019-05-06 Minutes MINUTES OF THE CITY POINT DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS HELD IN THE CITY ADMINISTRATIVE MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM 4301 CITY POINT DRIVE MAY 6, 2019 The City Point Development Advisory Committee of the City of North Richland Hills, Texas, met on the 6th day of May, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. in the City Administrative Main Conference Room. Present: Rita Wright Oujesky,Chair Council, Place 2 Tito Rodriguez Council, Place 1 Scott Turnage Council, Place 6 Staff Members: Mark Hindman City Manager Paulette Hartman Deputy City Manager Karen Bostic Assistant City Manager Maleshia McGinnis City Attorney Mary Peters Public Information Director Clayton Comstock Director of Planning Craig Hulse Director of Economic Development Mike Curtis Managing Director of Public Works and Engineering Caroline Waggoner Director of Public Works Elizabeth Copeland Economic Development Analyst 1. CALL TO ORDER Council member Wright Oujesky called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. 2. APPROVE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 8, 2019 CITY POINT DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING APPROVED A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCILMAN RODRIGUEZ, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN TURNAGE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE APRIL 8, 2019 MEETING. MOTION TO APPROVE CARRIED 3-0. 3. UPDATE ON STATUS OF THE PROPOSED CONCEPT PLAN, RELATED DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, AND LAND USES FOR THE CITY POINT DEVELOPMENT May 6, 2019 City Point Development Advisory Committee Minutes Page 1 of 4 Mr. Hindman updated the group regarding the project. Centurion American submitted another set of plans, which are still fluid. A meeting is scheduled for May 7, 2019 which will include the developer, a Public Improvement District (PID) consultant, financial advisor, bond council and underwriters for the PID bonds. The purpose of the meeting is to get everyone on the same page, look through deal points, work through design criteria, and understand what is being proposed and how it is going to work. PID advisors have recommended that the city discuss the financial side, development agreement, design criteria and land use all at the same time in order to keep one from happening before the other. While the May 7 meeting is primarily related to financial items, Mr. Comstock is working directly with the Centurion team to better define features and modify the plan. Although Mr. Moayedi is not involved in all design meetings, he met with staff on Friday, May 3 to discuss the project. During that meeting, Mr. Moayedi mentioned some changes he would like to see to the site plan. Mr. Comstock discussed the latest plans from Centurion, noting changes that were made since the last iteration. While the new plan includes equal portions of land uses, the locations have shifted. One of the modifications is the decrease of commercial from 75,000 to 60,000 square feet (staff hasn't conceded on the reduction in retail). Since underground parking is no longer in the plan, this shift was made to incorporate additional surface parking towards the front of the development. Staff is concerned about removing retail at the front of the development to make room for parking. Mr. Moayedi has also expressed concern about placing surface parking in this location and has asked his team to make modifications before the projected formal submittal on Monday, May 13. It was stated that the developer seems to be moving too quickly. The city needs to remember that this is a large project and a lot of money, so it's important to take the necessary time to make decisions. In addition, based on a visit to Founders Park and Riverwalk, a committee member expressed a desire for the North Richland Hills development to have different aesthetics from Founders Park. The two existing developments are vastly different. It would be nice for the NRH development to incorporate features used in the Riverwalk, such as fountains, benches, artwork, pavilions, etc. Mr. Comstock asked for an opinion of the multifamily in other Centurion projects. It was noted that there is a big difference between the two communities, with the Riverwalk using various facades on the residential, as opposed to Founders Park, which is more monotonous and not aesthetically pleasing. Staff mentioned that the developer has said the multifamily will be dictated by the outcome of the adjacent Spanos project since the new development would not want to charge a higher rent than the existing apartments. The group was reminded that the Riverwalk development is somewhat different because all of the PID went to creation of the space —the riverwalk, bridges, chapel, etc. May 6, 2019 City Point Development Advisory Committee Minutes Page 2 of 4 Regarding retail, the plan is still to ensure that retail is set in motion at the same time as residential; however, the developer has stated that it may be a problem with financing. This is an issue the city needs to work through and determine how to document. The committee was asked if they are comfortable allowing for some flexibility within the plan, meaning the city can be specific on design criteria, but somewhat flexible on how the site is laid out. The plan can have blocks in zoning and staff will agree on quantities/design of single family, townhomes, and multifamily, but if single family does well, and Centurion would like to convert a block of multifamily to single family, they would have the flexibility to do so. If the city agrees to flexibility, the final layout would be more like a pattern book that would show each product, but would not show specific lots. The committee agreed that they are okay with allowing for flexibility as long as it is codified, the city is able to be specific with design criteria, and the hotel remains in the plan (Centurion will lead the charge in securing a hotel brand). There was discussion about making sure the drainage area is addressed, and the group discussed the location of the drainage being off to the side, so it may not be visible to most of the development. While the drainage improvement would be nice, it is important to incorporate green space throughout the entire development. Staff is not supportive of the signature homes that were added to the plan, so the space currently showing those homes could be an area for additional greenspace. Mr. Comstock discussed the bump-out tree islands (two parking spaces and a tree island every 50 feet). He has been working with the developer to ensure the development doesn't turn into a sea of concrete. While not as tree lined as the Transit Oriented District (TOD), there will still be tree canopy. A request was made to ask Centurion to color the open space in the plans so the committee could get a better understanding of the greenspace areas. Mr. Curtis noted that the proposed street sections and landscaping is very similar to Founder's Park so if the committee would like to get a feel for how the streets will look, he recommended a visit to Founders Park. Founders Park uses bump-outs, but with more parking spaces in between each tree than what is being proposed in the City Point development. The proposed street widths are comparable to HomeTown and the TOD. The committee agreed that the city does not need to rush the approval process and while, in most cases, it is preferable to only go to City Council one time, the City Point project may need to go to City Council multiple times throughout the process. Staff expects Centurion to submit plans on May 13. From that point, the plans will be with staff for two weeks. Currently, June 6 is the developer's target date for the Planning and Zoning Commission; however, Ms. Hartman asked the committee if they are okay with pushing back the dates if staff doesn't feel ready. The committee agreed that there is no pressure and pushing back dates is fine, if necessary. Staff has spoken to leaders in other communities who have worked with Centurion. While the cities are pleased, challenges that were mentioned include delays in commercial and having to push the developer to get what the city desires. May 6, 2019 City Point Development Advisory Committee Minutes Page 3 of 4 Committee members reminded staff of a couple of important items that were discussed in the meeting, including their willingness to be flexible with the plan as long as there is diversity in building materials and colors. The term "non-monotony" standards was used. They also reminded staff that they are not in a rush and are fine with pushing back if staff needs additional time; they want the project done right. Mr. Comstock pointed out the single story buildings along City Point Drive, which is different from the original vision to incorporate taller buildings along the main entrance. The committee requested images to better understand what this will look like. 4. ADJOURNMENT Council member Wright Oujesky adjourned the meeting at :28 p.m. i Council member Rita Wr t ujesky, Chair Craig Hul , ecretary May 6, 2019 City Point Development Advisory Committee Minutes Page 4 of 4