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CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE O-1819-5 UPON SECOND AND FINAL READING: AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AMENDING SECTION 460 OF CHAPTER 22 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF NORMAN SO AS TO REMOVE LOT TWO (2), IN BLOCK ONE (1), OF VALUE PLACE ADDITION, A REPLAT OF LOTS ONE (1) AND TWO (2), BLOCK ONE (1), OF HUETTNER ADDITION SECTION TWO, A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT, TO NORMAN, CLEVELAND COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, FROM THE I-1, LIGHT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, AND PLACE SAME IN THE PUD, PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT; AND PROVIDING FOR THE SEVERABILITY THEREOF. (5451 HUETTNER DRIVE)
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SYNOPSIS: The applicant, Blue Jay Construction, L.L.C., is proposing to rezone the 6.2 acres located east of the WoodSpring Suites hotel from I-1, Light Industrial District to a PUD, Planned Unit Development District. The WoodSpring Suites offers overnight and extended stay accommodations. This PUD will allow for an RV/Travel Trailer Park (RV Park) and uses strictly associated with the RV Park as well as any uses currently allowed by right in the I-1, Light Industrial District.
UPDATE FROM PLANNING COMMISSION: At the Planning Commission meeting in August of 2018, a couple of the Commissioners expressed concern with the allowance of “monthly” rental for the RV pad sites. The applicant’s representative stated they would be willing to remove the allowance of monthly rental moving forward to City Council. The PUD Narrative was amended to reflect the pad sites may be rented daily, nightly and weekly.
BACKGROUND: This general area was rezoned from A-2, Rural Agricultural District to I-1, Light Industrial District in November of 1970. In September of 1999 the area was platted as Huettner Addition, Section Two; subsequently, in October of 2006 the subject tract was replatted to Value Place Addition, this was to allow for reconfiguration of the two lots to allow for future development of a hotel.
Development in this general area has been slow since the initial platting in 1999. In the last 20 years 15 of the 19 platted lots have developed, with the most recent development for a paint and body repair shop directly north of this subject proposal. There is a church located at the northern end of the Huettner Plat, fronting Indian Hills Road. A gymnastics facility is located at the corner of Huettner Drive and Huettner Court. The remaining businesses consist of oil & gas offices, warehousing, landscaping businesses, a gun range, lawnmower sales/repair, boat mechanic and sales, an auto detailing shop and an auto paint and body repair shop.
HISTORY OF ADJACENT DEVELOPMENT: In April of 2006 the lot to the west of this current proposal was rezoned from I-1, Light Industrial District to PUD, Planned Unit Development, allowing for the use of a hotel, including extended stays, and those uses already allowed by right in the I-1 District. The extended stay hotel was Value Place but is now WoodSpring Hotel/Suites, also an extended stay hotel.
In 2006, when the application for rezoning was submitted a companion NORMAN 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan amendment application was also submitted. The original request was to rezone the property from I-1 to PUD and amend the Land Use from Industrial Designation to Commercial Designation. However, after the Pre-Development meeting the application moved forward to Planning Commission and City Council for only the rezoning portion - the land use amendment application was withdrawn.
Staff reviewed the file for the 2006 rezoning proposal for the hotel; the information in the file reflected that the hotel was presented as a resource for the then existing York Manufacturing Facility, located just south of the hotel. In the file staff outlines the reasoning behind the withdrawal of the 2025 Land Use Plan amendment going from Industrial Designation to Commercial Designation was to eliminate the possibility of any future proposals for commercial/retail use in the area designated for industrial uses.
ANALYSIS:
The particulars of this SPUD include:
• USE The application for rezoning is to allow an RV/Travel Trailer Park and uses strictly associated with the RV/Trailer Park, including the possibility of no more than 2 apartments for on-site managers, as well as any uses currently allowed by right in the I-1, Light Industrial District. The use of a PUD for this proposal, instead of commercial zoning district, will prohibit the full range of retail and business uses to occur within an industrial area should this business vacate the site. The PUD will restrict this lot to industrial uses as permitted in the I-1, Light Industrial District in the Zoning Ordinance, plus the RV Park and only those uses associated with the park - as outlined in the PUD Narrative.
In addition to the restrictions outlined in the PUD Narrative the RV Park will be required to adhere to the licensing and annual inspections required by Chapter 13 of the Code of Ordinances.
• DENSITY: As proposed the site will accommodate 76 rental spaces. The RV pads are designed to accommodate the larger RV units as well as the smaller bumper pull units. Depending on final design there may be less than 76 RV pads but there will be no more than 76 RV pads.
• PARKING: There will be one parking space for a passenger vehicle at each RV pad site. Additional parking will be located around the common area on the east side of the development. Parking for the office area will be calculated at 1/400; currently, office-parking requirements are set at 1/300 in the Zoning Ordinance. However, with this type of development traffic volumes are expected to be low therefore 1/400 should be adequate to meet parking needs for the office area. In addition, there will be one parking space per apartment/on-site office manager if residential on-site manager units are constructed.
• OPEN SPACE: The open space for the site is at 35%. There is an open space area located in the eastern portion of the development. This portion of the development will have areas for walking dogs and playing outdoor activities.
• SITE PLAN: Access to the site is by way of the adjacent street - Huettner Drive. There will be two controlled access points for the site - ingress/egress. Having controlled access to the park will allow travelers to arrive on their schedule if pre-registered. If travelers are not pre-registered they will have to stop at the office for check-in/rental.
The applicant included in the PUD Narrative two exhibits outlining the possible development on the site. Since the PUD allows for the RV Park and those uses allowed by right in the I-1 District the applicant submitted two options for developing the lot, these include the RV Park as one option and the RV Park with uses that might utilize, for instance, warehousing - possibly the storage or maintenance of RVs - as the second option.
In any case, Exhibit C is the landscaping and green space design that will be developed for the site.
• FENCING: The entire perimeter of the site will have a 6’ security fence. The street frontage and access gates will be black ornamental iron/steel. The remainder of the site will be 6’ vinyl coated chain link to match the existing fence along the southern boundary.
• SIGNAGE: Any signage for this development will comply with the requirements of Section 18-503.1 of the Sign Code - Industrial zone sign standards. This will allow a total of 780 square feet of signage for this location. This also includes an allowance of one additional ground sign - this sign may be as tall as 80 feet.
• IMPACTS: The development or use in this area is mixed. Over the years it has developed as a mix of light industrial with some retail, accessory to the main use, office use, the gymnastics facility, as well as the extended stay hotel. Staff does not foresee any negative zoning impacts from the establishment of this development.
OTHER AGENCY COMMENTS:
• GREENBELT COMMISSION GBC 18-12 - July 16, 2018
The Greenbelt Commission forwards the application with no additional comments.
• PRE-DEVELOPMENT PD 18-12 - July 26, 2018
Three people attended the meeting - one neighbor across the railroad tracks and one business owner couple
Neighbor Questions/Comments
Q: What does upscale mean?
R: The applicant is hoping to cater to the upscale, larger RV/travel trailer park. The parking pads he is proposing will accommodate the larger, 40-foot RVs.
Q: Why not build an RV sales and service shop? We are concerned with the transient nature of the proposal.
R: The applicant is hoping to provide a service not currently available in this area. The closest similar park is located north in the downtown area of OKC. Previously, Norman had a mobile home park that had a section designated for RVs but that was eliminated with the closing of Sooner Mobile Home Park on Classen and Constitution.
Q: Can the residents live there full-time?
R: If they sign a lease/agreement yes, the applicant will agree to annual leases.
General comments and concerns from a neighbor and a business owner:
• Concerned with the number of people wandering up and down the street possibly walking their dogs, trash/debris and the overall nature of the transient development.
• Concerned with the size of the RVs/travel trailers in conflict with some of the company trucks along the street.
• Concerned that the existing business noise will be a nuisance to the new RV/travel trailer park tenants.
• PARK BOARD: There are no park requirements for commercially or industrially zoned property.
• PUBLIC WORKS/UTILITIES DEPARTMENT: The area is already platted and filed of record; there are no additional requirements for public infrastructure. Storm water will be conveyed to an existing detention pond located on-site. The development will provide connections to City water and a sewer solution.
• FIRE: Subject to the submittal of a required site plan it is possible an additional fire hydrant may be required for fire protection but that will be done with the building permitting process.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: The uses proposed for this site are not in conflict with the adjacent uses. This general area, located in close proximity to I-35, is well suited for transient use such as an RV Park. Staff supports this request and recommends approval of Ordinance O-1819-5.
At their August 9, 2018 meeting, the Planning Commission recommended denial of Ordinance O-1819-5 by a vote of 7-1.