Background
During the summer of 2005, the City of Spring Valley Village embarked on a planning and visioning effort to address the redevelopment of properties along the Interstate Highway 10 (“I-10”) corridor. As a result of the massive expansion of I-10 by the Texas Department of Transportation (“TxDot”), and TxDot’s decision to acquire necessary rights-of-way from properties north of the existing corridor, the City’s commercially-zoned properties have been virtually destroyed. The resulting impact exacerbates the challenge of financing infrastructure remediation. This condition of the City dictates that the redevelopment schemes for the I-10 corridor include serious consideration for uses which stimulate economic development and generate relief for an overly tax burdened public. The City’s goal is to timely enact new regulatory measures by which the desired development can be achieved.
The City contracted with the planning firm of Knudson and Associates to guide the City Council through a process by which the appropriate uses of land within the I-10 corridor could be determined. This process was initiated through a series of workshops. At these workshops Knudson presented to the City Council the City’s existing and projected demographic, socioeconomic, and fiscal conditions, as well as the physical strengths and weaknesses of the study sites. Though an affluent city by most standards, Spring Valley Village, relative to its neighbors, has stagnant property values, declining sales tax revenue, and high property tax rates. The City has determined that a substantial amount of its infrastructure, including water, wastewater, drainage, and public roadway systems, is in immediate need of upgrade and replacement. . The estimated cost of all necessary improvements is approximately Forty Million Dollars ($40,000,000.00). The appropriate redevelopment of the I-10 corridor is critical to the City’s ability to finance these necessary infrastructure improvements without placing an impossible property tax burden on its residents.
Results
To address these opportunities and weaknesses, Knudson and Associates developed four development scenarios, along with fiscal impact projections for each: (1) a do-nothing scenario; (2) a scenario of minimum intervention on the part of the City; (3) a scenario in which development on the properties was allowed to become as dense as possible; and (4) a conceptual plan with a main theme, which ties together the different study parcels.
Scenario 4 was deemed the most desirable alternative when comparing the issues of land use compatibility with adjacent residential areas, appropriateness of land uses along the expanded I-10 corridor, highest and best uses for the economic benefit of affected property owners, available infrastructure, vehicular and pedestrian access, traffic congestion, noise, light, and air pollution, creation and retention of jobs, and long term economic impacts on ad valorem and sales tax revenues to the City. For these reasons, scenario 4 was chosen by the workshop participants as the preferred development alternative.
Concept
The primary goal and concept of scenario 4, called Rue le Petit, is to attract high quality tenants in a development that will be unique to the region, and which projects a positive image for Spring Valley Village to residents and visitors. The development is active during the day and during the evening. It does not negatively impact the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
Rue le Petit calls for small, pedestrian-scaled development throughout the study parcels. The Rue le Petit is a small, pedestrian friendly street that runs like a ribbon through the development. Pedestrian access is given priority over vehicular mobility, and vehicular access to individual shops is limited. Parking requirements can be aggregated across stores and provided in parking structures interspersed throughout the development.
Land uses are mixed horizontally and vertically, and retail predominates on the first floors. Residential, office, and retail uses are allowed on upper floors. Primary retail tenants will be small, unique boutique stores, with glass storefronts to encourage window-shopping. The streetscape environment will be enhanced with art, fountains, plazas, and landscaping. Building materials will support the small scale environment, using for example small size brick, stone, wood, etc.
Regulatory Changes
Existing zoning designations should be changed to facilitate the preferred development. Knudson recommends that three separate Planned Area Districts (PAD) be created. Each PAD should have specified permitted uses, and general outlines for setbacks based upon lot sizes. Incorporating the existing procedures requiring individual developments within a PAD to be approved by ordinance, the general PAD provisions should be flexible enough to allow consideration and credit in building restrictions, architectural elements, and other matters to encourage compliance with the goals of the Conceptual Plan. This can be achieved through the creative use of land, building restrictions, public amenities, site specific land planning, etc.
Within each PAD should exist four tiers of building restrictions, which are based on lot sizes. The purpose of the tier system is to encourage the assembling of smaller parcels of land into larger parcels, under either joint or single ownership, or pursuant to a grouping of separately owned parcels for development purposes, to be planned as a unit according to the Conceptual Plan. Each tier should also allow different uses, with retail being allowed within each tier.
The specific PADs, their tiers, and general uses are described as follows:
Freeway PAD
The Freeway PAD is generally comprised of those parcels of land having I-10 frontage, from Adkins Road east to Lariat Drive. It also includes those parcels fronting the east side of Campbell immediately north of West Tex Drive.
Attached is a map depicting the proposed Freeway PAD boundaries.
Tier I – Existing uses and building sizes and footprints should be grandfathered.
Tier II – Existing parcels that undergo use changes or whose buildings are substantially rehabilitated should be subject to more restrictive building setbacks than exist in Tier I. Retail uses only should be allowed.
Tier III – For those parcels or groups of parcels under single control, whose size exceeds approximately 2 acres, less restrictive building restrictions should apply than those in Tier I, including, but not limited to, front, side, and rear setbacks, and building height. Retail uses only should be allowed on first floors, and only retail, office, personal services, and residential uses should be allowed on upper floors.
Tier IV – For a unified development of the entire PAD, by either a developer who controls all the parcels within the PAD, or pursuant to a consortium of all the PAD property owners, less restrictive building restrictions than those in Tier III should be allowed, commensurate with the development’s conformance with the Conceptual Plan. Retail uses only should be allowed on first floors, and only retail, office, personal services, and residential uses should be allowed on upper floors.
Campbell PAD
The Campbell PAD is generally comprised of those parcels of land along the western side of Campbell Road, from the northern boundary of the Freeway PAD, north to the City limits.
Attached is a map depicting the proposed Campbell PAD boundaries. (4.7MB)
Tier I – Existing uses and building sizes and footprints should be grandfathered.
Tier II – Existing parcels that undergo use changes or whose buildings are substantially rehabilitated should be subject to more restrictive building setbacks than exist in Tier I. Retail uses only should be allowed.
Tier III – For those parcels or groups of parcels under single control, whose size exceeds approximately 3 acres, less restrictive building restrictions should apply than those in Tier I, including, but not limited to, front, side, and rear setbacks, and building height. Only retail uses should be allowed on first floors, and only retail, office, personal services, and residential uses should be allowed on upper floors.
Tier IV – For a unified development of the entire PAD, either by a developer who controls all the parcels within the PAD, or pursuant to a consortium of all the PAD property owners, less restrictive building restrictions than those in Tier III should be allowed, commensurate with the development’s conformance with the Conceptual Plan. Retail uses only should be allowed on first floors, and only retail, office, personal services, and residential uses should allowed on upper floors.
Bingle PAD
The Bingle PAD is generally comprised of those parcels of land on either side of Bingle Road. Attached is a map depicting the proposed Bingle PAD boundaries.
Tier I – Existing uses and building sizes and footprints should be grandfathered.
Tier II – Existing parcels that undergo use changes or whose buildings are substantially rehabilitated should be subject to more restrictive building setbacks than exist in Tier I. Retail uses only should be allowed.
Tier III – For those parcels or groups of parcels under single control, whose size exceeds approximately 7 acres, less restrictive building restrictions should apply than those in Tier I, including, but not limited to, front, side, and rear setbacks, and building height. Retail uses only should be allowed on first floors, and only retail, office, personal services, and residential uses should be allowed on upper floors.
Tier IV – For a unified development of the entire PAD, by either a developer who controls all the parcels within the PAD, or pursuant to a consortium of all the PAD property owners, less restrictive building restrictions than those in Tier III should be allowed, commensurate with the development’s conformance with the Conceptual Plan. Retail uses only should be allowed on first floors, except that up to 10% of the total first floor building area should be allowed for office use. Retail, office, personal services, and residential uses only should be allowed on upper floors.
Richard Rockenbaugh
City Administrator
City of Spring Valley Village
1025 Campbell Road
Houston, Texas 77055
713-465-8308
713-461-7969 fax
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