Item 6 - Variance Request Letter
5601 Democracy Dr., Ste 205, Plano, TX 75024
512.327.1180 | TBPE Firm No. 14309 | TBPLS Firm No. 101206-00
bowman.com
November 1, 2021
City of Southlake
City Council
1400 Main Street, Suite 270
Southlake, Texas 76092
Project Name: HTeaO - Southlake
Project Location: 190 Davis Blvd., Southlake
Re: Variance Request Letter for HTeaO
This letter is written on behalf of the owner of the above proposed project to request variance on two
items required by the City on the site plan comments dated 07/13/21.
Comment #7 states - Show and label the width and type of surface for all pedestrian walks, malls, and
open areas for use by tenants or the public. Provide sidewalks and/or trails in compliance with the
Subdivision Ordinance No. 483, as amended and the Master Pathways Plan. The Master Pathways
Plan shows a future <8’ multi-use trail along the west side of Davis Blvd. A 5’ sidewalk is required to
be constructed at the time of construction. Show and label the 5’ sidewalk on the plan. An 8’ or
greater multi-use trail is required across the property to the west of the subject property in the creek
area.
A variance is requested for the 8’ multi-use trail across the property to the west in the creek area since a
portion of the site is in the 100-year flood plain and adding an 8’ trail would impact the floodplain. The
existing steep grades on site would not make the trai l ADA accessible.
Comment #8 states - Provide a minimum 8’ solid fence meeting the requirements of Ordinance 480,
Section 39.2(b) along the south boundary. An 8’ solid fence is required per Zoning Ordinance No.
480, as amended, Section 39.6.a and with the 10’ Type ‘F1’ bufferyard that is shown on the Concept
Plan approved with the S-P-2 zoning district.
A variance is requested to remove the requirement for an 8’ solid fence along the south boundary since
the parcel south of the subject tract is currently vacant and is likely to be developed for retail uses in the
future.
If you have any questions or require additional information, please call me at (972) 497-2993, or send an
email to rsafford@bowman.com.
Thank you,
Ryan Safford
Principal, Branch Manager
Bowman
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August 25, 2021
Arris Consulting LLC
1910 Research Blvd., Bldg 1
Lubbock, Texas 79407
To:
City Council, City of Southlake, TX
1400 Main Street, Suite 270
Southlake, Texas 76092
Re: Variance request for HTeaO (Retail Ice Tea Store) located on Davis Boulevard / FM 1938
We are writing on behalf of the owner of the above proposed project to request a variance to
certain provisions of Zoning Ordinance No. 480, Section 43.9(c) Development Standards.
The project consists of a retail ice tea store, to be located in a new stand-alone building of
approximately 2500 square feet. All products such as tea, water and coffee are sold for off-site
consumption; there is no customer seating or other provisions for on-site consumption.
Off-street parking is provided, along with a drive-through window with adequate stacking space.
The specific provision of the Ordinance for which we are requesting a variance is Section 43.9(c),
Paragraph 1. (b), Roof Design Standards, which states that all buildings with a footprint of 6000
square feet or less shall have a pitched roof. We are requesting the variance based upon both
technical issues and neighborhood context.
Technical Issues:
The proposed building is an Iced Tea retail establishment. For a building of its size
(approximately 2500 square feet), there is an unusually large amount of rooftop-mounted
equipment associated with this use, including five condensing units for ice machines, one
condensing unit for a walk-in cooler and one large HVAC rooftop unit. Because of the relatively
small footprint of the building, true pitched roofs would leave little room for this equipment.
Additionally, a false pitched roof facade as found on other buildings in the immediate area
would be difficult to execute and still provide sufficient space for the equipment . This could
possibly compromise the efficiency of the refrigeration equipment, and conceivably reduce the
service life as well.
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Neighborhood context:
The immediate neighborhood along Davis Boulevard and West Southlake Boulevard contains
multiple buildings that do not appear to comply with the ordinance, having nominally flat roofs
despite being less than 6000 square feet in area. Please refer to the photographs at the end of
this document for examples.
These include the Sonic Drive-in, directly adjacent to our proposed site, in which the main part
of the building has a flat roof with a parapet. Others include the Shell station at the intersection
of Randol Mill and Davis, along with Starbuck's, Texas Health Breeze Urgent Care, Panda Express
and KwikKar on West Southlake. None of these buildings have any visible roof planes.
Several also exist in which a false roof facade has been employed, allowing some room for HVAC
equipment, but this solution is less than optimal for our application because of the amount of
refrigeration equipment on the roof. There is not much that can be done to avoid the rooftop
equipment; placing the ice machine condensers on the ground would not be practical because
of the excessively long runs of refrigerant and electrical lines.
Given the precedents set by the nearby development, we do not believe that our proposed
design would have a significant negative impact on the quality of the built environment in the
area.
Therefore, we respectfully request that the design be allowed as follows:
No roof planes will be visible on the proposed structure. The proposed building would have a
nominally flat TPO membrane roof, with a continuous parapet around the perimeter of the
building.
HVAC equipment would be screened by means of vertical screening elements that are
compatible with the finish materials of the main building facades. Certain equipment, such as
ice machine condensing units, are small enough that the parapet height will be sufficient to
screen them when viewed from the ground.
All other elements of the building and site design would be executed in accordance with other
provisions of the Ordinance.
Respectfully,
Steve Fillipp, Project Architect
Arris Consulting
806-773-6763
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Appendix
1. Neighborhood Overview, Locations of Photo Examples
(HTeaO is location of Proposed Project)
1. Sonic
2. Panda Express
3. Kwik Kar
4. Urgent Care
5. Shell Station
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1. Sonic
2. Panda Express
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3. Kwik Kar
4. Urgent Care
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5. Shell