Items 4 and 5 Staff memo Town Square
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Agenda Items 4 & 5
M E M O R A N D U M
October 31, 2019
To: City Council and the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z)/Sign Board
From: Ken Baker, Senior Director of Planning & Development Services
Subject: Item 4: Overview of the “DT” Downtown Zoning District
Item 5: Proposed Town Square “Lake District” project (Proposed 350
residential units with various improvements and enhancements to
McPherson park and Granite Office Building)
Action
Requested: Provide feedback on the proposed “Lake District” project including the
proposed residential component and address questions received from the
public. (To allow the public to submit questions on this item the City
placed an “ask a question” form on the City’s web site. Also, question
cards will be distributed at the meeting for those in attendance who would
like to ask a question).
Presentation
Format: City staff will make a brief presentation that provides an overview on the
following:
• The “DT” Downtown Zoning District as it relates to the allowance
of residential uses;
• residential projects currently approved and/or constructed in Town
Square; and
• the type of zoning change necessary to allow the proposed 350
residential units on the subject 7.3 acre property (located south of
the Police and Fire HQ, east of N. Carroll Avenue and west of
McPherson Park- This property currently has C-3 General
Commercial Zoning).
The developer (Cooper and Stebbins) will make a presentation on the
proposed Town Square “Lake District”. The developer will discuss the
following:
• purpose and intent of the district, including a summary of the
proposed downtown residences along with building design, design
features, courtyards and amenities;
• proposed possible enhancements to McPherson Park and the
phase 2 Granite Office area; and
• questions about the proposed project that the developer has
received on the proposed project.
Joint City Council – P&Z/Sign Board Meeting | November 4, 2019
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Background
Information: Southlake Town Square is an approximate 125 acre master plan
development. The property is generally located south of SH 114, north of
FM 1709, east of N. Carroll Avenue and to the west of the Village Center
Drive. The Town Square consist of over 1.8 million square feet of
predominately retail mixed use development including the City/County
Town Hall and Library, a 250 room Hilton, a six-story class-A office
building, office space above retail, a movie theater and multiple premiere
retail and restaurant offerings.
Approved/Built Residential
The phase-1 brownstones project was approved in 2003 and 43 homes
were constructed. In 2013, the Garden District received approval which
resulted in concept plan approval of 60 Garden District Residences and
up to 33 brownstones for a total of 93 residential units on approximately
7.4 acres. Twenty-three (23) of the brownstones in the Garden District
have been constructed to date. (Current platting configuration allows for 7
additional brownstones). The 60 Garden District Residences have not
started construction. Final site plan approval for the 60 Garden District
Residences is still required.
Also, the Parkview Residences building was initially approved in 2013
and the 36 unit residential building is under construction with scheduled
completion late in 2019 or early 2020. The exhibits below shows the
geographical location of the various residential phases as well the
approved concepts/photos for the Garden District.
Exhibit #1 – Aerial showing geographic location of approved residential
Joint City Council – P&Z/Sign Board Meeting | November 4, 2019
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Parkview Residences
Joint City Council – P&Z/Sign Board Meeting | November 4, 2019
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Comprehensive Plan Analysis
Land Use Category
Town Square is designated as “Town Center” land use.
The purpose of the Town Center land use district is to encourage the
creation of a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use urban environment that
serves as Southlake’s downtown and center of community life.
Definition: The Town Center land use designation is intended to enhance
and promote the development of the community’s downtown. The goal is
to create an attractive, pedestrian-oriented environment that becomes the
center of community life in Southlake. It may include compatibly designed
retail, office, cultural, civic, recreational, hotel and residential uses. All
uses shall be developed with a great attention to design detail and will be
integrated into one cohesive district or into distinct sub-districts, each with
its own unique characteristics. A mix of different uses is encouraged to
create a vibrant, lively, and unique environment.
Scale and Context Criteria:
Retail Uses:
• Pedestrian-oriented retail and service uses.
Joint City Council – P&Z/Sign Board Meeting | November 4, 2019
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Office Uses:
• Pedestrian-oriented office uses.
Residential Uses:
• Residential uses are to be located between the proposed office or
retail uses and existing residential neighborhoods. These uses are
intended to provide a lower intensity transition between existing
neighborhoods and commercial uses.
• Residential uses should be well integrated with proposed open
space and other civic uses to create a sense of place.
• They should also be integrated with proposed commercial uses in
a manner that provides internal automobile and pedestrian access
to convenience commercial uses.
• Residential uses are recommended to be to the density and scale
that is appropriate based on the context and character of the
proposed overall development.
Zoning
The current zoning on the Town Square property is primarily “DT”
Downtown District and “C-3” General Commercial District (8 acres along
Carroll Avenue), and S-P-1 (7.5 acres along Carroll and Federal – C3
uses and the Post Office).
“The purpose of the Downtown District is to encourage the creation of a
pedestrian oriented, mixed-use urban environment, providing shopping,
employment, housing, and business and personal services. Downtown is
intended to be the focal point of the community. This is achieved by
promoting an efficient, compact land use pattern; encouraging pedestrian
activity; reducing the reliance on private automobiles within the district;
promoting a functional and attractive community through the use of urban
design principles; and allowing developers flexibility in land use and site
design.”
The zoning map on the next page indicates the zoning designation for the
Town Square district. The property on which the proposed 350 unit
residential development is proposed is currently zone “C-3” General
Commercial.
Joint City Council – P&Z/Sign Board Meeting | November 4, 2019
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Zoning Districts in Town Square
Developer’s
Proposal:
The Lake District proposal is 13 acres located in northwestern portion of
the Town Square area. The exhibit on the next page shows the location
of the proposed Lake District. The purple shaded area is the proposed
location of the 350 unit residential project with associated amenities. The
green area is McPherson park and the blue are just north of McPherson
is where the developer indicates a possible future conference center or
performing arts space. The red area indicates a restaurant pad site. The
yellow area indicated phase 2 of the Granite Office Building. The “C-3”
General Commercial property on which the 350 unit residential use is
proposed will require an amendment to the Town Square Concept Plan
and the rezoning of the property to “DT” District with the residential use
permitted either by Specific Use Permit or By-Right or to S-P-1 zoning
with Multi-Family -2 uses and a regulation addressing the maximum
density/unit allowed in the Multi-Family-2 district. The developer will
present the Lake District concept at the joint meeting. The developer’s
presentation is included in the packet.
Joint City Council – P&Z/Sign Board Meeting | November 4, 2019
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Attachment: Attachment A - Developer’s Presentation
Staff Contact: Ken Baker – (817) 748-8067