2035 Corridor Committee Meeting Report - Bob Jones Nature Center
Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee Meeting Report
Meeting 23 – June 27, 2019
MEETING
LOCATION: Southlake Police and Fire Headquarters (DPS Headquarters)
Community Room #2001 A & B
600 State Street
Southlake, Texas, 76092
IN
ATTENDANCE:
• City Council Members: Shawn McCaskill, John Huffman, Chad Patton
• Planning & Zoning Commission Members: Daniel Kubiak
• Park Board Member: Frances Scharli
• Ex Officio: Brandon Bledsoe
• City Staff: Ken Baker, Jerod Potts, Madeline Oujesky
AGENDA
ITEMS:
1. Call to Order.
2. Administrative Comments.
3. Review, discuss, and make recommendations on development of
approximately 26 acres for Life Time Athletic Resort located at the
southeast corner of E. SH 114 and E. Dove Road.
4. Review, discuss and make recommendations on the development of 13
residential lots on approximately 18 acres of land located at 208 Randol Mill
Avenue, 1719 Maranatha Way, and 1825 Maranatha Way, generally
located east of Davis Boulevard (FM1938) and approximately 1,200 feet
north of the intersection with Randol Mill Avenue .
5. Review, discuss and make recommendations on proposed exterior building
changes for PNC Bank located at 1111 E. Southlake Boulevard in Park
Village, just west of the southwest corner of E. Southlake Boulevard and N.
Carroll Avenue.
6. Review, discuss and make recommendations on proposed use and
development of 200 S. Peytonville Avenue for Carroll ISD and Carroll Senior
High School, generally located 500 feet south of W. Southlake Boulevard ,
and west of Carroll Senior High School.
7. Review, discuss, and make recommendations on the proposed Southlake
Sanctuary at Bob Jones Nature Center located at 355 E. Bob Jones Road.
8. Review, discuss, and make recommendations on the future buildout of
Southlake Town Square, located south of E. SH 114, north of E. Southlake
Boulevard, and east of N. Carroll Avenue.
9. Adjournment.
MEETING
OVERVIEW:
On June 27, 2019 the Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee held
their twenty-third meeting. The Committee was sent a packet of materials
prior to the meeting that were to be discussed during the session. A
meeting agenda was posted and the meeting time was advertised on the
City’s website. The following meeting report focuses on discussion points
made during the meeting by members of the Committee, public and City
staff. This report is neither verbatim nor does it represent official meeting
minutes; rather it serves to inform elected and appointed officials, City
staff, and the public of the issues and questions raised by the Committee,
City staff, and any attendees of the meeting. Interested parties are
strongly encouraged to follow development cases through the process.
Please visit CityofSouthlake.com/Planning for more information.
Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee Item #7 – Bob Jones Nature Center
Meeting #23 – June 27, 2019 Page 3
ITEM #7 DISCUSSION – Review, discuss, and make recommendations on the
proposed Southlake Sanctuary at Bob Jones Nature Center located at 355 E. Bob
Jones Road.
Staff presentation: Jerod Potts
• Future Land Use: Public Park/Open Space
• Current Zoning: AG
• Proposed development includes:
o Agrarian themed sanctuary structure (seats approx. 204 visitors)
o Groom’s quarters
o Bride’s quarters
o Courtyard
o Trail
o Parking area
• Master Pathways Plan
o Existing Equestrian/Hike
Questions for staff by the Committee:
N/A
Applicant presentation: John Slocum
• Proposed Sanctuary in Bob Jones Park
• Benefits to the Citizens of Southlake
o A place to get married, to stop in and pray/meditate during a walk-in
nature, to celebrate a loved one, etc.
• Benefits to the City of Southlake
o Another 1st class destination
o Perpetual revenue generator for a park that has needed financ ial support
constantly
o Sanctuary will drive visitors to Southlake (which drive tax dollars)
o Allows Bob Jones Park to be the next focus
• Online reservation system donated by John Slocum & Time Shiner
• Suggest that the Southlake Sanctuary be jointly funded by both private and
public money
Applicant presentation: David McKee
• Design Philosophy
o Symbiotic relationship between building and site
o Nature of Materials (Honesty in material applications)
o The Part and the Whole relationship (Continuity of design )
• Site Plan
o Fits within the existing Nature Center Master Plan
Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee Item #7 – Bob Jones Nature Center
Meeting #23 – June 27, 2019 Page 4
o Proximity to planned parking
o Each building is adjacent to an existing nature trail
• Sanctuary Plan Sketch
o Classic Basilica Organization
o 204 Visitor Seats (6 per pew)
o Rhythmic, repeating wood and steal structure
o Accessible two-level design
• Bride’s Hall
o Multi-purpose room
o Dressing room
o Lounge
o Kitchen
o Mechanical
• Groom’s Hall
o Dressing room
o Vending
o Men & Women’s restroom
• Building Materials – Texas Limestone and some type of metal roofing to elicit an
agrarian feeling
Questions for applicant by the Committee:
John Huffman: Do you have preliminary drawings for what you are proposing tonight?
Applicant: Yes, we will go through the designs
Shawn McCaskill: Who’s going to pay for this?
Applicant: We think both public and private (and contributions).
Shawn McCaskill: Pictures look great, but this is a multi-million capital project and we
do not have money set aside in our budget for several years for something like this. This
is not something on our radar anytime soon until we revisit our 5-year capital planning
projects. I don’t think this will go forward if we are talking about a multi-million-dollar
public investment.
Applicant: We believe this project will cost between $4 and $5 million. This will help
impact the local economy. People are coming all over for these chapels.
Shawn McCaskill: I understand what you’re proposing, but you’re asking us to front the
money for this project. This includes using public money that will have to be invested
before we start generating any profits. I’m unsure what type of returns we’ll expect.
Applicant: Well we’ve talked about going out and soliciting contributions, but we had to
have a project that could happen (or something that is likely to happen) before we ask
people for money. If we can collect 50% just in contributions that would be great. I think
we can get it off the ground financially. We don’t have to build anything, we can wait for
money to come in before we get started.
John Huffman: So, is the ‘ask’ for tonight if you raise the money, is this something to
city would bless? Because I agree with Shawn, the financial lift for the city would mean
Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee Item #7 – Bob Jones Nature Center
Meeting #23 – June 27, 2019 Page 5
we have to get into 2035 planning and capital planning. If the ‘ask’ is if we’re interested
in something like this and the city doesn’t have to pay for it then probably yes.
Chad Patton: First and foremost, this is a beautiful concept with amazing architecture.
The financials behind it will take some homework. To Councilmember McCaskill’s
budgetary perspective, we cannot help. But if you’re asking (in theory) does this
conceptually have substance behind it – potentially. It might look a lot different if you
came to us and said “We think this project would cost $5 million and we already have $4
million (or whatever the number is), could we put city staff to work to find how much the
remaining cost would be…”
Applicant: We never had the intent for the city to buy this. This is a pure ask, for
something that everybody can take advantage of and enjoy.
Brandon Bledsoe: From a policy standpoint, what do we want to do to develop Bob
Jones Park? If you were to put a chapel in Southlake, would you put it in a nature
preserve? I don’t know. How does the Parks Board feel about that? None of our parks
make money. We’re trying to get 80-90% recovery on The Marq, so would this attack
The Marq or help The Marq? There are a lot of things to think about.
John Huffman: To your point, in our CIP we’ve got how 60-66 million? Right now, we
have 10s of millions already planned for Bob Jones Park. So, this is a huge policy
discussion.
Brandon Bledsoe: This is a policy discussion. Is this what we envision in terms of
traffic or the impact on the neighbors/community? But I also see the opposite in that we
want people to go visit the nature center.
Frances Scharli: The other piece is Bicentennial Park took years and years to develop,
same with Bob Jones. I’ve heard in the community not to build in Bob Jones Park, so I
don’t know what the temperature in the community is. This seems premature, but it is
beautiful.
Applicant: There is no vested interest, all we want is to make Bob Jones useful again.
John Huffman: Our next step is to figure out how we need to plan for Bob Jones in the
future. I think we’re all on the same point of “What will Bob Jones look like for the next
generation?” and we need a conversation about that.
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STAFF PRESENTATION SHOWN TO COMMITTEE:
Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee Item #7 – Bob Jones Nature Center
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Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee Item #7 – Bob Jones Nature Center
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Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee Item #7 – Bob Jones Nature Center
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ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS SHOWN TO COMMITTEE:
Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee Item #7 – Bob Jones Nature Center
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Southlake 2035 Corridor Planning Committee Item #7 – Bob Jones Nature Center
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