The property is located on at the northeast corner of the intersection of Bethany Drive and Watters Road. The properties to the north and east are zoned Planned Development PD No. 55 Commercial/Office C/O. The property to the south (across Bethany Drive) is zoned Planned Development PD No. 99 Mixed Use MIX. The properties to the west (across Watters Road) are zoned Planned Development No. 55 Garden Office GO.
The property is currently zoned Planned Development PD No. 55 Commercial/Office C/O. A Planned Development Amendment was adopted in October 1998 to designate the area between U.S. Highway 75, Watters Road, and Bethany Drive as an employment center. Tract 10B, of which the subject property is a portion, included office and medical office uses.
The purpose of the subject Planned Development Amendment is to adopt a Concept Plan, Building Elevations, Sign Exhibit, and Landscape Plan to allow the development of an eight-story office building and associated six-story parking garage.
The proposed development is approximately 2.628± acres. The attached Concept Plan shows an eight-story, 200,000± square foot office building at the corner of Watters Road and Bethany Drive. On the northern portion of the development, the Concept Plan shows a six-story parking garage with a pedestrian canopy to connect the garage to the office building.
There are three points of access into the development--two on Watters Road and one through a Fire, Access, and Utility Easement. There are several proposed traffic improvements. The development will provide cross access for the vacant lot to the north as shown in the Concept Plan. The grasscrete that currently extends east to west across the subject property will be removed and replaced with concrete. Three traffic improvements are proposed on Watters Road: 1) a northbound right turn lane into the development; 2) a northbound left turn lane into the adjacent Woods at Watters development; and 3) a southbound turn lane into the proposed development's northern access point.
The attached Building Elevations show the eight-story office building with a maximum height of 140 feet. Primary building materials for this structure are concrete, metal panel and stucco. The elevations show the six-story garage at a maximum height of 74 feet and concrete as the primary building material. The materials and architectural style will be similar and complementary to the first phase office building adjacent to the east.
The landscaping at the corner of the intersection of Bethany Drive and Watters Road is being altered to accommodate the placement of the office building. The requirements for landscaping at this hard corner have been reduced, both in width of the buffer and required planting area. However, this deficit in planting area is offset in excess of the minimum requirements, by landscaping proposed to be placed in other areas near the intersection, as shown in the attached Landscape Plan.
In addition to the current allowances in the Allen Land Development Code, the applicant is proposing to add an additional multi-tenant sign on the retaining wall as shown in the attached Sign Plan.
The attached Development Regulations include a base zoning district, permitted uses, building setbacks, landscape requirements, traffic improvements, and sign regulations. The existing Development Regulations allow several uses within an office building, such as health or sports club and restaurant uses. The proposed Development Regulations allow up to 7,500 square feet of the proposed office building to be used as a Private Club by right.
The request has been reviewed by the Technical Review Committee.