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City Council Agenda Request
December 5, 2023
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AGENDA REQUEST NO: VI.A.
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| | AGENDA OF: City Council Meeting |
| | INITIATED BY: Ruth Lohmer, Assistant Director of Community Planning & Redevelopment |
| | PRESENTED BY: Ruth Lohmer, Assistant Director of Community Planning & Redevelopment |
| | RESPONSIBLE DEPARTMENT: Community Planning & Redevelopment |
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| | | | | | | | | AGENDA CAPTION: | PUBLIC HEARING 5:30 P.M.: To receive and hear all persons interested in the following:
- Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment to provide descriptions of the vision for the Lake Pointe Regional Activity Center and increase the anticipated number of multi-family units.
- Proposed Development Code amendment regarding the establishment of the Lake Pointe Redevelopment District and proposed rezoning for approximately 69 acres of land located along Creekbend Dr. and Fluor Daniel Dr. from Planned Development District (PD) to Lake Pointe Redevelopment District (LPR). Property being further described as all of Tract “6,” all of Tract “7,” all of Tract “8,” and all of Common Area “B” out of the Fluor Central Development Tract Replat No. 1; all of Reserve K out of Lake Pointe Tract “C;” and all of Reserve F1 out of Lake Pointe Tract “C” Replat Unrestricted Reserve “F” Replat located.
- Proposed Redevelopment Concept Plan for Lake Pointe Plaza, providing the opportunity to evaluate the location of proposed uses and their relationship to the surrounding area to ensure negative impacts are minimized during redevelopment. This is a new process being created by the proposed Development Code amendment for the Lake Pointe Redevelopment District per Section 2-124.
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| | | | | | | | | RECOMMENDED ACTION: | | Hold a public hearing on Ordinance No. 2326, Ordinance No. 2325, and the Redevelopment Concept Plan for Lake Pointe Plaza. |
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| | | | | | | | | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: |
The purpose of this agenda item is to hold a public hearing on the action steps necessary to prepare Lake Pointe for redevelopment including:
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Amend the Land Use Plan (Ordinance No. 2326)
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Amend Chapter 2, Article II of the Development Code, establishing the new Lake Pointe Redevelopment zoning district and Rezoning 69 acres to the new zoning district (Ordinance No. 2325)
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Approve a Redevelopment Concept Plan for Lake Pointe Plaza
The existing 52-acre Fluor campus (located along Creekbend Dr and Fluor Daniel Dr), which dates back to the 1980s, offers a significant prospect for redevelopment within this regional hub, while the remaining residential, retail, commercial, and hospitality areas, established more recently, are anticipated to remain largely unchanged in the foreseeable future. Planned Community Developers currently has the Fluor campus under contract with plans to develop it and several adjacent properties into an approximately 69-acre mixed-use area known as Lake Pointe Plaza.
In 2018 City Council adopted an update to the City’s Land Use Plan, Chapter 6 of the Comprehensive Plan, which guides the development and redevelopment of Sugar Land into the future. It does so by outlining policy direction and guidance for making land use decisions and reaching the City’s long-term vision. An essential element of the long-term vision is the creation of Regional Activity Centers and Neighborhood Activity Centers (RACs and NACs), which will be mixed use areas that are regional and neighborhood hubs of activity.
The Plan directed staff to evaluate the best zoning approach to implementing RACs and NACs. Staff worked with a consultant to review benchmarks cities and initiated work to establish two new zoning districts. To support and inform the development of the new districts, the City Manager appointed a Joint Advisory Task Force consisting of three council members and three Planning & Zoning Commissioners. The Task Force’s review of the draft Code provided input to staff for consideration. However, in July 2023, City Council directed staff to focus on its two top redevelopment priorities: Imperial and Lake Pointe. As a result, staff redirected the focus to preparing Lake Pointe for redevelopment, which included: developing an amendment to the Land Use Plan, creating a new zoning district focused specifically on Lake Pointe, initiating a rezoning of property to the new district, and working with Planned Community Developers to prepare a Redevelopment Concept Plan for the Lake Pointe Plaza property.
Land Use Plan Amendment: Ordinance No. 2326
The first action necessary to prepare Lake Pointe for redevelopment is an amendment to the Land Use Plan. The Areas of Change section of the Land Use Plan established a vision, including the mix of uses envisioned and a designated number of multi-family units based on community preferences, for each of the Regional Activity Centers. The Land Use Plan designated 444 multi-family units for the Lake Pointe RAC and established preferred land use distribution for the area.
Since the 2018 update to the Land Use Plan, market conditions have changed drastically. COVID-19 significantly impacted the office market and retail continues to evolve; the RAC will not have as much office as originally projected. Additionally, housing demand has continued to increase over the years but the City has limited vacant land for new residential development. As a result, residential uses of all types will comprise more of the Lake Pointe Regional Activity Center than originally envisioned. It is necessary to increase the overall number of multi-family units to 1,100 in the Lake Pointe RAC to make the existing Fluor campus redevelopment financially feasible. This is 656 units more than the currently allotted 444 units and triggers a Land Use Plan amendment to designate a total of 1,100 multi-family units for the entire Lake Pointe RAC.
The proposed Land Use Plan amendment includes a revised preferred land use distribution and allotted number of multi-family units. Ordinance No. 2326, amending the land Use Plan, is attached. Also attached is the 2018 Areas of Change section for Lake Pointe RAC. The full Land Use Plan is available at www.sugarlandtx.gov/LandUsePlan.
Development Code Amendment and Rezoning of 69-Acres: Ordinance No. 2325
The second action step for preparing Lake Pointe for redevelopment is a Development Code amendment, establishing the Lake Pointe Redevelopment District, and Rezoning the 69-acre Lake Pointe Plaza property. Staff utilized the previously prepared mixed-use code as a baseline for creating the Lake Pointe Redevelopment District. Elements of the code were removed or modified to create a code specific for the redevelopment of Lake Pointe. Some examples of major changes include:
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Removing Applicability Matrix, since all development would be classified the same under the matrix (“Redevelopment")
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Removing Use Mix Requirement
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Modifying the process for the Redevelopment Concept Plan (formerly known as the Mixed-Use Concept Plan)
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Revising other standards for clarity, brevity, and appropriateness to Lake Pointe specifically
The list below summarizes the standards in the Lake Pointe Redevelopment District:
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Housing Variety and density supports successful mixed-use areas in the short and long-term. The Lake Pointe Redevelopment District introduces new house-scale residential options like multiplexes (triplexes, fourplexes, etc.) and permits multi-family to support a greater mix of lifestyles. The complementary density allows amenities such as retail and daily services to be reachable within walking distance.
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Form Standards such as building maximums and parking lot placement prioritize inviting pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and a walkable district.
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Parking Reductions eliminate excess parking, further reinforcing a walkable district by promoting a more efficient use of land.
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Market Responsiveness promotes incremental redevelopment by providing flexibility for the area to evolve over time and respond to market changes and pressure.
Based on the Planning and Zoning Commission discussion on November 14, staff made one minor correction to the Development Code in Section 2-121.E.2 Ground Level Nonresidential.
Ordinance No. 2325 also includes the city-initiated rezoning of the 69-acre proposed Lake Pointe Plaza area, which applies the new Lake Pointe Redevelopment District to the 69-acre site. The 69-acre site is composed of the 52-acre Fluor campus as well as 10 acres of adjacent undeveloped property and an approximately 7-acre segment of Creekbend Drive between Fluor Daniel Drive and Lake Pointe Parkway. The remainder of the Lake Pointe Regional Activity Center will not be rezoned. A zoning map for Lake Pointe Plaza is attached for reference.
Redevelopment Concept Plan for Lake Pointe Plaza
The Redevelopment Concept Plan is a new process being created by the Development Code amendment for the Lake Pointe Redevelopment District. The Concept Plan provides the opportunity for the public, Commission, and Council to evaluate the location of proposed uses and their relationship to the surrounding area to ensure negative impacts are minimized. Because the Redevelopment Concept Plan is intended to allow flexibility as the project builds out over many years, it does not include the same level of detail as typically shown in Planned Developments (PD). This will enable the development to be responsive to the market as conditions change. Section 2-124 of the draft Development Code amendment establishes the requirements for the Redevelopment Concept Plan.
Approval of the Redevelopment Concept Plan takes place with one action (rather than two readings required of an ordinance). Therefore, City Council will consider approval of the Redevelopment Concept Plan in the future, rather than on tonight’s agenda.
Planning & Zoning Commission Review
The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed in two workshops and held a public hearing on the three action items. On November 14, 2023, the Commission unanimously recommended approval of each of the three action items. A full summary of the Commission’s review and discussion is attached.
Over the past year, staff have utilized numerous opportunities to present the City Council’s top priority – redevelopment – to the community. Those opportunities included physical and digital partnerships through digital media, including social networks, local newspapers, and the city website. To date, staff has presented redevelopment and supporting data to over 1,000 attendees across 30+ community meetings and at city sponsored events. On October 18, 2023, staff and Planned Community Developers held a community meeting with HOAs in the Lake Pointe area. The meeting provided approximately 60 area residents the opportunity to hear about the proposed Lake Pointe Plaza project and the necessary action steps for preparing Lake Pointe for redevelopment.
The Notice of Public Hearing was published in a newspaper of general circulation and on the City of Sugar Land’s Internet Home Page. In accordance with state law, property owners within 200’ of Lake Pointe Plaza were notified by mail. The public hearing notice included a link to an online form that can be submitted to provide comments in advance of the meeting. As of the date of this report, we have not received any comment forms regarding this item.
Staff recommends holding a public hearing regarding the proposed Land Use Plan amendment, Development Code amendment and Rezoning, and Redevelopment Concept Plan.
Following the public hearing, City Council will consider on first reading:
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Ordinance No. 2326, amending the Land Use Plan
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Ordinance No. 2325, amending the Development Code and Rezoning 69 acres
On December 19, City Council will consider these ordinances on second reading. At a future meeting, City Council will consider approval of the Redevelopment Concept Plan for Lake Pointe Plaza.
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| BUDGET |
| | EXPENDITURE REQUIRED: N/A |
| | CURRENT BUDGET: N/A |
| | ADDITIONAL FUNDING: N/A |
| | FUNDING SOURCE:N/A |
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