In its final meeting of 2015, the Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to decide on a zoning issue that could lead to a townhouse development adjacent to the Silverado subdivision in what is regarded as Kyle’s "historic core," and a waiver of building height limitations leading to the construction of a four-story Hampton Inn on Bunton Creek Road, adjacent to the Hays Surgery Center and directly behind the Kentucky Fried Chicken/Exxon station complex.
Taco Cabana will also be asking for a conditional use permit apart from its chicken partner to construct a restaurant at Kyle Parkway and I-35, and two downtown businesses, Lone Star delights on Front Street and Milts Pit BBQ on Center Street, will also be seeking conditional use permits to make comparably modest alterations to their existing structures.
The proposed townhouse development will be located on a rather isolated piece of property (actually what are now two separate lots that will be joined) on that part of Live Oak Street where it takes a right dogleg towards Burleson. Its northeastern and northwestern borders will touch residential properties that are part of the Silverado subdivision. According to my strictly unofficial count, 30 residential lots in Silverado, eight of them located on Coit Loop and the rest on San Felipe, will abut the proposed development. The area is currently zoned for single family residential and P&Z will be asked to change that zoning to allow for the construction of "attached single-family structures with a minimum of 1,000 square feet living area, generally referred to as townhouses, at a density no greater than 10 units to the acre." The two properties together comprise 15.3 acres so we’re talking about the possibility of 153 town home units here.
Entrance into the property appears somewhat limited as only a small portion actually fronts Live Oak Blvd., the only road with direct access to the development.
Only one resident, a person identified only as Villalba who lives on Coit Loop, expressed discontent to the city about the proposed project, saying he was "concerned they will become more rental units as opposed to owner-occupied which promotes a lack of commitment to the property."
The request for the zoning change comes from Richard Giberson of Buda, who, on his LinkedIn page, says "I have invested and managed real estate for many years. I am a Relson Gracie BJJ instructor and enjoy teaching and training Martial Arts at least three times a week. I also do Yoga at least twice a week." He also says he has 40 years experience as a manager and owner of "income property."
Hampton Inn seeks to locate a four-story, 82-room hotel at the Bunton Creek Road location and is seeking a waiver because zoning in the area restricts a building’s height to 45 feet and the proposed hotel will be 14 feet higher than that.
The height, however, may not be the issue. Apparently there is some concern about the building’s exterior. According to documents the city staff submitted to commissioners:
"The drawings provided (by Hampton Inn) indicate exterior materials that resemble stone veneer along the first floor, stucco on the exterior walls of floors two through four, and synthetic architectural accents along the soffits and fascia’s (sic); however (and the labeling on the supplied renderings is nearly unintelligible), it appears that the exterior materials will in fact be synthetic Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS). This is arguably not in keeping with the retail services zoning standards found in (the city’s ordinances) … More details can and should be provided to the commission before a recommendation can be reasonably decided upon."
What’s interesting, to me at least, about the Taco Cabana request to construct a 3,071-square-foot restaurant at the northeast corner of Kyle Parkway and I-35 is that there’s no mention of a similar request from Pollo Tropical. The two jointly came before P&Z in October to locate facilities on that corner and have been intrinsically linked until now.
It is also interesting that, according to the city staff’s analysis, "It appears that EIFS is proposed to be the primary exterior building material for this restaurant." And it doesn’t appear that staff has a problem with that.
I’m wondering why EIFS is OK for Taco Cabana, but not for the Hampton Inn. I am prepared to be educated on this apparent contradiction by city Planning Director Howard J. Koontz at Tuesday’s meeting. What more could one person ask three days before Christmas?
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