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AFTERNOON AND WELCOME TO THE FEBRUARY 17TH, 2025 MEETING OF THE GARLAND[ NOTICE OF MEETING CITY OF GARLAND, TEXAS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE Work Session Room of City Hall William E. Dollar Municipal Building 200 N. Fifth Street Garland, Texas FEBRUARY 17, 2025 4:00 PM]
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE.MYSELF, I'M DYLAN HEDRICK, CHAIRMAN WITH ME, I HAVE DEPUTY MAYOR PRO, TIM MARGARET, LUCK AND COUNCILMAN JEFF BASS.
THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE NOVEMBER 18TH, 2024 MEETING.
SECOND ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMENTS.
I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS SIGNED UP.
BUT WE ALWAYS WELCOME ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC WHO WISHES TO COMMENT.
THIRD ITEM IS ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION.
ITEM THREE A REVIEW THE SIGN ORDINANCE.
THIS IS A ITEM THAT WAS REFERRED BY COUNCIL MEMBER BASS AND A SECOND BY DEPUTY MAYOR PRO, TIM LUCK, WHO ARE BOTH ON THIS COMMITTEE.
LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A PRESENTATION GETTING SET UP HERE.
YOU ALL RIGHT? THANK YOU CHAIR.
UM, THIS IS ANOTHER ITEM THAT WHEN THE REQUEST HAD COME IN, I WASN'T HERE, SO I HAVE HEARD SOME OF THE CONTEXT.
UH, SO FROM WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE, WE ARE TRYING TO REVIEW OUR SIGN ORDINANCE TO SEE WHAT ARE SOME OF THE COMMON THINGS, UH, WHY SOME OF THE VARIANCE REQUESTS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE COMMON VARIANCE REQUESTS ARE, AND EVALUATE HOW WE CAN REDUCE THE NUMBER OF VARIANCE REQUESTS, THEREFORE MAKING OUR ORDINANCE MORE ROBUST IN SOME WAYS.
UM, SO WE HAD LOOKED AT, UH, THE DIFFERENT VARIANCE REQUESTS THAT HAD COME IN IN THE LAST FIVE TO SIX YEARS.
AND WHEN WE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT IT, THERE HADN'T BEEN THAT MANY IN FROM 2019 TO NOW, WE HAVE ONLY HAD FIVE.
AND TWO OF THEM WERE REGARDING SETBACKS FOR MONUMENT SIGNS, AND TWO OF THEM WERE FOR LARGER WALL SIGNS.
SO THE FIRST ONE THAT YOU SEE ON THE LIST, 1 1 4 0 5 LBJ FREEWAY, UM, THAT WAS, THERE WAS AN ALREADY EXISTING MONUMENT SIGN AND THEY WERE MOVING IT.
UM, IN OUR ORDINANCE, WE HAVE A FIVE FOOT MINIMUM SETBACK REQUIREMENT FOR MONUMENT SIGN, AND THEY WANTED TO PUT THE MONUMENT SIGN RIGHT ON THE PROPERTY LINE.
UH, SIMILAR, UM, REQUEST FOR NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS 20 20 15, 20 LEVON DRIVE.
UM, THEY DIDN'T WANNA PUT THE SIGN RIGHT AT THE PROPERTY LINE, BUT JUST SIX INCHES SETBACK, UM, IS WHAT THEY WERE PROPOSING.
WHERE FIVE FEET IS REQUIRING OUR CODE, THE SECOND ONE AND THE FOURTH ONE.
THOSE WERE RELATED TO ASKING FOR LARGER, LARGER WALL SIGNS THAN WHAT'S REQUIRED.
UM, I HAVE A SIGN, I HAVE A PICTURE OF ONE OF THOSE IN, UH, ONE OF THE LATER SLIDES.
UH, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, NUMBER TWO, THEY WERE GOING VERY A, A LOT LARGER THAN WHAT'S ALLOWED.
AND THERE WAS A REASON FOR THAT.
NUMBER FOUR, UH, 2022, THE 3 0 4 6 LEVON DRIVE, IT WASN'T REALLY THAT BIG A DEAL.
THEY JUST WANTED DO, IT WAS A REGULAR WALL SIGN AND THEY WANTED JUST A LITTLE BIGGER TO BE MORE PROMINENT.
WE HAD RECEIVED ONE AT THE END OF 2024 AND STAFF'S CURRENTLY REVIEWING IT.
SO THAT MAY BE COME INTO PLAN COMMISSION HERE IN THE COMING MONTHS.
UM, SO GENERALLY WE HAVE ONLY GOT FIVE REQUESTS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
UM, WHILE LOOKING IN, IN THE REQUESTS AND WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR COMPARED TO, HEY, THOSE STANDARDS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER CITIES DOING? THOSE SEEM TO BE PRETTY CONSISTENT.
UH, THERE IS GENERALLY FOR MONUMENT SIGN, A SETBACK REQUIREMENT TO BE SET BACK FROM THE PROPERTY LINE FOR SAFETY ISSUES.
AND IF YOU HAVE TO GO DO SOME WORK IN THE SIDEWALK, IT, IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE THE MONUMENT SIDE, UH, SIGN RIGHT ON THE PROPERTY LINE.
UH, IN TERMS OF THE WALL SIGN, AGAIN, UH, WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR REGULATIONS, UH, IT SEEMED PRETTY CONSISTENT.
IT GENERALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WALL SIGN IS PROPORTIONAL TO WHERE IT'S BEING, UH, PLACED.
AND MOST CITIES AROUND US, UH, HAVE THAT TYPE OF, UM, STANDARDS.
AND AGAIN, ONE OF THE REQUESTS, UH, THAT I MENTIONED, UH, GENERATED FROM A LITTLE UNUSUAL BUILDING TYPE AND ELEMENT THAT YOU COULD SEE HERE.
UH, THIS IS A PRETTY LARGE WALL SIGN BASED ON WHAT'S COMPARED TO WHAT'S ALLOWED IN OUR CODE.
BUT THAT'S COMING FROM THIS, THIS LIKE ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENT THAT'S INCORPORATED IN THIS BUILDING AND THAT MAY NOT BE NEEDED ON A DAY-TO-DAY WALL SIGN PERMIT.
UM, BUT IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE NOTES AND GET BACK TO YOU.
I, I, I APPRECIATE THAT AND, UM, YOU MIND PUSH IT BACK.
UM, YOU KNOW, COULD YOU GO BACK TO THE SIDE WHERE YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE WERE FIVE IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS? 'CAUSE OKAY.
AND, UM, SO JUST REAL QUICK, AS YOU WERE SAYING THAT, I ACTUALLY WROTE DOWN FIVE JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THAT ARE NOT LISTED UP
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THERE.WE HAD, UM, UH, DOWNTOWN YOU GOT DOSE MADES, JIMMY WALLACE, ROACH FEED AND SEED AT, ON, UH, BUCKINGHAM.
WE GOT HTO, UM, THERE'S ONE WAS ONE AT GEORGE BUSH AND CAMPBELL, UM, THAT WAS IN 23 OR 24.
I MEAN, THERE'S FIVE JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD IMMEDIATELY WHO CAME UP WITH AND WROTE DOWN.
SO I'M NOT SURE WHO DID THE RESEARCH ON THAT.
AND UM, SO THIS IS BASED ON OUR LOG WHERE WE, AGAIN, WE HAVE A VERY MANUAL LOG, UH, AND WE HAVE DIFFERENT FOLDERS WHERE WE GO IN AND CHECK FOR THOSE VARIANCES.
IF I, IF YOU DON'T MIND IF I CAN, UH, GET WHAT THE LIST IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN.
ARE YOU SURE IT CAME UP AS ASSIGNED VARIANCE? OH YEAH.
WELL EVERY, SO I MEAN, I'LL TELL YOU WHY THEY WEREN'T VARIANCES.
THAT'S PROBABLY WHY YOU DIDN'T CATCH 'EM.
ALL THE ONES DOWNTOWN WERE LISTED AS, UM, MAJOR WAIVERS AND NOT VARIANCES.
AND SO THAT'S PROBABLY WHOEVER DID YOUR RESEARCH FOR FOR YOU PROBABLY CHANGED THAT.
WE, WE HAVEN'T DONE A SIGNED VARI TRUE SIGNED VARIANCE IN DOWNTOWN IN, IN A LONG, LONG, LONG TIME.
WE DO, WE CALL 'EM MAJOR WAIVERS.
AND SO THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT WHOEVER'S DOING YOUR RESEARCH FOR YOU, YOU MIGHT WANNA ASK THEM TO LOOK FOR MAJOR WAIVERS.
BUT THOSE ARE SIGN RELATED? YES.
AND LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, HTO, WHICH DISTRICT SIX? THAT'S ROBERT VERA.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WERE APPROVED FOR A MONUMENT SIGN.
I HAD TO DO A LOT OF WORK WITH ROBERT VERA TO CONVINCE HIM TO SUPPORT THAT.
SO I KNOW THAT THAT WASN'T AUTOMATICALLY APPROVED.
AND THEN AT, UH, CAMPBELL AND GEORGE BUSH, WE APPROVED A, A GAS STATION THERE.
THIS IS THE ONE THAT HAD THE TESLA CHARGERS.
UM, AND IT WAS RELATED TO THE SIGN HEIGHT.
SO LIKE I SAID, THOSE ARE JUST SOME I'VE COME UP THAT I JUST HAVE RECALLED.
UM, AND I BROUGHT THIS FORWARD JUST SO YOU KNOW.
SO YOU KNOW, MY OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE IT EASIER TO DO BUSINESS IN GARLAND, RIGHT? MM-HMM
UM, AND SO WHEN I SEE JUST KIND OF FOR ME THE SAME KIND OF THINGS COMING BACK TO US OVER AND OVER, YOU KNOW, UM, THE LESS WE HAVE TO LOOK AT SOMETHING MM-HMM
BUSINESS PERSON, WHATEVER IT IS, THE CITIZEN.
UM, AND SO WHEN I SEE THINGS COME BACK TO US ON A CONSISTENT BASIS, I'M LIKE, WELL LET'S, LET'S VISIT THAT AND SEE IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO MAKE THAT PROCESS EASIER.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I KNOW THERE'S MORE THAN FIVE, FIVE INSTANCES.
WE'RE MORE THAN HAPPY TO GO BACK AND CATCH THOSE MAJOR WAIVERS AS WELL.
IS IT MORE FOCUSED, JUST SO I HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTEXT, IS IT MORE FOCUSED ON THE DOWNTOWN AREA, THE CONCERN THAT THE RE REGULATIONS MAY BE TOO STRINGENT? OR IS IT ACROSS THE BOARD? WELL, I THINK PROBABLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, AND FOR ME PERSONALLY, IF WE WANT TO LOOK AT JUST DOWNTOWN FIRST, 'CAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF REVITALIZATION AND GROWTH THERE.
UM, AND THAT IS A CONCENTRATED AREA WHERE YOU HAVE A LOT OF ACTIVITY.
SO IF WE'RE GOING TO TRY THIS AND SEE HOW IT GOES, THAT WOULD BE A NICE TEST ENVIRONMENT FOR IT.
BECAUSE THE DOWNTOWN ONE DOES HAVE MORE, LIKE, MORE, HAS MORE STRICT REGULATIONS THAN THE REGULAR DISTRICTS JUST BECAUSE WE, WE DO WANT THE DOWNTOWN TO HAVE CERTAIN AESTHETIC APPEAL AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, LET ME KIND OF TAKE, UH, SOME NOTES ON THAT.
UH, GO CATCH THE MAJOR, THE THINGS THAT MAY HAVE COME TO YOU NOT AS A VARIANCE, BUT AS A MAJOR WAIVER, BUT INCLUDED SIGN RELATED COMPONENTS AND NEXT MEETING I CAN COME BACK TO YOU WITH MORE DETAILS.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO, IF POSSIBLE, I CAN SEND YOU ALL SOMETHING A LITTLE AHEAD OF TIME AND YOU CAN TELL ME, HEY, THIS IS WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
THIS IS STILL NOT WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR.
AND THEN DURING THE MEETING WE CAN HAVE A MORE CONSTRUCTIVE DISCUSSION IN THAT CASE.
YOU MIGHT ALSO, EXCUSE ME, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT YOU MIGHT ALSO LOOK UNDER FOR, UM, PD, JUST WE MAY HAVE, WHAT WE MAY HAVE DONE IS CHANGED MM-HMM
SO I DON'T, I, I CAN'T REMEMBER SPECIFICALLY WHAT WE DID, IF IT WAS A PD ADJUSTMENT OR IF IT WAS A VARIANCE FOR THE OTHER SIGNS.
BUT SOMETIMES WHAT WE DO WITH PDS, WE ALSO EITHER LESSEN OR STRENGTHEN CERTAIN REGULATIONS AND SIGNS FREQUENTLY COME UNDER THAT.
SO YOU MIGHT WANNA CHECK WITH PDS ALSO, JUST THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS UNDER THE PDS.
I CAN THINK OF JUST A FEW MORE AREAS TOO.
THE GAS STATION AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER HAD A HEIGHT VARIANCE ON THE SIGN.
UH, I KNOW THAT THE, UH, STARBUCKS AT BUCKINGHAM AND JUPITER CALLED ME ABOUT THE HOME DEPOT SIGN AND THEY WERE HAVING ISSUES REGULATED.
I DON'T REMEMBER IF THAT ONE WENT BEFORE US OR NOT, BUT THEY HAD TO, THERE WERE SETBACKS INVOLVED WITH REPLACING THAT HOME DEPOT SIGN.
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THERE'S SOMETHING AROUND THAT ONE, BUT THAT'S JUST TWO I I CAN THINK OF OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.BUT I AGREE IT MIGHT BE IN THE PD LANGUAGE OR ELSEWHERE THAT OKAY.
SO WE'LL LOOK MORE COMPREHENSIVELY IN TERMS OF WHERE THE SIGN RELATED DEVIATIONS COULD HAVE GONE.
THEN WE'LL TABLE THIS ITEM TILL THE NEXT MEETING THEN.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM THREE B.
ENCLOSURES, THIS IS, UH, TO REVIEW MIRROR ORDINANCE IN REGARD TO SPECIFIC PERMISSIBLE LOCATIONS.
IT WAS BROUGHT BY DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TIM LUCK AND SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DUTTON.
MR. CHAIR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, THIS IS ACTUALLY GONNA BE A REALLY QUICK ONE.
UM, AS, UM, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO, TIM LUCK KNOWS I TALKED TO HER PREVIOUSLY.
IT ACTUALLY IS ALREADY COVERED AND YOU'RE ALLOWED TO DO THAT.
WHAT WE HAD WAS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE PROBABLY FROM MY OFFICE, TO BUILDING INSPECTION AND CODE IN TERMS OF WHAT WAS ALLOWED UNDER THE LATEST, UM, UM, AMENDMENT TO THE GDC THAT Y'ALL DID RELATED TO MURALS.
IT WAS ALREADY COVERED IN THERE BECAUSE I THINK IT'S YOUR REQUEST.
YOU SPECIFICALLY, AND I PUT IT IN THERE, IT HADN'T DOWNLOADED YET TO THE CODIFIED VERSION THAT YOU SEE ONLINE.
YOU HAD TO GO TO A SPECIAL SECTION WHERE THE NEW LAWS ARE POSTED AND THEN GO DOWN AND LOOK THROUGH THAT LIST WHERE THE NEW LAWS ARE POSTED, BUT HAVEN'T BEEN CODIFIED.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE IT WAS AND THAT WAS THE KIND OF THE COMMUNICATION ERROR.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S THE REASON WE, UM, THIS ENDED UP ON THE AGENDA.
ANY QUESTIONS, ANY RESOLUTION,
THAT BEING THE LAST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA AT FOUR 12, WE ARE ADJOURNED.