Conditions for Acceptance of
Zoning Approval for Proposed Wal-Mart at Headwaters of Blunn
Creek on Ben White
South River City Citizens
Neighborhood Association
1. No diminishment of
existing base flow rate and volume from site. Maintain at least
95% of existing site average annual infiltration. To be accomplished using one or more of the following:
· Pervious pavement or green parking
areas.
· Larger vegetated areas with storage and infiltration.
--Depressed landscaping.
--Bioretention.
--Decreased impervious area.
· Roof top rain water storage and
infiltration.
· Infiltration trenches or dry vaults.
· No liners on flood and water quality controls.
2. Enhanced Water Quality Requirements
· Capture and treat 2 inches of
runoff from site.
· Develop and implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program
per City of Austin specifications.
· Landscape using exclusively native plant species.
· No installation of asphalt for roads and parking or use of
coal-tar sealant.
· Implement construction safeguards to be reviewed by SRCC.
--Construction sequence (construction of water quality
control prior to site clearing and grading).
--Hazardous materials handling.
· Granting of non-revocable right of access and use
for City or any other governmental entity for water quality
monitoring.
· Implementation of same agreement for Grow Green program with
the City of Austin used with Home Depot store at 3600 S. IH-35.
3. Neighborhood Compatibility design
standards:
· Lighting standards to achieve
dark skies:
--Same design as HEB store at William Cannon and Brodie Lane;
--Glenrose Engineering specifications [Attachment 1];
--Specifications agreed upon for the Wal-Mart at Slaughter Lane
and IH-35.
· Implementation of Architectural standards [Attachment
2]
· Rainwater collection, storage, and reuse for at least 0.5-inch
of roof runoff.
· Urban Heat Island reduction
--Provide 30% shade in parking lot within five years of
construction;
--Light-colored concrete pavement.
--Porous pavement.
--Use of green parking systems for excess parking areas.
· All
interior and exterior paints & coatings to meet or exceed VOC
and chemical component limits of Green Seal (www.greenseal.org/standard/paints/html).
· Meaningful enforcement provisions.
Attachment 1: Exterior Light Pollution
Reduction ("Dark Sky" Guidelines)
- Eliminate light trespass from building
site, improve night sky access and reduce development
impact on nocturnal environment.
- An exterior lighting plan is required for
all development. Design lighting such that lighting
levels do not exceed IESNA foot-candle levels. Lighting
of architectural and landscape features is prohibited.
Maximum lighting levels for commercial areas is no more
than 3 foot-candles, average maintained, measured
horizontally at finished ground level with a maximum 4:1
illumination ratio.
- Free standing light fixtures shall not
exceed 30 feet measured from the ground/pavement to the
bottom base of the fixture.
- Fixture wattage shall not exceed 350 lamp
watts. Lamps shall be those containing the lowest
available mercury content at the time of purchase,
consistent with fulfilling performance requirements.
- Fixtures shall be limited to two per pole,
shall have no uplight, nor lamps/light-refracting lenses
extending below the plane of the lowest point of the
fixture housing. Fixtures will provide a cutoff not to
exceed 90 degrees from nadir so that light is not emitted
above the horizontal plane.
- Building-mounted wall packs shall not
exceed lamp wattage of 200 watts and shall be mounted no
higher than 28 feet from the ground/pavement to the
bottom of the fixture. Wall packs shall be configured
with a full front metal shield with a sharp cutoff of 85
degrees or better to block the lamp source from line of
sight view. Open faced wall packs of any wattage or size
are prohibited.
- No direct-beam illumination can leave the
site, nor be projected into the sky. All lighting
fixtures to illuminate outdoor advertising shall be
mounted on the top of the sign structure.
- Lamp wattage for outdoor advertising signs
constructed of translucent materials and wholly
illuminated from within shall not exceed 75 watts.
- All luminaires mounted on the undersurface
of service station canopies shall be fully shielded and
utilize flat glass or flat plastic covers. The total
light output used for illuminating service station
canopies, defined as the sum of all under-canopy initial
bare-lamp outputs in lumens, shall not exceed forty (40)
lumens per square foot of canopy. All lighting mounted
under the canopy, including but not limited to luminaires
mounted on the lower surface of the canopy and auxiliary
lighting within signs or panels over the pumps, is to be
included toward the total outdoor light output.
- Wal-Mart must submit to the City for
approval plans indicating the location, the type of
illuminating devices, fixtures, lamps, supports,
reflectors, and other lighting devices, descriptions of
illuminating devices, and photometric data.
- City of Austin specifically waives any
code lighting requirements that conflict with these Dark
Sky (http://www.darksky.org/) standards.
Attachment 2: Architectural
and Design Standards
- Design in character to surrounding
architecture, i.e. Limestone materials. Avoid "Anywhere,
USA" standard design.
- Use color and material of the primary
structure to be harmonious with local architecture, e.g.,
nearby St Edwards University.
- Break up big box standard design. Promote
plaza, pedestrian-friendly design.
- Provide multiple customer entrances; use
sides of building adjacent to public streets. Entrances
should be clearly defined and highly visible with
features such as canopies or porticos, arcades, arches,
wing walls, and integral planters. Provide direct access
to all store entrances via 8-foot sidewalks.
- Establish a vibrant relationship to the
surrounding community, St. Edwards University, and
South Congress "Main Street." Avoid the sterile
environment of blank walls.
- Create a pedestrian friendly environment.
Use lampposts, plazas, fountains, clock towers to
humanize area.
- Use traditional design elements (gabled
roofs and articulated building fronts) and quality design
materials. Will serve to hide shopping carts and outside
display/ clutter.
- Establish variations in rooflines to
reduce the massive scale of these structures and add
visual interest. Roofs must have at least two of the
following features: parapets concealing flat roofs and
rooftop equipment; overhanging eaves, slopes roofs, and
three or more roof slope planes.
- Forbid "uninterrupted length of any
facade" in excess of 100 horizontal feet. Facades
greater than 100 feet in length must incorporate recesses
and projections along at least 20% of the length of the
facade.
- Windows, awnings, and arcades must total
at least 60% of the facade length abutting a public
street (e.g., Ben White and Payload Pass).
- Require smaller retail stores that are
part of a larger principal building have display windows
and separate outside entrances. All facades of a building
that are visible from adjoining properties and/or public
streets should contribute to the pleasing scale features
of the building and encourage community integration by
featuring characteristics similar to a front facade.
- No more than 50% of the off-street parking
area for the entire property shall be located between the
front facade of the principal building and the primary
abutting street." (http://www.asu.edu/caed/proceedings98/Duerk/duerk.html)
- Continue use of red brick pavers for
sidewalk areas and pedestrian areas including Bus stops
per the adjacent Ben White project built by the Texas
Department of Transportation.
- Restrict the location of landscape and
garden materials from parking lot(s). Keep these
materials contained in the Garden Center area at all
times (with the exception of Christmas tree sales).
- Place one side of building near bus stop
or allow buses patrons close proximity per transit-oriented
design principles.
- Work with Capital Metro to provide a bus
pull in lane on feeder road.
- 8-foot wide sidewalks continuously along
ROW with larger native tree plantings
- Bike racks in accordance to City of Austin
specifications.
- Relocate loading docks away from side
adjacent to Blunn Creek Affordable Housing apartments (701
Woodward St) Conduct a noise and visual cone analysis.
- Enclose loading dock to buffer noise from
delivery trucks.
- Plant Cottonwood grove as vegetative
buffer to the Blunn Creek Apartments.
- Install 6-foot wrought-iron fence or
equivalent (not chain link) around north and east
perimeter of site for security.
- Share parking with Southfield Tower(additional
spaces exist) to reduce on-site parking and associated
impervious cover required.
- Provide 24-hour on-site security patrols.
- Contribute to an environmental impact
study for a long-range analysis of Blunn Creek
developmental build-out.
- Have an independent consultant conduct an
economic and fiscal impact study of the impact of the
proposed Wal-Mart store on South Congress merchants.
- Conduct an energy audit and make
appropriate adjustments to reduce energy inputs and
associated pollutants.
- Design as a Natural Lighting Green Wal-Mart
store per pilot store in Lawrence, Kansas.
- Commit to participation in twice-annual
cleanup of Blunn Creek.
- Fund site plan for conversion of Dark
store(s) if Stassney stores closes.
- Keep Alpine closed to through traffic.
These items have been
successfully implemented at other Wal-Mart stores and/or other
big box stores. References upon request.
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