Coppell Chronicle Vol. 3, No. 20

Proposed Zoning Changes Spark Memories • Council Stops Considering Proclamations • Old Town May Need New Name • Coppell ISD Bonds Are Now on Sale

Jul 09, 2023

Welcome to everybody who subscribed after learning of this newsletter during the Parade Down Parkway on the Fourth of July. This week’s first article includes several links to content you missed prior to signing up.

Proposed Zoning Changes Spark Memories

Coppell residents can expect to see more carports like these in the Sherwood Park neighborhood.

The Coppell City Council is set to conduct several public hearings on Tuesday evening, and one of them will concern proposed changes to the regulations regarding accessory structures — garages, carports, what have you. Reviewing these proposals was like a stroll down memory lane for your correspondent, as they address issues brought up in several previous articles.

One of the proposed changes would allow for pool cabanas with a ¾ bath (toilet, sink, and shower), workshops with a ½ bath (toilet and sink), and other accessory structures with a utility sink or ¾ bath.

Last September, the council allowed Raymond and Virginia Larson to include a washroom and kitchenette in the 8-car garage they’re building next to their home on Bethel Road. Two months earlier, the council OK’d Terry Holmes’ request for each of the residences in his Blackberry Farm development along Sandy Lake Road to be augmented by a cabana with a restroom. If the proposals on Tuesday’s agenda had been in effect one year ago, both of those requests might have been unnecessary.

(See “Farmstead OK’d at Blackberry Farm” in Vol. 2, No. 21, and “8-Car Garage Gets 6 Thumbs Up” in Vol. 2, No. 30.)

Another aspect of the proposed changes increases maximum heights. Under current regulations, accessory structures that occupy less than 150 square feet on the ground must top out at 10 feet in the air, and structures that are 150 square feet or larger can’t be taller than 12 feet. The proposed changes would raise those maximums to 12 feet and 16 feet, respectively. Anybody who wants to build an accessory structure that’s 30 feet tall, as the Larsons are doing, would still need to get the council’s permission, as the Larsons did.

Finally, the proposed changes would create a new section of the Code of Ordinance exclusively about carports. The verbiage in this new section would allow carports to be built only 5 feet from a property line; under the current regulations, the minimum setback is 20 feet. Despite that rule, the council allowed dozens of homeowners in one neighborhood to keep their noncompliant carports last year.

(See “Sherwood Park Carports Can Remain in Place” in Vol. 2, No. 12.)

On June 15, the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of these proposed changes. During that meeting’s work session, Commission Chair Edmund Haas asked this about carports: “Are we saying that we’re now open to folks having those, unless you’re in an HOA that prohibits that?” Development Services Administrator Matt Steer replied, “Absolutely. … This will open up the door for a lot more carports.”

One of those new carports will likely appear behind Bob Hunnicut’s home near Duck Pond Park. Last August, the Board of Adjustment denied him permission to build a carport 7 feet from his property line, even though his free-standing garage is only 1 foot from that line. That may seem illogical, but his garage was built at a time when that location complied with city code.

(See “Common Sense Isn’t Always up to Code” in Vol. 2, No. 25.)

The City Council has a packed agenda on Tuesday, when they’re also set to …

Conduct public hearings regarding a developer’s plans to build a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and a Tim Hortons along State Highway 121. (See “Canadian Coffee Chain Coming to Coppell” in Vol. 3, No. 17.)
Consider awarding an $875,000 contract to PGAL so the Houston-based firm can design a new fire station on Moore Road. (See “Fire Station Plan Alarms Some Neighbors” in Vol. 3, No. 1.)
Receive a report from City Manager Mike Land on the Village Parkway Pump Station. (See “Information Flowed During Water Crisis” in Vol. 3, No. 19.)

Council Stops Considering Proclamations

The agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting also includes a proclamation designating June 21, 2023, as “Yoga Day,” but the council will not vote on it.

During their June 16 retreat, the council discussed their longstanding practice of voting on mayoral proclamations. The topic was brought up by the council’s newest member, Jim Walker, who said he believes Coppell is the region’s only city whose council takes recorded votes on these ceremonial documents.

This has been the practice in Coppell for as long as anyone on the city’s staff can remember. And nobody could come up with a reason why other than it’s always been done that way.

Mayor Wes Mays said about half of the proclamations he signs are given to the requestor without a public presentation or a recorded vote, because “there’s nothing that says we have to publicly present them.” Mays said he and City Secretary Ashley Owens try to be selective about which proclamations are included on the council’s agendas.

“We really want to be focused on the City of Coppell, the residents of the City of Coppell, and we want to be able to provide proclamations for them,” Mays said.

Mayor Pro Tem John Jun asked what Mays would do if a majority of the council voted against a proclamation. The mayor said he didn’t see how he could issue one in that scenario, but that never happens. In the 28 months I’ve been publishing this newsletter, I haven’t seen anyone vote against a proclamation. However, Jun did abstain from voting on the mayor’s Pride Month proclamation in 2021, as documented in Vol. 1, No. 16, and he abstained again in 2022. (The mayor did not issue a Pride Month proclamation this year.)

“There’s proclamations that I’ve done that I don’t personally agree with, but they’re for the citizens of Coppell that we’re elected to represent, so in that vein, I feel necessary to do them, whether I personally agree with it or not,” Mays said. “Believe me — that’s a really fine line for me. Proclamations probably cause me more angst than any other single thing.”

Walker offered an opposing viewpoint that helped explain why he wanted to discuss the topic: “There may be people in our community that I represent, but they may have views that I would never want to vote on a proclamation just because they live here.”

Although the council opted to end the superfluous practice of voting on proclamations, the consensus was that the mayor and the city secretary don’t need to alter their selection methods. If nothing else, proclamations help ensure the council has an audience.

“I like when people come to the council meetings,” Kevin Nevels said. “I think it reminds them that we exist and that we’re actually doing, you know, the work of the community.”

Old Town May Need New Name

When it comes to the topic of Old Town Coppell, the City Council and the city’s administration seemed to be stuck in a stalemate: Each side is waiting for the other to make the first move.

During the council’s June 16 retreat, City Manager Mike Land brought up the results of a survey about Old Town. “Do you want us to take that survey and start developing things to bring to you,” he asked, “whatever those ideas happen to be?”

After much discussion, Council Member Biju Mathew said he wants to see a few options that the council could consider. Pointing out that Mathew and his peers all have access to the survey results, Land asked our elected officials to narrow the field of options to a few, so his staff didn’t waste time and effort on what he termed a “shotgun approach.”

“We’ll do something methodically, and we’ll spend time on something and get it in front of you, without having any idea if it’s something you support or not,” Land said. “I just don’t think that’s a good use of our resources.”

Eventually, Council Member Brianna Hinojosa-Smith summed up my main criticism of Old Town: Patrons of the Coppell Arts Center should have nearby venues for a post-show meal or beverage.

“What we’re hearing from people is, they want to come to the Arts Center, and they want to have a place to go,” Hinojosa-Smith said. “They want to have places to hang out, have a drink, whatever it might be.”

Before that “a-ha” statement, the council tossed around a few other ideas. For example, Kevin Nevels said the area’s official boundaries may need to expand.

“I felt like I heard, you know, ‘We need critical mass. We need more. We want more options and things down there,’” Nevels said. “My opinion is that the current scale of Old Town is not large enough to establish some sort of critical mass.”

Nevels and Jim Walker pointed out that it might be worthwhile to explore how Old Town could absorb the popular Hard Eight BBQ restaurant, which is nearby but separated by a drainage culvert and some warehouses. Walker theorized, “We would start to see the benefit of the foot traffic from the people that, after they’re done piling on a bunch of ribs, [would say] ‘Why don’t we go walk it off and check out some of the shopping and maybe go grab a drink?’”

Of course, that would mean using taxpayers’ dollars to acquire more land near Hard Eight. The city already owns the empty lot next to Twisted Root, and there are no solid prospects for developing that parcel.

“I’d be very reluctant to go out and try to sell, you know, multiple-acre acquisition of land and millions of dollars to assume the risk of developing it when we can’t even develop a pad site,” Walker said.

Walker and Don Carroll also said a rebranding of the area should be considered. Walker suggested “Main Street Coppell,” and Carroll threw out “Arts District” and “Entertainment District.”

“Is the fact that we’re calling it ‘Old Town’ suggesting something musty or fungus-covered?” Walker asked, presumably with a smile on his face. (The retreat was recorded on audio with no video.)

At one point, Land reiterated his quandary: “The question is, how do we get out of this loop of having this discussion on a regular basis? And maybe the answer is, don’t go do anything; let the market dictate what it is.”

Given that Chris Collins has been granted the zoning changes he requested for the southwest corner of Bethel Road and Main Street, and is widely expected to propose a similar project directly across Bethel, Walker said “wait and see” may be the best approach for now.

(See “Majority of Council Trusts Developer” in Vol. 3, No. 8.)

“We’ve got some development in the can, or in the queue, that’s going to generate some activity in the area,” Walker said, “so maybe we focus more on rebranding and trying to create a better narrative about the area and letting some of the development that’s in the works take hold, using private money, before we really look at seriously investing any kind of city money.”

In the end, Land promised to schedule more discussions about Old Town.

“I’m not prepared to unleash our resources until I understand what it is that the council wants us to spend time on,” he said.

Coppell ISD Bonds Are Now on Sale

If you want to purchase Coppell ISD bonds, act fast. Buyers from outside the school district will be able to get their grubby hands on them soon.

According to a schedule presented to the Board of Trustees last month, the district’s underwriters will market the initial issue of $74 million worth of bonds on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week.

“There are other districts hitting the market at that same time, and the following week, and I’m wanting still to try to be on the front end of that,” said George Williford of Hilltop Securities, the district’s financial advisor.

That schedule said the sale would close on Aug. 15, but Williford said the closure was being moved up a few days in anticipation of potential legislation. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is angling to mandate an increase to taxpayers’ homestead exemptions, and new laws typically take effect on Sept. 1.

“One thing that could keep this issue from being affected is if we have a payment occur this year, before September 1,” Williford told the trustees, “so we’re going to close August 10 and have an August 15 interest payment on this issue.”

Documents approved by the Board of Trustees on June 26 indicate that the minimum price for a bond purchase is $5,000; if a buyer wanted to spend more than that, it would need to be in multiples of $5,000. Those documents also say the maximum interest rate of the bonds will be 5.5 percent, which is “well above market,” Williford said.

Voters approved $321.5 million worth of bonds in May, and this $74 million issue is the first of five sales the district is planning as a result of that election. Here’s a breakdown of where that $74 million would go:

$60,696,000 — repaid over 30 years — for facilities
$7,780,000 — repaid over five years — for technology
$2,825,000 — repaid over 10 years — for Buddy Echols Field renovations
$2,720,000 — repaid over 15 years — for security, equipment, and vehicles

If you already have an account with senior underwriter Raymond James or any of the co-managers (BOK Financial Securities, Frost Bank, or Huntington Capital Markets), call your broker to place an order. Otherwise, call the Raymond James trading desk at 214-692-9866 to open an account.

Chronicle Crumbs

• The first of four City of Coppell budget workshops is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, when the topics will be Service Organizations and Special Revenue Funds. Subsequent workshops are scheduled for July 18 (General Fund and Debt Service Fund), July 24 (Water/Sewer Enterprise Fund and Initial Proposed Budget), and July 27 (Final Budget Review). Last year, workshop attendees were promised free ice cream, but I’m not aware of any similar enticements this year.

• The Cozby Library and Community Commons has added four items to its Library of Things: a BluRay/DVD player, a portable scanner, a laminator, and a cornhole set.

• Coppell’s Library Advisory Board and its Parks and Recreation Board both include youth advisors, and its Smart City Board could also use a couple of sharp young minds. Interested teens can get a sense of the workload by attending the Smart City Board’s meeting at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at Coppell Town Center. You can also express interest by filling out this form.

• Note to all local office holders and former candidates: Your semi-annual finance reports are due July 17, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.

• Have you noticed the gates that were recently added to the two entrances at our Kroger? By perusing the Kroger forum on Reddit (yes, there’s a Kroger forum on Reddit), I learned they are anti-theft measures that have been in place at other stores for more than a year. Supposedly, an alarm will sound if you try to go out through the in door. However, according to one Redditor, “They have the same effect as car alarms since everyone ignores them.”

• Whenever I order Chinese or Thai takeout these days, I offer this important disclaimer: “No more soy sauce, please. I have all the soy sauce I’ll ever need. If I live to be 100 years old, I will die with soy sauce packets in my fridge.”

Community Calendar

Cheese-tastic Afternoon with the Stiltons: The Cozby Library and Community Commons will offer a series of games and activities celebrating Geronimo Stilton and Thea Stilton — a pair of mice who star in a series of children’s books — between 2 and 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

Storytime at Heritage Park: A Coppell Historical Society volunteer will read The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaola at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the Ihnfeldt House. The reading will be followed by a tour of the house and a children’s activity.

Creature Teacher: Children who will be in elementary school this fall are invited to learn about — and meet — some unique animals between 2 and 3 p.m. on Wednesday at the Cozby Library and Community Commons.

Teen CPR Class: Experts from Life Safety Park will teach teenagers how to perform a lifesaving procedure between 2 and 3:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Cozby Library and Community Commons.

Four Day Weekend: The improv comedy troupe will return to the Coppell Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Young Frankenstein: Theatre Coppell will stage nine performances of the musical based on Mel Brooks’ classic comedy. The first one is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday at the Coppell Arts Center.

Silver Line Community Meeting: Representatives from DART and Archer Western Herzog, the contractor building the tracks for the transit agency’s Silver Line trains, will be at Town Hall, an event venue within The Sound in Cypress Waters, at 6:30 p.m. on July 18.

Wings of Fire Fest: Fans of the dragon-centric series of “Wings of Fire” novels are invited to stop by the Cozby Library and Community Commons for crafts, activities, and games between 2 and 3 p.m. on July 19. (This event had to be rescheduled due to our recent water crisis.)

Paint & Sip: Flamboyant Flamingo: The Coppell Arts Center offers an opportunity to wine up and wind down between 6 and 8 p.m. on July 19.

Next to Normal: Theatre Three will stage four performances of the award-winning rock musical about a family’s struggles with bipolar disorder. The first one is scheduled for 8 p.m. on July 21 at the Coppell Arts Center.

The Inside Scoop: Beth Marie’s Ice Cream: Ken Willis, co-owner of Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream in Carrollton and Denton, will be at the Cozby Library and Community Commons at 2 p.m. on July 22 to discuss the challenges and rewards of the dessert business. This program is for adults.

Storytime at Heritage Park: A Coppell Historical Society volunteer will read The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper at 10 a.m. on July 26 at the Minyard’s Store. The reading will be followed by a tour of the store and a children’s activity.

Singing 101: The Coppell Community Chorale will offer a series of lessons on July 31 and Aug. 7 at the Coppell Arts Center. Participants can take two classes on each of those dates, at a cost of $35 per day.

North Texas Job Fair: Need a job? Coppell’s Wes Mays and Irving’s Rick Stopfer are among more than a dozen mayors who will co-host a job fair with U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 7 at the Irving Convention Center.