Timnath council approves Ladera planned-development amendment allowing taller retail and up to 50% metal cladding

The Timnath Town Council on Jan. 14 approved Ordinance No. 1, Series 2025, an amendment to the Ladera planned development (PD) overlay that increases the maximum building height for Lot 4, Block 1 from 40 feet to 46 feet and allows architectural elements to reach 65 feet, and permits metal materials on up to 50% of visible building elevations.

Council members said the request — which came with a unanimous Planning Commission recommendation — fits the site’s regional-commercial designation and the town’s design expectations. “I’m in support of this plan development overlay amendment,” Mayor Pro Tem Luke Wagner said during the council discussion, adding that he trusts staff to “closely monitor and enforce this compliance with all the conditions.”

Staff and the applicant told council the amendment is targeted to a single retail prototype that uses a two-story layout with a clerestory and an entry feature that extends above the base roofline. Planning staff explained the 46-foot figure reflects the town code’s existing 15% height exception for maximum structures (15% of 40 feet = 46 feet) and that the 65-foot allowance applies only to architectural elements, not the occupiable floor area.

Grant Nelson of Republic Investment Group, representing Connell LLC (the applicant/owner), said the taller profile accommodates a retailer’s prototype that includes a clerestory and higher entry feature. “They have a clear story in the middle of the building to allow light that comes in,” Nelson said. Applicant representative Steve Wiens described the proposed weathering steel (Corten) panels and said the Ladera design-review process will keep materials integrated with the overall development.

Staff noted related code details: building height is measured from average finished grade to the top of parapet or highest roof element; the town’s Harmony Corridor design standards allow metal siding as a secondary material at up to 45%; and the Ladera Phase 2 PD overlay already includes similar language, supporting a unified design approach across Ladera filings. Planning staff also said referrals to utility and transportation agencies produced no objections and that site-specific traffic review will occur with future site-plan submittals.

Council members pressed for clarity about how the clerestory and branding elements are categorized and where the taller architectural elements would face; staff and the applicant said the feature would be oriented mainly away from County Road 5, minimizing visual impact from that corridor. Several councilors said they expected the town’s design-review process and the applicant’s design-review committee (which will include town staff) to guard against overuse of metal or oversized signage features.

The amendment was moved, seconded and approved by a 3-0 vote. The ordinance applies only to the specified lot in Ladera Filing No. 3; staff said other lots could later request the same exception but that any future requests would be reviewed on their merits.

Planning staff said future building-material choices and any detailed departures from the PD will be reviewed at the time of site plan and design-review submittals.

Votes at a glance: Ordinance No. 1, Series 2025 (Ladera PD overlay amendment No. 2) — moved and seconded; approved 3-0.