Timnath planning commission approves Ladera Storage site plan, forwards conditional‑use to council

The Timnath Planning Commission on April 1 approved a development site plan for Ladera Storage, a proposed three‑story self‑storage building at 4882 Whitesell Street, and sent the separate conditional‑use decision for review by the Town Council.

The planning commission's vote came after staff recommended approval with two conditions: allow planning staff to work with the applicant on minor, non‑substantive revisions before final signatures and make the site plan approval contingent on Town Council approval of the self‑storage use. "The site plan approval is contingent on the council's approval of the use itself," planning staff told the commission during the presentation.

The approval matters because self‑storage is a conditional use in the site's regional commercial zoning and the project sits at the edge of the Ladera subdivision where buffer, design and traffic issues have been raised by staff and commissioners. The commission reviewed site layout, landscape buffering required by the Ladera PD overlay amendment, building materials and access, then approved the site plan with the staff conditions.

Staff said the property is Lot 1, Block 2 of the Ladera Subdivision Second Filing (4882 Whitesell Street), a 1.78‑acre parcel where the applicant proposes a roughly 103,205‑square‑foot self‑storage building. The PD overlay that covers the lot adjusts some standards for the site, including a higher floor‑area‑ratio allowance; staff noted the proposed FAR of about 1.43 is within the overlay's 1.55 allowance. Access to the site will be a single ingress from Swetzville Zoo Road and an emergency egress to Whitesell Street. The plan shows 10 customer parking spaces (including one accessible and one electric‑vehicle space) and two bicycle spaces, a drive lane around the north and east sides of the building, and an internal trash enclosure for staff.

Chad (planning staff) summarized the commission's review criteria and noted the role Council will play on the conditional use. Steven Crawford, representing Jordan Architects and Ventana Capital, described the design and said the building will be fully secured and sprinklered; he told commissioners the project "fully aligns with the conditional use standards outlined in the Timnath land use code." Steve Wiens, the landscape architect with Stacklot, said the project exceeds the minimum plantings called for by the overlay, noting, "we're planting over 44 trees" where fewer would be required.

Commissioners asked about screening for the exterior garage openings, dumpster access and traffic. The applicant said tenant trash is not provided (the internal dumpster is for staff only) and that typical traffic generation for this type of facility is minimal — the applicant estimated perhaps 20–25 vehicle trips per day. Staff and the commission confirmed the site plan meets applicable setback and parking requirements and that any additional conditions Council adds for the conditional use could require corresponding site plan edits before final signatures.

The planning commission unanimously approved the site plan with the staff conditions and forwarded the conditional‑use decision to Town Council for separate action. Next steps are Council review of the conditional use and final plan signature procedures between staff and the applicant.

Votes at a glance: Planning Commission approved the Ladera Storage site plan with staff authority to resolve minor, non‑substantive comments before final signatures and with the approval contingent on Town Council approval of the conditional use for self‑storage.