Photo by Leslee BassmanOn Nov. 5, Bee Cave Planning and Zoning commissioners recommended a denial of Covert's preliminary plat request. The decision was made following the company's traffic impact analysis improvements that suggested adding a signalized intersection (C) and limiting the Covert driveway to right in, right out.
On Nov. 12, before a packed meeting room where residents overflowed into the City Hall vestibule, Bee Cave City Council voted unanimously to deny the Covert Bee Cave Subdivision preliminary plat.
Covert submitted a revised traffic impact analysis Oct. 15, said Lindsey Withrow, city of Bee Cave planning and development director. The traffic impact analysis recommended limiting the dealership driveway traffic to a right-turn in, right-turn out and adding a signalized intersection on the Summit 56 tract, which is the proposed dealership's site, she said. Covert recommended locating the signalized intersection at a shared driveway on the tract that also houses Nitro Swimming and Hill Country Golf and Guitar, she said.
Withrow said the city required Covert to obtain the consent of the adjoining Summit 56 property owners and provide signed joint access agreements allowing Covert to use Nitro Swimming's westernmost entrance on Hwy. 71.
As of the Nov. 12 council meeting, the city had not received any agreements from Covert to allow the dealership to place a signalized intersection on the Summit 56 tract, she said.
Covert engineer Ken Watkins of Bleyl and Associates said the company is in negotiations with the appropriate landowners to obtain agreements for the signalized intersection.
Richard Phillips, owner of Hill Country Golf and Guitar, said in a statement he has not been contacted by any Covert representative for access to a joint easement on his Summit 56 property and does not intend to give his permission for the driveway use. Nitro Swimming owner Mike Koleber also said he also had not been contacted by anyone from Covert regarding this issue.
Residents cited concerns regarding the proposed dealership: increased light and noise pollution, increased safety issues if test drives occur within the adjacent Falconhead West neighborhood, visibility of a four-story garage onsite without landscaping surrounding the build and failure to meet the standards of the city's Comprehensive Plan.
"The Coverts are making a mistake because they are valuing dollars over people, and that's a fundamental mistake for any business," Falconhead West resident Morris Moore said.
Covert attorney Mike McKetta, from Graves, Dougherty, Hearon and Moody, urged council members to follow state law that he said would require approval of the plat because his client met all of the city's requirements. He said that at this time, the city does not need to determine where signalized intersection will be built on the tract to approve Covert's preliminary plat.
After a 30-minute executive session, Mayor Caroline Murphy resumed her seat on the dais and said the council strongly disagreed with Mr. McKetta's interpretation of Bee Cave's ordinances. Councilwoman Kara King moved to deny the Covert plat, seconded by Councilwoman Michelle Bliss.
On Nov. 5, Bee Cave's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously voted to deny recommending approval of the Covert Bee Cave Subdivision's preliminary plat to City Council.
