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Home My WebLink AboutStaff Comments ," rl~"'.. ,'/ ~~ ,-, " TammydeWeerd olft CITY OF t~~:;, ", - '., - '-, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ~ J . - - -"','- -,,-~, Kcith Bì~ -'---"---- - --------ê -, er! al an ~~ 1/ C~nstme--Donnell - ' -- l IDAHO ~I Shaun Wardle ----- \ oþ-- ¿Y ~-"-~---~:--'-- Charles M- Rountree ~;'-------- y '--'n, '~~"'.._-. - ,..¡ "--'-- ""'~~.JRF;ASl:Ar:V~~ ~INc' -- , 1903 CITY HALL (208) 888-4433 - Fax 8874813 PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING DEPARTMENT (208) 887-2211 - Fax 898-9551 LEGAL DEPARTMENT (208) 888-4433 - FAX 887-4813 , -/--'-- --" MEMORANDUM: Transmittal Date: August 3, 2005 City Council Hearing Date: August 23, 2005 "'--I'ì'~:'i {"i]'-' I" '"'/""""."""" ---'" 1"'\ -1 'I' ~ ,d' I "..~-- 11.'- --j,_./ ..J £:!J JLß AUG 2 3 2005 -,,' To: From: Mayor and City Council Joseph R. Guenther, Associate City Planner Re: Mike Palmer Parking Variance . City Of Meridian City Clerk OiTIC9 Request for a Variance from Meridian City Code (MCC) 11-13-5 (Schedule of Parking Space Requirements), for a Reduction in Parking Requirements and MCC 12-13-10-4 for required landscape buffer for proposed improvements to a three parcel site, in the C-C Zone for 1524, 1608, and 1616 North Meridian Street, by Mike Palmer. (File No. VAR-O5-016). Planning and Zoning staff have reviewed the applicant's submittal, and we offer the following comments and recommendations: APPLICATION SUMMARY The applicant, Mike Palmer, has requested a variance from Meridian City Code (MCC) 11-13-5 for a reduction in parking requirements for a proposed rehabilitation of an existing mixed use project located at 1524, 1608, and 1616 North Meridian Street, in the Community Commercial (C-C) zoning district. Professional offices, retail, and service oriented businesses are all principally permitted uses in the Community Commercial zone. Currently, a hair salon, a retail business and other service/office oriented businesses exist on the property, which will be removed, incorporated, and/or rehabilitated into the construction of the new buildings. Ordinance requires one (1) off- street parking space per 200 s.f. of gross floor area for retail and one (1) off-street parking space per 400 s.f. of gross floor area for office for a total of 52 required spaces. The proposed site plan shows 45 off-street parking stalls, 1 of which are compact spaces. Eleven spaces are proposed to be located in the 25' required landscape buffer on Meridian Road. Currently there is no approved landscaping on Meridian Road. The applicant is requesting relief from the following ordinances: VAR-05-016 Palmer_Y AR.doc 1 . MCC 11-13-5 Schedule of Parking Space Requirements . MCC 12-13-10-4 Street Buffer Required LOCATION & SURROUNDING USES The subject property is located at 1524, 1608, and 1616 North Meridian Street, Southeast of the comer of Meridian Street and Fairview Avenue, in downtown Meridian. The following uses surround the subject property: North - Retail/Commercial, zoned C-c. South - Commercial, zoned C-c. East - Multifamily/Commercial, zoned C-C. West - Single Family Residential zoned R-4. CURRENT OWNERS OF RECORD The owners of record are Pat Palmer, Joe Palmer, and Vella Palmer who have given consent for the applicant to submit the requested application. REQUIRED FINDINGS According to Ordinance 11-18-1, Variances, the Council may authorize in specific cases a variance from the terms of either the Zoning or Subdivision Ordinance. Specifically, the Ordinance lists the following Findings (MCCI1-18-3), all of which must be determined before granting a variance: "A. That there are such special circumstances or conditions affecting the property that the strict application of the provisions of this Title would clearly be impracticable or unreasonable; Staff finds that the subject property, as depicted, is large enough to accommodate the required open spaces and landscaping required by the ordinance, but not parking. Variances for a reduction in parking requirements have recently (in the past two years) been approved for many properties in the downtown area, including Farmers and Merchants State Bank, Aromatic Sensations, Buich Office Building and Holy Trinity Charismatic Episcopal Church. The proposed mixed use building consists of 15596 square feet of ground floor retail, 10545 of new construction and incorporation of existing buildings. Ordinance requires one (1) off-street parking space per 200 s.£. of gross floor area for retail, one (1) off- street parking space per 400 s.f. of gross floor area for office, and two (2) parking spaces for each residential unit, for a total of 52 required spaces. The proposed site plan shows 45 off-street parking stalls, 1 of which is a compact space. B. That strict compliance with the requirements of this Title would result in extraordinary hardship to the owner, subdivider or developer because of unusual topography, the nature or condition of adjacent development, other physical conditions or other conditions that make strict compliance with this Title unreasonable under the circumstances, or that the conditions and requirements of this Title will result in inhibiting the achievements or the objectives of this Title; Y AR-OS-016 Palmer_Y AR.doc 2 The City has adopted goals, objectives, and policies that support mixed uses within the Old Town district. If off-street parking be strictly required for all properties in Old Town, staff believes that a majority of the properties would be restricted to a residential-only use and would not redevelop. Staff generally supports the redevelopment of the smaller, older lots in the original Meridian Township, as these conversions allow for more vibrant commercial areas. Staff finds that strict compliance with the City's parking requirements on this site would result in an extraordinary hardship to the developer due to the circumstances surrounding this property mentioned in the previous rIDding. Further, staff finds that enforcing the conditions and requirements of the off-street parking ordinance and required landscape buffer will inhibit the objectives of allowing Old Town to be a mixed use area. C. That the granting of the specified variance will not be detrimental to the public's welfare or injurious to other property in the area in which the property is situated; Staff anticipates that the variance will not be detrimental to the public's welfare or injurious to other properties in the area. Further, the Council has granted parking variances to properties with similar situations within Old Town, and staff is unaware of any harmful impacts from these parking variances. Staff recommends that the Council reference any written or oral testimony provided at the public hearing, as well as staffs analysis, when determining whether or not the surrounding properties may be negatively affected by granting a variance. D. That such variance will not have the effect of altering the interest and purpose of this Title and the Meridian Comprehensive Plan." Staff finds that the issuance of a variance for reducing parking standards to allow the redevelopment of a small piece of property in a Community Commercial zone in the Old Town designation and will not have the effect of altering the purpose and/or interest of the Zoning Ordinance or the Comprehensive Plan. STAFF RECOMMENDATION , Staff is recommending approval of the parking variance for the following reasons: . Requiring the applicant to provide fifty-two (52) parking stalls on-site would be impossible due to the size constraints of the property with the existing configuration and required landscape buffer; . Enforcing the conditions and requirements of the parking ordinance will inhibit the objectives of allowing Old Town to be a mixed use area. . That there are such special circumstances or conditions affecting the property that the strict application of the provisions of this Title would clearly be impracticable or unreasonable; . That strict compliance with the requirements ofMCC would result in extraordinary hardship to the developer because of unusual topography, the nature or condition of adjacent development, other physical conditions or other conditions that make strict compliance with this Title unreasonable under the circumstances, or that the conditions VAR-OS-016 Pahner.V AR.doc 3 . and requirements ofMCC will result in inhibiting the achievements or the objectives of MCC and the Comprehensive Plan; Granting the specified variance will not be detrimental to the public's welfare or injurious to other property in the area in which the property is situated; and The subject variance will not have the effect of altering the interest and purpose ofMCC and the Meridian Comprehensive Plan. . VAR-05-016 Pahner_V AR-doc 4