Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff ReportU MAYOR HUB OF TREASURE VALLEY Robert D. Come A Good Place to Live CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS CITY OF MERIDIAN Tammy deWeerd 33 EAST IDAHO Keith Bird MERIDIAN, IDAHO 83642 Cherie McCandless (208) 888-4433 - FAX (208) 887-4813 William L.M. Nary City Clerk Office Fax (208) 888-4218 MEMORANDUM; To: Mayor and City Council From: David McKinnon, Planner II Re: Kretzschmar, Johann & Rachael LEGAL DEPARTMENT (208) 288-2499 • Fax 288-2501 PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING DEPARTMENT (208) 898-5500 • Fax 887-1297 PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT (208) 884-5533 • FAX 888-6854 January 8, 2003 RECEIVED JAN 101003 City Of Meridian City Clerk Office Request for a Variance from Meridian City Code (MCC) I 1-13-1 [A-C] (off - Street Parking Required), MCC11-13-5 (Parking Requirements) and MCC13-12-4 (Minimum Landscape Buffer Widths), to Allow Reduced Parking Standards and Landscaping Requirements, in an O-T Zone, Located at 124 E. Pine Street, by Johann and Rachael Kretzschmar (File No. VAR-02-016). The Planning and Zoning staff has reviewed the applicant's submittal, and we offer the following comments and recommendations: APPLICATION SUMMARY The Applicants, Johann and Rachael Kretzschmar, have requested a variance from the Meridian City Code to allow reduced parking and landscaping standards to accommodate the conversion of a single family home located at 124 E. Pine, in the Old -Town zoning district, into a small retail store. The subject property's current parking needs are met by an existing oversized one -car garage located off of the alley and on -street parking on E. Pine Street. The conversion of the property to retail use will increase the parking demands of the property from two (2) spaces to three to four (3-4) spaces. The MCC requires that all required parking for the new commercial/retail uses to be located "off-street" (MCC11-13-1), resulting in the subject property being deficient in the number of required parking spaces provided "off-street". Due to the location of the existing building at the rear of the lot, the placement of new parking stalls on site would require that the parking stalls be located in the front yard, effectually eliminating the existing street buffer/landscaping (front yard) of the subject property. The elimination of landscaping in this area would be detrimental to the overall feel and appearance of the Old -Town district. The City owns a small surface parking lot (behind George's Cycles) just south of the subject property, and on -street parking is available on E. Pine Street. The landscaping portion of this variance request centers on the fact that the existing building i located between two (2) residential uses, which will require the applicant to provide a twe -s my VAR-02-016 Kmiz knar. VAR Mayor and Council January 8, 2003 Page 2 five foot (25') wide buffer between both land uses to the east and west per the MCC (MCC 12- 13-12-4). However, the site is not wide enough to accommodate the required landscape buffers (25' on both the east and west sides of the property) on either side of the existing house. The Applicants are requesting relief from the following ordinances: • MCC 11-13-1 [A-Cl- Parking and Loading Spaces Required; Change of Use; New Use. • MCC 11-13-5— Schedule of Parking Space Requirements MCC 12-13-2-4 — Land Use Intensity Classification: (This is a table found in the Landscape Ordinance that specifically requires this application to provide a 25'landscape buffer adjacent to residential property.) LOCATION The Applicant's property is located at 124 Pine Street, half a block east of Main Street. SURROUNDING PROPERTIES E. Pine Street, generally located on the north side of North — Single-family residential, zoned O-T. South — Single-family residential, zoned O-T. East — City owned parking lot, zoned O-T. West — Single-family residential, zoned O-T . 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 (MCC 11-18-3), 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 proposed use is a low impact use and that the requested reduction of "off-street" parking stalls will not significantly affect the other properties in the general vicinity. Staff finds that requiring the construction of two additional parking stalls in the front yard area of the existing home to be impracticable and unreasonable due to the existence of a city owned parking lot to the south and available on -street parking in this area. Furthermore, staff finds that the 25' wide landscape buffer requirement between land uses would prohibit the re -development of the subject property into anything other than the existing single family use (due to the property's narrow width). VAR-02-016 Kretzschmar. VAR Mayor and Council January 8, 2003 Page 3 %WWI Staff finds that it would be unreasonable to prohibit the re -development of this property due to the requirements of the Landscape Ordinance. 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; As noted above, staff finds that strict compliance with the City's Ordinances would prohibit the redevelopment of the property in question to anything other than the existing residential use. The Old Town district is intended to allow a mix of uses and, should off-street parking be required, the property would be restricted to a residential -only use. Staff supports the re -development of the smaller, older lots in the original Meridian Township, and feel that strict compliance with the City Ordinances in this area will be impracticable and will inhibit the objective of the owners of property in the Old MeridianTownship to redevelop. 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 (no negative testimony was offered at the P&Z Commission hearing for the Conditional Use Permit application). The City Council should listen to any public testimony offered concerning whether or not the surrounding property owners feel that the requested variance will negatively affect their properties. 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(s) for reducing parking standards and landscaping standards to allow the re -development a small piece of property with a low impact use in the original "Meridian Township" will not have the effect of altering the purpose and interest of the Zoning Ordinance. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval of this variance(s) request. VAR-02-016 Kreuschmar. VAR MAYOR ROBERT D. CORRIE CHIEF COUNCIL MEMBERS KEN W. BOWERS WII,LIAM L.M. NARY DEPUTY CHIEF - FIRE PREVENTION KEITH BIRD JOSEPH SILVA TAMMY DE WEERD CHERIEMCCANDLESS crrY of DEPUTY CHIEF -TRAINING RURAL FIRE COaMnvuSSIOSSIONERS BILL JoHNSON 1 �' RICHARD GREENE IDAtiO j 540 East Franklin Road TERRY LEIGHTON sfi.c G Meridian, ID 83642 e� STEVE ELLIOTT TKe uunr. v.+� (208) 888-1234 _ MERIDIAN CITY/RURAL FIRE DEPARTMENT Fax (208) 895-0390 q T ED November 14, 2002 .1AN - 8 2003 City Of Meridian City Clerk Office TO: Mayor, City Council & Meridian Planning & Zoning Commission FROM: Joseph Silva, Deputy Chief, Fire Prevention SUBJECT: Kretzschmar- 124 East Pine St File VAR 02-016 The following will be the requirements and/or concerns to provide minimum levels of fire protection for the proposed project: 1. The Meridian Fire Department has no objection to the request for a variance from the parking and landscaping ordinances of the City of Meridian.