HomeMy WebLinkAboutA004 - department report, September 24, 1979 CITY OF M-ES
DEPARTMENT OF COPM9UNITY DEVELOPMENT
REPORT TO THE PLANNING & Z014ING CO"JISSION
DATE PREPARED: September 24, 1979
MEETING DATE: October 3, 1979
ZONING CASE NO. : Z 79-10
APPLICANT: Webster City Production Credit Association
STATUS OF APPLICANT: Owner
REQUESTED ACTION: Rezoned from A-1 (Agricultural) to C-3 (Highway Commercial)
PURPOSE FOR REQUEST (as stated by Applicant) :
"`!o establish a zoning designation in order to proceed with sewer and water
connections to the City of Ames and to have the advantages of public. utilities."
LOCATION: Northwest corner of Interstate 35 and East 13th Street
SIZE: 2.3 acres
EXISTING LAND USE: Former service station being used for office purposes.
SURROUNDING LAND USE G ZONING:
North: National Veterinary Biologics Laboratory; A-1
South: Commercial/Industrial; C-2 (County zoning)
East: Highway; A-1
West: Commercial; C-3
FINDINGS:
Land Use Policy Plan
The Land Use Policy Plan designates the area as suitable for commercial
development.
Public Utilities
Water -- 12" line in East 13th Street
Sanitary Sewer -- 12" line in East 13th Street
Storm Sewer -- Roadside ditches
Vehicular Access
Access to the site is provided from East 13th Street.
Physical Characteristics
Vegetation -- Grasses and some small woody stemmed plants
Terrain -- Flat to gently sloping
Drainage -- Drainage is to the south and west.
Soils -- Information not available.
Flooding -- The site is not subject to flooding.
-2-
ANALYSIS:
1. The Land Use Policy Plan designates the area as being suitable for
commercial development.
2. The subject property is presently zoned C-2 in the county. The
C-2 district is intended to accommodate auto-oriented commercial
establishments and establishments intended to serve agricultural
interests. The building on the property was previously used for
a service station and is now being used for offices. Thus, the
established use of the property is commercial and other commercial
uses in the area would seem to indicate that the general character
of the area is commercial.
3. There should be no question regarding the reasonableness of this
request for commercial zoning. The past and present uses of the
property, existence of adjacent commercial uses, and the proximity
of the property to an interstate interchange makes such commercial
designation a realistic recognition of an existing situation.
The question that needs to be addressed is whether the property
should be zoned C-2, C-3, or C-5. With regards to C-2 or C-3,
there is little difference between the two commercial districts.
The only difference is that the Statement of Intent for the C-3
district specifically states that the C-3 district "is established
to accommodate commercial activities which will be convenient to a
motorist." This property has the potential for accommodating com-
mercial uses which will be convenient to a motorist so that the
C-3 district may be more appropriate than C-2 in this case.
Zoning the property C-5 could have validity when considering the
proximity of the property to Interstate 35 and to the National
Veterinary Biologics Laboratory, Whether that results in a sensi-
tive situation for which C-5 zoning would be reasonable is difficult
to determine. In comparison, it is not as sensitive an area as the
C-5/Country Corners development which was reviewed by the Commission
at the September meeting. The sensitive nature of the U.S. 30,
Elwood Drive intersection area is dictated by the "planned" nature
of the area that results from the scope of both existing and proposed
development in the general area.
That type of planned development does not exist at this interchange
and there appears to be no potential for that type of development
west of the interstate. Although this area may be sensitive (and
what area isn't sensitive from some standpoint) , its comparative
sensitivity does not appear to warrant a C-5 district designation.
RECOPR'ENDAT ION:
The Department of Community Development recommends that this rezoning
request to C-3 be approved.