Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - Council Action Form, April 2, 1985 ITEM #:40*28_5 DATE: COUNCIL ACTION FORM SUBJECT: Approving an Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to Permit Front-Yard Parking for New Residential Construction BACKGROUND: The staff has been involved in preparing amendments to the Zoning Ordinance based on a list of concerns submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission in January. Although other proposed amendments will be coming to the City Council sometime in the future, the issue of front-yard parking is being proposed at this time to address a specific concern due to construction that is currently underway. Friedrich Construction is currently in the process of completing two additional apartment buildings at Grand View Square which is north of 24th Street along Grand Avenue. This proposal presented several problems in that the lot in question has frontage on three streets , namely, Grand Avenue, Jensen Avenue and Luther Street. As the proposal exists, there is the possibility that the property in question could actually have more than one front yard as the Ordinance currently reads. Thus , the possibility of front-yard parking also exists given the current Ordinance language. The staff feels that this development proposal is a reasonable approach to building on this property, yet the Zoning Ordinance, as it currently reads, would preclude this pattern of development. In an effort to address this specific concern, plus a more general concern regarding the present Ordinance language, the staff feels an amendment to allow front-yard parking is warranted. This proposed amendment would apply to only new construction in the R-3, R-4 or H-M zoning district. Also, the amendment would continue to allow front-yard parking in the G-C, C-C and G-I zoning districts , but would require a ten-foot front-yard and five-foot side-yard area that must be landscaped to the satisfaction of the City. As a condition to allowing front-yard parking, the developer will be required to construct a berm with landscaping in an area that must be 15-feet-wide in the front yard and ten-feet-wide along the side yard. This landscaped berm must be of a height and contain plantings so as to screen the parking lot area from view both on the front and sides of the new parking lot. The staff feels this Ordinance amendment will create an acceptable development design yet provide development flexibility to property owners who desire to make use of this provision in the Ordinance. This provision will directly address the City Council goal of reducing development costs. A copy of the existing language and the proposed language are attached for City Council review. In addition to allowing front-yard parking, the staff is proposing that the City Council also amend the Ordinance language to require hard surfacing on all new parking lots. To a large degree, the development community is already 2 doing this . By requiring hard surfacing, it will be much easier for developers and property owners to clearly mark spaces for vehicle parking. Further, hard-surfaced lots are much easier to maintain for purposes of snow plowing and cleaning. Many of the existing graveled lots become very rutted and messy during the spring and are such that many spaces, as designed, are not usable during wet periods of the year. Also, graveled lots contribute to tracking onto City streets and sedimentation into City storm sewers due to runoff during heavy rainfall . Hard-surfaced lots would all but eliminate this problem to the public infrastructure. Again, the proposed language for hard surfacing is contained in the attached amendment proposal . ALTERNATIVES: 1. The City Council can set the date of the first reading and public hearing to consider the proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance that will allow for front-yard parking and also require hard surfacing of parking lots. 2. The City Council can disapprove of the proposed amendment and, thus, leave the Zoning Ordinance as it currently reads. 3. The City Council can approve the proposed amendment with language modifications that address the issue of front-yard parking and the requirement for hard surfacing, and then set the date of the first reading and public hearing to consider the amendment. 4. The City Council can refer the proposal back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for further study and review. MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION: It is recommended by the City Manager that the City Council adopt Alternative #1. This will establish the date of the first reading of the Ordinance and also the date of the public hearing to consider the proposed amendment. COUNCIL ACTION: Section 29.43 Locating Parking Space in the Front Yard Existing Language: Off-street parking space may be located within the required front yard in any "G-C" , "C-C" , "G-I " , or "P-I" District, provided such space is 50 feet or more away from any "R" District. No off-street parking is permitted in the front yard of any "S", "R", or "H-M" District , except upon a regularly-constructed , duly-authorized driveway. Proposed Language: (1) Off-street front-yard parking may be allowed in any •G-C' , "C-CO or "G-I ' District, provided that a front-yard setback of ten (10) feet and a side-yard setback of five (5) feet are maintained and landscaping is installed within the parking lot setback areas. Unless a parking lot landscape plan is submitted as part of the development process pursuant to Section 29.25, 29.49 or 29.50, a separate parking lot landscape plan meeting the landscaping standards in Section 29.50 shall be submitted and approved by the Director of Planning and Housing prior to any construction. Section 29.43(1) shall apply to any new front-yard parking established after the effective date of this ordinance . All such parking lots shall be hard-surfaced. (2) Off-street front-yard parking may be allowed in any "R-309 °R-4" or OH-MO District provided that a 15-foot front-yard setback and ten-foot side-yard setback are maintained, and a landscaped berm is installed on the front and sides of this parking area. Such berm and landscaping shall be of sufficient height and opacity to buffer the vehicles in the parking area from view on the front and sides of the parking lot year round. If not submitted as part of the development process pursuant to Section 29.49 of 29.50, a parking lot landscape plan shall be submitted and approved by the Director of Planning and Housing prior to any construction. Off-street front-yard parking as specified in Section 29.43(2) shall apply only to new development within the "R-3", "R-4" or •H-M" District. No off-street parking in the front yard except upon a duly-authorized driveway shall be permitted for parcels containing structures built prior to the effective date a of this ordinance. All such parking lots shall be hard-surfaced. (3) No off-street parking is permitted in the front yard of any "S", "R1-100, "R14119 °R-2" or 1IR2-7" District, except upon a regularly-constructed, duly-authorized driveway. Department Comments: The Commission reviewed this proposed change at the meeting on January 16, 1985. At that time, the Commission approved this proposed change as submitted. The Department is bringing this before the Commission to ensure an understanding of one particular aspect of this Ordinance change. In both numbers (1) and (2), there is a requirement that all parking lots constructed in front yard areas be hard-surfaced. Although the staff strongly supports this concept, the staff wants to be sure the Commission is aware of the potential impacts of this requirement. The Public Works Department estimated that the cost of a gravel-surfaced parking lot is $52.50 per space. The cost of an asphalt-surfaced parking lot is $192.50 per space. These costs are based on the minimum ordinance standards of three inches of paving material .