HomeMy WebLinkAboutA005 - Council Action Form dated January 7, 1992 ITEM #:
DATE: 01 7/92
C
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
SUBJECT:
Motion to Set January 28, 1992 as the Date of Public Hearing on a
Technical Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance Revising the Front Yard
Parking Regulations to Allow a Turn Around on Certain Arterial Streets.
ACTION FORM SUMMARY: This is a request to approve a technical amendment
to the Zoning Ordinance to permit turn arounds in the front yard under
circumstances of high traffic volumes.
Approval of this technical amendment is recommended by the Planning and
Zoning Commission and staff.
BACKGROUND:
During the summer of 1991 the Zoning Board of Adjustment heard an
appeal for a variance to allow front yard parking for the purpose of
providing safe access to Grand Avenue for a property owner who had an
attached one-car garage and a single-wide driveway. As an outgrowth of
this case, and the information that was presented with regard to the
difficulty of backing out into Grand Avenue near the intersection with
Thirteenth Street, the Zoning Board of Adjustment asked the City Council
to make changes to the front yard parking restrictions to address safe
access to arterial streets for single-family and two-family residences.
The current wording of the front yard parking regulations does not permit
vehicular parking in the front yard of any residential structure in the S,
R1-10, R1-6, R-2 and R2-7 district except upon a driveway that leads to
the side or rear yard or to an attached garage. No installation of paving
is permitted other than the driveway, as described above, if it is likely
that such paving will facilitate the use of the front yard for the parking
of vehicles. Refer to Section 29.43(3), which is stated below:
Section 29.43(3)
(3) Under no circumstances shall vehicular parking be permitted in
the front yard of any residential building in any S, R1-10,
R1-6, R-2 or R2-7 district, except upon a driveway that leads
to the side or rear yard, or to an attached garage. There
shall be no installation at grade of any expanse of asphalt,
concrete, gravel, brick, or other form of paving by any
material whatsoever without the written authorization of the
zoning enforcement officer. Such authorization of the zoning
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enforcement officer. Such authorization shall be granted only
if under the facts and circumstances of the particular situation
it is unlikely that the paving will facilitate the use of the front
yard, or any part thereof, for the parking of vehicles, except
on a driveway as aforesaid.
The proposal of the Zoning Board of adjustment to City Council is that
some type of turn around should be permitted in the front yard to allow
egress onto the arterial street in a forward manner. As the front yard
parking regulations are currently written, additional paving for a turn
around would not be permitted if the paving also could be reasonably used
for parking a vehicle.
ANALYSIS:
Staff has prepared a new subsection to Section 29.43, the Front Yard
Parking Requirements which specifically addresses the ability to have a
turn around in the front yard for the purpose of entering the street in a
forward manner. This proposal permits turn arounds only for one-family
and two-family dwellings with an access from certain segments of Grand
Avenue, Thirteenth Street, Duff Avenue, or Lincoln Way. These are the
highest volume arterial streets in Ames, and the segments where turn
grounds would be permitted would have weekday traffic counts of not less
than 12,000 vehicles per day. The 12,000 vehicles per day was set as the
threshold where turn arounds should be permitted because at this volume
there are insufficient breaks in traffic to back into traffic, and at this
volume four lanes are required to move traffic.
The design of the turn around would be based upon the individual
situation, and it would be the minimum size necessary to address the
problem. The dimensions and configuration of the turn around space must
be approved in writing by the Department, and a zoning permit would be
required for its installation. (See the attached ordinance text.) Staff
believes this provision in the zoning ordinance will address those situations
where it is unsafe to enter the street with a backing motion, while
preserving the integrity of the intent of the front yard parking provisions
which restrict parking in the front yard to driveways only.
The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed this item at their meeting of
December 18, 1991 and recommended that it be approved.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. The City Council can approve of the Technical Amendment to the
Zoning Ordinance as attached and set January 28, 1992 as the date
of Public Hearing on this request.
2. The City Council can deny approval of the Technical Amendment to
the Zoning Ordinance as attached and set January 28, 1992 as the
date of Public Hearing on this request.
3. The City Council can table this request for additional information
from City Staff.
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MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
It is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt
Alternative #1. This will approve of a technical amendment which will
provide for turn arounds in the front yard for high volume segments of
the four major arterial streets in Ames, and set January 28, 1992 as the
date of Public Hearing on this amendment.
Attachment
y\bpo\caf\frnt-prk.107