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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - Commission Action Form dated November 5, 2014 P ryi e s Memo Department of Planning& Housing Caring People Quality Programs Exceptional Service TO: Judy Parks, City Attorney Becki Rippke, Legal Technician, City Attorney's Office FROM: Charlie Kuester, Planner DATE: November 20, 2014 SUBJECT: Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment Pertaining to Front Yard Parking Case File ZTA-14-07 The Planning and Zoning Commission took action on the above-mentioned amendment to the Zoning Ordinance at its meeting of November 5, 2014. The City Council will be reviewing this proposed amendment at its meeting of December 9, 2014. I have attached a copy of the Commission Action Form dated November 5, 2014 for your review and approval. Please contact me at extension 5400 if you have any questions regarding this agenda item. CK\lb Attachment S:\Planning.Dep\PLAN_SHR\Council Boards Commissions\PZ\Letters&Memos\2014\Atty Notice ZTA for Front Yard Parking 12-09-14.doc ITEM # 9 DATE 11-05-14 COMMISSION ACTION FORM SUBJECT: TEXT AMENDMENT TO ALLOW FRONT YARD PARKING IN RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS FOR GROUP LIVING USES BACKGROUND: The developer of the Northridge Village development at 3300 George Washington Carver is a residential development with a continuum of skilled care, assisted living, and independent senior living uses. The developer requested that City Council authorize an application for a text amendment to allow for front yard in front of their main building entrance where parking is not allowed for residential uses. The Ames City Council referred their request on August 12, 2014 to consider a text amendment for front yard parking. The Ames Zoning Ordinance prohibits parking and creating parking spaces in the front yards of residential uses in residential districts. See current zoning regulations of Chapter 29 Article 4 in Attachment 1. Within the residential zoning districts there is some variability of parking requirements related to Non-residential uses, such as for churches and schools, are not covered by that prohibition, but skilled care facilities (nursing homes), assisted living, and senior living are residential uses subject to restriction on front yard parking. The applicant's development as initially presented to City staff, included a number of parking spaces at that front door, which is oriented to the street. Staff required the removal of that parking area prior to placing this on the agenda of the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a Special Use Permit. The project was approved with a drop off looped driveway to the main entrance, but without any long term parking spaces. Subsequent to their approval, Northridge Village seeks the inclusion of those front entrance parking spaces to accommodate friends and family of residents. Proposed Amendments The City has grappled with the issues of front yard parking standards a number of times over the past ten years. The changes have been to clarify the restrictions and ensure residential parking is not located between the fronts of buildings that are not driveways or garages. These requirements are based on aesthetic concerns, especially since many intense residential uses can be found adjacent to single-family homes. Even single-family homes are subject to the restriction about having parking spaces in the area between the street and the house. While some such parking can be found, it mostly predates the current zoning code of 2000. Staff has crafted an amendment that will accommodate some degree of front yard parking for certain residential uses of Group Living. Group living is a category of residential uses that include assisted living and skilled care facilities as well as boarding 1 houses, dormitories, fraternities, and sororities. It would not apply to household living uses of apartments, single-family homes, etc. The current ordinance specifically describes where the front yard is located for residential uses. See the diagram in Attachment 1. In that diagram, the front yard is shown as the area between the street and any fagade, whether primary, recessed, or secondary. See Attachment 2 for the definitions from the Zoning Ordinance of these facades. The proposed amendment would require parking to be behind the primary face only. For a structure that has an ell or wing extending toward the street, parking in the front yard can be accommodated as long as it is behind the forward-most portion of the building (the primary fagade). The proposed amendment retains the prohibition for corner lots. This is due to the highly visible nature of corner lots. The proposed amendment also imposes a greater setback for this front yard parking. To be compatible with the aesthetic interest of limiting parking in front og builidings, staff recommends adding a large setback in combination with being behind the primary fagade. This setback would be a minimum of 50 feet, rather than the typical minimum of 25 feet for a building. The proposed amendment thus reads: For group living uses in any residential district on an interior lot, no parking shall be allowed between the primary fagade and the street. In addition, any parking so located shall require a setback of 50 feet. On a corner lot, no parking is allowed between the street and any secondary fagade. This proposed language will address the applicant's particular site as the building has wings on the ends extending towards the street, but are also setback more than 50 feet from the roadway. City staff considered other alternatives, but discounted them as being impractical or creating a broader range of instances when front yard parking is allowed. These include: • Allowing front yard parking for group living without any other standard. This is problematic as it would apply to the great number of Greek facilities, which largely are adjacent to residential uses. • Allowing for front yard parking areas only if approved through a Special Use Permit. Group living uses, however, do not require a Special Use Permit in all residential zoning districts. • Allowing for a limited number of "visitor" parking at a main entrance. Not considered practical from an enforcement aspect. • Eliminating restriction of front yard parking between building and street would have a substantial impact on community character. 2 Some considerations of changing this standard for front yard parking are effects on the aesthetic of a site, functionality of a site, potential intensification of a site, ability to implement and administer during site review. Staff's recommendation is based upon: • The ability to review the application of front yard parking during site plan review. • A relatively simple amendment to interpret for future generations of staff and the general public. • Limited applicability. • Retain the same approval process as for the principle use. ALTERNATIVES: 1. The Planning & Zoning Commission can recommend that the City Council amend Section 29.406 (7) of the Ames Municipal Code to include an allowance for front yard parking based on the above proposed language. 2. The Planning & Zoning Commission can recommend that the City Council deny the proposed amendments. 3. The Planning & Zoning Commission can refer the proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance back to staff for specific further information or for further options. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Front yard parking is an important issue for community character and convenience. Parking demand is high for residential uses in general with nearly every household having at least one vehicle and, often, several. Multi-family properties, in particular, often have a vehicle for every resident. Maintaining a pleasant streetscape in residential neighborhoods has been an important goal of this section of the zoning ordinance. However, some uses, although classified as residential, can be considered almost institutional in their function—having a larger degree of temporary visitors. In the case of skilled care and assisted living, visitors can include family, friends, care-givers, visiting physicians and other health care providers, and social workers. For these uses, having convenient parking near the front entrance or front lobby may be an important consideration for the siting of these types of projects. Staff has crafted an amendment that allows for such front yard parking in limited circumstances. Allowing parking behind a primary fagade limits a view from at least one direction—a U-shaped building could shield parked vehicles from two directions. The 50-foot setback requires a parcel large enough to accommodate that setback in addition to the principle structure, making the application of this exemption to most properties unlikely. In relation to Greek homes that are classified as Group Living, it would be unlikely that the change would promote front yard parking for those existing properties due to the limited size of the sites. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the Department of Planning and Housing that the Planning and Zoning Commission act in accordance with Alternative #1, which is to recommend that the City Council amend Section 29.406 (7) of the Ames Municipal Code to include an allowance for front yard parking based on the above proposed language. 3 ATTACHMENT 1: SECTION 29.406(7) [EXCERPT] (c)Under no circumstances shall vehicular parking be permitted in the front yard of any residential building in any"RL", "RM", "RH", "UCRM", "FS-RL", or"FS-RM" zones,except upon a driveway that leads to the side or rear yard or to an attached garage;and,one parking space is permitted in the front yard in the case where there is an existing,one car attached garage and there is insufficient room between the side of the attached garage and the side property line. Such space shall meet the following requirements: i)The parking space shall not exceed nine(9)feet in width; ii)The parking space shall be contiguous to and parallel to the existing driveway;and, iii)The parking space shall be located between the existing driveway and the side property line. 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 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 stated. (e)As used in this section, front yard means the open space in that portion of a yard between the street and the face of the structure and a line originating from the left side of the lot and extending to the right side of the lot. The line, as viewed from the street, shall extend parallel to the street to the nearest corner of the principal structure and then along the face of the principal structure to the right corner,and from that point on a line parallel to the street to a point on the right lot line.As used in this section,the face of a principal structure shall be any and all portions of the structure fronting on a street. The front yard shall not include any portion of the city right-of-way. A corner lot shall be deemed to have two front yards. - Structure ® Motor Vehicle Parking Prohibited ' Driveway a ' O w LLJ Cl) STREET RIGHT OF WAY 4 ATTACHMENT 2: SECTION 29.201 [EXCERPT] (69) Facade, Primary means the front or face of a building which faces the front yard and is located nearest the front property line. (70) Facade, Recessed means the front or face of a building which faces the front yard and is set back from the front property line a distance greater than that of the Primary Facade. (71) Facade, Secondary means that portion of a building which is adjacent to the side yard and faces the street. A secondary facade only occurs on a corner lot. 5