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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAtt 1 ITEM # 9 DATE 06/19/19 COMMISSION ACTION FORM SUBJECT: ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT RELATING TO MULTIPLE BUILDINGS ON SINGLE LOTS BACKGROUND: On May 28, 2019, based on the request of Nicole Neal of Civil Design Advantage. LLC on behalf of CCRC of Ames (Scenic Development), the City Council authorized an application for a text amendment to Section 29.401.(5) Multiple Buildings on Single Lots. The applicant is specifically interested in adding the use of group living related to assisted living and senior living as an allowable multiple building use on a single lot. City Council authorized the application for the zoning text amendment, but at staff's urging directed staff to broaden the request to address related issues for a variety of properties. The City of Ames Zoning Ordinance restricts placement of multiple principle buildings on a single lot unless specifically authorized. The standard is based upon the use of the building. Section 29.401.(5) is listed below: 29.401.(.5) Multiple Buildings on Single Lots. (a) More than one commercial, industrial, hospital, institutional or public principal building may be erected on a lot, where such uses are permitted, provided that all setbacks from the property line otherwise required for a single principal building are observed. The distances between substructures shall be determined by the provisions of the City Building Code. (b) More than one apartment dwelling is permitted on a single lot, provided that all area and setback requirements are calculated as if each structure were on its own individual lot. (Ord. No. 4122,09-11-12; Ord No. 4161, 10-8-13) The requirement of an individual lot for each residential building results in a mandatory subdivision process. This process allows the City to consider the design and layout of a project in relation to on-site and off-site improvement standards and criteria. It also supports creating smaller site sizes for ownership purposes. Until 2015. the only method to address off-site infrastructure needs was through the subdivision process. In 2015, the City adopted a missing infrastructure ordinance that applies to all uses, except one and two-family homes, that require frontage improvement at the time of development regardless of the subdivision process. The 2015 ordinance has minimized the need for some of the zoning standards related to subdividing a lot for multiple buildings. The Zoning Ordinance also includes the standard to address site layout and building separation standards. Residential sites with apartments require assumed setbacks around all buildings whereas other uses apply setbacks based upon perimeter property lines. For those uses not listed. such as single family homes and group living uses. a property is not permitted to have multiple buildings on a site. CCRC of Ames is interested in the proposed text amendment in order to move forward with adding one additional building to their Northridge Village campus located between George Washington Carver and Stange Road. If the amendment is approved, they would propose to add a 16-unit memory care facility which is classified as a group living use within the Zoning Ordinance. All facilities on the campus are owned and operated by the same company and will function cohesively together. If a text amendment is not approved. CCRC would have to consider a different process of rezoning the site to a PRD or for coordination of an Integrated Site Plan. Preliminary Plat, and Final Plat moving through the Planning & Zoning Commission. then onto City Council. Additionally, a Special Use Permit reviewed by the Zoning Board of Adjustment would be required for their specific proposed use. This process would create multiple properties to divide up the buildings on the site, even though they are intended to be owned and operated together. In addition to the issue affecting CCRC, the current limited options for multiple buildings on a lot causes difficulty when uses are classified as residential, but are viewed by the owner/operator as more of a commercial or institutional use. The two most common examples of this issue are hotels/motel buildings in commercial zones and senior living/group living buildings in residential zones. The primary difficulty with the subdivision requirement is not the creation of the property line. but the accompanying zoning standards related to setbacks, shared access, parking, landscaping and open space requirements that must be met for each lot and its property lines. Parking location and access are the most common complications for subdivision of a site. By allowing for more flexibility in which properties are allowed to have multiple buildings it would ease some of the limitations caused by subdivision rules. Proposed Text Amendment- see Attachment A The current language of the Zoning Ordinance addresses uses rather than zoning districts. Staff proposes to approach the issue with a combination of standards by zoning district and unique requirements for specific uses to help provide clarity on the applicability of the standards. Staff proposes to allow multiple principal buildings within commercial, industrial, and special purpose districts for all uses. This language would allow for short term lodging use and group living use as new additions of allowing multiple buildings compared to existing language. Apartments would be treated the same as current requirements, but clarify how a mixed use building would be addressed based upon its underlying zoning. Currently, one and two family homes are not allowed to be located on multiple building sites. this standard would continue with clarification that a PRD can allow for alternative configurations. Other options besides the proposed language, would be to continue to focus solely on use rather than zoning districts to achieve the same expectations. The applicability would be more narrow if it applied to specific uses as is the case in the current Zoning Ordinance. A final option would be to only modify the group living terminology to address the CCRC specific issue. ALTERNATIVES: 1. The Planning and Zoning Commission can recommend that the City Council approve the recommended text amendment to the Zoning Ordinance as described in Attachment A, allowing Multiple Principle Buildings on a Single Lot in certain zoning districts. 2. The Planning & Zoning Commission can recommend to only modify the multiple building standard in relation to group living for assisted living and senior living facilities. 3. The Planning and Zoning Commission can recommend alternative language for changes to the multiple building standard. 4. The Planning and Zoning Commission denial of the proposed text amendment, thereby retaining the existing provisions of the zoning ordinance. RECOMMENDED ACTION: The Multiple Principle Buildings on a Single Lot standard has been a very important standard for the City in the past to address issues related to development of a site and infrastructure improvements. Recent city ordinances that address infrastructure needs and landscape standards have minimized the importance of the current standard. The requirement to subdivide does cause complicating factors for some applicants about how to meet zoning standards individually when the goal is for a site to operate cohesively and not independently. The proposed changes are relatively straight forward and easy to administer by staff. Therefore. the Planning and Housing Department recommends that the Commission act in accordance with Alternative 1, which is to recommend that the City Council approve an amendment allowing more than one principle building on a single lot, within certain zoning districts. ATTACHMENT "A" Text Amendments Sec. 29.401.(5). Multiple Principal Buildings on Single Lots. No more than one principal building is allowed be constructed on an individual lot subject to the limitations described below. (a) More than one principal building may be erected on a lot in an agricultural, commercial, industrial or special purpose zoning district. where such uses are peFmittorl provided that all setbacks from the exterior property lines otherwise required for a single principal building are observed. The distances between buildings internal to the site shall be determined by the provisions of the City Building and Fire Codes. I. Exception. Within an Agricultural zone, only one single-family dwelling is permitted on a lot with or without additional principal buildings for permitted uses within the zone (b)Within a residential zoning district. no Residential Use may have more than one principal building on a lot except as authorized in this section. I. More than one apartment building is permitted on a lot, provided that all area and setback requirements are calculated and applied to each building. II A principal use of Group Living within multiple buildings on a site may occur within medium and high density residential zoning districts, provided that all area and setback requirements are calculated and applied to each building. III. A mixed-use building with Office or Trade uses and apartment dwellings shall be permitted to have multiple buildings on a lot subject to the standards of apartment buildings. IV. A combination of principal uses within multiple buildings is permitted for uses described above, subject to the standards described area and setbacks requirements. V. Within a F-PRD zoning district, multiple principal buildings are permitted subject to approval of a Major Site Development Plan. (c) In cases where a Residential Use, as categorized within this ordinance, exists as a non-conforming use on a lot, additional principle buildings for a permitted use are not allowed. -4 Ames Memo Department of Planning S Housing Caring People Quality Programs F.xcepnonal Service TO: Diane Voss,City Clerk FROM: Eloise Sahlstrom, Planner DATE: June 20, 2019 SUBJECT: Zoning Text Amendment to Allow Multiple Buildings on Single Lots The Planning and Zoning Commission took action on the above-mentioned amendment to the Zoning Ordinance at its meeting of June 19, 2019. The City Council will be reviewing this proposed amendment at its meeting of July 9, 2019. 1 have attached a copy of the Commission Action Form dated June 19,2019. Please contact me at extension 5400 if you have any questions regarding this agenda item. ES\lb Attachment S:\Planning-Dep\PLAN_SHR\Council Boards Commissions\PZ\Letters&Memos\2019\Memo to Clerk for ZTA for Multiple Buildings on Single Lots 06- 19-19.docx