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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Home Occupation Permit - 1313 Ridgewood Avenue - Shelley KingCITY OF AMES, IOWA ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTME IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF KING FOR A SPECIAL HOME OCCUPATION PERMIT, SECTION 29.1304, AMES MUNICIPAL CODE, TO ALLOW A MYSTERY THEATER HOME BUSINESS ON THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1313 RIDGEWOOD AVENUE CASE NO. 11-25 GEOCODE NO. 05-34-452-035 DECISION & ORDER FACTS The property at this address is a two-story single family home with a detached two car garage. It is located in an RL (Low Density Residential) zoning district. The resident of the home would like to start a mystery theater business and she is seeking a Special Home Occupation permit to allow this. The applicant has participated in mystery theater events before, and she explained how these are conducted. The theater is a social event for the guests, which is focused on a pre - written script that is acted out during the evening with the guidance of the host. The number of participants per event is no more than 10, and these attendees are to be in couples. When they arrive at the residence, the first part of the event is spent meeting the others and receiving an explanation of what will occur. The participants then all receive their own individual script of the role they will play that evening. The participants follow their script and receive clues as they go through the script, eventually obtaining enough clues that they are able to solve the mystery. The participants are not served a meal but are provided with snacks and refreshments during the evening. The event takes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the length of the script, and everything takes place in the single room of the home that is staged for the theater. There is no equipment involved in the staging, as it involves only minimal props and costuming along with the scripts. The applicant's home has a large family room with its own separate entry door on the west end of the house that will be where these events are held. That room has 450 square feet of floor area, which is 2 1 % of the home's total floor area. No structural alterations are needed to accommodate these events. This home is located on the northeast comer of the intersection of Ridgewood Avenue and Crescent Street. The intersection of these two streets is not at a right angle, but rather Crescent curves into Ridgewood from the west, and the frontage of this property is along that curve. It should also be noted that two blocks north of this home, also on Ridgewood, is the location of the Ames High School. Since considerable traffic bound to and from the school funnels right past this site, no parking is allowed along this part of the street. There is a double wide driveway in front of the garage and there is also a paved parking area that leads directly to the north side of the house. This house sits on two platted lots, and at some time in the past, there had been a driveway to the south of the home, although it is no longer used. The applicant explained that the north driveway and parking spaces of this home will be where guests park, and these spaces are able to hold from 4 to 6 cars. The applicant will park the household vehicles in the garage or off site, so that there will be sufficient off street parking for guests. Since the applicant intends to hold these events on Friday and Saturday evenings, it will be especially important that off street parking is provided during the Fall, when Ames High football game traffic can lead to considerable vehicular and traffic congestion even this far from the school, and she is aware of that challenge. The applicant will be the only employee of the business. She does not intend to have any signs for the business and this is the only home occupation at the site. DECISION The Board considers the evidence submitted in light of the standards applicable to Special Home Occupations. In this case, the applicant meets the area to be used, as there will be no structural alterations needed nor will the area dedicated to this use occupy more than 25% of the home. No mechanical equipment is used as the only things needed are props, costumes and scripts. The applicant will be the only employee of the business, and this is the only home occupation occurring here. The traffic and parking are the most visible concerns, but these can be addressed by limiting the number of vehicles coming to the events to make sure there will be enough room at the residence for them to park off the street. The Board finds, based on the information presented and adopting the findings of staff, that this permit can be granted. ORDER WHEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the applicant is Granted a Special Home Occupation Permit, Section 29.1304 of the Ames Municipal Code, to operate a mystery theater home business, with the following stipulations: 1. That the events shall be scheduled to take place between the hours of 6 to 10 p.m., and that no more than four (4) events shall be take place per month; 2. That the applicant shall not park more than four (4) vehicles on the site during events; 3. That the area of the home devoted to the theater business shall be confined to the family room; 4. That no overnight stays will ever be allowed, nor will meals be allowed to be served which are associated with this business until the applicant get appropriate licenses to do food service; and 5. All activities of the mystery theater shall take place inside the home, all for the property located at 1313 Ridgewood Avenue. Any person desiring to appeal this decision to a court of record may do so within 30 days after the filing of this decision. MR Bruce Calhoun Chair