HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes 11-08-2017MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF
THE ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
AMES, IOWA NOVEMBER 8, 2017
The Ames Zoning Board of Adjustment met, pursuant to law, in regular session at 6:00 p.m. on
November 8, 2017, in the Council Chambers of City Hall with the following members present:
Amelia Schoeneman, Kyle Perkins, Shelby Ebel, and Matthew Koehler. Board Member Susan
Bradbury was absent. Assistant City Attorney Victoria Feilmeyer, City Planner Charlie Kuester,
and City Planner Eloise Sahlstrom were also present.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Moved by Perkins, seconded by Schoeneman, to approve the
minutes of the meeting of October 25, 2017.
Vote on Motion: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
CASE NO. 17-23
SPECIAL HOME OCCUPATION – Dick Wright, Public Hearing on application for a
Special Home Occupation Permit to allow the service and repair of sewing machines on the
property located at 1421 Coolidge Drive
City Planner Eloise Sahlstrom displayed a location map for the request. The applicant, Dick
Wright, has requested approval of a Special Home Occupation Permit to allow for the service
and repair of sewing machines. The hours of operation will be by appointment.
The site plan, project description, applicable law, and Findings of Fact and Conclusions were
reviewed in detail by Ms. Sahlstrom. It was said that activity at this location will be conducted
within the existing dwelling, no exterior changes are proposed, and the home occupation will be
limited to typical business hours. There will be no other employees, no signs posted, and the
home occupation is not expected to generate any additional delivery vehicle traffic. No classes
will be taught, nor will any other home occupations be located at 1421 Coolidge Drive. The
applicant states that 180 square feet of the basement area of the principal building will be used,
out of a total area of the house of 2,404 square feet (7.5%), which is within the maximum (25%)
area permitted for a special home occupation.
The driveway width can accommodate two vehicles side by side, and no additional parking is
required. Customers will drop-off for servicing and pick-up serviced sewing machines by
appointment. The applicant states that the volume will be a maximum of two to three vehicles
per day and that there should not be more than two client vehicles at any one time.
Several adjoining property owners indicated no objections to the issuance of the Special Home
Occupation Permit on an Adjoining Property Owner Statement. Notification was made to all
owners of property within 200 feet, and no comments or concerns were received.
Due to the nature of the business as described in the application, it can be concluded that the
proposed use will not alter the normal residential character of the area. Therefore, based upon the
application, the Board may conclude that the application meets all applicable criteria of the
Zoning Ordinance.
Since the applicant was not present, the Board clarified with Ms. Feilmeyer if a decision could be
made. It was said that a decision can be made based on the Findings of Fact.
Moved by Schoeneman, seconded by Perkins, to approve ORDER NO. 17-23, thereby approving
the request for a Special Home Occupation Permit to allow a service and repair of sewing
machines business at 1421 Coolidge Drive based upon the findings and conclusions presented.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
CASE NO. 17-20
SPECIAL USE PERMIT – Randy Duncan, Ames Pet Resort, Public Hearing on
application for a Special Use Permit with site plan to allow additional outdoor kennels at
Ames Pet Resort on the property located at 2811 Hyatt Circle
City Planner Charlie Kuester displayed a site plan for the project. Mr. Kuester explained that the
Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a Special Use Permit and a site plan for Ames Pet Resort
at 2811 Hyatt Circle on August 24, 2011. The Board subsequently approved a revised building
elevation on December 7, 2011.
The owner now seeks to enlarge the use with expanded outdoor fenced dog runs on the north and
south ends of the building. Ames Municipal Code does not allow retail businesses over 3,000
square feet gross floor area to locate in a GI zone unless the Zoning Board of Adjustment
reviews and approves a Special Use Permit application. The proposed enlargement is an
amendment to the previous approval.
Ames Pet Resort is a boarding kennel with a capacity of about 60 (57 dog kennels and 4 cat
kennels), and average occupancy is about 50 percent. The business has been in operation for
about five years and is now seeking to provide an improved environment for boarded animals.
The intended exterior dog run areas do not increase boarding capacity. They are intended to
provide an improved outdoor experience for the clients. One proposed dog run area is on the
south side of the existing building. It is a covered, fenced area that will displace several parking
spaces. The other improvement will be a covered dog run within the existing fenced play area on
the north side of the building. The new areas will consist of a wood privacy fence and roofed
structure with metal roofing to match the existing building. Although some parking is being
removed to accommodate the south dog run, the site has more parking than required and will still
meet requirements.
The site plan, project description, applicable law, and Findings of Fact and Conclusions were
reviewed in detail by Mr. Kuester. The applicant has identified noise and odor as the only
potential impacts of the proposed retail business, and has addressed those potential impacts by
having an attendant with the dogs during outdoor time and by maintaining high standards of
cleanliness. There have been no nuisance reports about this business, and no complaints of noise
or odor have been received by Ames Animal Control.
The Development Review Committee has reviewed the site development plan and found that it
meets applicable design standards of the base zone and general standards. The site is
nonconforming for landscaping requirements since the newly adopted standards from the
summer of 2017.
Notification was made to all owners of property within 200 feet, and a notice of public hearing
was placed in the front yard of the subject property. It was said that no comments or concerns
had been received from surrounding property owners.
The plan does not meet the current landscape standards as the site was developed using the
previous requirements. The standards are to remove the nonconformities as practicable.
Although this is considered a new site plan as an amendment to the original Special Use P ermit,
there are no changes to the front yard or parking configuration of the site that would include
practical changes at this time related to location and scope of the proposed work. Staff does note
that there are several missing plants from what was approved, and the owner has provided
financial security and will install them prior to May 1, 2018.
Justin Dodge, Hunziker Companies, 105 S. 16th Street, Ames, Iowa, was sworn in and testified
under oath. He stated that the request is to add more kennel space so that the dogs can have shade
while enjoying the outdoors. He added that the kennels on the north side are in the public utility
easement, so they will be shifted to the west side and additional kennels will be added on the
south side of the building.
Randy Duncan, Ames Pet Resort, 2811 Hyatt Circle, Ames, Iowa, was sworn in and testified
under oath. He answered the Board’s question regarding the hours of operation. He stated that
the business is open from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. on
weekends, and at least one employee is present from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. The dogs go
outside four times per day. Mr. Duncan stated that the request will create a better environment
for the dogs and provide better customer service. It will also reduce the noise in the interior of
the building. He believes this will lessen the probability of nuisance issues since the dogs tend to
bark less when they are outdoors.
Moved by Koehler, seconded by Ebel, to approve ORDER NO. 17-20, thereby approving the
request for a Special Use Permit and site plan for a retail use greater than 3,000 square feet in a
General Industrial Zone for Ames Pet Resort at 2811 Hyatt Circle.
Roll Call Vote: 4-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
COMMENTS: There were no comments by the Board.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Perkins, seconded by Ebel, to adjourn the meeting at 6:25 p.m.
_____________________________ _____________________________
Heidi Petersen, Recording Secretary Shelby Ebel, Chair