HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes 8-26-2015MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF
THE ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
AMES, IOWA AUGUST 26, 2015
The Ames Zoning Board of Adjustment met, pursuant to law, in regular session at 7:00 p.m. on
August 26, 2015, in the Council Chambers of City Hall with the following members present:
Shelby Ebel, Susan Bradbury, Kyle Perkins, Michael Davis and Matthew Koehler. Staff
members Ray Anderson and Mark Lambert were also present.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Moved by Bradbury, seconded by Perkins, to approve the
minutes of the meeting of August 12, 2015, as written.
Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
CASE NO. 14-32
SPECIAL USE PERMIT – Harvest Vineyard Church, 320 South 17th Street
Public Hearing on application for a Special Use Permit to allow a church in an existing
building in the Highway-Oriented Commercial District on the property located at 320
South 17th Street*
City Planner Ray Anderson displayed a location map and site plan for the project. He informed
the Board that the request is to convert the use of property at 320 S. 17th Street from a fitness
center to a religious institution; the site is approximately 2.8 acres. Boundaries of the site are the
west-bound U.S. Highway 30 ramp from Duff Avenue on the south, South 7th Street to the north,
Electric Wholesale Company on the east, and the Aspen Business Park Subdivision to the west.
The facility includes 63,340 square feet of floor area. The proposed project would have two
single-story sections, 15,833 square feet for the worship center, and 15,417 square feet for two
tennis courts retained from the racquet and fitness center use. A two story section, consisting of
32,090 square feet, will serve general church functions.
Vehicular access to the site is provided by two driveways from South 17th Street; one for ingress
and the other for egress. Pedestrian access will be facilitated by the installation of a 5-foot wide
sidewalk in the public right-of-way running parallel to South 17th Street, and connecting to a 5-
foot wide sidewalk leading to the main entrance to the building.
The existing parking lot, consisting of 138 parking spaces, will be retained in its present
configuration. The new use as a place of worship requires a minimum of one space for every four
seats in the main auditorium. The 441 seats planned for the main auditorium generates the need
for 111 parking spaces. The tennis courts require a minimum of eight parking spaces. Parking is
provided to meet the minimum number of required spaces plus an additional nineteen. Five
handicap-accessible spaces will be located near the main entrance of the facility to meet
minimum standards.
A new main entrance to the facility will be established south of the current entrance location to
provide direct access from the parking lot into the worship center. This new entrance will be
identified with a canopy that extends out approximately eight feet from the front building façade.
Perimeter parking lot landscaping will be added along the east, north, and south parking lot
perimeters to meet the required minimum landscaping standards.
The site plan, project description, applicable law, and findings of fact and conclusions were
reviewed in detail by Mr. Anderson. He explained that City staff has reviewed the request and
recommends that the Board approve the request for a Special Use Permit.
Josh Miller, 1627 South High Avenue, noted that they want to serve and befriend the community
as they have for the last ten years. Mr. Miller said that they would really like this location to be
able to better serve Ames, as well as the surrounding area.
Ms. Bradbury inquired what the average weekly attendance is for the church at this time. Mr.
Miller informed the board that they have about 690 people attending regularly. He also said that
they started with about 40 members when the church first began ten years ago.
Ms. Bradbury asked if activities occur at all during the evening hours. Mr. Miller noted that
almost all of their activities take place in the evenings and that they currently also have a
Thursday night service to help accommodate the need for the large number of people attending
services. He expressed that more space would offer them the opportunity to have more activities
for their members.
Ms. Bradbury asked if any comments or calls were received by the public. Mr. Anderson said
that no comments or calls were received from the public pertaining to this case.
Ms. Ebel inquired if there would be an expiration date on the Decision and Order since the
facility won’t be ready for use for at least a year. Mr. Anderson replied that there would be no
expiration date on the decision.
Moved by Davis, seconded by Perkins to adopt ORDER NO. 14-32, thereby approving the
request for a Special Use Permit to allow a church in an existing building in the Highway-
Oriented Commercial District on the property located at 320 South 17th Street, based on the
findings of fact and conclusions
Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
COMMENTS:
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Perkins, seconded by Koehler, to adjourn the meeting at 7:15
p.m.
_____________________________ _________________________________
Erin Cain, Recording Secretary Shelby Ebel, Chair