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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-6602 Staff AnalysisDecember 21, 1998 Item No.: 5 File No.: Owner Address- Descriptio escxi tio zoned: Zoned- Variance Recruested: Justification: Present Use of Propert : Proposed Use of Propert : Staff Report: A. Public Works Issues: Z-6602 Z-6602 Silverwood Industries 3215 Brown Street Part of the SE 1/a, NE 1/4, Section 17, T -1-N, R -12-W I-3 variances are requested from the area regulations of Section 36-321 and the parking requirements of Section 36-502. Applicant's Statement: The owner of the facility has made a major investment in new manufacturing equipment to expand the capacity and efficiency of their operations. This new capacity will require the expansion of the existing plant. As you can see from the site plans, building expansion is only possible on the north side of the property. This proposed expansion will displace the existing employee parking lot. The owner proposes to purchase the vacant property to the south, and to construct a new, expanded employee parking lot on this site. Because of the site limitations we request approval of our proposed site plan and variances as outlined in our application. Manufacturing facility Manufacturing facility For Civil Engineering comments refer to CBM Construction Company Letter dated October 20, 1998 (attached). Traffic Engineering comments: December 21, 1998 Item No.: 5 only one driveway will be allowed on proposed parking lot located south -of existing building. Reduce width of proposed driveway on 32nd Street to 40' maximum and locate 25' from east property line. B. Staff Analysis: Silverwood Industries occupies the I-3 zoned property located at 3215 Brown Street. The existing 92,300 square foot facility occupies nearly the entire property with only a relatively small area left between the building and West 32nd Street. Silverwood proposes to construct a 16,800 square foot addition to accommodate expanded operations. The addition will be located north of the existing facility and will have a front yard setback from West 32n4 Street of 13110", a side yard setback on the east side of 12110" and a side yard setback on the west side of 1919". The Code requires front and side yard setbacks of 50 feet and 30 feet respectively in the I-3 district. An unimproved parking lot is located in the area where the addition is proposed. This gravel lot accommodates 40± vehicles. The applicant proposed to construct a new 75 space parking lot south of the facility. The new parking lot is separated from the plant by an abandoned railroad bed. Since the railroad property separates the two tracts, all parking is considered off site. Section 36-507 limits off site parking to no more than 25 percent of the required number of spaces. The proposed 16,800 square foot addition requires 28 parking spaces. The new 75 space parking lot provides for the new parking requirement as well as replacing the spaces lost in the unimproved lot. Staff supports the requested variances. This building, as well as others in the area, was constructed at a time that no setback was required in the industrial zones. The addition, with its reduced setback, is not out of character with other development in this older industrial neighborhood. The property across West 32nd Street, to the north, is occupied by the county detention facility. The county building sits well away from the street, providing more than adequate separation between structures. A bulk compressed gas company occupies the property to the east. The gas company buildings are located on the east side of the property and a large open vehicular use area separates them from the applicant's property. The side yard setback proposed on the east side is greater than the setback of the existing Silverwood facility. The existing facility has a setback of 0' on the east side. Allowing the reduced setback on the east side should not impact the adjacent property. Similarly, the reduced setback proposed on the west side is greater than the setback of the existing facility. The existing facility has a side yard setback on E December 21, 1998 Item No.: 5 (Cont. the west of .69± feet. The property across Brown Street to the west contains the County Road and Bridge Department, a multiple building development. Brown Street itself dead - ends just south of this area and there is very little traffic on Brown Street south of Silverwood Industries. Allowing the reduced setback on the west side should not impact either traffic on Brown Street or the county property across the street. Although a 40' wide railroad right-of-way separates the facility from the proposed new parking lot, the railroad bed has been abandoned and from all appearances the two properties appear contiguous. The railroad bed area is actually used as parking by Silverwood. Staff is encouraged by Silverwood's expansion plans. This infill development can only have a positive effect on the area. The resulting infrastructure improvements and properly constructed parking lot will be a plus for the neighborhood. C. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the requested setback and parking variances subject to compliance with the following conditions: 1. Compliance with Public Works Comments 2. Compliance with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinances BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT: (DECEMBER 21, 1998) The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval subject to compliance with Public Works Comments and the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinances. The applicant offered no additional comments. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and approved as recommended by staff. The vote was 4 ayes, 0 noes, 0 absent and 1 open position. 3