The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutZ-6695 Staff AnalysisJuly 8, 1999 ITEM NO.: 16 NAME: LOCATION: FILE NO: Z-6695 Asher Avenue Car Wash - Conditional Use Permit 5608 Asher Avenue OWNER/APPLICANT: Fast Food Fare Partnership/Mike Berg PROPOSAL: To obtain a conditional use permit for an 8 -bay self -serve car wash with two covered detail areas on property Zoned C-3, General Commercial. ORDINANCE DESIGN STANDARDS: 1. SITE LOCATION: This site is on the north side of Asher Avenue, just west of Fair Park Blvd. 2. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD: This site and the immediate surrounding area is all Zoned C3, General Commercial. Businesses abut this site to the west and east, and also exist across Asher to the south. There are two single family houses to the southwest, and the land to the north is vacant and tree covered. This site had businesses on it in the past that were torn down. Staff believes this use will be compatible with the neighborhood. The Curran -Conway and Midway Neighborhood Associations were notified of the Public Hearing. 3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING: This site has two existing entrances from Asher Avenue, both of which the applicant proposes to keep open. Requirements for car wash parking are 5 spaces plus 1 space for each 250 square feet of gross building area. This site has 7,077 square feet of building area. The total parking requirement would be 33 spaces. The site plan shows 26 spaces including all the spaces inside the wash and detail areas. The applicant is asking for a variance from the parking standard to keep the number of spaces at 26. July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 16 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6695 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS: Areas set aside for buffers and landscaping meet with ordinance requirements with the exception of a small section along the eastern perimeter which drops one foot below the minimum Landscape Ordinance requirement width requirement of four feet. 5. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS: a. Asher Avenue is listed on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial. A dedication of right-of-way to 90 feet from centerline is required. b. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. C. Stormwater detention ordinance applies to this property. d. Driveway must comply with ordinance #18,031 (300 feet spacing) or request a waiver. e. Traffic count on Asher Avenue was 22,000 in 1997. f. AHTD permit will be required. 6. UTILITY AND FIRE DEPT. COMMENTS: Water: A reduced pressure zone backflow preventer is required for car washes. Wastewater: No construction should occur within sewer main easement other than driveways and parking lots. Southwestern Bell: No comments received. ARKLA: No comments received. Entergy: A 30 foot easement for overhead power lines should exist along the north and south property boundaries. Verify if those two easements do in fact exist. If not they will be requested. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. CATA: Bus service is currently provided at this site. 2 July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 16 (Cont.) 7. STAFF ANALYSIS: The applicant is request construct a 24-hour, 8-b vacant C-3 zoned site in Avenue just west of the There would be one main covered detail areas for cleaning. Both existing requested variance for FILE NO.: Z-6695 ing a conditional use permit to ay self -serve car wash on this a commercial area along Asher intersection with Fair Park Blvd. car wash building and two separate vacuuming and other detail inside driveways would remain if the driveway spacing is approved. The site plan meets or exceeds all setback and height requirements, including a platted 40 foot front building setback. The applicant has asked for a variance from the required on-site parking requirements to reduce the spaces from 33 to 26. The design plan shows this to be an attractive structure with a slopped roof and permanent solid materials on all exterior surfaces. Staff believes this would be a compatible use for this area. 8. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the conditional use permit subject to compliance with the following conditions: a. Comply with the City's Landscape & Buffer ordinances. b. Comply with Public Works revised comments. C. All exterior lighting must be directed downward and inward to the property and not towards any adjoining area. Staff also recommends approval of the variance request to reduce the number of on-site required parking spaces from 33 to 26, but not the variance request to leave the driveway spacing as it is. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENTS: (JUNE 17, 1999) Mike Berg and Paul Stagg were present representing the application. Staff gave a brief description of the proposal. Public Works briefly reviewed their comments, particularly the issue of the existing driveways not meeting ordinance spacing requirements. The applicant brought out the point that there 3 July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 16 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6695 existed a guaranteed access easement which couldn't be removed without the permission of the property owner directly to the west. It was agreed that the applicant should ask the property owner next door about closing the jointly used driveway. If he refuses, then Staff would support the variance request. The applicant was asked to work with the utility companies regarding the easements connected with this property. There being no further issues, the Committee accepted the proposal and forwarded the item on to the full Commission for final resolution. STAFF UPDATE: The applicant talked with the property owner to the west and he does not wish to close the joint driveway. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JULY 8, 1999) Mike Berg was present representing the application. There were no registered objectors present. Staff presented the item with a recommendation for approval of the application and of the variance for reduced on-site parking, but not the variance of driveway spacing. The approval would be subject to compliance with the conditions listed under "Staff Recommendation-." Mr. Berg mentioned that there is a 20 foot wide sewer easement across this property which impacts the location of buildings on this site, and that a flood plain on the western half of the property to the west forced that building to the eastern part of that property. He stated that both of these factors created the need to keep both existing driveways open in order to provide good access to both properties. Mr. Donald Vining son of the property owner to the west, spoke in favor of the car wash and opposed to closing any of the existing driveways, especially the joint driveway. Commissioner Hahn suggested using landscaping or other design methods/features to help direct the car wash traffic away from the Quick Lube primary entrance which is the joint driveway. He stated that he is in favor of leaving the eastern driveway as 4 July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 16 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6695 the car wash primary driveway in order to encourage this development to occur. Commissioner Nunnley expressed his concern that the closeness of the existing driveways may create congestion and unsafe traffic flows. Staff provided clarification that the main open issue pertains to closing the eastern most driveway that enters in the middle of the proposed car wash property, not to closing the access easement at the boundary between the two properties. The driveway closing is caused by ordinance requirements regarding driveway spacing for each individual property. Commissioner Berry commented about discussions that took place regarding the driveway issue at the Subdivision Committee meeting. The general consensus was that the driveway in the middle of the car wash property made the most sense for the car wash and that if the property owner to the west didn't want to give up the joint access easement, then both driveways should be allowed. Mr. Turner from Public Works made the point that the requirement for spacing of driveways was based on a previous ordinance requirement for any property with less than 300 feet of street frontage, not the recently passed new ordinance #18031. A motion was made to approve the application as submitted to include staff comments and recommendations including a variance to driveway spacing to leave the driveways as shown on the site plan. The motion passed by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 nays and 1 absent. �1