HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-7012-A Staff AnalysisJune 25, 2001
Item No.: A
File No.. Z -7012-A
Owner• Led By The Spirit of God Church
Address: 9800 Geyer Springs Road
Description: Long Legal
Zoned: O-3
Variance Re ested: Variances are requested from the
buffer requirements of Section
36-522, the on-site parking
provisions of Section 36-502 and
the pavement requirements of
Section 36-508.
Justification• The applicant's justification is
presented in an attached letter.
Present Use of Property: Vacant, undeveloped
Proposed Use of Pro ert : New Church, to be built in two
phases.
Staff Report:
A. Public Works Issues:
With Building Permit:
1. Geyer Springs Road is classified on the Master Street
Plan as a minor arterial. A dedication of right-of-way
45 feet from centerline will be required.
2. Property frontage needs to have the sidewalks and ramps
brought up to the current ADA standards.
3. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is
damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy.
4. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for
approval prior to start of work.
5. Stormwater detention ordinance applies to this property.
6. Easements for proposed stormwater detention facilities
are required.
June 25, 2001
Item No.: A (Cont.)
B. Landsca a Review:
The plan submitted does not allow for the minimum 6.7 foot
wide land use buffers required along portions of the
southern and northern perimeters, utility easements cannot
count as part of the land use buffer area.
A 6 -foot high opaque screen is required along the north,
south and western perimeters of the site. This screen may
be a wooden fence with its face side directed outward or
dense evergreen plantings.
A total of eight percent of the interior of the vehicular
use area must be landscaped with interior islands of at
least 150 square feet in area and 7 '-� feet in width.
An irrigation system to water landscaped areas is required.
C. Staff Analysis:
Led By The Spirit of God Church proposes to build a new
church facility, in two phases, on the vacant, 0-3 zoned
property located at 9800 Geyer Springs Road. Phase I
consists of a single, multi-purpose building and a 51 space
parking lot. This Phase I building will contain the main
worship area which will accommodate 250 persons. A 250
person worship center requires 62 on-site parking spaces.
The Phase I building will have a side yard setback of 20
feet from the north property line, exceeding the Ordinance
requirement of 10 feet. 15 feet of that 20 foot setback is
a utility easement, leaving only 5 feet to serve as buffer.
Utility easements cannot count as part of the required
minimum Land Use Buffer area. The minimum requirement is
6.7 feet. A portion of the buffer along the south perimeter
also falls below the ordinance minimum of 6.7 feet. The
church is requesting a 2 -year deferral of the requirement to
pave the parking lot. Lastly, the Phase II building is
proposed to contain a sanctuary with a seating capacity of
475; requiring 118 on-site parking spaces. At build -out,
the church is proposing a total of 104 parking spaces.
Staff is supportive of the buffer and parking variances.
The proposed buildings exceed all required zoning setbacks.
The property is narrow in relation to its depth. Moving the
Phase I building to the south to gain the additional 1.7
feet of required buffer could impact the ability to provide
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June 25, 2001
Item No.: A (Cont.
properly dimensioned parking and driveways. The minor, 1.7
foot variance is for only the 100 foot depth of the
building; a small portion of the overall 480± foot depth of
the site. The driveway along the south perimeter of the
site is being positioned to be properly placed when future
parking is added. The property narrows from 188 feet in
width at the rear to 181 feet in width at the front. It is
this reduction in width that creates the slight reduction
along a portion of the south driveway. Again, the reduced
buffer area is for only a small portion of the south
perimeter. Otherwise, as is the case along the north
perimeter the buffer exceeds the Ordinance requirement.
The Phase I parking variance is minor. Fifty-one spaces are
being provided; 62 are required. There will be plenty of
room on the site to provide additional parking if it is
needed throughout Phase I. The Phase II parking variance is
also minor. One hundred four spaces are proposed; 118 are
required. The church will be providing 88% of the required
parking on site.
The property adjacent to the north is occupied by a funeral
home. The property to the south is undeveloped. Allowing
the reduced buffers and minor reduction in on-site parking
should have no effect on the adjacent properties.
Staff is not as supportive of the requested 2 -year deferral
of the paving requirement. Staff believes a more
appropriate length of time would be 12 months. The site is
located in a built-up part of the City and fronts onto a
major traffic artery. Although the parking eventually will
be located behind the sanctuary in Phase II, through Phase I
the parking is more visible from the street. Beginning with
a 12 month deferral would allow the applicant to more fully
analyze the church's financial situation based on its
occupancy of the new site. If additional time is needed,
the church may reapply to the Board. The church does
propose to install a paved apron and to pave the first 50
feet of driveway to prevent gravel being pulled onto the
street.
D. Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the requested buffer and on-
site parking variances subject to compliance with the
following conditions:
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June 25, 2001
Item No.: A (Cont.
1. Compliance with Public Works Comments including any
variance or waiver of those comments as may be granted
by the Board of Directors or the Director of Public
Works.
2. Compliance with the City's Landscape Ordinance
including any variance or waiver as may be granted by
the City Beautiful Commission.
3. Compliance with the City's Buffer Ordinance, other than
for those areas where a variance is granted.
Staff supports only a 12 month deferral of the paving
requirement for the parking lot. It is staff's
interpretation that required screening should be put in
place with the Phase I building construction, regardless of
the length of the paving deferral.
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT:
(MAY 21, 2001)
The applicant was not present. There were no objectors present.
Staff informed the Board that the item needed to be deferred
because the applicant failed to complete the notices.
The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and deferred to the
June 25, 2001 meeting. The vote was 5 ayes, 0 noes and 0 absent.
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT: (JUNE 25, 2001)
The applicant was present. There were no objectors present.
Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval subject
to compliance with the conditions and time outlined in the "staff
recommendation" above. Staff informed the Board that the
applicant had agreed with staff's recommendation.
The applicant offered no additional comments.
The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and approved as
recommended by staff. The vote was 3 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent.
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