Coralville Board of Adjustment

City of Coralville Board of Adjustment Meeting August 20, 2012 Staff: Jim Kessler, Building & Zoning Official Dee Marshek, Administrative Assistant Item #1: Meeting called to order 6:00 PM Item #2: Member present: Shannon and Rice, Szcech and Nicola. Absent: Wells Others present: Ian Barnhouse w/ Crossfit Philia and Nick Halfhill w/Kum & Go Item #3: Minutes from June 25, 2012 meeting approved with spelling correction. Motion by: Shannon 2nd by: Nicola Motion carried: 4-0 Item #4: Public Hearing request for a Conditional Use Permit to Section165.50.B, to allow for a Fitness /Training Facility located at 390 Westcor Dr. Public Hearing Opened: Ian Barnhouse introduces himself and explains to the board that he and his wife own two fitness/training facilities, Tri Fit and Cross Fit. The Barnhouses are requesting a Conditional Use to allow locating their businesses at 390 Westcor Drive. This move would provide the businesses with a more square footage and an open floor plan to combine their facilities. Kessler: This Conditional Use permit for locating a fitness/training facility in an Industrial Zone is allowed with approval of the Board of Adjustment will be located at Westcor Businesss Park, Part Six in an existing building which also includes the Off Campus Auto. Barnhouse and members discuss the current building use and location, aspects of operating a training facility, and question the Conditional Use permit in a Industrial Zone. Rice: Requests an explanation of the Conditional Use/ zoning code. Kessler: Explains with the zoning code section 165.31 4 B, a Conditional Use for a Fitness Center was added to an Industrial Zone. The code requires a site plan to be submitted for staff review for location, and parking requirements before consideration or approving a Conditional Use Permit. Empty spaces; and portions of this building which are being used for storage would allow for the location of this training facility in this Industrial Zone. Barnhouse: Describes the building as being split into bays and their portion would be approximately 1500 sq. ft., located towards the back of the building. Szcech: Questions the parking at this location. Kessler: At this time; and for this request adequate parking is available. Kessler also added; that with additional tenants parking may become an issue in the future. Public Hearing Closed: a) Consider approval of the Conditional Use Permit. Motion to approve by: Shannon 2nd by: Szcech Roll Call Vote: Shannon: Aye Rice: Aye Nicola: Aye Szcech: Aye Wells: Absent Motion Carried: 4-0 Item #5: Public Hearing request for a Variance Permit to Section 165.35(11K) Parking Standards allowing for a reduction to the required parking spaces for a proposed Convenience Store located at 205 2nd St. Public Hearing Opened: Nick Halfhill Site Development Manager with Kum & Go; discusses the site plan for the proposed convenience store at 205 2nd Street, the present location of Days Inn. Halfhill explains the request is for a reduction to 21 parking spaces on this lot that is limited in building placement due to utility easement and because of the falling grade at the rear of this lot which backs up to Clear Creek. He states that on most sites Kum & Go is satisfied with 20 spaces and considered the occupied canopy as the extra spaces needed. Rice: Inquires as to how many spaces short, and access and exit points to Hwy 6. Kessler: The requirement is 1 space per 150 square feet of floor area of building, in this case 33 spaces, the request is a 37% reduction in parking spaces. Kessler also questions inside area of the building, does this include an inside eating area and explains that storage could figure differently. Halfhill: Adds; this is the typical newer design; no chairs, fresh sandwiches & pizza, cooler type store. Szcech: Asks about parking in the back of the building? Halfhill: No, because of the grade and utilities, there’s no other possible design for this lot. Rice: Would it be possible to purchase additional land? Kessler and Commission express the possibility of shared access; queuing under the canopy for extra spaces, the necessity of raising the building 3 to 4 feet to flood level and concluded that only parking spaces around the building should be considered as allowed parking spaces. Shannon: Again asks about access and parking in the back of the building. Halfhill, Kessler and Commission again discuss the site plan and the difficulty of access around the building. Kessler: Expresses to the commission the demographics of this location and the difficulty of recommending this kind of parking reduction. Halfhill: Shares with the Commission the acceptable demographics of several other Iowa City locations. Szcech: Questions Halfhill about the possibility of reducing the number of pumps from eight to six, to allow for more parking. Halfhill: No; that’s not acceptable, we need to have eight pumps to make the site calculate out to be economically possible. Public Hearing Closed: a) Consider approval of the Variance Permit. Motion to recommend approve by: Shannon 2nd by: Nicola Szcech: Request an opinion from Kessler, the Building & Zoning Official. Kessler: The reduction of 37% is a lot to ask. He wonders about the possibility of violations at other sites, suggests that queuing not be the best situation at this location. Kessler reminds the Commission of the Code requirement for granting a variance and expresses this is a hardship of Kum & Go’s own making. Nicola: States, may be this is not a good site, not large enough? Kessler and the Commission discuss zoning requirements for convenience stores, access/ location of this site, and the floor plan and square footage of this building versus other stores. Also, the question of denying or tabling this decision until Kum & Go could bring back or resubmit the buildings floor plan for better calculations. Kessler asks Halfhill if it’s feasible to resubmit, and include floor plans. Halfhill: If you’re asking for 11 more spaces; then no, I’d understand, but we’d have no other options in Coralville at this time. Kessler: States to Halfhill, you are welcome to come back if necessary and again present to the Board. Rice: Expresses concerns of making this project work, just maybe not on this same lot. Rice requests a roll call vote, yes/aye to approve. Roll Call Vote: Shannon: Aye Rice: Nay Nicola: Aye Szcech: Aye Wells: Absent Motion Carried: 3-1 (Rice Opposed) Item # 6: Motion to Adjourn. Motion by: Szcech 2nd by: Shannon Meeting Adjourned: 6:50 PM Respectfully submitted, Dee Marshek