3A Public Hearing 2007 0319 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Excerptfrom 10-19-06 Joint BZAIPC Meeting Page 2 of4 13 The southwestern corner of the City, including the Frito Lay property and an existing industrial park in the Grant Avenue area Staff developed two options for Commissioners to consider: . Option 1 - Amend Zoning Code via a text amendment to conditionally permit Assembly uses in IL Zones. To address the issue of insufficient parking, base development standards could be derived for Assembly uses. Option 1 would affect 94 acres (including railroad right-of-way). . Option 2 - Apply an Assembly Overlay District, akin to the'S' Overlay District and PD Overlay Districts, where the underlying zoning would remain whatever it is but Assembly uses would be allowed via a use permit in the 13 specified areas. This option would apply to approximately 218 acres, including some railroad right-of-way. Neither option would affect the current standards that conditionally permit Religious Assembly uses in R Districts. In addition, staff would prepare a new definition for Assembly uses, to avoid future confusion over how Religious Assembly and Clubs/Lodges are regulated. Ms. Pollart said that the City Council's Business Development Sub-Committee has requested the Commissioners' feedback on this issue, after which the Planning Department will submit recommendations to Board of Zoning Adjustments, the Planning Commission, and, ultimately, the City Council. Commissioner Dlugosb asked whether the criteria would apply to applications for Assembly use permits, because some of the 13 properties clearly are too small to fit the two-acre criterion. Planning Services Manager Pollart replied that the two acres would not necessarily be a requirement, but came to the list of criteria via research on "mega" churches. These churches, she explained, tend to have congregations of 1,500 to 2,000 or more, with some sort of activity going on every day, with a building of 50,000 square feet or more, and a site of two-plus acres. Commissioner Dlugosb followed up by asking whether Staff has a definitive set of criteria on which to evaluate applications; Ms. PolIart said that standards could be developed. Mr. Horn added that if the City takes the overlay approach, it would need development standards and criteria such as those that were created for the S Overlay District for Auto Row, in order for Staff, the Board of Zoning Adjustments and/or the Planning Commission to determine compliance. Mr. Horn also indicated that Staff is trying to recognize the trend toward larger churches, and accordingly was looking for options that may have less neighborhood impact in a semi-industrial area than in a residential district, without compromising the City's industrial base, its employment base, and economic development codes. Commissioner Wobltmann asked whether it was possible to proceed with both options, rather than choosing one or the other. Ms. Pollart indicated that going ahead with both is certainly feasible; they are not mutually exclusive. Mr. Horn pointed out, however, that some IL parcels may not be suitable for assembly uses. Commissioner Wobltmann also asked whether Staff had discussed the options with any other religious use representatives, to which Ms. PolIart replied no, only to the applicant himself. In fact, she added, the property that interests Faith Fellowship is zoned IP, and thus is not in any of the 13 identified areas. If Option 1 were enacted, the church would have to request a re-zone of the property from IP to IL. If Option 2 were enacted, the applicant would have to request that