06/17/2025 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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To: Council, Mayor, Director of Law, Director of Urban Development From: Jim Burns (Personal) After the May 13th committee meeting, I noticed that Council was focused on parking and seemed to disregard the rest of this rezoning ordinance. The following comments will address some of the other items that need to be considered. This ordinance is a rezoning and not an overlay. What's the difference? Forest School was an overlay. Zoning of the site was not changed; however, the developer could aske Council to change the zoning to the overlay criteria. The mall rezoning is the City rezoning the parcels concerned without the property owners even asking for it. The current structures and uses are grandfathered in. If a "major change" takes place, abuilding addition of 3,000 sq ft or more or a change in permitted use, the owner must comply with the new zoning code for the area. This could mean the destruction of existing structures and the building of new complying structures. Owners or developers may not want to spend the money and some properties may become vacant for extended periods of time. The driving force for the County Planning Commission and the City seems to be aesthetics and not functionality. After a brief review of the proposed code, the problem is the access from parking to the store by customers and access to operational services such as trash pickup, deliveries and maintenance such as grease traps. I was told service access was by service alleys behind the buildings. Isn't this where customers are supposed to park. Not only are they asked to walk distances to the store, they must also circumnavigate dumpsters and loading docks. This rezoning proposal would require buildings to be built at the crosswalk without a setback or frontal parking. This will create at least two problems. Have you driven down Main Street at Crocker Park? It is like driving through a brick, concrete and glass tunnel. You feel enclosed by everything. In addition, you almost have to stop your car to read the storefront signs. Setbacks and front parking provide for easier sign reading because of the sight angels provided. A customer must also look around to find out where access to parking for that store is. Rear end collisions may occur under the new plan. Driveways are to be 8ft to 12ft wide for residential developments and 10ft to 12ft wide for all other developments. Are these wide enough for large SUVs or fire trucks. When you take a driver's test the maneuverability test uses 20ft wide slots and most parking lots use 20ft parking spaces. With the required setbacks and other dimensional requirements and screening requirements of the rezoning code I wonder if the Fire Department and the Police Department have had a chance to evaluate this code's requirements.