14-17 Rezone- 2605 & 2623 Western Ave.

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REQUESTED VARIANCES: 1). From the minimum 30 ft. Side Residential Bufferyard and Type `B" Landscaping along the East property line to allow within 10 ft. of the property line a proposed parking area and a 8 ft. high solid screening fence and landscaping as shown; 2). From the minimum 30 ft. Rear Residential Bufferyard and Type `B" Landscaping along the North property line to allow within 10 ft. of the property line a proposed parking area, dumpster and a 8 ft. high solid screening fence and landscaping as shown; 3). From the minimum allowed parking aisle width of 24 ft. to a minimum of 21 ft.; 4). From the requirement of providing perimeter landscaping to perimeter landscaping along south property line (Western Avenue); 5). From the requirement of providing foundation landscaping to no foundation landscaping; The Petitioner and their tenant of the shown real estate desire to take the existing old automotive repair facility and automotive sales facility and renovate the buildings. They propose to add improvements to the vehicle sales area, add landscaping and screening fence along the north and east buffer yards and improve the streetscape along Western Avenue. The building shown has existed for decades and is located in an area of mixed uses along the Western Avenue business corridor. The uses range from residential homes to the north, one residential and mixed uses to the east, mixed uses to the south and commercial use to the west. The Petitioners' tenant did have an automotive sales and repair facility located several blocks to the west on Western Avenue. They desire to move to this location and are presently in the process of buying of the property. This property was previously used for an automotive sales and repair service for several years. This is based on a review of available aerial photography back to 1998. That use was allowed per the zoning codes. Then several years back as part of an update to the Western Avenue corridor land uses, the City revised the zoning classification for properties fronting on Western Avenue. This property was rezoned to the MU Mixed Use zoning classification. At the time it appears the previous automotive use was grandfathered in for the property. But then at some point, the owner /tenant stopped or closed the automotive use. The use was closed long enough that the grand fathered legal conforming use status was lost. The owner /tenant may not have understood that they had lost the ability to continue to use the property for an automotive use. The owner's tenant now desires to purchase the property on a land contract and would like to make renovations to the buildings and the property and continue to have an automotive sales area and a repair shop. After discussions with the various city agencies it was determined that in order to now use the property for the proposed automotive use, it would require a rezoning of the property. The choices available were to either request rezoning to CB Community Business District with approval of a Special Exception Use and some variances or rezone to the GB General Business District with some variances. The choice was to go to the GB General Business District and request approval of a few variances. The attached site plan details the proposed layout for the property with the existing buildings and the vehicle sales area and related landscape improvements. Based on the shown plan the following variances are required for the shown site plan: