Zoning & Special Exception - Property Located at 605 North Hickory Rd

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The existing buildings have been vacant for quite some time and were previously used as a retail outlet and a grocery store. The operation of the Mini - Warehousing facility with outside storage as noted requires a Rezoning, Special Use and Variances. Once the Rezoning is initiated, the properties included are required to be brought up to all the developmental standards of the zoning district being requested. In this particular situation, the Rezoning necessitates that a few Variances be approved as well for screening type, perimeter landscaping and foundation landscaping. Shown below are the Variances being requested for the property: 1). A Variance from the requirement of providing perimeter trees at a minimum rate of one (1) over -story deciduous tree every forty (40) feet along all perimeter property boundaries to providing no additional trees along the East, North and West property lines and being allowed to use existing trees along the South property line as shown. The petitioners are asking for approval of this Variance as the property is located in an older developed commercial corridor site. There are existing paved areas along the East portion of the site with access drives adjacent to a vacant commercial site and the Dollar General store. The site has limited frontage along Hickory Road with other than access points to said street. Along the North property line, there is intended to be a evergreen screen as shown to buffer the view of the site from the existing single - family homes along Sorin Street in the McKinley Terrace subdivision. Along the west property line is a parking lot and very limited area along the west side of the existing building. Along the South property line the petition site backs up to other commercial sites. The owners plan to leave the existing tree line along this portion of the site. The Petitioners and contingent purchasers do not believe approval of this Variance would have a negative impact on any surrounding property. 2). A Variance from the requirement of providing a minimum of a 6 ft. wide landscape planting area along the North and East facades of the existing building to no landscaping as shown. The Petitioners would state that the when the structure was built back in the 1970's, there was no requirement to provide a foundation landscape area for the front facades of a building. The shown structure has an existing sidewalk along the North facade of the building with a large portion containing an overhanging canopy area. The building is oriented to the North and does not face directly towards Hickory Road. Along the East facade of the building there is an existing paved driveway that allows for truck access to the rear of the building from Hickory Road and has no room to add a landscape area. The building is proposed to be used for a Mini - Warehousing facility and the Petitioners believe that foundation landscaping for such a use was most likely not envisioned by the authors of the City's landscape requirements for a retrofit project. The Petitioners do not believe approval of this Variance would have an adverse impact on any surrounding property. 3). A Variance from the requirement of providing Type "C" Residential Bufferyard screening along the North line to providing a Type "B" Residential Bufferyard along said North line as shown. The Petitioners would state that the existing property never had screening along the North line of the property for almost the past 40 years. There is an existing area of mature trees and scrub vegetation that provides some buffering of the site from the existing single - family homes. The Petitioners would like to keep the existing trees and vegetation and supplement it with a row of evergreen trees placed to the South of said existing trees and vegetation. The minimum height of the evergreen trees to be planted would be 6 ft. and have a maximum spacing of 15 feet on- center. This would allow the evergreens to grow naturally and fill in the spacing between trees without crowding the plants and having the possibility of the evergreens to lose their buffering potential. The Petitioners believe approval of this Variance would be in keeping with the intent of the City's Ordinances and will create an evergreen buffer that presently does not exist. They do not believe approval of this variance would have an adverse impact on the adjacent properties. 8) A statement on how each of the following standards for the granting of Variances is met: The Petitioners would state that their property is located in a major commercial corridor that includes several varying types commercial uses located both in the City of South Bend as well as in the City of Mishawaka located just to the east of the Petition site. This area has been a commercial node for both