City Council Minutes 2000 02 01 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Wood stated that with regards to the Site Plan, the proposed building is a 4,250 square foot commercial building. The building as proposed is to be built up to its front and side property lines. As the property is in the Core design area, no front or side setbacks are required. The building is set back 60 feet from the rear property line (RR right-of-way) to allow for a parking lot. There isn't any alley or access easement that currently exists. Wood stated that the building was reviewed by the Historical Commission and does meet building requirements. The Historical Commission felt that it was a good transition from the residential looking building to a fully commercial building. With regard to parking, Wood stated the application does meet the parking requirement of 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet. There are a total of ten parking spaces provided for 700 Front. The existing building at 700 Front Street would actually be grandfathered from meeting the downtown parking ordinance. There are a total of 17 parking spaces. The 4,250 square feet proposed will reduce the total allowable building area to 354,00 square feet on the west side of the RR tracks in downtown. Wood noted that the primary issue in the site plan is access. He stated that there are two options. Option 1 represents the shared access across the 700 Front Street property with direct access to Pine Street. Option 2 proposes access from the RR right-of-way and does not have access to Pine Street. Currently there is no access authorized through the RR right-of-way. Wood stated that neither option is ideal, and this PUD has a number of constraints and limitations. There is no ideal parking plan that addresses all the needs of this property and the safety concerns. The design handbook does not allow direct access onto Front Street. Option 1 would allow direct access right-in/right-out access on to Pine Street, providing a shared parking area requirement. Option 2 provides for no access on Pine Street, and proposes access from the RR right-of-way. Wood noted that Mark Wojciechowski has not had any success in communicating with the railroad relative to obtaining a right-of-way. Staff has met with the business owners and they have requested that the City pursue right-of-way with the railroad. The right-of- way would allow them to have parking and continue to have service delivery to the rear of the buildings. Wood noted the Option 2-site plan assumes that the City could obtain right-of-way from the railroad. The Planning Commission has forwarded conditions that would allow additional time to negotiate right-of-way with the railroad. He stated that there were a number of scenarios, and the Planning Commission has approved the plan with four conditions, which are as follows: 1. That an ALTA (or equivalent) survey be provided to verify property boundaries prior to building permit issuance; 2. That the Option 2 site plan be implemented, unless the City is unable to obtain the necessary access easement or alley right-of-way by July 31, 2000 or prior to issuance of a building permit, whichever occurs later; 20