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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/26/2008 MINUTES OF THE WATERLOO BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MEETING HELD ON FEBRUARY 26, 2008, IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL Chairperson Holdiman called the regular monthly meeting of the Waterloo Board of Adjustment to order on Tuesday, February 26,2008, at 4:00 p.m. Board members in attendance were: Holdiman, Goldsberry,Mixdorf and Mohr. Board member not in attendance was Anfinson. Staff in attendance was Aric Schroeder and Shane Graham. There were 3 people from the public in attendance. I. Apprnval of the AgP Fphrnary 76, 7008. It was moved by Mixdorf, seconded by Mohr, to approve the agenda as submitted.Motion carried unanimously. II. /Approval of the Minutes of the RPg liar MPPfing nn January 79 7f0R It was moved by Goldsberry, seconded by Mohr, to approve the minutes as submitted. Motion carried unanimously. III. Decision items 1. Request by J. Andy Walser on behalf of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank at 179 P1a va Cr for a special permit to allow for the establishment of the Young Life youth recreation and religious facility, a variance to the 38 required number of parking stalls for a religious facility to allow for 20 parking stalls, and a variance to the 26' setback requirement to allow for a 16' setback along the south property line. Graham gave the staff report, noting that the applicant is proposing to lease the eastern 2,000 SF of the 4,000 SF office building that was once owned by Lockard Development. Lockard built a new office in Cedar Falls, and have recently gifted the building to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. The property to the north at 110 Plaza Circle is the new home of Northwestern Mutual, and the owner of that building is proposing to purchase the building in question, as well as an adjacent vacant lot, from the Food Bank. Once the purchase is completed, the new owner would then lease the east half of the building to the applicant for the use of the Young Life youth then l recreation and religious facility. Graham indicated that the main use of the building would occur during the evening hours, with events for junior high and high school students being held on certain days of the month from approximately 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. During the weekdays, when most of the surrounding professional offices are in use, there would be little activity in the building, other than open office hours on Tuesday's and Thursday mornings. The applicant has indicated that there are 130 junior high school students and 90 high school students enrolled in Young Life. Of those, the average attendance at each of the events is approximately 25 students. The applicant has also indicated that there are nine group leaders of Young Life who could have team meetings on most nights of the week. Graham noted that a preliminary interior site plan has been submitted to the Building Inspections Department, of which they determined the maximum occupancy to be 149 persons. The Zoning Ordinance requires that a religious facility provide 1 parking stall per 4 seats of maximum occupancy, and therefore, 38 parking stalls would be required. The applicant has not provided the number of parking stalls that exists on the property, however when staff did a site visit,it was determined that there are approximately 20 parking stalls on the property, which BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT February 26,2008 Minutes Land Use Map and Comprehensive Plan for this area,which is designated as Schools, the request would appear to meets the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance for setbacks, etc.,the request works for infill development by utilizing a site within an existing developed area for continued strengthening of neighborhoods and the educational system of the community,the site would appear to properly address traffic and pedestrian movements to and from the site for both students and visitors, and subject to the condition that the final site plan meet all applicable codes and ordinances including drainage, landscaping, etc. Holdiman questioned if the building would be out of the floodplain of the creek to the east, and Schroeder indicated that it would be out of the floodplain. Kate Payne with InVision Architecture noted that she didn't have any additional comments and that the staff report covered the request well. It was moved by Mixdorf, seconded by Mohr, to approve the special permit, subject to the final site plan meeting all applicable codes and ordinances.Motion carried unanimously. SPECIAL PERMIT REQUEST APPROVED. 3. Request by the City of Waterloo within thn twn black area haunded by Park Ave, W 3rd St, Cnmmvrrial St, and Washington St for a variance to the "H-C" Highway 218 Corridor Overlay District sign height limit of 40', and a variance to the "C-3" Commercial District sign requirements limiting the separation between freestanding signs to 150' minimum, limiting the height of signs to 18' maximum, and limiting the total square footage of freestanding signage to 40 SF maximum to allow for the construction of 7 freestanding signs, with total signage of 170 SF, 6 signs being within 150' of another sign, and 1 sign with a height of 53'4", to advertise the Waterloo RiverLoop Expo. Schroeder gave the staff report, noting that as part of the Waterloo RiverLoop Expo development, signage is proposed, including a 53'4" tall sign tower with an approximate 80 SF of signage consisting of the wording "RiverLoop Expo" and then a logo. Additional signage would include three sets of gateway signs. Each set of gateway signs would include two separate freestanding signs on either side of the main entryways leading into the Expo area. The gateway signs would be 10' tall, with approximately 15 SF of signage per sign (30 SF per set) consisting of the wording "RiverLoop Expo" on one sign and the logo on the other sign. The total area of all freestanding signage would be approximately 170 SF, 130 SF more than the 40 SF maximum allowed in the "C-3" Commercial District. Also, the three sets of gateway signs, as a set, would be well over the minimum separation requirement of 150', however the two signs within each of the three sets of gateway signs would be well within the 150' minimum separation requirement, as they would be located at the entries to the Expo area on either side of sidewalks leading into the facility. The gateway signs are two separate freestanding signs, but are designed to effectively work as one sign marking the primary entries to the facility, with the name on one side and the logo on the other. Also, the sign tower would have a height of 53'4", which is 13'4" more than the 40' maximum allowed by the "H-C" Highway 218 Corridor Overlay District, and 35'4" more than the 18' maximum allowed by the "C-3" Commercial District. The proposed tower is designed to be an iconic landmark, and is designed more like an ornamental tower, which is not restricted in height by the Zoning Ordinance, but does also have a sign located on it, therefore the variance is required. There will also be wall or roof signage on the public market building located at 327 W 3rd St. Schroeder indicated that the southwest block (the area between Jefferson St and Washington St) is located within the "H-C" Highway 218 Corridor Overlay District. At their regular meeting on 2/5/08 the Highway 218 Design Review Board approved the design and layout of the proposed RiverLoop Expo, and 3 BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT Feliruary 26,2008 Minutes 5. Request by Kent Orchard at 1777 Cnmmnrrial,St for a variance to the 12.5' setback requirement along the long dimension street frontage on a corner lot in the "M-1" Light Industrial District, to allow for the construction of a 72'x40' (2,880 SF) building,with a setback of 10', 2.5' less than the minimum required. Schroeder gave the staff report,noting that the applicant owns the 8,340 SF parcel and is proposing to construct a 40' x 72' (2,880 SF) commercial building. The applicant also owns the adjoining property to the northwest at 1719 Commercial St, and recently built a building similar to the building currently proposed. The property in question is a corner lot and is only 60' wide, making it more difficult to build a similar building without issuance of a variance. There are several businesses in the area with similar or smaller setbacks, such as 1800 Commercial St and 1624 Black Hawk Street, which are also corner lots that have a zero lot line setback along their longer dimension street frontage. With this request, the applicant is still proposing to have a 10' setback from W 16th Street, 2.5' less than the minimum required. W 16th Street is also a low traffic volume street with a semi-improved seal coat surface, and a wider than normal right-of- way at 66' wide. Schroeder indicated that staff recommends approval of the request, as the request would not appear to have a negative impact on the area and would appear to provide for setbacks similar to other buildings in the area, and the property would appear to be unique, given the size of the lot, the size and characteristics of W 16th Street, and setbacks of other adjacent businesses. It was moved by Mohr, seconded by Mixdorf, to approve the variance to the 12.5'setback requirement along the long dimension street frontage on a corner lot in the "M-1"Light Industrial District, to allow for the construction of a 72'x40'(2,880 SF) building, with a setback of 10', 2.5' less than the minimum required..Motion carried unanimously. VARIANCE REQUEST APPROVED. IV. Discocsion Items There were no discussion items. V. Adjournment It was moved by Mohr, seconded by Goidsberry, to adjourn the meeting at 4:32 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, 12/1' Shane M. Graham, Associate Planner 5