City Zone Change 951 – 533 S 24^th St West – A zone change request from Residential 7,000 (R-70) to Neighborhood Commercial (NC) on the east ½ of Lot 2 and Lot 3, Block 5 of Amended Block 2, Valley View Acres Subdivision, a 14,400 square foot parcel of land. A pre-application neighborhood meeting was held at the subject property on October 12, 2016. Tax ID: A28338M. Presented by Nicole Cromwell, Zoning Coordinator
 

The Planning Division recommends approval and adoption of the findings of the 10 criteria for Zone Change 951.

OWNER: 5K Real Estates Holdings, LLC
AGENT: Steve and Diana Kuehn
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Valley View Acres Block 5, Lots 1-3
ADDRESS: 533 S 24th St West
CURRENT ZONING: NC - Lot 1 and west 1/2 of Lot 2 - R-70 east 1/2 of Lot 2 and Lot 3
EXISTING LAND USE: Caring Hands Veterinary Hospital with small parking lot and dog exercise yard
PROPOSED USE: Same with part of the exercise yard converted to create additional off-street parking
SIZE OF PARCEL: 14,400 square feet - east 1/2 of Lot 2 and Lot 3 - total parcel area is 29,039 square feet

None.

Subject Property - A zone change from R-70 to Community Commercial (CC) was denied by the City Council in October 1980. Subsequently, a zone change for Lot 1 and the west 1/2 of Lot 2 from R-70 to NC was approved in February 1994. In 1995, the City Council granted a special review to allow the veterinary clinic to locate in the existing building.

Surrounding Property - In the surrounding subdivisions, 56 zone changes have been processed since 1972. Thirty-seven of these applications were approved, 14 were denied, and 5 were withdrawn. Most of the denied applications were re-submitted and approved at a later date after applicants had met with surrounding owners concerning proposed development plans.

NORTH:	Zoning: Neighborhood Commercial Land Use: Commercial uses in a small shopping plaza
SOUTH:	Zoning: Neighborhood Commercial Land Use: Men's clothing store
EAST:	Zoning: Residential-7000 Land Use: Single family residences
WEST:	Zoning: Community Commercial (Across 24th Street West) Land Use: Barnes and Noble Book Sellers, Golden Corral Restaurant

The property owners are requesting a zone change to facilitate the development of additional off-street parking for the Caring Hands Veterinary Clinic located at this busy intersection of S 24th St West and Lampman Drive. On-street parking is becoming scarce and the veterinary business is finding it difficult to provide safe off-street parking for its clients and customers. A special review could be submitted to allow development of additional off-street parking in the area still zoned R-70, but the applicants preferred the zone change application. The owners do not intend to change the primary use of the property for the veterinary clinic, but a zone change could assist in any future marketing of the property for lease or sale.

Surrounding property to the north is zoned NC and is developed for multi-tenant retail business. Property to south also has split zoning of R-70 and NC. This property at 585 S 24th St West is developed with a men's apparel store. Property west across S 24th St West is zoned CC and is developed with Golden Corral restaurant, an office building, and Barnes & Noble book store. Property east of the subject property is zoned R-70 and is a well developed single-family and two-family neighborhood.

South 24th St West is a principal arterial street and the intersection of Lampman Drive is a signalized intersection. Lampman Drive is a local street but the traffic into adjacent businesses necessitated the installation of a traffic signal. South 24th St West is a full 5-lane street with curb sidewalk on the east side and boulevard sidewalk on the west side. Traffic volume on S 24th St West at this location is over 26,000 vehicle trips per day on average. Additional off-street parking on the subject property will assist traffic control at the adjacent intersection by reducing the number of occupied on-street parking spaces and reduce the chances of parking violations in the area.

The Planning Division has reviewed the zone change and is recommending approval based on the proposed findings of the 10 criteria for this zone change. The proposed zoning will allow the current business to remain at an established location and expand the business without complication of mis-matched zoning for the parcel. The 2016 Growth Policy guidelines support the proposed zoning by retaining existing businesses and allowing for necessary expansions. Any new development for off-street parking or new buildings will have to meet the compatibility regulations within the zoning code including screening, lighting restrictions and landscaping.

Staff recommends approval of Zone Change 951 and adoption of the findings of the 10 criteria.