09-12-2013 Planning Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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8. License shall be subject to an annual review. 9. The provisions of Section 921.010.0 of this Ordinance are considered and satisfactorily met. Outdoor storage is one of the most common issues with salvage repair. When dealing with salvage vehicles, it is highly likely that the vehicle will not meet the City's general requirements that automobiles that are being kept outdoors must be licensed and operable. To be allowed on a property, the storage of such vehicles would have to meet the requirements of the Outdoor Storage CUP, meaning a rear -yard location, storage height of no more than six feet (the height of a fence), and other requirements. As a part of the City's recent code updates, outdoor storage CUP requirements also include the following: 5. The outdoor storage of equipment or materials, as defined by this Ordinance, must be capable of moving under its own power, stored on a trailer, stored within weather -proof containers, or other storage arrangements as approved by the City Council. Storage of any material directly on the ground when the dimensions of such item are less than three (3) feet in width, length, and height, shall be prohibited wherever the City Council determines that reasonable alternatives exist consistent with this section. This provision was added to limit the accumulation of piles of small parts and, sometimes, debris. However, it would not necessarily limit the "storage ", on the ground, of larger sections of automobiles if such sections were larger than three feet in all dimensions. For further reference, the definition of Salvage Vehicle Repair requires that such parts are only being used for remanufacture, not for re -sale just as parts (as in a automobile "junk yard" type of use). To further regulate, this use, the City may consider the addition of language that would prohibit outdoor storage of such parts altogether, or limit the ability to combine the repair use with sales — either Retail, or Wholesale, or both. This latter option would likely diminish the interest in Salvage Vehicle Repair, since most of those interested in this particular aspect of repair are looking to turn around and sell the vehicle once it has been completed. In fact, it is the combination of several uses on each site that raises many of the issues faced by Code Enforcement. As noted previously, distinguishing parking from sales lot from storage is often a complication that many of the business operators also struggle with. A final option for consideration would be limiting the combination of these various uses — especially the outdoor uses. As identified in the beginning section of this report, sales Tots were established in this district as a convenience to repair operations, but appear to have become a significant driver of enforcement problems when combined with outdoor storage permits, and other uses. Thus, the City may choose to limit uses on a single property to something such as the following: