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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes February 18, 1997 Page 2 I designation to an R-3 Townhouse designation. Mr. Beach has a tentative purchase agreement 2 with Mrs. Mildred Verkins to purchase these lots and, if his rezoning, replatting and setback 3 variance requests are approved by the City, he is proposing to build seven (7) townhomes. 4 As part of the requirements of the R-3 zoning district, Lots 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Verkins Addition 5 need to be replatted to.-accommodate the proposed townhomes. Each unit meets the minimum 6 floor area requirements of the City Ordinance for-townhouses. Proposed Unit A will require 7 a 12 foot backyard setback variance to make the 30 foot setback requirement for backyard 8 setbacks in an R-3 zoning district. 9 About two-years ago, Mrs. Verkins replatted her property into residential lots for the purpose -10 of facilitating the disposal of her property. To date, she has not been able to sell any of the I I lots and has an offer to purchase from Mr. Beach. This offer is contingent upon his ability to 12 rezone, replat and secure a 12 foot backyard variance on the property. 13 Ms. Moore-Sykes indicated this property sits at the comer of Highway 88 and 29th Avenue 14 N.E. Marketing these lots for single dwellings family has been difficult. The problem with 15 -these lots is that they are apparently too close to Highway 88 and potential buyers seem to be 16 concerned-with excessive'traffic and noise. Mr. Beach's proposed townhouse development is 17 a good use for-this property.because multi-family zoning districts have been traditionally used 18 to make the transition between non-7residential uses to single family detached areas. This 19 project would also be-beneficial to the.suffounding neighborhood as it would create a 20 screening affect for the single family residences along 29th Avenue N.E. 21 Allowing the rezoning request would be consistent to the City's land use strategy and 22 planning. In several areas of the City, multi-family districts are used to screen single family 23 districts from high traffic roadways, industrial areas, rail lines and retail areas. This proposed 24 development project is especially consistent with the redevelopment that has been recently 25 occurring along Highway.88, i.e., Village Townhomes and the Arbors Townhomes. 26 27 This project also needs a backyard Setback variance of 12 feet. Because of the-configuration 28 of the property, a comer of proposed Unit A is 18 feet from the property line. In discussing 29 this issue with Mr. Beach, he indicated that reconfiguring this unit could make it too small to 30 . market or visually incongruous with the rest of the development. 31 Mr. Beach held a neighborhood meeting on February I'2, 1997. He reported that three 32 residents attended and they were more concerned with traffic issues on 29th Avenue. These 33 residents had some concern about the possibility of increased traffic, but most of the 34 comments seemed to be with regard to the speed at which people travel 29th Avenue toward 35 Highway 88. Apparently, motorists speed up to make the green light at the intersection of 36 Highway 88 and 29th Avenue. 37 Staff received one telephone call in opposition to the project. The caller was concerned that 38 the units were going to be rentals. Management Assistant Moore-Sykes explained the 39 townhomes were to be owner-occupied units, starting at $170,000. The caller indicated that