PL MINUTES 08191986 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-3- • 1 Mr. Bona told Commissioner Wagner he would not expect the new addition to attract 2 new business to his station since it included no new features like a car wash or 3 a dynamometer and there were no plans to extend the hours of operation because of 4 the addition. However, naturally, as a businessman, he certainly wouldn 't want 5 to do anything to discourage business either., Mr. Bona added. Mr. Childs indi - 6 cated the amount of parking spaces provided on the site met the City code. 7 8 The applicant told Commissioner Jones the tanks immediately north of the building 9 would be coming out and that area would be blacktopped along with the rest of the 10 area behind the new addition. The new tanks would be installed northeast of the 11 gas pumps and. paved over to match the concrete in that area. When the Commissioner 12 asked h.im whether he had -ever considered landscaping that .area instead, the 13 station owner -said he had considered it at first but the suggestion had met great 14 opposition from the neighbors who anticipated-problems with paper and other trash 15 sticking- to hedges _or bushes. "They -didn't even want me to change the color of 16 that ugly.white fence", Mr. Bona said." He .then told Commissioner Jones he intended 17 to continue to park cars in the right=of-way between the driveways. 18 19 Commissioner Madden reported he' had also driven by the station that evening and had 20- noticed several vehicles, including the station's truck, .parked close to the pylon 2 1 sign in front. Mr. Bona said he was surprised to learn that because that had 22 been-'strictly prohibited since parking cars in that area would make it difficult 23 for customers to get in and out of the station. The Commissioner told him he had 24 counted nine vehicles north of the existing building as well as the two on the 25 east side which to him gave the appearance of a "very crowded station" and caused 26 him to think in terms of the *need for more sodding and grass. • 27 28 Mr. Bona responded by saying* he "guessed that was the nature of his business which 29 cannot help but be 'unclean' at best". He said his station has to be "cluttered 30 and crowded" to be successful and if it isn't busy* all the time, he would probably 31 become "as •unsuccessful as it was years ago". Commissioner Madden said it just 32 seemed to h.im that "there could be some greenery somewhere on the site to alleviate j 33 at least partially, the cluttered appearance-the station gave". 34 35 No one appeared ,to speak against the proposal and the Chair closed the hearing at 36 8:03 P.M. after which she commented that. she "really liked the way the addition 37 had been designed with a homelike appearance_ to. fit into the neighborhood". 38 Chair Franzese said she certainly preferred.the new plan over the one Mr. Bona 39 proposed in January, which th.e .Commission perceived would have increased the 40 traffic and parking problems between the station and meat market buildings. 4 2 Commissioner Hansen said he had no objections to the new proposal which "met the 43 ordinance and would bring business into the area". The Commissioner also considered `C 44 the new plan to be superior to that presented in January and said he perceived 45 "if th.ere' s a problem with off-site parking or: blocking traffic between buildings 46 in the future it will just have to be dealt with by the City". i 47 48 Motion by Commissioner Werenicz and seconded by Commissioner Hansen to recommend 49 the Council _grant, the request from, Roger Bona for a variance to allow construction 50 of a 14 foot by 40 foot addition to the north side of the existing Amoco Service 51 Station at 2812-27th Avenue N.E. with an 11 foot setback from the north property • 52 line where the City Ordinance-requires 30 feet, finding that: 53 54 1 ., The petitioner had answered in the affirmative all the questions on the 55 application which are required by statute to be answered affirmatively;