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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes <br /> February 18, 1997 <br /> • Page 2 <br /> 1 designation to an R-3 Townhouse designation. Mr. Beach has a tentative purchase agreement <br /> 2 with Mrs. Mildred Verkins to purchase these lots and, if his rezoning, replatting and setback <br /> 3 variance requests are approved by the City, he is proposing to build seven (7) townhomes. <br /> 4 As part of the requirements of the R-3 zoning district, Lots 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Verkins Addition <br /> 5 need to be replatted to.-accommodate the proposed townhomes. Each unit meets the minimum <br /> 6 floor-area requirements of the City Ordinance for townhouses. Proposed Unit A will require <br /> 7 a 12 foot backyard setback variance to-make the 30 foot setback requirement for backyard <br /> 8 setbacks in an R-3 zoning district. <br /> 9 About two years ago, Mrs. Verkins replatted her-property into residential lots for the purpose <br /> 10 of facilitating the disposal of her property. To date, she has not been able to sell any of the <br /> 11 lots and has an offer to purchase from Mr. Beach. This offer is contingent upon his ability to <br /> 12 rezone, replat and secure a 12 foot backyard variance on the property. <br /> 13 Ms. Moore-Sykes indicated this property sits at the corner of Highway 88 and 29th Avenue <br /> 14 N.E. Marketing these lots for single dwellings family has been difficult. The problem with <br /> 15 these lots is that they are apparently too close to'Highway 88 and potential buyers seem to be <br /> 16 concerned with .excessive traffic and noise. Mr. Beach's proposed townhouse development is <br /> 17 a good use for this property:beeause multi-family zoning districts have been traditionally used <br /> to make the transition between non=residential uses to single family detached areas. This <br /> 9 project would also be beneficial to the.surrounding neighborhood as it would create a <br /> 20 screening affect for the single family residences along 29th Avenue N.E. <br /> 21 Allowing the rezoning request would be consistent to the City's land use strategy and <br /> 22 planning. In several areas of the City, multi-family districts are used to screen single family <br /> 23 districts from high traffic roadways, industrial areas, rail lines and retail areas. This proposed <br /> 24 development project is especially consistent with the redevelopment that has been recently <br /> 25 occurring along Highway 88, i.e., Village Townhomes and the Arbors Townhomes. <br /> 26 <br /> 27 This project also needs a backyard setback variance of 12 feet. Because of the configuration <br /> 28 of the property, a corner of proposed Unit A is 18 feet from the property line. In discussing <br /> 29 this issue with Mr. Beach, he indicated that reconfiguring.this unit could make it too small to <br /> 30 market or visually incongruous with the rest of the development. <br /> 31 Mr. Beach held a neighborhood meeting on February 12, 1997. He reported that three <br /> 32 residents attended and they were more concerned with traffic issues on 29th Avenue. These <br /> 33 residents had some concern about the possibility of increased traffic, but most of the <br /> 34 comments seemed to be with regard to the speed at which people travel 29th Avenue toward <br /> 35 Highway 88. Apparently, motorists speed up to make the green light at the intersection of <br /> 36 Highway 88 and 29th Avenue. <br /> Staff received one telephone call in opposition to the project. The caller was concerned that <br /> 8 the units were going to be rentals. Management Assistant Moore-Sykes explained the <br /> 39 townhomes were to be owner-occupied units, starting at $170,000. The caller indicated that <br />