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Gem Lake News Page 3 of 8 <br /> <br /> Barnett Kia Zoning Requests for Redevelopment <br />(continued from page 1) <br /> <br />The new building will be slightly larger than the old one, <br />34,060 square feet, versus the current 31,865 square <br />feet. The new building will include spaces for a sales <br />floor, service garage, carwash, vehicle delivery area, <br />administration offices and waiting area. KIA intends to <br />keep the old building completely functional while the <br />new building is being constructed. It will then be torn <br />down. The blueprints feature a building with <br />contemporary design and larger showroom windows. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />The Gem Lake City Council granted a zoning <br />compliance permit after careful review of the design by <br />the city’s planning commission, and other agencies, <br />such as the local watershed district. Also granted by the <br />council was a lot line adjustment. KIA Barnett owns the <br />entire area on which both the car dealership and the <br />headquarters of Newtrax are located. Newtrax is a <br />transportation company that serves persons with <br />disabilities. The lot line change allows the line between <br />the two lots to be adjusted at an angle slightly north, <br />which will better serve the flow of traffic in and out of the <br />dealership and promotes better alignment of parking lot <br />entrances. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Finally, the council reviewed and approved an <br />amendment to Gem Lake Ordinance 131. This <br />amendment affects the city’s gateway district, in which <br />the dealership is located. Over a decade ago, the newly <br />minted gateway district plan prohibited the approval of <br />additional car dealerships in Gem Lake, in favor of more <br />mixed-use development. To keep this building project <br />from becoming a non-conforming, but permitted use, the <br />amendment focused on making auto dealerships a <br />permitted use in a new building type template. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />These approvals happened as a result of months of hard <br />work between Gem Lake’s Planning Commission, the <br />city’s planning consultant from TKDA and the owners of <br />KIA Barnett. Work is expected to commence immediately. <br /> <br /> <br />