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19 4.0 BACKGROUND 20 4.1 21 22 42 23 24 25 26 27 4.3 2s 29 30 5.0 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 The property at 2931 Partridge Road has a Comprehensive Plan designation of Industrial (I) and a zoning classification of General Industrial District (I-2). A Special Use Permit (SUP) — essentially a precursor to the coN�iTioNaL usE — was approved for the property in 1971 to allow commercial automobile leasing. Another SUP was approved in 1991 to allow the previous vehicle emissions testing use, in addition to a variance allowing the now-existing parking area to encroach into the required front yard to avoid the multitude of easements throughout the middle and rear of the property. This request for coN�iTioNaL usE approval has been prompted by the desire to occupy part of the currently-vacant building with a bus company and part of the building with a commercial landscaping and snow removal company. STAFF COMMENTS 5.1 The proposed coN�iTioNaL usE includes the outdoor storage of buses as well as trucks, trailers, skid-steer loaders, plow blades, etc. used in the landscaping/snow removal operations, bulk landscape-material supply bins, and heavy equipment (e.g., loaders for moving landscape materials from the bins onto the trucks). Although Planning Division staff is uncertain how the 14 buses shown in the site plan would maneuver on the site when as many bus drivers along with additional property maintenance workers and office employees have parked their personal vehicles on the property, staff does not believe that a definite site plan is necessary for approval of the proposed coN�iTloNaL usE. 52 Section 1007.015 (Industrial District Uses) of the City Code allows outdoor storage of materials and equipment as a coN�iTioNaL usE in an I-2 district, as long as the storage area is screened by a"solid opaque wall or fence no less than 8 feet in height" as specified in § 1007.03B (Storage). Screening is not shown on the proposed site plan (included with this staff report as Attachment D), but the site photos (in Attachment C) illustrate a similar fence on a nearby property to the north. Section 1013.02B (Fences in Front Yards), however, prohibits fences taller than 4 feet in a front yard, so the existing fence extending in front of the building would need to be shortened or removed to comply with this requirement. Because the screening of outdoor storage and front-yard fence height are the subjects of requirements in the City Code there is no need to add specific conditions to an approval of the coN�iTioNaL usE request. 50 53 Planning Division staff believes that the bins of bulk landscaping/snow-removal 5� materials would be inappropriate in the front yard and recommends that they be kept 52 behind the building along with as many buses as can be accommodated, leaving the front 53 of the building for some employee parking and/or storage of motor vehicles similar to 54 what is indicated on the site plan. Planning staff further recommends that parking spaces 55 be identified in the paved area in front of the building to ensure safe circulation as 56 required by the zoning requirements for parking area. 57 5.4 Both of the previous land uses (i.e., the commercial vehicle leasing and emissions 58 testing) which were allowed by special approval by the Planning Commission and City 5s Council would be considered permitted uses under the current City Code requirements, so so there is no reason to address those uses in conjunction with this request. The 1991 s� variance was approved by motion (rather than by resolution), however, and does not appear to have been recorded against the property; Planning Division staff recommends PF10-003 RCA 012510.doc Page 2 of 4