TOWN OF LAUREL PARK: Public Hearing - 12/17/19 at 9:30am

By Press release submission

Dec 8, 2019

Town of Laurel Park issued the following announcement on Dec. 3.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Laurel Park Town Council will hold a public hearing on December 17, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. in the Laurel Park Town Hall to consider amending the Laurel Park Zoning Ordinance as follows: Section 1102.5 – amending the Dimensional Requirements to remove the two story limit for Planned Commercial Development Projects (PCD); and Section 1102.5 – amending Off-Street Parking to allow for a use-based parking requirement. A copy of the proposed ordinance is available for public inspection during normal business hours at the Laurel Park Town Hall, 441 White Pine Drive, Laurel Park, NC, by calling (828) 693-4840, and at www.laurelpark.org

Kimberly B. Hensley, CMC

Town Clerk

Town Staff have identified inconsistencies within the current Zoning Ordinance. The Planning Board reviewed the amendments below on November 12th and voted unanimously in favor of the amendments.

Section 1102.5 Design Standards- Dimensional Requirements

Currently within the C-1 District of the Zoning Ordinance there is a maximum structure height of 35 feet, with no language regarding the number of stories to which a structure is limited. Within the Conditional Use Standards though, a project in C-1 is required to be 35 feet or less and no more than two stories. This is an inconsistency that currently only applies to C-1 uses which need a condition use permit. Recommendation of the staff would be to remove the two-story limitation within the conditional use process, allowing for the developer/builder to determine the appropriate amount of stories while remaining within the 35 maximum structure height requirement.

“Dimensional Requirements. The Planning Board and the Town Council shall evaluate the site plan in order to determine that the proposed design and density of the project is acceptable with regard to the health, safety, and general welfare of the commercial development, the patrons, and adjacent properties. All buildings and structures shall conform to the minimum setback requirements for the C‑1 Commercial District along the exterior boundaries of the project property. The total building coverage area of all principal and accessory structures shall not exceed thirty percent (30%) of the gross square footage of the proposed site. Common wall construction is permitted in PCDs. The maximum building height of all structures in the PCD shall be two stories and not exceed thirty‑five (35) feet.”

Section 1102.5 Design Standards- Off-Street Parking

The current requirement for Off-Street Parking within a Conditional Use Permit is 1 parking spot per every two-hundred (200) square feet of enclosed floor space. This requirement does not consider the proposed use of the property. Therefore, this parking requirement may result in a lack of necessary parking spots, or an unnecessary amount of parking for the intended use. The Town of Laurel Park wishes for uses to have parking that is appropriate to the demand of the land use. The following proposed text would allow for flexibility based on the use of the property.

Off‑Street Parking. Applicants for a PCD shall propose a master parking plan which shall provide sufficient parking for the entire project consistent with requirements of Section 900 of this ordinance. Where a use is not listed within Section 901.2 regarding Minimum Parking Requirements, the applicant may submit a parking master plan based upon the needs of the use for the consideration of the Planning Board and Town Council. Off-street parking lots are encouraged to be provided at the side or rear of buildings or the interior of a block of buildings and not closer to the street than the edge profile of the structures.

Original source: https://www.laurelpark.org/index.asp?SEC=32FD19B1-D48B-42BD-9F45-D14E8D3D6ADA&DE=1B157F56-A68A-47D8-8BF8-ABC40E20F4FF&Type=B_PR

ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY

Town of Laurel Park