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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Planning-Board of Adjustment - 05/02/1988 fa CITY OF ��� I AGENDA B � ' BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MAY 2 , 1988 BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MEMBERS; Robert Jarvis, Chairman Beth Carroll Jack Cosby Tracy Faust Walter Flue CITY STAFF MEMBERS; James P. Harris, Planning Director Kathy McClung, Senior Planner Stephen Clifton, Planner This is to inform you that the scheduled meeting of the Kent Board of Adjustment will take place on Monday, May 2 , 1988 at 7 : 30 PM in the Kent City Hall, City Council Chambers. Aaenda 1. Call to order 2 . Roll Call 3 . Approval of March 7, 1988 Board of Adjustment minutes 4. Added items to agenda 5. Administration of Oath 6. Variance: HARVEY GROHS -- MULTI-USE BUILDING (SC) APPLICATION #V-88-3 Request for a variance from Chapter 15. 05. 060 (D) of the Kent Zoning Code to allow the reduction of the 100-foot maneuvering area requirement to 50 feet of maneuvering area in front of each dock-high door. W 220 4th AVE.SO.,/ KENT,WASHINGTON 98032-5895/TELEPHONE (206) 859-3300 !f • KENT BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MINUTES May 2, 1988 The scheduled meeting of the Kent Board of Adjustment was called to order by Chairman Jarvis on the evening of Monday, May 2 , 1988 at 7: 30 p.m. in the Kent City Hall, City Council Chambers. MEMBERS PRESENT: Robert Jarvis, Chairman Jack Cosby Tracy Faust MEMBERS ABSENT: Beth Carroll, excused Walter Flue, excused CITY STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Kathy McClung, Senior Planner Stephen Clifton, Planner Lois Ricketts, Recording Secretary • CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT Chairman Jarvis presented Jack Cosby a Certificate of Appointment to the Board of Adjustment. APPROVAL OF MARCH 7, 1988 BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MINUTES Tracy Faust MOVED and Jack Cosby SECONDED a motion to approve the minutes as printed. Motion carried. Chairman Jarvis administered the oath for all who intended to speak. He explained that a simple majority was needed to act on a motion. HARVEY GROHS--MULTI-USE BUILDING #V-88-3 Stephen Clifton presented the request to allow a reduction to 50 feet of the current code requirement of 100 feet of maneuvering area in front of each dock-high loading door. The subject property is zoned GC, General Commercial, and is located at the southwest corner of Pacific Highway South and South 252nd Street. The area to the north consists of single family residences, a tire store is located in the northwest corner of 252nd, the property west of the site has single family • 1 i Kent Board of Adjustment Minutes May 2, 1988 residences, and the land to the south is vacant. Across Pacific Highway South are office, retail and service-type uses. The City-wide Comprehensive Plan designates the subject property as C. Commercial. One of the goals of this plan is to establish a safe, balanced, and efficient transportation system for all modes of travel. Ano her is to assure the provisions of safe and efficient routes ! and terminal facilities for vehicular traffic moving within ano through Kent. The Planning Department found that the proposeq variance to allow the reduction of maneuvering space from 100 fleet to 50 feet did not meet the objectives of these goals. Al 50-foot maneuvering area, which includes the parking aisle, i not adequate for trucks exceeding 24 feet in length. The applicant felt certain that only small vans and delivery trucks would be using these loading spaces, but typically a business which incorporates dock-high doors invites the potential fot future owners or tenants to allow the use of larger delivery ! trucks. This 27-foot-high building is an extremely large building for the GC zone. This zone does not typically allow businesses which use dock-high doors. If ground level doors werelused in place of proposed dock-high doors, the code would require only 45 feet of maneuvering space; the plan as currently drawn includes 50 feet between the parking area and the building, which would fulfill this objective. The applicant has offered to change the 50-foot request to 65 feet, but this still would not �eet the requirements of the code. Mr. Clifton stated the three riteria for granting a variance. i Thor Osbo, Architect representing the applicant, has analyzed the site and designed plans which he felt would make the best possible use of tpe property. He was certain that the site would not be used by large semi-trailer trucks. For delivery at the present time, Mt,. Grohs uses vans which are approximately 25 feet long; there ave been no problems with maneuvering the vans. He did not feel the area would be a high traffic generator and, therefore, the Irequest would not be a grant of special privilege. He thought this space might be used for furniture or antiques and would not utilize the dock-high loading doors. He wished to includ the dock-high doors so that the area could be used later as a �oading area or possibly glass could replace the doors. i Ms. Faust was c ncerned about a lessor of the future who may want to bring seti-trailer trucks into that location. Mr. Osbo felt that if thi did happen, maneuvering would not be a problem because semi-trai er trucks can go down residential streets. Ms. Faust asked f the owner had a particular tenant in mind at the present time. Mr. Osbo responded that the first tenant would be Mr. Grohs wh4j is involved in many different businesses and 46 l Kent Board of Adjustment Minutes May 2, 1988 wishes to have a place to consolidate these. Some of these include furniture, antiques and cars. Harvey Grohs explained that he is using regular vans at the present time and wanted to make it as easy as possible to load his trucks. If the proposal is approved, he would be able to maneuver delivery trucks in front of the site. He stated that he never expects to have large semi-trailer trucks at the proposed facility. Ms. Faust asked what type of provision could be put into a lease which would specify the size of trucks that would be using the facility. Mr. Grohs did not want semi-trailer trucks in the area and agreed to state in the lease that no semi-trailer trucks would be allowed at the site. Ken Morris, Traffic Engineer, City of Kent, asked about the length of the vans that are currently used by the applicant. Mr. Grohs explained that his vans are approximately 24 or 26 feet long. Mr. Morris did not feel that there was a need for dock- high loading doors for vans of that size. The van would be too low to use these doors. He did not see how a forklift could be used for loading a van. • Mr. Cliftton stated that Planning Department has no way of controlling the types of trucks which would use the site in the future. He did not feel that signing the agreement would keep a trucker from using the type of truck needed to handle the goods from the site. A future tenant may have need for additional storage. There would be no way to control the type of business which may eventually utilize the site. Chairman Jarvis asked Mr. Osbo to address the van issue. Mr. Osbo stated that a three-foot loading dock would be adequate for loading the vans that are used at the present time. He felt the code was too restrictive. Discussion followed regarding the height of loading docks. Ms. Faust stated that there are three criteria needed to approve the variance. She asked if there were any special circumstances involved. Mr. Osbo responded that his client wished to get the highest use of the site. Mr. Grohs added that he needed to obtain the best use of the property because of the high amount of taxes that he pays. Mr. Cosby MOVED and Ms. Faust SECONDED a motion to close the public hearing. Motion carried. • The board members adjourned for executive session. 3 i i I I I � , Kent Board of Adjustment Minutes May 2, 1988 i I Chairman Jarvis announced that the variance was denied because it would be a gran of special privilege, that they did not find anything special about the topography of the property to grant this variance, and they felt that it could be injurious to the public welfare if it were granted. Mr. Cosby MOVED and Ms. Tracy SECONDED the m tion to deny this request. Motion carried unanimously. ADJOURNMENT I The meeting was ajdjourned at 8: 30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, i I I *JamP. Ha ris, Planning i i I i i I I i i i i i i i i i 4