Discussion:
Site Information:
Applicant: Jarice Barbee
Property Owner: Shakopee Crossings Limited Partnership
Site Address: 8108 Old Carriage Court North
Lot Area: Current lot area: 5.11 acres
Current Zoning: B-1, Highway Business
2040 Comp. Plan: Mixed Use Commercial Center
Jarice Barbee, representing Take 5 Car Wash has applied for a conditional use permit and two variances to construct a car wash at 8108 Old Carriage Court North. One variance request is to allow one landscape island per 11 parking spaces (one island per 10 spaces is required) and a side yard setback variance to allow a 4.2' side yard setback (20' is required). The applicant has applied for a final plat to create a lot for the car wash. Final plats are only reviewed by the City Council.
Conditional Use Permit Discussion:
Take 5 Car Wash is an automatic car wash business that operates in 19 other states and is now entering the Minnesota / Twin Cities market. Take 5 offers customers the choice of purchasing monthly subscription services or individual washes. The applicant is proposing construction of a 4,326 square-foot car wash building. The entrance to the car wash on the east side of the site has three queuing lanes, each lane is three vehicles in depth. A total of nine vehicles can queue on the Take 5 site before spilling over onto the private shared driveway with Discount Tire. A requirement in City Code for car washes is stacking for at least 3 vehicles, so the applicant meets the standard requirement.
The applicant is proposing to construct a concrete masonry unit (CMU) and stucco building. As proposed, the building does not meet the building materials and design requirements of City Code due to large expanses of concrete block without accent or design features or windows and stucco located below 12' in height. With a few minor changes to the building design, like adding different colored bands of color integral decorative block or windows, the building would become compliant with code requirements.
Staff is recommending approval of the conditional use permit request, with conditions.
Variance Discussion:
The applicant is proposing 11 parking spaces for vacuum bays on the north side of the site. City Code requires 1 landscape island per 10 spaces in parking areas. The intent of this regulation is to break up large expanses of pavement, provide shade from shade trees within parking areas and depending on the island design, capture stormwater runoff. Take 5 Car Wash proposes 19 total parking spaces in three separate parking areas on their site. Staff believes the applicant's request is reasonable, since the applicant is proposing to place seven trees north of the vacuum spaces and the intent of the regulation is to provide landscaping and shade in parking areas that have multiple rows or long sections of single row parking. Staff is recommends that the Board approve the variance request relating to landscape islands.
The second variance request is for a 4.2' side yard setback from the proposed south lot line, where 20' is required. There is not an existing lot line that prevents the applicant or property owner from meeting this requirement. The applicant / property owner is proposing to place a lot line 4.2' from the proposed building. The applicant notes that easement areas limit development of the site. The easement areas in question are located on the north side for the shared private drive with Discount Tire that serves this site and there is a 35' easement on the west side of the site for an existing stormwater pipe, which have no limits on the placement of the southern property line.
The long and narrow building configuration of the car wash requires the building be oriented on the site as it is proposed, and the existing easements do not limit the building's orientation, as the proposed building is longer than the proposed width of the lot. The proposed request is economic, to limit the size of the lot being purchased by Take 5. Staff believes approving a significant setback variance request for a lot that hasn't been created sets a precedent.
A setback of less than 5' would be noticeably different than the other sites in the Southbridge area west of Highway 21 in this area, as all of the buildings meet the setback requirement. Future development plans for the adjacent property to the south have not been shared with planning staff to show that the character of the development would not be altered with a significantly reduced setback and that an undue hardship exists that prevents adherence to the 20' setback, so staff is recommending the Board deny the setback variance request based on findings in the attached variance resolution.