Planning And Zoning Meeting Highlights

New Zoning Ordinances being drafted and discussed.

Last night, at 5pm, the Page City Council had a joint workshop session with the Planning and Zoning Commission to discuss specific areas of the new zoning codes. According to Kim Johnson, City of Page Community Development Director, the zoning codes and ordinances are being completely over-hauled and rewritten; it is currently over 300 pages in length.

The Planning and Zoning Commission has been working with Michael Baker, International since early 2016 to assist the Commission and the Zoning Task Force in drafting new zoning codes.

The discussion covered:

A project status report, and key zoning code revisions. These key revisions encompassed the roles and responsibilities of the City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission and Department. Reviewed throughout the workshop it was discussed that the City does not have multiple guidelines or procedures in place that it should. One prime example of this is what event defines either a major or minor zoning amendment.

At one point, Council Member Dennis Warner asked if any business that will be affected by these changes (specifically the houseboat storage yards on Haul Rd.) were invited to any of the Commission’s meetings. Kim Johnson responded that no, specific businesses were not informed due to the fact that these were public meetings.

Being proposed are major changes throughout the city that will affect practically every business type within the area. On last night’s list, the following drafted/proposed ordinance/code changes were discussed:

• Automobile/boat repair and outside storage facilities

• Drafted/proposed ordinance/code:

• Shall require site plans and/or Conditional Use Permit approval

• Outside areas must be paved (the Commission is still working on this definition), except for industrial park zoning

• Must be fully screened with continuous fence or block wall 6’ – 8’ in height

• No repair/storage activities shall occur within the required setback

• Setbacks are per the zoning district the business is. The boat storage facilities on Haul Rd. were specifically discussed, and are zoned as service commercial. The whole facility setbacks are drafted/proposed as follows:

• Front setback 20’

• Side setbacks 15’

• Rear setback 15’

• These setbacks are from property line or wall for the building

• For storage, setbacks remain the same, however if there is a building, the setback distances remain the same, but from the building, and must be met as well

• Outdoor repair activities in the service commercial district shall be limited to 6am – 9pm

• No overnight sleeping or living accommodations (further discussion on this was proposed)

• Home based occupations (this is an abbreviated version; according to the representative from Michael Baker, International, there is a much longer list)

• Drafted/proposed changes:

• Allowed as accessory use in all residential zoning districts

• Requires a valid City of Page business license

• Must be conducted entirely within the principal residence or enclosed accessory structure (Examples of business type exceptions included swim lessons or daycares)

• No more than 25% of gross floor area of principal building or accessory structure shall be devoted to occupation

• Shall be no employees other than family residing at the home

• No external evidence of the home occupation. (Examples included noise, signage, smoke, and fumes); (signage was proposed to discuss in future meetings regarding size and placement)

• Shall not noticeably operate between 8pm and 6am. The example for this was loading/unloading

• Customer trip generation not to exceed five (5) visits per day and no more than two (2) visitors at the same time. (Examples of exceptions included: daycares, hair salons and swim lessons).

• Shipping/receiving shall not involve vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight (as per current City code) (This was defined further by the consultant as company vehicles, not commercial delivery vehicles such as UPS or FedEx).

• Storage must be within a fully enclosed structure

• Complaints by neighbors may be cause for termination of the business.

• Outdoor vending

• Drafted/proposed changes:

• Business or individual providing outdoor vending must obtain a Conditional Use Permit from the City

• Only allowed on City or private property in Commercial and Service Commercial districts

• Temporary; and will not be placed in a way that makes it permanent

• Only allowed on properties with established principle use; cannot be placed on vacant lots (this was placed up for further discussion regarding who (business/lot owner allowing or the City) should approve/allow the type of vendor. It was also proposed to further discuss if the owner of a business that is empty/no longer in business is able to allow a vendor)

• If in parking lot, cannot impede an established business’ ability to conduct their business.

• Must adhere to all other laws and guidelines as established by the City, County, and State.

• Permit will be reviewed annually by the City, and will need administrative approval. If business is found to be in violation of any guideline, will be required to participate in a public hearing held by the City Council.

• Watchman’s quarters

• Drafted/proposed changes:

• Only allowed through a conditional use permit within the Business District, Service Commercial district, and the Industrial Park district

• Must show direct link and bona fide need relative to principal use

• Only one quarters per lot

• Must be integral part of principal building and may not exceed 40% of building floor area with a maximum of 1,000 sqft.

• Shall not be rented and shall meet all applicable Coding

• Store/stay quarters

• Drafted/proposed changes:

• Only allowed in C-2, C-3, and Service Commercial districts, and no outdoor yard

• Shall only be used by the property owner/leasee or immediate family

• Shall be occupied less than 120 days per calendar year

• Shall not exceed 25% of the storage unit’s gross floor area, with maximum 800 sqft

• Shall meet all applicable Codes

• Shall sign acknowledgement that use is located in non-residential area

• Exterior of the unit shall be clearly marked.