Subject: Honorable Mayor and Councilors
City Manager
City Attorney
Clerk of Council
Subject: (ZC0512-4) Special Exception Use request to operate a church in excess
of 250 seats at 2300 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
Requested action: Resolution approving a Special Exception Use for a church in
excess of 250 seats at 2300 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (see attached map
and site plan).
Lewis Memorial Baptist Church submitted an application for the Special
Exception Use cited above. The property is located in LMI (Light Manufacturing
/ Industrial) District. The proposed zoning is GC (General Commercial)
District. The Planning Advisory Commission recommended approval of the
rezoning request on December 7, 2005. The purpose of the Special Exception Use
is to operate a church in excess of 250 seats. Churches in excess of 250 seats
are permitted in a GC zoning district only on a site-specific basis upon
approval of the Council based upon the following criteria and conditions:
(1) Access: Is or will the type of street providing access to the use be
adequate to serve the proposed special exception use?
Access to the property is adequate for the proposed use onto Martin Luther
King, Jr. Boulevard. The property has over 325 feet of frontage on Martin
Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
(2) Traffic and Pedestrian Safety: Is or will access into and out of the
property be adequate to provide for traffic and pedestrian safety, the
anticipated volume of the traffic flow, and access by emergency vehicles?
The proposed use is expected to adequately meet requirements for ingress and
egress, internal circulation (traffic and pedestrian), traffic volume, and
public safety access. Pedestrian traffic along Martin Luther King, Jr.
Boulevard is adequate due to the low traffic volume and sidewalks along said
road. Public safety access is not a problem.
(3) Adequacy of Public Facilities: Are or will public facilities such as
school, water, or sewer utilities and police and fire protection be adequate to
serve the special exception use?
The proposed use is served by all city services. There will be no school
impact.
(4) Protection from Adverse Affects: Are or will refuse, service, parking and
loading areas on the property be located or screened to protect other
properties in the area from such adverse effects as noise, light, glare or odor?
The proposed use is not expected to adversely affect neighboring properties.
The neighboring properties could adversely affect the proposed use. Issues
dealing with parking, loading, external dumpsters / compactors, and light are
addressed in the UDO. Noise impacts are addressed in the City Code.
(5) Hours of Operation: Will the hours and manner of operation of the special
exception use have no adverse effects on other properties in the area?
The church will be open daily but hours were not disclosed. The neighboring
properties could adversely affect the proposed use.
(6) Compatibility: Will the height, size, or location of the buildings or other
structures on the property be compatible with the height, size, character, or
location of buildings or other structures on neighboring properties?
The proposed use is in an industrial area in need of redevelopment /
revitalization efforts. The proposed structures should not have a detrimental
effect on neighboring properties. Most of the proposed use will be located
away from residential uses.
Thirty (30) property owners within 300 feet of the parcel were notified by
letter of the proposed Special Exception Use. To date, the Planning Division
has not received any comments about the Special Exception Use request.
The application for a Special Exception Use meets the criteria for approval,
therefore, the Planning Advisory Commission and the Planning Division recommend
that the Council approve the use.
Respectfully,
Rick Jones, AICP
Director, Planning Department
Enclosure/Attachment
cc: Cathy Thomas
ZC0512-4