2002-09 REZONING PROPERTY - 2071 AND 2117 EAST DAMON AVENUE

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Decatur City Plan Commission February 7, 2002 Page Three The petitioner is proposing the rezoning of the addresses on Damon and Pythian Avenues to enable the expansion of his World of Power Sports business by extending the existing customer and employee parking areas and constructing a new product storage yard. To accommodate this expansion, the petitioner proposes paving Lots 32 and 31 as well as demolishing the existing structures on Lot 32 (2 residences and several accessory buildings). The petitioner has no plans for the lots on Pythian Avenue at the present time. Currently, the main parking area for the World of Power Sports is on the east side facing 22nd Street. On March 19, 2001, City Council,based on a recommendation from City Plan Commission, approved the rezoning of 2008 East Damon(which is approximately 240 feet east of the subject properties)from R-2 Single Family Residential to M-1 Light Industrial District. Staffls recommendation at the time was that the rezoning was intrusive and posed lot-by-lot encroachment upon an existing Single Family neighborhood. This property is currently used for off'ice space and storage for the All Service Company, a filter media company that provides on-site filter services. The petitioner had applied and received a variance on January 10, 2002 to allow the expansion of the parking area into the adjacent residential zone. Because the variance would only allow parking and not the requested storage under the zoning regulations, the petitioner is requesting the rezoning to accommodate for storage. The Decatur Urban Land Use Plan depicts the neighborhood of this petition as a residential pocket in the heart of an industrial area. From site visits, StafPs observation is that most of the residences in this locality are occupied. Staff has been contacted by a neighbor expressing concern as to the future plans of the World of Power Sports' owners. The neighbor would not wish to see the proposed parking lot transformed into a testing area for sports vehicles. Due to the above mentioned rezoning of 2008 East Damon, as well as a previous rezoning that took place in 1985 whereby 2136 East Damon was rezoned from R-2 to M-1, staff believes that the nature of uses along Damon has changed. Thus, staff recommends approval of rezoning lots 2071 and 2117 East Damon Avenue. However, this analysis does not apply to the properties along Pythian Avenue. These lots are opposite residential lots which have not been compromised by incremental rezonings. Absent any planned B-2 use of these lots, staff does not support rezoning of these parcels and therefore recommends denial of the rezoning of 2110 and 2120 East Pythian Avenue. Mr. Robert Krimmel, SKS Engineering, was present and spoke for the petition representing Mr. Jackson. Mr. Krimmel stated that the petitioner had agreed to withdraw the two lots on Pythian from the petition. He stated that the process was started as a variance for parking and storage and it was then leaming that rezoning would be required for storage. The additional land had been added to the petition for convenience if future development of the commercial business occurred.