HomeMy Public PortalAbout044-2022 - NEW MEMO ov RzN DAVID M.SNOW
' 'i" Mayor
' ilI II ' IAN VANNESS
Director
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CITY OF RICHMOND
Department of Infrastructure and Development
50 NORTH FIFTH STREET - RICHMOND,IN 47374
PHONE (765)983-7217 - ivanness@richmondindiana.gov
October 12, 2022
Common Council
50 N 5th Street
Richmond, IN 47374
RE: Ordinance NO. 44-2022
Dear Council Member,
Ordinance No. 44-2022 is a zoning map amendment for three properties all addressed 3150 West National
Road(Parcel ID: 89-17-01-130-102.000-030, PT FRACT SEC 1-13-2 7.938A SUBJ TO 0.933A HWY R/W;
Parcel ID: 89-10-22-200-209.000-006, PT FRACT SEC 22-16-14 0.173A; Parcel ID: 891701130103000030,
PT FRACT SEC 1-13-2 0.435A EX PT FRACT 1-13-2 IRR PIECE 79 FT FRONT), requesting to rezone
the properties from General Commercial (GC)to Industrial Commercial (IC). The rezone would allow for
the petitioner and property owner, AMERCO Real Estate Company (AREC) who is a wholly owned real
estate subsidiary of U-Haul,to expand U-Haul's neighboring operation at 3150 West National Road(same
addressed as the three subject properties) onto the adjacent subject properties to the east. The rezone would
allow U-Haul to use and develop the properties for self-storage units and covered and uncovered RV parking
spaces, so long as one of the two "Next Steps"are successfully taken since "warehouse storage facility" is
not a listed permitted or special exception use. The petition's conceptual site plan shows a total of 16,400
square feet of self-storage units (144 units) and 48,960 square feet of RV parking spaces (94 covered spaces
and 8 uncovered spaces).
Notices of public hearing were sent to fifteen (15) adjacent property owners. No adjacent property owner
letters were returned to planning staff. The only citizen to speak during the ordinance's public hearing was a
U-Haul employee who currently manages their operation at the neighboring property and spoke to the future
management plans for the subject properties. No other members of the public spoke to the ordinance.
Planning staff recommended approval of the ordinance. Plan Commission voted 8-0 to recommend approval
of the ordinance to Richmond's Common Council.
The adjoining zoning district of IC (west) is considered Appropriate Adjacent Zoning Districts for IC,per the
UDO (Section 2.39), but the R2, R3, and GC districts (north, east, south) are not; however, the AG district is
considered appropriate and the adjacent land uses to the north and east are currently agricultural. The
commercial component of the IC zoning district is compatible with Richmond's Future Land Use Map
(Richmond Rising: Community Action Plan, p. 57), which identifies the property to be developed
commercially moving forward (p. 59). The proposed rezone aligns with several of the Grow: Richmond's
Built Environment's recommendations, like Primary Objective 4 that calls for promoting the, "reuse and
redevelopment of existing sites and structures," and Primary Objective 5 which advises to support,
"commercial development and redevelopment in established commercial districts" (p.42).
The IC district's commercial and institutional permitted uses should not negatively affect property values
throughout the area because similar uses already exist nearby. Some of the IC district's industrial permitted
uses like assembly, distribution facility, light manufacturing, and tool die shop could negatively affect
neighboring property values; however, U-Haul's neighboring property is already zoned IC and currently
permits these uses. Locating more intense commercial and industrial-related uses away from more densely
populated areas of the City is ideal. These properties abut the city-limit boundary on the west side of town.
The subject properties do not fall within any of the City of Richmond's TIF districts, economic revitalization
areas, opportunity zones, industrial parks, or zoning overlay districts. Allowing U-Haul to expand its current
operation onto the neighboring subject properties is considered responsible development and growth.
The project's Improvement Location Permit (ILP —Zoning Permit) will need to include, but is not limited to,
the following elements for planning staff s future review:
1. All setbacks
2. All utility easements' locations
3. Primary structure's height
4. Total lot coverage
5. Landscaping: Foundation Plantings
6. Landscaping: Yard Plantings
7. Landscaping: Parking Lot Perimeter Plantings
8. Landscaping: Buffer Yard Plantings
9. Parking lot boundaries
During the rezone of U-Haul's neighboring property (Ordinance 13-2020), the IC district was sought after
because of its "flex-space" industrial permitted use, which fit the primary structure's mixed uses of retail and
self-storage units. However, "warehouse storage facility", a.k.a. self-storage units, is not a permitted or
special exception use in the IC district; therefore, one of the following two next steps must be taken in order
for the subject properties to be used as self-storage units:
1) All four properties must be consolidated onto one parcel via the UDO's Administrative Subdivision
process (Section 9.16 (B) 2a) in order to extend U-Haul's existing legal nonconforming use of"warehouse
storage facility" onto the three subject properties before an Improvement Location Permit (ILP—Zoning
Permit) can be issued; or
2) A Variance of Use to allow warehouse storage facilities to be used on the property must be granted by
Richmond's Board of Zoning Appeals.
Respectfully,
i,/,/ /
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Ian Vanness
Interim City Planner
Director of Infrastructure & Development