The City of Avondale Planning Commission on Oct. 15 voted 6-0 to recommend City Council approve zoning code text amendments for the Boulevard district intended to encourage retail, entertainment and service uses.

Josh Horton, lead senior planner, said the amendments add definitions to Section 28-15, revise the land-use matrix to remove conditional-use permit requirements in some cases, and allow grocery stores exceeding 36,000 square feet while reducing the number of required grocery components from four to two. The amendments also add lighting and sound-amplification standards for outdoor concert and commercial recreation uses and affect the Boulevard subdistricts called Gateway, Park Avenue, Village and Promenade.

The proposal would also change a parking-distance standard so on-street and off-street surface parking and parking structures can be counted toward a commercial use’s required parking at a greater distance. Horton said the required distance is being changed from 400 feet to approximately a quarter mile to give new projects flexibility to use public parking facilities such as the Boulevard parking garage. "As part of the public participation, all required notifications were completed and a post was made on Avondale Connect," Horton said; staff reported no public comments to date.

Commissioners asked how the change would affect Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) parking. One commissioner asked specifically about proximity for ADA spaces and whether counts could result in double-counting when multiple buildings draw from a shared garage. Staff answered that required ADA parking "would be still in the appropriate proximity to the use" and that counting public parking toward a project’s required parking reflects the boulevard’s urban form where patrons may park once and walk between destinations.

The commission opened and closed the public hearing with no public testimony and voted to recommend approval. Commissioner Jewell moved to recommend approval; the motion passed 6-0.