Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Conditional Use Conversions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs several conditional-use conversions, including small multiunit rehabs and an RPP exception
Summary
The committee recommended favorable action on multiple zoning conditional-use bills that convert single-family properties to two units and approved a residential parking permit (RPP) exception on one Federal Hill property with an amended visitor-permit allocation.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted Thursday to recommend several conditional-use conversions that would allow single-family properties to be converted into two dwelling units and to grant a narrow parking-permit exception for one Federal Hill address.
Councilman Zach Blanchard’s bill to allow a conversion at 541 Lafayette Avenue (in Upton, near the Robert C. Marshall Recreation Center) received a favorable committee recommendation. Applicant Brandon Brown testified he bought the property “maybe a year ago in hopes to make it a 2 unit dwelling so I can rent the top out and live in the bottom.” Planning staff told the committee the Planning Commission had recommended favorably and that a prior parking variance was no longer required after changes in base zoning.
The committee also recommended favorable on Councilman Bullock’s bills to convert 1703 and 1709 Edmondson Avenue from single family to two units; the Planning Commission had approved those bills earlier. For a Federal Hill property at 15 East West Street, the committee considered a residential-parking-permit (RPP) exception that would limit the parcel to two vehicle permits per dwelling unit (total of four for the parcel) and address visitor permit management. The Parking Authority offered an amendment, explaining that management of a single shared visitor permit for two separate dwelling units would be impractical; the authority proposed that each of the two units be issued one visitor permit. The committee adopted the Parking Authority’s amendment, finding the operational change necessary, and moved the bill favorable with that amendment.
Agency staff — including the Law Department, Department of Planning and the Department of Housing and Community Development — reported favorable reviews or no objection for the conversion bills. Committee roll calls for the conversion bills were recorded as favorable and each bill was scheduled to be recommended to the full City Council at the next meeting.
Status: conversion bills and the RPP exception were reported favorable to the full council; the Parking Authority amendment to split visitor permits between units was adopted by the committee.
