Planning commission approves rezoning at 1767 S. 15th Ave to office-warehouse; parcel currently nonconforming mini-storage

The Ozark City Planning & Zoning Commission on Jan. 27 approved Zoning Amendment 24-0016 to rezone a 0.84-acre parcel at 1767 South 15th Avenue from C-2 General Commercial to O-W (office-warehouse).

City planner Cameron described the parcel as a currently developed, legal nonconforming site with a mini-storage facility and said the requested O-W zoning is "an appropriate alternative" to the future land-use designation of industrial because office-warehouse is a less intensive use than industrial. Cameron said the parcel "can be serviced by City water and sewer" and that any redevelopment would require a stormwater hydrology report and a traffic-impact review as part of normal permitting.

An applicant representative, who also identified himself as Cameron and gave a Springfield, Missouri address, told the commission the previous application had intended to include two adjacent properties and that the current application was a cleanup to put the parcel into a zoning category that would allow future redevelopment without remaining a nonconforming use. "We're really just here to kinda clean up the zone for the property," the applicant said.

During public comment, Jamie Metfall of East Warren Avenue asked whether the existing buildings conform to current setback requirements and whether the lots would need to be combined. Cameron (staff) replied that the existing buildings likely do not meet today's setback requirements and that the current situation is a legal nonconforming condition; he said combining lots was not required now and that full redevelopment after demolition (for example because of fire or tornado) would have to meet current setback and landscaping standards. He added that certain landscape-buffer triggers in the city's ordinance would apply if redevelopment occurred.

Based on staff recommendation and findings that surrounding zoning and uses support the requested classification, a commissioner moved to approve the rezoning and the commission voted by roll call to adopt Zoning Amendment 24-0016. The commission's recorded votes at the meeting were all in favor.

Staff noted no neighbors attended the required neighborhood meeting for the application and that no written objections were recorded. The rezoning mirrors recent nearby approvals that brought other nonconforming parcels into compliance and aligns with the city's comprehensive-plan goals cited in staff findings: encourage compact, contiguous infill and ensure compatibility with adjacent uses.

Cameron told the commission there are no identified environmental features on the site and that any new construction would be subject to standard permitting requirements including stormwater and traffic review. The commission did not attach additional conditions to the approval at the meeting.