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Board denies permanent variance for recycled-asphalt parking at Crossroads Community Church of the Nazarene
Summary
The Waterloo Board of Adjustment unanimously denied a request to make a recycled-asphalt parking lot permanent at Crossroads Community Church of the Nazarene, 3622 Hammond Ave., and approved a one-year temporary variance recommendation from staff was considered but ultimately the permanent request was denied.
The Waterloo Board of Adjustment on March 25 denied a request from Crossroads Community Church of the Nazarene to permanently allow a recycled-asphalt parking surface at 3622 Hammond Avenue.
Planning staff told the board the property is zoned R2 (one- and two-family residence district) and that the zoning ordinance requires vehicular use areas to be hard surfaced. The church previously received a three-year temporary variance in August 2012 to allow recycled asphalt; that temporary variance expired in August 2015, and the lot remains in recycled-asphalt surface condition.
Staff recommended denial of a permanent variance because the temporary approval expired about a decade ago and because the church can either hard-surface the lot or remove the surface and restore grass if the parking area is not required to meet minimum parking counts. Staff recommended, as an alternative, a one-year temporary variance to give the applicant time to secure funds and plans to hard-surface the lot; board members voiced concern that the church has not shown progress in the decade since the original temporary approval.
Council members and staff discussed enforcement steps if the permanent variance were denied. Staff said the city would issue notice to pave or remove the surface and allow a reasonable remediation period (typically 60–90 days) before citation procedures would begin. City Engineer Jamie Knutson explained that recycled asphalt behaves like a compacted gravel base and eventually requires periodic replenishment; it is not equivalent to new asphalt or concrete.
Board members emphasized the applicant’s absence from the hearing and whether the church had made progress toward funding the required surfacing. A motion to deny the permanent variance carried unanimously.
The board did not adopt a one-year extension in place of denial; staff will issue compliance notices if the church does not respond and can consider temporary relief in a future hearing if the applicant presents a plan and a timeline.
