Planning board recommends rezoning for Town Pump site at Jackrabbit Lane and Amsterdam Road

The Belgrade Planning Board voted to recommend that the City Council approve a zone map amendment for the property at the corner of Jackrabbit Lane and Amsterdam Road owned by Town Pump Belgrade 5 R E 2 LLC, changing the parcelfrom Flex Employment (FE) to the Commercial Corridor (CC) district.

The planning staff told the board that the site is about 9.78 acres and that retail gasoline and convenience retail are permitted uses under the current FE zoning. Bridal Stein, senior planner with the City of Belgrade, said staff is not recommending approval of the zone change and noted that the site was previously zoned M-1 before FE was adopted. "Staff doesn't necessarily agree with the change," Stein said, adding that the parcel can still be developed as a retail convenience gas station under FE but would be required to front a building toward the road under the city's design rules.

Applicants and their engineers urged the rezoning on design and safety grounds. Joe Murphy of Big Sky Civil and Environmental, who said his firm has designed multiple Town Pump sites in Montana, discussed site layout options and how code fronting requirements affect pump and parking placement. Dan Sampson, director of construction development for Town Pump, said the companyis pursuing the zone change to allow a layout they say improves separation of passenger vehicles and large commercial trucks. "Keeping the automotive and the pedestrian traffic that comes along with that automotive separated from the large trucks that can't see kids or even adults darting across the parking lot ... is huge for us," Sampson said.

City staff and applicants also told the board that Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) review is likely to require changes to the northern approach on Jackrabbit Lane; Stein said MDT "is most likely gonna request that the northern entrance ... is going to probably be required to be shut down" if the site is redeveloped. Staff emphasized that a conceptual site plan already on file would not meet current code either under FE or CC and that formal site-plan review would be required before building permits.

After questions from board members and public discussion, a member moved that the planning board recommend approval of the zone map amendment to the City Council; Nolan seconded. The chair called for the vote and the board recorded a vote in favor; the planning board recorded and said the motion passed and would be sent forward as a recommendation to City Council. Staff said the rezoning will appear at the city council's March meetings, with a first reading at the first March meeting and a public hearing at the second March meeting.

Why it matters: the change would align the propertyat a prominent Belgrade intersection with the commercial corridor zoning that fronts nearby medical and retail facilities, affecting allowable building placement, parking and access. As the project proceeds, MDT access requirements, formal site-plan review and council action are expected to shape the final layout and access points.

What happens next: the planning board's recommendation will go to the City Council for formal action in March; the board and staff urged applicants to bring an updated site plan showing alternatives that remove or modify the northern approach before the council hearing.

Votes at a glance: The planning board voted to recommend approval of the zone map amendment to the City Council; the board recorded the vote as passed at the planning-board meeting. The board's recorded tally (exact count) was not specified in the planning-board transcript.