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Planning commission approves land-use for auto service station east of Mapco along U.S. 31
Summary
The Spanish Fork Planning Commission approved a land-use application to allow an automobile and truck service station in B-3 zoning east of the Mapco site on U.S. Highway 31 after staff determined the proposal meets applicable ordinances; site-plan details including parking and drainage will be resolved at later review.
The Spanish Fork Planning Commission voted to approve a land-use application to allow an automobile and truck service station on a roughly 9.51-acre parcel east of the Mapco site along U.S. Highway 31. City planning staff recommended approval after reviewing the submission against the city zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan future land-use map.
Staff said the property is approximately 9.51 acres and that roughly one-third of the parcel is traversed by an Alabama Power transmission easement. Casey, a city planning staff member, told the commission that the site is currently zoned B-3 (general business) and that “the table of permitted uses and conditions found in section 6.4 of the city zoning ordinance does allow automobile and truck service station” when the use meets the ordinance’s special provisions. Casey also said the applicant does not intend to install fuel pumps on the site.
Why it matters: The land-use approval clears the path for the applicant to pursue a formal site-plan review, where technical requirements such as parking, setbacks, landscaping, drainage and access will be examined and conditions or variances may be requested. The property’s size and the Alabama Power easement limit some layout choices and were discussed by commissioners and staff during the meeting.
During discussion the applicant, identified in the record as David (applicant/owner), said the proposed service building footprint as drawn would accommodate eight service bays but that he would prefer 10 bays to have five bays on each side of the shop. He said increasing the building width by 20 feet would raise civil engineering costs and expand the paved area. “I really need 10 bays,” David said, adding that the larger footprint increases cost on the civil side.
Staff and commissioners explained the difference between approving a land use and approving a site plan. Casey told the applicant that parking counts, landscaping, drainage and other technical elements must be addressed in the site-plan submission and that a variance from the zoning ordinance can be considered only with justification, such as a hardship or inability to comply because a lot is substandard. Casey noted that because the parcel is not substandard and contains “a lot more land than you need,” it may be harder to establish a showing of hardship for a variance.
Commissioners also discussed property access and future subdivision possibilities near the Alabama Power easement; staff emphasized the need to preserve access points and avoid building placements that could “box” future subdivision or access. The commission did not approve a site plan at the meeting; members approved only the land-use request, which moves the proposal forward to the required site-plan review.
A motion to approve agenda item 250702, the land-use application for an automobile and truck service station in B-3 zoning, passed on a roll-call vote with the following recorded yes votes: Commissioner Gant; Commissioner Lemoine; Commissioner Vaughn; Commissioner Lindsey; Commissioner Smith; and Commissioner McMillan.
Next steps: The applicant must submit a full site-plan packet (engineer drawings, drainage calculations, landscaping plan and parking layout). Staff will review that submission and the commission will consider any variance requests or technical conditions during the site-plan approval process.
