Planning board recommends approval for Mint Landscaping rezoning with conditions tied to future road extension
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Summary
The board recommended approval of a conditional rezoning so Mint Landscaping can continue operating on a currently split-zoned parcel, with conditions requiring buffers, temporary use until a future Siegel Street extension, and compensation procedures tied to the right-of-way.
The Planning Board recommended approval of petition R25-03 to rezone roughly 3 acres for Mint Landscaping, allowing a commercial landscaping operation to be formally established on a parcel currently zoned General Residential (GR). Staff said the parcel contains a single-family house and an existing landscaping business; the proposal separates the lot into GR for the home and a Special Purpose Conditional District for the landscaping use so the business conforms to zoning.
Staff and the applicant told the board that the site sits along an access easement that is shown on long-range plans as the future Siegel Street right-of-way, and the applicant agreed the landscaping business would cease operations on that portion of the parcel when the street extension is constructed and the town acquires the right-of-way. Staff recommended adding a 30-foot southern buffer along the frontage; the applicant agreed to the buffer and to other conditions intended to reduce impacts on nearby residences.
Planning staff noted the request supports the town 2040 Community Plan policy that allows small-scale, neighborhood-serving commercial uses in the town core and that the zoning change will bring an existing business into compliance. The applicant will add additional landscape buffering and formalize the site layout, including allowances for unpaved parking/storage areas that better match the business’s operational needs.
Board members discussed timing and compensation: the street extension is on the town’s long-term map but does not currently appear in the Capital Improvements Program; staff said timing could be many years or more and that the town would compensate property owners for right-of-way if and when the road is built. The board approved the rezoning with conditions that require the buffer modifications and stipulate that the operation may continue only until the Siegel Street extension requires the land for public use.