Planning commission approves removing two lots from Tract 2257 parking-in-common to allow vehicle display and sales

The Lake Havasu City Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday approved an amendment to the parking-in-common master plan for Tract 2257 Block 10 to remove Lots 5 and 6 and allow vehicle display and sales in the C‑SGD (Commercial Southgate District).

City planning staff presented the proposal for property on Maricopa Avenue between Oro Grande and Arapahoe Drive and said the applicant intends to provide all required customer parking on-site and use the adjacent former shared-parking area for vehicle display. "What they're saying in this case is that we want to be removed from the parking in common, we'll provide all our own parking, we want to use that parking in common area for vehicle sales," said Luke Morris, city planning staff.

The commission's approval follows staff's finding that the amendment would have a minimal impact on the adopted parking-in-common plan for the block and a recommendation from the development review committee to approve Land Use Action 18‑1834. Commissioner Michael Gordon moved to approve the amendment; Commissioner Chad Nelson seconded. The motion passed 7-0.

Commissioners discussed the history and function of the Southgate parking-in-common arrangement, noting that the plan was created to help very small lots meet parking requirements. Several commissioners said the block has developed piecemeal over time, creating grade differences and fences that limit cross-site circulation and make the shared-parking arrangement difficult to operate as originally intended. One commissioner described the block as unlikely to function as contiguous parking-in-common without a coordinated redevelopment of multiple lots.

Staff showed the site plan and explained that the proposed use requires five customer parking spaces (including one ADA space); the applicant's plan shows those spaces on-site plus additional spaces intended for vehicle display. Staff also noted a past modification for a drive-through on the block (the Dairy Queen) but said the Dairy Queen's change did not abandon the overall parking-in-common plan.

No members of the public spoke on the item. With the commission vote, the amendment as recommended by staff was approved and the removal of Lots 5 and 6 from the parking-in-common master plan for Tract 2257 Block 10 was authorized. The commission did not place additional conditions on the approval during the meeting.

The commission's action applies to the specific lots and the site plan presented; any future changes to adjacent properties or a coordinated redevelopment would require separate applications or amendments.