Powell council tables parking/zoning ordinance after lengthy public hearing on remodeled event space

At a Powell City Council meeting, councilmembers voted to table an ordinance change about parking and zoning after a lengthy public hearing in which property owners and nearby residents disagreed over whether a remodeled event space must add parking to meet current code.

The dispute centers on an older building that owners say operated as a bar and event space dating to the 1990s and was most recently remodeled; owners and their representatives told the council the building’s footprint has not increased while planning staff and the board of adjustment applied current parking calculations based on the present permitted use.

Property owner (unidentified) said the building “existed since 1996” and that the redevelopment did not change the amount of usable parking on the lot: “It was dirt on one side and it was old asphalt on the other side. So that would count for about 20 parking spaces, and that's what we have right now.” The owner described confusion over earlier building permits and variance paperwork, saying the state-approved plans submitted to the city used the word “event” for the space.

Tony Daniel, a neighbor who identified himself during public comment, told the council children cross the nearby streets from three schools and said moving the building corner closer to the intersection would “make it even more dangerous.” Darren Wood, another resident, criticized a proposal to rezone a church property as commercial and said it felt like “a loophole” that allowed a noncommercial use to gain commercial setbacks.

Council members and staff discussed how the code treats gross floor area and occupancy for restaurants and lounges, with one council member noting that parking requirements are triggered by gross floor area and occupancy type. Councilman Bridal (first reference by role) observed the ordinance is currently written to tie parking to gross floor area and suggested planning and zoning should consider language that would preserve parking counts when square footage and primary use do not change.

Planning and zoning staff (Ben and Tiffany, staff members identified in the discussion) confirmed parts of the permit and variance history were inconsistent on whether the space was identified as “storage” or “event” on earlier filings. Councilmembers directed staff to develop ordinance language for consideration by planning and zoning that would address remodels where square footage and primary use remain effectively the same, rather than forcing an immediate increase in required parking when owners remodel.

After remarks from multiple residents and owners, a motion to table the ordinance passed. Councilmembers agreed to ask planning and zoning to draft possible revisions; the council also agreed to invite representatives of the Catholic church (whose rezoning request was discussed separately during the hearing) to the next meeting. Staff indicated planning and zoning would need to hold a public hearing if an ordinance change to Title 17 were proposed.

The council set the next meeting date for June 2 and asked staff to return with suggested ordinance language and any legal review needed.