Council amends zoning code, pauses gas‑station approvals on Tower Terrace and refers details back to Planning & Zoning

The Marion City Council on May 22 approved a package of zoning and development‑code amendments and set additional review steps for gas‑station siting on the Tower Terrace Road corridor.

The council voted in favor of amendments to Chapter 340 of the Marion Code of Ordinances covering definitions, district use and bulk regulations, architectural design standards, parking and landscaping screening, and certain specific‑use standards. Charlie Cowell, a planning consultant with RDG Planning & Design, presented the proposed code changes and said many edits implement the recently adopted comprehensive plan and address items raised during a moratorium review.

Key policy changes and council actions: - Definitions and use tables: The council approved new and revised definitions (including size tiers for grocery and retail and a defined “liquor, smoke and vape” retail category). City Attorney Cara proposed an amendment clarifying that an establishment “primarily engaged” in sale of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, vaping devices and related merchandise means those items constitute more than 50% of annual gross sales; council adopted that clarification.

- Tower Terrace Road and gas stations: Council members debated whether to limit gas stations by intersection classification or distance and whether to restrict pump canopy placement. Because of the complexity and neighborhood concerns, the council removed gas stations as a permitted use on Tower Terrace Road and formally referred the matter back to the Planning & Zoning Commission for detailed review and a recommendation. The council’s referral also contemplates revisiting pump counts, canopy dimensions and buffering requirements.

- Architectural, parking and landscaping standards: Council approved broader application of architectural design standards (extending coverage into additional districts) and updates to parking/loading and landscaping sections. The council debated a proposed amendment to trigger landscaping standards when any building permit is pulled in moratorium corridors; that amendment (which would have expanded triggers beyond large renovations) failed and the ordinance passed as originally drafted.

- Specific use standards: The council approved specific‑use rules for artists' live‑work spaces, car washes, drive‑throughs and pawn stores, and amended the specific‑use section to prohibit gas stations within 600 feet of the Tower Terrace right‑of‑way and to refer detailed pump/canopy standards back to Planning & Zoning.

Why this matters: the changes implement the comprehensive plan’s corridor vision and seek to manage incoming commercial uses, building appearance and buffering between commercial and residential areas. The Tower Terrace corridor drew concentrated debate because it is a primary entry corridor where council members want to balance commercial access with appearance and neighborhood impacts.

What council said: Councilmember Jensen asked for clarity on canopy sizes and maximum pump counts; planners said prior recommendations ranged (16 to 24 pumps) and that Planning & Zoning will use council direction and public feedback to set final standards. Councilmember Menser and others queried how quickly Planning & Zoning can act; staff said the referral can be made immediately but the timeline will depend on commission workload and the depth of analysis.

Next steps: Planning & Zoning will rework the gas‑station standards and return recommendations to council; staff said any final ordinance adjustments will be considered in subsequent readings. The council completed first/initial readings where required and took votes to send items through the ordinance process.