Coughlins and staff discuss planned development and rezoning to allow house and shop at Oak Ridge Nursery

Property owners Robin and Mike Coughlin and their son, Damon, told the Planning & Zoning Commission that they wish to build a new owner‑occupied residence with an attached larger shop (often called a “shouse”) on land currently used as Oak Ridge Nursery and zoned General Business. The family has submitted a revised plat but cannot obtain a building permit because existing temporary greenhouse structures cross proposed lot lines and trigger nonconformity and setback issues.

Staff told the commission the planning department had reviewed the situation and recommended either a plan development (PD) tailored to the site or a rezone to Light Industrial (LI) as possible approaches. Staff explained constraints under current code: dwellings are not a principal permitted use on a separate lot within General Business, detached accessory buildings are limited in sidewall height (typical limit cited at 10 feet), and the city will not approve a plat that creates new nonconformities. Staff said a PD would be written so the site’s mix of nursery buildings, accessory structures, and a future owner‑occupied dwelling could be permitted together.

Owners described the greenhouses as temporary hoop houses with gravel floors that will be removed when nursery operations are relocated; they requested the ability to start footings and framing for the new building before all greenhouses are removed. Staff said the timing is the primary constraint: a PD or rezone generally takes about 60–90 days (staff estimated the fastest public‑notice schedule could allow an ordinance effect in about six to eight weeks if filings and notices were completed immediately). Staff suggested a practical interim solution: shifting the proposed house site slightly to gain the 10‑foot separation from existing greenhouses so construction could proceed without creating a new nonconformity, with the option to replat after the greenhouses are removed.

Commissioners and staff discussed alternatives: (1) move the house site south by about five feet (the owner said that is possible but prefers the current layout), (2) pursue a PD so the city can write site‑specific rules allowing multiple accessory buildings and the house as a principal use tied to the nursery business, or (3) rezone to Light Industrial (LI) to gain more flexibility for accessory structures and future business uses. The commission also noted the tradeoffs of rezoning near schools and that some LI uses require conditional use permits (CUPs). Staff and the owners agreed to continue working on a PD or rezone; no formal decision or vote was taken at this meeting.

Staff also clarified technical points raised by the owners and their consultant Aaron Norman (Norman Engineering): separate utilities are being planned (separate water and septic where city service is not available), the existing house is nonconforming by use but meets setbacks, and the city allows new septic where municipal service cannot be provided. The commission directed staff to help the applicants draft either a PD ordinance or rezone language and noted that the owners could proceed with replatting and concurrent PD/rezone filings to shorten the timeline if they so choose.