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Planning commission recommends reduced-parking special use permit for Winchester Equipment with street-tree condition
Summary
The commission voted unanimously to recommend that City Council approve a special use permit allowing Winchester Equipment Company to reduce required parking at 160 Carpenter Lane, with a condition to plant and maintain street trees along the public right-of-way per the zoning code.
The Harrisonburg Planning Commission on May 14 voted unanimously to recommend City Council approve a special use permit for Winchester Equipment Company to reduce required parking at 160 Carpenter Lane, provided the applicant plants and maintains trees in the landscape border adjacent to the public street right-of-way in accordance with the zoning ordinance.
Why it matters: The applicant’s property is in a recently rezoned M-1 (industrial) area and staff said the zoning code allows a reduction in required parking provided open space is reserved for future parking. Staff recommended that the parking relief be conditioned on installing street trees to offset reduced landscape requirements and to protect nearby Black’s Run.
Staff presentation and applicant remarks A staff presenter explained that the property is designated general industrial in the city’s future land-use map, and that the zoning ordinance permits reductions in required parking if equivalent open space is reserved for future parking should the city later deem it necessary. Staff recommended that the special use permit require planting and maintaining trees within landscape borders adjacent to the public street right-of-way under Section 10-3-30.14 of the zoning code.
The applicant’s representative told the commission the project will disturb minimal soil, will keep a mature walnut tree along the street, will use gravel for the service-bay turn area and concrete pads at service doors, and will upsize a utility meter as part of the work; he said the planting of the walnut and new street trees is supported by the owner.
Commission action and next steps A motion to recommend approval with the staff-proposed condition passed and roll call votes were recorded as unanimous in favor. The commission’s favorable recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for consideration on June 10.
Ending If City Council agrees, the applicant will receive permission to reduce parking required by the zoning district so long as the reserved open space and the required street-tree plantings are documented and installed per the condition.
