Planning commission approves removal of Lots 5 and 6 from Tract 2257 parking-in-common to allow vehicle display and sales

The Lake Havasu City Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 on Nov. 28 to amend the parking-in-common master plan for Tract 2257 Block 10, removing Lots 5 and 6 to allow display and sales of vehicles in the C-SGD (Commercial Southgate) district.

The change, requested by the property owner and presented by city staff, removes Lots 5 and 6 from the master plan and requires the applicant to provide all required on-site parking for the proposed vehicle-sales use. City staff said the use requires five customer parking spaces, including one accessible (ADA) space, and that the applicant proposes to retain the existing building and use the former drive-through/parking area for vehicle display and sales.

City staff presented the request and showed the site east of Oro Grande and south of Maricopa Avenue, noting an existing building where a drive-through coffee operation previously operated. Luke Morris, city staff, said the approved parking-in-common allowance that had applied when the drive-through was operating no longer covered new uses, and that a new amendment was required for the proposed change. Morris said the applicant proposes to provide the five customer spaces on-site and use adjacent area for vehicle display while relying on existing site driveways for customer access.

Commission discussion focused on how the Southgate block has developed piecemeal and on whether the parking-in-common arrangement can function as originally intended. Michael Gordon, commissioner, said the block—s partial, staggered redevelopment and small lot sizes make a continuous shared-parking system impractical without a comprehensive redevelopment. Gordon moved to approve the amendment; Chad Nelson, commissioner, seconded the motion. The commission chair called the vote, and the motion passed 7-0.

Staff recommended approval, finding the amendment would have a minimal impact on the overall adopted parking-in-common plan for Block 10, Tract 2257. No applicant representative spoke before the public-hearing portion closed, and no members of the public addressed the commission on this item.

The decision permits vehicle display and sales on the two lots removed from the parking-in-common plan, subject to the condition that the applicant provide required on-site parking (five customer spaces, including one ADA space) as presented to staff. The commission recorded no individual roll-call votes in the transcript beyond the 7-0 tally.

The commission also noted the Dairy Queen parcel and one corner lot nearby previously had separate parking arrangements; staff said most other lots in the block remain part of the parking-in-common master plan and have not requested similar exceptions.