Collegedale zoning board grants parking variance for proposed Christian Brothers auto shop

The Collegedale Board of Zoning Appeals voted to approve a variance reducing off-street parking requirements for a proposed Christian Brothers Automotive repair facility at 8713 Absinthe Pike.

Jason Allen, staff planner for the City of Collegedale, told the board the applicant requested relief from City of Collegedale zoning ordinance Chapter 6, Section 6.01. The code requires one parking space per 150 square feet for the proposed 55,560-square-foot automotive shop, which would normally require 38 spaces; the applicant asked to provide 30 spaces, or about one per 186 square feet.

The variance request, Allen said, rests on the site’s steep topography. ‘‘Much of the property consists of sloped terrain, limiting the amount of flat, buildable land available for parking after the construction of a needed retaining wall,’’ Allen said. He reported staff found the hardship is inherent to the land and would apply regardless of ownership and that granting the variance would not impair the purpose of the zoning ordinance.

Noah Chapman, the applicant representative with Gaskins Lacroix Engineering, described the proposal as a 10-bay Christian Brothers service facility and said the site’s slope would force construction of a significant retaining wall to add the eight spaces the ordinance would otherwise require. ‘‘We were gonna need an 8-foot retaining wall along that northern property line,’’ Chapman said, adding the applicant prefers minimizing wall height because of adjacent future residential lots and safety concerns.

Members of the public raised questions about operational details and infrastructure. Drew Underwood, who said he operates a 10-bay service station nearby, urged denial, calling 30 spaces insufficient for a 10-bay shop. Neighbor Laura House and others said they had broader concerns about the larger development on the parcel, including utilities and lighting, but staff and the applicant limited their responses to parking and site specifics during the BZA hearing.

Chapman said wreckers would not be parked on site as an ongoing operation; wreckers would only deliver vehicles for repair and not remain stored on the property. He also told the board that Christian Brothers’ minimum operational parking at other locations is 30 spaces and that construction would not begin before required utilities are installed by the overall developer.

After questions from board members about ADA-accessible parking locations and on-street parking restrictions, a motion to approve the variance carried on a roll call vote (Member Lehman: yes; Member Moody: yes; Chairwoman Gray: yes). The board’s action grants the variance for reduced parking for the proposed 55,560-square-foot automotive shop at 8713 Absinthe Pike.

The city staff file and the BZA agenda identify the ordinance cited and the property address; the applicant must still satisfy site-plan, grading and permitting requirements before building permits are issued.