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Planning commission recommends zoning text amendment limiting future humanitarian service facilities
Summary
The Winchester City Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of text amendment TA-25-47, which defines "humanitarian service facilities," limits where they may locate by conditional use permit and removes philanthropic/charitable institutions as a permitted use in certain downtown zoning districts.
The Winchester City Planning Commission on March 18 recommended that the City Council approve text amendment TA-25-47, a zoning ordinance change to define "humanitarian service facilities," set performance standards for them and restrict where they may be permitted.
The amendment would repeal "philanthropic and charitable institutions" as a permitted land use in portions of the city and allow the newly defined humanitarian service facilities only in specified commercial, medical and industrial districts by conditional use permit. Planning staff presented the amendment and maps showing the district changes to the commission at the public hearing.
City planning staff member Mr. Velasquez, who led the presentation, told commissioners the zoning text amendment has been through multiple drafts and that the commission removed the EIP district from potential locations for the use. "This is the text amendment that planning commission has been working on," Velasquez said, and he walked commissioners through a map that highlights the downtown area that would be excluded from future permitting for the use.
A planning commissioner noted that the map shows existing facilities in the downtown zone will remain in place but will not be permitted to expand in the future unless they meet nonconforming use clauses. "The removal that you were talking about from essentially downtown ... does not mean a removal of established humanitarian facilities," the chair said for clarification during the hearing.
Commissioner Bloom praised staff for incorporating suggestions and for clarifying the map: "I appreciate staff's responsiveness to our suggestion and I see what you did with the map ... existing facilities in this area are still going to exist," Bloom said.
After closing the public hearing with no speakers, the commission voted to recommend approval of TA-25-47 to City Council. The roll call in the meeting recorded affirmative votes by Commissioner Jimenez Torres, Commissioner Pfeiffer, Commissioner Bloom and Vice Chair Mayfield; the motion was recorded as passing.
The amendment moves to the City Council for final action. The planning commission's recommendation reflects changes made during work sessions, including removing the EIP district from permitted locations and specifying that the humanitarian service facilities will be permitted by conditional use permit in the B-2, CM-1, MC (Medical Center) and M-1 districts, according to staff presentation.
Announcements at the meeting also noted that the amendment before the commission is a later draft in a multi-step review process; the commission did not adopt any additional modifications during the hearing. The council will consider the commission's recommendation at a future meeting where final adoption would take place.
