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Council adopts city-initiated Title 17 zoning amendments after public hearing; car-wash rules revised
Summary
The council approved a package of amendments to Title 17 (zoning) that change use allowances, parking and dimensional standards, and add development standards for car washes and multifamily uses in downtown zones; the council removed earlier proposals for a market study and spacing requirement between car washes.
The Pocatello City Council voted to adopt a set of city-initiated amendments to Title 17 of the municipal code governing zoning, following a public hearing and staff presentation. The motion to approve the new Title 17 regulations was made by Council Member Paulson, seconded by Council Member Mangum, and approved by roll call.
Jim Anglesey, the city's long-range planner, outlined the proposed changes, which include: removing self-service storage as a permitted use in certain commercial and office-professional zones while retaining it in light-industrial and industrial zones; clarifying car-wash allowances so they are conditionally permitted in commercial general (CG) subject to design standards and not permitted in the RCP zoning district; adjusting minimum lot sizes in residential zones; allowing parking reductions in the original town site overlay to encourage walkability; permitting multifamily and townhome residential uses within the downtown development area subject to standards; and streamlining parking standards for single-family and duplexes to align with multifamily standards.
Angelesy (Angelesey) said the proposed car-wash standards would require site layout and design choices that minimize noise (for example, tunnel orientations and vacuum station placement) and orient vehicle flow so exits lead to the street. Council members pressed staff on two items discussed earlier in a work session: a proposed market-analysis requirement for new car washes and a spacing (distance) requirement between car washes. Planning staff and the city attorney advised the council those two items — the market study and an intra-car-wash spacing requirement — were removed because the city does not impose similar market or spacing studies on other business types and treating car washes differently could be legally problematic.
Council President Loehrke, Council Member Mangum and others expressed a preference for a spacing requirement but accepted staff and legal advice. Council Member Paulson said he supported moving the amendments forward. The council approved the ordinance changes as presented, which staff said met all required notice provisions.
