Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Auburn council approves range of permits, contracts and right‑of‑way vacations; tattoo shop hours condition added
Summary
Council approved multiple conditional uses, contracts and property vacations on Dec. 16, including a contract with Bodine's Landscape Services for $89,445 for Veterans Memorial Park, a fiber expansion contract, several conditional‑use approvals, and alley vacations to private owners. The council added a 9 p.m. closing condition to a tattoo shop conditional use.
At its Dec. 16 meeting the Auburn City Council approved a package of development items, contracts and property vacations, plus a conditional‑use restriction for a proposed tattoo shop.
Key outcomes included:
• Veterans Memorial Park renovations: Council authorized a contract with Bodine's Landscape Services for $89,445 to carry out planned renovations and accepted council comments praising previous donated labor that reduced overall costs.
• Conditional‑use approvals (selected): Council approved a new conditional use for a tattoo shop at 178 N Donahue with an added operating‑hours condition requiring closure by 9:00 p.m. every day. The Council also approved conditional uses for a multi‑unit development at 726 Harper Ave and a unique accessory‑structure application at 732 Mercer Circle (applicant Leslie Edwards described the addition as a garage/home office). Council approved expansion of an industrial facility at 2410 West Tech Lane and a 10‑unit residential phase (Jutta Avenue Phase 2) at 538 Richland Road after staff and applicant clarifications.
• Economic development agreements and contracts: Council approved a commercial development agreement with Swanson Diamond Center (including façade improvements and a time‑phased rebate structure), authorized a fiber expansion contract with Thalmas LLC for $383,743.50, and approved a contract with Kimberly Horne Associates for a citywide traffic study (covered in a separate article).
• Right‑of‑way vacations: Council approved a series of quitclaim deeds and alley vacations on Duplex Court conveying portions of the public alley to Lovely Investments LLC and to Sweet Auburn Holdings LLC (formerly Wonder Twin Powers LLC) as separate, related transactions.
Public testimony included a resident (Leslie Edwards) who described why an accessory structure was needed to keep her family in their home; an engineer for Jutta Avenue Phase 2 clarified that recent on‑site work related to a previously approved commercial component and that the 10‑unit residential work had not yet begun. Business owner Krishna Sangani used the open forum to confirm a consent‑agenda item affecting his business had been approved.
Where the agenda included required public hearings, Council opened and closed the hearings before voting. Where Council added conditions (for example, the 9 p.m. closing for the tattoo shop), staff explained enforcement would start with warnings and could escalate to municipal court as a zoning violation if necessary.
All adopted items were voted by voice or unanimous consent as recorded in the meeting.
