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Planning panel recommends rezoning for tire shop at East 14th; staff seeks site‑plan review and DOT sign‑off
Summary
The commission recommended rezoning two parcels at 3214 East 14th Street to allow a tire shop reuse, subject to site‑plan review and potential Iowa DOT permits for any new East 14th drive approach. Commissioners debated parking math and whether requiring a site plan as a zoning condition is equitable after recent rule changes.
The Des Moines Planning and Zoning Commission on Dec. 18 voted to recommend approval of a rezoning at 3214 East 14th Street to allow a tire shop use in an MX3 district, subject to a site plan requirement and applicable supplemental use regulations.
Bert Gross, planning staff, said the proposal is to reuse an existing storage building for a tire shop and that MX3 is an appropriate highway‑oriented commercial zoning for a site on East 14th, which staff characterized as a state highway. "We feel it's appropriate for highway oriented commercial such as a tire shop," Gross said, and added that the Iowa Department of Transportation would need to weigh in on any new drive approaches along East 14th.
Staff recommended approval with a condition that the property be brought into conformance through site‑plan review to address drive approaches, parking layout, landscaping and screening. Gross said the MX3 auto repair use is allowed only if it meets six supplemental use regulations set out in the staff report.
Commissioners probed parking and enforcement specifics. Planning staff explained that the tire‑shop parking requirement is calculated at one space per 600 square feet of building area and that if a food truck were to operate on the adjacent lot the truck would require three additional spaces. Commissioners also discussed an operational limit noted in the staff write‑up that allows no more than three vehicles per bay stored outside while awaiting repair and that vehicles must not occupy required parking spaces for more than 72 hours.
An applicant representative who identified himself as Jacobo said the owner plans to update landscaping, signage and the parking layout and estimates about 25 parking spaces across the two lots. "He's already planning on doing a site plan," the representative said, and added the owner prefers a tire shop to current taco‑truck activity on the adjacent lot.
Carol Maher, again speaking as a resident and bike advocate, urged the commission to discourage curb cuts on East 14th and said sidewalks in the area need repair and narrowing curbs removed to make pedestrian access safer. Staff and commissioners confirmed that any new curb cut on East 14th would require an Iowa DOT permit.
Commissioners debated whether adding a site‑plan requirement as a rezoning condition was equitable in light of recent changes that reduced mandatory site‑plan triggers; one commissioner expressed concern that imposing a site plan now could disadvantage this applicant compared with others. Staff said the recommendation for a site plan is to ensure the supplemental use regulations and site organization (parking, screening, landscaping) are met.
An unidentified commissioner moved to approve staff's recommendation; the motion passed by voice/hand vote. The commission forwarded its recommendation to the City Council. Any new access from East 14th would require Iowa DOT approval and the applicant will proceed with site‑plan submittal and compliance with the supplemental use regulations before final permitting.
