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Committee advances emergency moratorium on new gas-station permits through May 30
Summary
The Community and Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to advance emergency legislation recommending a moratorium through May 30 on accepting new zoning applications and issuing permits for automobile fuel dispensing stations and automobile service stations while the city updates its Unified Development Code.
Lynn Snee, a member of the Community and Economic Development Committee, said the committee met Monday evening to consider recommending a temporary moratorium to the council on new zoning applications and permits for automobile fuel dispensing stations and automobile service stations.
Mister Davis, who introduced the proposal to the committee, said the moratorium would pause acceptance of new permit applications until about May 30 to allow staff to revise the city’s Unified Development Code (UDC) and align permit standards with the newly adopted future land-use map. "We have 20, approximately 20 gas stations here in the community of about 26,000 people," Davis said, citing the local concentration of existing fueling sites as a reason to review code provisions.
Davis told the committee the current code defines "automobile service stations" (gas stations that perform mechanical work) but does not explicitly define "automobile fuel dispensing stations," and that the moratorium would give staff time to clarify definitions, address siting and operational standards such as lighting and noise, and incorporate recommendations from American StructurePoint, which helped draft the UDC. "Any facility that sells gas, it would, yes," Davis said when asked whether the moratorium would cover sites that also sell retail items such as hemp products.
The moratorium, as described, would not affect existing businesses and would not prohibit service/repair shops that do not dispense fuel. When asked whether there are any pending permit applications, Davis said there are none at this time.
An unnamed committee member moved to advance emergency legislation to enact the moratorium; Snee agreed, and the committee indicated unanimous support to move forward with emergency action recommending the moratorium to council. The motion as recorded in committee minutes was "move forward with emergency." The committee adjourned with no other business recorded.
Next steps: the committee advanced the emergency recommendation to the full council; the transcript indicates staff expect the UDC to come before the planning commission and council soon, with the moratorium intended to remain in effect through May 30 while code changes are completed.
