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Planning and Zoning Commission backs rezoning of 23959 580th Avenue to general industrial with master plan
Summary
The Ames City Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend that City Council rezone 23959 580th Avenue from II (intensive industrial) to GI (general industrial) with an attached master plan intended to broaden allowable uses while limiting incompatible activities and guiding site improvements.
The Ames City Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the City Council approve rezoning of 23959 580th Avenue from II (intensive industrial) to GI (general industrial) with an attached master plan.
City staff described the site as “a rezoning of the former Carmoly site,” annexed in 2021 and previously zoned II, and said the master plan would broaden allowable uses while restricting incompatible activities such as schools, daycares, salvage and towing. Staff said the master plan would also cap retail and sports-practice uses at 40% and require special use permits for sports facilities larger than 3,000 square feet.
The master plan, staff said, recognizes existing nonconforming gravel parking on site and requires that any new parking meet city standards. Staff argued the GI zoning plus the master plan would better meet Plan 2040 expectations for higher-quality industrial sites at a gateway to the community and recommended approval.
Commission discussion focused on compatibility and safety where multiple uses share a multi-tenant building. Commissioners asked whether the proposed mixture of industrial, storage and small assembly or recreation uses could create conflicts on a single property. In response, staff and a commission member noted that building and fire codes, sprinkler systems and special use permit thresholds are primary tools for managing safety. As one commissioner put it during deliberations, an accidental hazardous-material release is a risk the city cannot fully prevent on any GI site, which led the commission to emphasize code- and site-plan-based mitigations rather than additional use prohibitions.
Jason, the applicant’s representative, attended and said he was present to answer questions; he did not propose alternative conditions beyond the master plan package presented by staff.
A motion to recommend Alternative 1 — to rezone 23959 580th Avenue from II to GI with the attached master plan — carried by voice vote.
The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for final action.
