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Council approves Live With Us LLC site plan and parking variance after heated debate over permanence
Summary
After extended debate on whether to use a special-use permit or a permanent variance, Lebanon City Council approved the site plan and parking variance for 108 East St. (Live With Us LLC), allowing the prospective buyer to proceed with purchase contingencies; council emphasized steps to preserve assigned easement parking.
Lebanon City Council voted May 12 to approve a site plan and associated parking variance for 108 East St., the renovated former Cedars property, after a lengthy discussion about whether parking rights should be permanent or tied to a special-use permit.
The council approved a motion to accept the plan and grant a variance that will preserve assigned easement parking and provide the prospective buyer assurances needed to close the purchase. A representative for the prospective buyer, who spoke in favor of approving the plan as a package so the sale would not lapse, told the council the buyer "needs it as a package deal" and warned that further delay would jeopardize the transaction's contingency timeline.
Planning staff told the council the property sits in the C2 historic district and that the recommended use is mixed retail in the front with apartments behind. Staff said parking had been negotiated previously and that an easement and seven on-site spots plus four alley spaces were intended to be dedicated to the property; nonetheless, commissioners and the applicant disagreed over the legal permanence of a special-use permit versus a variance.
Several councilmembers said the practical outcome was to approve the site plan now and resolve ordinance and variance language so parking remains with the property in perpetuity. Planning staff and the applicant discussed drafting ordinance language and paperwork so the right to the parking would not be lost if ownership changed. Council voted by roll call to approve the site plan and the parking variance to allow the buyer to move forward.
Why it matters: The decision preserves a major redevelopment opportunity in downtown Lebanon and attempts to lock in parking that city staff said is scarce in the historic commercial core. Council members noted the trade-off between strictly following the code and keeping the property in productive use.
What happens next: Staff will finalize the ordinance text and variance paperwork so the easement and parking allocations are reflected in the record. The planning commission and ordinance committee were asked to clarify mixed-use language in the C2 code to reduce future ambiguity.
Sources: Comments and debate during the May 12 Lebanon City Council meeting; planning staff recommendations and public statements by the applicant and councilmembers.
