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Council approves variances, conditional use for Parker's Kitchen service station after tie-breaking mayoral vote
Summary
The Richmond Hill Council approved two variances and a conditional use permit for a Parker's Kitchen vehicle service station at U.S. Hwy 17 and Belfast Keller Road; one variance resulted in a tie that Mayor Kristi Cox broke in favor of the applicant.
The Richmond Hill Mayor and Council voted April 7 to approve two variances and a related conditional use allowing a Parker's Kitchen vehicle service station at the corner of U.S. Hwy 17 and Belfast Keller Road.
Director Brian Crooks described two variance requests connected to the project on a 3.73-acre portion of parcel 055-060. The first sought relief from the 2025 Belfast PUD’s 500-foot separation requirement between fuel pumps/storage tanks and residential uses; staff recommended denial, while the Planning Commission recommended approval. Applicant Daniel Ben Israel, Real Estate Development Manager for Parker's Kitchen, told the Council the layout necessitated the variance because the site could not meet the separation requirement in any orientation. Bryan Mann spoke in opposition during the public hearing.
Councilmember Hatala moved to approve the separation variance; the motion passed with Councilmembers Hatala, Scholar and Hunter explicitly recorded as voting in the affirmative. The transcript records that the motion carried in the affirmative by those three members.
The second variance concerned the Gateway Overlay District requirement that building facades face the primary roadway and that pumps be located to the rear or side. Staff opposed the waiver because the overlay requirement was adopted recently and denial would avoid setting a precedent; the Planning Commission recommended approval. The Council’s initial vote on the overlay variance produced a tie, and Mayor Kristi Cox cast the deciding vote in favor of the applicant. At the same meeting, with the variances in place, the Council approved the conditional use permit for the vehicle service station; the Council also directed that the Gateway Overlay orientation requirement be discussed at the next workshop.
The approvals reflect a split between staff caution about precedent and the Planning Commission and Council’s willingness to allow the site-specific layout for vehicular access and circulation. Public opposition during the hearings was recorded but did not change the Council’s decision.
The Council did not specify further conditions in the transcript beyond the requirement that the variances be approved or their standards otherwise met for the conditional use to proceed.
