Bandon planning commission approves auditorium at historical society with conditions

The City of Bandon Planning Commission voted to approve a conditional use permit and plan review for a new auditorium at the Bandon Historical Society, 270 Fillmore Ave SE, adopting staff findings and modifying recommended conditions.

At the public hearing, the applicant's representative, Robin Miller III, described donor Don Lynam’s directive that the auditorium be completed and usable within five years of his death and said the project team generally agreed with staff conditions while requesting some rewording of the parking requirement. "He wanted it to be an auditorium," Miller said of the donor's intent, adding that the project team preferred flexibility on how to address parking coordination with the existing museum.

Planning staff read findings into the record before the vote, noting that the plan shows 29 parking spaces — exceeding the 25 spaces required for the auditorium — and reporting that the applicant agreed to use a 16-foot base flood elevation and to elevate the structure one foot above that BFE. "The applicant has agreed to use the 16 feet as their base flood elevation and will elevate the structure one foot above base flood elevation," staff stated during the meeting.

The motion the commission approved struck staff condition No. 7 (the original parking condition), added a requirement that the applicant provide a five-foot site-obscuring fence along the south property line, and modified the maintenance condition to include the parking lot. Commissioners approved the motion on a roll call vote (five yes votes) and adopted the procedural staff report dated 02/27/2025 as the findings.

The approval is subject to those conditions; staff said zoning-compliance materials (including a final grading plan and an updated elevation certificate) must be submitted as part of the next step in permitting. The commission closed the hearing and moved to deliberation before making its decision.