Council hears extensive objections and site‑specific revisions to proposed indoor self‑storage and luxury garage condo ordinance

City staff and applicant Nash Nielsen of Stack Real Estate presented a draft ordinance to allow indoor self‑storage and condominium‑style garage units as a conditional use in the Business‑Commercial zone, targeted at a specific site on 200 North (the former Purple Mattress property). The applicant emphasized reuse of the vacant industrial building, interior climate‑controlled storage and a smaller number of deeded "garage condos" for vehicle collectors. Planning Commission had recommended approval, and the applicant presented renderings and a parking/screening plan intended to address earlier neighbor concerns.

Councilors and many nearby residents pressed a long series of concerns: compatibility with the (near‑complete) Gateway Core Corridor small‑area plan and Alpine’s transition zoning, the building’s bulk and massing along 200 North, long blank walls facing neighborhoods, potential for rental of units and U‑Haul truck staging, parking and loading impacts, light and security concerns, and whether code changes to permit this use should be crafted only for this site. Resident Andrew Young summarized neighborhood pushback: "This is not a transitional or light‑intensity use…we're creating a plan and we shouldn't let a single proposal dictate it." The applicant said the proposed code includes multiple constraints (size limits, setbacks, no direct Main Street access, no overnight accommodations, no commercial vehicle repair, abundance of landscaping/screening) intended to limit future proliferation. Council took the item as discussion and requested clean ordinance text, more detailed buffers and proof that curb and parking arrangements with Burgess Orchards and nearby businesses will work before considering a legislative text amendment vote.