Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Text Amendment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission recommends zoning text amendment to allow assisted living at 267 North Main Street
Summary
The Johnstown planning commission voted to recommend a change to Chapter 11.47 that would add assisted‑living and memory‑care as conditional uses so an owner can seek site approval for 267 North Main Street; staff said the amendment avoids a use‑variance process and preserves the commission's ability to attach conditions.
The Johnstown planning commission voted to recommend that city council amend Chapter 11.47 to add assisted‑living and memory‑care facilities as conditional uses, clearing the way for the owner of 267 North Main Street to seek a conditional‑use permit for a vacant assisted‑living property. Staff said the two‑step approach (code amendment to create the conditional‑use category, followed by a site‑specific conditional‑use application) is preferable to a use variance that the code does not permit.
"This is a request to amend the zoning code to allow this use as a conditional use such that if and when that is approved, this applicant presumably will come back to you and request approval of that conditional use with whatever conditions this board deems necessary," a city staffer said. (speaker 10)
Applicant attorney Rebecca Mott told commissioners the property previously had conditional‑use approvals and that the firm will file both a conditional‑use application and a variance application to address nonconformities on the site. Mott said the building will be remodeled to a residential character, with new landscaping and screening to limit impacts on adjacent properties.
Commission discussion focused on whether the amendment would amount to spot zoning if it applied to the entire UR‑1 district and on emergency services and other public‑facility impacts. One commissioner asked whether adding the use citywide could create more requests for similar properties; staff and the applicant said any future projects would still require a conditional‑use review and local conditions could be applied. Another commissioner raised EMS capacity as a conditional‑use criterion to be evaluated when the site‑specific application is submitted.
The commission formally moved and approved a recommendation to council to adopt the text change. The decision recommends that, if council approves the code amendment, any site application would still return to the commission for a full conditional‑use review and specific conditions as needed.
