Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission forwards 104 Cortland Street parking‑variance referral to ZBA, notes AA meeting use
Summary
Commission sent a referral to the Zoning Board of Appeals on a parking variance for conversion of an interior commercial garage at 104 Cortland Street, noting the site's AA meeting use can draw 10–20 people and should be considered by the ZBA when evaluating parking demand.
The Planning Commission voted July 8 to forward a recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals on a parking variance for 104 Cortland Street, a proposal that would convert an interior commercial garage into retail/office space and a residential dwelling. The commission's packet highlights an existing AA meeting use in the building that can produce periodic evening parking demand.
Staff and commissioners discussed how the AA meetings, which may occur up to three evenings per week and bring 10–20 attendees, should inform the ZBA's assessment of off‑street parking requirements. "The AA use of the space involves meetings, usually in the evening, perhaps three evenings a week," the chair said, noting that some meeting attendees travel from outside the neighborhood. Commissioners chose to forward the referral to the ZBA without a positive or negative recommendation and requested the ZBA consider assembly use and the parking chart included in the staff report.
The commission's referral will include staff's analysis of current vs. proposed parking requirements and a note that the draft ZBA language will be adjusted to address concerns about whether the hardship is self‑created given the mixed uses on site. The matter now moves to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a formal variance determination.
