SUBJECT: GENERAL BUSINESS
Title
PUBLIC HEARING: An Ordinance of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Erie Rezoning the property known as Erie Air Park from Airport (AP) to Planned Development (PD)
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DEPARTMENT: Planning and Development
PRESENTER: Chris LaRue, Senior Planner
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of this ordinance to rezone the property to PD - Planned Development.
End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
The 10.34 acres site is located within and platted as part of the larger Erie Airpark subdivision and is located north of both Highway 7 and Airport Drive. The property is legally described as “Lot 1 Erie Air Park Replat D”.
Site History and Prior Approvals
1. Annexation: The Erie Air Park lands were annexed into the Town of Erie in December of 1977.
2. Zoning: The subject parcel was zoned Airport (AP) in February of 1987.
3. Plat and Amendments:
• Site was platted in 1977 as Tract E of the Erie Air Park Master Subdivision.
• In 2019, Tract E was subdivided into Tract E-2 of the Erie Air Park Tract E Subdivision. The purpose of the previous subdivision was to convey portions of the property and recognize a previous illegally-subdivided tract.
• In November 2022, the site was platted as Lot 1 of the Erie Air Park Replat D.
Planned Development Zoning for Erie Air Park Site
The subject property is currently vacant. As outlined in Table 3-1: Table of Permitted Uses and as defined in Chapter 11 - Definitions in the Unified Development Code, certain uses are allowed within the Airport zoning district as Permitted Uses by Right. Other uses may be located in the Airport district by Special Review Use (SRU). In 2015, the applicant zoned the property to the east as a PUD identical to the PD proposed on the subject site. The eastern property has been developed in conformance with a Site Plan approved in 2016 that includes a combination of buildings composed of two-story office space in the front portion of each building and hangars in the rear. These office spaces and their adjacency to hangars provide for the accommodation of certain uses that are not currently allowed within the Airport District. The applicant has requested that certain Permitted Uses by Right and Special Review Uses be allowed on Lot 1 through this Planned Development application.
In addition to the Permitted Uses by Right within the underlying AP - Airport zone district, the applicant proposes adding the following uses to Lot 1 as Permitted by Right:
• Aviation Museum;
• Repair Shop;
• Contractor’s Shop, Interior Only;
• Industrial, Light;
• Light Equipment Sales, Service and Rental;
• Light Manufacturing, General.
In addition to the Special Review Uses within the underlying AP - Airport zone district, the applicant proposes adding the following uses to Lot 1 as Special Review Uses:
• Museum;
• Commercial Amusement, Indoor;
• Contractor’s Shop with Exterior Storage or Storage Yard;
• Mini-Warehouse/Self Storage.
The applicant believes that these uses, located within buildings to be proposed on a future site plan, are compatible with the Airport District, and the adjacent sites.
Planning Commission Recommendation
On Feb. 15, 2023, the Planning Commission unanimously (6,0) recommended the Board of Trustees approve the PD - Planned Development rezoning request.
Public comment received at Planning Commission addressed the following issues: concern over the potential increase in traffic along Airport Drive and on Highway 7; the need for adding a traffic light at the Airport Drive and Highway 7 intersection for safety; general safety of nearby residential uses; adding more commercial/industrial near residential; delivery trucks blocking the roadway; and taxiway impacts.
UPDATE FOR May 23, 2023 Board of Trustees:
This application has been updated to reflect wording, naming, and formatting changes proposed by the Town Attorney’s staff. To more accurately indicate the nature of the application and to improve consistency with UDC language, the name of the project has been updated to the Erie Air Park Planned Development - Development Plan (PD-DP). Additional legal language has been added to the PD-DP zoning document itself. Staff continued these changes throughout the packet including the resolution, staff report, and presentations.
No substantive changes have occurred in the nature of the zoning proposal itself, as permitted uses, dimensional standards, and architectural standards remain the same as previously proposed
Next Steps
A site plan application approval will be required before the subject site can be developed. The Site Plan application is pending zoning approval.
Board Priority(s) Addressed:
ü Attractive Community Amenities
ü Prosperous Economy
ü Well Maintained Transportation Infrastructure
ü Safe and Healthy Community
ü Fiscally Responsible
ATTACHMENTS:
1. BOT Ordinance No. 002-2023
2. PC Resolution P22-12
3. Staff Report
4. Proposed PD Zoning Map
5. Application & Narrative
6. Other Applicant Materials
7. Referral Comments
8. Neighborhood Meeting Information
9. Notifications
10. Applicant Presentation
11. Staff Presentation
12. Public Comments