HomeMy WebLinkAbout746-OB
DATE: April 20, 2009
TO: Planning Commission and City Council
FROM: Stephen C. Richardson, Planning Manager
SUBJECT: Consider a request for an amendment to Chapter 30, Zoning
Ordinance, Section 30-24B, Permitted Use Table, CBD (Central
Business District) to allow some uses by right and some uses with
a specific use permit
FILE: 746-OB
STAFF REPORT
The Planning Manager recommends approval.
During the rezoning of property west of the current Central Business
District to CBD (Central Business District), property owners within the
rezoning area expressed concerns about how the use of their property
might be affected.
Currently, large parts of Downtown Beaumont are zoned for heavy
and light industrial uses. These zoning categories permit such uses as
mobile home dealerships, paper and steel mills and chemical plants,
some without any requirement for approval by the Planning
Commission and City Council. While these uses are certainly needed
in our community, locating them in our revitalizing downtown may
not be for the best. Also, while some of these uses are currently in
our downtown, their location on the periphery and their limited
numbers make them somewhat compatible to current levels of
redevelopment. However, limiting future uses to the core of
downtown and closer to the new park, allows for future
redevelopment that would be better suited to a revitalized Downtown
Beaumont.
Staff undertook a study of other cities similar in size and economic
conditions to Beaumont to see what land uses were permitted in their
downtowns. While some cities= regulations are more restrictive than
others, the majority of them do allow a mix of residential, commercial
and light industrial uses. Some cities permit heavier commercial and
light industrial uses only with a specific use permit. One city, in
particular, uses a form-based zoning that basically allows any
residential, office or commercial use by right and light industrial uses
conditionally as long as they are located entirely within a building.
Attached to this staff report are the details of the staff research.
Listed are the cities that were contacted, city population, size of each
Central Business District (if available) and a sample listing of
permitted and prohibited uses.
STAFF REPORT continued
Based upon the information collected in the study and taking into
consideration the particular characteristics of Beaumont=s downtown,
staff recommends the following amendments. By adopting the
proposed changes, this would bring Beaumont in line with other
CBD=s, in that some uses are allowed by right, some with a specific use
permit and some would be prohibited.
Exhibits are attached.