HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 4, 2024 DATE: October 4, 2024 TO: Planning Commission and City Council FROM: Demi Engman, Director of Planning and Community Development SUBJECT: Consider a Rezoning from an RCR-H (Residential Conservation Revitalization — Historic) zoning district to an RCR (Residential Conservation Revitalization) zoning district and a Specific Use Permit to allow for a retail shop, events venue, administrative office and art studio. FILE: PZ2024-253 STAFF REPORT This item was tabled by default as no quorum was met for the joint public hearing at the Planning Commission meeting held September 16, 2024. Meghan Cobb is seeking a Rezoning from RCR-H (Residential Conservation Revitalization Historic District) to RCR (Residential Conservation Revitalization) District and Specific Use Permit to allow for "Taluka Trades" a retail shop, events venue, administrative office and art studio structure at 2398 Laurel Street. The use of the site as an art studio, retail shop, and administrative office seems appropriate for the area as there are a number of existing similar low intensity uses within the area. These types of businesses do not often attract large crowds at once, making on street parking manageable. Adaptive re-use should be encouraged within older neighborhoods to foster revitalization and stabilization by preventing vacancy. The use of the structure as an event venue causes a large concern with parking availability. The existing concrete pad and driveway shown on the site plan do not meet City parking standards; therefore there is no "off-street" parking available to this site. This creates the possibility of blocking neighboring driveways, creating sight obstructions and the nearby intersections. Staff recommends denial of the request of an events venue, as the site does not appear to accommodate the use or have adequate available parking according to the City's Engineering department. Staff recommends approval of the request for Rezoning and Specific Use Permit to allow a retail shop, art studio and administrative office with the following conditions: 1. It is the responsibility of the property owner to consistently monitor customer parking and mitigate traffic issues that may arise. i 2. A parking agreement shall be arranged with the parking lot owner west of 2398 Laurel and a copy be provided to the City Engineering department. 3. Any installed lighting be directional and not adversely affect neighboring properties. Please note that final occupancy approval is subject to review and acceptance of submitted plans and field inspections to verify compliance with applicable codes. Exhibits are attached. PUBLIC NOTIFICATION Notices mailed to property owners 27 Responses in Favor Responses in Opposition LEGAL DESCRIPTION FOR ORDINANCE PURPOSES Being Lots 15-16, Block 24, Averill Addition, Beaumont,Jefferson County, Texas, containing 0.255 acres, more or less. , ANALYSIS CONDITIONS FOR APPROVAL OF SPECIFIC USE PERMIT (SECTION 28-26.E, ZONING ORDINANCE) Application Application Discussion is in is not in in Staff compliance compliance Report Conditions: 1. That the specific use will be compatible with and not injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property, or significantly diminish or impair property values within the immediate vicinity; X 2. That the establishment of the specific use will not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of surrounding vacant property; X 3. That adequate utilities, access roads, drainage and other necessary supporting facilities have been or will be provided; X 4. The design, location and arrangement of all driveways and parking spaces provides for the safe and convenient movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic without adversely affecting the general public or adjacent developments; X 5. That adequate nuisance prevention measures have been or will be taken to prevent or control offensive odor, fumes, dust, noise and vibration; X 6. That directional lighting will be provided so as not to disturb or adversely affect neighboring properties; X 7. That there are sufficient landscaping and screening to insure harmony and compatibility with adjacent property; and, X 8. That the proposed use is in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan. X • GENERAL INFORMATION/PUBLIC UTILITIES APPLICANT: Meghan Cobb PROPERTY OWNER: Meghan Cobb LOCATION: 2398 Laurel Street EXISTING ZONING: RCR-H (Residential Conservation and Revitalization Historic District) PROPERTY SIZE: —0.255 acres, more or less EXISTING LAND USES: Residential FLOOD HAZARD ZONE: X—Area determined to be outside the 500 year floodplain. SURROUNDING LAND USES: SURROUNDING ZONING: NORTH: Residential RCR-H (Residential Conservation and Revitalization Historic District) EAST: Residential RCR-H SOUTH: Residential RCR-H WEST: Residential/Commercial RCR-H COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: Stable Area STREETS: Laurel Street—Major Arterial- Urban with a 60' right-of-way and 30' pavement width. 8th Street—Local Street with a 60' right-of-way and 30' pavement width. DRAINAGE: Curb and gutter WATER: 6" water line SANITARY SEWER SERVICE: 6" sanitary sewer line PROPERTY OWNERS NOTIFIED WITHIN 200 FEET TORRES JOSE RAUL& MARIA G GOBAR LLC VILLARREAL PETER P HUBBELL CARL J JR HERNANDEZ ALMA ALVARADO DANIEL PINKSTON RICKY FISHER WAYNE REGINALD&TRACY LEE CALLAIS RICHARD L CARVILLE BARBARA A(LIFE ESTATE) LEWIS KAREN A& PAULINE RHODES TEXA-CALI PROPERTIES LLC TEXA-CALI PROPERTIES LLC HOLLOWAY KARA L JHAM LLC CRABBE J COLIN &CHARLES B BRADLEY DAVID TORRES ELIZAR AVILES JUVENCIO D BELL RAYMOND M & SANCHEZ NEREIDA CARSON LISA J QUEST IRA INC FBO CHARLES PHILIP COWIN IRA ETAL WEBB CLEM T HOLT CARMEN K& DONALD JR HOLT CARMEN K& DONALD JR AVILES JESUS BEAUMONT Planning & Community Development Case Type:Planning and Zoning Case Status: REVIEW Case Sub Type: Specific Use/Rezone Tag Name: To use my home as my place of Case#: PZ2024-253 business Location:2398 LAUREL ST, BEAUMONT, 77702 Initiated On: 8/21/2024 6:51:35AM Individuals listed on the record: Applicant Meghan Cobb Home Phone: 4092214069 2398 Laurel St. Work Phone: Beaumont,TX 77702 Cell Phone: 4092214069 E-Mail: megcobbtx©gmail.com Property Owner Meghan Cobb Home Phone: 4092214069 2398 Laurel St. Work Phone: Beaumont,TX 77702 Cell Phone: 4092214069 E-Mail: megcobbtx@gmail.com Agent Meghan Cobb Home Phone: 2398 Laurel St. Work Phone: Beaumont,TX 77702 Cell Phone: 4092214069 E-Mail: megcobbtx@gmail.com Case Type:Planning and Zoning Page 1 of 3 Case#:PZ2024-253 Printed On:8/27/2024 B :MuMONT Planning & Community Development Legal Description 11,125sf property with 2,489sf single family home and detached garage and apartment Number of Acres Proposed Use Retail store That the specific use will be On the contrary-Taluka Trades would improve the"look and feel"of compatible with and not injurious to the corner of 8th and Laurel,and due to my adequate parking on site the use arid enjoyment of other (and even with overflow parking, if it occurs,on 8th St.),and with said property, nor significantly diminish or parking and business hours occurring during regular daylights hours, impair property values within the no surrounding residents would be affected in any way whatsoever. immediate vicinity The property will be kept in the utmost pristine condition as appearance does hugely impact business-Taluka will take an already beautiful historic home and highlight it, creating a draw to Old Town,with an aim to revive interest in revitalization across the board. That the establishment of the specific Taluka Trades will increase the value of any nearby vacant property. use will not impede the normal and There is one lot a little further down Laurel that would certainly not in orderly development and improvement any way be negatively impacted by this specific use. of surrounding vacant property; That adequate utilities,access roads, The site is on a very accessible corner in the beating heart of Old drainage and other necessary Town,inclusive of residences and established businesses,and supporting facilities have been or will provides more than sufficient utilities, access,drainage,etc. be provided The design, location and arrangement There is a small"parking lot"plus a circle drive on site already,which of all driveways and parking spaces can accommodate the parking and departing of more than our typical provides for the safe and convenient number of visitors at any given time. If overflow parking needs arise, movement of vehicular and pedestrian there are two more approaches I can employ before parking would traffic need to occur on 8th St. I have a grassy area in my circle drive which could become parking for four more vehicles,as well as another area on the East side of the building for two more parking spots(would need to be paved). That adequate nuisance prevention Absolutely none of these nuisances, nor any others,would occur at measures have been or will be taken my place of business. It is a beautiful daytime retail location,and to prevent or control offensive odor, even in the event of evening events/rentals,sound or other ordinances fumes, dust, noise and vibration would not be broken and again, no nuisance of any kind would result from any activities at Taluka Trades. That directional lighting will be Other than adding a small directional light on my sign and festoon provided so as not to disturb or lighting on one porch, no additional lighting would be required beyond adversely affect neighboring what exists at the site as a current residence. properties That there are sufficient landscaping This is a yes,with intent to add some sort of natural screen to and screening to insure harmony and protect my store from the view/activities occurring at the East side compatibility with adjacent property adjacent property. Part of the reason for my application is the ongoing night time nuisance from that residence-my site makes more sense as a business, at this point,than a residence. Case Type: Planning and Zoning Page 2 of 3 Case#:PZ2024-253 Printed On:8/27/2024 B ..MUMONT Planning & Community Development That the proposed use is in The proposed use of 2398 Laurel is completely in accordance with accordance with the Comprehensive this plan and all attached information and intent. Plan Notes: Case Type:Planning and Zoning Page 3 of 3 Case#: PZ2024-253 Printed On:8/27/2024 To Whom it May Concern: My name is Meghan Cobb, and my store which is currently located in downtown Beaumont is Taluka Trades. Due to the following overwhelming events in my life and over the entire course of my new business, I am writing this letter to request a Specific Use Permit be granted to relocate Taluka Trades to my current place of residence, at 2398 Laurel, Beaumont, TX 77702. I have compelling and heartfelt personal and professional reasons for the request. To begin on the personal end - I painted a 7,300sf mural downtown in 2022-2023 which allowed me to put $28,000 down on a home for my family here in Old Town. At the time we were a happy family of eight and we all loved this home very much. I personally have been admiring this specific property for about 25 years and landed my dream. Then in January of 2024, another dream came true and I found a beautiful location for my lifelong vision of having a store, which would be home to my design office and serve as a retail spot offering the art, crafts and other works of as many local creators as I could fit into the space - all with a Beaumont/Gulf Coast theme. The store location was, and remains, 489 Pearl St. in downtown. Twenty four days after our grand opening, my best friend and spouse unexpectedly passed away and it all became a nightmare. I lost not only his portion of our income, but due to the impact of his passing, his children from a former marriage are no longer living in the home, and my two older children also are no longer in the home (one is eighteen and in Basic Training with the Army National Guard and the other has moved in with his father to be closer to school after switching from Odom to Marshall). My point is that this beautiful 2,489 sf residence is far too much mortgage for me to pay for on my own, and is too much house for myself and our five year old. Selling is out of the question as if I "break even" that really translates to me losing the $28,000 I put down and the past year and a half of monthly mortgage payments. I am completely unable and unwilling to face that loss after everything else. I cannot do that, and I would have nowhere to go and no way to get there. On the professional end of why I'm requesting this Permit- 73 days after my husband passed away, the Gilbert Building burnt. This is relevant because it is directly across the street from the door to my business. In fact, I was, along with my building's owner Nan Laing, the first to see any smoke and to call the Fire Department. I was working unexpectedly late at Taluka Trades, meeting a local artisan about featuring her handmade hats in the shop. Anyway, the fallout from the fire is ongoing, with our block of Pearl Street still remaining barricaded off, not to mention facing a (still) derelict, unsightly and unsafe building. We hope all the best for the restoration of the once-lovely Gilbert Building, but Taluka and the other three businesses in the Laings' building are the ones absorbing the blow. I attended and spoke at the August 20th City Council meeting, and observed discussion about liability in the event the building collapses or otherwise is physically injurious. Well, it's my informed and objective observation that injury has most certainly already occurred, and occurs every single day in the form of significant lost profit at Taluka Trades. I now have to work nights and weekends painting extra murals, and I now work weekdays 8am-3pm managing front of house for a restaurant (ironically housed in one of the buildings owned by the owner of the Gilbert). I now cannot work at my own store, and am not sure anymore if working the restaurant is a feasible way to pay my sole employee... or if there's any point in continuing to try. My employee is an incredible worker and absolutely adores working for Taluka Trades. Taluka was doing so much better than any of us expected when the fire occurred. My proposal is now to, in fact, give up on our current location - and to "save the farm" by moving this beautiful little shop into 2398 Laurel. The house is perfect to house the store. It would allow me to pour 100% of my time, profit and effort into the business, and into further beautifying this lovely Old Town spot. If I can't do this, I am afraid I'm facing ruin across the board, losing the legacy for my kids (Taluka is a combination of the names of my three children - Tucker, Luke and Ave). It makes sense on multiple fronts to use the house for the store. It may not be grandfathered in per se, but this location was in fact a successful trophy shop/storefront and still has the back work room I could use as my own work room. There are multiple businesses of varying types all up and down Laurel, and of course all over Old Town. I would love to do as much business-to-business networking and marketing as possible, with intent to feature area (Calder Ave., etc) businesses' offerings into my shop in various ways. In that vein, and as a small example - I recently decided to offer TexJoy and Seaport in my shop and have wholesale pricing - but have decided to hold back on opening an account, as I can't keep going at my current location. Everything is on hold and the store, my lifelong dream, is facing an early end if I cannot merge two visions into one location and turn a nightmare into a dream come true. I will lose not only Taluka, but likely the house and even my transportation if I can't make this work. I implore consideration and approval be given to moving Taluka Trades to 2398 Laurel. Site and Use Details: House is 2,489 sf Lot is 11,125 sf, with dimensions of 89'x125' Store is a retail shop featuring high end vintage clothing, local art, pottery, candles, handmade wood furniture, and some national and international brand such as Case Knives, Ruggable Rugs, Consuela Leather Bags, etc. Site would host pleasant daytime and occasional early evening events and venue rentals for baby showers, yoga classes, barre classes, baking swaps, etc. Site would also serve as my design office and art studio - out of which I would continue my 25+ year career of freelance graphic design, canvas painting and home remodeling. Taluka Trades is VERY pro-Beaumont and wants to offer more and more Beaumont and Gulf Coast-themed inventory. We are the most regionally-focused store in Southeast Texas that we know of. We want to stay in business and prosper. 41 . • Boundary/Site Plan , DETACHED TALUKA TRADES ,A GARAGE meg©megcobb.corn + APARTMENT/ 409.221.4069 OFFICE ,:. 1 , Trash storage area Circle drive drive with multi-car parking Denotes areas + handicap Entrance/ accessible Exit I , Denotes 2398 LAUREL ,1 paving/ 4-) sidewalk . (NI 2,489 SF N--. Single story Roof height at pitch 22' • , IN iip ...., , .v ,f ... \\ ,... .,.,9-. .., i, ... 411•0 —,----- ---, ---t , 4p. /---->' Nb• lit Proposed 4'x8' Sign 5'high @ top PZ2024-125,3: Request for a Rezoning from ;CR-H (Residential Conservation Revit tion- Historic) N zoning district to RCR (Residential Conservation Revitalization) zoning district and a Specific Use Permit to allow for a retail shop, events venue, administrative office and art studio. 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