January 19, 2010
Proposed North Parking Lot - Overlay
Detail engineering drawing overlaid on air photo. This is pretty close to reality as designed. The revised version of this is not supposed to have the walking/bike path through the parking lot, instead it will continue using the existing path. That means the lot will not be as deep and not encroach into the park as much. There was also some talk of increasing the angle of the diagonal parking, losing a couple of parking spaces and thereby further reducing the depth of the lot.
I suggested the 10 foot stand off buffer between street and parking lot be reduced, but was told that was required by code and the space allows for snow piles when plowing road to not encroach into the parking lot. I still suggested, that in this case - where the area is so narrow - that a variance be requested to reduce the buffer to something like 5 or 6 feet. Gaining even a yard (3 feet) in such a confined space is worth the trouble. Since this isn't a commercial area, but park land, I thought "preservation of green space" an adequate need to justify a minor variance.
Update: At tonight's City Council meeting, the vote was 4 to 3 in favor of the two parking lots with certain stipulations applying to the north lot (above).
The stipulations apply to the north lot and they are: That the lot's size be reduced to no more than 18 parking stalls. The angle of the stalls be increased to reduce the depth of the lot from the street. That every effort be made to reduce the overall depth of the parking lot from the street to keep as much park space in place as possible.
A motion to eliminate the north lot died when this amended motion passed on the 4-3 vote. Voting in favor: Densch, Van Debogart, Haynes, and Leavy. Voting against: DeForest, Johns, Newnham.
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