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| Submitted comments will appear below after staff approval. | |
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| Steven Ellis | 11/10/2004 1:05:09 PM |
| After you get past the smoke and mirrors, essetially Hope Community Resources wants to run a hotel/motel without going through a conditional use approval and doesn't want to meet the current standards. It even states in the Planning Department Staff Report the current employees stay in local hotels and motels and this ordinance change is only for a specific property. First changing or creating ordinances for specific properties is usually bad public policy and requires close scuitiny. Second If you are going to allow a 60 room dormitory (hotel) in the I-1 as an accessory use, why don't you just level the playing field and allow hotels, motels and lodging as a permitted principal use. Let everyone have a hotel without going through the conditional use proccess. Its only fair. | |
| Steven Ellis | 11/10/2004 12:34:41 PM |
| Barbara Kraft | 10/29/2004 5:30:17 PM |
| COMMENTS ON ORDINANCE ALLOWING DORMITORIES AS CONDITIONAL USE IN I-1 DISTRICTS BY: Barbara Simpson Kraft, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, counsel to Hope Community Resources, Inc. Hope Community Resources, Inc. (“Hope”) has reviewed the Draft Ordinance prepared by the Planning Department staff amending the definition of dormitories and allowing them as conditional uses in I-1 districts if associated with a permitted principal use. Permitted principal uses in I-1 districts include business offices (AMC 21.40.200B.1.s) such as Hope’s offices located nearby. Thus, the proposed ordinance would allow Hope to proceed with the next step of preparing drawings and other documents required for it to request a conditional use permit to construct its facility on West 53rd Avenue. Hope would like to make two comments on this matter. First, Hope commends the Planning Department staff for allowing Hope to review and provide comments on drafts of this ordinance. The final version of this ordinance reflects careful consideration and discussions between Hope and the staff of the issues that arise when certain user groups located in I-1 and PLI districts have a need to provide for residential use by a specific category of users. Second, this new ordinance does more than help one entity--it solves a citywide need to allow employee, student, and similar user groups to occupy housing on lots located near their employer, classes, etc. It reduces traffic congestion by eliminating the need for many of the occupants to have personal vehicles. It brings the University of Alaska’s dormitories into compliance because it (a) makes them allowed uses in PLI districts, and (b) requires dormitories to be located near the principal permitted use without requiring the building to be accessory, i.e., located on the same lot. In other words, this solution allows for the use by various entities, yet provides the safeguard of requiring the use to be carefully considered through the conditional use permitting process. Hope asks the Planning and Zoning Commission to adopt a recommendation to forward this ordinance to the Assembly for its approval and adoption. | |