06-01-1999 CC RPT 15 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY OF RIVERSIDE CITY COUNCIL MEMORANDUM HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: June 1, 1999 ITEM NO.: SUBJECT: PROPOSED AMENDMENT OF THE C-3 (GENERAL COMMERCIAL) ZONE TO REQUIRE NEW AUTOMOBILE REPAIR GARAGES TO BE ESTABLISHED UNDER A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT/URGENCY ORDINANCE Background: An inquiry has recently been made to City staff regarding the possible construction of an automobile lube and time facility on a parcel of C-3 zoned land on a section of Magnolia Avenue in the heart of Magnolia Center. The Planning Department advises that this type of use together with automobile repair garages, including incidental automobile painting and body and fender work, are permitted as a matter of right in the C-3 Zone without review by either the Planning Commission or City Council. Although the lack of public review of such intensive uses may have been appropriate forty years ago when the C-3 Zone was first established in the City, I believe that the lack of formal review in today's environment will result in the creation of significant negative compatibility problems on sensitive street frontages throughout the City. Magnolia Avenue is a prime example of a sensitive corridor. As the Council is aware, considerable consultant and community effort has recently been put forth to arrive at policies and programs to upgrade the appearance of the Avenue in key locations, including Magnolia Center. Substantial concentrations of C-3 zoned properties are located along arterial streets in the City designated as Scenic Boulevards on the Transportation Element of the General Plan. These arterials include Magnolia Avenue, Arlington Avenue, Van Buren Boulevard, La Sierra Avenue, University Avenue, Mission Inn Avenue and Alessandro Boulevard. In view of the currrently on-going studies concerning Magnolia Avenue and the Arlington Community and in order to insure that the inappropriate and indiscriminate location of automobile repair garages and similar related uies do not occur without a formal review, I believe that the City's Zoning Code should be amended to require the issuance of a conditional use permit before any new repair or service garage located in a C-3 Zone is allowed to be established or an existing garage allowed to expand when located on a Scenic Boulevard. I also believe that this is a matter of great urgency. This concem could be addressed through adoption of an urgency ordinance (draft attached). If adopted at today' s meeting a moratorium would in effect be placed on the acceptance of any applications for development of these types of nses until necessary planning studies have been completed, development standards identified and needed ordinances adopted. There are currently no pending building permit applications for an automobile repair\service garage in the C-3 Zone along designated Scenic Boulevards. State law also requires that a public hearing be held by the City Council in 45 days to formally consider an extension of the urgency ordinance up to a maximum of 10 15-1