The Suburban Carlot Development

You may have been reading in various media that the proposal to develop the Suburban Avenue carlot was turned down at last week's City Zoning Committee meeting.

the parking lot site of proposed development

Let's get the facts straight... there were 4 conditional use permits (CUP) requested as a part of the site plan for the development - 2 for fast-food restaurants with drive-thrus, 1 for an auto specialty store, and 1 for the pawn shop. The Zoning Committee voted unanimously to approve the first three of these permits, but voted 3-2 against the pawn shop CUP.

This is a recommendation that the Zoning Committee sends to the full Planning Commission, and the 4 permits will be voted on this Friday morning by the Commission. They may or may not abide by the Zoning Committee's recommendation. The Planning Commission meeting is NOT a public hearing, so, although people can go listen to the proceedings, they cannot speak at the meeting. Sometimes the developer is asked some questions.

Here is why the Zoning Committee voted against the pawn shop -- the City just recently passed a new ordinance that governs how close pawn shops can be to "alternative financial institutions" - such as payday check-cashing places. That distance is 1/4 mile. The proposed pawn shop is within that 1/4 mile distance by some 250 feet. The City put this ordinance in place to prevent a clustering of alternative financial institutions in particular neighborhoods - such organizations may charge exorbitant fees to cash checks, for example.

Because this proposal is coming so soon after the passage of this new ordinance, the Zoning Committee did not want to undo what had just been accomplished.

But every ordinance such as this allows for exceptions.

We will see if the whole Planning Commission thinks the way the 3 Zoning Committee members did. Even if they do, the developer could appeal the decision to the City Council.