310 Mealy Drive UBE-2010-01 Staff Report CCCITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH
CITY COMMISSION MEETING
STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: Request from Dawson Land Development for a Use-by-Exception (UBE-2010-01) in the Light Industrial and Warehousing Zoning District for Heavy Automotive Repair and storage
of vehicles in association with vehicle towing services within the Mayport Industrial Park at 310 Mealy Street.
SUBMITTED BY: Sonya Doerr, AICP
Community Development Director
DATE: March 29, 2010
BACKGROUND: This Use-by-Exception is requested to allow an existing industrial use to add certain activities to the property. Dawson Land Development and Dawson Trucking have long
been located within the City’s industrial district. This request seeks to add heavy automotive repair and storage of vehicles in association with towing services to the permitted uses
on the property. The applicant has stated the reduced level of activity related to the land development side of the business has left a portion of their property unused. The area
proposed to be used for the storage of towed vehicles is interior to the site and not visible from the street.
The Applicant has stated that it is not their intent to keep towed vehicles on the property for longer than a few days until they are retrieved by the owner.
At this time, (if this Use-by-Exception is approved) vehicles will be towed to the property by A Plus Safe and Fast Towing, which is a properly licensed and insured towing service. The
owners of the company have advised that most all of their work is the removal of illegally parked vehicles through contract services with businesses, and that it is rare that they tow
a wrecked vehicle.
Staff’s only concern with this request is that, if approved, the property must not become a location for salvaged, wrecked, unclaimed or abandoned vehicles. As shown in the following
aerial photograph, this area already contains a large number of wrecked and stored vehicles and containers of all kinds (on property not owned by Dawson.) This is an industrial area
and is well-buffered from residential uses, but it is not the purpose of the industrial district to become a salvage yard. The ILW regulations specifically prohibit salvage yards as
a permitted use.
The Community Development Board considered this request at their March 16th meeting and unanimously recommended approval subject to the conditions as stated below.
Individual vehicles towed to this site shall not be kept on the site for a period longer than thirty (30) days.
There shall be no more than thirty (30) towed vehicles stored on this site at any single time.
No discarded vehicles, auto parts, tires, trailers, tanks or any salvaged materials or vehicles shall be stored on this site in association with the business activities describe in this
request.
The existing tree buffer along the east side of the Applicant’s property shall be maintained and re-established as needed to obscure visibility of the property from Park Street residential
uses, and finding:
The request is in compliance with the requirements of Section 24-63 of the Land Development Regulations, and is also consistent with Section 24-113 defining the LIW Zoning District,
The request is not contrary to public interest and is not detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of general public, and
The proposed use is compatible with adjacent properties and other properties within the surrounding area.
The proposed use is consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and is consistent with the Light Industrial Future Land Use designation.
BUDGET: No budget issues.
RECOMMENDATION: The City Commission may consider a motion to approve this Use-by-Exception (File Number UBE-2010-01) subject to the conditions and findings stated herein and others
as may be appropriate.
ATTACHMENTS: Draft minutes from the March 16th Community Development Board meeting and application.
REVIEWED BY CITY MANAGER: ____________