City of Powder Springs - File #: PZ 22--006

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Action Details	Meeting Details	Video
3/7/2022	1	City Council	approved	Pass	Action details	Meeting details	Not available
2/28/2022	1	Planning & Zoning Commission			Not available	Meeting details	Not available
2/10/2022	1	Planning & Zoning Commission			Not available	Meeting details	Not available

STAFF REPORT: PZ 22 - 006. Special Use: Florence Road

APPLICANT: Joel Soto-Diaz

PETITION: To consider a Special Use Request to allow a hand car wash in a CRC zoned district. Permitted and Special Use Table (UDC Table 2-3) requires a Special Use approval for a car wash in the Community Retail Commercial (CRC) zoning district.

LOCATION: 3265 Florence Road, within Land Lot 732, 19th Districts, Powder Springs, Georgia. Texaco Service Station at the corner of Florence Road and C.H. James Pkwy.

ZONING: CRC ACREAGE: 1.79 ac PIN: 19073200190

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval

BACKGROUND: Mr. Soto Diaz previously applied for and received approval on September 21, 2020 (PZ 20-027) for the proposed Special Use. It was stipulated then that the Special Use would expire after one year, however, Mr. Soto-Diaz did not begin operating the business and the approval subsequently expired. The applicant is seeking reapproval for a proposed hand car wash within an existing automated car wash facility located at 3265 Florence Road. The subject site falls within the Community Retail Commercial (CRC) zoning district which consists of a gas station, convenience store and an existing automated car wash. This facility was built in 2000 which at the time allowed for car washes within the CRC zoning district. The current code that has been updated in 2015 does not allow for car washes within the CRC zoning district thus making the car wash a legal non-conforming use. Per Section 1-64 of the Unified Development Code “a legal non-conforming use shall not be re-established after discontinuance or abandonment for 6 months.” The owner of the car wash has indicated that the automated car wash has seized operation for more than three (3) years. Therefore, for the carwash to reopen, a Special Use approval will be required per Table 2-3.

Staff is recommending approval as the CRC zoning district is intended to implement the “community activity center” future development established by the Comprehensive Plan. The main intent of the CRC zoning district is to accommodate commercial uses serving a citywide or regional market. The proposed request meets the intent of the CRC zoning district as the site is located along an arterial roadway. In addition, the car wash will provide services to the surrounding residential and commercial uses.

SURROUNDING AREA: The subject site is surrounded by various zoning districts and land use activities. Located to the east is the Hopeland Park single-family subdivision which is zoned R15C (Residential). The CRC zoning district is located to the south and west consisting of a restaurant and a bank that fronts unto CH James Parkway. The north of the subject site is zoned Light Industrial (LI) consisting of am industrial building. The diagram below shows surrounding uses in relation to the subject site.

Figure 1. Vicinity Map. 3265 Florence Road.

Figure 2. Entrance (top image) and Exit (lower image) of the carwash bay.

ANALYSIS:

The application was reviewed against the following criteria:

1. Will the proposed special use be consistent with the stated purpose of the zoning district in which it will be located?

The CRC district is intended to provide for commercial uses that serves a citywide and regional market. Based on the information provided in the application, the proposed hand car wash will be located within a commercial district surrounded by residential and commercial activity and is uniquely positioned to provide services which can be supported by the city.

2. Will the establishment of the special use not impede the normal and orderly development of the surrounding property for uses predominate in the area?

The subject site is located along Florence Road surrounded by commercial uses, industrial and residential. There will be no expansion or construction activities. The hand car wash will be located to the rear of the existing convenience store, which was previously utilized as an automated car wash. The Hopeland Park Subdivision residential development located to the rear of the property is separated by a landscape strip and an internal road (Hopeland Industrial Drive) that should aid in reducing off site impacts. The proposed car wash should not impede the normal and orderly development of the surrounding area.

3. Is the location and character of the proposed special use consistent with a desirable pattern of development in general?

The subject site is located in the CRC zoning district which encourages commercial uses that will serve the city.

The subject site is surrounded by commercial activities inclusive of a waffle house, bank, daycare, strip mall and warehouses and residential activity. The proposed hand car wash will support the surrounding uses and is consistent with the desirable pattern of the surrounding area. Though a special use permit is now required for the establishment of a hand car wash, the previous automated car wash for has operated for several years without any conflicts. The proposed request is consistent with the requirement of the Unified Development Code.

4. Is or will the type of street providing access to the use be adequate to serve the proposed special use?

Based on the ITE code a self-service car wash with wash stall generates approximately 5.54 PM peak hour trips. The proposed hand car wash is a less intense use and is anticipated to generate less PM Peak hour trips. The diagram below indicates traffic flow in and out of the car wash. It is staff’s professional opinion that there will be no negative traffic or safety concerns with the establishment of the proposed hand car wash.

5. Is or will access into and out of the property be adequate to provide for traffic and pedestrian safety, the anticipated volume of traffic flow, and access by emergency vehicles?

Typically for these services the consumer waits for the vehicle. Therefore, pedestrian activity should not significantly increase. Though pedestrian activity should be minimal the site has sidewalk and crosswalk to accommodate safe pedestrian activity. The site has adequate access and should provide for vehicles to flow through the business safely.

6. Are or will public facilities such as schools, water or sewer utilities, and police or fire protection be adequate to serve the proposed use?

The proposed use will not have any impact on school capacity. The applicant will have access to water connection that is already located within the automated facility. Impact of water capacity is anticipated to be minimal. No other public utilities should be negatively affected. There are currently existing services and infrastructure to support the proposed request. The hand car wash will be utilizing the existing water and drainage system. The proposed request should not have any negative economic impact on the City of Powder Springs as infrastructure and services are already in place to serve the proposed request. Staff received the following feedback from the CCWS: “No Comment.”

7. Are or will refuse, service, parking and loading areas on the property be located or screened to protect other properties in the area from such adverse effects as noise, light, glare, or odor?

The hand car wash will be located to the rear of the convenience store that is adequately buffered from the residential use located to the east of the facility. There is also a road (Hopeland Industrial Drive) that also separates the commercial from the residential uses. These features should aid in reducing off site impacts such as noise, light, glare and dust. In addition, this car wash has been in existence from 2000 that has not caused any concerns while in operation. The proposed hand car wash should not generate large amount of refuse, however there is a screened dumpster located closer to Florence Road further away from the residential subdivision that will be utilized.

8. Will the hours and manner of operation of the special use have no adverse effects on other properties in the area?

The proposed opening hours for the car wash are from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm during the summer months and 7:00 am to 6:00 pm during the winter months. The proposed hours of operation will be mostly day light hours and should not have an adverse effect on neighboring properties.

9. Will the height, size or location of the buildings or other structures on the property be compatible with the height, size or location of buildings or other structures on neighboring properties?

This is an existing automated car wash that was built in 2000 and has been in operation for more than 18 years. The only difference is that the automated hand car wash will be now used as a hand car wash. There will be no additional structures that will be added or constructed. The cars utilizing the car wash will enter from the rear nearest to the residential subdivision and exit to the side facing Florence Road. The orientation and traffic flow appear to be compatible with surrounding uses.

PARKING ANALYSIS: 14 parking spaces are available at the convenience store, and 14 spaces are required, per Table 6-4 (appendix). The community development director may administratively vary the minimum parking requirement by 20% (Sec. 6-81). In this case that is 3 parking spaces. Therefore, the maximum number of cars that can be allowed at the same time for the car wash would be 3.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends approval of PZ 22 - 006 with the following conditions:

1. This Special Use approval is for a hand car wash located at 3265 Florence Road. This special use approval is only valid for 2 (two) years.

2. Violation of the conditions of approval will render the approval null and void.

3. The hours of operation will be from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM during Daylight Savings; and 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM when Daylight Savings is not active (winter). The applicant shall abide by the daylight savings actual dates and modify hours of operating hours accordingly.

4. There shall be no washing of large trucks, large commercial vehicles, nor commercial equipment.

5. Signage must be consistent with the Powder Springs Unified Development Code (UDC).

6. Maximum of three (3) vehicles are allowed to be parked on site at the same time. No overnight storage of vehicles is permitted.

7. There shall be no music or loud noise being emitted from vehicles or this operation.

8. Car wash wastewater must discharge into the sanitary sewer system, subject to CCWS approval. No discharge into the stormwater system is permitted.

9. Operations shall be consistent with the site plan attached to this application.

APPENDIX

I. Table 6-4

Minimum and Maximum Number of Off-Street Parking Spaces Required.

USE	MINIMUM PARKING REQUIRED	MAXIMUM PARKING PERMITTED
COMMERCIAL USES
Car wash, staffed or automated	2 stacking spaces for each car wash lane plus 2 drying spaces per lane	3 stacking spaces for each car wash lane plus 2 drying spaces per lane. Additional parking may be approved through site plan approval as part of a special use application.
Convenience store without franchise food outlet	1 per 200 square feet	1 per 150 square feet

II. Floor Area. Square footage of the retail area: 49 x 56= 2,744 sf

III. Sec. 6-81. Administrative Variances.

(b) The community development director may allow parking at a rate of up to 10 percent above the maximum permitted number of spaces, or at a rate of no more than 20 percent below the minimum required, on a case-by-case basis, based upon the scale and impacts of the request, for good cause shown. The applicant shall make said request in writing which may be required to include documentation from an acceptable industry publication (e.g., Institute of Transportation Engineers, Urban Land Institute, American Planning Association, etc.) or a study prepared by a qualified professional that documents parking requirements.