TO: Mayor Craft & Members of the City Council

FROM: Andy Bauer, Director of Planning & Zoning

SUBJECT: Dollar General Public Parking Credit Request

DATE: November 4, 2013

ISSUE: Jeremy Cobb, representing The Broadway Group, LLC seeks approval from the City Council to purchase 20 parking spaces from the City’s East 1st Street Public Parking Lot in order to meet the minimum parking requirements for the proposed Dollar General at 224 Gulf Shores Parkway.

RECOMMENDATION: In accordance with the provisions of Article 14-1 B. 4. Of the Zoning Ordinance Planning Department staff recommends the City Council approve the Dollar General’s request to purchase of 20 public parking spaces within the East 1st Street public parking lot for a fee of $3,000 per space.

BACKGROUND: Pursuant to Article 14-1 B. 4. of the Zoning Ordinance, on-street public parking spaces and may be credited towards the required parking when parking credits have been purchased from the City for a fee per parking space as established by the City Council.

Dollar General is required 47 parking spaces and the site plan indicates 30 on-site parking spaces. The applicants are requesting to purchase 20 spaces (17 spaces required to meet parking regulations & 3 spaces to account for net parking loss on East 1st Street) from the City’s existing public parking lot on East 1st Street for a total of 47 parking spaces.

Planning Commission: At their October 22, 2013 meeting, the Commission voted 6-1 to approve the Dollar General site plan with the following conditions:

1. Pursuant to Article 14-1 B. 4. of the Zoning Ordinance, on-street public parking spaces may be credited towards the required parking when parking credits have been purchased from the City. The City Council shall establish the fee per parking space and approve the purchase of public parking. 2. The Dollar General shall have a monument sign as indicated on their site plan.

RELATED ISSUES: Future Beach Bypass Road

PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: Not Applicable

BUDGET IMPLICATIONS: Not Applicable

ATTACHMENTS: Dollar General Site Plan

TO: Mayor Robert Craft, and DATE: November 4, 2013 Members of the City Council

FROM: Andy Bauer, AICP Director of Planning ------SUBJECT: Dollar General – Public Parking Credit Request ------OVERVIEW: Jeremy Cobb, representing The Broadway Group, LLC seeks approval from the City Council to purchase 20 parking spaces from the City’s East 1st Street Public Parking Lot in order to meet the minimum parking requirements for the proposed Dollar General at 224 Gulf Shores Parkway.

Site Location: The site is located at the intersection of Highway 59 and East 2nd Avenue, is zoned BT-2 (Tourist Business Sub-Area 2), and is within the Envision Gulf Shores Walking Overlay District. To the north of the site is zoned BT-2 and Site occupied by the ABC Store, vacant lots, and a private parking lot, south of the site is zoned BT-2 and occupied by Blond Johns Surf & Skate, The Daiquiri Shop, a duplex and Ribs & Reds, west of the site is Highway 59, and east of the site is zoned BT-2 and occupied by Mikee’s Seafood Restaurant.

BACKGROUND: A Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application for Dollar General was presented to the Planning Commission at their February 26, 2013 meeting. The Planning Commission made a recommendation of denial to the City Council on the CUP application. A CUP was required of the Dollar General because of its classification as a “variety store”. Variety stores are only allowed after review and approval of a Conditional Use Permit in the BT-2 zoning district.

Subsequent to the City Council hearing the CUP application Dollar General made the assertion and submitted detailed documentation requesting the Gulf Shores Dollar General be classified as Dollar General Public Parking Request November 4, 2013 Page 2

a Food, Drink, and Drug store because of its grocery store type product mixture. Food, Drink, and Drug stores are allowed by “right” in the BT-2 zoning district. After review of the information submitted by Dollar General, the Zoning Official determined the proposed merchandise of the Dollar General at 224 Gulf Shores Parkway is consistent with a Food, Drink, and Drug Store and the Dollar General is allowed by “right”.

PLANNING COMMISSION: At their October 22, 2013 meeting, the Commission voted 6-1 to approve the Dollar General site plan with the following conditions:

ANALYSIS: The Dollar General is to be a one story, 12,626 square foot building. The proposed Dollar General was designed and approved by the Planning Commission in accordance with all Zoning Ordinance and Envision Gulf Shores Walking Overlay District architectural and site design, pedestrian and bicycle access, ingress/egress, landscape, drainage, and building/site coverage regulations.

PUBLIC PARKING CREDIT REQUEST: The site is required 47 parking spaces and the site plan indicates 30 on-site parking spaces. The applicants are requesting to purchase 20 spaces (17 spaces required to meet parking regulations & 3 spaces to account for net parking loss on East 1st Street) from the City’s existing public parking lot on East 1st Street for a total of 47 parking spaces. Pursuant to Article 14-1 B. 4. of the Zoning Ordinance, on-street public parking spaces and may be credited towards the required parking when parking credits have been purchased from the City for a fee per parking space as established by the City Council. The City recently required ACME Oyster House to pay $3,000 per parking space. Funds accumulated under the parking credit program are to be used by the City to create new or expand existing public parking facilities, and/or improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

Originally, Dollar General proposed on-street angled parking within the East 2nd Avenue right- of-way. On September 8, 2013 city staff (Steve Griffin, Andy Bauer, and Mark Acreman) met with representatives of Dollar General to inform them of the possibility for East 2nd Avenue being used as a bypass to the intersection of Highway 59 and Beach Boulevard. Because of this possibility the proposed angled parking within the East 2nd Avenue right-of-way was removed. City staff also advised Dollar General of three options to obtain the additional 17 required parking spaces:

Dollar General Public Parking Request November 4, 2013 Page 3

1. Purchase parking from an existing City public parking lot; 2. Reduce the size of the store so all required parking is contained on-site; or 3. Purchase additional property for the construction of required parking.

The Envision Gulf Shores Walking District is designed to be a mixed use, pedestrian oriented, “park once environment” where a mix of public and private parking spaces meet the parking demand for people visiting the beach, shopping, eating etc. The proposed Dollar General is located directly west of the 85 space East 1st Street public parking lot. Currently, the primary users of the East 1st Street parking lot are beach goers during the day, and as overflow parking for Mikees, Ribs & Reds, and Jalapeño’s Restaurants at night. Planning Department staff believes the Dollar General adds to the current mix of uses in the Walking District, the utilization of private and public parking will meet the parking needs of the site and area, and will further the goals of the Walking District without negatively affecting the City’s long-term vehicular transportation plans.