Letter to Longnecker outdoor display
City of Yelm
Community Development Department
105 Yelm Avenue West
P.O. Box 479
Yelm, WA 98597
July 7, 2006
Greg Longnecker
J & I Power Equipment, Inc.
10615 Bald Hill Road, S.E.
Yelm, WA 98597
Dear Mr. Longnecker:
This letter is a follow-up to the letter sent to you last week by Larry Hanson, Code Enforcement Officer for the Community Development Department. Specifically, Larry requested that
the site plan review committee review the conditions of approval of the land use permit issued to Randy Paigen for the improvement of the site now occupied by J & I Power Equipment as
they relate to on-site parking and outdoor display of merchandise.
After visiting the site regarding your display of merchandise in required landscape and parking areas, Larry noticed that your use of the building differs from the approved plans in
a manner that may allow you to take advantage of additional outdoor display area. The parking requirements outlined in the land use approval did not take into consideration the portion
of the building dedicated to equipment repair and service, which may reduce the number of required parking spaces for the business. If this is the case, then it may be possible to utilize
any spaces which are not required to meet minimum parking standards for outdoor display, provided it meets the standards of Section 17.24.130 (3) YMC.
One parking space is required for every 250 square feet of gross floor area for retail establishments. The retail area for this calculation would include all sales floor area, offices,
and ancillary facilities such as restrooms, but may exclude the equipment repair area. Additionally, the parts storage area can be calculated at one space for every 400 square feet.
If you would like to explore this possibility further, you should submit a site plan to the Community Development Department that shows the building and parking lot (I have included
the approved plans for your use in this regard) with the following notations:
The gross floor area of the building (that not used for equipment service and repair or parts storage).
The gross floor area of the parts storage area.
The parking stalls proposed to be used for outdoor display.
A plan for screening the outdoor display area that is consistent with the overall landscaping plan.
A plan for use of the parking stalls if the ratio of equipment service and repair to gross retail area changes in the future.
Finally, the Community Development Department works hard to find ways for a site plan to work, while pointing out potential future issues to the developer. In this case, the site upon
which J & I is located is very small for the size of building that was constructed, and the City worked through many site planning issues with Mr. Paigen, the developer. The Department
noted a number of times to Mr. Paigen that outdoor display of merchandise was not allowed except under the conditions found in Section 17.14.130 (3) YMC, which does not allow landscape
areas, required sidewalks, or required parking stalls to be used as display areas. While I understand that this concern may not have been passed along to you as the business owner by
the developer, the City has been consistent in raising the concern as part of the site review process.
If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, please contact myself or Tami Merriman at 458-3835.
Sincerely,
Grant Beck, Director
Department of Community Development