10165 Bald Hill Rd J&I outdoor displayCity of Yelm
Community Development Department
105 Yelm Aoenue West
P.O. Box 479
Yelm, WA 98597
Jury 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
(360) 458 -3835
(360) 458 -3144 FAX
uww.oi.yelm.um.us
✓ 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.
July 7, 2006
nunity Development
Page 2 of 2