TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dustin Anderson, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
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Ordinance Approving a Variation of Use to Allow a Laundromat, a B-1 (Neighborhood Business) Use in an R-4 (Multi-Family Residential) Zoning District, Located at 629 N. Hickory Street (ZBA 2025-55)
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BACKGROUND:
The applicant, Jose Luis Rojas, is requesting to put in a laundromat at 629 N. Hickory Street, which is the northernmost ground-floor commercial unit in the subject building. The subject property contains a mixed-use, two-story, brick building that was constructed in 1916 and maintains its original layout with seven upper-level apartment dwelling units and three commercial units on the main floor. The subject property contained B-2 (local business) zoning between 1939 and 1969 but has been zoned R-4 (low density multi-family residential) zoning since 1969. Due to the property’s zoning classification, commercial uses are prohibited. The R-4 Zoning classification appears to have never matched the historic and current land uses. Past commercial uses included taverns, grocery stores, and offices, that were historically accessed by walking. In 2019, the City Council approved an amended Variation of Use to allow the existing grocery store at 625 N. Hickory Street, which is the middle ground-floor commercial unit. A salon is located at 621 N. Hickory Street, which is the southernmost commercial unit.
The proposed laundromat would contain 15 washing machines and 15 dryers and would operate between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The laundromat would have two entrances, one from the building’s northeast corner, and one along the north side of the building. There would be no internal access between the laundromat and the residences on the second floor. A conceptual floor plan of the proposed laundromat business has been included in the staff report packet.
The applicant’s proposal for a laundromat is not an allowable use within the subject property’s R-4 (low density multi-family residential) zoning district. Therefore, a Variation of Use to allow the proposed use is required. Section 47-19.8 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance details the conditions that must be met for a Variation to be granted. The building predates both the City’s Zoning Ordinance and the applicable R-4 zoning designation and has operated as a mixed-use commercial and residential building since its inception. Since the subject property has R-4 (low density multi-family residential) zoning, commercial uses cannot operate within the ground floor area without a Variation of Use. Therefore, the property in question cannot yield a reasonable return if permitted to be used only under the conditions allowed by the zoning’s district’s regulations. Staff views the misaligned zoning designation as a unique circumstance causing the owner plight in filling the vacant commercial space. Due to the building’s history as a mixed-use building within the context of the Bicentennial Bluffs neighborhood, staff does not believe that an additional neighborhood business-oriented use will alter the essential character of the neighborhood.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS PUBLIC HEARING:
The Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on this petition on December 18, 2025. Jose Luis Rojas, the future laundromat business owner, represented the petition. No one spoke in favor of or in opposition to the petition. The Board also approved a Variation to reduce the required amount of off-street parking at the subject location from 31 spaces to 19 spaces. Meeting minutes are attached.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS:
recommendation
Brigette Roehr moved that the Zoning Board of Appeals recommend approval of the Variation of Use to allow a laundromat, a B-1 (neighborhood business) use in an R-4 (multi-family residential) zoning district, located at 629 N. Hickory Street, subject to the following conditions:
1. That the structure is not expanded to accommodate additional dwelling units or commercial units.
2. That the existing off-street parking arrangement, which includes 19 total off-street parking spaces, remain in place while the three commercial units are occupied.
3. That the City may initiate a repeal process for the Variation of Use if the required conditions are not satisfied.
4. Should the property be declared a public nuisance by the City Council, the Variation of Use shall be subject to a rehearing and possible revocation.
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RECOMMENDATION OF THE ADMINISTRATION:
recommendation
Staff concurs with the recommendation of the Zoning Board of Appeals and recommends that the Mayor and City Council adopt the Ordinance Approving a Variation of Use to Allow a Laundromat, a B-1 (neighborhood business) use in an R-4 (multi-family residential) Zoning District, Located at 629 N. Hickory Street, subject to the same conditions approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals above.