The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – Close to a dozen community members were in attendance to offer input during the public hearing portion of the June 8 planning commission meeting at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds. The hearing was in reference to a rezone application received by the City of Waitsburg, from Marvin Aronson, who requested that his property at 503 W 2nd be rezoned from residential to commercial.

Aronson currently uses the property, located just off of Highway 124, to do hobby automobile and equipment repair. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the rezone request was made in order to better align the property, which is zoned residential, with past use and Aronson's plans going forward.

Hinchliffe said the property has probably been used commercially longer than it has been used residentially. The lot was last used commercially as an auto sales lot and had been the location of a grocery store in years prior. Hinchliffe said the property does meet most of the criteria within the code for a rezone, but the big question is whether or not the business is compatible with surrounding land use.

Aronson said he applied for the C-2 commercial rezoning because he was "trying to do things legally." He said he currently uses the property as storage and hobby repair of automobiles, trucks, and lawnmowers.

Aronson said he purchased the property with the intent to eventually retire and build a shop, and had been told there would be no problem operating a shop there. He said he doesn't have specific plans as far as the future size of the business, but intends to semi-retire at the end of the year and wants to open a family-operated shop on the property.

Commission member KC Kuykendall said he felt the highway corridor was an appropriate place for expansion. However, he said this particular application doesn't look at the corridor as a whole.

"We're talking about one teeny, tiny, little lot and making a special designation and rezone for that existing and sole lot. While that's not entirely unheard of, when you start rezoning a city with little pockmarks, you're headed down the wrong path. It's a bad idea," Kuykendall said.

"If the planning commission is going to make recommendations to council to begin to expand commercial development along the highway there, I think we ought to give consideration to more than just one existing lot," he added.

Kuykendall also expressed concern that a repair business, as opposed to a retail business, will be harder to justify as a compatible use to the neighboring houses.

Commission member Larry Johnson noted that commercial zoning would raise permitting issues with both the Department of Ecology and the Department of Transportation. He said it was likely that the DOT would deny business access from the highway and customers would have to enter from West Street or the alley.

Planning Commission Chairman Karen Gregutt repeatedly questioned whether a rezone was actually necessary for Aronson to continue doing what he is doing.

Hinchliffe said that because the long-term goal is to create a commercial business, there is no house on the property, and the business is not allowed outright in a residential zone, it doesn't meet mixed-use critera.

Gregutt said she felt the C-2 designation was too big of a switch. Kuykendall agreed, saying that C-2 zoning includes businesses like fuel and lumber yards.

Kuykendall and Gregutt suggested issuing a conditional use permit that would allow specific activity, at designated levels, that would allow the business to continue while bypassing the rezoning.

Several audience members spoke in support of Aronson's request, citing the need for an auto repair business in town and the fact that the property had previously been used commercially.

"I just want to work on local cars at a fair price and do something for the community. We're not out to make anybody mad," Aronson said. "I'm just trying to do it legally," he added.

Other community members spoke against the rezoning and expressed concerns about noise, pollution, danger to children, increased traffic, potential decline of neighboring home values, and nuisance enforcement.

Following further discussion, the commission voted to recommend that the city council deny the application with the understanding that a new zone designation would be created, and that the applicant will be able to resubmit to the new zone at no additional charge.

The planning commission will work to establish appropriate zoning and/or conditions that they can then recommend to council.