Title
Consider public testimony regarding, and an ordinance amending Chapter 46, Section 46-160, Code of Ordinances (2010 Edition) regarding overnight accommodations. (First Reading)*
Body
This code amendment will modify the supplementary use standards for hotels in the MU-1 and MU-2 districts. The existing requirements were written with a single-building hotel in mind, most likely located near the downtown core. Recently staff met with a hotel developer interested in constructing multiple bungalows on a large property located along Brushy Creek, exposing a weakness in the code requirements. The proposed amendment will more clearly address this type of development by clarifying that the requirement for all of the primary face of the ground floor of the hotel to consist of active uses such as the lobby and common areas will apply only to the primary structure and not to other structures on the lot. Additionally, exterior entrances to individual guest rooms will be permited to face a parking lot but not a street, loosening up the existing requirement that they may not face either. This was originally written to discourage an auto-oriented motel that is more fitting for a highway-adjacent property from locating in downtown. The effect of this edit is that a hotel patron will be able to park in a spot which faces the entrance to their detached bungalow, as long as it also doesn't face the street.
The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval at their meeting on August 17, 2016.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends approval.