This agenda item was on the City Council Agenda for the January 31 and February 14, 2019 Regular Meetings and was remanded back to the Planning Commission.

Teresa Coleman, Petitioner (File No. 18-006285-ZA) is requesting approval of a rezoning map amendment for a property located at 3811 and 3813 Bull Street (PINs: 2-0093 -10-016 and 2-0093 -10-018) to rezone the property from B-G-1 (General Business, Transition) to RIP (Residential – Institutional – Professional).  The property is currently improved with two multifamily residential structures.

As the current B-G-1 Zoning District does not permit residential uses, the existing residential structures on the site are considered nonconforming, which has proved a hardship for the petitioner.  The RIP Zoning District would permit the existing residential uses while retaining many of the same commercial uses except for more intense activities such as self-storage, furniture repair, and automotive repair.  Since the RIP Zoning District is more restrictive in nearly every respect than the current B-G-1 Zoning District, this request amounts to a downzoning.  There are several instances of other nonconforming residential properties near the site in question, suggesting that the current zoning may not be the correct fit for the development pattern.  The proposed Zoning District is consistent with the Tri-Centennial Comprehensive Plan's Future Land Use Map (FLUM) Category of Traditional Commercial and the anticipated NewZO's Zoning District of TC-1 as they both allow residential uses.  Traditional Commercial FLUM Category's Definition: Business areas in close proximity to downtown or in outlying historically settled areas having development patterns characteristic of the Planned Town, Streetcar, and Early Automobile eras. This category includes residential uses that are compatible with the character of adjacent neighborhoods.

In 2007, the Chatham County Board of Assessors split PIN 2-0093 -10-003 (NW corner of Bull and 56th) into 3813 and 3817 Bull Street based upon a 2006 Plat (Plat Book 33P Page 10).  Although this Plat was not reviewed or approved by the City in 2006, the City did approve a subdivision of PIN 2-0093 -10-016 into 3811 (New PIN 2-0093 -10-018) and 3813 Bull Street under File No. 18-003466-SUBP (Plat Book 51 Page 574).

On January 8, 2019, the Planning Commission voted to recommend approval.  However, on March 12, 2019, the Planning Commission voted to recommend denial.