O’Reilly Auto Parts is planning a new store for 3219 10th Ave. S., the site of the former Prime Cut restaurant.

The new store would replace the existing store at 3400 10th Ave. S.

Earlier this week, the project went before the city’s Board of Adjustment for an exception to the rear setback requirement in city code, which states “the minimum rear yard setback of principal and accessory buildings within the C-2 General Commercial Zoning District must be 1/10th of the lot depth but not less than 1/10th of the building height.”

The lot is 130 feet in depth, which would require a 13-foot rear setback under city code.

The existing building is currently 0.87 feet from the property line.

The O’Reilly developers are proposing to use the rear wall of the existing structure and extend it along its present alignment about 22 feet to allow for a 8,047 square foot building to be constructed. That would make it about 25 percent larger than the existing 10th Avenue South store, according to the city staff report.

Prime Cut closed in October 2016 and the property has been vacant and for sale since.

No one spoke in opposition during Thursday’s hearing and staff hadn’t received any written comments on the project. Notice of the hearing was mailed to neighboring property owners and published in the newspaper.

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Staff recommended approval of the variance since “the spirit of this title would be observed and substantial justice done by granting the variance because of the following: 1) the purpose of the relatively large rear setback in commercial zoning districts is to protect adjacent properties against negative impacts such trash collection and noise from delivery vehicles, 2) the need for such protection is not required in this case because of the presence of the alley buffer as well as the fact that a restaurant was operated for almost 40 years with the same nonconforming setback. Because of these factors, the spirit of the code is still met and substantial justice is being served.”

The board approved the variance though the project will still have to go through the Design Review Board.

Other properties in the area are also located within rear setbacks, but buffered by the same alley.

Those properties include:

• Prairie Mountain Bank at 3635 10th Ave. S.
• Auto Trim Design at 3645 10th Ave. S.
• Good Vibrations/Sound Pro at 3301 10th Ave. S. No. 2.