City Commissioners will consider during an Oct. 17 public hearing a request to rezone property for a 12-unti apartment building.
The city planning board voted 4-0 in August to recommend approval of the rezone.
The 0.34-acre property at 2505 8th Ave. N. is currently vacant and zoned R-3 single family high density.
The property owner, Robert Tacke, is requesting to rezone the property to C-1 neighborhood commercial.
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Multi-family is not permitted in the R-3 district but it’s allowed by right in the C-1 district, according to city staff.
The applicant is also planning to aggregate two lots for the project, according to the staff report.
Property to the north of the proposed apartment building is zoned I-1 light industrial and property to the east and south are R-3, with property to the west zoned C-1.
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“Staff finds the city’s 2013 growth policy update supports the proposed zoning map amendment to facilitate more dense development, particularly to provide needed housing. Specifically, the growth policy lists multiple social policies regarding housing, such as encouraging a variety of housing types and densities so that residents can chose by price or rent, location and place of work,” according to the staff report.
The growth policy also prioritizes infill development, according to staff.
The Great Falls Development Alliance spoke in favor of the rezone.
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No one spoke in opposition during the Sept. 19 commission meeting.
Both 8th Avenue North and 25th Street North are collector streets, which are generally appropriate for higher intensity of use, according to staff.
The city public works and fire department have been involved in reviewing the projects and further coordination will be required for utilities.
Two people spoke in opposition to the project during the Aug. 22 hearing on water pressure and traffic.
City staff said the project would connect to a 12-inch water main in 25th Street and would not affect area water pressure.
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Some area property owners emailed staff with concerns about the project after the planning board packet was posted in August.
The concerns include traffic, lack of available street parking and low water pressure.
Staff conducted a traffic analysis using the ITE Trip Generation Manual and found a development of this type would generate an average of 6.74 trips per dwelling unit per day, for a total of 81 trips per day.
During peak hour, 4-6 p.m., the analysis estimates seven vehicles daily.
The development is estimated to account for less than a 2 percent increases in traffic on both 8th Avenue North and 25th Street North at peak hour, according to the traffic analysis.
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“Staff finds no additional traffic control would be necessary to accommodate the estimated growth caused by the development of the project,” according to the staff report.
The development will also require a parking lot so staff indicated the project will not impact street parking.
After commissioners voted in September to set the public hearing, a citizen submitted comment asking about issues addressed above as well as safety at the railroad crossing north of the proposed apartment complex on 25th Street North.
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“Staff reviewed the location and functionality of the railroad crossing, including its proximity to the proposed development and the safety features in place. Because the railroad crossing has train-activated crossing signal arms, and because of the low generation of vehicle trips by the proposed development, staff determined that the proximity of the development to the railroad crossing would have no negative safety or capacity impacts to 25th Street North. Staff also notified Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad of the proposed project, and received no comments, according to the staff report.
