Rezoning the Copperline

Planning commission recommends approval of zoning amendment for Copperline Lodge

The Saratoga Planning Commission conducted business with three of their four members in attendance on October 13. While member Tom Westring was unable to attend, Mike Lamprecht joined the meeting via phone as the commission discussed a zoning amendment for Copperline Lodge.

Since opening four years ago on Rochester Street, the Copperline Lodge has operated in RD 6000. As owner Dan Point prepares to undergo expansion of his property, he is going through the rezoning process to bring his business into compliance.

“I don’t think it’s caused much commotion, there’s hardly anybody around except people behind us who we have become friends with,” said Pont. “In order to expand the lodge, it’s come to my attention that it can’t just be RD 6000 anymore. It needs to be a business zone. So, that’s what this thing is about. Just changing that.”

Pont has appeared before the planning commission previously, along with the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board, about expanding the lodge. He recently purchased property to the east of his business and demolished the mobile home. Additionally, he had requested a variance for an eight foot setback along 5th Street which is a dedicated but unused street between Rochester Street and Saratoga Avenue.

“I’ll have all the land between 5th Street and 4th Street and from the alley on the back to Rochester Street on the north. So, it will be contiguous and plenty of parking for people,” said Pont.

“So, it would meet the parking requirements for Highway Business zoning?” asked JIm Beckmann, planning chairman commission.

According to 18.45.010(C) of the Saratoga Municipal Code, a boarding or lodging house must have a minimum of one parking space for each guest bedroom and resident family while a hotel or motel must have a minimum of one parking space for each guest bedroom plus one parking space for three employees.

“It’s required to be in a highway business zone or a retail business zone in order to have an operating hotel rather than RD 6000?” asked Randy Raymer, owner of Raymer Construction.

“The language in RD 6000 allows for a Bed and Breakfast, but it doesn’t say that it allows for a hotel or motel,” Beckmann replied.

Indeed, under 18.21.040 of the municipal code, a bed and breakfast inn is listed as a specially permitted use in RD 6000 while motels and hotels are not listed. Under 18.30.020, Retail Business, and 18.33.020, Highway Business, motels and hotels are listed as permitted uses. As discussion continued between Pont and the planning commission, it was pointed out that the particular area of Rochester Street in which Copperline Lodge operated was more in line with a Highway Business district rather than a Residential Business district.

Raymer, while praising Pont for cleaning up the property to the east of his business, asked the planning commission if the owner of the Copperline Lodge had submitted a site plan.

“That’s in my travel route, so I’ve taken particular note at the tearing down of the old mobile home down there on 4th Street and I have to commend Mr. Pont for doing that,” Raymer said. “One of my questions would be; in what he’s proposing, has there actually been a site plan submitted for the appropriate parking?”

Pont replied that, with the proper setbacks in place, the parking would not be an issue for his business following rezoning of the property. He added that, while he did have a site plan for the expansion of the lodge, he was going through the rezoning process first.

Appropriate parking has become a particularly intense issue for some in the area. Raymer had appeared before the Saratoga Town Council during their October 6 meeting to express his concern over a building permit approved for Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (see “Adjacent and abutting” on page 1 of the October 14 Saratoga Sun), much of which appeared to center on his belief that there was inadequate off-street parking for the facility.

“I know there are some other issues with permits that have been issued about parking around town and so I guess it wouldn’t have an impact on changing the zone but, prior to any building permit being issued, you would have to prove up the adequate parking for that highway business zone because it is distinct from about any other zone, as are the setbacks,” said Raymer.

The Saratoga Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of Pont’s zone amendment to the Saratoga Town Council. A hearing for the amendment will have been held at the October 20 Saratoga Town Council meeting with a vote expected to be held by the governing body.

The next meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission will be at 5:30 p.m. on November 10 at Saratoga Town Hall.

 

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