01-25-07 Regular Meeting and Public Hearing of the La Porte Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes

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Staff Report Requested by: Requested for: Location: Zonin2: Back2round: Analvsis: February 22, 2007 Special Exception Request #SE07-002 PPG Industries, Inc. Block 868; Town of La Porte. 160 1 West 'H' Street Light Industrial (Ll) In 1998, the PPG Industries, Inc. contacted the City and requested approval of a temporary off-site parking lot for use during construction within the plant site. A letter of agreement was executed between PPG and the City authorizing the use for a maximum of three years. Conditions of the agreement included maintaining the parking lot in a "dust free" manner. In addition, any extension of the agreement required City approval. A request for an extension did not occur. Recently, parking lot violations, e.g. non-dust free surface and fence conditions were brought to the City's attention. PPG Industries was notified of the violations. It was further noted that if the parking lot is no longer desired, all improvements should be removed to abate the violations. PPG Industries responded positively and closed access to the lot on December 20, 2006, by using barricade and warning pylons at the site. In a letter to the City, PPG noted the lot is not intended for routine parking, but for use only as a staging area for emergencies, including drills. PPG further requested to keep a gravel surface ensuring the lot will not be used for non-emergency parking. This Special Exception request is to consider approval of a gravel surface for the parking lot and continued use of this lot for mutual aid or local emergency equipment staging area. This exception is being requested under the terms of Section 106-1 91 (b)(3) of the City's Code of Ordinances. The Code of Ordinances defines a special exception as a specified enumerated deviation from zoning regulations. The Board is empowered to grant a special exception when it finds the following: .:. Granting the exception will not adversely qffect the value, or use of neighboring property. .:. Granting the exception will not be contrary to the best public interest.