Architectural Renderings for 2510 Oak Street

Proposed Site Plan for 2502 and 2510 Oak Street

Parking

As the zoning application indicates that the property will be converted from an office use to a commercial use, a restaurant on this site would be obligated to provide 65% of the parking spaces required under the general Code (the site layout of a 150 seat restaurant in a suburban location would not be contextually sensitive in an urban, mixed use neighborhood such as Riverside- therefore a reduction in parking is allowed in order to retain the neighborhood’s physical and historical character). Generally, Code requires that a restaurant provide one parking space for every four seats and one parking space for every two full time employees (the Oak Street property would be required to meet 65% of that standard).

Depiction of a proper alignment and scope for the construction of 90-degree head in parking stalls per Code, such as those proposed to be constructed as part of the Oak Street redevelopment proposal

Based on the property’s current use as an office building, a total of 12 parking spaces are required. The application indicates that the property has historically been served by on-street parking spaces, and that the property owner plans to continue to utilize on-street parking to support the new use. Because all of the parking provided is required to support the redevelopment of the property, the applicant seeks to designate nineteen (19) of the parking spaces as on-street spaces. The only other alternative to squeeze parking on site would be to demolish the existing buildings on the property, an option not considered ideal from an economic standpoint (loss of investment) nor from a neighborhood perspective (having a large and empty space along a prime street corner would be considered blight). Under the new proposed commercial use, the applicant is seeking to reduce the total number of parking spaces from 44.25 to 35 spaces (using a combination of on-street and on-site parking spaces).

Under the Overlay, Right-of-Way (ROW) areas within Office Character Areas can be used to create contiguous on-street parking spaces along the area fronting the site’s footprint. The application notes that in order to prevent stacking in the ROW, a variance is being requested so as to provide sufficient parking accommodations that take into account the safety of customers moving to and from their cars to the proposed businesses.

Landscaping

Per the site plan, the public Right-of-Way along Oak Street would be restriped to provide twelve (12) 90-degree head in parking stalls. Seven (7) 90-degree head in parking stalls currently exist on Stockton Street and would remain under the proposed plan. Per the Code, one shade tree is required to be planted for every three such 90-degree head in parking stalls. There is an existing oak tree that now lives along Stockton Street, however no trees currently exist along the property’s border on Oak Street. There is one additional oak tree located on the corner of Oak and Stockton Streets. The application seeks relief from planting four shade trees, so as to not reduce available on-street parking facilities. For every new tree the developer would be required to plant, that would mean one less parking space that could be provided.

The site plan also calls for a drive-thru window with a one-way ingress and one-way egress access. Motorists would enter from Oak Street and exit the site onto Stockton Street. Outdoor café seating would front both Oak and Stockton Streets.

Drive-Thru and Retail Sale of Beer and Wine

Example of a restaurant with drive-thru facility designed to be contextually sensitive within a walkable, commercial district on a high traffic street in Louisville’s Highlands neighborhood. The Highlands neighborhood compares favorably with Jacksonville’s Riverside neighborhood.

An exception has also been applied for to allow for a drive-thru in conjunction with a restaurant, as well as an exception to allow for the retail sale of beer and wine for on-premises consumption. The properties’ CN zoning allows for the use of a restaurant (without drive-thru faciliities) and the retail sales of beer and wine for off-premises consumption by right. However the properties’ zoning allows for the sale/service of beer and wine for on-premises consumption and a drive-thru facility to be granted by exception. The Overlay does not address drive-thru facilities, and any such governance of drive-thrus are only expressly addressed based on the site’s underlying zoning per Code. Applying for certain uses by exception (such as for the sale/service of beer/wine) are not uncommon within the City’s land use construct, which is filled with holes and held together by a patchwork of fixes and amendments. Most full service and fast casual restaurants in the area (from large restaurants like Black Sheep and Als Pizza, to smaller places like Hovan, Timottis and Corner Taco) sell beer/wine for on-premises consumption. However, drive-thrus are not as common. Existing drive-thru facilities nearby include Nacho Taco to the north (formerly a Skinners Dairy), Wendys and Regions Bank to the east and Burger King and Centre State Bank to the northwest.

Example of a restaurant with drive-thru facility designed to be contextually sensitive within a walkable, commercial district on a high traffic street in Louisville’s Highlands neighborhood. The Highlands neighborhood compares favorably with Jacksonville’s Riverside neighborhood.

A bank branch with drive-thru facilities in a historically-compatible structure located in Five Points, nearby the proposed Oak Street redevelopment project

Increasingly, rehabilitating aging but non-historic/non-contributing structures have become difficult in Riverside/Avondale without some kind of zoning accommodation due to changing market conditions and parking requirements along with the economic realities associated with an aging building stock. Zoning accommodations have become increasingly contentious over the past few years.

Next: The Developer and RAP Weigh In