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<br /> <br />Plan Commission <br />March 25, 2015 Study Session Minutes <br />(approved 4-22-2015) <br /> <br />The Plan Commission held a study session at the Heman Park Community Center located at 975 <br />Pennsylvania Avenue, University City, Missouri on Wednesday, March 25, 2015. The meeting <br />commenced at 5:35 pm. <br /> <br />Voting Members Present Voting Members Absent <br />Linda Locke (Chairperson) None <br />Cirri Moran (Vice-Chairperson) <br />Andrew Ruben <br />Michael Miller <br />Rick Salamon <br />Rosalind Williams <br />Samuel Jones <br /> <br />Non-Voting Council Liaison Present <br /> <br />Michael Glickert <br /> <br />Staff Present <br />Andrea Riganti, Director of Community Development <br />Ray Lai, Deputy Director of Community Development <br />Zach Greatens, Planner <br /> <br />Proposed Zoning Code Text Amendments pertaining to off-street parking regulations, multi- <br />family residential development regulations, site size for Planned Development Districts, and floor <br />area regulations for buildings in the GC General Commercial District, CC Core Commercial <br />District, and IC Industrial Commercial District <br /> <br />Ms. Riganti explained the background information and summarized the memorandum and <br />attachments distributed to the Plan Commission members. She stated that the goal of the study <br />session was for the Code Review Committee (CRC) members to make a recommendation to the <br />Plan Commission and for the Plan Commission to then consider the item at the regular meeting. <br />She also stated that the proposed changes pertaining to the parking regulations were more <br />pressing than the other changes proposed and if there was not enough time to address the other <br />proposed changes it could be done at a later date. <br /> <br />Ms. Riganti stated that the existing Zoning Code regulations related to off-street parking are <br />similar to regulations in suburban communities and do not adequately address the existing <br />conditions in University City. The high parking requirements have resulted in re-occupancy <br />issues. There have been multiple situations in recent years in which tenant spaces have not <br />been able to be re-occupied due to the high parking requirements for the proposed use which <br />has resulted in tenant spaces remaining vacant for longer periods of time. The missed <br />opportunities have had a negative impact on the economic development in University City due <br />to the loss of potential business growth. The current Code has not been responsive to recent <br />changes in land use or development trends in that it does not offer relaxed regulations for <br />alternative modes of transportation. <br /> <br />As explained in the memorandum, the variance process is not a long-term solution to such <br />parking problems. Ms. Riganti provided the example of a recent variance request that was <br />tğŭĻ Њ ƚŅ Ћ <br /> <br />