A public hearing regarding a carwash on Lake Harbour Drive has been rescheduled to January 16 by Ridgeland officials.
Originally the hearing, which is an appeal of the planning and zoning board’s decision to deny developers’ petition to put a carwash on Lake Harbour Drive, was scheduled for December 19. However, according to Mayor Gene McGee, “The publication did not make it in the paper correctly. To make it right, we’re resetting the public hearing.” The hearing will be held at city hall.
“The zoning board recommended to the board that the petition be denied,” Bernie Giessner, head of the planning and zoning board, said. “If they don’t like the outcome, they can appeal that decision and call for another public hearing before the mayor and board.”
The petitioners are Veracity LLC, the same owners of the GoShine Express car wash on Old Fannin Road, according to city planner Matt Dodd.
“There are lots of carwashes in the area, so the need is not there,” Giessner said. “The development along (Lake Harbour Drive) is C-2A, such as offices…”
A C-2A district allows property zoned for commercial development to have additional permitted uses due to its location on arterial streets and a high volume of traffic, according to the city zoning ordinance.
C-2A uses include grocery stores, restaurants, banks, convenience stores, service stations, pharmacies, laundry and dry-cleaning services. C-3 districts are meant to establish “convenience commercial uses” developments.
The carwash would be located on Lake Harbour Drive, across from Applebee’s and east of Northpark Drive, Dodd said.
During the January 16 meeting, the city will also hold a public hearing to consider an amendment to the city zoning ordinance.
The amendment would require a conditional use process and give city officials more control over future hotels in the city.
“It’s language that is going to possibly make approval of hotels in the future go through the conditional use process,” Ward 1 Alderman Ken Heard said. “So no matter what land it goes on, it would require a conditional use process. That puts much more control into the hands of the aldermen.”
A conditional use process requires the developer to show they have properly considered 15 different factors, such as traffic, safety, architecture and other items.
“It’s the consideration of putting hotels as conditional use in the zoning ordinance,” Mayor McGee said. “The board is interested in setting that up… If this passes, the city will be able to continue to have a real positive hotel development, and (city officials) can implement conditions to make sure, in the long-term, it’s a positive thing.”
This will ensure the city offers facilities it both wants and needs, he added.
