All Forum Posts by: Kyle Kingma

Yeah, they're illegal for a reason. You obviously are aware of this fact so if you're going to convert it illegally...good luck.

Billboards would be tough with the screening wall on the Interstate and that there are already two billboards on Rt 1 (there are spacing requirements). The area is obviously multi-family residential with trailer parks and apartments. I advise against clearing it (other than some logging to get an AG exemption on your taxes) since that area doesn't look prime and if you clear, you might as well grade which could get pricey and risky. You'd have to check with the County on what the correct definition of a cell tower is. I found that B-1 allows a broadcasting station as a conditional use. B-1 allows convenience retail like gas stations, however it appears there's one already down the road. Have you approached the neighbor about them expanding? 

that's if the city would permit temporary uses all year. Like Karen suggested, let's see where this is on a map and maybe something will stick out.

Family = six related or unrelated individuals acting as a single housekeeping unit (i.e. sharing kitchen, bathrooms, common areas, etc.). Code allows it, but code likely doesn't allow parking on grass, the street, etc. which if it's a SF neighborhood...you'll get called on all the time. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should max out. Four adults is good and that's completely up to you to limit them so long as you aren't saying four [insert specific race] adults. 

Karen, she said it was B-1 for what I presume to be office/neighborhood retail. How big is the tract? Could it be subdivided to make investment more palatable? Does it have utility services (water and sewer in the street)? Sidewalks built? How are the neighboring properties developed?

just make sure you do your research pertaining to the zoning and use. Is it grandfathered for that use? Has that lapsed? Is there enough parking for four units? Will major modifications trigger fire code requirements (sprinkling)? You might take a trip down to your planning department and discuss your plans and maybe set up a meeting.

well you can't force someone to fix their property unless it's considered a nuisance in city ordinance. 

What's the issue with the zoning? Sounds like it works well for those renting the homes. As far as the zoning from the city planning perspective.Quadplexes and duplexes are gradual transitions in density. As for HOAs, you're not going to see those in older, denser neighborhoods unless someone organized it, which for rental properties, isn't likely to happen. What are the issues? Junk vehicles, trash, parking on grass? Those things just need to be reported to code compliance. 

Ask for a zoning verification letter from the planning dept. zoning may or may not be an issue. Usually there's single family, two family, then multi family which is 3+ units per lot. So you might be okay on that front, although it's a bit fishy that it's marketed as four when there's five. If the fifth isn't permitted, and you want to go and make it legal...you may be looking at having to sprinkle the building unless your city has adopted the existing building code. I'd be happy to help interpret their code if things get dicey.

As far as zoning is concerned, your jurisdiction's definition of a family is important. Usually it's six related or unrelated persons operating as a single housekeeping unit (ie shared kitchen an bathrooms). If this checks out, another issue will be parking.