City Council, City of Peoria

City zoning commission okays grandfather status for unpaved lots

4 Comments

The city council on Tuesday will also be considering a recommendation from the zoning commission that provides some relief to businesses in the older areas of town that have unpaved (rock or gravel) parking lots or loading areas.  Right now, if someone complains about such lots, the city can require that the business pave their lot within a year of receiving notice.  Under new rules proposed by the zoning commission, they would not have to pave their lot or loading area unless there is a change of use or expansion of the business.

The new rules apply only to businesses whose gravel lots were created prior to 1972.  The city established rules requiring lots to be paved that year, so any business that established a gravel lot after 1972 did so illegally and would still be subject to the old rules (requiring pavement within a year).

This is a good example of the city showing some flexibility in their zoning to take into consideration the concerns of long-time businesses in the older parts of town.  This sounds like a good compromise by the zoning commission.

4 thoughts on “City zoning commission okays grandfather status for unpaved lots”

  1. You do realize this may grandfather all the slum lords who gravelled up the back yards of their properties. Being a slum lord is a business too.

  2. I should have mentioned, this ordinance also only applies to “nonresidential zoning districts.” So even though being a slum lord is indeed a business, this will not apply to them because their property is zoned residential.

  3. What’s so bad about a gravel parking lot? Seems to me it reduces storm runoff and, if a customer finds it so offensive, they don’t have to do business there. I just don’t understand politicans fascination with concrete.

  4. You are correct Mouse, that gravel does curb run off. This is actually a good thing. There are better ways to achieve that. Paver bricks and or cobbles work much better at curbing runoff. Gravel gets scattered all over the place, into lawns making them more difficult to maintain. They can damage cars with a lawn mower or get kicked around by fast moving vehicles. Gravel looks crappier in the long run.

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