Photo courtesy of Read Shop by The Merchant.
A bookstore and coffee shop planned for Henderson Avenue needs 13 off-street parking spaces. It doesn’t have them.
Read Shop by The Merchant, which expects to open at 2730 N. Henderson Ave., is asking the Board of Adjustment for a variance to the parking requirements.
In May 2022, the board granted a variance for eight spaces. Those eight, plus delta credits and an off-street parking space with ADA-accessible loading space, satisfied the 13-space requirement.
This new request is asking for last year’s approval to be reinstated; an application for a building permit or certificate of occupancy was not submitted within 180 days of the May decision.
“Due to the irregular shape of the site and it being bound by two public streets and an alley, this site differs from other parcels of land, and it cannot be developed in a manner commensurate with the development upon other parcels of land with the same zoning,” according to application materials submitted to the Board of Adjustment.
While there is commercial parking in other parts of the building’s zoning district, Planned Development District 462, it is already accounted for. And 2730 N. Henderson Ave., which was formerly home to Emeralds to Coconuts, is more than 750 feet away from the lots, which disqualifies it from remote parking agreements, according to the application materials.
Site of the future Read Shop by The Merchant on North Henderson Avenue. Photography by Renee Umsted.
But the applicants said on three days in January, February and March last year, they counted 24, 29 and 32 pedestrians, respectively, in 30-minute intervals around lunchtime or the afternoon rush hour. This showed that the area has “an abundance of pedestrian traffic.”
The site is on the corner of North Henderson Avenue and Homer Street. Multifamily and single-family residences and a nail salon border the property.
“We do not believe the requested variance of eight parking spaces of 61.54% of the required parking spaces will be contrary to the public interest as the building has operated as a retail store for decades,” the applicants said in their submission to the Board of Adjustment.
This case is scheduled to be at the Board of Adjustment hearing for Panel B at 1 p.m. Aug. 16.
