Alex Dambach, AICP

Planning Supervisor

Peter Schwarz, AICP

Assistant Director

Brad Ostroff

Acting Director of Community and Economic Development

Case # CD20-04ZVRZCU “Cubesmart - Rezoning”

A public hearing before the Oakland Park Planning and Zoning Board to consider an application by Oakland Park Storage Builders, LLC, for Rezoning property to build a self-storage facility at 880 W. Prospect Road.

Issue Statement:  The applicant, Oakland Park Storage Builders, LLC, requests to rezone a 0.88-acre property from the B-2, General Business zone to the B-3, Commercial-Industrial zone in order to construct a combination self-storage facility and City of Oakland Park Fire Station in the same building at the vacant site located at 880 W. Prospect Road.

Recommended Action:  The Planning and Zoning Board consider a recommendation to the City Commission to adopt an ordinance to rezone the site at 880 W. Prospect Road from B-2, General Business to B-3, Commercial-Industrial in accordance with Section 24-166.

Background & Additional Information: Accompanying this application is a request before the Planning and Zoning Board that requires approval from City Commission for Conditional Use, as the B-2 district does not permit self storage facilities. Also requested are variances for Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and for front, side, and rear yard setbacks.  These variance requests will be heard by the Board of Adjustment and require approval by the City Commission. 

On May 2, 2018, a proposal requesting that this site be rezoned from B-2 to I-1, Light Industrial, was heard and denied by the City Commission.  That rezoning proposal was to facilitate the use of this site only as a self-storage facility. 

On April 15, 2020, the City Commission passed Resolution #R-2020-038 approving the City to enter into a Development Agreement with Oakland Park Storage Builders, LLC, the applicant, for the redevelopment of a new Fire Station 20 to be within a proposed self-storage facility (CubeSmart) on the 0.88-acre in question.

This Development Agreement defines the elements of the project and establishes a clear understanding of terms and conditions within the contract.  The City is to enter a long-term lease for a two-story fire station unit to consist of not less than 11,300 net square feet located on the first and second floor of the self-storage facility.  It requires inclusion of enhanced building systems and components to meet and/or exceed Category 5 Hurricane building requirements. 

Description:  The subject site for this rezoning request consists of 0.88 acres (38,332 square feet). It is owned by the applicant and zoned B-2, General Business. Prior to 1992, a portion of this site had been zoned R-2, Two-Family Residential, but it was rezoned to B-2 at that time.  This application is for it to be rezoned to B-3, Commercial Industrial.

The adjacent 0.10 acres (4,555.6 square feet) parcel to the south, owned by the City of Oakland Park will be included within the overall development site.  This additional site will accommodate additional parking, so the Fire Department can have secured interior parking inside the building.  Rezoning of this parcel is not included within this application, as the site will remain zoned I-1, Light Industrial.

The combined 0.98 acre (42,887.6 square foot) vacant, irregular site has a generally triangular shape and is located at the southeast corner of Powerline Road and Prospect Road. Staff research indicates that the subject site has remained vacant, despite several development proposals that have been considered in the past. A warranty deed in Official Record Book 33020, Page 432 restricts the use of the property to prohibit the sales or storage of petroleum or petroleum derivative fuels or lubricant. This restriction is deemed as a covenant running with the land.

Surroundings: The surrounding uses include Interstate 95 to the site’s southeast side with billboards and automotive land uses, and an industrial warehouse district immediately to the North.  Across the street on the west side of Powerline Road is the Fort Lauderdale Fiveash Water Treatment Plant and its water tanks. 

Future Land Use:  The subject property has a Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map (FLUM) designation of Industrial with a Flexibility acreage allocation according to Ordinance O-92-16. This proposed rezoning is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. The City-owned parcel would remain zoned I-1, Industrial, thus complying with the FLUM designation.

Neighborhood Participation Meeting: February 11, 2020.

The applicant proposes to construct a mixed use building that would contain a CubeSmart self-storage facility and a City Fire Station at this vacant site. Proposed is a 6 story, 74’10” tall, 97,367 square foot triangular-shaped building. Most of the first floor and a portion of the second floor would contain a City Fire Station with a 2-lane pass-through truck garage, a 10-space indoor employee parking area, and all support facilities for the fire station. The remainder of the second floor and all upper floors would contain a climate-controlled self-storage facility with rental units of varying sizes. Exact stall sizes and configuration are not finalized and may be adjusted based on market needs, but no more than 400 stalls are proposed.  Part of the first floor would also contain a lobby, a 2-vehicle loading area, and a 3-space covered parking area for the storage facility.  This facility would not be permitted to store motor vehicles or boats.

The site would be configured such that vehicles would enter from a one-way driveway entrance at Prospect Road. Upon entering the site, the circulation route would split with a fire-truck entrance into the station garage directly south of the entrance and with a turn-off to the west to a one-way lane leading to the storage facility’s loading zone and covered indoor parking area. This lane would continue to access a two-way passage into the building where fire trucks would exit their garage and where fire personnel would access the indoor employee parking area.  At the south end of the site, in the City-owned parcel, there would be nine additional parking spaces.  The exit to the property would be a one-lane, right-turn-only driveway onto Powerline Road.

Landscaping is proposed around the perimeter of the site.   A free-standing sign is proposed to advertise the self storage facility near the Prospect Road entrance at the north end of the site.  An enclosed dumpster is proposed to the south of the building.  The facades would include signage along the triangular building’s three facades.  The City will be working with the Developer on the final façade design of the building for it to match the City facilities design guidelines which now are being developed.  

Applicable Codes:

Zoning Regulations (B-3 Zoning District):

Findings

The site in question is unusual because of its location and shape. It is located where Interstate 95 crosses Powerline Road at a sharp angle causing it to have an irregular shape with angular lot lines, and it is located at the intersection of two major streets, were driveway access is affected by the roadway lane configurations. As a result, developing this parcel is highly unlikely without variances. The site is surrounded by industrial and transportation land uses, so uses applicable to the B-2, General Commercial zone, intended for retail, restaurant, and similar service businesses, would be different from the surroundings.

Proposed is a commercial project that includes a City government resource, a new fire station to replace the aging Fire Station #20 currently located three blocks to the north. This mixed-use project combines the relatively low traffic, low intensity storage facility use with a facility that is usually low intensity except during emergencies. The noise anticipated from the fire station would not likely adversely affect the self storage units, and the low traffic of the self storage units would not likely adversely affect the fire station.  The surrounding uses are industrial and transportation, and thus would not be adversely affected by fire station noise. 

The Comprehensive Plan directs that rezonings should protect surrounding neighborhoods, particularly residential neighborhoods, from incompatible land uses. In the case of this site, the nearest residential area is separated by Interstate 95, a multi-lane elevated highway. It is unlikely that uses permitted by this rezoning would adversely affect any residential properties. In terms of the immediate surroundings, there are automobile repair and industrial uses along Prospect Road and the Fiveash Water Treatment facility directly across the street from this site on Powerline Road. It has 85 foot tall water tanks and infrastructure for which the proposed 6-story building would have a similar size and form. Anticipated traffic and infrastructure usage from this proposed land use would be low.

The Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map (FLUM) designates this site for Industrial use, and Flexibility acreage was allocated by Ordinance O-92-16.  This proposed rezoning is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

The Planning and Zoning Board consider a recommendation to the City Commission to adopt an ordinance to rezone the site at 880 W. Prospect Road from B-2, General Business to B-3, Commercial-Industrial in accordance with Section 24-166.