Planning commission approves reduced parking for online travel business at 807 Saint Andrew

The Planning Commission on Nov. 7 approved a variance reducing the minimum off‑street parking requirement for 807 Saint Andrews Street from nine spaces to four.

Jennifer Bergstrom, special projects planner, told commissioners the building had historically operated as a dental clinic and contains a legal nonconforming parking lot of six spaces (one accessible). The prospective tenant, a wholesale travel company that creates week‑long educational tours for seniors and does not receive in‑person customers, projected limited on‑site parking demand; Bergstrom said on‑street parking adjacent to Wilson Park and additional on‑street spaces on Saint Andrew Street would offset reduced on‑site capacity.

Applicants Valerie Baker and Megan Ragland told the commission they sell packaged programs wholesale to a partner (Road Scholar) and do not have customers visiting the office. They asked the board to consider preserving more of the existing spaces (they originally sought six and asked whether five might be possible), saying that four spaces felt restrictive for the building’s square footage.

Staff responded that the parking calculation is driven by office square footage and design standards (striping, aisle widths) that affect how many spaces are usable; a different configuration would require a separate variance and new notice. Mike Quasney moved to approve the variance to four spaces (including ADA) per staff stipulations; Karen seconded and the commission carried the motion.

The approval includes a stipulation that any change in use or operational plan would require a new variance application; applicants may later seek a separate variance to preserve more of the existing unstriped parking if they wish to reconfigure to meet design standards.