Planning commission sends Ashbourne mixed‑use plan to council with conditions on transition and live/work parking

The commission voted to forward a positive recommendation to city council on the Ashbourne mixed‑use city‑center rezone at the northeast corner of 2200 North and 400 East, but the recommendation included explicit conditions aimed at improving the project's transition to adjacent single‑family zones and ensuring customer parking for proposed live/work units.

Staff described updates since the prior review: a reduction of 12 units, an increase of 42 parking stalls (parking rising from 443 to 485 on the plan), addition of five live/work units and expanded central open space. Scott said the project team also provided additional architectural variations and rear/side elevations. The staff report included a recommended left‑turn lane at the first entrance and reiterated the need for an owner‑occupancy deed restriction and proportional construction of commercial and residential elements.

Tom Hill of White Pine Engineering clarified the central detention/open‑space cross section would be shallow (about two feet deep with a 6:1 slope) and said the updated plan provides larger garages (approximately 500 sq ft) and added guest stalls. "We're over parked from city code," Hill said, characterizing the parking increase as a response to prior commission concerns.

Commissioners focused on three core issues: whether parking proximate to the live/work units would be adequate for customers, whether snow‑retention and on‑street parking would constrain available stalls, and whether the eastmost row of units presents a "wall of garages" that fails the code's requirement for a "sensitive transition" to neighboring single‑family lots. Commissioners and the developer discussed remedies including adding a second row of single‑family homes, flipping to front‑facing (front‑loaded) townhomes for the transition, or breaking two large row buildings into four smaller buildings with landscaping between to soften the facade.

Commissioner Porter moved, and Theresa seconded, to forward a positive recommendation to council subject to staff facts and findings and with two added conditions: (1) ensure parking proximity or reconfigure live/work placement to guarantee customer parking near the live/work units; and (2) improve the east‑side sensitive transition using one of three specific approaches (additional row of single‑family homes, front‑facing townhomes, or breaking up buildings with landscaping). The motion passed by voice vote, 3–1 (one commissioner recorded a 'no' vote).