Florissant Planning and Zoning Weigh Historic Business District's Contractors

The Historic Business District became the hot point of conversation for the Florissant Planning and Zoning commission meeting Tuesday night.

Building Commissioner Philip Lum asked the commission to consider a change to the zoning code in the Historic Business District to consider whether to classify a contractor as a permitted use in the district.

The city’s staff noticed after , one of the businesses in the historic district, requested a permit for a solar panel project, but contractors weren’t clearly addressed in regards to the historic business district.

Lum said that he preferred to have the permitted uses clarified in case something should arise again concerning contractors. He also said that there are approximately four or five contracting businesses in the district currently.

“They’ve been allowed, but I would like it more clear in the code,” he said.

After discussion with , Lum said that the commission could make one of three recommendations to the city council. The city council would then approve or fail the recommendation for amendment.

The choices are:

1. If the contractors are clarified as a permitted use, the code would be amended as such.
2. If the contractors are clarified as a special permit use, then previous contractors of the Historic Business District would be considered “non-conforming use” where they could not expand or change without being brought up to date with the code’s standards.
3. No clarifications or recommendations are made, whereas the city would then be held to make the best decisions possible going forward.

The commission seemed a bit puzzled as to the best resolution of where such an amendment could go in the code and without consultation from the city attorney.

“I wouldn’t touch this without legal counsel,” commissioner Daniel Call said.

Commissioners agreed that contractors could be placed into one of two places in the code—business office or services—for the Historic Business District.

Lum said he would speak further with Hessel about his recommendations and would present those to the commission.

The commission motioned and approved to continue the item until the Feb. 6 meeting.