News - Local News

POSTED: Monday, May. 18, 2009

Lynden considers lifting ban on big-box stores

LYNDEN - Big-box stores would be allowed inside city limits near Guide Meridian, but they'd have to meet specific design requirements to ensure they mesh with the Dutch-themed community, under draft rules.

The update of the city's commercial zoning code would make various changes to businesses large and small, but one big change would eliminate the current 65,000-square-foot cap on large stores.

The City Council will hold a hearing on the proposed changes Monday, May 18, before deciding whether to approve, deny or change them.

The rules set up three commercial zones: A historic business district zone (with small pedestrian-oriented businesses), a local commercial services zone (for stores up to 65,000 square feet aimed at local residents) and a regional commercial services zone (for larger businesses drawing people from out of town). The regional commercial zone, where big-box stores would be allowed, is located generally west of 19th Street near Guide Meridian.

"It's a prescriptive program that allows a potential applicant to come in and to know what the rules are at the onset so they can put a reasonable cost analysis into it," said Mayor Jack Louws, a member of a committee that drafted the rules. "I'm real pleased with the work that the committee put into this in the past few months."

Here are some of the other changes proposed:

• Stores larger than 50,000 square feet must have between 4.5 and 6 parking stalls per 1,000 square feet of floor area.

• Stores larger than 50,000 square feet are required to "use a combination of architectural elements common to a traditional Dutch or Northern European style."

• For those stores, no parking space can be more than 130 feet from a pedestrian walkway, which must be at least five feet wide where they cross the parking lot.

• New gas stations can't be located within 300 feet of any park, playground, church, school or public place where people assemble. They have to be at least 600 feet from another gas station, unless they're part of a larger development, like a shopping center. They have to provide separate public bathrooms for men and women.

• Video arcades with 10 or more machines shall have an adult supervisor, and they can't be located within 300 feet of a school, church or home.

• Liquor sales are allowed in all zones.

• Adult shops are allowed only in local commercial service zones, need a conditional-use permit and can't be located within 300 feet of Front Street, 200 feet of a residentially zoned area, 200 feet of the fairgrounds or 500 feet of a church or school.

• Multifamily homes are allowed in the historic business district and local commercial zones, but only if they're in a mixed-use project where at least 60 percent of the ground floor is a permitted commercial use.

• If a store over 25,000 square feet is vacant, then the owner must submit a plan to the city showing he or she will avoid nuisance violations and reuse or remove the building.

ATTEND THE HEARING

What: Lynden City Council will hold a hearing and consider changes to the law regarding commercial development, including lifting a current 65,000-square-foot limit on stores.

When: 7 p.m. Monday, May 18.

Where: City Hall Annex, 205 4th St.