Self-Service Storage in Office Park (OP-) Zoning District (TC-8-22)
Self-Service Storage in Office Park (OP-) Zoning District (TC-8-22)
This is an external text change request which proposes amending the city’s Unified Development Ordinance to add Self-Service Storage as a Limited Use in the Office Park (OP-) zoning district. A Limited Use, while allowed by right in the district, must meet the use standards associated with the specific use. In order to lessen the impacts of the proposed use in the Office Park (OP-) District, there are six proposed use standards in the draft being proposed by the applicants. Read the application and full TC-8-22 draft ordinance.
Background information:
On April 21, 2022, Michael Birch filed a text change application on behalf of client Cityplat, LLC proposing amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that would add “Self-Service Storage” as a Limited Use in the Office Park (OP-) zoning district. This change would expand the list of allowed principal uses within this district to include self-service storage provided the use was located within a single structure, fully-enclosed and internally-accessed building along with other use standards. Currently, this use is only a Permitted Use in the Heavy Industrial (IH-) district and is a Limited Use in Commercial Mixed-Use (CX-), Downtown Mixed-Use (DX-), and Industrial Mixed-Use (IX-) zoning districts. As of March 2021, the areas that allowed this use total 15,219 acres, or approximately 14.1% of Raleigh’s total zoning jurisdiction.
Current Rules:
The UDO does not allow Self-Service Storage facilities as a principal use within the Office Park (OP-) zoning district.
The Office Park (OP-) district is intended to preserve and provide land for office and employment uses. It can also serve as a land use transition between other mixed-use districts and residential neighborhoods. Other uses allowed in the district include special care facilities; civic uses; the following commercial uses: day care centers, health clubs, medical, office, outdoor sports and entertainment facilities, overnight lodging, parking facilities, beauty/hair salons, copy centers, optometrists, and food trucks; the following industrial uses: light manufacturing, Research and Development; as well as open uses including community gardens, produce stands. The district also permits the following uses through a special use permit process: telecommunication towers over 250 feet in height, outdoor sports and entertainment facilities in excess of 250 seats, heliports, and urban farms.
Proposed Text Change:
The proposed text change adds a self-storage facility as a Limited Use in an OP- District subject to the following use standards:
- All storage shall be contained within a fully-enclosed building.
- All storage units must be contained in a single building and accessed internally.
- For properties where an Urban Frontage is applied, storage units are not permitted on the ground floor.
- The outdoor storage of boats, RVs, or similar vehicles is not permitted.
- A Type B1 or B2 transitional protective yard (see Sec. 7.2.4.A.) must be established along all property lines abutting a residential use.
- The self-service storage facility shall not be located on a site with frontage along a rail corridor or on a site within 1,320 feet of a rail corridor.
Public Meeting Schedule: This text change is scheduled for a Planning Commission Text Change Committee meeting in the Fall. The Committee may act on that date or refer to their next Text Change Committee for further discussion. We will be collecting comments here through October 17, 2022. Comments after this date should be submitted directly to Eric Hodge via email.