Lewiston considers allowing apartments in commercial zone

By Beth Huffaker

December 2, 2004 | LEWISTON -- The Planning and Zoning committee got into a little dilemma Tuesday night when trying to decide whether or not to grant permission for building apartments in a commercial zone.

Jerry Jorgensen owns property on 55 S. Main St. and wants to convert it into four small one bedroom apartments. "We really don't have a lot of plans yet because we wanted to know if zoning would let us do it," said Jorgensen.

Jorgensen's property sits adjacent to the post office and is in the commercial zone of Lewiston. Apartments is not under the listed uses of that area because every single dwelling home must be 500 ft. apart, said City Councilwoman Cindi Johnson, who also sits on the Planning and Zoning committee.

"There is a hole because there is nothing in the plans about apartments, only condominiums," said Planning and Zoning chairman Bruce Kareen.

Two apartments already exist in the commercial zone of Lewiston because they were built prior to the establishment of zoning rules and regulations said Johnson.

"We like to make exceptions but we have to go with the ordinance," said committee member Wayne Gibbs.

In searching for a loophole to grant permission to Jorgensen, Kareen said that maybe these apartments could go under the definition of boarding house because they share a common entrance and a boarding house is permitted in this zone.

"If we had to do it tonight it would be no because we can't go against the ordinance but we will try to change it," said Kareen.

The committee will take the issue to the city council and to the city attorney.

In other business, Planning and Zoning voted to renew Ryan Distefano's business license for his plant store, Water-wise Technology. This is the first year of Distefano's business and when asked to remark on his success he said, "(business) is as good as it can get for the first year." The vote passed unanimously and now Distefano will have to get approved by the City Council.

The committee also voted to grant a business license to Richard and Sharon Wood to own and restock vending machines. Sharon Wood said that most of those machines won't be put in Lewiston. "We have locators who actually place the vending machine, they research a business, set it up with them and then you service the machine and buy the food for it."

The Woods said they hope to place their machines up in Pocatello area because there aren't as many vending machines up there. The vote passed unanimously.

In final zoning business the committee granted a building permit for Dan and Sarah Smith. The vote passed with five members in affirmative while committee member Thom Smith abstained from voting. Thom Smith said that they didn't have the required 350 ft. frontage, they only had 250 ft.

The committee is in the process of changing the rule to require only 250 ft. frontage on a house.

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