Council ready to hear lots of appeals from planning

By Jeff Kearns

Anyone heading to the May 17 Town Council meeting might want to bring a pot of coffee. It's going to be a long night.

So far, the council has five public hearings scheduled for that meeting, all of which are appeals of Planning Commission or Planning Department decisions.

The agenda won't be finalized until May 13, but the lineup doesn't appear likely to change. Here's the schedule so far:

* Appeal of the commission's denial of a use permit for Campo di Bocce, 565 University Ave. Campo di Bocce has almost twice as many seats as allowed by its use permit, and is running a full-service restaurant with a permit that allows a snack-bar. The owners want to get approval for the expanded service, but they don't have enough parking on-site, and neighbors complain of noisy customers late at night.

* A continued appeal on design changes at Old Town, 50 University Ave. The Council takes its last look at items left over from previous hearings, including Elm Street sidewalks, lighting between buildings and a trash lift and enclosure.

* Appeal of the commission's approval of a second-story addition at 8 Pennsylvania Ave. This application has bounced between the Town Council and Planning Commission several times. Some neighbors say that expanding the house wouldn't be consistent with the historic character of the neighborhood.

* Appeal of the commission's denial of a use permit for a doctor's office at 236 N. Santa Cruz Ave. Dr. Kim Davis moved into the office last year, but using the space for a doctor's office requires one more parking space than Davis has.

* Appeal of a violation notice at 14/16 E. Main St. The town cited the business for unlawfully converting retail space to office space.

In addition to these items, the council will also consider a contract with a design consultant for both proposed downtown parking garages and accept the final version of the Library Needs Assessment Report.

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