The Newman Planning Commission will decide on whether to approve or not the conversion of an existing garage to an accessory dwelling unit in a retail zoned area on Main Street at the Thursday meeting.
This will be the first meeting the Planning Commission has held since May of 2023.
The property is located on the eastside of Main Street, about 15 feet south of Stanislaus Street. According to the City report, the 7,500 square foot property has a two-story building, a garage and five parking spaces. The bottom floor consists of two 660 square foot offices. City records show one of the spaces is occupied. The second floor is an apartment, approved by the Commission in February 2003 that contains three bedrooms, two baths, kitchen and living room. Access to the second floor is through an interior stairwell at the rear of the building.
The General Plan is designated D for Downtown District and is zoned C-1, which is retail commercial. The City report notes that C-1 zone district identifies residential uses which are compatible with the Retail Commercial District as a discretionary use requiring Planning Commission approval and the General Plan designation identifies second floor residential uses as an acceptable use.
The applicant is proposing to convert a 576 square foot garage structure into a one-bedroom accessory dwelling unit. The garage structure is located near the rear half of the property, behind the main structure.
Commercial traffic to the business suites typically utilizes parking spaces along Main Street. The rear parking spaces are generally used by the business owner, employees, and resident(s). Vehicle access to the property is via the alley between Stanislaus Street and Inyo Avenue.
The Downtown District does have multiple types of residential uses including residential homes, multifamily developments and apartments above ground floor businesses. The Newman City Code does not specifically address accessory dwelling units because “they are new to the residential landscape as a method for developing affordable housing units. The Planning Commission must determine if an ADU is consistent with the intent of the Code and will conversion of the unit have a negative impact upon the area,” according to the City report.
The City report suggests that if the Planning Commission does approve the project that they require the property owner to make an investment into the main structure by requiring both structures to be re-painted with a consistent color scheme, fixing the rain-gutters on the main building, and enhancing the front landscape area.
Public notices were mailed to surrounding property owners and as of Jan. 11, no comments have been received.
“Many cities are now incorporating residential uses into their downtown district to help revitalize the area,” the report states. “In fact, our General Plan recognizes the benefits of adding housing to the downtown district. Given that the proposal is an infill project, that the area has a mixture of residential and commercial uses, and the proposal meets the City’s development standards, staff recommends approval of the project…”
The Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at 938 Fresno Street. The agenda is available at https://cityofnewman.com/news-and-information/agendas/planning-commission/.