75C - BAIL BOND FIRMS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 2004-04 August 9, 2004 Page 2 concentration of bail bond businesses. In addition, the bail bond industry has seen a rapid growth in the last few years resulting in a marked increase of these businesses in the City. City records show that 8 out of the 15 businesses currently identified in the City obtained their approvals after the year 2000, with four of those within 18 months of the emergency ordinance (Exhibit 1). During the interim ordinance period, staff scheduled three meetings with bail bond business representatives and two meetings with neighborhood representatives. The purpose of these meetings was to discuss the bail bond establishment's operational needs and preferences as well as to express the City and neighborhoods' concerns. One of the concerns expressed by the bail bond operators was their need to be located near the jails, which is where their business is generated. Residents also have raised concerns about the proximity of these uses to residential uses. Given these concerns and input, staff is recommending establishing a location criterion to concentrate bail bond operations within 2,000 feet of either of the two jails (Exhibit 2). This area encompasses approximately 500 acres of land. Additionally, based on Police Department records from January 1, 2002 through June 17, 2004, those establishments located within the 2, ODD-foot radius area had no calls for service, while those established outside of this area had a multiple number of calls for service (Exhibit 3). Currently, the City's zoning code does not specifically address bail bond uses. Based on the results of site visits, staff has determined that bail bond establishments are appropriate uses in the Professional (P) zoning district since the service they provide requires an office setting. However, because of the service component associated with the use, this use is different than the existing "Professional, Business and Administrative Office" use. An office service use, such as a medical and dental office or a travel agency implies walk-in customers, while the traditional "office" use has a negligible number of walk-in customers. To acknowledge this difference and the other particular operational needs discussed earlier, staff recommends bail bond uses be identified as a distinct and separate use. Additionally, staff recommends that bail bond uses be parked at the current "service use" ratio of five parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area to accommodate the parking demand for employees and customers. Bail bond establishments frequently operate 24 hours a day to serve the needs of the jail system, which processes incarcerated persons 24 hours a day. Limiting the hours of operation to a traditional office schedule 75C-11