By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members unanimously approved a zoning change request for the construction of a laundromat on North Main Street.
Gabriel De La Paz of DLP Cleaning and Rental Service LLC requested the zoning change for a property at 600-602 N. Main St. so he can build a laundromat on the site.
City council considered the request during its regular meeting Tuesday, first holding a required public hearing on the rezoning request.
During the public hearing, the council heard from two members of the audience who spoke in favor of the zoning change: Hector Montalvo, representing DLP, and former Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr.
“The project is pretty straightforward. It’s just a laundromat that we’re seeking to put on Main Street,” Montalvo told the council.
“I think it will be acceptable,” Lopez said, adding he believed the laundromat would benefit residents and pointing out there are other businesses in the area.
Mayor Al Arreola closed the public hearing, then City Secretary Mari Acosta read the heading of the ordinance changing the zoning from residential multi-family (R-M) to local commercial district (C-1).
Before calling for a motion, Arreola asked City Planning and Zoning Director Janice Pokrant and City Planner Eivon Garcia to come to the podium to provide additional information, as city staff had recommended the council deny the request.
Garcia told the council the property had previously been rezoned from single-family to multi-family because there had been plans to develop a multi-family complex on the site. She said DLP was now seeking the zoning change to construct a laundromat.
Garcia also told the council the city’s existing and future land-use maps in the EnVision Comprehensive Plan identify the property and surrounding North Main Street area as residential. She said staff’s recommendation to deny the rezoning request was based on those plans.
Councilman Leno Hernandez Jr. asked Garcia and Pokrant to explain the recommendation, noting the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission had voted to approve the zoning change.
Pokrant replied the city’s comprehensive plan, adopted in 2023, is a living document that can be amended.
“In this instance, the reason why we were not recommending approval of this particular request is because, from Fourth Street down, there is predominantly residential. You have Star Park across the street. You’ve got houses all along that block, so behind it and all the side down are houses. What we were thinking was, once you change it to C-1, which is a commercial designation, that allows for all the commercial uses. So it’s not just for one use, which is the laundromat. You start to change the character of that block from residential to commercial,” Pokrant said.
Hernandez asked what challenges staff anticipated with the project. Pokrant said there could be issues with lighting because the city cannot regulate business hours, but noted Planning and Zoning Commission members told her they believed a laundromat was “not an intrusive use next to the houses.”
Hernandez also asked whether any type of business could locate on the property after the zoning change. Pokrant said it could.
Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez said she also had concerns, including increased traffic, noise and possible impacts on utilities.
Pokrant said those issues would be evaluated during the site’s development review and addressed through the city’s site plan review process.
Gutierrez also asked how the zoning change might affect nearby property values.
Pokrant said she was not qualified to answer questions regarding property values or taxation.
When Gutierrez asked how the city could mitigate any future negative impacts, Pokrant said the city must enforce existing ordinances.
“There might have to be things that have to be changed within what they’re wanting to develop, but we have to go by the ordinances that you (the council) put into place, so if there’s not an ordinance that says your hours of operation are from here to here on commercial establishments, then we can’t enforce something like that. We are just enforcing the ordinances that have been passed,” Pokrant said.
Gutierrez then asked if staff’s recommendation against the request was because it conflicted with the city’s comprehensive plan.
“Yes, ma’am,” Pokrant replied.
Mayor Pro-tem J.P. Sanchez asked Montalvo how many parking spaces the business would have.
Montalvo said the laundromat would include 11 parking spaces.
“So you’re not going to have hundreds of cars going in and out of that place. You wish you had a hundred cars going in and out of there, but at the most, you’re probably going to have eight to 10 cars there at one time throughout the day, at different intervals,” Sanchez said.
“That’s correct,” Montalvo replied.
Sanchez also asked whether the laundromat would use gas or electric service.
Montalvo said the company was evaluating both options but was leaning toward electric.
Councilman Randy Quinones asked when construction could begin.
“Based on approval, we still have the plan review, and after the plan review and approval, we’re ready. We have contractors lined up. The building is estimated around $300,000 to $400,000 to complete, and (we’re looking at) a six-month time frame,” Montalvo said.
“I think it’s a great investment. There’s a lot of commercial in that area. I don’t think, personally, one more is going to hurt. I think it’s going to be convenient for the citizens of the area,” Quinones said before making a motion to approve the request.
Sanchez seconded the motion, noting the Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval.
“The comprehensive master plan is not set in stone. It’s something that can be changed as we go along, and it has to come to the council on a case-by-case basis. This is not a precedent. It has to come to the council for future endeavors,” Sanchez said.
Arreola asked whether neighboring property owners had been notified of the request.
Garcia said 18 notification letters were mailed, but none were returned.
“I went and talked to some of the neighbors, and they would love to have this open,” Arreola said.
Councilman LeRoy Briones asked whether all businesses proposed for commercially zoned property must go through the site plan review process before receiving a certificate of occupancy.
“Yes, sir,” Pokrant replied.
Briones then asked whether city ordinances provide safeguards against incompatible commercial uses in certain locations, noting that while he supported the proposed laundromat, he might feel differently if another type of business sought to locate on the property.
