Jasper Board of Zoning Appeals opens way for new housing near Vine Street Lofts

The Jasper Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved five variances Tuesday night for a proposed residential development near the Vine Street Lofts.

The decision, along with an approval for a zoning change from industrial to high-density residential, allows Pfaff Properties to move forward with plans for 10 fourplex buildings on a tract bordered by 14th Street, 13th Street, Vine Street and Leopold Street.

The fourplexes would likely be two-bedroom units, but the planners are still developing the housing based on demand. The units will be designed to blend into the aesthetic of the area.

The variances reduce required setbacks and building separation distances from current R4 residential district standards and allow multiple primary structures on individual lots within the proposed Vine Street Lofts subdivision.

Ethan Hopf, owner of TriMark Surveying, representing Pfaff Properties, told the board the developer wants to subdivide the currently industrial-zoned tract into three lots and construct the buildings to work with the property’s challenging terrain.

The approved variances reduce the front yard setback requirement from 40 feet to 10 feet along 13th Street, Vine Street and Leopold Street. Side yard setbacks drop from 40 feet to 10 feet, while rear yard setbacks decrease from 25 feet to 10 feet.

Building separation requirements between structures are reduced from 25 feet to 12 feet from window to window. The fifth variance allows more than one primary structure per lot.

Hopf explained that the setback reductions provide the necessary buildable area on the property.

“By the time you go 40 feet from the front, 40 feet from the side and 25 feet from the rear and having the multiple street frontages that are out there, you reduce that lot to almost nothing,” he said. “You don’t have a whole lot of buildable area left.”

The board noted the variances align with existing development patterns in the area. The adjacent Vine Street Lofts building sits essentially at the right-of-way line, while buildings on the east side of Leopold Street maintain setbacks of approximately 12 to 13 feet.

Each proposed building will contain four units, with the development providing two parking spaces per unit, exceeding the city’s requirement of 1.5 spaces per unit.

Access to the development will come primarily from 13th Street, with an additional access point on the northern end of Leopold Street. The terrain challenges limit access options along Leopold Street’s eastern boundary.

“It actually has like 30 feet of fall from Leopold Street all the way down to Vine Street, which is quite a significant amount,” Hopf said. “With the way that the terrain is now, it would be hard to have any kind of additional access onto Leopold Street on the east side just because of the terrain difficulties that are out there.”

Daniel Opel of 1309 Green Street raised concerns during the public comment period about the number of variances and potential traffic impacts, as well as the size of the lots.

“They’re trying to cram so much in such a small space that people aren’t even going to have a place to really enjoy. There’s no green areas really,” Opel said.

Opal also expressed concerns about increased traffic at the intersection of 13th and Vine streets, where visibility is limited by an adjacent factory building

“You’re going to have even more people driving around there. I’ve almost hit people 20, 30 times trying to leave because there’s not a stop sign there,” he said.

Board members acknowledged traffic concerns but noted the city’s traffic safety officials will review the project during the final approval process.

Board member Dennis Tedrow also pointed out nearby green space options, including a park at Mill and 9th streets and the Riverwalk.

City Attorney Renee Kabrick emphasized the project represents desirable infill development, which the city is encouraging.

“Often when you have infill like this in older areas in town, it just necessitates a number of variances than you wouldn’t ordinarily see,” she explained.

The property currently sits vacant, with portions covered in grass and others consisting of rock and blacktop surfaces. Areas not designated for buildings or parking will remain as grass, though some steep slopes may require riprap or other stabilization measures.

The developer has not completed detailed engineering work or finalized building designs, as the variances were needed before closing on the property purchase. Any additional variances discovered during detailed design would require the developer to return to the Board of Zoning Appeals for further approval.

All five variance requests passed unanimously, contingent upon approval of the concurrent rezoning from I2 to R4, which was approved in the subsequent planning commission meeting on Wednesday. The final zoning approval is up to the Jasper Common Council.