Request seeks rezoning to accommodate hair salon

Hoping the third time’s the charm, a property owner is requesting that his parcel and two others be rezoned from Low Density Residential District to Transitional District to accommodate a hair salon in his home.

In a third attempt to rezone the properties, Louis Vizcaino and his neighbors, Joel Teeter and Erin and Billy Plymale Jr., are asking the Yuma Planning and Zoning Commission to approve a request to rezone three parcels covering .51 acres. Vizcaino, owner of 1449 S. 5th Ave., initiated the latest rezone request with the objective of opening a hair salon in his home.

The commission held a public hearing on the request on Monday. No citizens came forward to speak, in contrast to two previous attempts to rezone the properties to a mixed use zone, made in 1978 and 1990. At that time, the requests were denied due to “substantial opposition” from residential neighbors, according to Aubrey Trebilcock, associate planner for the city.

“In the 27 years since the last request, however, the area has seen a noticeable increase in commercial development,” he said, noting that several small offices have joined the neighborhood and the nearby intersection of 4th Avenue and 16th Street is undergoing major commercial redevelopment.

The planner also noted the city has not received letters or phone calls of opposition regarding the rezone request and no neighbors attended a neighborhood meeting held Aug. 2.

“The character of the neighborhood is trending towards a greater mix of commercial and residential properties, and the request aligns with the Mixed Use designation prescribed by the city’s General Plan,” Trebilcock wrote in a staff report.

The properties are located at

1443, 1449 and 1457 S. 5th Ave., and together total about 22,500 square feet in total (7,500 square foot each). They are located 70 feet southeast of the intersection of 5th Avenue and 14th Place.

The Zoning Code currently prohibits hair salons as a home occupation in residential zones. A rezone to the Transitional zone, which accommodates both residential and commercial uses, would allow the property to continue being used as a residence while also permitting the proposed hair salon, Trebilcock said.

As Vizcaino’s parcel alone would not be large enough to meet the requirements for a rezone to Transitional Zone, he spoke to his neighbors to gauge interest in rezoning their properties as well. As the Transitional Zone would allow greater flexibility in permitted uses and commercial properties are typically appraised at a higher value, the neighbors agreed to join in the request to rezone, the staff report says.

The properties have been zoned as Low Density Residential since their annexation in 1946. Each property was developed with a single family home. The General Plan designates the future use of these parcels as “Mixed Use,” which is reflected by the surrounding zoning.

In other action, Dahl, Robins and Associates, on behalf of Smoketree Desert Land, requested a General Plan amendment changing the land-use designation from Public/Quasi-Public to Medium Density Residential for 18.3 acres located at the southwest corner of Avenue 7½ E and 36th Street.

This was the first of two public hearings. No citizens asked to speak. The second hearing will be held Oct. 9 at City Hall.

The applicant wants to develop a residential subdivision similar to the Desert Sky Planned Unit Development to the south, according to Jennifer Albers, principal planner.

The proposed land use designation of Medium Density Residential would allow from 92 to 236 dwelling units to be constructed, Albers added.

The existing Public/Quasi-Public land use designation allows publicly owned and operated facilities or those devoted to public use by governmental and quasi-public or nonprofit entities, including schools, churches, hospitals, military installations and/or government buildings.

The proposed Medium Density Residential land use designation supports Medium Density Residential, Recreational Vehicle Subdivision, Manufactured Home Subdivision and Manufactured Home Park zoning.