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Home My WebLink About2018 [06] Jun 11 June 11, 2018 Page 1 of 3 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the Planning Commission for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Monday, June 11, 2018 at 6:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall opening with the Pledge of Allegiance. PlannincLCommission Members Present: Chair Gina Dullinger, Commissioners, Troy Goracke, Chad Hausmann, Steve Olson, Mike Ross, Community Development Director Therese Haffner Members Absent: Matt Johnson, Daryl Schaefer Others Present: City Administrator Judy Weyrens, Anne Buckvold, Florence Sheesley, Casey O'Malley, Joe Leach, Mark Lambert, Troy Decker, Diane DeVargas, Raj Chaphalkar Approval of the Aqenda: Dullinger made a motion to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by Ross and passed unanimously by those present. Apqroval of the Minutes: Olson made a motion to approve the minutes of May 14, 2018. The motion was seconded by Hausmann and passed unanimously by those present. Public Hearing, B-2 Ordinance Amendment: Haffner stated the request for a Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment was submitted by Troy Decker, owner of Sam& Danni's Pet Report&Spa. The amendment would allow animal/pet boarding and grooming as a Conditional Use in the B-2 Highway 75 Business District. The purpose of the request is to determine whether animal/pet boarding and grooming is an appropriate use in the B2 Zoning District. Haffner added that staff is recommending approval contingent upon certain criteria being met related to the purpose and intent of the ordinance. The draft ordinance is included for review. Casey O'Malley, Rice Real Estate: O'Malley believes the proposed use meets the requirement outlined in the draft ordinance. There is an agreement to purchase the property contingent upon the rezoning of the property. The property is just over 3 acres. Casey shared a rendering of the concept plan. Troy Decker, Applicant: Decker stated he currently has a facility off of Highway 23 that has been in operation since 2000. To run the St. Joseph facility, 15— 18 employees would be needed. Decker stated they do not sell or breed dogs. The facility is probably the most expensive in the area, but they also provide the highest standards of cleanliness and care of the animals. Regarding noise, Decker stated their kennels are inside the facility which will minimize the barking to neighboring properties. Dullinger opened the public hearing. Anne Buckvold, 810 MN St E, St. Joseph MN: Buckvold questioned if a needs study had been completed. Decker stated a four month study was completed by the Small Business Administration and it showed that the boarding industry is growing as more people have dogs. People are putting off having children and having pets instead. People are looking for places that will watch and take care of their dogs when they are out of town or on vacation. Buckvold questioned if there would be outdoor runs. Decker indicated the runs were enclosed. As no one else present wished to speak, Dullinger closed the public hearing. Olson questioned where the requirement of the run/exercise area being no closer than 50 feet to a residential use or district came from. Haffner stated she had looked at different jurisdictions to see what their requirements were. Weyrens stated the amendment would apply to any applicant wanting to have the same use. The changes are not specific to a particular applicant or property. June 11,2018 Page 2 of 3 Goracke made a motion to approve the proposed amendment to Zoning Ordinance 502.54 as requested with staff's additions. The motion was seconded Olson and passed unanimously by those present. Public Hearinq 2018 Comprehensive Plan: The City has been working with consultant Community Design Group (CDG)to complete the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. The final draft of the plan is complete and is ready for a recommendation to adopt. The plan is high-level and based on public input, previous plans and has been available for public comment the past 30 days. Haffner added a presentation by Antonio Rosell with CDG will be given, followed by the public hearing. Antonio Rosell, CDG: Rosell stated he has worked with the City for just over a year on the development of the Comprehensive Plan. The following is summary of the presentation: • The plan is organized in chapters: Introduction and background; Vision and Values; Recommendations— plan elements, goals and strategies; Appendix • Through a combination of in-person events and online tools, public feedback was gathered from residents. • Overall, between 600-700 residents participated in the public engagement • Residents value the Downtown Core, vibrant arts community, welcoming public spaces, and education & knowledge of the community. • The Vision of the plan: St. Joseph is a flourishing city where all residents have access to a wide variety of housing options and employment opportunities, and where they can enjoy walkable neighborhoods, a vibrant downtown ful/of cultural and entertainment activities, and numerous recreational spaces and natural areas. • The recommendation section includes goals and then strategies to meet those goals. • The implementation section includes a table listing all the strategies in the plan along with who is responsible for implementing the strategy and the priority of the strategy. • Next steps for the Comprehensive Plan include the staff compiling comments and incorporating into the plan for adoption by the City Council. Dullinger opened the public hearing. Mark Lambert, Owner of Boulder Ridge Apartments, 535 Northland Dr., St. Joseph MN: Lambert has owned Boulder Ridge Apartments for 15 years and has listed the property to the south of the apartment building for sale for those 15 years. Lambert stated he has received maybe six calls on the property during that time. Lambert is requesting that the property be guided as high density residential from the current commercial as he has future plans of rezoning the property from 62 to R3. Raj Chaphalkar, 102 2"d Ave SE, St. Joseph MN: Chaphalkar submitted comments via email regarding the Comprehensive Plan. Chaphalkar is a member of Cultural Bridges, a volunteer group in St. Joseph. Cultural Bridges collected feedback from its members. Overall, the group believes the Plan is going in the right direction, but also believes improvements can be made. The following suggestions were made: • The Plan should incorporate additional history regarding the Monastery as it has been in existence almost as long as the City has. • The Church of St. Joseph and other churches in the community should be acknowledged as faith is important to the community. • Race & Ethnicity: There is no mention of the diversity of students at CSB/SJU. The immigrant population should be mentioned. • Income: Acknowledge that the poverty rate is higher due to the increased immigrant population as well as the college students. • Transportation: Bussing was marked as a low priority, but should be marked as high priority as there is a need for bussing in the community. • Communication: The City newsletter is sent to those who pay their water bills and it is sent to their address. Those living in apartments do not receive one, even though they live in the community. June 11, 2018 Page 3 of 3 As no one present wished to speak, Dullinger closed the public hearing. Haffner stated the options were to either recommend approval to the City Council with staff direction regarding the comments received; or table approval. Hausmann suggested tabling approval to allow staff time to digest the comments received and bring back the plan with the comments being addressed. Dullinger made a motion to table the 2018 Comprehensive Plan and guide the Northland Drive Property as High Density Residential.The motion was seconded by Olson and passed unanimously by those present. Council Liaison Report: Goracke welcomed Anne Buckvold on her appointment to the city council. Dullinger questioned the status of the Annexation. Weyrens stated it was now in the hands of the City Attorney and Township Attorney. The deadline is July and the City is staying with that deadline and should have something for the July 2"d City Council meeting. Ad�journ: Olson made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:10 PM. The motion was seconded by Dullinger and passed unanimously by those present. _ �"G 1�� - � Therese Haffner Community Development Director