Agenda - Council - 10/25/2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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20 kids and several adults). Any larger, planned activities would still be coordinated and held at their Anoka location, which is designed to accommodate a much greater capacity then this site. The existing uses of the building include Youth First and cold storage. Youth First typically utilizes their portion of the building only during the week (and occasionally on Saturdays) and the cold storage operation may have customers throughout the week including weekends, but by appointment only. It should be noted that Northern Light Church has partnered with Youth First on various activities in the past and there may be potential for more joint offerings with this location. It doesn't appear that the proposed use would conflict with the existing uses on the site and it appears to be compatible with the surrounding area. The parking lot that serves the building has a total of twenty-six (26) striped parking stalls (this includes two handicap spaces). There is the ability to potentially add an additional fourteen (14) stalls around the median within the parking lot, which would provide a total of forty (40) parking spaces. Under City Code, places of assembly require one parking space for every three seats. Based on the projected overall attendance (70 people), a total of twenty-three (23) parking stalls would need to be provided. While there appears to be sufficient parking area, it may still be beneficial to consider striping additional parking stalls along the median to clearly demark designated parking areas. A condition of the proposed IUP stipulates that parking must comply with Section 117-356 related to off-street parking and that any off-street parking violation, including encroaching into the Highway 10 right-of-way, would be cause to revisit the IUP to consider revocation. Staff has received a floor plan from the Applicant outlining the seating area for confirmation of adequate parking. In the past, the City has received concern from one of the existing tenants regarding the location of off-street parking in certain areas and conflicts with access to portions of the site. Staff believes this concern can be mitigated with the above referenced striping and monitoring of the number of off-street parking spaces required. The proposed church operation does represent a change in use (from business to place of assembly) and therefore, per MN State Building Code Chapter 1306, a fire suppression system is required. This requirement was addressed through the lease negotiations and a fire suppression system will need to be installed and approved prior to occupying the tenant space. The request was forwarded to Mn/DOT for review and they stated that they have no comments/concerns regarding this request. Recommendation: The Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on September 8, 2011 and there were no written or verbal comments concerning the request. The Planning Commission recommends approving the request for the IUP. Funding Source: All costs associated with reviewing the application are the responsibility of the Applicant. Council Action: Motion to adopt findings of fact relating to Northern Light Church's request for an Interim Use Permit to allow for a church operation in the H-1 Highway 10 Business District. -and- Motion to adopt Resolution # approving the request for an Interim Use Permit and declaring the terms as proposed. Attachments Site Location Map