Agenda - Planning Commission - 01/31/2013 - Special

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this request. The key nodes of the B-1 General Business District are Saint Francis Boulevard/Bunker Lake Boulevard, Saint Francis Boulevard/Alpine Drive, and Saint Francis Boulevard/167th Avenue. In reviewing a determination of permitted use or conditional use, Staff recommends that the Planning Commission determines if any concerns realted to the use are physical, or exterior concerns or concerns with the actual operation of the business. If the concerns are in regards to the physical environment, and the Planning Commission desires additional review and reasonable standards, that a conditional use permit would be appropriate. If the Planning Commission has concerns with how the business is operated, or the quality of the user, then City licensing provisions may be more appropriate. In review of the zoning ordinance, an indoor shooting range may fall under 'indoor commercial recreation', which is currently permitted in the B-2 Highway Business District and the E-1 and E-2 Employment Districts. Due to certain aspects associated with the use, such as transporting of firearms into and out of the facility, qualifications of owners/operators, etc, there may be some merit to identifying it specifically rather than grouping it in with 'indoor commercial recreation'. Adding an indoor shooting range is a very specific use, while 'indoor commercial recreation' is a broader term that includes other uses such as bowling alleys, laser tag, indoor go-carts, indoor play fields, etc. As a permitted use, it would be allowed by right and could be added to the ordinance with standards. A conditional use (also with standards) is another option that allows additional review and opportunities to add reasonable conditions that would mitigate any potential issues or concerns. In addition, as a conditional use, the City has the ability to review and or revoke the permit if safety or other conditions are compromised. A final option is to add the use as an interim use, which is similar to a conditional use but with a limited term. In reviewing these options, it is important to consider the issues and concerns that the City may want to mitigate through standards (either as a permitted or conditional use). During a recent Development Review Committee meeting, staff from several departments discussed this use and developed a short list of potential issues. Present at the meeting included representatives from the Fire and Police Departments. Broad categories of discussion topics include (but are not limited to): • Safety/security • Retail portion to protect against theft of guns • Safety of employees- due to the gunsmithing portion of the operation, there are environmental and general air pollution concerns with the gun powder, etc. • Safety of ammunition and gun powder stored on site (refilling purposes) • Caliber limit for the range • Controlled access to shooting range • Requirement for use of gun case when leaving the premises Additional information from the applicant regarding their security plan for both the retail and indoor shooting range would be necessary for review and development of appropriate standards/conditions. • Noise -the applicant provided information on the installation of the shooting range bays and stated there is potential to hear a slight "popping" sound outside the building. Setting hours of operation can mitigate the effects on neighboring properties. Additional information related to decibel levels outside the building and at property lines would be beneficial in understanding potential noise nuisances for the adjoining residential properties. • Parking- as this use is proposing three different functions (retail, training, range) it will be important to set parking standards to ensure adequate parking is provided for all uses. • Outdoor storage- not permissible in the B-1 Business District, would want to continue prohibiting. • Others may be developed with further input from staff and Commissioners. There are several indoor shooting ranges in surrounding communities. Staff spoke with both staff from the cities of Robbinsdale and Blaine, where Bill's Gun Shop has a similar store and indoor shooting range operation. The site in Robbinsdale is located in a shopping mall, but the shooting range component is with the basement/underground parking garage portion of the shopping center. The store has been in operation since the 1980's with no CUP (currently zoned for commercial use). Robbinsdale staff stated that it's a very well -run business and widely