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Our Mission: To work together to responsibly grow our community, and to provie quality, cost-effective, an efficient government services
<br />CC Regular Session 7, 1,
<br />Meeting Date: 02/11/2014
<br />By: Chris Anderson, Community Development
<br />Information
<br />Title:
<br />Consider Adoption of Ordinance #14-01 Amending City Code Section 117-114 (B-1 General Business District) to Identify Indoor Commercial Recreation as a
<br />Conditional Use in a Geographically Defined Area within the B-1 General Business District and to Create City Code Section 117-363 Establishing Performance
<br />Standards for Indoor Shooting Ranges; Case of Total Defense, Inc.
<br />Purpose/Background:
<br />The City has received a request from Total Defense, Inc. to allow an indoor shooting range at 6001 167th Ave NW. The request requires an amendment to City
<br />Code Section 117-114 entitled B-1 General Business District. The topic of an indoor shooting range at this location has been discussed at the City level on
<br />multiple occasions over the past year, with preliminary indication of support with the appropriate standards. Details of this review are included in the attached
<br />Statement of Goals. The B-1 General Business District is intended to provide a commercial area for goods and services for the surrounding neighborhoods and
<br />community on a smaller scale than the B-2 Highway Business district.
<br />Notification:
<br />The Notice of Public Hearing was properly published in the City's official newspaper, the Anoka County Union. Additionally, City Staff attempted to notify all
<br />Property Owners located within the B-1 General Business District and included an invitation to an Open House in advance of the Public Hearing to be held on
<br />January 9, 2014. Staff also attempted to hand -deliver notices of the Public Hearing to individual tenants within the 167th Avenue/Highway 47 retail node as
<br />well. Additionally, Staff attempted to notify all Property Owners within 700 feet of 6001 167th Ave NW of the Public Hearing via Standard US Mail.
<br />Observations/Alternatives:
<br />Over the past several years, the City has discussed various options to address permitted uses at the 167th Avenue/Highway 47 retail node, which is within the
<br />B-1 General Business District. This node has been a focus of City strategic goals due to high vacancy rates and concerns with property maintenance on some of
<br />the buildings. Expanding permitted and/or conditional uses would create greater opportunities for new businesses in this area. As part of a public engagement
<br />process, a Statement of Goals document was developed and adopted by the City in November of 2013 relating to the 167th Avenue/Highway 47 retail node.
<br />Outlined within that document is public input received through a collaborative process held on September 26, 2013 in which surrounding or nearby property
<br />owners identified, among other desired uses, a gun range.
<br />An indoor shooting range could be categorized either as indoor commercial recreation or listed out specifically as indoor shooting range. Staff recommends
<br />classifying the proposed use as indoor commercial recreation, as this language would be consistent with language in other sections of City Code. Other types of
<br />uses classified as indoor commercial recreation could include, but would not necessarily be limited to, bowling alleys, laser tag, paint ball, etc. The B-2
<br />Highway Business District as well as the E-1 and E-2 Employment Districts currently include Indoor Commercial Recreation as a permitted use. If the use
<br />were identified specifically as indoor shooting range, it would imply that this type of use would not be permissible in those other zoning districts.
<br />The B-1 General Business District is generally more closely interrelated to residential uses then the other three (3) zoning districts listed above. Thus, identifying
<br />indoor commercial recreation as a conditional use would provide an additional layer of review to ensure compatibility with the surrounding residential uses. The
<br />Conditional Use provides the City the ability to attach reasonable conditions if it mitigates reasonable concerns and provides an additional enforcement
<br />mechanism in the event of non-compliance. It should be noted that there is a wide spectrum of land use types and surrounding conditions within the B-1 General
<br />Business District. Major nodes located in the B-1 General Business District include 167th Avenue/Highway 47, River's Bend Plaza (Bunker Lake
<br />Boulevard/Highway 47), and Ramsey Towne Square (Bunker Lake Boulevard/Highway 47). Smaller nodes within this district include Alpine Drive/Highway
<br />47, Alpine Drive/Nowthen Boulevard, Bunker Lake Boulevard/Sunfish Lake Boulevard, and Bunker Lake Boulevard/Ramsey Boulevard (undeveloped). While
<br />some of these nodes have larger, contiguous tracts of property and multiple retail users, others are single -user nodes intended to service the immediate
<br />surrounding area.
<br />City Code already has standards in place for nuisances (noise, glare, odors, etc) and off-street parking requirements. Additionally, Minnesota Building and Fire
<br />Codes have standards in place regarding the construction, design, and ventilation requirements for shooting ranges as well as storage, handling, sale or use of
<br />ammunition. In order to maximize the effectiveness of enforcing these codes, Staff has developed some minimum standards for incorporation into City Code
<br />specifically for indoor shooting ranges. A conditional use permit could then include additional reasonable conditions, if necessary, depending on the specifics of
<br />a request/proposal.
<br />The Planning Commission held a Public Hearing regarding the request to amend the B-1 General Business District to include Indoor Commercial Recreation as
<br />a conditional use and to establish City Code Section 117-363 (Indoor Shooting Range) at their January 9, 2014 meeting. There was one verbal comment
<br />received at the meeting in support of the request. Additionally, two written comments were received via the open house held prior to the Public Hearing that
<br />were also supportive of the requested zoning amendment (comments attached).
<br />The Planning Commission supported the idea of including Indoor Commercial Recreation as a conditional use in the 167th Ave/Trunk Highway 47 retail node
<br />but not necessarily across the entire B-1 Business District. The surrounding residential areas are larger lots with lower densities than many of the residential
<br />areas adjacent to the other B-1 General Business District nodes and due to this, the Planning Commission favored establishing an Indoor Commercial Recreation
<br />Overlay District to address this request. The Overlay District would only be applicable to the contiguous group of B-1 General Business District parcels on
<br />167th Ave NW at the intersection of Trunk Highway 47. Staff has discussed this with the City Attorney and have confirmed that this can be accomplished
<br />through a text amendment that specifically describes the geographic area within the text of the B-1 General Business District rather than establishing another
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