Agenda - Planning Commission - 01/09/2014

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Regular Planning Commission 5. 3. Meeting Date: 01/09/2014 By: Chris Anderson, Community Development Information Title: PUBLIC HEARING - Consider Resolutions #14-01-005 and #14-01-006 Approving a Request for a Conditional Use Permit to Allow an Indoor Shooting Range at 6001 167th Ave NW; Case of Total Defense, Inc. Purpose/Background: The City has received an application from Total Defense, Inc. requesting a conditional use permit to operate an indoor shooting range on the property located at 6001 167th Ave NW (the "Subject Property"). Total Defense, Inc. has also submitted a Zoning Amendment application to amend the B-1 General Business zoning to identify indoor shooting range as a conditional use, which is being processed concurrently with this application. Notification: Staff attempted to notify all Property Owners within 700 feet of the Public Hearing. A Public Notice was also advertised in the Anoka Union. Observations/Alternatives: Total Defense, is a Ramsey business currently operating at 14063 St. Francis Blvd NW. Their current operation has two components, retail (firearms, ammunition, accessories, and gunsmithing) and training (self-defense and martial arts). They are looking to relocate their business to 6001 167th Ave (the Subject Property), where they could expand their retail and training components and expand to offer an indoor shooting range as well. The Subject Property is located within the B-1 General Business zoning district and is just over two (2) acres in size. The existing building (former Supervalu building) on the Subject Property is approximately 18,000 square feet in size and has been vacant for a number of years now. Properties to the west and south are also zoned B-1 General Business, the property to the north is zoned R-1 Residential (Rural Developing) and the property to the east (Rum River Hills golf course) is zoned PUD (Planned Unit Development). Along with their retail and training offerings, Total Defense is proposing to install one (1) indoor shooting bay with ten (10) lanes and would, in the future, add a second indoor shooting bay with up to another ten (10) lanes. Secured access to the indoor shooting range would be through an industry standard dual door airlock entrance/exit that will not only control access to and from the indoor range but will also maintain sound and air quality in the retail and training areas of the building. Other security measures proposed include cement bollards around the main entrance (prevents a car from driving through entrance to gain access to firearms), barred and reinforced windows, motion/thermal/impact sensors connected to a monitoring service and a closed caption television system as well. Additionally, within the draft conditional use permit, there is a condition that requires all firearms not in use in the shooting range lanes/stalls to be unloaded and properly cased in accordance with Minnesota laws. The indoor shooting range would essentially consist of a building constructed within the existing building. It will include eight (8) inch solid grout filled concrete masonry units (CMU) as walls, with air space and then the wall of the existing building, which consists of twelve (12) inch insulation filled cement blocks. The combination of the two walls should result in good noise buffering as well as bullet containment. The final construction design of the indoor shooting range would determine the permissible caliber limit. Due to the nature of indoor shooting ranges, a good ventilation system is critical to move lead particulates away from the breathing zone of the shooters. Furthermore, the ventilation system is also critical to filter out these