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<br />Councilmember Woestehoff asked about commercial building codes and if there are triggers that <br />force commercial rather than a building permit. <br /> <br />Planning Manager Larson stated that it is the way that plans are labeled and when they are labeled <br />with rooms such as offices and conference rooms, those are not residential uses. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell stated the size of the property should be taken into consideration rather <br />than just pigeonholing and not allowing certain things. She said she likes the idea of being more <br />flexible and working with people. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht agreed that he would like this to be more flexible, especially for low impact <br />practices. He asked if, based on these new standards, an individual wanted to open a gun shop. <br /> <br />City Planner McCann explained that this would depend on how it was formatted in the revisions. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht asked if all Home Occupation Permits come to Council. <br /> <br />City Planner McCann said yes. He stated that there used to be an administrator permit and if there <br />was an interest to bring this back, these permits would not go to Council. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell stated that level 1 is low impact and would like to see it stay that way. <br />She noted that in the zoning code draft, it contained firearm sales and repair as not allowed uses. <br /> <br />Planning Manager Larson said that they can take the sales and manufacturing portion out of the <br />current draft and just leave the ammunition manufacturing. <br /> <br />Councilmember Woestehoff asked about the not allowed uses in other cities. He stated that <br />Ramsey is rather liberal with what is allowed. He added that this is worth reviewing. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht said that it would depend on how the scope of the work is defined. He <br />stated that he is in favor of allowing firearm sales and repair. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell asked what is allowed currently on residential properties as far as body <br />shops and machine shops. <br /> <br />Planning Manager Larson stated that this is currently not allowed as it is related to an internal <br />combustion engine. He noted that there are some State regulations that go along with auto repair <br />shops. <br /> <br />City Administrator Hagen shared that they focused on the fact that home occupations are supposed <br />to be low impact to the neighborhood. He asked if there was an appetite to limit the square footage <br />that an applicant can operate out of. <br /> <br />Councilmember Woestehoff said he likes this perspective. He asked how the square footage of a <br />home occupation such as a bed and breakfast would be calculated. <br />City Council Work Session / May 9, 2023 <br />Page 8 of 10 <br /> <br />