Minutes - Council Work Session - 12/10/2024

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need a building permit was essentially the same building as what was there before. He explained that in the old building when you walked in, you would see an open warehouse with pallets of materials, whereas now, when you walk in you see the reception desk and offices. Mayor Kuzma asked if the developer would be acceptable to go through the building permitting process. A representative from Green Valley said this would set a precedent for the future if they ever needed to make changes, like controlling their irrigation equipment with computers. He noted that the office space is essential to running their business and goes along with their agricultural use. City Attorney Knaak noted that there is something specific in the statute that talks about locating operations inside of a greenhouse itself. He shared that he hopes for any future projects there will be more interaction with Staff than was had this time. He explained that with the office spaces, they will likely want to have some kind of inspection process in place; however, they can make the exception unique enough that someone else will not try to do the same thing in the future. Councilmember Howell shared that it is very clear at this point that Staff was originally aware that there would be offices in the building. She noted that Staff was originally in agreement with having offices in the building when this project was brought forward in January. She said that since Staff was aware of the offices, she would not want to change the process now as it would not be fair to do so. Councilmember Specht added that the whole reason this came up is because Green Valley wanted to do the right thing and have the building inspected to ensure it is safe. He noted that they are not trying to cut any corners on safety. Councilmember Woestehoff asked what parcel this building is on. A representative from Green Valley shared that the property is all one parcel now and is on the 113 acre parcel. Community Development Director Hanson noted that she wished building Staff could have been present this evening to help answer some questions. She added that the main difference with the current building and what used to be there is that the new building is two stories, and they have enclosed offices. She added that the new Building Official has set up a new process for these agricultural buildings that was not in place before. She noted that this project will go through this process. The consensus of the Council was to leave the building as agricultural and not require it to go through the building permit process. 2.03: Continued review of the draft Rental Housing Licensing Inspections Policy City Council Work Session / December 10, 2024 Page 4 of 5