Agenda - Planning Commission - 06/25/2026

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6. 1. Regular Planning Commission Meeting Date:06/25/2026 Primary Strategic Plan Initiative:Promote economic growth and development. Information Title: PUBLIC HEARING: Code Amendment Pertaining to Outdoor Storage Performance Standards in the I-1 Zoning District Purpose/Background: In some of the business districts (B-3, I-1, and I-2), outdoor storage is allowed under certain circumstances. Section 106-525(14) includes a table with various performance standards for amount, placement, and site requirements for a business to have outdoor storage accessory to the principal use. The intent of these requirements is to keep business properties looking good and enhancing tax base while being reasonably accommodating to business' operational needs. Staff has been working with Wildlife Research, a manufacturing business at 14485 Azurite St. NW on an expansion project (the Planning Commission will review this project in greater detail at the July meeting). Their site has a small area of outdoor storage that pre-dates the current regulations (as well as the previous regulations). This area is considered legal non-conforming and has certain rights, as long as the use is maintained. The City Attorney has advised that the area can move, but not expand, with the proposed expansion project. Representatives of the business have indicated that they would like to have a little more area, but the lot area is too small to qualify for any outdoor storage under the current rules. After the acquisition of a City-owned piece of property, their site will be 4.74 acres in area--0.26 acres shy of the current allowance. When the Zoning Code was re-written in 2023, an intentional decision was made to include a 5-acre minimum lot area for properties in the I-1 Light Industrial district to have limited outdoor storage. This was based on the use of a key property in a different area of town that has since been cleaned up and sold. With that perceived problem gone, staff is comfortable lowering the acreage to allow I-1 properties with at least fouracres to have outdoor storage, still proportional to the building footprint. Notification: Since this proposed Code Amendment affects properties city-wide, a public hearing notice was only placed in the June 12 Anoka Union Herald Newspaper. Time Frame/Observations/Alternatives: Alternatives to Consider: 1. Recommend approval of the Code Amendment as recommended by staff; 2. Recommend approval of the Code Amendment with some other minimum acreage; or 3. Recommend denial of the Code Amendment based on certain findings keeping the existing regulations in place. Funding Source: Costs associated with the expansion project are paid for by the applicant. Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the Code Amendment. Outcome/Action: