Agenda - Planning Commission - 08/27/2026

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6.2. Regular Planning Commission Meeting Date: 08/27/2026 Primary Strategic Plan Initiative: Promote economic growth and development. Information Title: PUBLIC HEARING - Scooter's Coffee - Conditional Use Permit for a Coffee Shop with a Drive-Thru at 14340 Ramsey Blvd. NW. Purpose/Background: Harlow Beckett Enterprises is proposing to construct and operate a a coffee shop with a drive-thru along the west side of Ramsey Boulevard and south of Sunwood Drive and the Casey's store. The 664-square-foot Scooter's Coffee shop is classified as a restaurant in the Zoning Code, which is a permitted use in the COR-3 zoning district, though the drive-thru is considered a conditional use. Therefore, a conditional use permit (CUP) is required. The application includes a minor subdivision that creates the parcel for Scooter's. The applicant has been working with the City's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to purchase roughly 0.89 acres of the land from the City. The purchase agreement was approved by the City Council earlier this summer. Now the applicant is pursuing the Land Use Application portion of the entitlements. Building Design The small building will be constructed with brick and cement fiberboard panels. The proposed building elevations appear to meet the requirements and intent of the COR Framework architectural standards that emphasizes masonry exterior materials. Wall signage and awning will be located on the building as well. The drive-thru window will be on the south end of the building while a window for walk-up service will be on the north side of the building. Only employees will be allowed inside the building. There will be a small patio north of the walk-up window that will only accommodate a handful of chairs. The COR-3 regulations require that a building is constructed between the front property line (in this case, the eastern property line) and a maximum setback of 30 feet. The proposed building is shown with a setback of 50 feet, exceeding the build -to requirement. There is an exception, however, where a decorative wall, fence, or hedge may be used instead of where the built -to condition cannot be met. The increased building setback is due to the dive-thru, the patio area and the parking lot setback. The applicant will satisfy the exsection by installing an ornamental fence along the east frontage with a gap for the walkway connection. This fence is envisioned to look similar to the one constructed with the Taco Bell and Chipotle projects along the west side of the COR in similar circumstances. Access, Drive-Thru, and Parking Vehicular access will come from the west side of the property via an extension to the shared drive between Casey's and O'Reilly Auto Parts. Scooter's will not have a driveway directly to Ramsey Boulevard. This shared private roadway is envisioned to extend south to intersect an extension of Veterans Drive between Rhinestone Street and Ramsey Boulveard at an existing street stub. The shared driveway is currently City -owned, though the future intention is that it will be privately owned and maintained. A cross -access and maintenance agreement will be required to be signed and recorded with the Anoka County Recorder's Office. Most of the traffic entering the site is expected to turn south to access the drive-thru lane, which wraps counter -clockwise around the building before exiting out the same western driveway. City Code requires drive-thrus to accommodate stacking for six vehicles. The proposed site plan notes six vehicles, though there will be room for approximately nine cars. Driving customers using the walk-up window and employees will park in the spaces northwest of the building. The applicant has noted that the proposed number of spaces will