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City of Falcon Heights • Planning Commission Minutes February 22, 2005 PRESENT: Commissioners Lukermann, Harris, Lageson, Ryan, Tracy, Ziebarth. Also present was Staff Liaison Deb Jones. In attendance for the scheduled public hearing were two residents and two employees of Twin City Co-ops Federal Credit Union. ABSENT: Heideman, Lindstrom, De Leo (with notice) The meeting was called to order by Commissioner Harris, Commission Chair, at 7:00 p.m. The minutes of the November 23, 2004, meeting were approved. COMMISSION CHAIR FOR 2005: Patrick Ryan was elected Chair of the Planning Commission for 2005. Commissioner Ryan conducted the remainder of the meeting. INTERIM USE PERMIT FOR FARMER'S MARKET AT TWIN CITY CO-OPS, 2025 LARPENTEUR AVENUE Ms. Jones presented the staff report on the Farmer's Market IUP. The Market has had two seasons on the TCCU property and has become a popular and highly valued community asset. Residents and visitors have expressed much appreciation for the way the market has been conducted and for the excellent supervision and stewardship provided by the property owner • TCCU. Last year the IUP was changed to adjust parking requirements and traffic flow in response to the experience of the first season. This year three changes are proposed the IUP. First, the Market would like to open in May instead of June to give the vendors the opportunity to offer perennials and bedding plants at the appropriate season. Second, sales would be allowed to start at 7:30 a.m. instead of 8:00 a.m. to give commuters the opportunity to shop before they go to work. There have been many requests for this change, from both City residents and people employed in Falcon Heights and at the University. Vendors would not arrive or set up any earlier than usual; they would still be required to wait unti16:30 a.m. as in previous years. The most significant change proposed this year is to allow the IUP to be open-ended rather than limited to one year, as in the past. The new permit would be in effect as long as TCCU owns and occupies the property and all other permit conditions are met. Ms. Jones explained that an IUP does not have to state a specific time period but can have other kinds of conditions for expiration. The Staff finds that the Co-op has done an excellent job as host of the Market in the first two seasons. Making the IUP condition-limited instead oftime-limited will save the trouble and expense of renewing annually while avoiding possible unintended consequences of converting the market to a conditional use available to future owners or occupants of the property. PUBLIC HEARING Commissioner Ryan opened the public hearing. The first speaker was Sherif Tawfic, 1978 • Garden Avenue. Mr. Tawfic thanked all concerned for making the Farmer's Market a success. He expressed concern that residents might lose control over the conditions of the market operation if the IUP is open-ended and that the proposed time extension may open the City of Falcon Heights -Planning Commission Meeting of February 22, 2005 -Page 1 of 3