01-13-00 Planning Comm. Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION JANUARY 13, 2000 Keis indicated that if the City adopted ordinances similar to Vadnais Heights', any car repair business could have a used car dealer's license for up to five cars. Duray felt that the 500-foot separation requirement should be removed from the ordinance, but the limitation of four licenses should remain. Carson agreed. Montour indicated that this is what the Commission recommended at its last meeting. The Deputy Clerk pointed out that the Commission recommended a variance be granted from the separation requirement for Valor Enterprises. The City Council felt that there was no hardship present to warrant a variance, and that an ordinance amendment was the proper way to handle the request. Lee Rossow reported that in 1989 his company was granted a motor vehicles sales license. Rossow indicated that his was the fourth license granted, and noted that they are located across the street from Eich Auto which has a motor vehicle sales license. Rossow indicated that his business, Comfort Bus, sells new and used buses. Rossow pointed out that at the time he got his license, the 500-foot separation requirement did not come into play. The Zoning Administrator reported that Mr. Rossow has a bus wholesaler license, not a motor vehicle sales license. The bus wholesaler license was not counted against the four motor vehicle sales licenses allowed by ordinance. Lori Peterson, Valor Enterprises, indicated that the issue was the 500-foot separation requirement. Peterson indicated that the Council did not want to grant a variance to the separation requirement given the precedent they felt it would set. Therefore, a solution would be to amend the ordinance elimination the separation requirement. The City Planner indicated that the ordinance actually has two separation requirements. One is for 500 feet in the B-W and I-1 Districts, and the other is for 2,000 feet in the B-2 and B-4 Districts. Carson recommended approval of an amendment to the Zoning Code eliminating the 500 foot separation requirement between motor vehicles sales lots in the I-1 District.