07-09-2025 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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6 exterior storage may be appropriate given the context, but measures should be taken to reduce its visibility. Staff would support requiring that the racks and rowing shells be placed further from the water’s edge, limiting their height, and installing highly opaque screening such as fencing or landscaping to obstruct views from the lake and adjoining properties. Additionally, all storage areas should be maintained in a neat and orderly condition at all times. 2. To Permit Activities Related to The Occupation to Take Place on the Exterior of the Home The proposed use involves assembling on the property, storing equipment outdoors, and launching onto Lake Gervais from the shoreline at 2612 Edgerton Street. The applicant has indicated that no part of the home itself is used in conjunction with the activity. Staff does not object to the outdoor nature of the activity, aside from the storage concerns outlined in the previous finding. Provided that exterior impacts are adequately mitigated, Staff believes the assembly and launching of rowing participants from the property is not inherently incompatible with the residential setting. 3. To Permit the Instruction of More than One Pupil At a Time The applicant is seeking approval to allow up to 25 individuals on the property at one time in connection with the youth rowing program. This includes up to 22 participants and 2 volunteer coaches, with a small buffer for incidental presence. Youth practices are reported to occur six days per week in two-hour sessions. Staff finds this level of activity to be potentially acceptable under a Special Home Occupation Permit, provided it is clearly limited to the existing youth program. However, staff does not support any future expansion in the number of participants or frequency of use beyond what has been described. The requested cap of 25 should be understood as a firm upper limit, not a flexible threshold for additional growth. Staff also recommends limiting the use to a single instructional session per day to preserve compatibility with the residential setting. Additionally, staff has concerns about the use of the property for adult programming. While the applicant acknowledged that adult classes have occurred, no details were provided regarding their frequency or schedule. This lack of clarity was also raised by several public commenters, who expressed frustration with the unpredictability of activity. To ensure that residents and other lake users have a consistent and predictable understanding of when organized activity will occur, staff recommends that all adult programming take place off-site at a more appropriate location such as Lake Phalen. 4. Parking Demand The applicant has indicated that participants in the youth rowing program park at Little Canada City Hall and walk to the property. Coaches involved in the program park on-site in the residential driveway. This arrangement appears to be currently in practice and has been presented as the long-term strategy to accommodate participant parking. Edgerton Street does not allow on-street parking. As such, staff finds it essential to formally prohibit any Lake Phalen Rowing participants, coaches, or visitors from parking on Edgerton. Allowing on-street parking in violation of posted restrictions would create both safety and enforcement concerns. In addition, staff has received reports of participants parking on Schletty Drive, a nearby residential street. Residents on Schletty Drive should not be expected to absorb the impacts of parking generated by a home occupation located a block away. Staff recommends that a condition be included to prohibit parking on both Edgerton Street and