05-23-2007 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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NORTHWEST ASSOCIATED CONSULTANTS, INC. 4800 Olson Memorial Highway, Suite 202, Golden Valley, MN 55422 Telephone: 763.231 .2555 Facsimile: 763.231 .2561 planners(@+nacplanning.com MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Blesener and Little Canada City Council FROM: Stephen Grittman DATE: April 20, 2007 RE: Little Canada — HOM Furniture — BW District Text Amendment FILE NO: 758.09 - 07.11 Background and Analysis HOM Furniture has applied for a series of zoning approvals to occupy the former Levitz Furniture facility. The applicants would occupy a major portion of the building, but would lease portions of the building to other tenants. The B -W District currently allows only a limited range of uses, primarily office, warehouse, and showroom -style commercial businesses. In meeting with the applicants, it was indicated that the zoning would need to be expanded to permit occupancy of the building as proposed. In response to the material submitted with the application, staff prepared a proposed zoning district amendment that would add furniture, carpet, tools, paint and wallpaper, home furnishings, and cabinet sales to the list of B -W District uses. At the Planning Commission meeting, the applicants presented a much broader list of requested uses as being representative of the range of their request. The applicants portrayed this list as being comprised of businesses that would generate low- volume traffic, potentially distinct from higher - volume retail uses. The applicants indicated that they wished to have this broader range of uses to make their leasing of the tenant spaces in the building more convenient and avoid case -by -case review by City officials. The applicants also indicated that the list was generated rather informally, and included business listings from the phone book that seemed likely to be low- volume retailers. Most (likely all) of the uses would be allowed in the B -3 zoning district, the City's general retail district that is most prevalent along Rice Street. While some of the uses on the list may indeed generate low- volume traffic (Restaurant Supply, Medical Equipment), others are classic high - volume uses that would appear to raise questions about whether this site would be appropriate (Hardware, Antiques, Home Theatre, etc.).