03-13-08 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTiJS CITY COUNCIL MARCH 13, 2008 Stanke asked about major auto repair on properties zoned PUD. The Planner replied that major auto repair is not allowed in the PUD District. One property owner indicated that Vroom was doing major auto repair from their site on Rice Street. The City Administrator noted that this property is zoned B-4 and major auto repair is not a permitted or conditional use. Minor auto repair is a permitted use in the B-4 District, however. The Administrator indicated that this may be a code enforcement issue for the City. Blesener noted that the limitation that outdoor storage cannot exceed 60% of the gross square footage of the subject property will not allow each property to have 60% of the site in outdoor storage. The City Planner noted that the building area, front yard of the property, and required parking on a site may consume more than 40% of the property. The Planner noted that the City did an inventory of the Ryan Industrial Park properties to determine the amount of outdoor storage on each site. Based on that inventory, it appears that the 60% standard would be workable for most properties. The Planner again noted that any CUP in existence at this time could be continued as it was approved. Dave Holm, On-Site Sanitation, indicated that he has outdoor storage on his property in addition to leasing outdoor storage space from a neighboring property owner. Holm questioned the reason for limiting outdoor storage space to tenants of a building. Blesener replied that outdoor storage does not bring anything to the City, and the City would prefer to have outdoor storage as an accessory use to a business located on a property. Holm also indicated that he does not have a Conditional Use Permit for outdoor storage, even though he has been located on his property for a long time. The City Administrator indicated that staff will sit down with On-Site Sanitation to identify the issues with the property and determine what the options area. The Administrator also noted that outdoor storage does nothing for the City's tax base nor does it bring jobs to the community. Mrs. Holm indicated that they have been in their location for the past several years and have invested a lot of money into their building. Holm indicated that the City has said it is not about putting companies out of business, but stated that the changes being proposed scare her. Dave Holm pointed out that during the winter months most of his inventory is stored on site, but move off-site during the construction season. Mrs. Holm indicated that On-Site Sanitation wants to work with the City, but some things will be physically impossible. She, too, noted that they rent outdoor storage space from a neighbor for storing some of their inventory.