11/10/2004 P&Z Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Pl anni ng & Zo ni n g B o ar d No vem b er 10 , 20 0 4 Page 9 Chair Rafferty stated sev e ral v a lid co ncer ns hav e been raised by adjacen t property owners that should be addr essed by the applicant. Rob Storberg, 6978 Lake Drive, stated he is appearing on behalf of his parents and they have expressed concerns regarding the outsi de lighting at the church and increased traffic. He added his parents are concerned abou t isolating th is lot with a church whe n the res t of th e area consis ts of single f a m ily hom e s, and as ked how this lot can be zoned for a church that surrounds a residential area. He questioned the value that this type of building brings to the community. Chair Rafferty stated th at the applican t desire s to purchase the subj ec t prop erty f o r th e purpose of developing a new worship site, a nd they have an opportunity to do that through a C ondition a l U s e Perm it. He indicated there are restrictions in th e comm ercial zoning dis t rict that m a y not allow church activit y . He stated that becau se severa l concerns have been raised, in cluding traffic, site li ghting, and signage, it w ill b e app r opriate to continue this public h earing. In add i tion, th e com m e nts from Anoka County will n eed to be reviewed and addressed. Staff confirm e d a church is a conditional use allowed within the R-1 district and they are not perm itte d in the com m e rcial distr i ct. Chair Rafferty invited applicant to m a ke comm ent. Rodney Gordon, 3552 Brookdale Drive, Brooklyn Park, appeared representing the engineer of the project. Chair Rafferty stated that it would be adva ntageous to both the church and adjacent property ow ners if they m e t to discuss th e concerns raised this evening and would provide the church with an opportunity to talk to the adjacent prope rty ow ners about their plans for the property. Mr. Gordon agreed that such a m eeting would be beneficial. He stat ed that they have previous ly b u ilt a Kingd om Hall on 694 and Silv er Lake Road in New Brighton and the neighbors w e re happy to see the church com e into their neighborhood. He indicated they plan to install a 6 ’ fence to screen the park ing lot area. M r . Gordon stated the church will typically hold m eetings two nights per week. During the re m a inder of the week, people will be com i ng into and leaving th e c hurch at d i f f e rent tim es. He stated th e parking lot will rarely b e full. He ad ded the services on Sundays are h e ld between 9:3 0 a.m . and 10:00 a.m . a nd services are fi nished at 12:00 noon. He stated the shoebox lights will be lit only when there is a m e eting being held at the church. Chair Rafferty asked staff what the City requires for lighting at this type of facility. Mr. Studenski replied there are no specific requi rem e nts for lighting and from the City’s perspective, lighting should be m i nim i zed to reduce light glare. Mr. Gordon stated their building on Silver Lake Road is sim ila r to the proposed structure, and showed pictu r es of the Silve r La ke Road site . He stated the signage will be b r ick with APPR OVE D MINUTE S