09/10/2003 P&Z Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• STAFF ORIGINATOR: P & Z MEETING DATE: TOPIC: BACKGROUND AGENDA ITEM V. A Jeff Smyser September 10, 2003 PUBLIC HEARING: Amending Zoning Ordinance to Include Personal Services as Permitted Uses in the GB General Business Zoning District The major revisions to the zoning ordinance included amending and reorganizing the uses allowed in each of the zoning districts. In the business districts, the uses now are more generalized than before. The previous lists were very specific, which created a problem for uses that were not listed but were common activities in commercial areas. Another amendment to the ordinance changed a statement that prohibited anything not specifically listed. Now, the ordinance states that "whenever a proposed use is neither specifically allowed nor denied, the City Council shall determine if the proposed use is comparable in potential activities and impacts to a use listed in the zoning district..." We discovered an oversight that should be corrected. Both the Neighborhood Business and Limited Business districts specifically list "personal services" as permitted uses. The General Business district does not. (See attached permitted uses lists from those districts.) In the definitions, Section 1, Subd. 2.B., the ordinance says: Personal Service. Personal services shall include the following: barber shops, beauty salon, electrolysis, manicurist, tanning parlor, physical therapy, therapeutic massage, and tattooing. All three districts include some type of "service business ", a generalized category. However, since "personal services" are listed separately in two districts as well, there is a distinction. Personal services should be included in the GB district as well. The GB district is the most intense commercial zoning district. If personal service businesses are acceptable in the less intense districts, they should be allowed in GB as well. Section 7, Subdivision 3.F. is the permitted uses in the GB district. The proposed amendment would add "Personal Services" to the list. Staff discussed this with the City Council at a work session. As a stop gap measure, Council was comfortable considering personal services as comparable to other service