09/13/2006 P&Z Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

• Zoning Amendments and Rezoning of Millers Crossroads Commercial Site page 2 SECTION 7. BUSINESS DISTRICTS Subd. 1. NB, Neighborhood Business District. A. Purpose. The purpose of the NB, Neighborhood Business District is to provide for the establishment of local businesses for convenience, limited office, retail or service outlets which deal directly with the daily requirements of the immediate neighborhood and which are located along a collector or arterial roadway. These businesses are not intended to draw customers from the entire community. No new land shall be zoned NB, Neighborhood Business unless the site or area lies within the City's MUSA and sanitary sewer and municipal water are available. Subd. 2. LB, Limited Business District. A. Purpose. There may be some areas which are suitable only for commercial uses of a limited (less intense) nature. This may be due to the close proximity of residential uses. This may include high quality commercial areas such as an "office park" development. Also, the LB District can be used as a transitional district or buffer between non - compatible uses such as intense commercial (GB) and residential uses. No new land shall be zoned LB, Limited Business unless the site or area lies within the City's MUSA and sanitary sewer and municipal water is available. Subd. 3. GB, General Business District. A. Purpose. There are areas containing a wide variety of business uses including retail, service, and semi - industrial uses. As such, they may contain businesses which tend to serve other business and industry as well as those catering to shoppers' needs. No new land shall be zoned GB, General Business unless the site or area lies within the City's MUSA and sanitary sewer and municipal water is available. A recent development application focused attention on the commercial site on the southeast corner of Birch St. and Hodgson Rd. The lot of 1.8 acres was created and zoned to LB in 2003 as part of a larger development project. The City Council recently concluded that LB is not the appropriate zoning for this location because of several auto - oriented uses allowed in a LB zone and their potential negative impacts on the surrounding residential neighborhood. Such uses are not allowed in a NB zone. The City Council directed staff to initiate a rezoning of this site to NB. It was appropriate to compare the business zoning districts to determine what uses are allowed and what differences exist. As a result of that analysis, in addition to rezoning the Birch/Hodgson site, staff is recommending some amendments to the ordinance that would change some of the uses allowed in the different districts. The attached table lists the uses currently allowed in the NB, LB, and GB zoning districts and notes the recommended amendments. The actual text amendments are listed below.