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g. Narrative Attachment to Zoning Text Amendment Application <br />The proposed birth center and postpartum care center further meets goals of the Comprehensive <br />Plan in the following ways: <br />Promote Lake Elmo as an exceptional place to live. Such a birth center and postpartum care <br />center would be the flrst of its kind in this part of the country and would be an amenity to <br />any local, or anyone considering moving to or visiting the area, who may be expanding their <br />family in the future. <br />Maintain and enhance the connections of residents to the natural resources and open <br />space amenities throughout the community. With the proposed use we would be able to <br />maintain the existing open space on the property, keeping any structures for new uses <br />within the existing built areas. The intent for the open space left on site is to provide a <br />relaxing environment for new parents to feel connected to nature as they heal and recover <br />from delivery with meditative nature walks through the abundant existing natural beauty of <br />the property in question, and the remainder of the site would be able to be left unaltered. <br /> <br />The proposed amendment to the city zoning code would have limited direct impact on the future <br />development within the City of Lake Elmo. The Zoning Text Amendment request to allow birth <br />centers, with a maximum of four (4) rooms, would allow the conditional use amendment process to <br />be able to conditionally approve a birth center in the Agricultural district, while keeping in sync with <br />the characteristics of the district and maintaining the single-family residence scale by limiting its <br />size. The proposed addition of a postpartum care center, with a maximum of ten (10) rooms only <br />when provided in conjunction with a birth center, would allow this usage with extreme limitation. <br />This Zoning Text Amendment request will allow both the City and the applicant to provide a <br />residential agricultural scaled birth center project within this district, with an accompanying <br />postpartum care center. The City gets a vital natural assisted birth center located in a natural <br />agricultural district where its scale and usage is well-paired, appropriate and accessible for Lake <br />Elmo and beyond. <br /> <br />