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Item No: 07B <br />Meeting Date: March 26, 2007 <br />Type of Business: PH & CB <br />City Administrator Review: ______ <br />City of Mounds View Staff Report <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />To: Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From: Desaree M. Crane, Assistant to the City Administrator <br />Item Title/Subject: Public Hearing to Consider Second Reading and Adoption of <br />Ordinance 787, an Ordinance Amending Chapter 1102 of the <br />Mounds View Zoning Code to Define Health and Beauty Services <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />Staff received a phone call from a Kari Murlowski, who expressed a desire to operate an <br />alternative wellness business at Mounds View Square. Some of the therapies she would conduct <br />include Healing Touch and Aromatherapy. The techniques, according to Ms. Murlowski, require <br />that her clients are fully clothed. Ms Murlowski is not a massage therapist and has no training in <br />massage therapy. Her training is in Health Healing, Aromatherapy, and Raindrop Therapy at the <br />Center for Aromatherapy Research Education (CARE). <br /> <br />Alternative Wellness Centers are not regulated by the State, and are not currently covered under <br />the City Code in business licensing or zoning. Since this type of business is not State regulated, <br />Staff was directed by City Council to see what other cities are doing to regulate this type of <br />business and to ask the League of Minnesota Cities for information and guidance on the issue. <br />Staff received responses from the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Coon Rapids, Blaine, Arden Hills, <br />Roseville, and the League of Minnesota Cities. Unfortunately, these cities had no information, <br />ordinances or anything in their code regulating this type of business. Staff also spoke to the <br />League, and they also had no information relating to this type of business or anything relating to <br />Alternative Wellness in general. <br />Since there was no information available, Staff researched the Mounds View City Code pertaining <br />to Zoning. Mounds View Square is in the B-4 Zoning District. Permitted uses in this district <br />include Health and Beauty Services. An argument could be made that Alternative Wellness could <br />be allowed in our City Zoning Code under Health and Beauty Services. However, Health and <br />Beauty Services are not defined in our City Code. Staff spoke with the City Attorney, and it was <br />the City Attorney’s recommendation that we define Health and Beauty Services in our Zoning <br />Code to address Alternative Wellness. The City Council concurred and directed staff to prepare a <br />definition for Health and Beauty Services. The following definition was prepared: <br /> <br />“Health and Beauty Services: Services performed for the purpose of promoting <br />and maintaining personal health and beauty, including hair salons, fingernail <br />salons, nutrition and diet centers, meditation and yoga clinics, Spa Treatments <br />(such as facials, body wrap treatments, and chemical peels) and Alternative <br />Wellness services (including such activities as aromatherapy, acupuncture and <br />hypnosis), excluding therapeutic massage or other businesses otherwise defined <br />or regulated by this Code.” <br /> <br />After having the City Attorney review the proposed definition, staff presented it to the Mounds <br />View Planning Commission on March 5, 2007 and the Planning Commission approved of the <br />definition. (Their resolution is attached for Council reference.)