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• Planning Case No. 452-96 New Apostolic Church; 3025 County Road H September 18, 1996 Page 11 next smallest site is 1.59 acres (or three times as large) and the average size site is 3.7 acres. The actual size of the lot is less of an issue than how it relates to the size of the building, its seating capacity, and the number of parking spaces needed. The need to accommodate a 1027 square foot building footprint and 29 parking spaces affects the ability to provide buffer areas along the perimeter of the parking lot. Staff has assumed the maximum seating capacity will be 115 seats based on the applicant's testimony on September 4 and the parking provided. The applicant has provided a 10 foot wide landscaped buffer area along the east property line, and a buffer area of 15 feet, 24 feet and 10 feet along the north property line. The wider buffer area in the center of the north side has been reduced in order to rework the parking layout. The buffer areas are less than is typical of other Mounds View churches. As discussed earlier, the minimum seen is 14 feet between parking lots and adjacent residential properties; the typical width is 30 feet. The narrowest buffer area on this site (10 feet) is along the back yard of the property owner situated north of the site and along the side yard of the property owner situated east of the site. The property owner on the north side has requested a buffer area of at least 15 feet be provided, especially where the parking area abuts his back yard. This dimension has been met for the west and middle • section of the north property linea approximately o P P Y (forPp mately 153 feet out of 224 feet or 68/o) but not in the area most critical to the adjacent property owner. The applicant has indicated that they want a church with at least 115 seats, rather than building a smaller size church. Testimony received from adjacent property owners indicates strong feelings that the use as proposed is not compatible with the adjacent residential neighborhood, with the main concerns about the extent of paving and the width of the landscaped buffer areas along the north and east-side of the property. Some concerns have also been raised about traffic and drainage. (4) The use,in the opinion of the City Council, is reasonably related to the overall needs of the City and to the existing land use. (6) The use is not in conflict with the Comprehensive Plan of the City. As is noted earlier, current planning staff is not familiar enough with the City's Comprehensive Plan to comment on whether this use is in conflict with the Plan. The Zoning Code does envision the development of churches in residential neighborhoods, and there are five other churches in Mounds View. The applicant has testified that a number • of the members of this church are from the Mounds View area, and desire to locate the church close to their homes.