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Mounds View Planning Commission June 17, 2015 <br />Regular Meeting Page 2 <br />________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />4. Citizens Requests and Comments on Items Not on the Agenda <br /> <br />None. <br />______________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />5. Planning Cases <br /> <br />None. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />6. Other Planning Activity <br /> <br />A. Discuss Code Amendment to Allow Additional Exterior Materials on <br />Columbaria at Religious Institutions <br /> <br />Planning Associate Heller informed the Commission that the City Council recently adopted <br />Ordinance 899 that allows columbaria at churches. Due to the large increase in cremations rather <br />than burials, more places are needed to store urns. Mounds View does not currently have any <br />cemeteries, and the City Code did not address columbaria, so language was added to specifically <br />allow and add some requirements for columbaria. The Planning Commission did not want to <br />allow brick on the exterior of the columbaria out of concern for it not being maintained long- <br />term. The ordinance was passed with language that did not allow brick. The Mounds View <br />church that is planning to install columbaria would like to put brick on the exterior since it will <br />be against their building, which is brick, and has requested that the ordinance be amended to <br />allow brick exteriors. Staff met with the church members and were given more information and <br />examples of how it is common to use matching brick on the columbaria at churches. The City <br />Council is supportive of making an amendment to allow brick on the exteriors of columbaria. <br />Staff has also added bronze as an allowed exterior material. She requested the Council adopt a <br />Resolution approving the proposed Code amendments. <br /> <br />Commissioner Elofson feared that the use of precious metals on the columbaria would increase <br />vandalism. <br /> <br />Associate Heller did not believe this would be a concern as the bronze would be part of the <br />columbaria construction and not something that could be easily removed. <br /> <br />Commissioner Love asked if churches on corner lots would have a difficult time locating a <br />columbaria on their site. <br /> <br />Associate Heller discussed how setbacks within the code would allow for columbaria to be <br />located only in rear or side yards. She explained that churches on corner lots would have to <br />request a variance. <br />