05-02-2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No: 6B Meeting Date: May 2, 2007 Type of Business: Discussion City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Mounds View Planning Commission From: Heidi Heller, Planning Associate Item Title/Subject: Discuss the Consideration of Expanding the Allowable Food/Restaurant Uses in a B-2 Zoning District Introduction: In November 2005, Kraus Anderson, the property management company for Silver View Plaza, requested a rezoning of the property from a B-2, Limited Business, to B-3, Highway Business. When the Planning Commission heard this request in 2005, they wanted to be able to help Kraus Anderson find tenants, but yet not in favor of intensifying the zoning for the property due to parking and circulation issues. The idea of expanding some of the uses allowed in a B-2 zoning district was discussed, particularly restaurants, and the Commissioners seemed open to this idea. The mall is currently over 50% vacant and Kraus Anderson is again asking for help with the types of businesses allowed on this property. Background: Silverview Plaza opened in 1988, and later that same year, a rezoning was requested from B-2 to B-3, which was denied due to concerns regarding inadequate parking availability. Despite this, for many years after opening, the facility experienced full or nearly full occupancy. The current zoning designation, B-2, allows for less intense commercial and service oriented businesses such as laundromats, locksmiths, delicatessens, financial offices, florists, sporting goods and hardware to name a few. The property owner again requested to rezone the property to B-3 in November 2005 due to the increase in vacancy, which would allow for all uses within the B-2 district plus more intense commercial uses such as restaurants, auto parts and auto repair, motel or hotels and gas stations. That request, like the one in 1988, was also denied due to concerns with parking availability and circulation. The present tenant mix at Silverview Plaza include a niche fruit arrangement vendor, a pizza delivery service, a chiropractic office, a florist, a women’s exercise gym, a hair salon and hardware/specialty tool store. Discussion: The current allowable uses for food in a B-2 zoning district include bakery goods and baking of foods for retail sales on the premises; candy or ice cream type store; a delicatessen where the only cooking onsite would be limited to an oven/pizza oven; frozen food store but not including a locker plant; or a meat market, not including processing for a locker plant. All of these businesses only need a few parking spaces for very short-term parking. There are a few different ways of expanding the scope of food/restaurant businesses that could be allowed in a B-2 district; by square footage of the floor space, by the number of seats allowed in the restaurant, or by adding descriptions for additional restaurant types.