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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes <br /> • June 23, 1998 <br /> Page 5 <br /> 1 Commissioner Makowkse stated that Commissioner Horst abstained from the vote due to his <br /> 2 relationship with Mr. Alvite. <br /> 3 Marks asked if the Commission had discussed the relationship between hiring a Planning <br /> 4 Consultant to look at planning in that area and if granting a Conditional Use Permit would <br /> 5 preempt that effort. <br /> 6 Commissioner Makowske stated this was briefly discussed. The Commission believed that the <br /> 7 applicant had been put off and the request did deserve a response. <br /> 8 Marks asked if the Commission had considered a development moratorium. <br /> 9 Commissioner Makowske stated the Commission had not considered a moratorium. <br /> 10 .Cavanaugh noted that the letter received by the City from Rodney Johnson stated that he had <br /> 11 gone to great lengths to keep the shopping center in retail use. He asked if the Commission had <br /> 12 considered his perspective. <br /> Commissioner Makowske reported that this had been considered when the applicant provided the <br /> 4 concept review at a previous meeting. This is the reason that the Commission originally <br /> 15 suggested that Mr. Alvite look for a building in the industrial park. However, after further <br /> 16 review and finding that the applicant had looked for one year to find a retail tenant, which the <br /> 17 Commission believed to be a significant amount of time, and that no retail could be drawn to the <br /> 18 site either because of the cost per square foot or because of the difficult access, the Commission <br /> 19 believed this use was better than leaving the building vacant. <br /> 20 Cavanaugh stated that Mr. Johnson's point is that the site is retail and a year is not an eternity. <br /> 21 The plan was to go forward on a retail premise. The hardship experienced by Robodyne is not a <br /> 22 reason to move industrial into a retail area. Mr. Johnson has worked terribly hard to keep retail <br /> 23 in the shopping center and now is not the time to change course. <br /> 24 Marks noted that the Comprehensive Plan has zoned that area as a retail use for two decades. He <br /> 25 asked if the Commission had discussed the Comprehensive Plan and the fact that this area is <br /> 26 designated as retail and there is no plan to change the overall land use. <br /> 27 Commissioner Makowske stated it was discussed that this area of land is being looked at and <br /> 28 researched for the purpose of ongoing redevelopment. He noted that the building behind the <br /> 29 Town and Country is office space. <br /> Mayor Ranallo noted that several years ago the Council had denied Mid-Continental Cheese a <br /> —1 Conditional Use Permit to close their retail in the shopping center and begin warehousing, as this <br /> 32 was not compatible with the rest of the shopping center. <br />