PC Packet 07-19-2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

PLANNING REPORT DATE: July 12, 2011 CASE: ZA2011-002 SUBJECT: Zoning Code Amendment Concerning Specially Permitted Uses in the MX, Mixed Use zoning district APPLICANT: City-Initiated Request REQUEST&BACKGROUND This request is city-initiated and concerns the list of specially permitted uses in the MX, Mixed Use zoning district, specifically Section 6-540 (2) (E). This section lists "clinics, hospitals, sanitariums, convalescent homes, rest homes, nursing homes, orphanages" as specially permitted uses. The proposed request is to delete the orphanage use from this list. City staff was approached in late May/early June by Volunteers of America (VOA), who were inquiring about a use they believe is similar to the uses listed in Section 6-540 (2) (E). This section not only lists the uses noted above but states that "similar institutions" are also allowed by special use permit. Through the City analysis of the VOA request, it was realized that orphanage should be deleted from this Section. ATTACHMENTS A—Proposed Ordinance FINDINGS Section 6-540 (2) (E). Special Use Permits. AMENDMENT ANALYSIS As mentioned above, City staff analyzed the uses listed in Section 6-540 (2) (E) in early June based on an inquiry made by Volunteers of America (VOA). During the analysis, staff observed that most of the uses listed were very similar to one another. For example, a clinic, hospital, sanitarium, convalescent home, rest home and nursing home seem to have the following similarities • Primarily medical-related services • Services community residents could benefit/take advantage of • Draw visitors to the community • Job creation and employment • Traffic/parking impacts When examining the shared characteristics of these medical-related uses it became apparent that an orphanageis distinctly-different and does not share many of these same land use elements. For example, an orphanage is not medically-related, nor is it likely to provide services to New Brighton residents and/or draw many visitors to the area. While an orphanage might be an appropriate use elsewhere in the community, it does not seem to fit well with the goals of the MX District. When the MX District code was adopted in 1998, it appears most of the specially permitted uses in Section 6-540 (2)(E) were borrowed from another section of the Zoning Code. As background information, the MX District was created at a time when the City had completed the Old Highway 8 corridor plan, but had not been actively redeveloping sites. In fact, the MX designation covered most of former Northwest Quadrant, which was later re-zoned to accommodate the planning and redevelopment goals of the City. With the passage of time and the subsequent development activity in the MX District, it seems appropriate to re-evaluate the specially permitted uses. The MX District code references the 1997 Old Highway 8 corridor