2017.04.18 PC Minutes SIGNED - Laserfiche WebLink

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Walt Fisk, 2300 Innsbruck Parkway NE in Columbia Heights, thanked the seminary for having a neighborhood meeting. He stated he has lived in his house for the past 10 years and he believed the seminary was a good neighbor. He understood there was some concern with the playground. He indicated he also had concerns with the bus and pedestrian traffic that would be flowing through his neighborhood. He suggested the buses come and go through the same entrance/exit point. He commented on the good and not so good charter schools in the north metro. He recommended the City review what school would be allowed to locate on this campus. He suggested the City not allow parking from 2nd to 51h on the east side of Stinson Boulevard. Chairperson Nichols-Matkaiti questioned if the City had any control over parking along Stinson Boulevard. Planning Director Gundlach reported south of 5th Street the roadway was a county road and north of 5th Street was owned by the City. Misti Vanlaar, 3009 Seminary, stated she sent a letter to the City on behalf of 15 residents that neighbor the seminary. She indicated she was speaking on behalf of those 15 families. It was her hope the seminary would find a viable solution to their revenue situation. If their solution was to have a K-8 school locate on the property, she requested the playground location be reconsidered. She believed the current location would have negative impacts, such as safety and noise on the surrounding neighborhood and two better locations had been proposed. The other two locations would allow for increased distance between the playground and the neighborhood homes and would allow for a larger playground. She believed the playground could be relocated and the prairie grass area could still be preserved. Rich Blaize, 501 Mission House Lane, explained he has lived in this neighborhood for the past 17 years. He stated he lived on a busy stretch of road with an active park and church community. He discussed the condition of the road and believed the City should have some input on what would actually locate within the seminary. Terry Post, 2810 Seminary Drive, stated he has been a resident within Seminary Estates since 1987. He stated in 1986, the seminary found itself in a cash poor, land rich situation. Now, 30 years later, the seminary was trying to find another use for its land. He questioned if the seminary had considered removing the dormitory and selling that land. He reiterated that if the Special Use Permit were approved, this would remain with the land. Planning Director Gundlach explained Special Use Permits were good for 180 days. If the seminary were not to act on the SUP within the 180 days an extension would have to be requested. This extension would be good for an additional 180 days. She noted for the record that the seminary was currently operating under an SUP. Kathy Klunke, 4858 Stinson Boulevard, stated she moved into her home 45 years ago. She believed the seminary was a great neighbor but had concerns with the bus traffic using Stinson Boulevard. She recommended the buses enter and exit the site from 5th Street. She hoped that the seminary would be able to work out a proper fit for their campus. She noted she had no problem with the proposed playground location. Nicole Nelson, 572 Yankton College Lane, respected the concerns being voiced regarding the playground and noted she was further away from the seminary campus. She did not recommend the playground be located adjacent to the street for safety purposes. She asked if the seminary had a "Plan B" if they were not able to locate a potential school within the next 180 days. Mr. Beck stated he had no idea where a school would want to locate their playground at this time. He stated he did not have a backup plan in mind but knew the current situation had to be addressed. He stated if a tenant had