Planning Report

Date:	January 15, 2002

Case:	R01-4

Subject:	Rezoning of three Properties at 1950 Old Hwy. 8 from I-2 to MX.

Applicant:	City of New Brighton

Request & Background

Johnson Screens, which is located at 1950 Old Hwy. 8 NW owns three vacant parcels that are located east of Rush Lake, west of Old Hwy. 8 and south of the Johnson Screens building. The Comprehensive Plan calls for the future land use of these three properties to be Mixed-Use. The Mixed-Use (MX) designation is defined in the Comprehensive Plan as follows:

Mixed-use. Mixed-use correlates with the City's north gateway located at Highway 96 and Old Highway 8. This area is unusual because of its prominence in the community and its relationship to Rush Lake. This intersection functions as a significant gateway to the community and should be developed such that the character of the expanded main street will carry from Highway 96 to the City Center.

The future buildings on the east side of Old Highway 8 should have a direct relationship to the intersection. Parking lots should not be proximate to either Highway 96 or Old Highway 8. The beautiful site on the west side of Old Highway 8 that overlooks Rush Lake needs to be developed in a manner that respects the inherent character of land. An integrated mixed-use development incorporating office and restaurant use overlooking the park will serve as a resource for the district as well as the community. All uses are intended to have a gateway character that draws people off the freeway and into the city center.

The three Johnson Screens parcels are currently zoned I-2, Heavy Industrial and is inconsistent with the City's Comprehensive Plan. These properties would need to be rezoned to MX, Mixed Use to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Rezoning the property will insure that future development of this site will be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

Uses permitted in an MX district include, residential, commercial and office. An industrial use such as the current operation at US Filter would not be permitted in an MX district.

At their November 13th meeting, the City Council directed staff to proceed with the rezoning process for the US Filter vacant properties from I-1 to MX.

Findings

Section 8-310, Rezoning

Site Characteristics

1.	Location:	1950 Old Highway 8

2.	Lot Size:	4.9, 3.2 and 2.7 acres

3.	Topography:	Sloping

4.	Vegetation:	Wooded

5.	Sensitive Areas:	Rush Lake and Long Lake Regional Park located to the west

6.	Existing Land Use:	Vacant

7.	Comprehensive Plan Designation:	MX, Mixed Use

8.	Zoning:	Existing: I-2, Heavy Industrial

Proposed: MX, Mixed Use

9.	Surrounding Land Uses:

North:	Industrial (I-2, Heavy Industrial)

South:	Retail (MX, Mixed Use) & Long Lake Regional Park

East:	Residential (MX, Mixed Use) & Industrial (I-1. Light Industrial)

West:	Long Lake Regional Park

Site History

1.	Past Uses:	Vacant

2.	Historical Significance:	None

New Information

At the December meeting, the Commission directed staff to explore the possibility of creating an agreement with Johnson Screens that would give the City the option to be the first buyer of the three properties if they became available.

Staff has made contact with Bob Norell of Johnson Screens regarding this issue. He stated that he would need to consult other staff members at Johnson Screens and that an agreement is a possibility. Mr. Norell or another representative from Johnson Screens may have additional information to report to the Commission at the meeting.

Possible Planning Commission actions include the following:

1)	Recommend to rezone the three properties to MX, Mixed Use to make the Comprehensive Plan and zoning designations consistent.

2)	Recommend to not rezone the three properties and make a change to the Comprehensive Plan to have the Comp Plan and zoning designations consistent. The Commission may also want to recommend to the Council that staff develop an agreement with Johnson Screens to give the City the first option to purchase the three vacant properties.

If the property is rezoned and at some point Johnson Screens informs staff that they would like to expand their current building to the south, the properties can be again rezoned so that the use would be allowed.

The Commission should be aware that a few days after the December Planning Commission meeting, staff was contacted by and met with a developer who stated that they were negotiating with Johnson Screens to purchase the vacant properties. Mr. Norell stated to staff that Johnson Screens had no agreement with a developer and the properties are not for sale.

Recommendation

Approval

Motion to recommend approval of R01-4, rezoning the three vacant lots owned by US Filter (PINs: 17-30-23-44-0002, 17-30-23-44-0003, 17-30-23-44-0004) from I-2, Heavy Industrial to MX, Mixed Use.

Staff Recommendation

Staff recommends approval of the rezoning. The proposed rezoning is consistent with the City's adopted Comprehensive Plan.

Mark Andrle, Community Development Specialist