Loading...
5. Report on VMU B Zoning District 3 6 18 Memorandum To: Scandia Planning Commission Reference: VMU B Zoning District Copies To: Neil Soltis, City Administrator Brenda Eklund, City Clerk Project No.: 16623.000 From: Sherri Buss, RLA AICP, Planner Routing: Date: February 21, 2018 The City’s EDA and the City Council have requested that the Planning Commission review the uses and lot standards in the VMU B Zoning District. The request was made based on the concerns about the closing of Chikos Restaurant. Chikos was a tenant in a stand-alone building located on a parcel with a separate multi-tenant building. Developers and potential restaurant operators have expressed interest in the restaurant building but financing the business or improvements to the exterior or interior of the building are difficulty since there is no security interest in the building. The EDA and Council want the Planning Commission to consider whether there are options that would allow businesses in the VMU B District to have an ownership position that would give them more independence and site control. Some options for discussion that could give businesses more options or flexibility include:  Commercial condominium ownership  PUDs  Changes to the VMU B District—change in district boundaries, uses, smaller lot sizes or other changes to the standards for the VMU B Commercial Condominiums The condominium form of ownership could allow a building or property to have multiple businesses, each owning their own portion of the site, and governed by an Association that makes decisions about common areas, common systems (such as a septic system or heating/cooling system), building usage, parking, and other common concerns. Minnesota law permits condominiums as an ownership option. This option could be implemented by building owners of multi-tenant buildings or sites, and would not require changes in the City Code. Commercial Uses and VMU B District Page 2 March 6, 2018 Scandia Planning Commission PUDs The Scandia Development Code permits PUDs (Section 7.0 of Chapter 2) and includes standards for PUDs. PUDs are permitted to meet city goals by allowing flexibility from city standards such as setbacks, lot sizes, etc PUDs may allow coordinated planning for parking and other infrastructure. They are permitted in the VMU A, VMU B, Village Neighborhood, Rural Commercial, and Industrial Park zoning districts. While Section 7.0 lists PUDs as conditional uses, Section 2 lists PUDs as conditional uses only in the Village Neighborhood, Rural Commercial, and Industrial Park zoning districts. PUDs require approval of a CUP (Section 7, item 7.3). All of the uses that are allowed in a zoning district may potentially be allowed in a PUD in that district. (A minor change should be made to the Code to list PUDs as a use that is permitted with a CUP in the districts listed above.) Section 7 permits the City to grant flexibility from the standard Zoning and Subdivision requirements for PUDs when the flexibility would help to meet the City’s goals. Developers can request flexibility from the required setbacks, minimum lot sizes, minimum numbers of parking spaces, building height, lot coverage, and minimum frontage on public streets in the zoning district where the PUD would be located if granting the variations will meet the goals stated for PUDs in Section 7. Section 7 does not place limits on the degree of variation that may be granted for parking, lot size, etc. VMU B District The VMU B District is described in the zoning ordinance as a mixed use are that was established to provide a growth area for the village center, and to accommodate business that need a larger land area and visibility from Highway 97. The district includes a mix of commercial and residential uses, and a wide range in lot sizes, from the very small commercial lots along Olinda north of Highway 97 to the 2.5-acre commercial lots east of the village, and residential lots that vary from 0.35 to 2.5 acres in size. The VMU A District was created to sustain the historic village center by preserving and protecting the long-term viability of historic properties and structures and permitting land uses that support the historic uses. The VMU A and B standards are compared on the table that follows: Zoning Standards VMU A VMU B Lot size 2,500 square feet (No new subdivision of land permitted 2.5 acres Minimum Buildable Area None 1 acre Commercial Uses and VMU B District Page 3 March 6, 2018 Scandia Planning Commission Minimum frontage None 160 feet Maximum lot coverage 80% 65% Building setbacks None (Design guidelines apply) Front: 40 feet Side: 20 feet Rear: 50 feet (Wider on arterial and collector roadways) Max Bldg Height 45 feet 45 feet If there is interest in growing the commercial area in Scandia, this may be a good time to review the VMU A and B Districts, discuss the purposes and standards of the districts, and consider some questions:  If the VMU B District is an expansion area for the Village area, should the lot sizes and other standards in the VMU B District be more similar to those in the VMU A District to encourage more businesses similar to those in the Village? This may require some new standards in VMU B for permitting community septic systems and shared parking to serve several properties if smaller lot sizes are permitted. While PUDs could be used to achieve some flexibility from the VMU B standards, PUDs are applicable for multiple uses and larger sites, but not a practical option for a single business seeking to locate or expand in the VMU B.  Or could the VMU A area be expanded to include the small parcels north of Highway 97 along Olinda, such as the Creamery parcel? Some or all of the commercial area east of the Village along Highway 97 and north of the Industrial District to permit/encourage additional businesses in this area on parcels with smaller lot sizes?  Is it likely that the residential properties and school property within the VMU B District west and south of the Village will be an expansion area for the Village? If the VMU A is expanded to include more of the commercial areas in VMU B, could the residential areas in VMU B be moved to the Village Neighborhood district? The standards for the VN District are very similar to VMU B. The Planning Commission will discuss the VMU B district and options to address the EDA and Council questions at the meeting on March 6.