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STAFF REPORT <br /> Application: Request to rezone from Public to Exempt Commercial <br /> Applicant: City of Pequot Lakes <br /> Background Information: The City of Pequot Lakes has purchased the Liberty Tool <br /> building and will be relocating City Hall there this summer. Part of the financing plan <br /> includes the sale of City Hall. The City Hall property is currently zoned Public. The <br /> future land use map shows this area as future Downtown Mixed Use. The property lies <br /> on Government Drive on the edge of the retail sector of the downtown. <br /> If the property is to be sold to a private party, it cannot remain zoned Public. <br /> Applicable Statutes: A 4/5ths majority of the Council is required to rezone a property, <br /> which means that any rezoning must have broad consensus. <br /> Simply put,there are two questions that must be answered during a rezoning. First, is the <br /> property zoned incorrectly? Second, if the property is zoned incorrectly, what would be <br /> the correct zoning classification for this parcel? The primary place to determine the <br /> answer to these questions is by examining the City's vision as described in the future land <br /> use map contained in the Comprehensive Plan. <br /> There is no definition of the Public zone in the current ordinance. The Ordinance states <br /> that the Exempt Commercial district allows commercial uses normally found in the <br /> downtown areas of a community such as stores, cafes, bakery sales,banks, small grocery <br /> stores and offices. It allows commercial uses without on-site parking requirements. <br /> Staff Findings:We have reviewed the application and propose the following findings of <br /> fact for you to consider: <br /> 1. The parcel is currently zoned Public, although there is no definition or <br /> proscribed uses for the Public zone. <br /> 2. The present development on the parcel is City Hall, a building containing <br /> offices, meeting rooms and storage areas. <br /> 3. The parcel topography is flat. There are no development constraints for either <br /> zoning classification. <br /> 4. The parcel is on a municipal street and is served by municipal sewer and water <br /> utilities. This is required for the proposed zoning classification. <br /> 5. The draft Future Land Use Map indicates that this area should contain a mix <br /> of high-density residential and commercial uses. <br /> 6. At this stage in the comprehensive planning process,rezoning this parcel to a <br /> downtown commercial use is consistent with the City's vision for the future. <br /> Planning Commission Direction: The Commission can recommend to the Council that <br /> they approve this rezoning. The Commission can also recommend that the Council not <br /> April 2004 Staff Report Page 1 <br />