06.01-06.03 - Items from Planning Comm Report

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3. The surrounding properties are zoned Recreational, Open Space and Rural Residential. Recreational and Open Space are compatible with every district. 4. The property is not completely surrounded by residential zones however it is also not close to any Commercial, as is required by the Ordinance. It is also not near any Downtown Mixed -Use, Urban Residential or Transition Residential zones as it may also be established next to. 5. The rezoning to Light Industrial meets the lot, use, and density requirements. 2. Ordinance Amendment Establishing Grow Zone Standards, Application o9- 3064, City of Pequot Lakes, applicant. The Planning Commission has- worked for some time on identifying the unique characteristics that make the Pequot Lakes downtown a destination within the community. The Commission has also worked to identify barriers to growth and development within the downtown. Through this process, what has been discovered is that the regulation of use is mostly an unnecessary barrier to development, while the regulation of form is a critical factor that is completely overlooked by the Code. For example, the current code requires a Conditional Use Permit for a restaurant to open in the downtown. It makes no difference if that restaurant is converting an existing structure for the use, a roughly 45 -day application process is required. However, that same process and the same standards would also apply to a brand new drive -thru restaurant built along Government Drive. The ordinance is silent on the obvious incompatibility of such a use. The proposed standards create a Grow Zone where property owners can choose to either adhere entirely to the current code or entirely to the new Grow Zone standards. The new Grow Zone standards regulate the form of the structure and how it addresses the public space (generally, how it will look and interact with adjacent properties), not the use. While the current code retains the lengthy permitting process, the Grow Zone provisions allow for what is essentially same -day permitting. This is a progressive approach that will not only make downtown Pequot Lakes the easiest and quickest place to obtain a permit in the entire Brainerd Lakes area, it will help make new development compatible and complementary to the existing buildings in, the downtown. We want each new investment build on the last so that the downtown grows in a strong and vibrant way. The Planning Commission recommends the Ordinance Amendment be approved. The proposed changes are attached for your review. 6. Lonesome Cottage — After- the -Fact Permit: (Note: This item will be presented by a member of the Planning Commission, not Staffl. In 2007 Brandon Andersen received a Land Use Permit for an 80' X 340' commercial building. Since that time two accessory structures have been constructed that are not a part of any application. 14084 Baxter Drive, Suite 7 1 Baxter, Minnesota 56425 1218.828.3064 lwww.communitygrowth.com