7A - School Bus Shelter in Business/Industrial Park

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to get a return on this investment. I told him that I wanted to get in touch with him because the use he is considering is not allowed by the city's code. The use would require a change in the code and the Planning Commission and City Council may not want to make that change. Before he proceeded further, we may want to meet and discuss the possibility and the implications. I told him we wanted to help him find a spot, but one without so much public investment and liability might be better. Mr. Linnell thanked me for the call. He said that they were the biggest employer in the city and that should count for something. I told him that it was not the school district but the use for that site that would be the potential concern. There is a lot of public investment that has been made and, for the good of the school district, the county and the city tax situation, it was important that these investments grow the tax base. The city has been very supportive of the school district and I am certain would be willing to find a location where their facility would work. Mr. Linnell asked me who had alerted me to this. I told him that I was copied on two emails from Dawn Bittner, who I work closely with. I wanted to call him to initiate a conversation because I did not want the school district to commit to anything that may put it at odds with the city. I wanted to make sure we were working together. Mr. Linnell thanked me for that and expressed his desire to work together. I told him that I could arrange a meeting if he wanted to discuss this further with anyone else at the city. He asked for the spelling of my last name and I gave him that and my phone number here at CGI. Mr. Linnell indicated that he was thankful that I called and would review things on his end again. Subsequent to this phone conversation, the owner of the business park lot contacted the City to set up a meeting. I attended this meeting on February 25. Along with the property owner, Mayor Nancy Adams and Planning Commission Chair Scott Pederson were also present. We explained the ordinance requirements and the property owner indicated that he planned to request a change in the Code. It is important to understand the nature of our Code, which (except for the Grow Zone), is a standard use-based regulation similar to nearly every jurisdiction in Minnesota. The defining characteristic of such codes is that they regulate the "use" of a property, with the following statement as an overriding mandate: Section 17-5.15 LAND USE MATRIX z. All uses are considered prohibited unless specifically allowed in this Code, even if they are not listed specifically under excluded uses. The use they are anticipating is not included in the current Code. To streamline applications that we may not have pondered, we have put in a catch-all provision that allows all commercial and industrial uses where they fit the following broad definitions: