3A - COnditional Use Permit for Helicopter Ride Operation

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6. The proposed use should not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of surrounding vacant properties. There are no additional public services or facilities required for the development of this property. 7. The applicant proposes to access this property using the access created for the Crafters Outlet Mall. On the proposed days of operation, there will likely be additional traffic at the intersection and access for this property. Those days of operation, however, will be occasional (nine times out of the year), and should not create an overall increase in the average daily traffic on those roadways. 8. The applicant does not propose to construct any additional parking spaces, but rather has proposed to share parking with the Crafters Outlet Mall. The Outlet Mall has a total Of 315 parking spaces, with 173 being permanent parking spaces and the remaining 142 spaces being overflow parking spaces. 9. The approved conditional use permit for the Crafters Outlet Mall contains Condition 12, which states: "There shall be no additional construction on the property in the 24 months following the opening of the business to ensure that area for parking is adequate." While the proposed helicopter operation does not require any additional construction, the intent of the original condition was to ensure adequate parking was available before any new customers from additional businesses were brought to the site. 1o. The proposed use may produce noise during take off and landing that may constitute a nuisance to the surrounding properties. 11. The applicant does not propose to construct any structures or additional facilities on the property, as stormwater retention, parking, and other requirements are already present with the Crafters Outlet Mall. Planning Commission Direction: The Planning Commission can approve of the conditional use permit, deny the application, or table the request if additional information is needed. If the motion is for approval or denial,findings of fact should be cited. Staff Analysis: There are two main issues with this application that would need to be resolved or mitigated: noise and traffic safety. While the applicant has proposed operation for only nine days of the year, from 11:oo am to 6:oo pm, during those time periods, neighboring properties will be impacted by noise during take off and landing. But,how discernible would the additional noise be given the present traffic levels on Highway 371 during those weekend time periods in the summer months? How much noise would the helicopter actually generate?Are there ways to avoid or mitigate this noise impact? Traffic safety, the second issue, has been a long-time problem on the highway and at this intersection. Already high summer traffic levels add to this concern. Recognizing the issue, the applicant has proposed to avoid excessive flights over the Highway 371 corridor and to avoid flights at low altitudes. How much of an impact will the patrons of this operation have on the traffic in this area? Does the limited proposed operation schedule reduce those impacts? In addition,the original Condition 12 on the permit for the Crafters Outlet Mall states that there shall be no additional construction on the property in the 24 months following the opening of the business to ensure that area for parking is adequate. To repeat finding of fact #9, the proposed use does not include any new construction, but the original intent of that condition was to ensure that adequate parking was available for the Crafters Outlet Mall. Adding a new business operation to the site would invariably bring more patrons to the property and further fill the parking available. The 24 months required in that condition have not yet passed, and so it would be difficult to discern whether the parking available on the site is adequate for the �. Crafters Mall and the proposed helicopter operation. City of Pequot Lakes Staff Report 1-4 May 17,2007