This transcript features the Planning Commission of Cannon Falls. Based on the context provided, **Diane Johnson** (Council Member) is presiding over the meeting. **Izzy Carlson** (License and Permit Technician) is the primary city staff member assisting. [3:34] **Diane Johnson**: The January 12th, 2026 meeting of the Planning Commission of Canon Falls will come to order. Roll call. [3:36] **Izzy Carlson**: Johnson? [3:37] **Diane Johnson**: Here. [3:38] **Izzy Carlson**: Well, excuse me, Diane Johnson. [3:40] **Diane Johnson**: Yes. [3:41] **Izzy Carlson**: And Douglas? [3:43] **Brian Douglas**: Here. [3:44] **Izzy Carlson**: Naatz? [3:45] **Isaac Naatz**: Here. [3:51] **Izzy Carlson**: Chad Johnson? [3:53] **Chad Johnson**: I'm here. [3:54] **Izzy Carlson**: Nobach? [3:55] **Chris Nobach**: Here. [3:57] **Diane Johnson**: Okay, the agenda is before us. Um, motion to approve the agenda as presented. [4:04] **Chris Nobach**: So moved. [4:06] **Diane Johnson**: Motion by Nobach. Second by... [4:08] **Isaac Naatz**: Second. [4:09] **Diane Johnson**: Not any further discussion. All in favor approving the agenda? I. [4:13] **Commission Members**: I. [4:14] **Diane Johnson**: Nay. So moved. Approval of the minutes which you had in your packet. Hopefully everybody had a chance to read them. Motion to approve the minutes as written. [4:25] **Chris Nobach**: So moved. [4:26] **Chad Johnson**: Second. [4:28] **Diane Johnson**: Motion by Nobach, second by Johnson. Any further discussion? All in favor? I. [4:35] **Commission Members**: I. [4:36] **Diane Johnson**: Oppose. Nay. So moved. There is no public input. So we will move on to the public hearings. We have one public hearing for the conditional use permit for outdoor storage in I2 general industrial. Izzy. [4:52] **Izzy Carlson**: So I'll just give a quick introduction. So Knudson Construction is looking to get a conditional use permit for outdoor storage in I2. So up in our industrial park. Um within I2 district, you do need a CUP um in order to do that. Um so storing things, trailers, um buggies, scaffolding, etc. construction equipment. Um within that site, um you're given aerial images and then the plan for the site. Um they have confirmed that they do meet all the conditions for obtaining a CUP within that district. So um fencing, the black top, lighting, all of that stuff. They will be working with the city when they're ready to pursue the outdoor storage once they're all settled if they go through um to work with me and the city to get all those things in. Um so all of the conditions that were in your packet have been met and they will be working with us um to do that. So they do meet all of those conditions. Um within the packet, I'll just give you a quick heads up. You have two resolutions just so that you can resolution to approve or deny um after tonight's hearing. Um so just so you're aware of that. So we'll open the public hearing and then after that you can ask me any questions and we also have some representatives from Knudson here tonight too if you have any direct questions for them as well. [6:18] **Diane Johnson**: Thank you. We will open the public hearing on the conditional use permit for outdoor storage and I2 general industrial at 6:33 p.m. Would anyone like to speak? [6:38] **Aaron McMahon**: Make sure the mic's on. It's got a green light. So, Aaron McMahon, Hoffman Street, Canon Falls. Um, I have no issue with this. I'm just curious. They are—I did read that they're going to be storing cranes. I'm wondering how many stories high the cranes are and then if there's going to be a limitation for them to be able to hang signs off cranes, you know, like political signs, flags, that sort of thing. Thank you. [7:05] **Diane Johnson**: Thank you. Other folks that would like to speak to the—at the public hearing. [7:10] **Chad Johnson**: Can I just say I think... [7:12] **Diane Johnson**: Not yet. [7:14] **Chad Johnson**: Well, with the cranes like—Isn't that freedom of speech? [7:22] **Diane Johnson**: We'll address it after. [7:23] **Chad Johnson**: Oh, okay. That's how that works. Okay. [7:25] **Diane Johnson**: Unless you're sitting out there, you can't talk until after we're done. [7:34] **Chad Johnson**: I'll go out there. [7:36] **Diane Johnson**: Okay. Anyone else from the public who would like to speak at the public hearing? Any further people wishing to speak? If not, I declare the public hearing closed at 6:34 p.m. Now the on the agenda it's the discussion from the planning commission. Now you may speak Chad. [7:53] **Chad Johnson**: Uh with the cranes is that like you can't—we can't tell them you can't have this or that for like—say they have a sign up on their business, right? That's the freedom of speech, right? They they want to have a flag up— [8:12] **Shelley Ryan**: The content. Yeah. So there would likely still be potential for regulations on the signs themselves. Time, place, manner, contents of signs are freedom, first amendment protected, freedom of speech uh issue. So the what content is on the sign or flag or hanging from from a crane. That is something that we would not be able to regulate. [8:26] **Chad Johnson**: Okay. All right. Just curious. It's not even an issue. So all right. Then I guess the the other question was how tall are cranes or how many or is that within the zoning? [8:48] **Tom Limer**: Uh good evening. Uh my name is Tom Limer, senior vice president with Knudson Construction. To answer your crane question, most of ours are truck cranes. They're not tower cranes. So the highest that we'd ever have that up is fully extended to maintenance it, but we're not going to leave it up overnight. If we ever did hang something from it would only be at at that point of the of the crane. So, these aren't tower cranes or anything like that. They're more truck cranes where they—you'll see them drive down the road. [9:14] **Diane Johnson**: Thank you. [9:16] **Chad Johnson**: Um I I got a question about the storage containers. Is this kind of like what they have at the mall where it's a bunch of the self—it said self storage containers? [9:24] **Tom Limer**: Yeah, they'll be like ConX boxes. [9:26] **Chad Johnson**: Okay. So, it's nothing containers. [9:30] **Tom Limer**: Yeah. So to provide a little more context why we wanted this approval, we we are in a purchasing the purchasing due diligence phase right now to buy that building and one of the conditions was we wanted to make sure that we could do outdoor storage in the future. There might not be any outdoor storage for a year because there is a current tenant but we want—before we made this investment—we wanted to make sure that we were aligned from the the uh conditional use permit and what we would be required to do if we stored outside. We acknowledged everything that would be required um through this application process, but it might not be—it could be six months. It could be a year. I can't tell you when we'll start storing out there. We just want to know we have the flexibility in the future. [10:18] **Diane Johnson**: Okay. I'm going to ask you. So, I'm looking at the map here. So, there's the red fencing basically going in for the storage area. Is that what's going in now? Like when you come in this year, is that the first phase? And I'm assuming like you said, you wanted more area. I'm assuming where the green area is, you're hoping to expand in the future to cover the whole property. [10:33] **Tom Limer**: Uh it it's it potentially. So we once we close on the property over the next few weeks, if this is approved, uh we'll master plan that entire site to know what our future holds 3, five, and 10 years from now. It might start that that early area is greatly reduced for outdoor storage. It might be bigger depending on what we um need day one, but that'll all go through the planning process and be submitted to the city before we do any work. But yes, in in potentially in 10 years, yes, it could—that entire green space could be um storage. [11:05] **Diane Johnson**: Okay. So, but the red—the red fencing is basically your first step. [11:18] **Tom Limer**: Correct. [11:19] **Diane Johnson**: That's where you're—and everything that you have will fit inside that storage area. More or less. [11:20] **Tom Limer**: More or less. [11:21] **Chris Nobach**: Okay. Other questions, comments from the planning commission? The only concern that I had was the the concrete or the the pavement requirement and it seems like that's being met. So, I don't have any concerns. [11:38] **Diane Johnson**: Further discussion. Do we feel ready to vote? [11:42] **Chad Johnson**: I'll make a motion. I think it's... [11:45] **Diane Johnson**: Actually No, you got to look at the resolutions. Um, okay. That's at at the end you've got uh a conditional use permit. So resolution 2026-01 is to approve. Okay. So if you want to approve it, you would say move to approve uh conditionally or planning commission resolution 2026-01 and recommend to the council. [12:15] **Chad Johnson**: Motion to approve planning commission 2026-01. [12:23] **Diane Johnson**: Hey motion by Johnson. Is there a second? [12:26] **Isaac Naatz**: Second. [12:28] **Diane Johnson**: Second by Naatz. Is there further discussion on approving the conditional use permit? Any further discussion? All in favor? I. [12:40] **Commission Members**: I. [12:41] **Diane Johnson**: Nay. So moved. Next meeting is January 20th. No, next council meeting is January 20th. Next planning commission is February 9th. And we should say an official welcome tonight to all to Chad Johnson, who is technically our alternate member from the city council to the planning commission. And until such time as the vacancy is filled, I'm assuming he's allowed to serve. Yes. Oh, welcome. [13:12] **Chad Johnson**: Thank you, Diane. I hope we get some citizens in here to fill it in. We need citizen input. It's good. [13:16] **Diane Johnson**: So, now are you going to be full-time alternate as far as if someone—if we need a quorum and someone? [13:19] **Izzy Carlson**: Yep. So, if any of you other have conflicts with any other meeting nights, he would be—this during this year, he will—can serve as that alternate for any other position, not just a vacant one right now. [13:36] **Diane Johnson**: And again, uh, we do have that open seat on the planning commission. If any citizen is in interested in that, the the applications are at city hall hearing. Is anybody have anything they'd like to add tonight? Izzy, Jon. [13:57] **Chad Johnson**: Uh, next next planning commission meeting, are we going to have something on the fairboard ordinance and all that stuff? [14:03] **Izzy Carlson**: I hope so. I just sent out the—yeah—schedule for for opportunity for dates to meet. I just got that out tonight. [14:13] **Chad Johnson**: Awesome. We'll make that set and bring something for the next meeting. I hope. [14:15] **Diane Johnson**: Good. Anybody else have anything, Chad? [14:18] **Chad Johnson**: Thank you. [14:20] **Diane Johnson**: Okay. I declare the meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m. [14:24] **Chris Nobach**: Motion to adjourn. [14:27] **Diane Johnson**: Yes. Uh so moved. Second. [14:30] **Isaac Naatz**: Second. [14:31] **Diane Johnson**: Moved by Nobach, second by Naatz. All in favor to adjourn say I. [14:33] **Commission Members**: I. [14:34] **Diane Johnson**: So moved.