This transcript is from a **Lakeville Planning Commission** meeting. Based on the context of the dialogue and the roll call, here is the formatted transcript with speaker names identified. **Participants:** * **Chair:** Zimmer * **Planning Commissioners:** Graphos, Kuza, Sweeney, Swenson, Ike, Tinsley, Bray. * **City Staff:** Cathy Jensen (Senior Planner), Stacey Botton (Planner), Miss Erickson (Recording Secretary). * **Applicants/Public:** Robin Strobine, Munib Ahmed, Mariam Abu Bakr, Sehra Ali, Asha Ali, Sharaf Ali, Muhammad Shamsro, Mr. White, Jamal Sai, Jeff Rich, Maida, Heba Ker. *** [1:00] **Chair Zimmer:** I call to order the November 6, 2025 planning commission meeting. All to uh rise for the pledge. [1:29] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you very much. Um, take a roll. **Miss Erickson:** Graphos? **Commissioner Graphos:** Here. **Miss Erickson:** Bray? **Commissioner Bray:** Here. **Miss Erickson:** Zimmer? **Chair Zimmer:** Here. **Miss Erickson:** Ike? **Commissioner Ike:** Here. **Miss Erickson:** Sweeney? **Commissioner Sweeney:** Here. **Miss Erickson:** Swenson? **Commissioner Swenson:** Here. [1:46] **Chair Zimmer:** All present and accounted for. Approval of the minutes. Does anyone have any changes to the October 16th uh planning commission minutes as they have been presented to us? Um I will ask if our planning manager have any announcements. [2:13] **Cathy Jensen:** Not this evening, Chair Zimmer. Thank you. **Chair Zimmer:** Glad that your microphone's working. Um, agenda number five is a public hearing uh considering the application of Robin Strobine for a conditional use permit to allow the combination accessory buildings to exceed the gross floor area of the principal structure at 16415 Klamath Trail. [2:40] **Chair Zimmer:** Ask uh Mr. Strobine to come up and give us staff and comment. Please come forward and welcome. Yes, please identify yourself for the record. [2:57] **Robin Strobine:** Robin Strobine. I live at 16415 Klamath Trail. Um yeah, I'd uh submitted an application to um build an accessory building that exceeds the total allowable square footage um larger than the primary structure on the property just for personal use. Um it's a unique lot. It's a very large lot. It's 11 and a half acres. Uh heavily wooded. You can't even see the house and you won't really be able to see the building at all from any road or any neighbor. **Chair Zimmer:** I'll agree with you there because I drove up that road today to try to find it. [3:36] **Robin Strobine:** Yep. **Chair Zimmer:** Okay, great. Thank you. We'll bring up staff and then um go from there. Thank you. [3:50] **Stacey Botton:** Evening chair, commission members. The request in front of you tonight is for the property located on Klamath Trail on the north side. It is zoned rural agricultural and it is 11.49 acres as the property owner mentioned. The request is for a conditional use permit uh to allow the construction of a detached accessory building that is greater than the gross floor area of the principal structure. So code states that the combination of accessory buildings and garages shall not exceed either the area limitations or the total gross floor area of the principal structure whichever is least. [4:30] **Stacey Botton:** So, the total allowable combined area accessory building areas for the RA district is actually 8,712 square feet, but according to Dakota County GIS, the applicant's uh finished square footage of the home is 2,840 square ft. So, combined, the applicant is proposing a 3,500 gross square foot accessory building for the detached one, plus he has a 1,485 square foot attached building. So total there'd be about 5,000 square feet of accessory building space. So the proposed structure though does meet setbacks. It way exceeds the setback requirements. [5:09] **Chair Zimmer:** Miss Botton, could you just pause for a moment? Uh if you're coming into the hearing, come in and sit down so we can continue and sit down quietly. Thank you. Please go ahead. **Stacey Botton:** Yep. Sorry about that. Okay. So the building meets and exceeds all requirements for setbacks. If you see on the bottom right of your screen, this is the area that the building is going to be located. It's over 250 ft away from the property lines. Uh the applicant has stated that the structure would be for his own personal use and a home occupation or any storage related to a home business would not be allowed to be in the building. [5:47] **Stacey Botton:** Staff is recommending approval of the conditional use permit with the six stipulations listed in your packet along with the findings of fact. **Chair Zimmer:** I will open the public hearing and I'll take anyone's comments regarding the application of Mr. Strobine for a conditional use permit. [6:19] **Commissioner Kuza:** Madam Chair. **Chair Zimmer:** Commissioner Kuza. **Commissioner Kuza:** Seeing no one come forward on this agenda item, I move to close the public hearing. **Commissioner Sweeney:** Second. **Chair Zimmer:** We have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say I. **Commissioners:** I. **Chair Zimmer:** Opposed? [6:35] **Chair Zimmer:** Public hearing is closed. Commissioners, have any questions for the applicant? **Commissioner Graphos:** Madam Chair. **Chair Zimmer:** Commissioner Graphos. **Commissioner Graphos:** Uh, question I think most appropriate for Miss Botton. Um there was a mention in the materials property includes a stand of mature trees. It will not be greatly impacted by the site grading. Um was the city forester involved in this or was the tree preservation policy referred to? **Stacey Botton:** No, for not this case. Um it did not trigger the review of the tree preservation ordinance for what is being proposed and the amount of trees being removed. There is an existing structure there that is 800 square feet already that will be demoed and then kind of put in the same place obviously a little bit bigger. [7:21] **Commissioner Graphos:** Yeah, because I also got the chance to see the property but you know just from the end of the driveway. I didn't drive up the driveway but lots of mature trees, 11 and a half acres which is more than common on the west side of I-35. It just seemed like the type of property that we would apply the policy with. But you're saying since it's replacing an existing structure... **Stacey Botton:** I will have our forester take a look at it, but I haven't heard any comments that that would be triggered with this request. I can have the forester look at it prior to council. **Commissioner Graphos:** Yeah, sure. That would be great. [8:07] **Chair Zimmer:** Right. Thank you. Yep. Any other questions? If not I'll entertain a motion. **Commissioner Kuza:** Madam Chair, I motion to recommend to city council the approval of the conditional use permit to allow the combination of accessory buildings to exceed the gross floor area of the principal structure in the RA rural agricultural district and approval of the findings of fact dated November 6, 2025 subject to the six stipulations listed in the planning memo dated October 30th, 2025. [8:43] **Commissioner Swenson:** Second. **Chair Zimmer:** Having a motion and a second, I would ask Miss Erickson to please take the roll. **Miss Erickson:** Bray? **Commissioner Bray:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Kuza? **Commissioner Kuza:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Zimmer? **Chair Zimmer:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Ike? **Commissioner Ike:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Sweeney? **Commissioner Sweeney:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Swenson? **Commissioner Swenson:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Tinsley? **Commissioner Tinsley:** Aye. **Chair Zimmer:** All those having everyone in favor, we thank you Mr. Strobine—sorry for mispronouncing your name—for coming here and look forward to having you develop your CUP. [9:13] **Robin Strobine:** Thank you very much. **Chair Zimmer:** All right. The next item on the agenda is the consideration of the application of Muslim American Society of Minnesota for a conditional use permit to allow a religious institution within an existing building in the O office residential transition district located at 8672 210th Street. We'll first ask Munib Ahmed please come forward and present and then we will have staff. After that we'll have a public hearing. [9:56] **Chair Zimmer:** Please go ahead identify yourself for the record. **Munib Ahmed:** Uh good evening. My name is Munib Ahmed and I live at 16097 Canard Court, Lakeville, Minnesota 55044. **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. **Munib Ahmed:** Good evening chair and commissioners. I'm a resident of Lakeville for past seven years. I'm here on behalf of Muslim American Society of Minnesota and Lakeville Muslim community. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. We are here to request approval for a conditional use permit for Lakeville Masjid, a place for worship that will serve local families and contribute positively to the city we all call home. Our community has been part of Lakeville for many years. We are professionals, parents, students and above all your neighbors. The masjid will not only be space for prayer, but also for community service and interfaith engagement. We have carefully planned the project to meet all city requirements from parking and traffic to landscaping and safety ensuring it fits harmoniously within the neighborhood. We deeply value Lakeville's inclusive spirit and our goal is to continuously building on that by creating a welcoming space for all. [11:14] **Munib Ahmed:** Thank you so much for your time and considering this important step for our community. Thank you so much. **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. I will now ask staff to come up for a presentation. Thank you, Miss Jensen. [11:30] **Cathy Jensen:** Good evening, commissioners. Um, as we've said, this is a public hearing for a conditional use permit for a religious institution use within the O office residential transition district. On your left in the map above is a site location map showing the location of the existing building. It is on the south side of 210th Street just east of Holyoke Avenue. It was previously the school district 194's office building a number of years ago and then after that it was sold and used as a family therapy clinic for several years. As I said it is in the O office residential transition district and religious institution uses are allowed by conditional use permit. The building is a two-story building um just over 5200 square feet and the site does include 75 parking spaces. [12:32] **Cathy Jensen:** The primary prayer service is on Fridays at 12 noon and 1:30 p.m. Each is about 40 minutes. The neighborhood has multifamily buildings, single family homes, and public ice rinks to the south. In relation to those public ice rinks, the city does have an easement with the property owner for shared parking. 31 of those spaces are available for the rinks' use. Keep in mind that the primary time for those rinks' use is in the evenings and the weekends per the parks department. When those rinks are open with ice, that is typically late December through mid-February if they're lucky. Those rinks are also available in the off season for off-leash dog areas. I did receive a call from an adjoining property owner with a question about whether the site would have an outside speaker for the call to prayer. In speaking with the applicant, he said that is not something that they utilize. The call to prayer does happen within the building and does not happen outside and they have no plans to add that. [13:53] **Cathy Jensen:** This is the floor plan for the lower level which is where the prayer rooms would be located. I do need to correct some numbers that were within my staff report. The men's prayer room has space for 92 rug spaces. My report erroneously said 135 which is the occupancy of the building by area. But with the rug layout that would be limited to the 92 spaces. And then the same for the women's room. There would be 51 rug spaces and not 81 that was indicated in my report. Which makes the total gathering space capacity 143 and not the 216. Parking requirement for religious institution uses is one parking space per three seats or areas of the main congregation area. So for this case we took the two prayer rooms to calculate that parking requirement which in this case would be 48 spaces; again there are 75 provided on the site. [15:00] **Cathy Jensen:** I did want to note one other thing. The narrative that was submitted included some information about a shared parking agreement or arrangement with an adjoining religious institutional facility. Someone from that organization did contact me. They said they have granted the ability for parking on an occasion in the past, but that there is no formal agreement in place. It should not impact our staff's recommendation of this because the site does have sufficient parking and is not short on parking in the area. Community development staff does recommend approval of this CUP subject to the six stipulations that were included within the staff report as well as the approval of the findings of fact which were dated November 6, 2025. I will stand for any questions you may have. [16:00] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you so much, Miss Jensen. This is a public hearing and I don't know if anybody that has signed up on the sign-up sheet to speak. Um, one moment. I'm hopeful that not everyone wants—if we have multiple people that want to speak, we'll have to put time limits on it and work from it that way. But when you come forward then please speak into the microphone and give your name and address and try to keep your remarks limited. Thank you. [16:45] **Chair Zimmer:** Welcome. Please give us your name and address. **Mariam Abu Bakr:** My name is Mariam Abu Bakr and I live at 20849 India Circle, Lakeville, Minnesota 55044. **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. **Mariam Abu Bakr:** Good evening commissioners. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. I am here to request a conditional use permit for our proposed masjid in downtown Lakeville. This space will provide a welcoming place for Muslims to worship, learn, and come together as a community. Right now, many families travel long distance to attend prayers and having a local masjid would make a big difference for us. Our congregation has outgrown our current location and we are excited to create a permanent home here. We are committed to being good neighbors and plan to hold prayers, educational programs, and community events with respect and care for everyone around us. In closing, I respectfully ask for your support. This project is about more than worship. It's about building community and connecting here in Lakeville. Thank you for your time and consideration. [18:07] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you so much. We have another speaker. Again, please identify yourself and your address. **Sehra Ali:** My name is Sehra Ali and I am from 16771 Jacksonville Court. **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. **Sehra Ali:** Good evening commissioners and thank you for the opportunity to speak today. This mosque would be an essential foundation for nurturing the growing Muslim community here in Lakeville which has never had a place of worship close or convenient to them. With the establishment of this mosque, Muslims would be encouraged to come together and connect with a community of like-minded people all while strengthening their faith. It would provide a welcoming environment for children and teens to learn, grow, and engage in activities with peers who share their values, fostering a sense of belonging within the community. Youth groups could thrive, organizing food drives, community cleanups, and group picnics. I've lived here almost all my life since 2010. And growing up here, I've seen how places of worship strengthen neighborhoods. Churches, temples, and other houses of faith contribute immensely to the social fabric of our city. The Lakeville Masjid will do the same, offering community service programs, youth development opportunities, and interfaith engagement that enriches everyone's lives. This is about making Lakeville more inclusive, more connected, and more reflective of the people who live here. I also want to emphasize that the Muslim community is deeply committed to being a positive, contributing part of Lakeville. We value peace, respect, and service. Principles that align perfectly with what this city stands for. In closing, I ask you to please support the conditional use permit for the Lakeville Masjid. Approving this permit would not just allow a building to be constructed; it would affirm Lakeville's commitment to diversity, unity, and mutual respect. Thank you for your time. [20:10] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you very much. Another speaker, I think. Yes, please bring the microphone down. **Asha Ali:** Hello, commissioners. My name is Asha Ali. I live on 7751 183rd Street West, Lakeville, Minnesota. I am 12 years old and I've lived in Lakeville almost all of my life. We used to go to the Rosemount Masjid but it was too far away and it took too much to drive. I'm also taking educational classes at the Lakeville Masjid. So it makes sense to have a mosque here where I live. I am representing the youth from the Lakeville Masjid and I think that we have a good community of friends through the masjid. The community near where I live is amazing. Thank you for your consideration. **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. Excellent job on your testimony. Do you have any idea how many more there are? **Munib Ahmed:** Oh, I think a couple more. [21:10] **Chair Zimmer:** Couple more. Um please begin, sir. **Sharaf Ali:** Yeah. My name is Sharaf Ali and I live at Jacksonville Court, Lakeville, MN 55044. **Chair Zimmer:** One moment. Could you bring the microphone back up so we can hear you? Thank you. **Sharaf Ali:** Okay. My name is Sharaf Ali and I've lived in Lakeville for last 15 years and I'm here to express my strong support for the conditional use permit of the proposed masjid. I'm also a business owner and I run a retail business in Mall of America. This institution will strengthen the growth of the city by serving as a place of worship, learning, and community engagement. As members of the Muslim business community, we are committed to being good neighbors and active partners in Lakeville city's progress and success. On behalf of Lakeville Muslim Business Community, I respectfully urge your approval for the permit to help build a stronger, vibrant, and well-connected community for everyone. Thank you so much. [23:06] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. **Muhammad Shamsro:** Hello, commissioners. My name is Muhammad Shamsro. I live at 7682 207th Street, Lakeville. I'm a software engineer by profession. I request you to approve this permit. It will be essential for myself and my family. We used to go to either Burnsville or Rosemount to get similar educational and religious services. I again thank you for the opportunity to listen to our request and I kindly ask you to approve the permit. Thank you. [24:05] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. **Mr. White:** My name is [Mr. White] at 20675 Hollands Avenue West. I also have a property just a block north of the Page Building. And all I'm asking is if we could make a delay on the vote itself. I got this four days ago that said there was a public hearing tonight and a lot of my neighbors never got anything. I just think we should wait on your vote until we get in as neighbors and part of the neighborhood to get a more of a chance to look at what this really means for our neighborhood. There's no representation of our neighborhood and the property owners around it tonight. So that's all I'm asking is just to give us a little time to take more of a look at it and come back to you. Thank you. [25:14] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. Please come forward sir. **Jamal Sai:** Good evening. I am Jamal Sai and I live at 18327 Iron Stone Way, Lakeville. I have been living here for 14 years. One of the biggest challenges I have living in Lakeville is that every day I have to drive 25 or 30 miles for prayer. Having this mosque would be a huge plus to attract people like us to live here and expand the community and connection. Thank you. [26:28] **Jeff Rich:** Good evening, chair and commission members. The reason that I address you this evening is to bring clarity to the Muslim American Society of Minnesota conditional use permit that I read. **Chair Zimmer:** Could I ask you to please identify yourself for the record? **Jeff Rich:** My name is Jeff Rich. I'm senior pastor at Grace Community Bible Church of Lakeville. We are the neighboring church that is mentioned on page nine of the conditional use permit application. The wording which needs clarification is this "overflow parking arrangement secured with the neighboring church." I'm just here to clarify as was said that no agreement is in place for overflow parking on a regular basis. I had coffee and we did agree for the Muslim American Society to use our parking as an overflow for a specific event a few months ago. I just needed to make sure that that is word-smithed from that document so that we have that freedom. We are looking to be good neighbors and good Christians and honorable and respectful and continue courteous professional interactions. But we do want to be careful on the wording of that document since we didn't enter into that specific agreement. Thank you for your attention to this particular matter. [28:41] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you, Mr. Rich. Another speaker, please move the microphone down for yourself. That'd be great. Thank you. **Maida:** My name is Maida and I live at 16097 Canard Court, Lakeville. I am raising four kids as well and they go to the Lakeville school district. As a citizen of Lakeville, I request you because I need this masjid in Lakeville. I have to travel a lot with the kids especially during winter. I want to apologize to the pastor that there was a misunderstanding about the parking, it was just a misunderstanding please consider that. Thank you so much. [29:51] **Chair Zimmer:** Is there anyone else that wishes to speak? **Heba Ker:** Hello chairman. My name is Heba Ker. I moved here January this year and I have five children and this masjid has been a safe place for all my kids. This place has given us purpose to worship and to gather and celebrate every day. I understand that a lot of people are worried about distance and everything, but it comes down to community and I would love for you guys to consider our community. My kids and teenagers come in every morning and they get to be taught to stay safe, to respect others, and not to do harm. It's a place for them to stay safe. I hope you guys give us the chance. Thank you. [31:36] **Chair Zimmer:** Is there anyone else? Seeing no one else come forward, I move to close the public hearing. **Commissioner Swenson:** Second. **Chair Zimmer:** We have a motion and a second. All those in favor of closing the public hearing, please say I. **Commissioners:** I. **Chair Zimmer:** Opposed? Public hearing is now closed. We will turn to commissioners for questions. **Commissioner Kuza:** Madam Chair. **Chair Zimmer:** Commissioner Kuza. **Commissioner Kuza:** If Miss Jensen could maybe talk to us about the notification process and what the requirements are in the ordinance and in the statutes? [32:33] **Cathy Jensen:** Yes. State law requires notification both published in the city's official newspaper at least 10 days in advance of the public hearing as well as mailed notification. We are required to mail to all property owners within 350 ft by state law. Lakeville goes above and beyond that; it mails to all property owners within 500 feet. Those postcards for the notice were likely mailed October 23rd. There is—a public hearing is not invalid if someone does not receive a public notice. It is unfortunate if the postcards were not delivered in a more timely manner, but they are mailed well in advance of that notification requirement. [33:41] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. Any other questions on that process? Thank you for reviewing that. Um, mail service isn't always as reliable as we would like it to be. Sorry, Mr. White, that's what might have happened. **Commissioner Kuza:** I have another question for the applicant if they wouldn't mind coming forward. Um, I just was kind of wondering about holidays. Do you have holidays where you would expect a larger turnout than normal? If you had a situation where you knew you were going to exceed your parking abilities, do you have plans for buses or shuttles? [35:05] **Munib Ahmed:** I got it. Yeah. So, mainly service is on Friday. We can have multiple sessions for Friday prayer. And that's how we are managing the parking. Other than that there are two holidays that those are called Eid. Usually what we do we combine that with the neighboring cities and we rent a larger place, for example this year we rented the arena. We definitely don't want it to be a problem for the neighbors or the road. So for those particular holidays we actually book a different venue. [36:19] **Commissioner Kuza:** Thanks. That's very helpful. **Chair Zimmer:** I would have one question Mr. Ahmed. When Miss Jensen talked about the spaces for prayer—92 spaces for men and 51 for women and 75 total parking spaces—if 92 different men come in 92 different cars, what's your solution for the parking? [36:42] **Munib Ahmed:** That's where I was saying that we can have multiple sessions for the Friday prayer. If the parking is full, our volunteer staff will be there and we are not letting anybody enter the parking. We will tell them they will have to wait for the second prayer and they can come back. We do not let anybody enter because even if they enter the property they might try to park on green areas, which we don't want. **Chair Zimmer:** You said staff. Will it be off-duty police or will it be your volunteer staff? **Munib Ahmed:** It's our staff. Volunteers. **Chair Zimmer:** Yeah. Other questions? [38:32] **Commissioner Sweeney:** I have another one. When I drove through the lot—and I've used that lot for parking during the Panaprog parade which of course is going to be right in front of that building—regarding use by the folks at the rinks, if they have filled up a number of parking spots, what will you do with the folks that are there? **Munib Ahmed:** Again, the first priority especially in the season of the ice hockey, we will leave those 30 spaces. Our volunteer staff will be there and we don't anticipate any situation where there will be major parking issues. [39:39] **Chair Zimmer:** Anyone else? Commissioner Sweeney. **Commissioner Sweeney:** One question for Miss Jensen. Has there been a traffic study done for this development? We're talking about parking, but what about all the traffic that comes into this downtown area because it is downtown Lakeville? [40:08] **Cathy Jensen:** No. This is not a situation where we would consider a traffic study necessary. We've had other religious institutions that have built buildings that can accommodate hundreds of people on their site and we have not required traffic studies for those. [40:36] **Chair Zimmer:** Thank you. Any other questions? No other questions then um I'll take a motion. **Commissioner Swenson:** Madam Chair, prior to making the motion here, I just wanted to state that we see plenty of religious institutions come forward. Typically they have the same parking requirements in place. This proposal meets those parking requirements. From that standpoint, I view this as something that fits within what the city's typical process is for any religious institution. I'll be supportive of this. With that, I move to recommend to city council approval of the conditional use permit to allow a religious institution within an existing building in the O office residential transition district and approval of the findings of fact dated November 6th, 2025 subject to the six stipulations listed in the planning memo dated October 30th, 2025. [41:57] **Commissioner Kuza:** Second. **Chair Zimmer:** We have a motion and a second. And we'd ask Miss Erickson to please take the roll. **Miss Erickson:** Bray? **Commissioner Bray:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Kuza? **Commissioner Kuza:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Zimmer? **Chair Zimmer:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Ike? **Commissioner Ike:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Sweeney? **Commissioner Sweeney:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Swenson? **Commissioner Swenson:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Tinsley? **Commissioner Tinsley:** Aye. **Miss Erickson:** Graphos? **Commissioner Graphos:** Aye. **Chair Zimmer:** With that the motion passes. We don't have clapping. Thank you for your presentation. Do we have any staff notices? [44:14] **Cathy Jensen:** Uh, no. Uh, but the two items that were on tonight's agenda will be forwarded to the November 17th city council meeting for consideration. [44:30] **Chair Zimmer:** Excellent. Thank you so much. I do note that the next planning commission meeting is set for November 20th. See nothing else on the agenda, we are adjourned.