Based on the context provided and the internal dialogue of the transcript (references to "Commissioner Connealy," "Commissioner Sters," and the City Planner's departure), here is the formatted transcript. Note: Since timestamps were not provided in the source text, I have used sequential markers. *** **[00:00] Planning Commission Chair:** Good evening. Uh I call this meeting of the planning commission for a reminder. First item on the agenda is the approval of I have a motion. **[00:10] Commissioner:** So moved. **[00:11] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:12] Planning Commission Chair:** So moved and seconded. All in favor of approving the minutes, please signify by saying I. **[00:15] Commissioners (In Unison):** I. **[00:16] Planning Commission Chair:** Opposed. All right, the minutes are approved. Is now time for the open forum to address the planning commission about anything. Um, we also may have received some comments um ahead of time. Did we receive any emails or messages? If there's anyone watching who would like to to call in remotely, you can call the forum by dialing 415-655-001 and the access code is 2630275-4967 with the password 234. We'll wait a moment. Do we have any any calls? **[00:45] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** Chair, we do not. **[00:47] Planning Commission Chair:** Uh we can proceed then with the approval of the agenda for this meeting. Um is there a motion? **[00:52] Commissioner:** and second. **[00:53] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:54] Planning Commission Chair:** All in favor of approving the agenda, please say I. **[00:56] Commissioners (In Unison):** I. I. I. **[00:58] Planning Commission Chair:** Opposed. Right. The agenda has been approved. We have some previous business from the last meeting. Is there a staff report? **[01:05] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** Yes. Thank you, chair and commissioners. the um every year the planning commission uh reviews the bylaws and this year it was pointed out that the commission's standard agenda order does not align with the bylaws. The agenda typically has only the approval of the minutes before the open form and the bylaws call for approval of both the minutes and the agenda before the open form. Uh staff is recommending that we amend the bylaws to match our current practice mainly because uh having the open form in the same place on the other agendas such as the city council's agenda provides a consistenc format that is helpful for the public. Um we have attached a draft of the proposed changes for your consideration this evening. Thank you. **[01:50] Planning Commission Chair:** Thank you. Do you have any questions for staff? **[01:52] Commissioner Connealy:** I have a question chair. So I I just want to clarify. I know we discussed this briefly at the was it March meeting. Um we didn't have a sufficient quorum to amend the bylaws at that time. But I think the idea was uh that we would have the open forum earlier in our agenda to conform to our bylaws so that folks who were here to address the commission on any matters not before us would have sufficient time to do so before we got into our scheduled business. Is I just for the public's benefit I wanted to clarify that that was the intent of this change. Is that correct? **[02:25] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** Um yes that is correct. Thanks. **[02:27] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. Uh, is there any other questions from the commission? **[02:31] Commissioner:** Um, I move that we approve the revised planning commission bylaws. **[02:35] Planning Commission Chair:** Is there a second? **[02:36] Commissioner:** Seconded. **[02:37] Planning Commission Chair:** All in favor of approving the amendments to the bylaws, please say I. **[02:40] Commissioners (In Unison):** I. I. **[02:42] Planning Commission Chair:** Opposed? The bylaws are amended. All right. Uh we now have a um public hearing. Um can we is there a staff report before we begin the hearing? **[02:52] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** Thank you, chair and commissioners. The applicant Afghan Halal Supermarket is requesting site plan review and a two-stall parking variance at 6626 Penn Avenue South. The property is zoned mixeduse community and lies within the Penn Avenue corridor overlay district. The building currently has two tenant spaces. The south half of the building is office and the north half is currently vacant but was previously retail. The applicant is proposing to remove the internal dividing wall and remodel the building into a small grocery store with a takeout area in the back. The proposed use is permitted in the zoning district, but site plan approval is required because the use of half of the property is changing from office to retail. In addition to the parking variance, the request also includes city council permission to count the on street parking towards the onsite requirements. I'll go through each one in turn. In regards to the site plan review, there is little room for change on the property. It is mostly entirely impervious and has been so since it was developed in 1947. The applicant would be improving the property by restriping the parking stalls, adding bicycle parking, and repairing the failing retaining wall. Staff has visited the property and did not find further suggestion for improvement. In regards to the variance, the city's zoning code does not permit tandem parking spaces. The drive aisle along the north side of the building can accommodate four cars, but three of them do not count because they are tandem. Staff finds that allowing the drive aisle to be designated as employee parking only is appropriate justification for the two stall varants being requested. And finally, in regards to the council permission to count the on street parking towards on-site requirements, there are two on street stalls directly in front of the main entrance to the building that meet all four of the requirements listed in the code for this type of determination. Therefore, staff supports this part of the request as well. In conclusion, we're recommending approval of the entire request based on the findings listed in the finding statement and subject to the conditions in the draft resolution of approval. **[05:20] Planning Commission Chair:** Thank you. Do any members of the commission have questions for staff? **[05:24] Commissioner:** Um, one question about the tandem parking. I'm just curious if you could um talk about why it would not be counted or if you know the rationale behind to that. **[05:35] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** Yeah. So, tandem is a design wherein um cars can get stuck by the either the car in front of them and the car in back of them and then they they can't get in and get out with ease. So, it's not good for um customer parking. We have seen tandem um be used in other private arrangements such as a car dealership is allowed to have tandem parking because they can just go to their, you know, uh their auto uh the guy who's holding the keys and get them to move the cars around if a customer wants to test drive a car. So, um it it is um tandem is okay in certain situations, just not all situations. **[06:15] Commissioner:** Thank you. **[06:16] Planning Commission Chair:** Any other questions for staff? **[06:17] Commissioner:** Chair, I have a question I'd like to ask. Uh, so tandem parking. So, as far as I understand, and I I want to make things clear from watching that tandem parking means a car parked in one stall, another car behind it, another car behind it in a singular line. Correct. **[06:33] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** That's correct. **[06:34] Commissioner:** Right. So, um, in this situation, I guess I'm understanding is that, you know, we're trying to leave the flexibility up to the property owner to police the parking situation, um, and not have the city get involved in the exact, you know, order of who parks where or exactly what the parking order is here. So, we're just, are we just allowing that flexibility and leaving it up to the property in order to police the situation? because I see that normally the city doesn't allow it, but I guess in this situation, are we just leaving it up to the property owner to decide the the the exact situation? **[07:10] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** I I think that the customers will not be interested in getting themselves parked in and it will we have asked them to sign it and uh provide directional arrows for direction of traffic flow. So, it should be uh the situation should be um uh not obvious. Okay. It's employee parking, right? **[07:30] Commissioner:** Right. Okay. So, it's up it's up to the property owner to decide then. **[07:33] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** Yeah. **[07:34] Planning Commission Chair:** Okay. All right. We will go ahead and open the public hearing. The planning commission is a voluntary citizen board and the commission's function is to consider land use applications and development proposals and make recommendations to the city council. The purpose of the public hearing is to solicit feedback and testimony from members of the public regarding proposed projects that are pending before the commission. The commission will hear testimony from anyone present who wishes to speak about the agenda items today for this hearing. We ask that anyone uh who wishes to speak approach the podium and state their name and address for the record. And if you wish to testify, each person will be given five minutes to make their comments um or 10 minutes of speaking as a representative of the group. I understand that there are some people uh from representing the applicant here. So, we would we would love to hear from you if you're here. Is there anyone else present who would like to speak in the hearing? Just uh say your name and address and and I'd like to hear from you. **[08:45] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** Excuse me. Sorry. Can you make sure you sign in on the sheet right that's up there? Name and address, please. Thank you. **[08:52] Planning Commission Chair:** Are there any uh emailed comments or anyone calling in chair? **[08:55] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** There were not. **[08:56] Planning Commission Chair:** Is there anyone else present who would like to address the commission about this matter? Do we can I get a motion to close the public hearing? **[09:03] Commissioner:** So moved. **[09:04] Commissioner:** Second. **[09:05] Planning Commission Chair:** Second. All in favor, please say I. **[09:07] Commissioners (In Unison):** I. **[09:08] Planning Commission Chair:** Opposed. All right. We are closing the public hearing. Any discussion or and if you if you all wouldn't mind standing here by in case a member of the commission has a question for you. **[09:18] Commissioner Connealy:** I I don't have any questions. I just want to to say that um all the material provided and the statements we've heard, I I think this is a great idea. I don't have any concerns about the parking variance. Thank you. **[09:30] Commissioner:** I'd echo what uh Commissioner Connealy said. I um the proposal looks really exciting. I'm excited to um see what the grocery store has to offer. And um I also welcome you into the community. I'm very um glad that um you're here now despite the unfortunate circumstances that brought um you and your neighbors here. Um I hope that you've found Richfield to be very welcoming and I think that this would be a welcome addition to the city. Um I feel like all of the requirements of the variance have been met. So I support both the site plan and parking variance. **[10:10] Commissioner:** And if I could just echo what my peers have said, I I'm excited about seeing um your presence in the community. One of the wonderful things about Richfield is the diversity and all the different kinds of people that we have. So, it's wonderful to see additions to that fabric. And I agree that staff seems to have analyzed the situation um carefully and that this is a logical variance and a site plan we should approve. Without additional comment, I'll make a motion to approve the proposed site plan and parking variance for 6626 Penn Avenue South. **[10:45] Planning Commission Chair:** It's been moved and seconded to adapt the staff uh report. All in favor, please say I. **[10:50] Commissioners (In Unison):** I. I. I. I. **[10:52] Planning Commission Chair:** And opposed. All right. The staff recommendations have been approved. Thank you very much. Welcome. All right. The um next item on the agenda are liaison reports. Community services advisory commission. **[11:05] Commissioner:** No report. **[11:06] Planning Commission Chair:** City council. **[11:07] Commissioner Connealy:** Yes, chair. Uh city council conducted a work session on April 25th where they discussed establishing additional renter protections and removing or changing parking minimums. Again, that was a work session and just a discussion. On May 9th, they met again for a work session to discuss possible changes to local speed limits. Um, and on May 9th, a regular meeting, the city council approved several resolutions to accept financial and/or material support from state and federal agencies for local infrastructure planning and construction. Also, the fire department rescued eight ducklings from a storm drain. Yeah, I I thought that was worth noting. **[11:50] Planning Commission Chair:** HRA. **[11:51] Commissioner Sters:** H um two things. The HA has um an opening on it right now and is accepting applications through June 1st. So, if anyone's interested in applying for the HRA, there's information on the city's website for that. Um, and then at their March meeting, they had a conversation um with someone who is interested in a deli bakery cafe concept on the vacant lot right next to Frenchman's. They're park like um there's the parking lot and then there's the vacant lot. So, there was discussion about that. Um, and it sounds like there's been um somebody else also interested in developing on that lot. So, um TBD on the details, but um hopefully we see some activity on the site. **[12:35] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. Nothing for the school board this month. Uh, transportation commission. **[12:40] Commissioner:** Yeah, that's me. Uh, there was a meeting in early May. There were project updates given for the 77th Street underpass project, the 65th Street project, um 494 upcoming re reconstruction, and a few uh traffic signal uh rebuilds. Uh I think the main presentation was about uh the ongoing pilot project for safe routes to schools uh prim primarily located around the STEM school with some curb bumpouts and improved pedestrian crossings and the results of which will be shared later this year once uh those p pilot projects end. **[13:20] Planning Commission Chair:** The chamber of commerce... Oh, all right. Uh, sustainability commission. **[13:25] Commissioner:** Yep. Uh, there was a meeting on April 27th, uh indicating that the ecoair, uh the pilot tree program and the community garden plot program were all very active and well supported. Uh trees sold out within a day. uh major issue they're working on is updating and releasing the digital sustainability guide and that is going to be done within the next month. **[13:50] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. And now we're on to city planners report. **[13:54] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** Um I just have one thing to report. Um it's a little bit sad. I am actually leaving Richfield. So this is my last planning commission meeting. Um, I'm taking a long range planning job at the city of St. Paul. So, you can blame them. **[14:10] Planning Commission Chair:** Congratulations. I had to gabble. I would Yeah, it was me. She hated me. She just couldn't work with me anymore. **[14:18] Sam Crosby (City Planner):** Um, so I do have a couple other announcements. um uh Commissioner Sters beat me to one which is that there is an opening for the H EDA. If you know anybody who would be interested um in this position, please direct them to the city's website. Um can be found on the boards and commissions page and they meet on the third Monday of the month. And then also um the uh on as Connealy reported on April 25th, the city council approved a one-year time extension uh of the land use approvals for Richfield Flats, which was a four-story 55 unit apartment building by developer MWF at 7700 Penn Avenue South. Um so they have another year to get that um on the ground and under construction. And then um as no land use cases have been yet submitted for the review uh for review at the June planning commission and because I'll be on my own for that month. Um we are going to cancel the the June meeting. So um and then we'll likely by then have applicants for July. That's it. **[15:35] Planning Commission Chair:** All right. Do you have a motion to adjourn? **[15:38] Commissioner:** So moved. **[15:39] Commissioner:** Second. **[15:40] Planning Commission Chair:** It's been moved, seconded, and apparently thirded that we adjourn. All in favor, please say I. **[15:45] Commissioners (In Unison):** I. **[15:46] Planning Commission Chair:** Opposed. All right. We are adjourned at 7:24.